bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differential Effect of Renal Cortical and Medullary Interstitial Fluid Calcium on Blood Pressure Regulation in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension
Authors: Pointer Mildred A. , Eley Shaleka , Anderson Lauren , Waters Brittany , Royall Brittany , Nichols Sheena , Wells Candace 
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND
Hypercalciuria is a frequent characteristic of hypertension. In this report we extend our earlier studies investigating the role of renal interstitial fluid calcium (ISFCa)2+ as a link between urinary calcium excretion and blood pressure in the Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) hypertensive model.

METHODS
Dahl salt-sensitive and salt-resistant (DR) rats were placed on control (0.45%) and high (8%) salt diets to determine if changes in renal cortical and medullary ISFCa2+correlated with changes in urinary calcium excretion and blood pressure.

RESULTS
We observed that renal ISFCa2+ was predicted by urinary calcium excretion (P &lt; 0.05) in DS rats but not DR rats. Renal cortical ISFCa2+ was negatively associated with blood pressure (P &lt; 0.03) while renal medullary ISFCa2+ was positively associated with blood pressure in DS rats (P &lt; 0.04). In contrast, neither urinary calcium excretion nor renal ISFCa2+ was associated with blood pressure in the DR rats under the conditions of this study.

CONCLUSION
We interpret these findings to suggest that decreased renal cortical ISFCa2+ plays a role in the increase in blood pressure following a high salt diet in salt hypertension perhaps by mediating renal vasoconstriction; the role of medullary calcium remains to be fully understood. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism of the altered renal ISFCa2+ and its role in blood pressure regulation.
Decision tree analysis for the determination of relevant variables and quantifiable reference points to establish maturity stages in Enteroctopus megalocyathus and Illex argentinus
Authors: Crespi-Abril Augusto César , Ortiz Nicolás , Galván David Edgardo 
Published: January 2015

AbstractDetermining the maturity condition of a large number of individuals is crucial for stock assessment and management of cephalopod populations, but this task is difficult to conduct in practice. We propose a novel approach for maturity stage classification using observer-independent criteria. Relevant morphological variables for classification are determined via decision tree (DT) analysis. Using Illex argentinus and Enteroctopus megalocyathus as case studies, individuals were sexed and assigned to a maturity stage defined by specific macroscopic maturity scales. Also, for each individual, the weight of the gonad, accessory glands/ducts, mantle length, and total weight were recorded and maturity indices were calculated (Hayashi index and gonadosomatic index). Two different DT models were fitted: one considering all maturity stages and the other considering only intermediate maturity stages since these are the most difficult to determine in practice. For the classification of I. argentinus among all stages, the weights of the nidamental gland and oviducts were the most relevant variables for females (misclassification 23%), while spermatophoric complex and testis weights were the key variables for males (misclassification 23%). For classification of intermediate stages only, the nidamental gland and spermatophoric complex weights were the most relevant variables to classify females (misclassification 19%) and males (misclassification 21%), respectively. For E. megalocyathus, the oviducts and ovary weights of females and the terminal organ weight of males were the most relevant variables for classification among all maturity stages (misclassification 16% and 18%, respectively). For intermediate maturity stages, the same variables were most important and misclassification improved to 13% for both sexes. Gonadosomatic and Hayashi's indices were not relevant in either model. DTs based on measurements of cephalopod reproductive systems revealed a simple classification system for maturity stages using only a few variables that are easy to measure in the field and are independent of observer training.
A detection threshold in the amplitude spectra calculated from Kepler data obtained during K2 mission
Authors: Baran A. S. , Koen C. , Pokrzywka B. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
We present our analysis of simulated data in order to derive a detection threshold which can be used in the pre-whitening process of amplitude spectra. In case of ground-based data of pulsating stars, this threshold is conventionally taken to be four times the mean noise level in an amplitude spectrum. This threshold is questionable when space-based data are analysed. Our effort is aimed at revising this threshold in the case of continuous 90-d Kepler K2 phase observations. Our result clearly shows that a 95 per cent confidence level, common for ground observations, can be reached at 5.4 times the mean noise level and is coverage dependent. In addition, this threshold varies between 4.8 and 5.7, if the number of cadences is changed. This conclusion should secure further pre-whitening and helps to avoid over-interpretation of spectra of pulsating stars observed with the Kepler spacecraft during K2 phase. We compare our results with the standard approach widely used in the literature.
Radiation hydrodynamics simulations of wide-angle outflows from super-critical accretion disks around black holes
Authors: Hashizume Katsuya , Ohsuga Ken , Kawashima Tomohisa , Tanaka Masaomi 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
By performing two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations with a large computational domain of 5000 times the Schwarzschild radius, we revealed that wide-angle outflow is launched via the radiation force from the super-critical accretion flows around black holes. The angular size of the outflow, where the radial velocity (vr) exceeds the escape velocity (vesc), increases with an increase of the distance from the black hole. As a result, the mass is blown away with speed of vr &gt; vesc in all directions except for in the vicinity of the equatorial plane, θ = 0°–85°, where θ is the polar angle. The mass ejected from the outer boundary per unit time by the outflow is larger than the mass accretion rate onto the black hole, ∼ 150 LEdd/c2, where LEdd and c are the Eddington luminosity and the speed of light. The kinetic power of such wide-angle high-velocity outflow is comparable to the photon luminosity and is a few times larger than the Eddington luminosity. This corresponds to ∼ 1039–1040 erg s−1 for the stellar mass black holes. Our model is consistent with the observations of shock excited bubbles observed in some ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), supporting a hypothesis that ULXs are powered by the super-critical accretion onto stellar mass black holes.
Asynchronous Rate Chaos in Spiking Neuronal Circuits
Authors: Harish Omri , Hansel David 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe brain exhibits temporally complex patterns of activity with features similar to those of chaotic systems. Theoretical studies over the last twenty years have described various computational advantages for such regimes in neuronal systems. Nevertheless, it still remains unclear whether chaos requires specific cellular properties or network architectures, or whether it is a generic property of neuronal circuits. We investigate the dynamics of networks of excitatory-inhibitory (EI) spiking neurons with random sparse connectivity operating in the regime of balance of excitation and inhibition. Combining Dynamical Mean-Field Theory with numerical simulations, we show that chaotic, asynchronous firing rate fluctuations emerge generically for sufficiently strong synapses. Two different mechanisms can lead to these chaotic fluctuations. One mechanism relies on slow I-I inhibition which gives rise to slow subthreshold voltage and rate fluctuations. The decorrelation time of these fluctuations is proportional to the time constant of the inhibition. The second mechanism relies on the recurrent E-I-E feedback loop. It requires slow excitation but the inhibition can be fast. In the corresponding dynamical regime all neurons exhibit rate fluctuations on the time scale of the excitation. Another feature of this regime is that the population-averaged firing rate is substantially smaller in the excitatory population than in the inhibitory population. This is not necessarily the case in the I-I mechanism. Finally, we discuss the neurophysiological and computational significance of our results.Author SummaryCortical circuits exhibit complex temporal patterns of spiking and are exquisitely sensitive to small perturbations in their ongoing activity. These features are all suggestive of an underlying chaotic dynamics. Theoretical works have indicated that a rich dynamical reservoir can endow neuronal circuits with remarkable computational capabilities. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying chaos in circuits of spiking neurons remain unknown. We combine analytical calculations and numerical simulations to investigate this fundamental issue. Our key result is that chaotic firing rate fluctuations on the time scales of the synaptic dynamics emerge generically from the network collective dynamics. Our results pave the way in the study of the physiological mechanisms and computational significance of chaotic states in neuronal networks.
Design and strain selection criteria for bacterial communication networks
Authors: Angione Claudio , Carapezza Giovanni , Costanza Jole , Lió Pietro , Nicosia Giuseppe 
Published: January 2015

AbstractIn this paper we discuss data and methodological challenges for building bacterial communication networks using two examples:Escherichia colias a flagellate bacterium and ofGeobacter sulfurreducensas a biofilm forming bacterium. We first highlight the link between the bacterial network communication design with respect to metabolic information processing design. The potentialities of designing routing network schemes described previously in literature and based on bacteria motility and genetic message exchanges will depend on the genes coding for the intracellular and intercellular signalling pathways. In bacteria, the “mobilome” is related to horizontal gene transfer. Bacteria trade off the acquisition of new genes which could improve their survival (and often their communication bandwidth), keeping their genome enough small to assure quick DNA replication and increase fast the biomass to speed up cell division. First, by using a multi-objective optimisation procedure, we search for the optimal trade off between energy production, which is a requirement for the motility, and the biomass growth, which is related to the overall survival and fitness of the bacterium. We use flux balance analysis of genome-scale biochemical network ofEscherichia colik-13 MG1655. Then, as a second case study we analyze the electric properties and biomass trade-off of the bacteriumGeobacter sulfurreducenswhich constructs an electric biofilm where electrons move across the nanowires. Here we discuss the potentialities of optimisation methodologies to design and select bacterial strains with desiderata properties. The optimisation methodologies establish also a relation between metabolism, network communication and computing. Moreover, we point to genetic design and synthetic biology as key areas to develop bacterial nano communication networks.
Renal involvement in Chinese patients with Behcet's disease: a report of 16 cases
Authors: Zheng Wenjie , Li Guohua , Zhou Mengyu , Chen Limeng , Tian Xinping , Zhang Fengchun 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAimTo investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of renal involvement in Behcet's disease (BD).MethodsA retrospective analysis was carried out in BD patients complicated with renal damage who were hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June 1998 to July 2012.ResultsThere were 16 BD patients with renal involvement, accounted for 2.6% of all the 618 hospitalized BD patients. The presentation of renal disease was chronic glomerulonephritis in six patients (including one with nephritic syndrome), renal tubular acidosis in one patient, renal artery stenosis in eight patients and renal vein thrombosis in one patient. Renal biopsy was performed in five patients, three of whom revealed to have minor glomerular lesions, mild mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and chronic tubular‐interstitial nephropathy, respectively. The other two patients underwent a second biopsy, the one with minor glomerular lesion in the first biopsy was transformed into grade III immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy on Lee's glomerular grading system 6 years later, and the other one who had IgA nephropathy of grade II in the first biopsy was progressed to grade IV 2 years later. Among the nine patients with renal vascular involvement, two underwent surgery, and several received anticoagulant therapy. During the follow‐up of 13 patients, the urine protein quantifications were reduced, and renal function remained relatively stable.ConclusionsRenal damage is relatively uncommon in BD patients. There are various clinical presentations of renal involvement in BD. Routine screening with urinalysis, serum creatinine and imaging studies should be carried out for the early diagnosis of renal involvement in BD.
Relevance of lymphocyte subsets to B cell‐targeted therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Nakayamada Shingo , Iwata Shigeru , Tanaka Yoshiya 
Published: January 2015

AbstractSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations, and pathologically characterized by activation of autoreactive T cells and overproduction of autoantibodies by B cells. Although corticosteroids and immunosuppressants are widely used for the treatment, safer and more effective therapies are needed. B cells play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis ofSLEnot only by producing pathogenic autoantibodies but also by modulating immune responses via production of cytokines and chemokines. The potential efficacy of B‐cell depletion therapy has been reported inSLE. Treatment with rituximab, an anti‐CD20 antibody, results in reconstitution of B cells in the periphery, thereby inhibiting T cell activation and differentiation, which in turn leads to long‐term remission ofSLE. However, we have reportedSLErecurrence driven by B cell‐ or T cell‐memory activation after long‐term remission, demonstrating pathological heterogeneity inSLE. Ideally, differential targeting therapies should be considered according to relevant lymphocyte subsets. Therefore, evaluation of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets could be valuable for predicting the response to B cell‐targeted therapy. A better understanding of B cell pathology should contribute to the development of novel specific therapies forSLE.
Transesophageal Echocardiography for the Evaluation of Aorto‐Left Ventricular Tunnel in Adults, with Follow‐ups
Authors: Xia Hongmei , Jiang Yan , Xu Yali , Tang Jinliang , Gao Yunhua 
Published: January 2015

ObjectiveThis study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy of combined two‐dimensional (2D) and real time three‐dimensional (RT3D) transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) imaging with the anatomic findings during surgery in adults with aorto‐left ventricular tunnel (ALVT).BackgroundALVT has typically been reported in infants rather than in adults. TEE appears to be a promising method of recognizing the spatial relationship of intracardiac structures.MethodsPatients underwent comprehensive 2D and RT3DTEE within 1 week preoperative and intraoperative. The TEE images were compared with the surgical findings.ResultsNine patients diagnosed with ALVT using TEE were selected. The operations were successfully performed in 8 patients. The origin of the tunnels diagnosed by TEE was superior to the right coronary sinus (RCS) in 3 patients, superior to the commissure of the left coronary sinus (LCS) and the RCS in 3 patients, inferior to the junction of the LCS and noncoronary sinus (NCS) in 2 patients, and superior to the NCS in 1 patient. The surgical findings confirmed ALVT in 8 patients. The average diameter of the tunnel orifices in the LV or in the aorta measured by TEE versus surgery was 6.15 ± 3.21 mm versus 6.80 ± 3.91 mm (correlation displayed as r = 0.99, P < 0.0001). Seven (78%) patients had mild to severe aortic regurgitation, and 6 (67%) patients had mitral regurgitation.ConclusionsA combination of 2D and RT3DTEE imaging modalities would be needed to optimally define the anatomy and functional consequences of ALVT in adults.
Novel Echocardiographic Indices as Predictors of Immediate Recurrence after Undersized Ring Annuloplasty for Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Hajsadeghi Shokoufeh , Samiee Niloufar , Hosseini Seyyed Saied , Hassanzadeh Morteza , Jafarian Kerman Scott Reza 
Published: January 2015

Background and aimIschemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is among the most serious complications of myocardial infarction which doubles the late mortality; mainly treated by undersizing ring annuloplasty. To find some preoperative echocardiographic indices that predict immediate failure of mitral valve annuloplasty (MVA), we designed the present study with more focusing on some novel parameters.MethodTransthoracic echocardiography (TTE) indices of consecutive patients referred with 3+ or 4+ IMR were registered 24 hours before surgery. Thirty days later, a second TTE was performed. According to the results, the patients were categorized as the “successful” group (with 1+ or less mitral regurgitation) and the “unsuccessful” group (with 2+ or higher MR). Preoperative TTE indices were compared among the two groups using suitable statistical tests.ResultsOf the total of 126 cases, 68 had successful and 58 had unsuccessful MVA. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (P = 0.007), left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV) (P = 0.044), and basal‐interpapillary muscle distance (IPMD) diastolic‐to‐systolic ratio (DSR) (P = 0.008). Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis demonstrated 37.5%, 3.85 cm3, and 1.25, as the best cutoff points for LVEF (P = 0.03, sensitivity: 81%, specificity: 69%), LVESV (P = 0.023, sensitivity: 83%, specificity: 57%), and basal‐IPMD DSR (P = 0.001, sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 95%), respectively.ConclusionAmong all TTE indices, LVEF, LVESV, and basal‐IPMD DSR were helpful to differentiate between the successful and unsuccessful MVA results. We believe the basal‐IPMD DSR as a novel index could be targeted in the future studies.
The transradial approach during transcatheter structural heart disease interventions: a review
Authors: Allende Ricardo , Ribeiro Henrique B. , Puri Rishi , Urena Marina , Abdul‐Jawad Omar , del Trigo María , Veiga Gabriela , del Rosario Ortas Maria , Paradis Jean‐Michel , De Larochellière Robert , Rodés‐Cabau Josep 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAimsTo review the safety and feasibility of a transradial (TR) approach during transcatheter structural or congenital heart disease interventions when utilized as either as a primary or secondary arterial access site.Methods and ResultsStudies and case reports published between 2002 and 2014 utilizing the TR access during transcatheter structural and congenital heart disease interventions during alcohol septal ablation (ASA), ventricular septal defect (VSD), renal denervation (RD), paravalvular leak (PVL) closure, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI, secondary access) and endovascular repair of aortic coarctation (ERAC, secondary access) were evaluated. Access‐site (femoral vs. TR) vascular and bleeding complications were assessed. Femoral access complications ranged from 0·16% to 40%, with an overall incidence of 2·2% (56/2521). There were 18 reports or studies specifically evaluating the utility of TR access in the context of transcatheter structural heart disease interventions (ASA: 3; VSD: 1; RD: 3; PVL closure: 1; TAVI: 7, ERAC: 3). The use of TR access either as primary or secondary access site was feasible and allowed the completion of the procedure in all cases. The overall incidence of access‐site complications following a TR approach was 0·5% (2/406 patients), with no major vascular or bleeding complications.ConclusionsA TR approach during transcatheter structural heart disease interventions appears to be a safe, effective means of delivering high procedural success accompanied by lower bleeding complications compared with the transfemoral approach.
Social support and responsiveness in online patient communities: impact on service quality perceptions
Authors: Nambisan Priya , Gustafson David H. , Hawkins Robert , Pingree Suzanne 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBackgroundHospitals frequently evaluate their service quality based on the care and services provided to patients by their clinical and non‐clinical staff.1,2 However, such evaluations do not take into consideration the many interactions that patients have in online patient communities with the health‐care organization (HCO) as well as with peer patients. Patients' interactions in these online communities could impact their perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality.PurposesThe objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of social support and responsiveness that patients experience in an HCO's online community on patients' perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality.MethodThe study data are collected from CHESS, a health‐care programme (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) run by the Centre for Health Enhancement System Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.FindingsFindings show that the social support and the responsiveness received from peer patients in the online patient communities will impact patients' perceptions regarding the service quality of the HCO even when the organizational members themselves do not participate in the online discussions.Practice implicationsThe results indicate that interactions in such HCO‐provided online patient communities should not be ignored as they could translate into patients' perceptions regarding HCOs' service quality. Ways to improve responsiveness and social support in an HCO's online patient community are discussed.
Emergency scheduling of engineering rescue tasks in disaster relief operations and its application in China
Authors: Zheng Yu‐Jun , Ling Hai‐Feng , Xu Xin‐Li , Chen Sheng‐Yong 
Published: January 2015

AbstractDisaster relief operations typically involve a large number of engineering rescue tasks, the efficient completion of which is vital to the success of the operations. The paper establishes a model of emergency scheduling of engineering rescue tasks in disaster relief operations, which involves multiple rescue teams and tasks, different and, perhaps fuzzy, processing times, as well as different importance weights of the tasks. We then propose a method based on biogeography‐based optimization, develop effective migration and mutation operators, and employ a multiobjective optimization approach for providing a set of candidate solutions for decision support. Computational experiments demonstrate that our approach exhibits competitive performance on a set of test problems. The proposed model and method have been successfully applied to the recent 2013 Dingxi earthquake that occurred in China.