bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biostimulation of the activity of microorganisms and soil enzymes through fertilisation with composts
Authors: Zaborowska Magdalena , Woźny Grzegorz , Wyszkowska Jadwiga , Kucharski Jan
Published: October 2018

This experiment compared the effectiveness of composts regarded as potential biostimulators to improve soil fertility. Moreover, it determined stable biological indices which could serve as a matrix for determining threshold values to benchmark the quality characteristics of composts. Sewage sludge compost, poultry manure compost, and vermicompost were introduced to soil. The doses of composts were established on the basis of carbon content related to its amount at the level of 0, 10, and 20 g Corg kg−1 dry matter of soil. The scale of the composts’ biostimulation was determined based on activities of dehydrogenases, urease, catalase, acid phosphatase, and alkaline phosphatase. In order to assess the broad spectrum of changes taking place in the soil, counts of eight groups of microorganisms were also determined. To comprehensively assess the effects of composts, microbial activity was presented using the biostimulation index, colony development, ecophysiological diversity indices, and biochemical indices of soil fertility. The coliform index values were also determined. Poultry manure compost was a good biostimulator of soil fertility. The total activity of all enzymes can be considered the most reliable indicator of soil fertility.
Trisections of 4-manifolds with boundary
Authors: Castro Nickolas A. , Gay David T. , Pinzón-Caicedo Juanita
Published: October 2018

Significance

Trisections are decompositions of 4D spaces (4-manifolds) into three pieces; these decompositions become both richer and more subtle when the 4-manifolds have 3D boundaries and even more subtle when there are multiple boundary components. Here, we discuss this setup and show how to turn a certain standard decomposition of a 4-manifold with boundary, a handle decomposition, into a diagram drawn on a surface that describes that 4-manifold and its trisection given certain boundary conditions.
Computing trisections of 4-manifolds
Authors: Bell Mark , Hass Joel , Rubinstein Joachim Hyam , Tillmann Stephan
Published: October 2018

Significance

Algorithms that decompose a manifold into simple pieces reveal the geometric and topological structure of the manifold, showing how complicated structures are constructed from simple building blocks. This note describes a way to algorithmically construct a trisection, which describes a four-dimensional manifold as a union of three four-dimensional 1-handlebodies. The complexity of the 4-manifold is captured in a collection of curves on a surface, which guide the gluing of the 1-handlebodies. The algorithm begins with a description of a manifold as a union of pentachora or four-dimensional simplices. It transforms this description into a trisection.
Simplified broken Lefschetz fibrations and trisections of 4-manifolds
Authors: Baykur R. İnanç , Saeki Osamu
Published: October 2018

Significance

As our world, with time included, is 4D, exploring similarities and differences of 4D spaces via maps and decompositions they admit leads to a better understanding of the universe we are living in. This article studies maps from 4D spaces to 2D ones. We illustrate how to modify such maps algorithmically to derive rather special maps that allow us to break 4D spaces into much simpler, much better-understood pieces. Our general methods are presented with a large variety of explicit constructions.
Paracrine costimulation of IFN-γ signaling by integrins modulates CD8 T cell differentiation
Authors: Krummel Matthew F. , Mahale Jagdish N. , Uhl Lion F. K. , Hardison Emily A. , Mujal Adriana M. , Mazet Julie M. , Weber Robert J. , Gartner Zev J. , Gérard Audrey
Published: October 2018

Significance

IFN-γ is an example of a pleiotropic cytokine that plays critical roles in promoting both protective immune responses and immunopathological processes. In response to this cytokine, cells activate a well-identified and conserved JAK/STAT signaling pathway that can still elicit distinct responses, even in the same cell type. How this outcome specificity is achieved remains largely unknown. We have found that IFN-γ regulates CD8 T cell differentiation through noncanonical pathways that are enabled by integrin costimulation of the STAT1 pathway. This leads to cooperative effects between activating cell types that is dictated by proximity. This study demonstrates the importance of cofactors and microenvironment in eliciting specific cytokine functions.
Nonequilibrium associative retrieval of multiple stored self-assembly targets
Authors: Bisker Gili , England Jeremy L.
Published: October 2018

Significance

Major experimental research efforts have gone into investigating general principles governing self-assembly under nonequilibrium driving. However, in contrast to equilibrium scenarios, where the system tends to find local minima in the free-energy landscape, there is no equivalent theoretical framework for systems operating far from equilibrium. Inspired by many examples of nonequilibrium self-assembly in living systems, we set out to explore the added benefits achieved by nonequilibrium driving and identify distinctive collective phenomena that emerge in this regime. We demonstrate the interplay between the assembly speed, kinetic stability, and relative population of dynamical attractors, aiming to provide insights into nonequilibrium self-assembly processes and lay the foundations for understanding biomolecular cases as well as for designing examples.
Identification and validation of a tumor-infiltrating Treg transcriptional signature conserved across species and tumor types
Authors: Magnuson Angela M. , Kiner Evgeny , Ergun Ayla , Park Jun Seok , Asinovski Natasha , Ortiz-Lopez Adriana , Kilcoyne Aoife , Paoluzzi-Tomada Elisa , Weissleder Ralph , Mathis Diane , Benoist Christophe
Published: October 2018

FoxP3+T regulatory (Treg) cells are central elements of immunologic tolerance. They are abundant in many tumors, where they restrict potentially favorable antitumor responses. We used a three-pronged strategy to identify genes related to the presence and function of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment. Gene expression profiles were generated from tumor-infiltrating Tregs (TITRs) of both human and mouse tumors and were compared with those of Tregs of lymphoid organs or normal tissues from the same individuals. A computational deconvolution of whole-tumor datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was performed to identify transcripts specifically associated with Tregs across thousands of tumors from different stages and locations. We identified a set of TITR-differential transcripts with striking reproducibility between tumor types in mice, between mice and humans, and between different human patients spanning tumor stages. Many of the TITR-preferential transcripts were shared with “tissue Tregs” residing in nonlymphoid tissues, but a tumor-preferential segment could be identified. Many of these TITR signature transcripts were confirmed by mining of TCGA datasets, which also brought forth transcript modules likely representing the parenchymal attraction of, or response to, tumor Tregs. Importantly, the TITR signature included several genes encoding effective targets of tumor immunotherapy. A number of other targets were validated by CRISPR-based gene inactivation in mouse Tregs. These results confirm the validity of the signature, generating a wealth of leads for understanding the role of Tregs in tumor progression and identifying potential targets for cancer immunotherapy.
Isolation and characterization of NY-ESO-1–specific T cell receptors restricted on various MHC molecules
Authors: Bethune Michael T. , Li Xiao-Hua , Yu Jiaji , McLaughlin Jami , Cheng Donghui , Mathis Colleen , Moreno Blanca Homet , Woods Katherine , Knights Ashley J. , Garcia-Diaz Angel , Wong Stephanie , Hu-Lieskovan Siwen , Puig-Saus Cristina , Cebon Jonathan , Ribas Antoni , Yang Lili , Witte Owen N. , Baltimore David
Published: October 2018

Significance

T immune cells can be engineered to express tumor-specific T cell receptor (TCR) genes and thereby kill cancer cells. This approach—termed TCR gene therapy—is effective but can cause serious adverse events if the target is also expressed in healthy, noncancerous tissue. NY-ESO-1 is a tumor-specific antigen that has been targeted successfully and safely through TCR gene therapies for melanoma, synovial sarcoma, and myeloma. However, trials to date have focused exclusively on a single NY-ESO-1–derived epitope presented on HLA-A*02:01, limiting application to patients expressing that allele. In this work, we isolate TCRs that collectively recognize multiple NY-ESO-1–derived epitopes presented by multiple MHC alleles. We thereby outline a general approach for expanding targeted immunotherapies to more diverse MHC haplotypes.
Evolution of bidirectional costly mutualism from byproduct consumption
Authors: Harcombe William R. , Chacón Jeremy M. , Adamowicz Elizabeth M. , Chubiz Lon M. , Marx Christopher J.
Published: October 2018

Significance

Organisms frequently exchange costly resources with other species. Theory suggests that this paradoxical cooperation between species might have its origins in waste consumption. When a species benefits from the waste of another, the recipient can evolve to aid the waste producer. The waste producer could then be selected to provide costly resources in return. We previously demonstrated the first step of this theorized process:
Salmonella enterica
evolved to secrete a costly amino acid to increase access to a byproduct generated by
Escherichia coli
. Here, we provide demonstration of a waste producer switching to costly cooperation.
E. coli
repeatedly evolved novel secretion of sugar to feed
S. enterica
. The results validate long-standing theory about the evolutionary origins of costly mutualism.
Paratactic negation revisited
Authors: Salminen Jutta
Published: October 2018

This paper examines the phenomenon of paratactic negation (PN) by analyzing the usage of the Finnish verbepäillä(‘doubt’, ‘suspect’, ‘suppose’), which is associated with both inherent negation and negative evaluation. Paratactic negation refers to an overt negation in a complement clause of an inherently negative verb that results in a single negative reading. This analysis draws on previous research going back toJespersen (1917), in observing that the PN complement clause verbalizes the content of the activity that is expressed by the matrix verb. In this case, the verb of inherent negation does not have scope over the complement despite its negative semantics. This paper addresses the question of where and why content complements actually occur. The answer to this question is given by accounting for the differences of the content complements from more clearly subordinate target complements. It is shown that this distinction is related to verb semantics and conventionalized syntagmatic patterns. This is demonstrated by accounting for the differences of the content complements from more clearly subordinate target complements. On the basis of these results, the paper offers a refined definition of paratactic negation. This definition has two major implications: First, it suggests that a semantically non-vacuous PN may be a conventionalized pattern. Second, it leads us to reconsider the limits of PN and the definition of inherent negation.
Pointing to the body
Authors: Green Jennifer , Bauer Anastasia , Gaby Alice , Ellis Elizabeth Marrkilyi
Published: October 2018

Kinship plays a central role in organizing interaction and other social behaviors in Indigenous Australia. The spoken lexicon of kinship has been the target of extensive consideration by anthropologists and linguists alike. Less well explored, however, are the kin categories expressed through sign languages (notwithstanding the pioneering work of Adam Kendon). This paper examines the relational categories codified by the kin signs of four language-speaking groups from different parts of the Australian continent: the Anmatyerr from Central Australia; the Yolŋu from North East Arnhem Land; the Kuuk Thaayorre from Cape York and theNgaatjatjarra/​Ngaanyatjarrafrom the Western Desert. The purpose of this examination is twofold. Firstly, we compare the etic kin relationships expressed by kin signs with their spoken equivalents. In all cases, categorical distinctions made in the spoken system are systematically merged in the sign system. Secondly, we consider the metonymic relationships between the kin categories expressed in sign and the various parts of the body at which those signs are articulated.
Some pragmatic functions of conversational facial gestures1
Authors: Bavelas Janet , Chovil Nicole
Published: October 2018

Conversational facial gestures are not emotional expressions (Ekman, 1997). Facial gestures are co-speech gestures – configurations of the face, eyes, and/or head that are synchronized with words and other co-speech gestures. Facial gestures are the most frequent facial actions in dialogue, and the majority serve pragmatic (meta-communicative) rather than referential functions. A qualitative microanalysis of a close-call story illustrates three pragmatic facial gestures in their macro- and micro-context: (a) The narrator’s thinking faces (Goodwin & Goodwin, 1986) occurred as the narrator was getting started, and they accompanied verbal collateral signals of delay, such as “uh” or “um”. (b) The narrator pointed at his hand gestures with his head and eyes (Streeck, 1993), drawing the addressee’s attention to depictions that would later be crucial to the close call. (c) The meta-communicative functions of smiles included marking the narrator’s description of danger as ironic or humorous, hinting at key elements, and acknowledging errors.
The role of gestural polysigns and gestural sequences in teaching mathematical concepts
Authors: Ovendale Alice , Brookes Heather , Colletta Jean-Marc , Davis Zain
Published: October 2018

In this paper, we examine the conceptual pedagogical value of representational gestures in the context of teaching halving to first graders. We use the concept of the ‘polysign’ as an analytical tool and introduce the notion of a ‘mathematics gesture sequence’ to assess the conceptual role gestures play in explicating mathematical concepts. In our study of four teachers each teaching a lesson on halving, they produced representational polysign gestures that provided multiple layers of information, and chained these gestures in mathematical gestural sequences to spatially represent the operation of halving. Their use of gestures and their ability to use gestures accurately to convey mathematical concepts varied. During the lesson, learners, whose teachers used few representational gestures or used gestures that were conceptually incongruent with the mathematical concept, expressed more confusion than learners whose teachers used conceptually appropriate gestures. While confusion can be a productive part of the learning process, our analysis shows that producing conceptually appropriate gestures may be important in mediating concepts and the transition from concrete and personal symbolic processes to institutional mathematical signs.
Embodied concept mapping
Authors: Marmolejo-Ramos Fernando , Khatin-Zadeh Omid , Yazdani-Fazlabadi Babak , Tirado Carlos , Sagi Eyal
Published: October 2018

Metaphors are cognitive and linguistic tools that allow reasoning. They enable the understanding of abstract domains via elements borrowed from concrete ones. The underlying mechanism in metaphorical mapping is the manipulation of concepts. This article proposes another view on what concepts are and their role in metaphor and reasoning. That is, based on current neuroscientific and behavioural evidence, it is argued that concepts are grounded in perceptual and motor experience with physical and social environments. This definition of concepts is then embedded in theStructure-Mapping Theory(SMT), a model for metaphorical processing and reasoning. The blended view of structure-mapping and embodied cognition offers an insight into the processes through which the target domain of a metaphor is embodied or realised in terms of its base domain. The implications of the proposed embodied SMT model are then discussed and future topics of investigation are outlined.
El infinitivo enunciativo como estrategia atenuante
Authors: Villalba Ibañez Cristina
Published: October 2018

Abstracto

El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar las funciones discursivas que desarrollan los infinitivos enunciativos en los juicios orales, qué tipo de variantes gramaticales pueden presentar, con qué frecuencia aparecen en los juicios orales y, en relación con estas preguntas, valorar si se trata de un mecanismo lingüístico asociado a una comunidad de práctica. Para ello se parte de un corpus de juicios orales españoles. Este género pertenece al registro formal, utiliza el canal oral y está compuesto en su mayor parte por secuencias monológicas. Estas características son, de acuerdo conRidruejo (1992), algunos de los rasgos que favorecen la presencia de este infinitivo. Tras analizar los datos siguiendo una metodología cualitativa y cuantitativa, se comprobó que los infinitivos enunciativos pueden desarrollar una función procesal, una función estructuradora y una función atenuante. Asimismo, se comprobó que el uso del infinitivo enunciativo se adscribe al discurso de los juristas y, más concretamente, al de los letrados.
Quechuan terms for internal organs of the torso
Authors: Urban Matthias
Published: October 2018

This article discusses the terminology for the major internal organs of the torso across the Quechuan language family. From both semasiological and onomasiological points of view, differences in the synchronic organization of the semantic field across individual Quechua varieties as well as the diachronic developments that brought them about are described. Particular attention is also paid to semantic reconstruction within the field at the proto-Quechua level, and, with recourse to recent efforts at internal reconstruction, also beyond. Another recurrent theme is the interrelation between lexical data and the conceptions of anatomy and bodily functions encountered in quechua-speaking communities. A major conclusion is that an engagement with such perspectives allows for a considerably richer understanding of lexical organization in synchrony and diachrony than linguistic data alone could provide.
Areal sound change and the distributional typology of affricate richness in Eurasia
Authors: Nikolaev Dmitry , Grossman Eitan
Published: October 2018

This paper makes a contribution to phonological typology by investigating the distribution of affricate-rich languages in Eurasia. It shows that affricate-rich and affricate-dense languages cluster areally within Eurasia and have area-specific histories. In particular, the affricate-rich areas of western Eurasia – a ‘European’ area and a Caucasian area – are not the result of contact-induced sound changes or borrowing, while the two affricate-rich areas of eastern Eurasia – the Hindukush area and the Eastern Himalayan area – are the result of contact. Specifically, affricate-dense areas depend on the emergence of retroflex affricates. Moreover, languages outside these affricate-dense areas tend to lose retroflex affricates.
Two locative constructions in Caijia from the typological perspective of Asian languages
Authors: Lü Shanshan
Published: October 2018

This paper sets out to examine two locative constructions found in Caijia, an unclassified language with many Sinitic features spoken in Guizhou province of China, using the framework ofAmeka & Levinson’s (2007)typology of locative predicates (basiclocativeconstruction [blc]). These are the locative verb construction and the positional verb construction, both of which are used to answer the question ‘Where is the X?’. The different syntactic, semantic and pragmatic constraints on the usage of these two main constructions are described and analyzed in detail as well, while the locative verb construction is identified as the basic locative construction.

The present paper also studies the core constituents in these two constructions, for example, localizers, which serve to indicate a relative spatial relation between two entities and for whose nominal nature we argue in this paper, a locative verb whose source is ‘live, dwell’, and two types of positional verbs. Even though Caijia is a language very close in its characteristics to Sinitic languages, this study demonstrates certain unusual features, atypical for Sinitic. We also show that Caijia does not bear out all the predictions proposed by Ameka & Levinson for the locative verbs in the languages of the single locative type, nor does it entirely conform with the hierarchy for theblcencoding (Ameka & Levinson 2007).
The on-line emergence of Hebrew insubordinateshe- (‘that/which/who’) clauses
Authors: Maschler Yael
Published: October 2018

This study examines the on-line emergence of insubordinate clauses in Hebrew conversation as constrained by local interactional contingencies, questioning traditional notions of grammatical ‘subordination’ and contributing to conceptions of grammar as a locally sensitive, temporally unfolding resource for social interaction. The clauses examined are syntactically unintegrated (unembedded in any matrix clause), or loosely-integrated (cannot be viewed unambiguously as constituting a relative, complement, or adverbial clause), yet they all begin withshe- – the general ‘subordinating conjunction’ in traditional Modern Hebrew grammar. All 102 insubordinateshe- clauses found throughout a 5.5 hour audio-recorded corpus were classified according to their discourse function: modal, elaborative, or evaluative/epistemic. Leaving aside the modal type, the remaining insubordinateshe- clauses (N = 70, 69%) are shown to emerge on-line while speakers are busy performing a variety of tasks and responding to local interactional contingencies. In all of these casesshe- functions as a generic ‘wildcard’ tying back to immediately prior discourse and projecting an elaboration/evaluation of it, in either same- or other-speaker talk. The findings concerning insubordinate clauses suggest a usage-based perspective also on canonical subordinate clauses, positioning canonical and syntactically unintegrated clauses at two ends of a continuum.
A new classifier-based plural morpheme in German Sign Language (DGS)
Authors: Herbert Marjorie
Published: October 2018

German Sign Language (DGS) displays variation in the simple plural, the form of which is conditioned by classes of phonological
features within the lexicon. As a consequence, the overt realization of the plural marker is restricted to a small set of nouns
specified for the appropriate phonological features, while the rest are left bare (Pfau &
Steinbach 2005, 2006; Steinbach
2012). Pfau & Steinbach (2005) report a number of ‘alternative
pluralization strategies’ available as repairs for this underspecification, including classifier constructions, spatial
localization, and number and quantifier phrases. I propose a previously undescribed mechanism for plural marking, the
‘classifier-based plural morpheme’ (CLP), grammaticalized from the classifier system into a morpheme in the grammars of individual
DGS signers. Elicitation data show that this morpheme attaches only to nouns which are specified for phonological features that
restrict the realization of the canonical plural marker, adding a new option to the range of pluralization strategies
available.
The evolution of nationhood in twentieth century Europe: Lessons from the Northern Adriatic borderlands
Authors: Capano Fabio
Published: October 2018

This article is a short introduction for a special edition on Italian nationhood. The articles that comprise the special edition are the following: From a cosmopolitan to a fascist land: Adriatic irredentism in motion; Erecting fascism: nation, identity, and space in Trieste in the first half of the twentieth century; Building Italianità in northern Adriatic: The case of population from Pola.
An Intelligent Exhaust Gas Processing System for Desktop 3D Printer
Authors: Cai Ligang , Li Shunlei , Cheng Qiang , Liu Zhifeng , Cui Wei , Fu Huirong
Published: October 2018

With the rapid development of 3D printing technology, desktop 3D printers have gradually become popular. The mainstream 3D printing technologies are FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), SLA (Stereolithography), and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering). However, these 3D printing technologies will cause environmental problems during printing, and UFP (ultra-fine particles) and some harmful gases and dust will be emitted during work, which will affect human health. There is currently no treatment method for the pollution problem caused by 3D printing. In this paper, an intelligent exhaust gas processing system that can perform adsorption and catalysis is developed for desktop 3D printers such as FDM, SLA, and SLS. Using 51 single-chip microcomputers as the operation and data processing center, on the basis of manual control of the processor switches, a digital universal particle concentration sensor was adopted, and a new type of intelligent exhaust gas treatment system was designed based on the change of the internal particle concentration in the printer. In order to achieve the intelligence of the exhaust gas treatment.
Complications of Cryolipolysis: Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) and Beyond
Authors: Khan Misbah
Published: October 2018

Background

Cryolipolysis is a fairly popular procedure performed in North America, Europe, and many other countries. Although it is considered a rather safe procedure, there are underreported side effects such as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), contour irregularities, skin and soft tissue atrophy, and asymmetries. Our knowledge regarding the prevalence and treatment of such complications is limited.

Objectives

We hereby report a case series of 5 patients treated for various complications of cryolipolysis, including PAH, that persisted for more than 12 months after their last treatment.

Methods

Five patients with various complications of cryolipolysis (4 patients with PAH and 1 with atrophy and indentations) presented in our private office between 2015 and 2018. Three of the 4 patients with PAH were treated at other facilities with ultrasonic liposuction, laser lipolysis, and radiofrequency skin tightening devices respectively. The fourth patient developed PAH after liposuction at another facility. The fifth patient developed several areas of indentations and atrophy and received mesotherapy and lymphatic massages at another facility. All 5 patients were subsequently treated in our office by means of a customized approach specific to their underlying complications.

Results

Near-normal results were achieved in all 5 patients. None of our patients showed any recurrences of their initial complication for which they were treated. All 5 patients were extremely satisfied with their results.

Conclusions

Cryolipolysis, just like any other form of lipolysis, has certain specific adverse effects associated with it, including but not limited to PAH. Complications of cryolipolysis must be individually recognized and treated accordingly.

Level of Evidence: 4
methylGSA: a Bioconductor package and Shiny app for DNA methylation data length bias adjustment in gene set testing
Authors: Ren Xu , Kuan Pei Fen
Published: October 2018

Motivation

An important downstream analysis following differential expression from RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) or DNA methylation analysis is the gene set testing to relate significant genes or CpGs to known biological properties. However, the traditional gene set testing approaches result in biased P-values due to the difference in gene length. Existing methods accounting for length bias were primarily developed for RNA-Seq data. For DNA methylation data profiled using the Illumina arrays, separate methods adjusting for the number of CpGs instead of gene length are necessary.

Results

We developed methylGSA, a Bioconductor package for gene set testing in DNA methylation data. Our accompanying Shiny app provides an interactive way of accessing functions and visualizing the results in methylGSA package.

Availability and implementation

methylGSA is available at Bioconductor repository: https://bioconductor.org/packages/methylGSA and Shiny app is available at: http://www.ams.sunysb.edu/%7epfkuan/softwares.html#methylGSA.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Procalcitonin-guided Antibiotic Treatment in Patients With Positive Blood Cultures: A Patient-level Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials
Authors: Meier Marc A , Branche Angela , Neeser Olivia L , Wirz Yannick , Haubitz Sebastian , Bouadma Lila , Wolff Michel , Luyt Charles E , Chastre Jean , Tubach Florence , Christ-Crain Mirjam , Corti Caspar , Jensen Jens-Ulrik S , Deliberato Rodrigo O , Kristoffersen Kristina B , Damas Pierre , Nobre Vandack , Oliveira Carolina F , Shehabi Yahya , Stolz Daiana , Tamm Michael , Mueller Beat , Schuetz Philipp
Published: October 2018

Background

Whether procalcitonin (PCT)–guided antibiotic management in patients with positive blood cultures is safe remains understudied. We performed a patient-level meta-analysis to investigate effects of PCT-guided antibiotic management in patients with bacteremia.

Methods

We extracted and analyzed individual data of 523 patients with positive blood cultures included in 13 trials, in which patients were randomly assigned to receive antibiotics based on PCT levels (PCT group) or a control group. The main efficacy endpoint was duration of antibiotic treatment. The main safety endpoint was mortality within 30 days.

Results

Mean duration of antibiotic therapy was significantly shorter for 253 patients who received PCT-guided treatment than for 270 control patients (–2.86 days [95% confidence interval [CI], –4.88 to –.84]; P = .006). Mortality was similar in both arms (16.6% vs 20.0%; P = .263). In subgroup analyses by type of pathogen, we noted a trend of shorter mean antibiotic durations in the PCT arm for patients infected with gram-positive organisms or Escherichia coli and significantly shorter treatment for subjects with pneumococcal bacteremia. In analysis by site of infection, antibiotic exposure was shortened in PCT subjects with Streptococcus pneumoniae respiratory infection and those with E. coli urogenital infections.

Conclusions

This meta-analysis of patients with bacteremia receiving PCT-guided antibiotic management demonstrates lower antibiotic exposure without an apparent increase in mortality. Few differences were demonstrated in subgroup analysis stratified by type or site of infection but notable for decreased exposure in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia and E. coli urogenital infections.
Conversion from tacrolimus to belatacept improves renal function in kidney transplant patients with chronic vascular lesions in allograft biopsy
Authors: Pérez-Sáez María José , Yu Bryant , Uffing Audrey , Murakami Naoka , Borges Thiago J , Azzi Jamil , El Haji Sandra , Gabardi Steve , Riella Leonardo V
Published: October 2018

Background

Conversion from tacrolimus to belatacept has been shown to be beneficial for an increasing number of kidney transplant (KT) patients. Predicting factors for favorable outcomes are still unknown. We aimed to investigate whether histological vascular lesions at the time of conversion might correlate with greater improvement in renal function post-conversion.

Methods

The study was conducted on a retrospective cohort of 34 KT patients converted from tacrolimus to belatacept. All patients underwent an allograft biopsy prior to conversion. We analyzed the evolution of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 3 and 12 months after conversion.

Results

Median time to conversion was 6 (2–37.2) months post-transplant. About 52.9% of patients had moderate-to-severe chronic vascular lesions (cv2–3). We observed an increase in eGFR in the whole cohort from 35.4 to 41 mL/min/1.73 m2 at 3 months (P = 0.032) and 43.7 at 12 months (P = 0.013). Nine patients experienced acute rejection post-conversion, with one graft loss observed beyond the first year after conversion. Patients with cv2–3 had significant improvement in eGFR at 12 months (+8.6 mL/min/1.73 m2; 31.6 to 40.2 mL/min/1.73 m2; P = 0.047) compared with those without these lesions (+6.8 mL/min/1.73 m2; 40.9 to 47.7 mL/min/1.73 m2; P = 0.148).

Conclusions

Conversion from tacrolimus to belatacept has a beneficial effect in terms of renal function in KT patients. This benefit might be more significant in patients with cv in the biopsy.
First Peoples
Authors: Brennan Sean , Davis Megan
Published: October 2018

This chapter explores the constitutional silence regarding Australia's First Peoples and the story behind it. In the process, the chapter illuminates the nature of future challenges. It draws attention to the legal domains beyond the founding document of 1901, such as legislation and the common law, as well as government policy and practice, and their interplay with the Constitution, in its original and amended form. The situation regarding Australia's First Peoples is thus analysed through four prisms: sovereignty and treaty-making, rights and freedoms, political participation and decision-making, and constitutional symbolism. Each theme draws on particular events from the past.
Federation
Authors: Crennan Susan
Published: October 2018

This chapter discusses the federation of Australia, which has been described as ‘the greatest political achievement in Australian history’. In fact, this achievement transcended intercolonial rivalries, disparate fiscal policies, and other inequalities and distinctions between the Australian colonies, and personal and political antagonisms. The embodiment of federation, the Australian Constitution, a ‘political instrument’, furthermore combines constitutional monarchy, separate legislative, executive, and judicial powers as in the United States of America, and responsible parliamentary government modelled on the Westminster system and democracy. Federation required national sentiment and a national vision. It also required a willingness to accept compromise to further that national vision, tempered by widespread acceptance of continued dependence on Britain.
Common Law
Authors: Gummow William
Published: October 2018

This chapter considers the meaning of the term ‘common law’ and its application in the context of Australian federalism. It discusses some views on common law vis-à-vis the Constitution, as well as the history of the development of common law in Australia. The common law of Australia includes the choice of law rules. The common law choice of law rules select which of the competing State or Territory laws is the lex causae. They apply either directly in the court of the forum, or where federal jurisdiction is exercised, as ‘picked up’ by operation of section 80 of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth). A further significant aspect of the development of the common law of Australia is its illustration of the temporal character of the common law.
Co-Operative Federalism
Authors: French Robert
Published: October 2018

This chapter studies the term ‘co-operative federalism’ and the part it plays in the working of Australia's constitutional arrangements. Co-operative federalism, as practised in Australia, is immanent in the functioning of the federation but has an extra-constitutional dimension. It is designed to serve objectives which go well beyond those achievable by the exercise of Commonwealth legislative power and the separate exercise by the States of their powers. It may well have a tendency to centralize power notwithstanding the intergovernmental agreements and supervisory arrangements involved in its implementation. Every topic which is treated, albeit by consensus, as one requiring co-operative action becomes potentially a topic of which it can be said that it is best dealt with at a national level.
Property
Authors: Weis Lael K.
Published: October 2018

This chapter focuses on the unique formulation of section 51(xxxi), the expropriation clause found in the Australian Constitution. In particular, the chapter suggests that there are unresolved tensions between the status of section 51(xxxi) as a legislative power-conferring provision and its status as a constitutional guarantee. These tensions are most evident in the High Court's regulatory expropriations jurisprudence. Despite the High Court's insistence that section 51(xxxi) is best understood as a constitutional guarantee and not a supplementary grant of legislative power, the High Court has tackled this key interpretive question by using the same approach used to determine whether a law falls within a grant of legislative power. The chapter suggests that these tensions ultimately betray a deeper ambivalence about the place of rights in Australian constitutionalism.
Religion
Authors: Evans Carolyn
Published: October 2018

This chapter turns to section 116 of the Commonwealth Constitution in Australia, which prohibits the Commonwealth from legislating in respect of religion. After an overview of the history and context of section 116, this chapter examines the way that the High Court has interpreted the term ‘religion’, the free exercise clause, and the establishment clause. The definitional issue brings the Court closest to the usual interpretative exercise relevant to other constitutional and statutory provisions. Its case law in this area has been more sophisticated and detailed than has been in the other two areas. With respect to religious freedom and non-establishment, the Court has had a focus on technical aspects of interpretation, parliamentary sovereignty, and limitations of the role of the courts that have allowed it to avoid the necessity of engaging in the deeper, more complex issues that arise in similar constitutional contexts.
The IMO, Technical Cooperation, and Global Ocean Governance
Authors: Pace Jonathan
Published: October 2018

This chapter discusses the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) technical cooperation activities, the main objective of which is to assist developing countries to build up their human and institutional capabilities. These are basic requirements for the uniform and effective compliance with their obligations under IMO regulations and thereby to promote the IMO aim of safe, secure, environmentally sound and sustainable shipping. The chapter outlines the history and development of the IMO’s technical assistance programme. It highlights the IMO’s achievements in the field of technical cooperation, with emphasis on the development of human resources through training and other similar programmes. The chapter discusses in this regard the important roles played by the IMO-International Maritime Law Institute in Malta and the World Maritime University in Malmo.
Part I Assessing the UN Institutional Structure for Global Ocean Governance: The UN’s Role in Global Ocean Governance, 1 The Role of the United Nations, including its Secretariat in Global Ocean Governance
Authors: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli
Published: October 2018

This chapter examines the role of the United Nations and its related institutions for global ocean governance, including those established by the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It first considers the main issues that these institutions have addressed, ranging from sustainable fisheries, via ecosystem protection, to marine biodiversity conservation; and more recently, maritime security. It then argues that the impacts of climate change have arguably not been directly addressed by either the global ocean governance regime, as it is currently constituted, nor by the climate change regime, at least until recent developments through the 2015 Paris Agreement relating to adaptation and mitigation measures in direct response to sea-level rise and the effects of ocean acidification. The chapter proceeds by discussing UNCLOS and its related legal instruments, UN Conferences and Summit on sustainable development, and the role played by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in global ocean governance.
Part V Regional Perspectives on Global Ocean Governance, 10 International Ocean Governance: An EU Agenda for the Future of our Oceans
Authors: Karmenu Vella
Published: October 2018

This chapter focuses on the fifty actions proposed by the European Commission and its High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in three priority areas to ensure safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed oceans: improving the international ocean governance framework; reducing pressure on oceans and seas and creating the conditions for a sustainable blue economy; and strengthening international ocean research and data. It also considers a number of policy proposals put forward by the EU with a view to improving the international ocean governance framework. Finally, it discusses the role of the EU in shaping international ocean governance on the basis of its experience in developing a sustainable approach to ocean management, notably through its environment policy, integrated maritime policy, reformed common fisheries policy, and its maritime transport policy.
Pebble dynamics and accretion on to rocky planets – II. Radiative models
Authors: Popovas Andrius , Nordlund Åke , Ramsey Jon P
Published: October 2018

We investigate the effects of radiative energy transfer on a series of nested-grid, high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations of gas and particle dynamics in the vicinity of an Earth-mass planetary embryo. We include heating due to the accretion of solids and the subsequent convective motions. Using a constant embryo surface temperature, we show that radiative energy transport results in a tendency to reduce the entropy in the primordial atmosphere, but this tendency is alleviated by an increase in the strength of convective energy transport, triggered by a correspondingly increased superadiabatic temperature gradient. As a consequence, the amplitude of the convective motions increase by roughly an order of magnitude in the vicinity of the embryo. In the cases investigated here, where the optical depth towards the disc surface is larger than unity, the reduction of the temperature in the outer parts of the Hill sphere relative to cases without radiative energy transport is only ∼100 K, while the mass density increase is of the order of a factor of two in the inner parts of the Hill sphere. Our results demonstrate that, unless unrealistically low dust opacities are assumed, radiative cooling in the context of primordial rocky planet atmospheres can only become important after the disc surface density has dropped significantly below minimum-mass-solar-nebula values.
Free Radical, Carbonyl, and Nicotine Levels Produced by Juul Electronic Cigarettes
Authors: Reilly Samantha M , Bitzer Zachary T , Goel Reema , Trushin Neil , Richie John P
Published: October 2018

Introduction

Free radicals and carbonyls produced by electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have the potential to inflict oxidative stress. Recently, Juul e-cigs have risen drastically in popularity; however, there is no data on nicotine and oxidant yields from this new e-cig design.

Methods

Aerosol generated from four different Juul flavors was analyzed for carbonyls, nicotine, and free radicals. The e-liquids were analyzed for propylene glycol (PG) and glycerol (GLY) concentrations. To determine the effects of e-liquid on oxidant production, Juul pods were refilled with nicotine-free 30:70 or 60:40 PG:GLY with or without citral.

Results

No significant differences were found in nicotine (164 ± 41 µg/puff), free radical (5.85 ± 1.20 pmol/puff), formaldehyde (0.20 ± 0.10 µg/puff), and acetone (0.20 ± 0.05 µg/puff) levels between flavors. The PG:GLY ratio in e-liquids was ~30:70 across all flavors with GLY being slightly higher in tobacco and mint flavors. In general, when Juul e-liquids were replaced with nicotine-free 60:40 PG:GLY, oxidant production increased up to 190% and, with addition of citral, increased even further.

Conclusions

Juul devices produce free radicals and carbonyls, albeit, at levels substantially lower than those observed in other e-cig products, an effect only partially because of a low PG:GLY ratio. Nicotine delivery by these devices was as high as or higher than the levels previously reported from cigarettes.

Implications

These findings suggest that oxidative stress and/or damage resulting from Juul use may be lower than that from cigarettes or other e-cig devices; however, the high nicotine levels are suggestive of a greater addiction potential.
Temporal relationships between systemic lupus erythematosus and comorbidities
Authors: Kuo Chang-Fu , Chou I -Jun , Rees Frances , Grainge Matthew J , Lanyon Peter , Davenport Graham , Mallen Christian D , Chung Ting-Ting , Chen Jung-Sheng , Zhang Weiya , Doherty Michael
Published: October 2018

Objective

To examine the burden of comorbidities prior to and after the diagnosis of SLE and its impact on mortality.

Methods

We identified 1605 incident cases of SLE and 6284 matched controls from the UK primary care. The risks of comorbidities before (prevalence; odds ratios) and after SLE diagnosis (incidence; hazard ratios) and the impact of comorbidities at diagnosis on all-cause mortality were estimated.

Results

At diagnosis, SLE was associated with adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of 2.25 (1.97–2.56), 3.37 (2.49–4.57) and 3.54 (1.89–6.63) for a Charlson comorbidity index of 1–2, 3–4 and ≥5, respectively. Following diagnosis, SLE also associated with increased risk of developing any comorbidity with an adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) of 1.30 (95% CI, 1.13–1.49). At diagnosis, SLE was associated with a greater risk of cancer, cardiovascular, renal, liver, rheumatological and neurological diseases as well as depression, anaemia and psoriasis. Risks of developing incident comorbidity in the categories of neoplasm, cardiovascular, genitourinary, metabolic/endocrine, gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases, chronic pulmonary diseases, musculoskeletal/connective tissue and neurological diseases were higher in SLE patients. People with SLE had higher mortality risk compared with controls, with adjusted hazard ratio of 1.91 (95% CI, 1.62–2.26); after further adjusting for comorbidities this reduced to 1.64 (1.37–1.97). Comorbidities at SLE diagnosis accounted for 27.6% of the apparent difference in mortality between SLE patients and matched controls.

Conclusion

People with SLE have increased risks of multiple comorbidities both prior to and after diagnosis and this contributes significantly to all-cause mortality.