bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment on the Effect of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Low-density Polyethylene Plastic Waste as an Additive in Bituminous Paving Mixes
Authors: Santos F D , Taguba Mam , Alzona A R
Published: December 2019

The continuous growth of the population also brings about an increase in traffic that traverse our roads. Due to this increase in the volume of traffic, pavements are subjected to more distress which can lead to its failure. Studies have been performed in order to address these issues on material properties. At present time, waste disposal has been a challenge for various industries. And of the wastes that are abundant in our surroundings, plastic is proving to be a major problem because it poses a major threat to the environment. As a possible solution to the growing problem of the disposal of plastic wastes as well as the constant pursuit to improve the properties of materials, recycling and incorporating plastic to construction materials has been explored in various studies. This study aims to assess the effects of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) as an additive to Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) on the stability, flow and bulk specific gravity of the paving mix. A parametric study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of additive concentration (4%, 7% and 10% by weight of asphalt binder), particle size (2.36 mm, 4.57 mm, and 9.5 mm) and mixing temperature (145° C, 160 ° C, and 175 ° C) on the stability, flow and bulk specific gravity of Plastic Waste Bitumen Binder (PWBB). Results show that adding PET and LDPE as additive increases the stability by 36.82%, improves the flow by 22% and it also increases the bulk specific gravity by 2.36% compared to a traditional bituminous mixture.
Effect of Street Canyon Configurations and Orientations on Urban Wind Velocity in Bangkok Suburb Areas
Authors: Jareemit D , Srivanit M
Published: December 2019

Urban ventilation is considered as one parameter, which impacts on building energy consumption and outdoor living condition. This study primarily investigates the effect of street canyon characteristics as well as its orientations on wind pattern and velocity in street canyon via using urban microclimate simulation model, ENVI-met. The wind simulations are performed with four aspect ratios or height-to-width ratio (H/W), three canyon lengths, and four canyon orientations. Calculated wind velocity measured at 1.5 m height of the centre of the street and pedestrian on both sides of the street ranges from 0.2 to 0.97 m/s. N-S and NW-SE canyons, which oriented parallel to the prevailing wind has greater wind velocity than those oriented perpendicular to the wind. The wind velocity is sensitive to aspect ratio and canyon length. The wind velocity in shallow canyon is mostly higher than those in the deep canyon. However, increasing the canyon length considerably improves the low wind speed in the deep canyon up to twice.
Research on Evaluation Index of Energy Efficiency Design of Multi-level Sports Complex Based on Synergistic Effect
Authors: Guo Siwen , Mao Qiuju , Zou Jiamin
Published: December 2019

Transforming the single-storey large space of traditional sports buildings into vertical extension space of multi-level venues, the multi-level sports complex achieves efficient use of resources by introducing a combination of recreation and social functions. Analyzing the key design points of the cascade-type gymnasium based on relevant criteria and standards of evaluating sports buildings, this paper establishes a multi-layer evaluation system to achieve synergistic energy efficiency design. It also provides a reference for expanding the efficient design of sports complexes.
Scalable fabrication of organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors
Authors: Gertsen Anders S , Castro Marcial Fernández , Søndergaard Roar R , Andreasen Jens W
Published: December 2019

Organic solar cells have recently experienced a substantial leap in power conversion efficiency, in part driven by formulations with new non-fullerene acceptors. This has brought the technology past the psychologically important mark of 15% efficiency for unscaled laboratory devices, and the results are stimulating another burst of research activity. Whether this will propel the technology into a viable commercial contender has yet to be determined, but to realize the potential of organic solar cells for utility scale application, fabrication using scalable processing techniques has to be demonstrated—otherwise, the passing of the 15% mark will eventually leave no more lasting impact than what the passing of the 10% mark did. Thus, addressing the scaling lag between the 15% cell efficiencies of lab-scale devices on rigid glass substrates fabricated using non-scalable techniques and the 7% efficiencies of scalably fabricated devices on flexible substrates is key. Here, we discuss the concept of scalability and give an account of the literature on non-fullerene acceptor devices fabricated with scalable methods and materials. On the basis of this, we identify three crucial focus points for overcoming the lab-to-fab challenge: (i) dual temperature control, i.e. simultaneous control of the ink and substrate temperatures during deposition, (ii) systematic in situ morphology studies of active layer inks with new, green solvent formulations during continuous deposition, and (iii) development of protocols for continuous solution processing of smooth, transparent interfacial layers with efficient charge transfer to the active layer. Combining these efforts and in general accompanying such studies with stability analyses and fabrication of large-area, scalably processed devices are believed to accelerate the relevance of organic solar cells for large-scale energy supply.
Nanoscale sensing based on nitrogen vacancy centers in single crystal diamond and nanodiamonds: achievements and challenges
Authors: Radtke M , Bernardi E , Slablab A , Nelz R , Neu E
Published: December 2019

Powered by the mutual developments in instrumentation, materials and theoretical descriptions, sensing and imaging capabilities of quantum emitters in solids have significantly increased in the past two decades. Quantum emitters in solids, whose properties resemble those of atoms and ions, provide alternative ways to probing natural and artificial nanoscopic systems with minimum disturbance and ultimate spatial resolution. Among those emerging quantum emitters, the nitrogen vacancy (NV) color center in diamond is an outstanding example due to its intrinsic properties at room temperature (highly-luminescent, photo-stable, biocompatible, highly-coherent spin states). This review article summarizes recent advances and achievements in using NV centers within nano- and single crystal diamonds in sensing and imaging. We also highlight prevalent challenges and material aspects for different types of diamond and outline the main parameters to consider when using color centers as sensors. As a novel sensing resource, we highlight the properties of NV centers as light emitting electrical dipoles and their coupling to other nanoscale dipoles e.g. graphene.
Investigating enhanced mass flow rates in pressure-driven liquid flows in nanotubes
Authors: Stamatiou Alexandros , Dadzie S Kokou , Reddy M H Lakshminarayana
Published: December 2019

Over the past two decades, several researchers have presented experimental data from pressure-driven liquid flows through nanotubes. They quote flow velocities which are four to five orders of magnitude higher than those predicted by the classical theory. Thus far, attempts to explain these enhanced mass flow rates at the nanoscale have focused mainly on introducing wall-slip boundary conditions on the fluid mass velocity. In this paper, we present a different theory. A change of variable on the velocity field within the classical Navier–Stokes equations is adopted to transform the equations into physically different equations. The resulting equations, termed re-casted Navier–Stokes equations, contain additional diffusion terms whose expressions depend upon the driving mechanism. The new equations are then solved for the pressure driven flow in a long nano-channel. Analogous to previous studies of gas flows in micro- and nano-channels, a perturbation expansion in the aspect ratio allows for the construction of a 2D analytical solution. In contrast to slip-flow models, this solution is specified by a no-slip boundary condition at the channel walls. The mass flow rate can be calculated explicitly and compared to available data. We conclude that the new re-casting methodology may provide an alternative theoretical physical explanation of the enhanced mass flow phenomena.
Adaptive group-regularized logistic elastic net regression
Authors: Münch Magnus M , Peeters Carel F W , Van Der Vaart Aad W , Van De Wiel Mark A
Published: December 2019

In high-dimensional data settings, additional information on the features is often available. Examples of such external information in omics research are: (i) $p$-values from a previous study and (ii) omics annotation. The inclusion of this information in the analysis may enhance classification performance and feature selection but is not straightforward. We propose a group-regularized (logistic) elastic net regression method, where each penalty parameter corresponds to a group of features based on the external information. The method, termed gren, makes use of the Bayesian formulation of logistic elastic net regression to estimate both the model and penalty parameters in an approximate empirical–variational Bayes framework. Simulations and applications to three cancer genomics studies and one Alzheimer metabolomics study show that, if the partitioning of the features is informative, classification performance, and feature selection are indeed enhanced.
Multilingual Research: Reflections on Translating Qualitative Data
Authors: Goitom Mary
Published: December 2019

The objective of this article is to examine translation dilemmas in cross-cultural qualitative research projects. In particular, I reflect on my experiences of conducting cross-language qualitative research and I examine how the translation techniques I have employed over the years shape the collection and interpretation of non-English to English qualitative data. Centred on the question ‘What aspects of participants’ representation are lost or foreclosed in this act, process and outcome of translating and how can this be mitigated?’, I discuss how the following coalesce to inform how this complex and multidimensional question is addressed: (i) the competencies, processes and outcomes of translating, (ii) the importance of situating data in its social context and (iii) how this shapes the representation of data. As well, this article discusses the implication of cross-cultural and cross-language studies on social work and presents three lessons learned from my experiences.
Interfering with long non-coding RNA MIR22HG processing inhibits glioblastoma progression through suppression of Wnt/β-catenin signalling
Authors: Han Mingzhi , Wang Shuai , Fritah Sabrina , Wang Xu , Zhou Wenjing , Yang Ning , Ni Shilei , Huang Bin , Chen Anjing , Li Gang , Miletic Hrvoje , Thorsen Frits , Bjerkvig Rolf , Li Xingang , Wang Jian
Published: December 2019

Long non-coding RNAs play critical roles in tumour progression. Through analysis of publicly available genomic datasets, we found that MIR22HG, the host gene of microRNAs miR-22-3p and miR-22-5p, is ranked among the most dysregulated long non-coding RNAs in glioblastoma. The main purpose of this work was to determine the impact of MIR22HG on glioblastoma growth and invasion and to elucidate its mechanistic function. The MIR22HG/miR-22 axis was highly expressed in glioblastoma as well as in glioma stem-like cells compared to normal neural stem cells. In glioblastoma, increased expression of MIR22HG is associated with poor prognosis. Through a number of functional studies, we show that MIR22HG silencing inhibits the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway through loss of miR-22-3p and -5p. This leads to attenuated cell proliferation, invasion and in vivo tumour growth. We further show that two genes, SFRP2 and PCDH15, are direct targets of miR-22-3p and -5p and inhibit Wnt signalling in glioblastoma. Finally, based on the 3D structure of the pre-miR-22, we identified a specific small-molecule inhibitor, AC1L6JTK, that inhibits the enzyme Dicer to block processing of pre-miR-22 into mature miR-22. AC1L6JTK treatment caused an inhibition of tumour growth in vivo. Our findings show that MIR22HG is a critical inducer of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, and that its targeting may represent a novel therapeutic strategy in glioblastoma patients.
Epigenome-wide association of father’s smoking with offspring DNA methylation: a hypothesis-generating study
Authors: Mørkve Knudsen G T , Rezwan F I , Johannessen A , Skulstad S M , Bertelsen R J , Real F G , Krauss-Etschmann S , Patil V , Jarvis D , Arshad S H , Holloway J W , Svanes C
Published: December 2019

Epidemiological studies suggest that father’s smoking might influence their future children’s health, but few studies have addressed whether paternal line effects might be related to altered DNA methylation patterns in the offspring. To investigate a potential association between fathers’ smoking exposures and offspring DNA methylation using epigenome-wide association studies. We used data from 195 males and females (11–54 years) participating in two population-based cohorts. DNA methylation was quantified in whole blood using Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip. Comb-p was used to analyse differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Robust multivariate linear models, adjusted for personal/maternal smoking and cell-type proportion, were used to analyse offspring differentially associated probes (DMPs) related to paternal smoking. In sensitivity analyses, we adjusted for socio-economic position and clustering by family. Adjustment for inflation was based on estimation of the empirical null distribution in BACON. Enrichment and pathway analyses were performed on genes annotated to cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites using the gometh function in missMethyl. We identified six significant DMRs (Sidak-corrected P values: 0.0006–0.0173), associated with paternal smoking, annotated to genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity, fatty acid synthesis, development and function of neuronal systems and cellular processes. DMP analysis identified 33 CpGs [false discovery rate (FDR)  < 0.05]. Following adjustment for genomic control (λ = 1.462), no DMPs remained epigenome-wide significant (FDR < 0.05). This hypothesis-generating study found that fathers’ smoking was associated with differential methylation in their adolescent and adult offspring. Future studies are needed to explore the intriguing hypothesis that fathers’ exposures might persistently modify their future offspring’s epigenome.
Boomerang Kids and Parents’ Well-Being: Adaptation, Stressors, and Social Norms
Authors: Tosi Marco
Published: December 2019

Previous research has shown that living with an adult child affects the well-being of parents. However, little is known about parental adaptation to changes in living arrangements or about concomitant stressors that may moderate the effect of adult children returning to the parental home. Drawing on data from eight waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009–2017), I use distributed fixed effects linear regression models to analyse changes in parents’ symptoms of depression before, during, and after a child’s return to the parental home. The results show that parents experience an increase in symptoms of depression when a child returns home but recover to their previous levels of mental well-being in the subsequent year. Unemployed and low-income children returning home are associated with larger increases in parents’ symptoms of depression, whereas there are no effects with regard to union dissolution. These findings support the hypothesis that children returning home are more detrimental to older parents if it occurs in concomitance with an economic crisis in the child’s life. However, after a short-term decline in their well-being, parents are able to adapt to boomerang moves and accustom themselves to the new family dynamics.
Agricultural systems as potential sources of emerging human mycoses caused by Trichoderma: a successful, common phylotype of Trichoderma longibrachiatum in the frontline
Authors: Hatvani Lóránt , Homa Mónika , Chenthamara Komal , Cai Feng , Kocsubé Sándor , Atanasova Lea , Mlinaric-Missoni Emilija , Manikandan Palanisamy , Revathi Rajaraman , Dóczi Ilona , Bogáts Gábor , Narendran Venkatapathy , Büchner Rita , Vágvölgyi Csaba , Druzhinina Irina S , Kredics László
Published: December 2019

Trichoderma species are abundant in different agricultural habitats, but some representatives of this genus, mainly clade Longibrachiatum members are also emerging as causative agents of various human diseases with even fatal outcome. Strains of these species frequently show resistance to commonly used azole antifungals. Based on previous data it is hypothesized that Trichoderma isolates identified in human infections derive from environmental—including agricultural—origins. We examined Trichoderma longibrachiatum Rifai and Trichoderma bissettii Sandoval-Denis & Guarro strains recovered from four novel cases of human mycoses, along with isolates from previous case reports and different agricultural habitats, using multilocus phylogenetic analysis, BIOLOG Phenotype Microarrays and Etest. Strains attributed to T. bissettii were more abundant in both clinical and agricultural specimens compared to T. longibrachiatum. The majority of the isolates of both taxa could tolerate >256, >32 and >32 μg/ml fluconazole, itraconazole and posaconazole, respectively. None of the obtained results revealed characteristic differences between strains of clinical and agricultural origin, nor between the two taxa, supporting that agricultural environments may be significant sources of infections caused by these emerging human fungal pathogens. Furthermore, based on our findings we propose the re-classification of T. bissettii as T. longibrachiatum f. sp. bissettii.
Stress and ageing in yeast
Authors: Dawes Ian W , Perrone Gabriel G
Published: December 2019

There has long been speculation about the role of various stresses in ageing. Some stresses have beneficial effects on ageing—dependent on duration and severity of the stress, others have negative effects and the question arises whether these negative effects are causative of ageing or the result of the ageing process. Cellular responses to many stresses are highly coordinated in a concerted way and hence there is a great deal of cross-talk between different stresses. Here the relevant aspects of the coordination of stress responses and the roles of different stresses on yeast cell ageing are discussed, together with the various functions that are involved. The cellular processes that are involved in alleviating the effects of stress on ageing are considered, together with the possible role of early stress events on subsequent ageing of cells.
Civil Money Penalty Enforcement Actions for Quality Deficiencies in Nursing Homes
Authors: Wang Xiaochuan , Gammonley Denise , Bender Felicia
Published: December 2019

Background and Objectives

Civil money penalties (CMP) are fines collected by CMS. A portion of these CMPs are redistributed to states for purposes including improving resident care and quality of life through reinvestment in quality improvement projects. This study examined state variation in civil money penalty enforcement actions for quality of life (QOL) and quality of care (QOC) deficiencies in nursing homes.

Research Design and Methods

2015–2016 cross-sectional CASPER nursing home survey data obtained from the CMS QCOR database were used to explore the pattern of enforcement actions for QOL and QOC deficiencies across states. Fixed effects regression models examined relationships between state-level characteristics, quality deficiencies, and enforcement actions imposed by states.

Results

State enforcement actions resulting in a CMP were more likely for QOC deficiencies (M = 0.143, SD = 0.097) than for QOL deficiencies (M = 0.070, SD = 0.056) and states exhibited variability in imposing enforcement actions. The presence of severe QOC deficiencies resulting in actual resident harm contributed to CMP enforcement actions for both QOL and QOC deficiencies. States with primarily for-profit status providers had more enforcement actions.

Discussion and Implications

The variability noted in state enforcement for quality deficiencies actions parallels inconsistencies in state regulatory oversight of nursing homes.
The prominent role of informal medicine vendors despite health insurance: a weekly diaries study in rural Nigeria
Authors: Nelissen Heleen E , Brals Daniëlla , Ameen Hafsat A , van der List Marijn , Kramer Berber , Akande Tanimola M , Janssens Wendy , van’t Hoog Anja H
Published: December 2019

In sub-Saharan Africa, accessibility to affordable quality care is often poor and health expenditures are mostly paid out of pocket. Health insurance, protecting individuals from out-of-pocket health expenses, has been put forward as a means of enhancing universal health coverage. We explored the utilization of different types of healthcare providers and the factors associated with provider choice by insurance status in rural Nigeria. We analysed year-long weekly health diaries on illnesses and injuries (health episodes) for a sample of 920 individuals with access to a private subsidized health insurance programme. The weekly diaries capture not only catastrophic events but also less severe events that are likely underreported in surveys with longer recall periods. Individuals had insurance coverage during 34% of the 1761 reported health episodes, and they consulted a healthcare provider in 90% of the episodes. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that insurance coverage was associated with significantly higher utilization of formal health care: individuals consulted upgraded insurance programme facilities in 20% of insured episodes compared with 3% of uninsured episodes. Nonetheless, regardless of insurance status, most consultations involved an informal provider visit, with informal providers encompassing 73 and 78% of all consultations among insured and uninsured episodes, respectively, and individuals spending 54% of total annual out-of-pocket health expenditures at such providers. Given the high frequency at which individuals consult informal providers, their position within both the primary healthcare system and health insurance schemes should be reconsidered to reach universal health coverage.
The intellectual disability PAK3 R67C mutation impacts cognitive functions and adult hippocampal neurogenesis
Authors: Castillon Charlotte , Gonzalez Laurine , Domenichini Florence , Guyon Sandrine , Da Silva Kevin , Durand Christelle , Lestaevel Philippe , Vaillend Cyrille , Laroche Serge , Barnier Jean-Vianney , Poirier Roseline
Published: December 2019

The link between mutations associated with intellectual disability (ID) and the mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunctions remains largely unknown. Here, we focused on PAK3, a serine/threonine kinase whose gene mutations cause X-linked ID. We generated a new mutant mouse model bearing the missense R67C mutation of the Pak3 gene (Pak3-R67C), known to cause moderate to severe ID in humans without other clinical signs and investigated hippocampal-dependent memory and adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Adult male Pak3-R67C mice exhibited selective impairments in long-term spatial memory and pattern separation function, suggestive of altered hippocampal neurogenesis. A delayed non-matching to place paradigm testing memory flexibility and proactive interference, reported here as being adult neurogenesis-dependent, revealed a hypersensitivity to high interference in Pak3-R67C mice. Analyzing adult hippocampal neurogenesis in Pak3-R67C mice reveals no alteration in the first steps of adult neurogenesis, but an accelerated death of a population of adult-born neurons during the critical period of 18–28 days after their birth. We then investigated the recruitment of hippocampal adult-born neurons after spatial memory recall. Post-recall activation of mature dentate granule cells in Pak3-R67C mice was unaffected, but a complete failure of activation of young DCX + newborn neurons was found, suggesting they were not recruited during the memory task. Decreased expression of the KCC2b chloride cotransporter and altered dendritic development indicate that young adult-born neurons are not fully functional in Pak3-R67C mice. We suggest that these defects in the dynamics and learning-associated recruitment of newborn hippocampal neurons may contribute to the selective cognitive deficits observed in this mouse model of ID.
Enhanced amyloid-β generation by γ-secretase complex in DRM microdomains with reduced cholesterol levels
Authors: Hata Saori , Hu Anqi , Piao Yi , Nakaya Tadashi , Taru Hidenori , Morishima-Kawashima Maho , Murayama Shigeo , Nishimura Masaki , Suzuki Toshiharu
Published: December 2019

A neuropathologic hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the presence of senile plaques that contain neurotoxic amyloid-β protein (Aβ) species, which are generated by the cleavage of amyloid β-protein precursor by secretases such as the γ-secretase complex, preferentially located in detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) regions and comprising endoproteolysed amino- and carboxy-terminal fragments of presenilin, nicastrin, anterior pharynx defective 1 and presenilin enhancer 2. Whereas some of familial AD patients harbor causative PSEN mutations that lead to more generation of neurotoxic Aβ42, the contribution of Aβ generation to sporadic/late-onset AD remains unclear. We found that the carboxy-terminal fragment of presenilin 1 was redistributed from DRM regions to detergent-soluble membrane (non-DRM) regions in brain tissue samples from individuals with sporadic AD. DRM fractions from AD brain sample had the ability to generate significantly more Aβ and had a lower cholesterol content than DRM fractions from non-demented control subjects. We further demonstrated that lowering the cholesterol content of DRM regions from cultured cells contributed to the redistribution of γ-secretase components and Aβ production. Taken together, the present analyses suggest that the lowered cholesterol content in DRM regions may be a cause of sporadic/late-onset AD by enhancing overall Aβ generation.
Prediagnostic breast milk DNA methylation alterations in women who develop breast cancer
Authors: Salas Lucas A , Lundgren Sara N , Browne Eva P , Punska Elizabeth C , Anderton Douglas L , Karagas Margaret R , Arcaro Kathleen F , Christensen Brock C
Published: December 2019

Prior candidate gene studies have shown tumor suppressor DNA methylation in breast milk related with history of breast biopsy, an established risk factor for breast cancer. To further establish the utility of breast milk as a tissue-specific biospecimen for investigations of breast carcinogenesis, we measured genome-wide DNA methylation in breast milk from women with and without a diagnosis of breast cancer in two independent cohorts. DNA methylation was assessed using Illumina HumanMethylation450k in 87 breast milk samples. Through an epigenome-wide association study we explored CpG sites associated with a breast cancer diagnosis in the prospectively collected milk samples from the breast that would develop cancer compared with women without a diagnosis of breast cancer using linear mixed effects models adjusted for history of breast biopsy, age, RefFreeCellMix cell estimates, time of delivery, array chip and subject as random effect. We identified 58 differentially methylated CpG sites associated with a subsequent breast cancer diagnosis (q-value <0.05). Nearly all CpG sites associated with a breast cancer diagnosis were hypomethylated in cases compared with controls and were enriched for CpG islands. In addition, inferred repeat element methylation was lower in breast milk DNA from cases compared to controls, and cases exhibited increased estimated epigenetic mitotic tick rate as well as DNA methylation age compared with controls. Breast milk has utility as a biospecimen for prospective assessment of disease risk, for understanding the underlying molecular basis of breast cancer risk factors and improving primary and secondary prevention of breast cancer.
Supporting early career researchers: insights from interdisciplinary marine scientists
Authors: Andrews Evan J , Harper Sarah , Cashion Tim , Palacios-Abrantes Juliano , Blythe Jessica , Daly Jack , Eger Sondra , Hoover Carie , Talloni-Alvarez Nicolás , Teh Louise , Bennett Nathan , Epstein Graham , Knott Christine , Newell Sarah L , Whitney Charlotte K
Published: December 2019

The immense challenges associated with realizing ocean and coastal sustainability require highly skilled interdisciplinary marine scientists. However, the barriers experienced by early career researchers (ECRs) seeking to address these challenges, and the support required to overcome those barriers, are not well understood. This study examines the perspectives of ECRs on opportunities to build interdisciplinary research capacity in marine science. We engaged 23 current and former graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a policy Delphi method with three rounds of surveying that included semi-structured questionnaires and q-methodology. We identified the following five barriers that limit ECRs’ capacity for interdisciplinary research: (i) demanding workloads; (ii) stress linked to funding, publishing, and employment uncertainty; (iii) limited support for balancing personal and professional commitments; (iv) ineffective supervisory support; and (v) the steep learning curve associated with interdisciplinary research. Our analysis highlights three main types of responses to these barriers adopted by ECRs, including “taking on too much”, “coping effectively”, and “maintaining material wellbeing at any cost”. To overcome these barriers, we propose the following three institutional actions to build early career interdisciplinary researcher capacity: formalize mentorship, create interdisciplinary research groups, and mainstream mental health support.
Serological Evidence for Henipa-like and Filo-like Viruses in Trinidad Bats
Authors: Schulz Jonathan E , Seifert Stephanie N , Thompson John T , Avanzato Victoria , Sterling Spencer L , Yan Lianying , Letko Michael C , Matson M Jeremiah , Fischer Robert J , Tremeau-Bravard Alexandre , Seetahal Janine F R , Ramkissoon Vernie , Foster Jerome , Goldstein Tracey , Anthony Simon J , Epstein Jonathan H , Laing Eric D , Broder Christopher C , Carrington Christine V F , Schountz Tony , Munster Vincent J
Published: December 2019

Bat-borne zoonotic pathogens belonging to the family Paramxyoviridae, including Nipah and Hendra viruses, and the family Filoviridae, including Ebola and Marburg viruses, can cause severe disease and high mortality rates on spillover into human populations. Surveillance efforts for henipaviruses and filoviruses have been largely restricted to the Old World; however, recent studies suggest a potentially broader distribution for henipaviruses and filoviruses than previously recognized. In the current study, we screened for henipaviruses and filoviruses in New World bats collected across 4 locations in Trinidad near the coast of Venezuela. Bat tissue samples were screened using previously established reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. Serum were screened using a multiplex immunoassay to detect antibodies reactive with the envelope glycoprotein of viruses in the genus Henipavirus and the family Filoviridae. Serum samples were also screened by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibodies reactive with Nipah G and F glycoproteins. Of 84 serum samples, 28 were reactive with ≥1 henipavirus glycoprotein by ≥1 serological method, and 6 serum samples were reactive against ≥1 filovirus glycoproteins. These data provide evidence of potential circulation of viruses related to the henipaviruses and filoviruses in New World bats.
Pharmacokinetics and safety of aztreonam/avibactam for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections in hospitalized adults: results from the REJUVENATE study
Authors: Cornely Oliver A , Cisneros José M , Torre-Cisneros Julian , Rodríguez-Hernández María Jesús , Tallón-Aguilar Luis , Calbo Esther , Horcajada Juan P , Queckenberg Christian , Zettelmeyer Ulrike , Arenz Dorothee , Rosso-Fernández Clara M , Jiménez-Jorge Silvia , Turner Guy , Raber Susan , O’Brien Seamus , Luckey Alison ,   COMBACTE-CARE consortium/REJUVENATE Study Group, Aguado Ana Cristina Padial , Baranda Miguel Montejo , Bernedo Carlos García , Bludau Marc , Boix-Palop Lucía , Cheng Karen , de Jonge Boudewijn , de Molina Francisco Javier González , Gentil Pilar Retamar , Guzmán-Puche Julia , Jiménez Virginia Palomo , López-Ruiz José A , Mateos Enrique Montero , Oporto Cristina Roca , Piessen Guillaume , Postil Deborah , Rodríguez Rosa M Jiménez , Ruiz Javier Padillo , Rupp Jan , Soriano Rafael Morales , Wible Michele , Yuste Ángela Cano , Gómez-Zorrilla Silvia
Published: December 2019

Objectives

To investigate pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety (primary objectives) and efficacy (secondary objective) of the investigational monobactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination aztreonam/avibactam in patients with complicated intra-abdominal infection (cIAI).

Methods

This Phase 2a open-label, multicentre study (NCT02655419; EudraCT 2015-002726-39) enrolled adults with cIAI into sequential cohorts for 5–14 days treatment. Cohort 1 patients received an aztreonam/avibactam loading dose of 500/137 mg (30 min infusion), followed by maintenance doses of 1500/410 mg (3 h infusions) q6h; Cohort 2 received 500/167 mg (30 min infusion), followed by 1500/500 mg (3 h infusions) q6h. Cohort 3 was an extension of exposure at the higher dose regimen. Doses were adjusted for creatinine clearance of 31–50 mL/min (Cohorts 2 + 3). All patients received IV metronidazole 500 mg q8h. PK, safety and efficacy were assessed.

Results

Thirty-four patients (Cohort 1, n = 16; Cohorts 2 + 3, n = 18) comprised the modified ITT (MITT) population. Mean exposures of aztreonam and avibactam in Cohorts 2 + 3 were consistent with those predicted to achieve joint PK/pharmacodynamic target attainment in >90% patients. Adverse events (AEs) were similar between cohorts. The most common AEs were hepatic enzyme increases [n = 9 (26.5%)] and diarrhoea [n = 5 (14.7%)]. Clinical cure rates at the test-of-cure visit overall were 20/34 (58.8%) (MITT) and 14/23 (60.9%) (microbiological-MITT population).

Conclusions

Observed AEs were consistent with the known safety profile of aztreonam monotherapy, with no new safety concerns identified. These data support selection of the aztreonam/avibactam 500/167 mg (30 min infusion) loading dose and 1500/500 mg (3 h infusions) maintenance dose q6h regimen, in patients with creatinine clearance >50 mL/min, for the Phase 3 development programme.
308 Changes in calf feeding behavior in response to sickness
Authors: Sutherland Mhairi , Lowe Gemma , Stewart Mairi , Cox Neil , Waas Joseph , Schutz Karin
Published: December 2019

Feeding behavior can be measured using automated calf milk feeding systems, that record total number of visits consisting of rewarded (milk consumed) or unrewarded (no milk consumed) visits. Unrewarded visits can be either when the calf is entitled to milk, but does not drink (“Entitled”), or is not entitled to milk, so cannot drink (“Non-entitled”). Feeding behavior can be used as an indicator of sickness in calves; fewer unrewarded visits to an automated feeder has been shown to be a sensitive measure of the onset of illness. However, a greater understanding of sickness behavior would aid in early detection of disease in calves. This study aimed to evaluate unrewarded visits prior to signs of clinical illness in calves. Calves were group-housed in pens with an automated feeder from approximately 1 wk of age and examined daily for signs of illness. Of the 74 calves, 16 were diagnosed with neonatal calf diarrhea. To examine the feeding behavior during the 5 days leading up to calves displaying clinical signs of illness, we calculated a robust estimate of the daily rate of change (the Kendall-Theil slope) over this time and used the one sample t-test to test whether the slopes were significantly different from zero. During the 5 days before clinical signs of illness, there was a decrease in unrewarded visits, in accordance with other studies. Interestingly, the proportion of “Non-entitled” unrewarded visits decreased (KT slope = -0.05, P = 0.037) whereas “Entitled” increased (KT slope = 0.04, P = 0.038). These results suggest that during the days leading up to clinical signs of neonatal calf diarrhea, calves may be less motivated to drink even though they are entitled to, possibly due to reduced appetite
12 Effects of excess iron and dietary fat on lipid metabolism
Authors: Ma Wan
Published: December 2019

Diets rich in fat and energy are associated with metabolic syndrome. Imbalanced systemic iron status has long been epidemiologically associated with obesity-related diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the interaction between dietary fat and injected iron in the context of glucose and lipid metabolism. C57BL6/J mice were divided into four groups and fed normal chow (NC) and high-fat diet (HFD) with adequate or excess iron for 16 weeks. Excess iron was added by intraperitoneal injection with iron dextran (120 mg/g of body weight) every other week from 4th week (NC+Fe and HFD+Fe), six times in total. The results showed that high iron levels decreased the growth rates of mice without affecting their feed intake. High iron levels increased the adipocyte numbers by 1.6-fold in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and 3.5-fold in visceral adipose tissue (VAT), while excess iron inhibited their adipocyte hypertrophy. These changes were paralleled by alterations in the levels of enzymes related to hepatic lipid storage and β-oxidation. Especially two key enzymes, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) (P < 0.01) and fat specific protein 27 (FSP27) (P < 0.01) were markedly decreased in iron-treated groups compared with their counterparts. In addition, high iron levels decreased insulin sensitivity by increasing 15% of fasting blood glucose and 23% of insulin levels and the average under curve of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) was also decreased (P < 0.05). These results were consistent with the decrease of mRNA expression of enzymes related to hepatic gluconeogenesis, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) (P < 0.05) and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1) (P < 0.05) in iron-treated mice. Thus, high-fat diets and iron overload were associated with insulin resistance, modified lipid deposition and iron metabolism. High iron levels could protect mice from high-fat diet induced obesity by decreasing insulin sensitivity.
13 Lipocalin 2 exerts protective activity by alleviating inflammatory responses
Authors: Li Shuhui
Published: December 2019

Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is an essential component of the innate immune system and exerts significant immunomodulatory effects in vitro. The aim of current study was to investigate the expression profile of Lcn2 during inflammatory process and explore the role of Lcn2 in the anti-inflammatory responses. Western blot, real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence (IF) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were employed. Firstly, we evaluated the temporospatial expression of Lcn2 of mice after inflammatory stimuli by lipopolysaccharides (LPS). In vivo, LPS induced both mRNA and protein levels of Lcn2 significantly (P < 0.01) in liver, jejunum and ileum. Lcn2 exhibited a continuous increase by 8 h and peaked by 24 h post challenges. Secondly, we challenged Lcn2-deficient (Lcn2-/-) mice and wild-type (WT) mice with peripheral LPS and determined effects on inflammation. In contrast to WT mice, Lcn2-/- mice showed distinct inflammatory injury in liver, jejunum, ileum and spleen with significantly elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1b (IL-1b) and decreased anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10). Thirdly, we isolated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) from Lcn2-/- mice and WT mice to evaluate their functions. After LPS challenge, Lcn2-/- BMDM showed aggravated inflammatory reaction as pro-inflammatory factors tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-1b and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) increased (P < 0.05) while anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and arginase-1(Arg-1) decreased significantly (P < 0.05) compared with WT BMDM. This phenomenon could be relieved when adding recombinant Lcn2 (P < 0.05). The exogenous addition of Lcn2 on mice RAW264.7 macrophages stimulated by LPS also conformed this point. These findings demonstrated that Lcn2 served as a potent protective factor in response to systemic inflammation, and elevated Lcn2 expression during inflammatory conditions was presumed to play an effective role in alleviating inflammatory responses.
21 Profiling sow vaginal and fecal and piglet gastrointestinal microbiome and the passage of sow microbiome to their progeny from birth to weaning
Authors: Tran Huyen , de Rodas Brenda , Lahoti Manohar M , Johnson Timothy J
Published: December 2019

The objectives of this study were 1) to profile the sow vaginal and fecal microbiome and the corresponding piglet gastrointestinal microbiome from birth to weaning, and 2) to identify the core microbiome shared between sows and piglets. A total of 226 samples collected from sows (vaginal swabs pre-farrow; fecal samples at farrow, d 3, 7, 10, 17 post-farrow) and their progenies (stomach, ileum, and colon digesta at birth, d 2, and 14 after birth) were used for the analyses of microbial community structure using 16S rRNA V4 amplicon sequencing with Illumina MiSeq. Our data indicated that the piglet and sow microbiome were quite distinct. Piglets had lower bacterial alpha diversity (chao1, richness, Shannon, Simpson indices; P < 0.01) than sows across all timepoints. Beta diversity of piglets by sample types was significantly different (P < 0.001) than sows by sample types when averaged across all timepoints or separation by timepoints. Feature selection by the Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) indicated that the genera associated with piglets included those classified as Lactobacillus, unclassified Micrococcaceae, and Rothia when averaged across sampling points and sample types. Genera associated with sows included those classified as Treponema, YRC22, Unclassified RF39, Unclassified Christensenellaceae, Turicibacter, Unclassified RFP12, Unclassified F16, Collinsella, Coprococcus, Unclassified Coriobacteriaceae, and Unclassified Mogibacteriaceae. The genera shared between sow vaginal samples and piglets included those classified as Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, Haemophilus, Prevotella, Veillonella, and unclassified Clostridiadiaceae. The genera shared between sow fecal and piglet samples included those classified as Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, unclassified Clostridiadiaceae, unclassified Ruminococceae, and Prevotella. Overall, there are evidences that bacterial genera were passed from sows to piglets and influenced the microbial communities of piglets later in life.
32 Nutritional management of forage-based cow-calf operations
Authors: Moriel Philipe
Published: December 2019

The beef cattle industry in the Southeastern United States relies primarily on forages that not always meet the cowherd nutritional requirements, resulting in reduced performance if supplemental nutrients are not provided. Although precalving nutrition modulates postnatal offspring performance, most studies did not utilize Bos indicus-influenced cows consuming low-quality, warm-season forages. Hence, 3 studies evaluated the impact of different supplementation strategies during gestation on subsequent cow and calf performance.Study 1focused on timing of dried distillers grains (DDG) supplementation during late-gestation. Treatments initiated 84 d before calving and consisted of no supplementation, 1 kg/d of DDG from d 0 to 84, or 2 kg/d of DDG from d 0 to 42. Timing of prepartum DDG supplementation did not impact cow reproduction, but calf pre-weaning growth was enhanced only when cows received longer vs. shorter or no periods of prepartum supplementation. Study 2evaluated the use of prepartum supplementation of sugarcane molasses/urea added or not with DL-methionine hydroxyl analog. At 56 d before calving, Brangus heifers received no supplementation or molasses/urea (7.2 kg DM/wk) with or without methionine (105 g/wk; Alimet, Novus) until calving. Sugarcane molasses/urea supplementation improved cow BCS at calving and calf postnatal growth compared to no supplementation. However, supplemental methionine did not further enhance cow and calf growth performance. Study 3 compared winter vs. annual supplementation of sugarcane molasses/urea or range cubes. Starting on d 0 (pregnancy diagnosis; May), Brangus cows were assigned to receive molasses/urea supplementation during winter only (calving until end of breeding season) or year-round supplementation of molasses/urea or range cubes. Treatments had similar annual supplement DM amount (272 kg/yr). Year-round supplementation of molasses/urea and range cubes enhanced cow BCS at calving but did not impact pregnancy rate of cows and calf weaning weights than winter molasses/urea supplementation.
434 Late-Breaking: Expression of Growth hormone Gene (GH) and Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-2) in metabolic tissues of pigs are affected by unconventional dietary feed sources
Authors: Sorhue Ufuoma G , Omeje Ikenna , udeh Ifeanyichukwu , Moemeka Adimabua M , Onainor Raphael E
Published: December 2019

This study was conducted to examine the growth performance and expression patterns of growth hormone gene and insulin-like growth factor in metabolic tissues of pigs fed different unconventional feed sources. A total of 45 growing pigs were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments at 9 animals per treatment and 3 animals per replicate. Treatment one (T1) comprise of whole maize (WM) which served as the control, T2: brewers dried grain (BDG), T3: cassava peel meal (CPM), T4: plantain peel meal (PPM) and T5: corn husk meal (CHM) at 35% inclusion in the diet. Data collected and analyzed includes; initial body weight (IBW), final body weight (FBW), average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily weight gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed efficiency (FE). At the end of the feeding trial, three animals per treatment (one animal per replicate) were slaughtered; the duodenum and liver were collected and stored using RNALater prior to RNA extraction. Real-time qPCR was performed in 40cycles using the PowerUp SYBR Green reagent and analysed using the Delta-Delta Ct method. All data were subjected to analysis of variance in a completely randomized design. The results showed that the treatment diets had effect on growth performance with significant differences (P < 0.05) observed for average final weight, average total weight gain, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency while the initial weight were not significantly different (P > 0.05). IGF-2 was differentially expressed in the liver and duodenum across treatments while significant differences were not observed in the expression pattern of the growth hormone gene in both tissues. This study showed promise for the use of unconventional feeding stuffs in pig feeding and reveals that genes influencing performance characters are differentially expressed in relation to the source of unconventional feeds used in compounding pig diet.