bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endogenous‐peptide‐dependent alloreactivity: new scientific insights and clinical implications
Authors: D'Orsogna L. J. , Nguyen T. H. O. , Claas F. H. J. , Witt C. , Mifsud N. A. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractT‐cell alloreactivity is generated via immune responsiveness directed against allogeneic (allo) human leucocyte antigen (HLA) molecules. Whilst the alloresponse is of extraordinary potency and frequency, it has often been assumed to be less peptide‐specific than conventional T‐cell reactivity. Recently, several human studies have shown that both alloreactive CD8+ and CD4+ T cells exhibit exquisite allo‐HLA and endogenous peptide specificity that has also underpinned tissue‐specific allorecognition. In this review, we summarize former and recent scientific evidence in support of endogenous peptide (self‐peptide)‐dependence of T‐cell alloreactivity. The clinical implications of these findings will be discussed in the context of both solid organ transplantation and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Insights into the understanding of the molecular basis of T‐cell allorecognition will probably translate into improved allograft survival outcomes, lower frequencies of graft vs host disease and could potentially be exploited for selective graft vs leukaemia effect to improve clinical outcomes following HSCT.
The donor line break cannula: effect on the donation process, blood component quality and transfusion microbiology testing of an important new blood bag safety feature
Authors: Nightingale M. J. , Beard M. J. , Bennett J. , Hambleton R. , Ramskill S. , Thomas S. 
Published: May 2013

SUMMARYBackgroundThe use of blood packs with an integral sampling system can result in anti‐coagulant from the main bag reaching the sample pouch via the donor line, causing delayed coagulation of blood samples. In NHS Blood and Transplant, this has prevented the use of serum, the preferred matrix for transfusion microbiology (TM) testing, which has led to an increased false positive rate with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) plasma. There is also a remote possibility of false negative results owing to sample dilution. Manufacturers have responded by offering packs with a donor line break cannula (DLBC) to prevent these adverse effects.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to assess the impact of DLBC packs on donation, blood component quality and of the potential return to serum for TM testing.MethodsDLBC packs from three manufacturers were assessed against control packs of the same dimensions and configuration. Donation duration, flow rate, platelet factor 4, prothrombin fragment 1+2, haemolysis and collection and processing incidents were compared.ResultsResults indicated no clinically significant adverse effect from the DLBC on the activation state of platelets, the coagulation cascade or increased haemolysis. Donation duration and blood collection and processing incident rates for DLBC packs were not significantly different to controls.ConclusionsThe use of DLBC packs would reduce the complexity of manipulations during blood collection and therefore the likelihood of microbially contaminated donations (incorrect skin core diversion) and false negative TM tests. DLBC packs would enable the use of serum for TM testing with a significant reduction in false positive tests compared to EDTA plasma.
Retrospective analysis of clinical findings and outcome of cats with suspected rattlesnake envenomation inSouthernCalifornia: 18 cases (2007–2010)
Authors: Hoose Jennifer A. , Carr Amy 
Published: May 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate treatment and survival rates of cats with suspected rattlesnake envenomation.DesignRetrospective study.SettingVeterinary emergency referral hospital in Southern California.AnimalsClient‐owned animals.InterventionsNone.Measurements and main resultsEighteen cats were treated for suspected rattlesnake envenomation between January 2007 and August 2010. There were 3 fatalities and 15 cats survived (16% mortality rate). Two cases developed pelvic limb paresis 3–4 days post envenomation. There were no apparent adverse reactions to treatment with antivenom.ConclusionsCats are presented infrequently for treatment of envenomation compared to dogs. Envenomation in cats should be treated according to guidelines established for people and dogs and administration of antivenom does not appear to be associated with adverse events. The mortality rate in this study was found to be 16%, which is higher than the mortality rate reported for dogs suspected of rattlesnake envenomation in a similar region (4.1%). Pelvic limb paresis may develop 3–4 days post envenomation but can resolve within 24 hours.
Preliminary evaluation of tear production in dogs hospitalized in an intensive care unit
Authors: Chandler Jaime A. , van der Woerdt Alexandra , Prittie Jennifer E. , Chang Lou 
Published: May 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the tear production in dogs admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).DesignProspective observational study from November 2010–September 2011.SettingPrivate emergency and referral hospital.AnimalsThirty healthy control dogs and 30 dogs hospitalized in an ICU for treatment of systemic illness without previously diagnosed ophthalmic disorders and no recent history of anesthesia. Enrollment was based on availability of the ophthalmologist within 24 hours of admission to the ICU.InterventionsTear production was measured utilizing Schirmer tear test strips (STT) in healthy control animals as well as in hospitalized canine patients. All patients received an ophthalmic examination by a board‐certified veterinary ophthalmologist within 24 hours of admission to the ICU. Lubrication with artificial tear gel every 2–4 hours as needed was implemented after STT was measured.Measurements and Main ResultsAverage tear productions in the control and canine ICU populations were 24.5 mm/min and 13.2 mm/min, respectively. This was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a trend toward a decrease in tear production in patients with kidney disease and a trend toward normal tear production in patients with cardiac disease but the sample size was likely too small to enable detection of a statistically significant difference.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates a decrease in tear production in canine ICU patients. While further study is warranted to determine how different diseases impact tear production, these finding support the implementation of frequent ocular lubrication in all ICU patients.
MULTIMODAL EVALUATIONS OF JAPAN'S NANOTECHNOLOGY COMPETITIVENESS
Authors: KANAMA DAISUKE 
Published: May 2013

In Japan, there are great expectations for nanotechnology because it is expected not only to renovate existing markets but also create new, large, and wide-ranging markets. Japan is generally believed to be strong in nanotechnology. However, how should the competitiveness of nanotechnology be measured? Based on publications, patents, venture business, and other survey results, this paper intends to discuss Japan's nanotechnology competitiveness and changes in the competition areas of nanotechnology by examining nanotechnology's technological characteristics and industry structures. A finding from this study is that in individual technology areas identified through quantitative analyses such as papers and patents, Japan's nanotechnology can be rated equal to or just behind that of the US. In the future, however, when nanotechnology commercialization becomes more widespread and the stages of technology competition change from top-down technology to bottom-up technology, Japan may lose relative competitiveness as it faces some barriers related to "nanosystematization".
Different Synchronization Rules in Primary and Nonprimary Auditory Cortex of Monkeys
Authors: Brosch Michael , Budinger Eike , Scheich Henning 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Synchronized neuronal firing in cortex has been implicated in feature binding, attentional selection, and other cognitive processes. This study addressed the question whether different cortical fields are distinct by rules according to which neurons engage in synchronous firing. To this end, we simultaneously recorded the multiunit firing at several sites within the primary and the caudomedial auditory cortical field of anesthetized macaque monkeys, determined their responses to pure tones, and calculated the cross-correlation function of the spontaneous firing of pairs of units. In the primary field, the likelihood of synchronous firing of pairs of units increased with the similarity of their frequency tuning and their response latencies. In the caudomedial field, by contrast, the likelihood of synchronization was highest when pairs of units had an octave and other harmonic relationships and when units had different response latencies. The differences in synchrony of the two fields were not paralleled by differences in distributions of best frequency, bandwidth of tuning curves, and response latency. Our findings suggest that neuronal synchrony in different cortical fields may underlie the establishment of specific relationships between the sound features that are represented by the firing of the neurons and which follow the Gestalt laws of similarity in the primary field and good continuation in the caudomedial field.
Seeing Objects through the Language Glass
Authors: Boutonnet Bastien , Dering Benjamin , Viñas-Guasch Nestor , Thierry Guillaume 
Published: May 2013

AbstractRecent streams of research support the Whorfian hypothesis according to which language affects one's perception of the world. However, studies of object categorization in different languages have heavily relied on behavioral measures that are fuzzy and inconsistent. Here, we provide the first electrophysiological evidence for unconscious effects of language terminology on object perception. Whereas English has two words for cup and mug, Spanish labels those two objects with the word “taza.” We tested native speakers of Spanish and English in an object detection task using a visual oddball paradigm, while measuring event-related brain potentials. The early deviant-related negativity elicited by deviant stimuli was greater in English than in Spanish participants. This effect, which relates to the existence of two labels in English versus one in Spanish, substantiates the neurophysiological evidence that language-specific terminology affects object categorization.
Perceptual Demand Modulates Activation of Human Auditory Cortex in Response to Task-irrelevant Sounds
Authors: Sabri Merav , Humphries Colin , Verber Matthew , Mangalathu Jain , Desai Anjali , Binder Jeffrey R. , Liebenthal Einat 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
In the visual modality, perceptual demand on a goal-directed task has been shown to modulate the extent to which irrelevant information can be disregarded at a sensory-perceptual stage of processing. In the auditory modality, the effect of perceptual demand on neural representations of task-irrelevant sounds is unclear. We compared simultaneous ERPs and fMRI responses associated with task-irrelevant sounds across parametrically modulated perceptual task demands in a dichotic-listening paradigm. Participants performed a signal detection task in one ear (Attend ear) while ignoring task-irrelevant syllable sounds in the other ear (Ignore ear). Results revealed modulation of syllable processing by auditory perceptual demand in an ROI in middle left superior temporal gyrus and in negative ERP activity 130–230 msec post stimulus onset. Increasing the perceptual demand in the Attend ear was associated with a reduced neural response in both fMRI and ERP to task-irrelevant sounds. These findings are in support of a selection model whereby ongoing perceptual demands modulate task-irrelevant sound processing in auditory cortex.
Perceptual Integration for Qualitatively Different 3-D Cues in the Human Brain
Authors: Dövencioğlu Dicle , Ban Hiroshi , Schofield Andrew J. , Welchman Andrew E. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThe visual system's flexibility in estimating depth is remarkable: We readily perceive 3-D structure under diverse conditions from the seemingly random dots of a “magic eye” stereogram to the aesthetically beautiful, but obviously flat, canvasses of the Old Masters. Yet, 3-D perception is often enhanced when different cues specify the same depth. This perceptual process is understood as Bayesian inference that improves sensory estimates. Despite considerable behavioral support for this theory, insights into the cortical circuits involved are limited. Moreover, extant work tested quantitatively similar cues, reducing some of the challenges associated with integrating computationally and qualitatively different signals. Here we address this challenge by measuring fMRI responses to depth structures defined by shading, binocular disparity, and their combination. We quantified information about depth configurations (convex “bumps” vs. concave “dimples”) in different visual cortical areas using pattern classification analysis. We found that fMRI responses in dorsal visual area V3B/KO were more discriminable when disparity and shading concurrently signaled depth, in line with the predictions of cue integration. Importantly, by relating fMRI and psychophysical tests of integration, we observed a close association between depth judgments and activity in this area. Finally, using a cross-cue transfer test, we found that fMRI responses evoked by one cue afford classification of responses evoked by the other. This reveals a generalized depth representation in dorsal visual cortex that combines qualitatively different information in line with 3-D perception.
The Spatial Structure of the Annual Cycle in Surface Temperature: Amplitude, Phase, and Lagrangian History
Authors: McKinnon Karen A. , Stine Alexander R. , Huybers Peter 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
The climatological annual cycle in surface air temperature, defined by its amplitude and phase lag with respect to solar insolation, is one of the most familiar aspects of the climate system. Here, the authors identify three first-order features of the spatial structure of amplitude and phase lag and explain them using simple physical models. Amplitude and phase lag 1) are broadly consistent with a land and ocean end-member mixing model but 2) exhibit overlap between land and ocean and, despite this overlap, 3) show a systematically greater lag over ocean than land for a given amplitude. Based on previous work diagnosing relative ocean or land influence as an important control on the extratropical annual cycle, the authors use a Lagrangian trajectory model to quantify this influence as the weighted amount of time that an ensemble of air parcels has spent over ocean or land. This quantity explains 84% of the space–time variance in the extratropical annual cycle, as well as features 1 and 2. All three features can be explained using a simple energy balance model with land and ocean surfaces and an advecting atmosphere. This model explains 94% of the space–time variance of the annual cycle in an illustrative midlatitude zonal band when incorporating the results of the trajectory model. The aforementioned features of annual variability in surface air temperature thus appear to be explained by the coupling of land and ocean through mean atmospheric circulation.
Ocean Surface Roughness Spectrum in High Wind Condition for Microwave Backscatter and Emission Computations*
Authors: Hwang Paul A. , Burrage Derek M. , Wang David W. , Wesson Joel C. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Ocean surface roughness plays an important role in air–sea interaction and ocean remote sensing. Its primary contribution is from surface waves much shorter than the energetic wave components near the peak of the wave energy spectrum. Field measurements of short-scale waves are scarce. In contrast, microwave remote sensing has produced a large volume of data useful for short-wave investigation. Particularly, Bragg resonance is the primary mechanism of radar backscatter from the ocean surface and the radar serves as a spectrometer of short surface waves. The roughness spectra inverted from radar backscatter measurements expand the short-wave database to high wind conditions in which in situ sensors do not function well. Using scatterometer geophysical model functions for L-, C-, and Ku-band microwave frequencies, the inverted roughness spectra, covering Bragg resonance wavelengths from 0.012 to 0.20 m, show a convergent trend in high winds. This convergent trend is incorporated in the surface roughness spectrum model to improve the applicable wind speed range for microwave scattering and emission computations.
Lagged Ensembles, Forecast Configuration, and Seasonal Predictions
Authors: Chen Mingyue , Wang Wanqiu , Kumar Arun 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
An analysis of lagged ensemble seasonal forecasts from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2), is presented. The focus of the analysis is on the construction of lagged ensemble forecasts with increasing lead time (thus allowing use of larger ensemble sizes) and its influence on seasonal prediction skill. Predictions of seasonal means of sea surface temperature (SST), 200-hPa height (z200), precipitation, and 2-m air temperature (T2m) over land are analyzed. Measures of prediction skill include deterministic (anomaly correlation and mean square error) and probabilistic [rank probability skill score (RPSS)]. The results show that for a fixed lead time, and as one would expect, the skill of seasonal forecast improves as the ensemble size increases, while for a fixed ensemble size the forecast skill decreases as the lead time becomes longer. However, when a forecast is based on a lagged ensemble, there exists an optimal lagged ensemble time (OLET) when positive influence of increasing ensemble size and negative influence due to an increasing lead time result in a maximum in seasonal prediction skill. The OLET is shown to depend on the geographical location and variable. For precipitation and T2m, OLET is relatively longer and skill gain is larger than that for SST and tropical z200. OLET is also dependent on the skill measure with RPSS having the longest OLET. Results of this analysis will be useful in providing guidelines on the design and understanding relative merits for different configuration of seasonal prediction systems.
Intraseasonal and Interannual Variability in North American Storm Tracks and Its Relationship to Equatorial Pacific Variability
Authors: Grise Kevin M. , Son Seok-Woo , Gyakum John R. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Extratropical cyclones play a principal role in wintertime precipitation and severe weather over North America. On average, the greatest number of cyclones track 1) from the lee of the Rocky Mountains eastward across the Great Lakes and 2) over the Gulf Stream along the eastern coastline of North America. However, the cyclone tracks are highly variable within individual winters and between winter seasons. In this study, the authors apply a Lagrangian tracking algorithm to examine variability in extratropical cyclone tracks over North America during winter. A series of methodological criteria is used to isolate cyclone development and decay regions and to account for the elevated topography over western North America. The results confirm the signatures of four climate phenomena in the intraseasonal and interannual variability in North American cyclone tracks: the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific–North American pattern (PNA), and the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). Similar signatures are found using Eulerian bandpass-filtered eddy variances. Variability in the number of extratropical cyclones at most locations in North America is linked to fluctuations in Rossby wave trains extending from the central tropical Pacific Ocean. Only over the far northeastern United States and northeastern Canada is cyclone variability strongly linked to the NAO. The results suggest that Pacific sector variability (ENSO, PNA, and MJO) is a key contributor to intraseasonal and interannual variability in the frequency of extratropical cyclones at most locations across North America.
The Forgotten Driving Forces in Right Heart Failure: New Concept and Device
Authors: Nour Sayed , Wu Guifu , Zhensheng Zheng , Chachques Juan C , Carpentier Alain , Payen Didier 
Published: May 2013

Background: Right heart failure is a frequent hemodynamic disturbance in pediatric cardiac patients. Besides inotropic and chronotropic drugs, fluid administration and inhaled nitric oxide, right ventricular mechanical assistance remains difficult to perform. A circulatory assist device adapted for the right heart biophysics and physiology might be more efficient. Materials and Methods: We are developing a prototype of a non-invasive cardiac assist device (CAD) for neonates and pediatrics. It is based on a pulsatile suit device covering and affecting all territories of the right heart circuit. It will be tested in a neonatal animal model of right ventricular (RV) failure. Experimental models will be matched and compared with control and sham groups. Expected results would be immediate hemodynamic improvement due to synchronized diastolic reduction of stagnant venous capacitance, increasing preload and contractility. On long term, increased shear stress with changing intrathoracic pressure in a phasic way would improve and remodel the pulmonary circulation. Future studies will be focused on: hemodynamic, biochemistry, endothelium function test, and angiogenesis. Comments: A non-invasive CAD guarantees better hemodynamics and endothelial function preservation with low morbidity and mortality. This is a physiological approach, cost-effective method, and particularly interesting in neonates and pediatrics with RV failure.
Survival after surgical repair of ischemic ventricular septal rupture
Authors: Abu-Omar Yasir , Bhinda Peter , Choong Cliff KC , Nashef Samer AM , Nair Sukumaran 
Published: May 2013

Objectives: We reviewed our results and experience over a 14-year period to identify predictors of outcome following surgical repair of postinfarction ventricular septal rupture. Methods: A retrospective review was carried over a 14-year period. All patients had surgical repair of a postinfarction ventricular septal rupture. Patient demographics, perioperative variables, and survival data were collected. Logistic regression identified independent predictors of 30-day mortality. Multivariate analysis determined the effects of independent risk factors on survival. Results: Surgery for postinfarction ventricular septal rupture was carried out on 59 patients. The median age was 69 years, and 69% were male. In 54% of patients, the ventricular septal rupture was anterior, and 75% had concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting. Mortality was 39% at 30 days. Age was the most important predictor of 30-day and long-term outcome. Logistic regression analysis identified age, preoperative ventilation, and female sex as significant predictors of 30-day mortality. Cardiogenic shock, preoperative ventilation, and advanced age were associated with reduced medium-term survival. Surprisingly, anterior ventricular septal rupture was associated with reduced long-term survival. Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting did not influence 30-day or long-term outcome. Conclusions: Despite advances, the surgical mortality from ventricular septal rupture remains high. Age remains the most important predictor of outcome, and concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting does not appear to have a demonstrable benefit. Interestingly, anterior ventricular septal rupture had poorer long-term outcome than inferior ventricular septal rupture.