bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Online Detection of Ropivacaine in Drip Bags Using Polypyrrole/graphene Oxide Materials
Authors: Wu Ren‐Jang , Chen Mei‐Yun , Hsien Bing‐Huan , Luk Hsiang‐Ning , Chavali Murthy 
Published: September 2014

AbstractA novel method of measuring the concentration of the local anesthetic ropivacaine drip bags used in hospi‐ tals was developed using electrochemical impedance technique. Polypyrrole (Ppy)/graphene oxide (GO) composites were prepared by electrochemically polymerization over Au electrodes, which served as working electrodes. The Ppy/GO composite electrodes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Various concentrations of ropivacaine (0.1–20 ppm) were prepared in a sample drip bag solution of 0.9 % NaCl from hostpital. The composite Ppy/1 % GO electrode exhibited strongest linearity (R2=0.960) than the Ppy electrode (R2=0.928) at a frequency of 100 kHz. The detection limits of ropivacaine on Ppy and Ppy/1 % GO were calculated as 0.11 ppm and 0.08 ppm, respectively. The proposed system yielded response and recovery times under 1 sec detecting 0.1 ppm (100 g/L) of ropivacaine; thus, the proposed online method is promising for measuring ropivacaine concentrations in drip bags. Molecular simulations and equivalent circuits were applied to explain the dynamic behavior of ropivacaine detection system using Ppy and Ppy/GO materials.
Live fences – a hidden resource of soil fertility in West Kenya
Authors: Theobald Tim F. H. , Mussgnug Frank , Becker Mathias 
Published: September 2014

AbstractIn the highlands of Western Kenya, intensified land use combined with low use of mineral fertilizers at farm level is driving soil nutrient depletion and declining yield levels. All farms and individual field crop plots are surrounded by life fences and the area under such hedge structure is estimated to cover 3–5% of the total farmland area. The land below the hedges is not tilled and may receive nutrient and carbon inputs by the occasional addition of field crop residues and litter fall. We hypothesized that the areas covered by live fences represent not only an important land resource, but are also largely untapped sites characterized by high soil fertility in an otherwise largely degraded environment. We characterized physico‐chemical attributes of top soils collected on farmland and from adjacent live fences composed of five different fencing species in representative environments of Kakamega district (sandy Acrisol and bimodal rainfall distribution vs. clay Ferralsol and monomodal rainfall distribution). In addition, the maize production potential of these soils was assessed in a supplementary pot experiment. Concentrations and total amounts of soil C, N, N supplying capacity, exchangeable K, as well as aggregate stability tended to be higher in hedge structures than in field crop soil. The amount of labile (permanganate‐oxidizable) carbon and the carbon management index in fence lines on Acrisol were similar to those of the adjacent Kakamega rain forest reserve, while they were reduced by > 50% in crop fields. These trends were reflected in the biomass and N and K uptake by maize in potted soil. Effects were generally larger in Acrisol than in Ferralsol and were most pronounced with Tithonia diversifolia. We conclude that live fences are soil fertility hotspots that may be valorised in the future by replacing the generally unproductive fencing species with economical perennial crops.
Acousto‐optic mode coupling excited by superimposed flexural waves in a solid‐core microstructured optical fiber with hexagonal air‐hole array cladding
Authors: Qiu Minghui , Zhang Hao , Kang Shouxin , Miao Yinping , Liu Bo 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTThe acousto‐optic mode coupling characteristics of a solid‐core microstructured optical fiber excited by superimposed flexural acoustic waves have been investigated by using two acoustic transducers with similar physical settings in a serial configuration. Theoretical derivation of the superimposed flexural acoustic wave amplitude from a wave equation basis indicates that the acoustically induced refractive index modulation for the unbalanced flexural wave modulation case is strengthened compared to its counterpart when only one flexural wave with relatively weaker amplitude is applied, which is in accordance with our experimental observation of the transmission spectra for different acoustic frequencies. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2831–2836, 2014
A dual‐band subharmonic drain mixer based on single local oscillator
Authors: Oh TaeckKeun , Min Byung‐Wook , Lee Yongshik 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTA dual‐band subharmonic mixer is demonstrated that is capable of down‐converting RF signals in two different bands using second and third harmonic components of the local oscillator (LO) signal. As the mixer requires only one LO, a simple and cost‐effective structure is achieved. The drain bias (VDS) is switched to maximize the gain in each RF band. For demonstration purposes, a dual‐band mixer is designed for RF signals at 2.41 and 3.61 GHz with single LO frequency at 1.2 GHz. The measured results show maximum conversion gains of −6.4 and −7.1 dB at 2.41 and 3.61 GHz, respectively. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2848–2851, 2014
Optical multimedia access transmission and channel bandwidth reduction using compressive sensing technique
Authors: Kwon YoungJae , Ahn Chiteuk , Won Yong‐Yuk 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTA new optical multimedia access transmission using compressive sensing (CS) technique is proposed. The CS can allow us to save the channel bandwidth of optical wired and wireless network because various transmitted data are compressed using it. A 256 × 256 grayscale image with compression ratio of 20%, which is sampled by 10 Gs/s, was transmitted to an optical receiver through 20‐km optical transmission and then was reconstructed successfully using L1 minimization. This means that the CS technique can be an effective candidate for solving the explosive data traffic in the optical wired and wireless access network. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2828–2831, 2014
Accurate broadband multiport reflectometer
Authors: Staszek Kamil , Gruszczynski Slawomir , Wincza Krzysztof 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTA novel broadband multiport reflectometer, consisting of a standard 4 × 4 Butler matrix and an additional directional coupler is proposed. It is shown that such a reflectometer provides highly uniform tunable measurement conditions allowing for measurement precision enhancement. The impact of the applied directional coupler's imperfections on the measurement conditions has been theoretically analyzed. The high measurement accuracy of the proposed reflectometer has been proved experimentally by reflection coefficient measurements over the frequency range of 1–5 GHz, which show a good agreement with the results obtained using VNA. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2884–2887, 2014
Cascaded triplet filter using mixed electric and magnetic coupling structure with wide stopband performance
Authors: Chen Fu‐Chang , Hu Hao‐Tao‐ , Qiu Jie‐Ming , Chu Qing‐Xin 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTThis article proposes a novel type of microstrip cascaded triplet filter with controllable electric and magnetic coupling. The electric coupling can be tuned by adjusting the gap between the resonators, while the magnetic coupling is dominated by the diameter of the via‐hole. A transmission zero on the upper stopband is produced by the inductive cross‐coupling. To further improve the selectivity of the filter, the source‐load coupling is also proposed to introduce two tunable transmission zeros. To expand the stopband, proper feeding position is selected to suppress the third and fifth harmonics. Based on the proposed structure, a third‐order filter are designed and fabricated. Good agreement between the measured and simulated data is obtained. Measured results indicate that a rejection level of 20 dB up to more than six times the passband frequency can be obtained. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2937–2940, 2014
Design of new multipass gas cells with circular and elliptical cross‐section
Authors: Yan Chunsheng , Wang Binhao , Somesfalean Gabriel 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTTwo new types of multipass gas cells with circular and elliptical cross‐sections were developed. As for a cylindrical cell, the reflected rays in the circle would be an irregular trace without superposition and termination, if its central angle is a bit more than 2π/3 for an example. Each two adjacent reflected points have the same optical path difference and optical light passes through different optical distances before different reflection points. As for a cylindroidal cell, if the optical ray passes through one focus point of the ellipse, it must also pass through the other. The light will exit finally from the termination point of an axis. The optical distance depends on the eccentricity of the ellipse and the size of the emergent window. In this article, the detailed mathematical derivations of the optical multireflection traces for the two structures are presented. The unified formula is developed. It is found that these designs have small volumes and adjustable long optical paths. For example, the optical distances in the two structures are about 625 mm for a circle with 50 mm radius. The performance of the system can be enhanced by coating high total reflection film, increasing the processing and positioning precisions, and using highly collimating laser beam. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:3003–3009, 2014
Contact heat evoked potentials: Normal values and use in small‐fiber neuropathy
Authors: Lagerburg Vera , Bakkers Mayienne , Bouwhuis Anne , Hoeijmakers Janneke G.J. , Smit Arjen M. , Van Den Berg Sofia J.M , Hordijk‐De Boer Ineke , Brouwer‐Van Der Lee Mardien D.G. , Kranendonk Douwe , Reulen Jos P.H. , Faber Catharina G. , Merkies Ingemar S.J. 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTIntroductionContact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) may be an objective, non‐invasive diagnostic tool in small‐fiber neuropathy (SFN). This study establishes normal CHEP values and examines their applicability in SFN patients. Methods: Standardized CHEPs were administered at the wrist and ankle. The N2 and P2 latencies and N2–P2 peak–peak amplitude were recorded by electroencephalography. We examined healthy subjects (n = 97), stratified by age and gender, and SFN patients with abnormal intraepidermal nerve fiber density (n = 42). CHEP reproducibility and interobserver values were also investigated. Results: CHEP normative values were determined. There was a 9–16% increase in latency per centimeter of height with increasing age. Amplitudes were higher in women than men, and decreased (17–71%) with aging. Test‐retest reproducibility and interobserver values were >0.61 and >0.96, respectively. CHEPs were abnormal in 73.8% of the patients. Conclusion: In this study we have established normal values, reliability, and clinical applicability of CHEPs in SFN. Muscle Nerve, 2015 Muscle Nerve 51:743–749, 2015
Muscle fiber type disproportion (FTD) in a family with mutations in the LMNA gene
Authors: Ruggiero Lucia , Fiorillo Chiara , Tessa Alessandra , Manganelli Fiore , Iodice Rosa , Dubbioso Raffaele , Vitale Floriana , Storti Eugenia , Soscia Ernesto , Santorelli Filippo , Santoro Lucio 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTIntroductionMutations in the lamin A/C protein cause laminopathies, a heterogeneous group of disorders that include recessive axonal neuropathy (CMT2B1), Emery‐Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), limb‐girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction defect, and different forms of lipodystrophy and progeria.MethodsWe provide clinical, histopathological, muscle imaging, and cardiac features of a family with heterozygous mutation in the LMNA gene.ResultsWe identified heterozygous mutations (c.80C> T; pT27I) in the LMNA gene in 3 family members who had the LGMD phenotype with onset in their early thirties and cardiac conduction defects or dilated cardiomyopathy. Interestingly, muscle biopsies showed changes consistent with fiber type disproportion (FTD).ConclusionsFiber type disproportion has been reported only anecdotally in muscle biopsies of patients with LMNA mutations. Our report further supports this association and suggests inclusion of molecular testing for LMNA in the differential diagnosis of myopathies with FTD due to the risk for life threatening events. Muscle Nerve 51: 604–608, 2015
Insights into the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex superfamily
Authors: Guiro J , O'Reilly D 
Published: September 2014

The 164 bp U1 small nuclear (sn) RNA is one of the most abundant noncoding (nc) RNA in human cells, estimated to be in the region of 106 copies/cell. Although best known for its role in pre‐messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing events, research over the past 20 years has revealed diverse functions of this ncRNA in mammalian cell types. Excellent reviews exist detailing the role of U1 snRNA in pre‐mRNA splicing events. This review highlights what is currently known regarding the additional roles, snRNP composition, expression profiles, and the genomic organization of this ncRNA. WIREs RNA 2015, 6:79–92. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1257This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications
RNA Processing > Splicing Mechanisms
A further assessment of decision-making in anorexia nervosa
Authors: Adoue C. , Jaussent I. , Olié E. , Beziat S. , Van den Eynde F. , Courtet P. , Guillaume S. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractObjective:Anorexia nervosa (AN) may be associated with impaired decision-making. Cognitive processes underlying this impairment remain unclear, mainly because previous assessments of this complex cognitive function were completed with a single test. Furthermore, clinical features such as mood status may impact this association. We aim to further explore the hypothesis of altered decision-making in AN.Method:Sixty-three adult women with AN and 49 female controls completed a clinical assessment and were assessed by three tasks related to decision-making [Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), Probabilistic Reversal Learning Task (PRLT)].Results:People with AN had poorer performance on the IGT and made less risky choices on the BART, whereas performances were not different on PRLT. Notably, AN patients with a current major depressive disorder showed similar performance to those with no current major depressive disorder.Conclusion:These results tend to confirm an impaired decision making-process in people with AN and suggest that various cognitive processes such as inhibition to risk-taking or intolerance of uncertainty may underlie this condition Furthermore, these impairments seem unrelated to the potential co-occurent major depressive disorders.
Smoothened (SMO) receptor mutations dictate resistance to vismodegib in basal cell carcinoma
Authors: Pricl Sabrina , Cortelazzi Barbara , Dal Col Valentina , Marson Domenico , Laurini Erik , Fermeglia Maurizio , Licitra Lisa , Pilotti Silvana , Bossi Paolo , Perrone Federica 
Published: September 2014

AbstractBasal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and a subset of medulloblastomas are characterized by loss‐of‐function mutations in the tumor suppressor gene, PTCH1. PTCH1 normally functions by repressing the activity of the Smoothened (SMO) receptor. Inactivating PTCH1 mutations result in constitutive Hedgehog pathway activity through uncontrolled SMO signaling. Targeting this pathway with vismodegib, a novel SMO inhibitor, results in impressive tumor regression in patients harboring genetic defects in this pathway. However, a secondary mutation in SMO has been reported in medulloblastoma patients following relapse on vismodegib to date. This mutation preserves pathway activity, but appears to confer resistance by interfering with drug binding.Here we report for the first time on the molecular mechanisms of resistance to vismodegib in two BCC cases. The first case, showing progression after 2 months of continuous vismodegib (primary resistance), exhibited the new SMO G497W mutation. The second case, showing a complete clinical response after 5 months of treatment and a subsequent progression after 11 months on vismodegib (secondary resistance), exhibited a PTCH1 nonsense mutation in both the pre‐ and the post‐treatment specimens, and the SMO D473Y mutation in the post‐treatment specimens only. In silico analysis demonstrated that SMOG497W undergoes a conformational rearrangement resulting in a partial obstruction of the protein drug entry site, whereas the SMO D473Y mutation induces a direct effect on the binding site geometry leading to a total disruption of a stabilizing hydrogen bond network. Thus, the G497W and D473Y SMO mutations may represent two different mechanisms leading to primary and secondary resistance to vismodegib, respectively.
The spontaneous generation of inertia–gravity waves during frontogenesis forced by large strain: theory
Authors: Shakespeare Callum J. , Taylor J. R. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractDensity fronts are common features of ocean and atmosphere boundary layers. Field observations and numerical simulations have shown that the sharpening of frontal gradients, or frontogenesis, can spontaneously generate inertia–gravity waves (IGWs). Although significant progress has been made in describing frontogenesis using approximations such as quasi-geostrophy (Stone, J. Atmos. Sci., vol. 23, 1966, pp. 455–565, Williams & Plotkin J. Atmos. Sci., vol. 25, 1968, pp. 201–206) semi-geostrophy (Hoskins, Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., vol. 14, 1982, pp. 131–151), these models omit waves. Here, we further develop the analytical model of Shakespeare & Taylor (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 736, 2013, pp. 366–413) to describe the spontaneous emission of IGWs from an initially geostrophically balanced front subjected to a time-varying horizontal strain. The model uses the idealised configuration of an infinitely long, straight front and uniform potential vorticity (PV) fluid, with a uniform imposed convergent strain across the front, similar to Hoskins & Bretherton (J. Atmos. Sci., vol. 29, 1972, pp. 11–37). Inertia–gravity waves are generated via two distinct mechanisms: acceleration of the large-scale flow and frontal collapse. Wave emission via frontal collapse is predicted to be exponentially small for small values of strain but significant for larger strains. Time-varying strain can also generate finite-amplitude waves by accelerating the cross-front flow and disrupting geostrophic balance. In both cases waves are trapped by the oncoming strain flow and can only propagate away from the frontal zone when the strain field weakens sufficiently, leading to wave emission that is strongly localised in both time and space.
Comparison of the digestive efficiency of extruded diets fed to ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis catus)
Authors: Sá Fabiano C. , Silva Flavio L. , Gomes Márcia de O. S. , Brunetto Márcio A. , Bazolli Rodrigo S. , Giraldi Thiago , Carciofi Aulus C. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe digestive tract of ferrets is anatomically simple, with no caecum, ileocolic valve or external differentiation between the transition of ileum and colon. The species has a short large intestine that provides minor contributions to the digestive process. Aiming to better understand the digestibility efficiency of ferrets, the present study compared the digestibility of extruded diets with different amounts of macronutrients fed to dogs, cats and ferrets. Three formulations for cat maintenance were used (values in % of DM basis): high carbohydrate (HC; nitrogen-free extract (NFE) = 54 %, protein = 31 % and fat = 8 %); moderate carbohydrate (MC; NFE = 37 %, protein = 41 % and fat = 10 %); and low carbohydrate (LC; NFE = 19 %, protein = 46 % and fat = 23 %). Apparent total tract macronutrient digestibility was determined by the method of total collection of faeces. Results were compared by ANOVA, considering the diet and species effects and their interactions. Means were compared by the Tukey's test (P < 0·05). Dogs and cats presented similar food intakes, but ferrets consumed almost two times more food (g/kg body weight). Species × diet interactions were verified for apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD; P < 0·05). Ferrets presented lower DM digestibility than dogs and cats for all three diets (P < 0·05), lower NFE digestibility than dogs for the three diets and lower NFE digestibility than cats for the HC and LC diets (P < 0·05). For crude protein (CP), ferrets presented lower ATTD than dogs and cats (P < 0·05), whereas for fat, dogs and ferrets presented similar ATTD, and higher values than those presented by cats (P < 0·05). Kibble diets had a lower DM, CP and NFE digestibility when fed to ferrets compared with dogs and cats. Fat digestibility was similar between dogs and ferrets and higher than that for cats.
Long-term follow-up after weight management in obese cats
Authors: Deagle Gabrielle , Holden Shelley L. , Biourge Vincent , Morris Penelope J. , German Alexander J. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractFeline obesity is a prevalent medical disease and the main therapeutic strategy is dietary energy restriction. However, at present there are no data regarding long-term outcome in this species. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if, as in other species, some cats regain weight following successful weight loss, and to identify any influencing factors in a cohort of client-owned cats with naturally occurring obesity. Twenty-six cats were included, all of which had successfully completed a weight management programme. After weight loss, cats were periodically monitored. The median duration of follow-up was 954 d (72–2162 d). Ten cats (39 %) maintained their completion weight (±5 %), four (15 %) lost >5 % additional weight and 12 (46 %) gained >5 % weight. Seven of the rebounding cats (58 %) regained over 50 % of their original weight lost. Older cats were less likely to regain weight than younger cats (P = 0·024); with an approximately linear negative association between the cat's age and the amount of weight regained (Kendall's τ = −0·340, P = 0·016). Furthermore, cats whose energy intake during weight loss was greater were also more likely to regain weight (P = 0·023). When the characteristics of weight regain in cats were compared with those from a similar cohort of dogs, cats that rebounded were more likely to regain >50 % of the weight they had lost. These results suggest that weight regain, after successful weight loss, is common in obese cats, and that young cats (<7 years of age) are most at risk.