bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High‐resolution mouse kidney perfusion imaging by pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling at 11.75T
Authors: Duhamel Guillaume , Prevost Valentin , Girard Olivier M. , Callot Virginie , Cozzone Patrick J. 
Published: April 2013

PurposeQuantitative measure of blood flow provides important information regarding renal function, nephropathies and viability of kidney transplantation. Therefore, a method that would allow quantitative and reliable assessment of the renal microvascular perfusion would be very valuable. Arterial spin labeling Magnetic Resonance Imaging has started to be widely used for human studies. For rodents though, despite the increasing number of transgenic mouse models, renal perfusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging has been only sparsely reported. This study investigated the use of FAIR (flow‐sensitive alternating inversion recovery) and pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) for mouse renal blood flow measurements.MethodsFAIR and pCASL were compared in terms of sensitivity, absolute quantification, reproducibility and flexibility of implementation. Multislice and coronal imaging were also investigated. Studies were performed at 11.75 T with volumic transmitter/receiver radiofrequency coils and fast imaging.ResultspCASL demonstrated better experimental flexibility and higher sensitivity compared to FAIR (> +20%). Renal blood flow values in the range of 550–750 mL/100 g/min for the cortex and of 140–230 mL/100 g/min for the medulla, consistent with literature data, were measured.ConclusionpCASL was successfully applied at very high field for mouse renal blood flow measurements, demonstrating high sensitivity, flexibility and multislice imaging capability. pCASL may be considered as a method of choice for mouse kidney perfusion studies. Magn Reson Med 71:1186–1196, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vessel‐specific quantification of blood oxygenation with T2‐relaxation‐under‐phase‐contrast MRI
Authors: Krishnamurthy Lisa C. , Liu Peiying , Ge Yulin , Lu Hanzhang 
Published: April 2013

PurposeMeasurement of venous oxygenation (Yv) is a critical step toward quantitative assessment of brain oxygen metabolism, a key index in many brain disorders. The present study aims to develop a noninvasive, rapid, and reproducible method to measureYvin a vessel‐specific manner.TheoryThe method,T2‐Relaxation‐Under‐Phase‐Contrast MRI, utilizes complex subtraction of phase‐contrast to isolate pure blood signal, applies nonslice‐selectiveT2‐preparation to measureT2, and convertsT2to oxygenation using a calibration plot.MethodsFollowing feasibility demonstration, several technical aspects were examined, including validation with an established globalYvtechnique, test–retest reproducibility, sensitivity to detect oxygenation changes due to hypoxia and caffeine challenges, applicability of echo‐planar‐imaging (EPI) acquisition to shorten scan duration, and ability to study veins with a caliber of 1–2 mm.ResultsT2‐Relaxation‐Under‐Phase‐Contrast was able to simultaneously measureYvin all major veins in the brain, including sagittal sinus, straight sinus, great vein, and internal cerebral vein.T2‐Relaxation‐Under‐Phase‐Contrast results showed an excellent agreement with the reference technique, high sensitivity to oxygenation changes, and test–retest variability of 3.5 ± 1.0%. The use of segmented‐EPI was able to reduce the scan duration to 1.5 minutes. It was also feasible to study pial veins and deep veins.ConclusionT2‐Relaxation‐Under‐Phase‐Contrast MRI is a promising technique for vessel‐specific oxygenation measurement.Magn Reson Med 71:978–989, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interpenetrating polymer network structured thermosets prepared from epoxidized soybean oil/diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A
Authors: Tan Seah Guan , Ahmad Zulkifli , Chow Wen Shyang 
Published: April 2013

AbstractEpoxidized soybean oil (ESO)/diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) in various blend ratios (i.e. 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50) was thermally cured using methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride in the presence of 2‐ethyl‐4‐methylimidazole catalyst. The tensile properties and fracture toughness of the ESO/DGEBA thermoset blends were determined. Thermal properties of the blends were characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Blending of ESO and DGEBA gave synergistic effects on the modulus, strength, glass transition temperature and thermal stability. However, the fracture toughness and elongation at break of ESO/DGEBA blends are lower than those of ESO, as expected. The enhancement in certain mechanical and thermal properties of ESO/DGEBA can be associated with the crosslink density, gel content and possible interpenetrating network of the resulting thermoset blends. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
Black hole's quantum N‐portrait
Authors: Dvali G. , Gomez C. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractWe establish a quantum measure of classicality in the form of the occupation number, N, of gravitons in a gravitational field. This allows us to view classical background geometries as quantum Bose‐condensates with large occupation numbers of soft gravitons. We show that among all possible sources of a given physical length, N is maximized by the black hole and coincides with its entropy. The emerging quantum mechanical picture of a black hole is surprisingly simple and fully parameterized by N. The black hole is a leaky bound‐state in form of a cold Bose‐condensate of N weakly‐interacting soft gravitons of wave‐length √N times the Planck length and of quantum interaction strength 1/N. Such a bound‐state exists for an arbitrary N. This picture provides a simple quantum description of the phenomena of Hawking radiation, Bekenstein entropy as well as of non‐Wilsonian UV‐self‐completion of Einstein gravity. We show that Hawking radiation is nothing but a quantum depletion of the graviton Bose‐condensate, which despite the zero temperature of the condensate produces a thermal spectrum of temperature T = 1/(√N). The Bekenstein entropy originates from the exponentially growing with N number of quantum states. Finally, our quantum picture allows to understand classicalization of deep‐UV gravitational scattering as 2 → N transition. We point out some fundamental similarities between the black holes and solitons, such as a t'Hooft‐Polyakov monopole. Both objects represent Bose‐condensates of N soft bosons of wavelength √N and interaction strength 1/N. In short, the semi‐classical black hole physics is 1/N‐coupled large‐N quantum physics.
A simple atmospheric boundary layer model applied to large eddy simulations of wind turbine wakes
Authors: Troldborg Niels , Sørensen Jens N. , Mikkelsen Robert , Sørensen Niels N. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTA simple model for including the influence of the atmospheric boundary layer in connection with large eddy simulations of wind turbine wakes is presented and validated by comparing computed results with measurements as well as with direct numerical simulations. The model is based on an immersed boundary type technique where volume forces are used to introduce wind shear and atmospheric turbulence. The application of the model for wake studies is demonstrated by combining it with the actuator line method, and predictions are compared with field measurements. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis of Enhanced Recovery After Pancreatic Surgery with Particular Emphasis on Pancreaticoduodenectomies
Authors: Coolsen M. M. E. , van Dam R. M. , van der Wilt A. A. , Slim K. , Lassen K. , Dejong C. H. C. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBackgroundIn the past decade, Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols have been implemented in several fields of surgery. With these protocols, a faster recovery and shorter hospital stay can be accomplished without an increase in morbidity or mortality. The purpose of this study was to review systematically the evidence for implementation of an ERAS protocol in pancreatic resections, with particular emphasis on pancreaticoduodenectomies (PDs).MethodsA systematic search was performed in Medline, Embase, Pubmed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane library for papers describing an ERAS program in adult patients undergoing elective pancreatic surgery published between January 1966 and December 2012. The primary outcome measure was postoperative length of stay. Secondary outcome measures were time to recovery of normal function, overall postoperative complication rates, readmissions, and mortality. Subsequently, a meta‐analysis of outcome measures focusing on PD was conducted. This systematic review and meta‐analysis was performed according to the PRISMA statement.ResultsThe literature search produced 248 potentially relevant papers. Of these, eight papers met the predefined inclusion criteria: five case‐control studies, two retrospective studies, and one prospective study, describing a total of 1,558 patients. Only three of the studies reported data on discharge criteria and assessed time to recovery and return to normal function. Implementation of an ERAS protocol led in four of five comparative studies to a significant decrease in length of stay (reduction of 2–6 days in different studies). Meta‐analysis of four studies focusing on PDs showed that there was a significant difference in complication rates in favor of the ERAS group (absolute risk difference 8.2 %, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.0–14.4, p = 0.008). Introduction of an ERAS protocol did not result in an increase in mortality or readmissions. Delayed gastric emptying and incidence of pancreatic fistula did not differ significantly between groups. All studies reporting on hospital costs showed a decrease after implementation of ERAS.ConclusionsThis systematic review suggests that using an ERAS protocol in pancreatic resections may help to shorten hospital length of stay without compromising morbidity and mortality. This seemed to apply to distal pancreatectomy, total pancreatectomy, and PD. Meta‐analysis was performed for those studies focusing on PD and showed that there were no differences in readmission or mortality. Morbidity rates were significantly lower for patients managed according ERAS principles.
New‐onset diabetes mellitus developing in Asian adult living donor liver transplant recipients: a single‐center experience
Authors: Harada Nobuhiro , Sugawara Yasuhiko , Akamatsu Nobuhisa , Kaneko Junichi , Tamura Sumihito , Aoki Taku , Sakamoto Yoshihiro , Hasegawa Kiyoshi , Yamashiki Noriyo , Kokudo Norihiro 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBackgroundNew‐onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) after liver transplantation is a common complication with a potentially negative impact on patient outcome.MethodsTo evaluate the incidence of NODM and its impact on Asian adult living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients, we investigated 369 adult LDLT cases in our institute.ResultsPreoperative diabetes mellitus (DM) was diagnosed in 38 (9 %) patients. NODM was observed in 128/331 (38 %) patients, 56 (44 %) with persistent NODM and 72 (56 %) with transient NODM. The mean interval between LDLT and the development of NODM was 0.6 ± 1.8 (range 0—1.4) months. Multivariate analyssis revealed that older age, being male and having a higher body mass index were independent risk factors among recipients for developing NODM, while hepatitis C virus infection was not a significant risk factor, and DM had no impact on patient outcome.ConclusionsAlthough the long‐term effect of DM on outcome remains to be investigated, the presence of DM after liver transplant, whether it was NODM or preexisting DM, had no impact on LDLT recipients' outcomes in mid‐term.
Etiology of biliary atresia as a developmental anomaly: recent advances
Authors: Nakamura Kazuaki , Tanoue Akito 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBiliary atresia (BA) is a progressive fibro‐obliterative cholangiopathy affecting the extra‐ and intrahepatic biliary tree to various degrees and resulting in obstructive bile flow, cholestasis and icterus in neonates. It is the most common cause of pediatric liver transplantation. The etiology of BA is still unclear, although there is some evidence pointing to viral, toxic, and multiple genetic factors. For new therapeutic options other than liver transplantation to be developed, a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of BA is indispensable. The fact that the pathology of BA develops during a period of biliary growth and remodeling suggests an involvement of developmental anomalies. Recent studies indicate an association of the etiology of BA with some genetic factors such as laterality genes, epigenetic regulation and/or microRNA function. In this paper, we present an overview of recent advances in the understanding of the disease focusing on bile duct developmental anomaly.
Evolutionary community ecology of plant‐associated arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems
Authors: Utsumi Shunsuke 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn the 21st century, researchers have attempted a synthesis between community ecology and evolutionary biology. This emerging research area, which aims to synthesize community ecology and evolutionary biology, is evolutionary community ecology. Evolutionary community ecology addresses how intraspecific trait variation in community members is essential for predicting community properties and, how community properties are a key component of the selective forces that determine genetic and phenotypic variation in a community member. In this paper, I review recent findings in evolutionary community ecology in plant‐associated arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems. I discuss roles of both genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity as a source of trait variation in plants in shaping plant‐associated arthropod communities. Also, I discuss effects of genetic variation in herbivores on plant‐associated arthropod communities. Furthermore, I highlight community context evolution in which multiple species interactions and community composition affect trait evolution of a community member. Finally, I argue that future studies should investigate a feedback loop between community and evolutionary dynamics beyond unidirectional studies on effects of evolution on a community or vice versa. This approach will provide major insights into mechanistic principles for making predictions of community ecology.
Screening pregnant women for group B streptococcus infection between 30 and 32 weeks of pregnancy in a population at high risk for premature birth
Authors: Horváth Boldizsar , Grasselly Magdolna , Bödecs Tamás , Boncz Imre , Bódis József 
Published: April 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the benefits of a chemoprophylaxis program based on screening women for group B streptococcus (GBS) infection between 30 and 32 weeks of pregnancy in a population with a high rate of premature births.MethodsFrom 1995 to 2011, 24 950 women were screened for GBS infection between 30 and 32 weeks of pregnancy at Markusovszky Teaching Hospital, Szombathely, Hungary. Those who tested positive, and those who tested negative but were at risk of infecting their newborns, underwent intrapartum prophylaxis. Neonatal outcomes were compared with those of a historical cohort that underwent no screening or treatment, and with those published in CDC/ACOG guidelines recommending screening closer to term.ResultsThere were 63 infected newborns (0.2%) in the study cohort, and 1 of 8 with sepsis died. There were 149 infected newborns (0.7%) in the historical cohort, and 29 of 31 with sepsis died.ConclusionScreening women early in a population with a high rate of premature births may simplify preterm labor management. It results, however, in a higher incidence of early onset neonatal GBS disease than when screening is done closer to term.
The dopamine β-hydroxylase inhibitor, nepicastat, suppresses chocolate self-administration and reinstatement of chocolate seeking in rats
Authors: Zaru Alessandro , Maccioni Paola , Colombo Giancarlo , Gessa Gian Luigi 
Published: April 2013

Craving for chocolate is a common phenomenon, which may evolve to an addictive-like behaviour and contribute to obesity. Nepicastat is a selective dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) inhibitor that suppresses cocaine-primed reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats. We verified whether nepicastat was able to modify the reinforcing and motivational properties of a chocolate solution and to prevent the reinstatement of chocolate seeking in rats. Nepicastat (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) produced a dose-related inhibition of operant self-administration of the chocolate solution in rats under fixed-ratio 10 (FR10) and progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement, measures of the reinforcing and motivational properties of the chocolate solution, respectively. The effect of nepicastat on the reinstatement of chocolate seeking was studied in rats in which lever-responding had been extinguished by removing the chocolate solution for approximately 8 d. Nepicastat dose-dependently suppressed the reinstatement of lever-responding triggered by a ‘priming’ of the chocolate solution together with cues previously associated with the availability of the reward. In a separate group of food-restricted rats trained to lever-respond for regular food pellets, nepicastat reduced FR10 lever-responding with the same potency as for the chocolate solution. Spontaneous locomotor activity was not modified by nepicastat doses that reduced self-administration of the chocolate solution and regular food pellets and suppressed the reinstatement of chocolate seeking. The results indicate that nepicastat reduces motivation to food consumption sustained by appetite or palatability. Moreover, the results suggest that DBH inhibitors may be a new class of pharmacological agents potentially useful in the prevention of relapse to food seeking in human dieters.
Serum lipid-improving effect of soyabean β-conglycinin in hyperlipidaemic menopausal women
Authors: Ma Defu , Taku Kyoko , Zhang Yumei , Jia Meng , Wang Yang , Wang Peiyu 
Published: April 2013

To evaluate the effect of treatment with β-conglycinin, a major soyabean protein, on blood lipids in menopausal women, we recruited 100 hyperlipidaemic women aged 40–60 years old. Participants were randomly allocated to three groups: placebo group (n 34, four casein tablets/d); low dose group (n 33, four tablets containing 2·3 g β-conglycinin/d); high-dose group (n 33, eight tablets containing 4·6 g β-conglycinin/d). The mean serum TAG concentration was significantly reduced after 6 and 12 weeks of β-conglycinin intervention by 0·44 (sd 0·20) and 0·78 (sd 1·03) mmol/l in the low-dose group, and by 0·46 (sd 0·17) and 1·25 (sd 1·06) mmol/l in the high-dose group, respectively. One-way ANOVA revealed that serum TAG concentrations in the low-dose and high-dose groups were significantly lowered compared with the placebo group at weeks 6 and 12 (P< 0·05). The low dose and high dose consumptions of β-conglycinin significantly decreased the LDL-cholesterol concentration by 0·46 (sd 0·72) and 0·52 (sd 0·97) mmol/l at week 12, respectively (P< 0·05). Compared with the changes from baseline in the placebo group, apoB and NEFA were significantly lowered in both the low-dose and high-dose β-conglycinin groups (P< 0·05). In conclusion, the results suggest that β-conglycinin intake significantly decreases serum TAG and LDL-cholesterol levels.
Stochastic patterns of polymorphism after a selective sweep over a subdivided population
Authors: KIM YUSEOB 
Published: April 2013

SummaryThe geographic structure of a population, which is modelled as a network of several small random-mating populations or demes exchanging migrants between them, limits the rapid spread of a beneficial allele under strong directional selection to the entire population. This weakens or modifies the hitchhiking effect of the beneficial allele on the pattern of genetic variation at linked neutral loci. Previous studies suggested that the characteristic patterns of polymorphism arise with selective sweeps in such a subdivided population. However, they did not fully address the stochastic pattern, as expected in an actual sample of DNA sequence, of such patterns. This study uses a novel method of individual-based forward-in-time simulation to generate multi-locus neutral polymorphism after a selective sweep in a moderately subdivided population. Population subdivision is shown to cause frequency spectrum to shift slightly such that Tajima'sDbecomes less negative than expected under a panmictic population. Similarly, the pattern of linkage disequilibrium showed very small change due to population subdivision. On the other hand, the value of Wright'sFSTat closely linked neutral loci relative to that at unlinked loci greatly increased by population subdivision as predicted by previous studies. Finally, the distribution of the gradient of heterozygosity along the migration path of beneficial mutation, previously suggested to allow the inference of the direction of spread, was investigated. The variance of difference in heterozygosity was much larger than the mean, suggesting that such an inference may not be practical.
Algorithms for Sparse Network-based RTK GPS Positioning and Performance Assessment
Authors: Tang Weiming , Meng Xiaolin , Shi Chuang , Liu Jingnan 
Published: April 2013

The average inter-station distances in most established network Real Time Kinematic (RTK) systems are constrained to around 50 km. A sparse network RTK system with an average inter-station distance of up to 300 km would have many appealing advantages over a conventional one, including a significant reduction in the development and maintenance costs. The first part of this paper introduces the key approaches for sparse network RTK positioning technology. These include long-range reference baseline ambiguity resolution and real-time kinematic ambiguity resolution for the rover receivers. The proposed method for long-range kinematic ambiguity resolution can overcome the network weaknesses through three procedures: application of the interpolated corrections from the sparse network only to wide-lane combination; searching the ambiguities of wide-lane combination; and searching L1 ambiguities with wide-lane combination and ionosphere-free observables. To test these techniques, a network including ten reference stations was created from the Ordnance Survey's Network (OS NetTM) that covers the whole territory of the United Kingdom (UK). The average baseline length of this sparse network is about 300 km. To assess the positioning performance, nine rover stations situated inside and outside the network were also selected from the OS Net™. Finally, the accuracy of interpolated corrections, the positioning accuracy and the initialization time required for precise positioning were estimated and analysed. From the observed performance of each rover receiver, and the accuracy of interpolated network corrections, it can be concluded that it is feasible to use a sparse reference station network with an average inter-station distance up to 300 km for achieving similar performance to traditional network RTK positioning. The proposed approach can provide more cost-efficient use of network RTK (NRTK) positioning for engineering and environmental applications that are currently being delivered by traditional network RTK positioning technology.