bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
IL‐6/Stat3‐driven pulmonary inflammation, but not emphysema, is dependent on interleukin‐17A in mice
Authors: Ruwanpura Saleela M. , McLeod Louise , Brooks Gavin D. , Bozinovski Steven , Vlahos Ross , Longano Anthony , Bardin Philip G. , Anderson Gary P. , Jenkins Brendan J. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackground and objectivePulmonary emphysema is linked to T cell‐mediated autoimmune inflammation, although the pathogenic role of specific pro‐inflammatory cytokines remains unclear. The Th17 type response, characterized by the production of the cytokine interleukin (IL)‐17A, is modulated in part by the IL‐6/signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)3 signalling axis and is associated with numerous autoimmune diseases. We therefore evaluated a causal role for IL‐17A in the IL‐6‐driven gp130F/F mouse model for spontaneous pulmonary inflammation and emphysema.MethodsThe expression of Th17‐related factors was quantified in the lungs of gp130F/F mice and emphysematous patients, and the degree of pulmonary inflammation and emphysema was measured in gp130F/F : Il17a−/− mice by immunohistochemistry, stereology and respiratory mechanics.ResultsIn gp130F/F mice, lung gene expression of Il17a and other Th17‐related factors was augmented compared with gp130+/+ (wild‐type), gp130F/F : Il6−/− and gp130F/F : Stat3−/+ mice displaying normalized Stat3 activity and no lung inflammation. Importantly, genetic ablation of Il17a in gp130F/F : Il17a−/− mice prevented lung inflammation; however, emphysema still developed. Additionally, messenger RNA expression of inflammatory genes Cxcl1, Cxcl2, Ccl2 and Tnfα; as well as Il6 and the Stat3‐target gene, Socs3, were upregulated in the lungs of gp130F/F mice compared with gp130F/F : Il17a−/− and gp130+/+ mice. Consistent with these findings, augmented IL17A expression was observed in emphysema patients presenting with inflammation compared with inflammation‐free individuals.ConclusionsCollectively, our data suggest that the integration of IL‐17A into the IL‐6/Stat3 signalling axis mediates lung inflammation, but not emphysema, and that discrete targeting of IL‐17A may alleviate pulmonary inflammatory‐related diseases.
Origin, evolution and anatomy of silt‐prone submarine external levées
Authors: Morris Emma A. , Hodgson David M. , Brunt Rufus L. , Flint Stephen S. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractSubmarine external levées are constructional features that develop outside slope channel systems, and are a volumetrically significant component of continental margins. However, detailed observations of their process sedimentology and depositional architecture are rare. Extensive exposures of external levées at multiple stratigraphic intervals and well‐constrained palaeogeographic positions in the Fort Brown Formation, Karoo Basin, South Africa, have been calibrated with research boreholes. This integrated data set permits their origin, evolution and anatomy to be considered, including high‐resolution analysis of sedimentary facies distribution and characterization of depositional sub‐environments. An idealized model of the stratigraphic evolution and depositional architecture of external levées is presented, and variations can be attributed to allogenic (for example, sediment supply) and autogenic (for example, channel migration) factors. Initiation of external levée construction is commonly marked by deposition of a basal sand‐rich facies with sedimentary structures indicating rapid deposition from unconfined flows. These deposits are interpreted as frontal lobes. Propagation of the parent channel, and resultant flow confinement, lead to partial erosion of the frontal lobe and development of constructional relief (levées) by flow overspill and flow stripping. Overall fining‐upwards and thinning‐upwards profiles reflect increased flow confinement and/or waning flow magnitude through time. Identification of a hierarchy of levée elements is not possible due to the absence of internal bounding surfaces or sharp facies changes. The down‐slope taper in levée height and increasing channel sinuosity results in increasing numbers of crevasse lobe deposits, and is reflected by the increased occurrences of channel avulsion events down‐dip. External levées from the Fort Brown Formation are silt‐rich; however their stratigraphic evolution and the distribution of many components (such as sediment waves and crevasse lobe) share commonalities with mud‐rich external levées. This unique integrated data set has permitted the first high‐resolution characterization of external submarine levée systems.
Facies and flow regimes of sandstone‐hosted columnar intrusions: Insights from the pipes of Kodachrome Basin State Park
Authors: Ross Jessica A. , Peakall Jeff , Keevil Gareth M. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractSandstone‐hosted intrusions are found in a wide variety of environments, but remain poorly understood compared with their mudstone‐hosted counterparts. In particular, they remain largely unrecognized in the subsurface, in part because they are problematic to image in seismic data. This study reports on the facies and fluid flow associated with a 20 000 km3 sandstone intrusion province in Utah, USA. Forming a small portion of this intrusion province, the intrusions cropping out in Kodachrome Basin State Park display a very wide array of facies and morphologies, factors which would make their identification in core a significant challenge. Remobilized sediment is shown to have been injected at least 200 m vertically from its source, with flow prolonged enough to concentrate heavy minerals in placer‐style deposits at the pipe margins. Evidence for lateral pipe migration and for associated broader fluidization regions is also presented. A new approach to estimating flow parameters in injectites is implemented herein, and indicates that previous work has overestimated velocities and flow Reynolds numbers by up to two orders of magnitude. Flow modelling suggests turbulent flow in the pipes that is consistent with field observations of erosive margins and chaotic internal structures. Post‐emplacement, these pipes remained as long‐term fluid conduits, as revealed by their diagenetic history, focussing and facilitating flow of extraformational fluids, despite the relatively high porosity and permeability of the aeolian host strata.
Early Maternal Depression and Social Skills in Adolescence: A Marginal Structural Modeling Approach
Authors: DeRose Laura M. , Shiyko Mariya , Levey Simone , Helm Jonathan , Hastings Paul D. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractEarly maternal depression is a risk factor that may have adverse effects on adolescent social skills. Although evidence indicates links between early maternal depression and social outcomes during early childhood, whether an association extends to adolescence needs further examination. We tested the possible long‐term association between early maternal depression and adolescent social skills using a national secondary dataset. A secondary objective was to test if maternal parenting at the transition to adolescence mediated the association, with the notion that adverse outcomes of early maternal depression could be ameliorated by positive parenting practices at an important developmental transition. Data were obtained from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Marginal structural modeling within the context of structural equation modeling revealed a significant association between early maternal depression and adolescent social skills while controlling for maternal depression during pre‐adolescence and adolescence. Maternal parenting skills partially mediated the association between early maternal depression and mother report of adolescent social skills. These findings have important implications for understanding the link between early maternal depression and adolescent social skills, and for informing parenting practices during pre‐adolescence.
Implementation of a new platelet pooling system for platelet concentrates led to a higher corrected count increment after transfusion: a comparative observational study of platelet concentrates before and after implementation
Authors: Dijkstra‐Tiekstra M. J. , van de Watering L. M. G. , Rondeel J. M. M. , Slomp J. , de Wildt‐Eggen J. 
Published: February 2014

SUMMARYObjectivesTo study the effect of extended storage of platelet concentrates (PCs) and the implementation of a new platelet pooling system for PCs on corrected count increment (CCI) after transfusion.BackgroundDue to new developments and changes in processes or procedures, one should remain alert for the effects of these changes. Besides in vitro studies and validation, in vivo studies are also important, as it has been shown that in vitro results do not always predict in vivo outcomes.Methods/MaterialsAfter introduction of extended storage of PCs for 5–7 days prepared from five buffy coats and plasma, transfusion monitoring for transfusions of PCs in haemato‐oncological patients was set up. After 9 months, a new pooling system for PCs was implemented, Composelect instead of Optipure PLT, and transfusion monitoring was continued for another 8 months. The CCI was used as primary outcome.ResultsIn total, 93 patients were included and transfused with PCs prepared in the Optipure PLT system (262 transfusions) or in the Composelect system (127 transfusions). Extended storage of PCs for 7 days had no significant effect on CCI. Although the implementation of the Composelect system did not influence the CCI1 h (13·8 ± 6·0 vs 13·0 ± 5·8; n.s.), it seemed to have a positive effect on CCI24 h (7·0 ± 4·9 vs 4·7 ± 4·5; P < 0·05).ConclusionAlthough the influence of confounders could not be excluded, it seemed that implementation of the Composelect system for PCs led to an improved CCI24 h and that extended storage of PCs did not influence the CCI.
Strengthening national health laboratories in sub‐Saharan Africa: a decade of remarkable progress
Authors: Alemnji G. A. , Zeh C. , Yao K. , Fonjungo P. N. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractObjectivesEfforts to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic have underscored the fragile and neglected nature of some national health laboratories in Africa. In response, national and international partners and various governments have worked collaboratively over the last several years to build sustainable laboratory capacities within the continent. Key accomplishments reflecting this successful partnership include the establishment of the African‐based World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO‐AFRO) Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA); development of the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) training programme; and launching of a Pan African‐based institution, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). These platforms continue to serve as the foundations for national health laboratory infrastructure enhancement, capacity development and overall quality system improvement. Further targeted interventions should encourage countries to aim at integrated tiered referral networks, promote quality system improvement and accreditation, develop laboratory policies and strategic plans, enhance training and laboratory workforce development and a retention strategy, create career paths for laboratory professionals and establish public–private partnerships. Maintaining the gains and ensuring sustainability will require concerted action by all stakeholders with strong leadership and funding from African governments and from the African Union.
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOMECHANICAL APPROACH FOR HUMAN FINGER MOVEMENT: MODELING, SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION
Authors: ALLOUCH SAMAR , YOUNÈS RAFIC , BOUDAOUD SOFIANE , KHALIL MOHAMAD 
Published: February 2014

The work presented in this paper deals with the description of an analytic modeling of the neuromusculoskeletal system responsible for the finger movement. This simulation task is complex due to the interacting processes (physiological and biomechanical) represented by muscles, joints and bones. In this study, we focused on the presentation of a complete model for the finger motion decomposed in quasi-static positions. In fact, this model can be considered as a preliminary step before dynamic modeling. The proposed model is composed of several compartments: biomechanical finger model, mechanical muscle model and muscle/neural activation model. The main objective of this study is to estimate, by inverse procedure, the muscle forces, muscle activations and neural activations that are responsible for generating a given finger movement decomposed in successive quasi-static positions. The anatomical model contains six muscles which control the decomposed movement of the three joints of the system. To estimate the model unknowns, an optimization technique is proposed for improving robustness to initial conditions and physiological reliability. After, an experimental protocol for recording surface electromyogram (sEMG) data, from three extrinsic muscles, according to specific finger positions is applied on five subjects to evaluate the model reliability. From analysis of the obtained results, both in simulation and experiment, the presented model seems to be able to mimic, in a realistic way, the finger movement decomposed in quasi-static positions. Finally, results, model limitations and further developments are discussed.
On the Drag and Heat of Washington, D.C., and New York City
Authors: Hicks Bruce B. , Pendergrass William R. , Vogel Christoph A. , Artz Richard S. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractData from a network of micrometeorological instruments, mostly mounted 10 m above the roofs of 12 buildings in Washington, D.C., are used to derive average values and spatial differences of the normalized local friction velocity u*/u ≡ ()1/2/u (with u being the wind speed reported at the same height as the covariance is measured, w being the vertical wind component, primes indicating deviations, and the overbar indicating averaging). The analysis is extended through consideration of two additional sites in New York City, New York. The ratio u*/u is found to depend on wind direction for all locations. Averaged values of u*/u appear to be best associated with the standard deviation of local building heights, with little evidence of a dependence on any other of the modern building-morphology indices. Temperature covariance data show a large effect of nearby activities, with the consequences of air-conditioning systems being obvious (especially at night) in some situations. The Washington data show that older buildings, built largely of native limestone, show the greatest effects of air-conditioning systems. The assumption that the nighttime surface boundary layer is stable is likely to be most often incorrect for both Washington and New York City—the sensible heat flux resulting from heating and cooling of building work spaces most often appears to dominate.
A Comparative Study of Precipitation and Evaporation between CMIP3 and CMIP5 Climate Model Ensembles in Semiarid Regions
Authors: Baker Noel C. , Huang Huei-Ping 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
The twentieth-century climatology and twenty-first-century trend in precipitation P, evaporation E, and P − E for selected semiarid U.S. Southwest and Mediterranean regions are compared between ensembles from phases 3 and 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3 and CMIP5). The twentieth-century simulations are validated with precipitation from observation and evaporation from reanalysis. It is found that the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B simulations in CMIP3 and the simulations with representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 in CMIP5 produce qualitatively similar seasonal cycles of the twenty-first-century trend in P − E for both semiarid regions. For the southwestern United States, it is characterized by a strong drying trend in spring, a weak moistening trend in summer, a weak drying trend in winter, and an overall drying trend for the annual mean. For the Mediterranean region, a drying trend is simulated for all seasons with an October maximum and July minimum. The consistency between CMIP3 and CMIP5 scenarios indicates that the simulated trend is robust; however, while the trend in P − E is negative in spring for the southwestern United States for all CMIP ensembles, CMIP3 predicts a strongly negative trend in P and minor negative trend in E whereas both CMIP5 scenarios predict a nearly zero trend in P and positive trend in E. For the twentieth-century simulations, the P, E, and P − E of the two model ensembles are statistically indistinguishable for most seasons. This “stagnation” of the simulated climatology from CMIP3 to CMIP5 implies that the hydroclimatic variable biases have not decreased in the newer generation of models. Notably, over the southwestern United States the CMIP3 models produce too much precipitation in the cold season. This bias remains almost unchanged in CMIP5.
Future Australian Severe Thunderstorm Environments. Part I: A Novel Evaluation and Climatology of Convective Parameters from Two Climate Models for the Late Twentieth Century
Authors: Allen John T. , Karoly David J. , Walsh Kevin J. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
The influence of a warming climate on the occurrence of severe thunderstorms over Australia is, as yet, poorly understood. Based on methods used in the development of a climatology of observed severe thunderstorm environments over the continent, two climate models [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Mark, version 3.6 (CSIRO Mk3.6) and the Cubic-Conformal Atmospheric Model (CCAM)] have been used to produce simulated climatologies of ingredients and environments favorable to severe thunderstorms for the late twentieth century (1980–2000). A novel evaluation of these model climatologies against data from both the ECMWF Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) and reports of severe thunderstorms from observers is used to analyze the capability of the models to represent convective environments in the current climate. This evaluation examines the representation of thunderstorm-favorable environments in terms of their frequency, seasonal cycle, and spatial distribution, while presenting a framework for future evaluations of climate model convective parameters. Both models showed the capability to explain at least 75% of the spatial variance in both vertical wind shear and convective available potential energy (CAPE). CSIRO Mk3.6 struggled to either represent the diurnal cycle over a large portion of the continent or resolve the annual cycle, while in contrast CCAM showed a tendency to underestimate CAPE and 0–6-km bulk magnitude vertical wind shear (S06). While spatial resolution likely contributes to rendering of features such as coastal moisture and significant topography, the distribution of severe thunderstorm environments is found to have greater sensitivity to model biases. This highlights the need for a consistent approach to evaluating convective parameters and severe thunderstorm environments in present-day climate: an example of which is presented here.
The Role of Asset Prices in Forecasting Inflation and Output in South Africa
Authors: Gupta Rangan , Hartley Faaiqa 
Published: February 2014

This article assesses the predictive ability of asset prices relative to other variables in forecasting inflation and real GDP growth in South Africa. A total of 42 asset and non-asset predictor variables are considered. Forecasts of inflation and real GDP growth are computed using both individual predictor autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models, forecast combination approaches, as well as large scale models. The large scale data models considered include Bayesian vector autoregressive models and classical and Bayesian univariate and multivariate factor augmented vector autoregressive models. The models are estimated for an in-sample of 1980:Q2 to 1999:Q4, and then one- to eight-step-ahead forecasts for inflation and real GDP growth are evaluated over the 2000:Q1 to 2010:Q2 out-of-sample period. Principle Component forecast combination models are found to produce the most accurate out-of-sample forecasts of inflation and real GDP growth relative to the other combination and more sophisticated models considered. Asset prices are found to contain particularly useful information for forecasting inflation and real GDP growth at certain horizons. Asset prices are however found to be stronger predictors of inflation, particularly in the long run. JEL Classification: C11, C32, R53
A Model of Glucose-Insulin-Pramlintide Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in Type I Diabetes
Authors: Ramkissoon Charrise M. , Aufderheide Brian , Bequette B. Wayne , Palerm Cesar C. 
Published: February 2014

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) complications are significantly reduced when normoglycemic levels are maintained via intensive therapy. The artificial pancreas is designed for intensive glycemic control; however, large postprandial excursions after a meal result in poor glucose regulation. Pramlintide, a synthetic analog of the hormone amylin, reduces the severity of postprandial excursions by reducing appetite, suppressing glucagon release, and slowing the rate of gastric emptying. The goal of this study is to create a glucose-insulin-pramlintide physiological model that can be employed into a controller to improve current control approaches used in the artificial pancreas. Methods: A model of subcutaneous (SC) pramlintide pharmacokinetics (PK) was developed by revising an intravenous (IV) pramlintide PK model and adapting SC insulin PK from a glucose-insulin model. Gray-box modeling and least squares optimization were used to obtain parameter estimates. Pharmacodynamics (PD) were obtained by choosing parameters most applicable to pramlintide mechanisms and then testing using a proportional PD effect using least squares optimization. Results: The model was fit and validated using 27 data sets, which included placebo, PK, and PD data. SC pramlintide PK root mean square error values range from 1.98 to 10.66 pmol/L. Pramlintide PD RMSE values range from 10.48 to 42.76 mg/dL. Conclusions: A new in silico model of the glucose-insulin-pramlintide regulatory system is presented. This model can be used as a platform to optimize dosing of both pramlintide and insulin as a combined therapy for glycemic regulation, and in the development of an artificial pancreas as the kernel for a model-based controller.
Optimal couples of rearrangement invariant spaces for the Riesz potential on the bounded domain
Authors: Kang Shin Min , Rafiq Arif , Nazir Waqas , Ahmad Irshaad , Ali Faisal , Kwun Young Chel 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
We prove continuity of the Riesz potential operator in optimal couples of rearrangement invariant function spaces defined in

R
n

with the Lebesgue measure.

MSC:46E30, 46E35.