bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Merging Clinical and Imaging Biomarkers to Tackle Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Picillo Marina , Barone Paolo , Pellecchia Maria Teresa 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackgroundIn Parkinson's disease, biomarkers represent tools that are potentially suitable for either clinical or research settings and are useful in predicting onset, confirming diagnosis, detecting progression, and evaluating response to potential disease‐modifying treatments. The range of available biomarkers in Parkinson's disease is fast expanding and includes an increasing amount of laboratory, clinical, and imaging data. Indeed, the latter 2 represent the cornerstones of the diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease recently proposed by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society Task Force on the definition of Parkinson's disease.Methods and ResultsIn this review, we describe current knowledge and emerging findings on clinical (with emphasis on nonmotor symptoms) and imaging biomarkers for Parkinson's disease, with a focus on prodromal, diagnostic, and middle/advanced phases.ConclusionAn increasing body of evidence suggests that merging clinical and imaging biomarkers through disease stages may be the best, fastest track to tackle Parkinson's disease.
Design of spectral‐spatial phase prewinding pulses and their use in small‐tip fast recovery steady‐state imaging
Authors: Williams Sydney N. , Nielsen Jon‐Fredrik , Fessler Jeffrey A. , Noll Douglas C. 
Published: July 2017

PurposeSpectrally selective “prewinding” radiofrequency pulses can counteract B0 inhomogeneity in steady‐state sequences, but can only prephase a limited range of off‐resonance. We propose spectral‐spatial small‐tip angle prewinding pulses that increase the off‐resonance bandwidth that can be successfully prephased by incorporating spatially tailored excitation patterns.Theory and MethodsWe present a feasibility study to compare spectral and spectral‐spatial prewinding pulses. These pulses add a prephasing term to the target magnetization pattern that aims to recover an assigned off‐resonance bandwidth at the echo time. For spectral‐spatial pulses, the design bandwidth is centered at the off‐resonance frequency for each spatial location in a field map. We use these pulses in the small‐tip fast recovery steady‐state sequence, which is similar to balanced steady‐state free precession. We investigate improvement of spectral‐spatial pulses over spectral pulses using simulations and small‐tip fast recovery scans of a gel phantom and human brain.ResultsIn simulation, spectral‐spatial pulses yielded lower normalized root mean squared excitation error than spectral pulses. For both experiments, the spectral‐spatial pulse images are also qualitatively better (more uniform, less signal loss) than the spectral pulse images.ConclusionSpectral‐spatial prewinding pulses can prephase over a larger range of off‐resonance than their purely spectral counterparts. Magn Reson Med 79:1377–1386, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Fast, precise, and accurate myocardial T1 mapping using a radial MOLLI sequence with FLASH readout
Authors: Marty B. , Coppa B. , Carlier P.G. 
Published: July 2017

PurposeQuantitative cardiac MRI, and more particularly T1 mapping, has become a most important modality to characterize myocardial tissue. In this work, the value of a radial variant of the conventional modified Look‐Locker inversion recovery sequence (raMOLLI) is demonstrated.MethodsThe raMOLLI acquisition scheme consisted of five radial echo trains of 80 spokes acquired using either a fast low‐angle shot (FLASH) or a true fast imaging with steady‐state‐precession (TrueFISP) readout at different time points after a single magnetization inversion. View sharing combined with a compressed sensing algorithm allowed the reconstruction of 50 images along the T1 relaxation recovery curve, to which a dictionary‐fitting approach was applied to estimate T1. The sequence was validated on a nine‐vial phantom, on 19 healthy subjects, and one patient suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy.ResultsThe raMOLLI sequence allowed a significant decrease of myocardial T1 map acquisition time down to five heartbeats, while exhibiting a higher degree of accuracy and a comparable precision on T1 value estimation than the conventional modified Look‐Locker inversion recovery sequence. The FLASH readout demonstrated a better robustness to B0 inhomogeneities than TrueFISP, and was therefore preferred for in vivo acquisitions.ConclusionsThis sequence represents a good candidate for ultrafast acquisition of myocardial T1 maps. Magn Reson Med 79:1387–1398, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Performance of a fast and high‐resolution multi‐echo spin‐echo sequence for prostate T2 mapping across multiple systems
Authors: van Houdt Petra J. , Agarwal Harsh K. , van Buuren Laurens D. , Heijmink Stijn W.T.P.J. , Haack Søren , van der Poel Henk G. , Ghobadi Ghazaleh , Pos Floris J. , Peeters Johannes M. , Choyke Peter L. , van der Heide Uulke A. 
Published: July 2017

PurposeTo evaluate the performance of a multi‐echo spin‐echo sequence with k‐t undersampling scheme (k‐t T2) in prostate cancer.MethodsPhantom experiments were performed at five systems to estimate the bias, short‐term repeatability, and reproducibility across all systems expressed with the within‐subject coefficient of variation (wCV). Monthly measurements were performed on two systems for long‐term repeatability estimation. To evaluate clinical repeatability, two T2 maps (voxel size 0.8 × 0.8 × 3 mm3; 5 min) were acquired at separate visits on one system for 13 prostate cancer patients. Repeatability was assessed per patient in relation to spatial resolution. T2 values were compared for tumor, peripheral zone, and transition zone.ResultsPhantom measurements showed a small bias (median = −0.9 ms) and good short‐term repeatability (median wCV = 0.5%). Long‐term repeatability was 0.9 and 1.1% and reproducibility between systems was 1.7%. The median bias observed in patients was −1.1 ms. At voxel level, the median wCV was 15%, dropping to 4% for structures of 0.5 cm3. The median tumor T2 values (79 ms) were significantly lower (P < 0.001) than in the peripheral zone (149 ms), but overlapped with the transition zone (91 ms).ConclusionsReproducible T2 mapping of the prostate is feasible with good spatial resolution in a clinically reasonable scan time, allowing reliable measurement of T2 in structures as small as 0.5 cm3. Magn Reson Med 79:1586–1594, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Third‐Order Nonlinear Optical Properties of One‐Dimensional Quinoidal Oligothiophene Derivatives Involving Phenoxyl Groups
Authors: Kishi Ryohei , Katsurayama Tsubasa , Ochi Shoki , Makino Akihiro , Matsushita Naoyuki , Saito Michika , Nagami Takanori , Fujiyoshi Jun‐ya , Nakano Masayoshi 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe diradical characters (y) and third‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of open‐shell quinoidal oligothiophene derivatives with phenoxyl groups, and the corresponding reduced (hydrogenated)‐state oligomers, are investigated by using the broken‐symmetry density functional theory method. The oxidized (dehydrogenated) states are predicted to have an open‐shell singlet ground state and their y values increase with the number of units. Static second hyperpolarizabilities (γ) of the open‐shell oligomers with intermediate y are shown to be enhanced significantly compared with those of the closed‐shell analogues. Furthermore, owing to the effective diradical distances, the γ values of open‐shell oligomers are found to exceed that of s‐indaceno[1,2,3‐cd;5,6,7‐c′d′]diphenalene, which is known as an organic molecule with the largest two‐photon absorption cross‐section in this size of the pure hydrocarbons. This feature extends the range of efficient open‐shell third‐order NLO materials to a novel class of one‐dimensional conjugated oligomers with redox‐based high tunability of third‐order NLO properties.
Overexpression of PCDHB9 promotes peritoneal metastasis and correlates with poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer
Authors: Mukai Shoichiro , Oue Naohide , Oshima Takashi , Imai Takeharu , Sekino Yohei , Honma Ririno , Sakamoto Naoya , Sentani Kazuhiro , Kuniyasu Hiroki , Egi Hiroyuki , Tanabe Kazuaki , Yoshida Kazuhiro , Ohdan Hideki , Yasui Wataru 
Published: July 2017

AbstractGastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common human cancers. Genes expressed only in cancer tissue, especially on the cell membrane, may be useful biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. In the present study, we focused on the PCDHB9 gene, which encodes the transmembrane protein protocadherin B9. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that 62 (36%) of 173 GC cases were positive for protocadherin B9. Protocadherin B9 staining was mainly observed on the GC cell membrane. Expression of protocadherin B9 was frequently found in intestinal‐type GC and correlated with poor prognosis in patients with intestinal‐type GC. Although PCDHB9 knockdown or forced expression of PCDHB9 did not change cell growth or invasion activity in a GC cell line, cell adhesion to fibronectin was significantly reduced by PCDHB9 knockdown and significantly enhanced by overexpression of PCDHB9. Expression levels of ITGA3, ITGA4, ITGA5, and ITGB1 were significantly reduced by knockdown of PCDHB9 and significantly enhanced by overexpression of PCDHB9. Furthermore, both the number and the size of spheres in culture were significantly decreased by PCDHB9 knockdown and significantly increased by overexpression of PCDHB9. In a peritoneal dissemination mouse model, the weight of the total disseminated nodules of MKN‐74 cells was significantly increased by forced expression of PCDHB9. These results indicate that protocadherin B9 plays an important role in the progression rather than the pathogenesis of intestinal‐type GC. Specific inhibitors of protocadherin B9 may constitute promising anti‐cancer drugs with fewer side‐effects. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trisomy 13‐confined placental mosaicism: is there an increased risk of gestational hypertensive disorders?
Authors: Dotters‐Katz Sarah K. , Hardisty Emily , Campbell Erin , Vora Neeta 
Published: July 2017

What's already known about this topic?

Trisomy 13 (T13) pregnancies are associated with increased risk of gestational hypertensive disorders (GHDs).
It is unclear if false positive cell‐free DNA results for T13, which may be caused by confined placental mosaicism, are associated with increased risk for GHD.
What does this study add?

Among six women with false positive cell‐free DNA for T13, four developed GHD, raising the possibility that there may be an increased risk for GHD in women with false positive cell‐free DNA results for T13.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dispersion of single‐walled carbon nanotubes using nucleobase‐containing poly(acrylamide) polymers
Authors: Fong Darryl , Hua Zan , Wilks Thomas R. , O'Reilly Rachel K. , Adronov Alex 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTSingle‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) possess extraordinary properties, but suffer from poor solubility and a lack of purity. Of the possible routes available to solubilize and purify nanotube samples, the use of noncovalent functionalization is ideal as carbon nanotube properties are not deleteriously affected. A multitude of different dispersants have been investigated thus far, but of particular interest is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which has previously been demonstrated to effectively separate metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Here, we investigate the ability of synthetic nucleobase‐containing poly(acrylamide) polymers to produce stable nanotube dispersions in organic solvents. Polymers bearing different nucleobase and backbone structures, as well as block copolymers with different block sequences were investigated. Polymer:SWNT mass ratios and solvent compositions were optimized for the nucleobase‐functionalized polymers, and semiconducting and metallic SWNT populations were identified by a combination of UV‐Vis‐NIR absorption, Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopy. These results demonstrate the capacity for synthetic DNA analogues to disperse SWNTs in organic media. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 2611–2617
State of High‐Altitude Permafrost on Tropical Maunakea Volcano, Hawaii
Authors: Schorghofer Norbert , Leopold Matthias , Yoshikawa Kenji 
Published: July 2017

AbstractOne of the most unusual occurrences of sporadic permafrost is on the summit plateau of Maunakea volcano on Hawaii Island, where permafrost was documented in two cinder‐cone craters in the 1970s. To investigate the state of this permafrost, we acquired multi‐year ground temperature data and conducted electrical resistivity and ground penetrating radar surveys. The two ice bodies still exist, but one has shrunk in volume by an order of magnitude and is expected to disappear soon. The other is still more than 50 m wide. We also prospected the summit region for additional permafrost bodies, based on insolation modelling, temperature probing and geomorphological indicators, but none was found. Permafrost occurs preferentially in the interiors of craters with a closed basin, even though there are exterior slopes that receive less solar radiation annually. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relationship between oxygen cost of walking and level of walking disability after stroke: An experimental study
Authors: Polese Janaine C. , Ada Louise , Teixeira‐Salmela Luci F. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackground and PurposeSince physical inactivity is the major risk factor for recurrent stroke, it is important to understand how level of disability impacts oxygen uptake by people after stroke. This study investigated the nature of the relationship between level of disability and oxygen cost in people with chronic stroke.MethodsLevel of walking disability was measured as comfortable walking speed using the 10‐m Walk Test reported in m/s with 55 ambulatory people 2 years after stroke. Oxygen cost was measured during 3 walking tasks: overground walking at comfortable speed, overground walking at fast speed, and stair walking at comfortable speed. Oxygen cost was calculated from oxygen uptake divided by distance covered during walking and reported in ml∙kg−1∙m−1.ResultsThe relationship between level of walking disability and oxygen cost was curvilinear for all 3 walking tasks. One quadratic model accounted for 81% (95% CI [74, 88]) of the variance in oxygen cost during the 3 walking tasks:

urn:x-wiley:13582267:media:pri1688:pri1688-math-0001
DiscussionThe oxygen cost of walking was related the level of walking disability in people with chronic stroke, such that the more disabled the individual, the higher the oxygen cost of walking; with oxygen cost rising sharply as disability became severe. An equation that relates oxygen cost during different walking tasks according to the level of walking disability allows clinicians to determine oxygen cost indirectly without the difficulty of measuring oxygen uptake directly.
Change mechanism of solver performance: With a special focus on time history analysis of supertall buildings
Authors: Tao Qian , He Zheng 
Published: July 2017

SummaryThe correlation between the performance of some commonly used linear system solvers and the characteristics of system matrices, especially in the time history analysis of supertall buildings, is comprehensively identified. Relying on 5 well‐designed structural models with height varying from 47 to 660 m, the supernodal LLT solver and the conjugate gradient (CG) solver with the factorized sparse approximate inverse preconditioner are selected due to their actual efficiency. More importantly, basing on 90 fictitious supertall structural models generated from the parameterized method, the effects of structural characteristics on solver performance and the corresponding mechanism are studied by 3 mathematical indexes with parameters come from the equivalent dynamic stiffness matrices. Impacts of processors on the solvers are also clarified by associating the architectural characteristics of processors with the indexes. The performance of the 2 solvers is affected globally with increasing building size; different variation laws are shown for different structural systems. However, the accuracy of the CG solver does not exhibit distinct variation due to a slight change in the 2‐norm condition number of the matrices. The CG solver is found to be more applicable on GPU processor than the LLT solver due to its smaller gap between computational workload and the amount of data transferred.
Existence and stability of traveling wave fronts for a reaction‐diffusion system with spatio‐temporal nonlocal effect
Authors: Wu Chufen , Li Mengqi , Weng Peixuan 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIn this paper, traveling wave fronts for a two dimensional quasi‐monotone reaction‐diffusion system with spatio‐temporal delays are investigated. We use the upper‐lower solution method and the fixed‐point theorem to establish the existence of traveling waves for the system, and the technique of comparison principle combined with the weighted energy function to study the global exponential stability of traveling waves of the equations with large initial perturbation. The initial perturbation around the traveling waves decays exponentially as , but it can be arbitrarily large in other locations.
EXTERNALITIES, PROFIT, AND LAND STEWARDSHIP: CONFLICTING MOTIVES FOR SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ADOPTION AMONG ABSENTEE LANDOWNERS AND ON-FARM PRODUCERS
Authors: TONG BENJAMIN H. , BOYER TRACY A. , SANDERS LARRY D. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis research aimed to illicit nonfarming absentee landowners’ and producers’ preferences for the benefits and characteristics derived from conservation practices during adoption decisions using maximum difference scaling, also called the best-worst method. Both groups are found to rank and value the attributes and reasons for adoption of conservation practices differently at the 95% significance level. This difference between the two groups reinforced the importance of land tenure in decision making. This indicated the need for new extension educational efforts, research efforts, and economic incentives to reduce negative externalities that could be ameliorated from adoption of soil and water conservation practices.
Radiological Growth Patterns of Prolactinomas and Nonfunctioning Adenomas
Authors: Imran Syed Ali , Shankar Jai , Hebb Andrea L.O. , Croul Sidney E. , Clarke David B. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractObjectives:To compare growth patterns of nonfunctioning and prolactin-producing pituitary macroadenomas, and to find whether their specific growth patterns are associated with clinically significant effects on vision.Materials and Methods:From our comprehensive provincial neuropituitary registry, we retrospectively identified 35 randomly selected patients each with nonfunctioning adenomas and prolactinomas >10 mm in any dimension. MRI scans were analyzed to determine the superior and inferior growth, volume, and maximum craniocaudal height of the adenomas. Patients underwent visual field testing at diagnosis. Continuous variables were compared using Student’sttest, the Mann–WhitneyUtest, and ANOVA. Categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test.Results:The mean height of prolactinomas (23.2±11.3 mm) was similar to nonfunctioning adenomas (22.3±9.3 mm,p=0.8), and so were mean tumor volumes (prolactinoma=5.9±8 ml vs. nonfunctioning adenoma=4.8±5 ml,p=0.47). However, the mean suprasellar growth for prolactinomas was 2.9±5.3 mm and 7.3±4.7 mm for nonfunctioning adenomas (p<0.001), and the mean infrasellar growth was 10.2±8.0 and 5.0±6.6 mm, respectively (p=0.04). The inferior growth pattern of prolactinomas was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of having visual field abnormalities (11.4 vs. 57.1%,p<0.001).Conclusions:Prolactinomas have predominantly inferior growth compared to nonfunctioning adenomas and are less likely to cause vision changes.
Effects of Self-Selected Exercise on Strength in Charcot–Marie–Tooth Disease Subtypes
Authors: Djordjevic Djurdja , Fell Sabrina , Baker Steven 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackground: Preliminary studies have supported the utility of exercise as a treatment for Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT) patients. Despite being the most common inherited neuropathy, there remains a paucity of guidelines for CMT management. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 297 CMT patients. Self-reported exercise and strength results from standardized dynamometer testing were obtained from adult patients’ first visits. Values were converted and analyzed based on previously reported age- and sex-matched normative values. Results: Participants with CMT2 had greater strength values than those with CMT1 in hand grip, elbow flexion, and dorsiflexion (p<0.05). Participants with CMT1 and CMT2 who exercised were statistically significantly stronger in elbow flexion and dorsiflexion than those who did not exercise. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that self-directed exercise is associated with greater strength in CMT patients of both CMT1 and CMT2 subtypes. Self-directed exercise may be a convenient, sustainable, and effective method of improving strength and decreasing disability in this population. Future research should explore the type of exercise prescription that best addresses the needs of the CMT population.
A >22,000 yr diatom record from the plateau of Zambia
Authors: Haberyan Kurt A. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDiatoms and sediments were examined in a 530 cm core from Ishiba Ngandu, Zambia, a lake formed by gentle downwarping. Diatom zone D (>20 cal ka BP) was mostly sand with abundantAulacoseiraandEunotia, suggesting a shallow lake perhaps kept fresh by spring inputs and lake discharge, except during deposition of the lowermost 66 cm. Gyttja deposition between about 22 and 20 cal ka BP suggested a deeper lake and a wetter climate, perhaps because the Congo Air Boundary (CAB) was farther southeast relative to modern times. The next zone, zone C (about 20–19 cal ka BP), was sand with abundantAchnanthidiumandEunotiabut very few planktonic diatoms, apparently representing very shallow water and an arid period without the CAB. The gyttja and diatoms in zone B (19–4 ka) suggested an increase in moisture when the CAB returned. Zone A (4–0 cal ka BP) was dominated by the planktonicAulacoseira(>89%), suggesting an increase in wind-driven mixing. Uniquely, Ishiba Ngandu likely has been relatively moist since the last glacial maximum, matching pre-Holocene wetness in Botswana but not its Holocene aridity; evidently the climate here had switched to that of East Africa.