bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of pelvic organ prolapse repair on detrusor overactivity in women following incontinence surgery: A multivariate analysis
Authors: Virseda‐Chamorro Miguel , Salinas‐Casado Jesús , Tapia‐Herrero Ana María , Pesquera Laura , Méndez‐Rubio Santiago , Esteban‐Fuertes Manuel , Resel‐Forskelma Luis , Moreno‐Sierra Jesús 
Published: February 2017

AIMSTo determine the effect of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair on post‐operative detrusor overactivity (DO) in women who have underwent incontinence surgery, using multivariate analysis.METHODSA retrospective study was carried out on a cohort of 105 women who underwent incontinence surgery. In 39 of the patients this surgery was associated with pelvic organ prolapse repair. Clinical and urodynamic data were collected pre‐ and 3 months post‐operatively. A multivariate statistical analysis was performed to detect confounding factors which could influence on the risk factors associated with post‐operative detrusor overactivity.RESULTSOn univariate analysis, the following pre‐operative factors were associated with post‐operative detrusor overactivity: symptomatic mixed urinary incontinence, rectocele, detrusor overactivity, voided volume on free uroflowmetry, maximum cystomanometric capacity, and performing concomitant pelvic organ prolapse repair. Multivariate analysis, by means of confounding factors elimination, revealed that only pre‐operative rectocele and detrusor overactivity were independent risk factors.CONCLUSIONSThe pelvic organ prolapse repair acts as a confounding factor. Women with a pre‐operative rectocele and detrusor overactivity are on a greater risk to develop post‐operative detrusor overactivity and, therefore, they should be informed.
Optimal discrete higher‐order sliding mode control of uncertain LTI systems with partial state information
Authors: Sharma Nalin Kumar , Janardhanan Sivaramakrishnan 
Published: February 2017

SummaryThe concept of discrete higher‐order sliding mode has received increased attention in the recent literature. This paper presents an optimal discrete higher‐order sliding mode control for an uncertain discrete LTI system using partial state information, which has been missing in literature. A new technique is proposed to design an optimal time‐varying higher‐order sliding surface and control input through the minimization of a quadratic performance index. Moreover, disturbance estimation technique is utilized to modify the control algorithm to reduce the width of the discrete higher‐order sliding mode band. The proposed algorithm is experimentally validated on a rectilinear plant. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Evaluation of CMIP5 GCM Simulations over the Athabasca River Basin, Canada
Authors: Cheng G. H. , Huang G. H. , Dong C. , Zhu J. X. , Zhou X. , Yao Y. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractLong‐term hydrological forecasting, water resources management and other climate change impacts or adaptation analysis studies on large continental river basins, for example, the Athabasca River Basin (ARB) in Canada, desire a reliable climatic projection. This usually relies on general circulation models (GCMs) in the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). However, there is a lack of a systematic evaluation of CMIP5 GCM performances over the ARB that vary with multiple factors, for example, statistical metrics, temporal scales and spatial locations, challenging the reliability of water‐related or other studies over the ARB. For this gap to be filled, six CMIP5 GCMs, namely, IPSL‐CM5A‐LR, IPSL‐CM5A‐MR, MIROC‐ESM‐CHEM, MIROC5, GFDL‐ESM2G and GFDL‐ESM2M, and their ensemble mean are selected according to data availabilities of representative climate variables: Tmin, Tmax and Prec (TTP). Accuracies of the selected CMIP5 GCMs in reproducing TTP over the ARB are evaluated comprehensively. The ensemble mean cannot outperform any GCM in all cases in the ARB, although its overall accuracy seems to be higher in consideration of all cases. These accuracies vary with TTP, locations, metrics and scales. For instance, ESM2G shows the highest accuracies in reproducing monthly/seasonal variability and magnitudes of grid‐averaged TTP and inter‐annual variability of grid‐averaged annual means of Tmax; CM5A‐LR in multi‐year‐averaged spatial variability of TTP and magnitudes of spatially distributed multi‐year‐averaged Tmax; while the ensemble mean only in some aspects, for example, intraseasonal variability and magnitudes of TTP and inter‐annual variability and magnitudes of grid‐averaged annual means of TTP. GCMs should be systematically integrated according to accuracy variations. Multiple statistical metrics are recommended in GCM evaluations. These findings facilitate water resources systems analyses and other related studies in the ARB. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Different responses in the expression of alginases, alginate polymerase and acetylation genes during alginate production by Azotobacter vinelandii under oxygen-controlled conditions
Authors: Díaz-Barrera Alvaro , Maturana Nataly , Pacheco-Leyva Ivette , Martínez Irene , Altamirano Claudia 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Alginate production and gene expression of genes involved in alginate biosynthesis were evaluated in continuous cultures under dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) controlled conditions. Chemostat at 8% DOT showed an increase in the specific oxygen uptake rate (qO2)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$(q_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} )$$\end{document} from 10.9 to 45.3 mmol g−1 h−1 by changes in the dilution rate (D) from 0.06 to 0.10 h−1, whereas under 1% DOT the qO2\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$q_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }}$$\end{document} was not affected. Alginate molecular weight was not affected by DOT. However, chemostat at 1% DOT showed a downregulation up to 20-fold in genes encoding both the alginate polymerase (alg8, alg44), alginate acetylases (algV, algI) and alginate lyase AlgL. alyA1 and algE7 lyases gene expressions presented an opposite behavior by changing the DOT, suggesting that A. vinelandii can use specific depolymerases depending on the oxygen level. Overall, the DOT level have a differential effect on genes involved in alginate synthesis, thus a gene expression equilibrium determines the production of alginates of similar molecular weight under DOT controlled.
The minimal-span channel for rough-wall turbulent flows
Authors: MacDonald M. , Chung D. , Hutchins N. , Chan L. , Ooi A. , García-Mayoral R. 
Published: February 2017

Roughness predominantly alters the near-wall region of turbulent flow while the outer layer remains similar with respect to the wall shear stress. This makes it a prime candidate for the minimal-span channel, which only captures the near-wall flow by restricting the spanwise channel width to be of the order of a few hundred viscous units. Recently, Chung et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 773, 2015, pp. 418–431) showed that a minimal-span channel can accurately characterise the hydraulic behaviour of roughness. Following this, we aim to investigate the fundamental dynamics of the minimal-span channel framework with an eye towards further improving performance. The streamwise domain length of the channel is investigated with the minimum length found to be three times the spanwise width or 1000 viscous units, whichever is longer. The outer layer of the minimal channel is inherently unphysical and as such alterations to it can be performed so long as the near-wall flow, which is the same as in a full-span channel, remains unchanged. Firstly, a half-height (open) channel with slip wall is shown to reproduce the near-wall behaviour seen in a standard channel, but with half the number of grid points. Next, a forcing model is introduced into the outer layer of a half-height channel. This reduces the high streamwise velocity associated with the minimal channel and allows for a larger computational time step. Finally, an investigation is conducted to see if varying the roughness Reynolds number with time is a feasible method for obtaining the full hydraulic behaviour of a rough surface. Currently, multiple steady simulations at fixed roughness Reynolds numbers are needed to obtain this behaviour. The results indicate that the non-dimensional pressure gradient parameter must be kept below 0.03–0.07 to ensure that pressure gradient effects do not lead to an inaccurate roughness function. An empirical costing argument is developed to determine the cost in terms of CPU hours of minimal-span channel simulations a priori. This argument involves counting the number of eddy lifespans in the channel, which is then related to the statistical uncertainty of the streamwise velocity. For a given statistical uncertainty in the roughness function, this can then be used to determine the simulation run time. Following this, a finite-volume code with a body-fitted grid is used to determine the roughness function for square-based pyramids using the above insights. Comparisons to experimental studies for the same roughness geometry are made and good agreement is observed.
The effect of family formation on the build-up of pension rights among minority ethnic groups and native women in Belgium
Authors: NEELS KAREL , DE WACHTER DAVID , PEETERS HANS 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTGender penalties in pension outcomes are widely acknowledged and have been documented for majority populations in various settings. A recurring finding is that the gendered impact of family formation on work–care trajectories adversely affects women's accumulation of pension rights over the lifecourse relative to men. Although maternal employment is particularly low in migrant populations, few papers have explicitly addressed pension protection of migrant women. Using longitudinal microdata from the Belgian Social Security Registers, we analyse whether entry into parenthood differentially affected the build-up of first pillar pension rights of working-age migrant women compared to natives between 1998 and 2010, further distinguishing by origin group and migrant generation. The results show that native women are most likely to build up pension rights through full-time employment both before and after parenthood. In contrast, first-generation women and women of Turkish and Moroccan origin are more likely to build up pension rights though assimilated periods or rely on derived pension rights after parenthood, even when controlling for type of pension build-up before parenthood. We conclude that policies reinforcing individualisation of pension rights based on employment or decreasing the importance of derived rights may erode pension protection of groups having limited access to the labour market, and require co-ordination with employment and family policies that support the combination of work and care responsibilities.
Managing Uncertainty: The International Court of Justice, ‘Objective Reasonableness’ and the Judicial Function
Authors: GARRIDO-MUÑOZ ASIER 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAs a standard of review, ‘objective reasonableness’ has been in the academic spotlight after theWhaling in the Antarcticjudgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ or the Court). The Court's approach was conceptually innovative and seemed to have operated a partial reversal of the burden of proof in favour of the applicant. In response to certain criticisms addressed to that decision, this article makes two claims. First, ‘reasonableness’, while being inherently vague, gives a justifiable degree of discretion to judges, thereby enabling them to make difficult adjudicatory choices without departing from the applicable legal framework. Second, the term finds sufficient support in the Court's case law dealing with state discretion in the implementation of treaties. Both claims relate to the very same core idea: that even if one remains sceptical as to the capacity of the term to enhance certainty, ‘reasonableness’ is a basic conceptual tool that facilitates judicial review in complex cases, including those of a scientific nature.
Environmental factors associated with childhood norovirus diarrhoea in León, Nicaragua
Authors: BECKER-DREPS S. , CUTHBERTSON C. C. , BUCARDO F. , VINJE J. , PANIAGUA M. , GIEBULTOWICZ S. , ESPINOZA F. , EMCH M. 
Published: February 2017

SUMMARYNorovirus is detected in one in five diarrhoea episodes in children, yet little is known about environmental risk factors associated with this disease, especially in low-income settings. The objective of this study was to examine environmental risk factors, and spatial and seasonal patterns of norovirus diarrhoea episodes in children in León, Nicaragua. We followed a population-based cohort of children under age 5 years for norovirus diarrhoea over a 1-year period. At baseline, characteristics of each household were recorded. Households were geocoded and spatial locations of garbage dumps, rivers, and markets were collected. In bivariate analysis we observed younger children and those with animals in their households were more likely to have experienced norovirus episodes. In adjusted models, younger children remained at higher risk for norovirus episodes, but only modest associations were observed with family and environmental characteristics. We next identified symptomatic children living in the same household and within 500 m buffer zones around the household of another child infected with the same genotype. Norovirus diarrhoea episodes peaked early in the rainy season. These findings contribute to our understanding of environmental factors and norovirus infection.
Heterochronic microRNAs in temporal specification of neural stem cells: application toward rejuvenation
Authors: Shimazaki Takuya , Okano Hideyuki 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPlasticity is a critical factor enabling stem cells to contribute to the development and regeneration of tissues. In the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), neural stem cells (NSCs) that are defined by their capability for self-renewal and differentiation into neurons and glia, are present in the ventricular neuroaxis throughout life. However, the differentiation potential of NSCs changes in a spatiotemporally regulated manner and these cells progressively lose plasticity during development. One of the major alterations in this process is the switch from neurogenesis to gliogenesis. NSCs initiate neurogenesis immediately after neural tube closure and then turn to gliogenesis from midgestation, which requires an irreversible competence transition that enforces a progressive reduction of neuropotency. A growing body of evidence indicates that the neurogenesis-to-gliogenesis transition is governed by multiple layers of regulatory networks consisting of multiple factors, including epigenetic regulators, transcription factors, and non-coding RNA (ncRNA). In this review, we focus on critical roles of microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small ncRNA that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, in the regulation of the switch from neurogenesis to gliogenesis in NSCs in the developing CNS. Unraveling the regulatory interactions of miRNAs and target genes will provide insights into the regulation of plasticity of NSCs, and the development of new strategies for the regeneration of damaged CNS.
Reversibility and energy dissipation in adiabatic superconductor logic
Authors: Takeuchi Naoki , Yamanashi Yuki , Yoshikawa Nobuyuki 
Published: February 2017

AbstractReversible computing is considered to be a key technology to achieve an extremely high energy efficiency in future computers. In this study, we investigated the relationship between reversibility and energy dissipation in adiabatic superconductor logic. We analyzed the evolution of phase differences of Josephson junctions in the reversible quantum-flux-parametron (RQFP) gate and confirmed that the phase differences can change time reversibly, which indicates that the RQFP gate is physically, as well as logically, reversible. We calculated energy dissipation required for the RQFP gate to perform a logic operation and numerically demonstrated that the energy dissipation can fall below the thermal limit, or the Landauer bound, by lowering operation frequencies. We also investigated the 1-bit-erasure gate as a logically irreversible gate and the quasi-RQFP gate as a physically irreversible gate. We calculated the energy dissipation of these irreversible gates and showed that the energy dissipation of these gate is dominated by non-adiabatic state changes, which are induced by unwanted interactions between gates due to logical or physical irreversibility. Our results show that, in reversible computing using adiabatic superconductor logic, logical and physical reversibility are required to achieve energy dissipation smaller than the Landauer bound without non-adiabatic processes caused by gate interactions.
Genetic contribution to lipid levels in early life based on 158 loci validated in adults: the FAMILY study
Authors: Christie Shanice , Robiou-du-Pont Sébastien , Anand Sonia S. , Morrison Katherine M. , McDonald Sarah D. , Paré Guillaume , Atkinson Stephanie A. , Teo Koon K. , Meyre David 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe contribution of polymorphisms associated with adult lipids in early life is unknown. We studied 158 adult lipid polymorphisms in 1440 participants (544 children, 544 mothers and 324 fathers) of the Family Atherosclerosis Monitoring In early life (FAMILY) birth cohort. Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) measurements were collected at birth, 3 and 5 years of age. Polymorphisms were genotyped using the Illumina Cardio-Metabochip array. Genotype scores (GS) were calculated for TC, HDL-C, LDL-C and TG. Linear and mixed-effects regressions adjusted for sex, age and population stratification were performed. The GS was associated with LDL-C level at 3 and 5 years (β = 0.017 ± 0.003, P = 2.9 × 10−8; β = 0.020 ± 0.003, P = 5.7 × 10−9) and from birth to 5 years (β = 0.013 ± 0.003, P = 2.6 × 10−7). The GS was associated with TC level at 3 and 5 years (β = 0.009 ± 0.002, P = 9.1 × 10−7; β = 0.009 ± 0.002, P = 7.7 × 10−6). CETP rs3764261 was associated with the HDL-C level from birth to 5 years (β = 0.064 ± 0.014, P =  7.4 × 10−6). AMPD3 rs2923084 was associated with the HDL-C level at 5 years (β = 0.096 ± 0.024, P = 9.7 × 10−5). Known loci associated with blood lipids in adults are associated with TC, LDL-C and HDL-C, but not TG in early life. Genetically predisposed children may benefit from early lipid lowering preventative strategies.
Towards Celiac-safe foods: Decreasing the affinity of transglutaminase 2 for gliadin by addition of ascorbyl palmitate and ZnCl2 as detoxifiers
Authors: Engstrom N. , Saenz-Méndez P. , Scheers J. , Scheers N. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractInitiation of celiac disease is triggered in the gastrointestinal tract by transglutaminase 2 (TG2) assisted deamidation of gluten peptides. Deamidation is a side-reaction to transamidation and occurs if primary amines are absent. In contrast to deamidation, transamidation does not trigger an immune response. The aim of the study was to identify a suitable food additive that interacts with TG2 binding motives in gluten-derived peptides to prevent deamidation/transamidation. Homology modelling of α2-gliadin and computational screening of compounds for their binding affinity to a common TG2 binding motive (P)QLP were done by using computational approaches followed by experimental testing of TG2 activity. A database containing 1174 potential food grade ligands was screened against the model of α2-gliadin (27 out of 33 aa). Out of the five best ligands, ascorbyl palmitate, was observed to decrease TG2 transamidation of gliadin by 82% ± 2%. To completely silence the transamidation, we added zinc chloride (ZnCl2), and thereby reached a 99% ± 1% inhibition of TG2 activity. In addition, we conducted a pilot experiment in which ascorbyl palmitate was observed to decrease TG2 deamidation of gliadin completely. We propose ascorbyl palmitate in combination with ZnCl2 with the future perspective to become an additive in celiac-safe foods.
Precision cancer therapy is impacted by oncogene-dependent epigenome remodeling
Authors: Liu Feng , Mischel Paul S. , Cavenee Webster K. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe cancer genome provides the blueprint for identifying oncogenic mutations driving tumor growth and these mutant proteins and pathways are the targets for precision cancer therapies. However, many oncogenes are capable of reprogramming the landscape of active portion of the genome, commonly known as the epigenome. This creates fluidity, and thereby heterogeneity, that demands consideration of this additional layer of complexity for effective therapeutic design and application. Molecular dissection of the epigenome may identify oncogene-induced, actionable vulnerabilities, broadening the spectrum of precision oncology treatments.
The link between inflammation, bugs, the intestine and the brain in alcohol dependence
Authors: Leclercq S , de Timary P , Delzenne N M , Stärkel P 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn recent years, some new processes have been proposed to explain how alcohol may influence behavior, psychological symptoms and alcohol seeking in alcohol-dependent subjects. In addition to its important effect on brain and neurotransmitters equilibrium, alcohol abuse also affects peripheral organs including the gut. By yet incompletely understood mechanisms, chronic alcohol abuse increases intestinal permeability and alters the composition of the gut microbiota, allowing bacterial components from the gut lumen to reach the systemic circulation. These gut-derived bacterial products are recognized by immune cells circulating in the blood or residing in target organs, which consequently synthesize and release pro-inflammatory cytokines. Circulating cytokines are considered important mediators of the gut–brain communication, as they can reach the central nervous system and induce neuroinflammation that is associated with change in mood, cognition and drinking behavior. These observations support the possibility that targeting the gut microbiota, by the use of probiotics or prebiotics, could restore the gut barrier function, reduce systemic inflammation and may have beneficial effect in treating alcohol dependence and in reducing alcohol relapse.