Effects of Panel Shapes on the Response of Solar Wing Structure

This paper was reviewed and accepted by the APCWE-IX Programme Committee for Presentation at the 9th Asia-Pacific Conference on Wind Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, held from 3-7 December 2017

Characteristics of local wind force and wind response of a building under short-rise-time gusts

This paper was reviewed and accepted by the APCWE-IX Programme Committee for Presentation at the 9th Asia-Pacific Conference on Wind Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, held from 3-7 December 2017

Early dialysis initiation does not improve clinical outcomes in elderly end-stage renal disease patients: A multicenter prospective cohort study

<div><p>Background</p><p>The optimal timing for initiating dialysis in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is controversial, especially in the elderly.</p><p>Methods</p><p>665 patients ≥65 years old who began dialysis from August 2008 to February 2015 were prospectively enrolled in the Clinical Research Center for End-Stage Renal Disease cohort study. Participants were divided into 2 groups based on the median estimated glomerular filtration rate at the initiation of dialysis. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare the overall survival rate, cardiovascular events, Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form 36 (KDQOL-36) results, Karnofsky performance scale values, Beck’s depression inventory values, and subjective global assessments.</p><p>Results</p><p>The mean patient age was 72.0 years, and 61.7% of the patients were male. Overall, the cumulative survival rates were lower in the early initiation group, although the difference was not significant after PSM. Additionally, the survival rates of the 2 groups did not differ after adjusting for age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index and hemoglobin, serum albumin, serum calcium and phosphorus levels. Although the early initiation group showed a lower physical component summary score on the KDQOL-36 3 months after dialysis, the difference in scores was not significant 12 months after dialysis. Furthermore, the difference was not significant after PSM. The Karnofsky performance scale, Beck’s depression inventory, and subjective global assessments were not significantly different 3 and 12 months after dialysis initiation.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The timing of dialysis initiation is not associated with clinical outcomes in elderly patients with ESRD.</p></div

Cumulative patient survival (A and B) and cardiovascular event-free survival (C and D) obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method in the cohort differentiated by the median estimated glomerular filtration rate before (A and C) and after (B and D) propensity score matching.

<p>Cumulative patient survival (A and B) and cardiovascular event-free survival (C and D) obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method in the cohort differentiated by the median estimated glomerular filtration rate before (A and C) and after (B and D) propensity score matching.</p

Flow chart of the study.

<p>Flow chart of the study.</p

Analyses of quality of life, nutritional status, and physical and mental performance using the KDQOL-36 survey, subjective global assessments, Karnofsky performance scale values, and Beck’s depression inventory scores before and after propensity score matching at 3 months versus 1 year after dialysis initiation in the 2 groups based on the timing of dialysis initiation stratified by the median eGFR before dialysis.

<p>Analyses of quality of life, nutritional status, and physical and mental performance using the KDQOL-36 survey, subjective global assessments, Karnofsky performance scale values, and Beck’s depression inventory scores before and after propensity score matching at 3 months versus 1 year after dialysis initiation in the 2 groups based on the timing of dialysis initiation stratified by the median eGFR before dialysis.</p

Impaired insula functional connectivity associated with persistent pain perception in patients with complex regional pain syndrome

<div><p>Given that the insula plays a contributory role in the perception of chronic pain, we examined the resting-state functional connectivity between the insular cortex and other brain regions to investigate neural underpinnings of persisting perception of background pain in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). A total of 25 patients with CRPS and 25 matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging at rest. With the anterior and posterior insular cortices as seed regions, we compared the strength of the resting-state functional connectivity between the two groups. Functional connectivity between the anterior and posterior insular cortices and the postcentral and inferior frontal gyri, cingulate cortices was reduced in patients with CRPS compared with controls. Additionally, greater reductions in functional connectivity between the anterior insula and right postcentral gyrus were associated with more severe sensory pain in patients with CRPS (short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire sensory subscores, <i>r</i> = -.517, <i>P</i> = .023). The present results imply a possible role of the insula in aberrant processing of pain information in patients with CRPS. The findings suggest that a functional derangement of the connection between one of the somatosensory cortical functions of perception and one of the insular functions of awareness can play a significant role in the persistent experience of regional pain that is not confined to a specific nerve territory.</p></div

Additional file 1 of Long-term ozone exposure and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease: a large cohort study

Supplementary Material 1

Comparative Biochemical and Proteomic Analyses of Soybean Seed Cultivars Differing in Protein and Oil Content

This study develops differential protein profiles of soybean (Glycine max) seeds (cv. Saedanbaek and Daewon) varying in protein (47.9 and 39.2%) and oil (16.3 and 19.7%) content using protamine sulfate (PS) precipitation method coupled with a 2D gel electrophoresis (2DGE) approach. Of 71 detected differential spots between Daewon and Saedanbaek, 48 were successfully identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF. Gene ontology analysis revealed that up-regulated proteins in Saedanbaek were largely associated with nutrient reservoir activity (42.6%), which included mainly seed-storage proteins (SSPs; subunits of glycinin and β-conglycinin). Similar results were also obtained in two cultivars of wild soybean (G. soja cv. WS22 and WS15) differing in protein content. Western blots confirmed higher accumulation of SSPs in protein-rich Saedanbaek. Findings presented and discussed in this study highlight a possible involvement of the urea cycle for increased accumulation of SSPs and hence the higher protein content in soybean seeds

Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants.

<p>Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants.</p