bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measurement and uncertainty analysis of a cryogenic low‐noise amplifier with noise temperature below 2 K
Authors: Gu Dazhen , Randa James , Billinger Robert , Walker David K. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractWe report measurements and uncertainty analysis on a cryogenic low‐noise amplifier (LNA) with a very low noise temperature (NT), among the lowest noise performances reported at microwave frequencies. The LNA consists of three stages of InP high electron mobility transistors with a gate length of 130 nm. It exhibits about 44 dB gain and less than 2 K average NT in the operational band of 4 GHz to 8 GHz. A detailed uncertainty analysis is outlined to evaluate a variety of error sources in the measurement. The calculated uncertainty shows as low as 0.1 dB on the measured gain of about 44 dB and 0.18 K on the measured NT of 1.65 K, indicating excellent measurement accuracy. A breakdown of the uncertainty components helps identify the major causes of the overall uncertainty and enlightens us about how to further improve accuracy. It is important to know the actual physical temperature of the passive termination that is used as a cryogenic noise source in experiments. Due to its large temperature gradients, the commercial matched load is replaced by a custom‐made attenuator that is isothermal and consequently provides reliable NT measurements of the LNA. The precision measurement technique developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is independent from the manufacturers' characterization method. This study marks the first time that such a low NT from a cryogenic LNA is verified independently with such a low uncertainty.
Non‐invasive prenatal testing for aneuploidy: current status and future prospects
Authors: Benn P. , Cuckle H. , Pergament E. 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTNon‐invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for aneuploidy using cell‐freeDNAin maternal plasma is revolutionizing prenatal screening and diagnosis. We reviewNIPTin the context of established screening and invasive technologies, the range of cytogenetic abnormalities detectable, cost, counseling and ethical issues. CurrentNIPTapproaches involve whole‐genome sequencing, targeted sequencing and assessment of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences between mother and fetus. Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy ofNIPTfor Down and Edwards syndromes, and possibly Patau syndrome, in high‐risk women. UniversalNIPTis not cost‐effective, but usingNIPTcontingently in women found at moderate or high risk by conventional screening is cost‐effective. PositiveNIPTresults must be confirmed using invasive techniques. Established screening, fetal ultrasound and invasive procedures with microarray testing allow the detection of a broad range of additional abnormalities not yet detectable byNIPT.NIPTapproaches that take advantage ofSNPinformation potentially allow the identification of parent of origin for imbalances, triploidy, uniparental disomy and consanguinity, and separate evaluation of dizygotic twins. Fetal fraction enrichment, improved sequencing and selected analysis of the most informative sequences should result in tests for additional chromosomal abnormalities. Providing adequate prenatal counseling poses a substantial challenge given the broad range of prenatal testing options now available. Copyright © 2013 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Geometrical characterization of stall cells on rectangular wings
Authors: Manolesos Marinos , Voutsinas Spyros G. 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTThe onset of stall cells (SCs) is experimentally investigated on a flattop loaded 18% thick airfoil optimized for use on wind turbine blades, exhibiting trailing edge separation. SCs are dynamic coherent vortical structures that appear on wings under separated flow conditions. Although SCs have been known for long, neither are their characteristics completely documented nor their generating mechanisms fully understood. The present investigation aims at providing additional information on the geometric characteristics in terms of width, length and occupied area. The relevant data are presented as functions of Reynolds (Re) number, angle of attack and aspect ratio (AR) of the model. In the tests reported, the dynamic character of SCs is suppressed by imposing a localized flow disturbance. For the specific airfoil and for the Re and AR range tested, it is found that: the angle of attack at which SCs are initially formed decreases linearly with Re number and independently of the AR; unlike two‐dimensional separation, their chordwise length increases with Re; the SC area relative to the wing planform area (defined as the relative SC area) grows asymptotically with angle of attack and Re number reaching an upper bound, which is independent of the AR; at intermediate angles of attack, the SC relative area is higher for the lower AR wing; for a fixed increment in Re number, the growth of the SC relative area is independent of the initial Re number; at lower angles of attack, the actual SC area is independent of the wing span. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
P2X receptor channels in endocrine glands
Authors: Stojilkovic Stanko S. , Zemkova Hana 
Published: May 2013

The endocrine system is the system of ductless glands and single cells that synthesize hormones and release them directly into the bloodstream. Regulation of endocrine system is very complex and ATP and its degradable products ADP and adenosine contribute to its regulation acting as extracellular messengers for purinergic receptors. These include P2X receptors, a family of ligand‐gated ion channels whose expression and roles in endocrine tissues are reviewed here. There are seven mammalian purinergic receptor subunits, denoted P2X1 through P2X7, and the majority of these subunits are also expressed in secretory and non‐secretory cells of endocrine system. Functional channels have been identified in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus, the posterior and anterior pituitary, the thyroid gland, the adrenals, the endocrine pancreas, the gonads, and the placenta. Native channels are capable of promoting calcium influx through its pore in both excitable and non‐excitable cells, as well as of increasing electrical activity in excitable cells by membrane depolarization. This leads to generation of calcium transients and stimulation of hormone release. The pattern of expression and action of P2XRs in endocrine system suggest that locally produced ATP amplifies and synchronizes the secretory responses of individual cells. WIREs Membr Transp Signal 2013, 2:173–180. doi: 10.1002/wmts.89Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Constitutive relations and Schrödinger’s formulation of nonlinear electromagnetic theories
Authors: Aschieri Paolo , Ferrara Sergio 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

We present a systematic study of nonlinear and higher derivatives extensions of electromagnetism. We clarify when action functionals S[F] can be explicitly obtained from arbitrary (not necessarily self-dual) nonlinear equations of motion. We show that the “Deformed twisted self-duality condition” proposal originated in the context of supergravity counterterms is actually the general framework needed to discuss self-dual theories starting from a variational principle.
We generalize to nonlinear and higher derivatives theories Schrödinger formulation of Born-Infeld theory, and for the latter, and more in general for nonlinear theories, we derive a closed form expression of the corresponding deformed twisted self-duality conditions. This implies that the hypergeometric expression entering these duality conditions and leading to Born-Infeld theory satisfies a hidden quartic equation.
A Little Goes a Long Way: The Impact of Distal Social Support on Community Integration and Recovery of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities
Authors: Townley Greg , Miller Henry , Kloos Bret 
Published: May 2013

AbstractAlthough an extensive body of literature highlights the important role of social support for individuals with psychiatric disabilities, definitions of support tend to be restricted—focusing on intimate relationships such as friend and family networks and ignoring the role of casual relationships existing naturally in the community. This mixed‐methods study of 300 consumers of mental health services in the Southeastern US aims to better understand the impact of community supports, termed distal supports, on community integration and recovery from mental illness. Qualitative content analysis, tests of group mean differences, and hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed the following: (1) participants primarily reported receiving tangible support (e.g., free medication/discounted goods) from distal supports rather than emotional support (e.g., displays of warmth/affection) or informational support (e.g., provision of advice); (2) women and older participants reported more distal supports than men or younger participants; and (3) distal supports played a unique role in predicting community integration and recovery even after accounting for the influence of traditional support networks. Results highlight the importance of considering diverse types of social support in naturally occurring settings when designing treatment plans and interventions aimed at encouraging community participation and adaptive functioning for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
n‐3 Fatty Acid Distribution of Commercial Fish Species Components
Authors: Sahari M. A. , Farahani F. , Soleimanian Y. , Mokhlesi A. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractFor application of n‐3 fatty acids, distribution of the fatty acid compositions of different parts of (head, tail, fins and skin = HTFS, liver, viscera and muscle tissue) five commercially important fish species from the Persian Gulf (Scomberomorus commersoni, Thunnus tonggol, Euthynnus affinis, Scomberomorus guttatus and Dussumieria acuta) as good sources of n‐3 PUFA were studied. The richest source of n‐3 were HTFS in S. guttatus and S. commersoni, liver in S.guttatus, total body of D.acuta, liver of E.affinis and T.tonggol, followed by viscera of E. affinis. The content of these fatty acids were the same in viscera of tonggol, liver of S.commersoni, and HTFS of E.affinis. Moreover, muscle of E.affinis and HTFS of T.tonggol and also muscle of S.guttatus and T.tonggol had the same n‐3 contents as the viscera of S.commersoni. So, it was concluded that HTFS and viscera (which are discarded as residues) are as useful as muscle and liver and can be a source of economically available n‐3 PUFA. Muscle had the lowest proportion of n‐3 in E.affinis, T.tonggol, and S.guttatus in comparison with other organs of these fish species. The highest n‐3:n‐6 ratio was observed in D. acuta. Finally, the cluster analysis showed that with respect to n‐3 and other PUFA contents, HTFS of S.commersoni and D.acuta with S.guttatus on the one hand, and HTFS of T.tonggol and E.affinis on the other hand were similar to each other. In addition, viscera of S.commersoni and S.guttatus were similar followed by T.tonggol and different from E.affinis and D.acuta. In the case of muscle, T.tonggol and S.guttatus had good similarity followed by E.affinis and had no significant similarity with S.commersoni and D.acuta. With regard to liver, the highest similarity was observed between T.tonggol and E.affinis followed by D.acuta and S.guttatus, while S.commersoni did not show similarity with the others.
Glutathione relates to neuropsychological functioning in mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Duffy Shantel L. , Lagopoulos Jim , Hickie Ian B. , Diamond Keri , Graeber Manuel B. , Lewis Simon J.G. , Naismith Sharon L. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractBackgroundMild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents an at‐risk state for Alzheimer's disease in which underlying pathophysiological mechanisms could be delineated. Oxidative stress has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease and can be measured by levels of the antioxidant glutathione. This study aims to assess in vivo levels of glutathione via proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with MCI and to determine how glutathione relates to cognitive decline.MethodsFifty‐four patients with MCI and 41 healthy control subjects underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in conjunction with medical, psychiatric, and neuropsychological assessments. The concentration of glutathione was measured in the anterior and posterior cingulate, and ratios of glutathione were calculated relative to creatine. Neuropsychological performance was assessed across the domains of processing speed, learning, memory, and executive functions.ResultsIn comparison with control subjects, patients with MCI had significantly elevated ratios of glutathione in the anterior (t = −2.2, P = .03) and posterior (t = −2.9, P = .005) cingulate. Higher levels of anterior cingulate glutathione were related to neuropsychological decrements on tests of executive functions. Elevated posterior cingulate glutathione was associated with poorer memory consolidation.ConclusionThis study has shown for the first time that MCI is associated with increased glutathione in the cingulate, which in turn relates to neuropsychological performance. This finding may be indicative of an early compensatory or neuroprotective response, and the role of glial cells and glutathione enzymes requires delineation. Longitudinal studies examining the utility of glutathione as a marker for cognitive decline are now required.
Women seek more variety in rewards when closer to ovulation
Authors: Faraji‐Rad Ali , Moeini‐Jazani Mehrad , Warlop Luk 
Published: May 2013

AbstractWe propose that women's increased generalized sensitivity to rewards during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle causes them to seek more variety in rewards when they are in the fertile phase than when they are not in the fertile phase of the cycle. In Studies 1–3, across the reward domains of mating and hedonic food, we show that women seek more variety in rewards when closer to ovulation. Moreover, we provide support for the proposition that women's increased reward sensitivity during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle causes their greater variety seeking. Specifically, in Study 3, we show that fertile women's greater variety seeking does not extend to non‐rewards, such as non‐hedonic food. Our findings suggest that behavioral effects of women's hormonal shifts during the menstrual cycle are not limited to the mating domain and may extend to a wide category of reward domains.
Novel use of Coblation technology in an unusual congenital tracheal stenosis
Authors: Sim G , Vijayasekaran S 
Published: May 2013

AbstractBackground:We report the case of an unusual late presentation of congenital tracheal stenosis in a 13-year-old boy. He was treated with minimally invasive Coblation resection of the stenotic segment, avoiding a major open tracheal resection and reconstruction. This case report is the first to document the use of an ultra-fine Coblation wand in the treatment of congenital tracheal stenosis.Results:The case proceeded well, without any complications. The patient had a fully healed and patent trachea at 12-week post-operative review.Conclusion:Complex cases of congenital stenosis should be managed with a multidisciplinary approach. Different and novel treatment options should be explored to find one that suits the individual patient. Minimally invasive Coblation technology can offer less invasive treatment with quicker recovery and shorter hospitalisation.
Sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss associated with urticarial vasculitis
Authors: Hall A C , Leong A C , Jiang D , Fitzgerald-O'Connor A 
Published: May 2013

AbstractBackground:Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss associated with recurrent urticarial skin lesions may be signs of underlying Muckle–Wells syndrome. Previous reports have described the hearing loss to be progressive in nature.Method:To our knowledge, this paper presents the first published case of sudden onset, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss associated with urticarial vasculitis due to underlying Muckle–Wells syndrome.Results:The patient underwent a cochlear implantation with a modest outcome.Conclusion:Cochlear implantation may help to rehabilitate sudden hearing loss associated with this condition, but early diagnosis may allow treatment with interleukin-1β inhibitors such as anakinra.
Leadership in China's Urban Middle Class Protest: The Movement to Protect Homeowners' Rights in Beijing
Authors: Wang Zhengxu , Sun Long , Xu Liuqing , Pavlićević Dragan 
Published: May 2013

AbstractIn the last few years, the demands of homeowners in Chinese cities have gradually shifted away from economic rights and towards political ones. At the same time, alliances across different communities have emerged and vigorous attempts to form citywide solidarities have been made. In this process, a group of dedicated leaders has emerged, contributing greatly to the escalation of collective actions. This article focuses on a core group of Beijing activists behind the organization, expression and participation of homeowners' associations. Relying on data collected from interviews, documents and participatory observations conducted over a period of more than two years, we were able to pin down the socio-economic, social and political backgrounds of these leaders, as well as their attitudes, objectives and repertoire of actions. We describe leaders as falling into a two-by-two typology that is defined by a motivation dimension and an activeness dimension. Depending on his or her goals and approaches, a protest leader can be variously viewed as a political actionist, a frustrated changer, a double harvester or a tiger rider. These different types of leaders are all in one way or another promoting socio-political changes in China.
S-adenosylmethionine modifies cocaine-induced DNA methylation and increases locomotor sensitization in mice
Authors: Anier Kaili , Zharkovsky Alexander , Kalda Anti 
Published: May 2013

AbstractSeveral studies suggest that individual variability is a critical component underlying drug addiction as not all members of a population who use addictive substance become addicted. There is evidence that the overall epigenetic status of a cell (epigenome) can be modulated by a variety of environmental factors, such as nutrients and chemicals. Based on these data, our aim was to investigate whether environmental factors like S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) via affecting epigenome could alter cocaine-induced gene expression and locomotor sensitization in mice. Our results demonstrate that repeated SAM (10 mm/kg) pretreatment significantly potentiated cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization. Using mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc) tissue, whole-genome gene expression profiling revealed that repeated SAM treatment affected a limited number of genes, but significantly modified cocaine-induced gene expression by blunting non-specifically the cocaine response. At the gene level, we discovered that SAM modulated cocaine-induced DNA methylation by inhibiting both promoter-associated CpG-island hyper- and hypomethylation in the NAc but not in the reference tissue cerebellum. Finally, our in vitro and in vivo data show that the modulating effect of SAM is in part due to decreased methyltransferase activity via down-regulation of Dnmt3a mRNA. Taken together, our results suggest that environmental factors that affect the NAc-cell epigenome may alter the development of psychostimulant-induced addiction and this may explain, at least partly, why some individuals are more vulnerable to drug addiction.
Effects of Prosody and Position on the Timing of Deictic Gestures
Authors: Rusiewicz Heather Leavy , Shaiman Susan , Iverson Jana M. , Szuminsky Neil 
Published: May 2013

PurposeIn this study, the authors investigated the hypothesis that the perceived tight temporal synchrony of speech and gesture is evidence of an integrated spoken language and manual gesture communication system. It was hypothesized that experimental manipulations of the spoken response would affect the timing of deictic gestures.MethodThe authors manipulated syllable position and contrastive stress in compound words in multiword utterances by using a repeated-measures design to investigate the degree of synchronization of speech and pointing gestures produced by 15 American English speakers. Acoustic measures were compared with the gesture movement recorded via capacitance.ResultsAlthough most participants began a gesture before the target word, the temporal parameters of the gesture changed as a function of syllable position and prosody. Syllables with contrastive stress in the 2nd position of compound words were the longest in duration and also most consistently affected the timing of gestures, as measured by several dependent measures.ConclusionIncreasing the stress of a syllable significantly affected the timing of a corresponding gesture, notably for syllables in the 2nd position of words that would not typically be stressed. The findings highlight the need to consider the interaction of gestures and spoken language production from a motor-based perspective of coordination.
Operative times, postanesthesia recovery times, and complications during sinonasal surgery using general anesthesia and local anesthesia with sedation
Authors: Fedok Fred G. , Ferraro Richard E. , Kingsley Charles P. , Fornadley John A. 
Published: May 2013

OBJECTIVEThe goal was to compare complication rates and recovery times in patients undergoing elective septoplasty or endoscopic sinus surgery using local anesthesia with sedation (LAS) versus general anesthesia (GA).METHODS AND PATIENTSA retrospective chart review of a consecutive sample of 177 patients undergoing elective septoplasty or endoscopic sinus surgery between July 1, 1994, and June 30, 1996, was carried out at our university‐based outpatient surgery unit. Outcome measures included total operative time, surgical time, recovery time, and perioperative complications.RESULTSTotal operative and recovery times were shorter in patients undergoing LAS. The frequency of emesis, epistaxis, and nausea were less in the LAS population than in the GA population. Three patients who underwent GA required unplanned admissions.CONCLUSIONThis study suggests that in selected patients undergoing sinonasal surgery, LAS may result in shorter total operative times, shorter recovery times, and less frequent nausea, emesis, and epistaxis than GA.
Thyroplasty type I: Short‐ versus long‐term results
Authors: Lundy Donna S. , Casiano Roy R. , Xue Jun W. , Lu F. Ling 
Published: May 2013

OBJECTIVEAfter thyroplasty type I, significant improvement has been reported in objective measures of vocal function. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the short‐ and long‐term results in patients undergoing thyroplasty type I.METHODSData on 26 patients who had undergone thyroplasty type I for management of unilateral vocal fold paralysis were compared from before surgery to the short‐term (1‐month) and long‐term (>1‐year) postoperative assessment points. Statistical analysis included paired t tests to assess the significance of between‐group differences.RESULTSSignificant differences were found between the preoperative and both postoperative evaluations for the measures of mean glottal flow rate, maximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic‐to‐noise ratio. However, no significant differences were found between the 1‐month and >1‐year assessment points.CONCLUSIONSThe results for the parameters studied appeared to reach maximum improvement within 1 month after surgery. It is possible that the effects of time, including the normal aging process, hormonal changes, or other alterations in general health, may require longer follow‐up to better address these issues.