bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ernährung bei Leberzirrhose: wichtige Tipps für Klinik und Praxis
Authors: Plauth Mathias
Published: September 2019

Liver disease and nutritional status affect each other mutually. Hepatic function is impaired by malnutrition and can be improved by nutrition therapy. Liver cirrhosis leads to prognostically relevant malnutrition in a stage dependent manner. Protein depletion and sarcopenia are its key features. Patients with liver cirrhosis should undergo systematic screening for risk of malnutrition and if positive sarcopenia should be assessed and a nutrition plan devised. In cirrhotic patients, spontaneous food intake frequently does not meet requirements and prolonged (> 12 h) periods of fasting must be avoided. In a stepwise fashion nutritional counseling, oral nutritional supplements, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition as third-line-therapy should be used. In cirrhotic patients, nutrition therapy can improve morbidity and mortality by ensuring the adequate provision of energy, protein and micronutrients.
Antiandrogene Therapie bei Sexualstraftätern – ein
osteologischer Problemfall
Authors: Lange Uwe , Klemm Philipp , Dischereit Gabriel
Published: September 2019

Aktuelle Leitlinien empfehlen bei Sexualstraftätern den Einsatz einer
antiandrogenen Therapie (ADT) parallel zur psychotherapeutischen Behandlung.
Potentielle Nebenwirkungen einer jahrelangen desexualisierenden ADT sind u. a.
ein rascher Knochenmasseverlust mit konsekutiv erhöhtem Osteoporoserisiko und
somit Frakturrisiko. Geschildert wird ein Fall, bei dem sich nach 3-jähriger ADT
eine Osteoporose und ein insulinpflichtiger Diabetes mellitus manifestierten.
Eine osteologische Vorstellung erfolgte erst nach 7-jähriger ADT. Unter
präventiven wie auch spezifischen osteologischen Maßnahmen konnte letztlich eine
Zunahme der Knochendichte erzielt werden
A Generic Method and Implementation to Evaluate and Improve Data Quality in Distributed Research Networks
Authors: Juárez D. , Schmidt E.E. , Stahl-Toyota S. , Ückert F. , Lablans M.
Published: September 2019

Background With the increasing personalization of clinical therapies, translational research is evermore dependent on multisite research cooperations to obtain sufficient data and biomaterial. Distributed research networks rely on the availability of high-quality data stored in local databases operated by their member institutions. However, reusing data documented by independent health providers for the purpose of care, rather than research (“secondary use”), reveal a high variability in terms of data formats, as well as poor data quality, across network sites.

Objectives The aim of this work is the provision of a process for the assessment of data quality with regard to completeness and syntactic accuracy across independently operated data warehouses using common definitions stored in a central (network-wide) metadata repository (MDR).

Methods For assessment of data quality across multiple sites, we employ a framework of so-called bridgeheads. These are federated data warehouses, which allow the sites to participate in a research network. A central MDR is used to store the definitions of the commonly agreed data elements and their permissible values.

Results We present the design for a generator of quality reports within a bridgehead, allowing the validation of data in the local data warehouse against a research network's central MDR. A standardized quality report can be produced at each network site, providing a means to compare data quality across sites, as well as to channel feedback to the local data source systems, and local documentation personnel. A reference implementation for this concept has been successfully utilized at 10 sites across the German Cancer Consortium.

Conclusions We have shown that comparable data quality assessment across different partners of a distributed research network is feasible when a central metadata repository is combined with locally installed assessment processes. To achieve this, we designed a quality report and the process for generating such a report. The final step was the implementation in a German research network.
The Adoption of the Electronic Health Record by Physicians
Authors: Al-Rayes Saja A. , Alumran Arwa , AlFayez Weam
Published: September 2019

Background Health information technology, especially the electronic health record (EHR) systems, improves health care quality and patient safety.

Objectives This study's objectives are as follows: first, to explore the adoption of EHR systems among physicians in Saudi Arabia (with King Fahd Military Medical Complex as the location of the pilot study), and second, to identify the factors that influence these physicians' adoption of such systems.

Methods This cross-sectional quantitative study is based on a paper survey that was administered to a sample of 213 physicians. The theoretical model is a version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) that features the following additional variables: resistance to change, training, and social influence.

Results The sample includes 133 (62%) physicians who used EHRs and 80 (38%) who did not. The main findings show that users and nonusers of the EHR system differ significantly for several factors such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, and resistance to change. In addition, age, work experience, and medical specialty are significantly associated with physicians' use of the EHR system.

Conclusion To increase EHR systems' adoption rate, the following elements should be improved: the systems' design, the social environments, and the physicians' awareness of the systems' benefits. This is the first study to produce a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the factors that influences physicians' use of the EHR system at a Saudi hospital in the Eastern Province. Further studies are needed to measure how these factors influence physicians' use of EHRs in other settings.
Excited state dynamics of the s-trans-1, 3-butadiene cation: An ab initio quantum dynamical analysis
Authors: Nikoobakht Behnam , Dreuw Andreas , Köppel Horst
Published: September 2019

The excited state dynamics of the s-trans-1,3-butadiene cation, focusing on the second and third bands of the photoelectron spectrum, have been investigated using a fully quantal approach, for the first time. The five lowest electronic states X2Bg, A2Au, B2Ag, C2Bu, and D2Ag considering the six vibrational modes S3, S5, S13, S17, S19, and S20 were taken into account in the nuclear quantum dynamical investigation. The potential energy curves have been calculated along these coordinates for the five lowest electronic states using the RS2C method. Our simulations indicate a moderately fast population transfer from the A2Au and B2Ag to the X2Bg state, taking place on a time scale of 70–80 fs. Furthermore, the computed second and third bands of the photoelectron spectrum are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental ones. Our calculation identifies the symmetric stretching of the central C—C bond S5 and the symmetric C—C—C bending S13 to be the main progression modes of the second and third bands of the photoelectron spectrum of (cationic) s-trans-1,3-butadiene.
Spin-orbit torque-mediated spin-wave excitation as an alternative paradigm for femtomagnetism
Authors: Zhang G. P. , Murakami M. , Bai Y. H. , George Thomas F. , Wu X. S.
Published: September 2019

Laser-induced femtosecond demagnetization, femtomagnetism, offers a potential route to develop faster magnetic storage devices. It is generally believed that the traditional spin-wave theory, which is developed for thermally driven slow demagnetization, cannot explain this rapid demagnetization by design. Here, we show that this traditional spin-wave theory, once augmented by laser-induced spin–orbit torque, provides a highly efficient paradigm for demagnetization, by capturing low-energy spin-wave excitation that is absent in existing mechanisms. Our paradigm is different from existing ones but does not exclude them. Microscopically, we find that optical spin–orbit torque generates massive spin waves across several hundred lattice sites, collapsing the long-range spin-spin correlation within 20 fs. Our finding does not only explain new experiments but also establishes an alternative paradigm for femtomagnetism. It is expected to have far-reaching impacts on future research.
Phase stability of the ice XVII-based CO2 chiral hydrate from molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Michl Jakob , Sega Marcello , Dellago Christoph
Published: September 2019

We computed the phase diagram of CO2 hydrates at high pressure (HP), from 0.3 to 20 kbar, by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The two CO2 hydrates known to occur in this pressure range are the cubic structure I (sI) clathrate and the HP hydrate, whose water framework is the recently discovered ice XVII. We investigated the stability of both hydrates upon heating (melting) as well as the phase changes upon compression. The CO2-filled ice XVII is found to be more stable than the sI clathrate and than the mixture of ice VI and dry ice at pressure values ranging from 6 to 18 kbar and in a wide temperature range, although a phenomenological correction suggests that the stability should more realistically range from 6.5 to 13.5 kbar. Our simulation results support the current hypothesis that the HP hydrate is stable at temperatures above the melting curve of ice VI.
Interaction of counterstreaming rotating electron-positron beams with inhomogeneous electron-ion plasma
Authors: Abbasi S. , Khorashadizadeh S. M. , Niknam A. R.
Published: September 2019

The interaction occurring between two counterstreaming rotating electron-positron beams and an inhomogeneous magnetized electron-ion plasma is studied with the focus of research on either positrons or electrons propagating in the direction of the magnetic field. Using the Vlasov theory along with geometrical optics, the linear eikonal equation corresponds to the gradient drift wave which is extracted in the background plasma, taking into account the beam contribution. The results reveal that the gradient drift instability is experienced where the gradients of density and temperature of electrons stand in the opposite directions, and in addition, the gradients act as destabilization effects. Regarding the beam contribution, when the electron beams propagate in the direction of the magnetic field, the parallel and perpendicular components of velocity and the Langmuir frequency of the rotating beams can induce stabilization effects on the unstable inhomogeneous configuration. However, as a considerable achievement, the mentioned stabilization effects vanish for the perpendicular velocity component lower than a certain threshold value. In addition, the destabilization effects of the characteristic parameters of the counterstreaming beams are observed as well, when the positron beams propagate in the direction of the magnetic field.
Parentage assignment using microsatellite DNA typing for the endangered numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus)
Authors: Spencer Peter B. S. , McConnell Serina , Prada Diana , Friend J. A. (Tony)
Published: September 2019

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is an endangered and peculiar marsupial with a diet that consists almost exclusively of termites. This study developed a parentage-testing system for numbats using microsatellite markers. Nineteen loci detected 143 alleles, with 4–13 alleles/locus and average expected heterozygosity of 77% (range 0.665–0.855). The total parentage exclusion probability was >0.9999 (given only the genotype of the offspring), >0.9999 for excluding a candidate parent from the parentage of an arbitrary offspring (given the genotype of the offspring and parent) and the probability of identity for full-sibs was 4.6×10–9. Overall, these microsatellites offer a simple and highly informative marker-set for parentage identification in numbats.
Patterns of preoptic–hypothalamic neuronal activation and LH secretion in female sheep following the introduction and withdrawal of novel males
Authors: Hawken Penny A. R. , Smith Jeremy T. , Jorre de St Jorre Trina , Esmaili Tammi , Scott Christopher J. , Rodger Jennifer , Blache Dominique , Martin Graeme B.
Published: September 2019

The neuroendocrine response of female sheep to a novel male involves neural activation in the hypothalamus. However, if males are removed, the gonadotrophic signal declines, so the neural activity is likely to change. We examined Fos-immunoreactive (IR) cells in hypothalamic tissues from seasonally anovulatory female sheep exposed to males for 2 or 6h, or for 2h followed by 4h isolation from males. Control females were killed in the absence of male exposure. Male introduction increased LH secretion in all females; male removal was associated with a reduction only in mean and basal LH concentrations. Females exposed to males for 2h had more Fos-IR cells in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) and organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) than control females. Fos-IR cells in the preoptic area (POA) were only greater than in control females after 6h exposure to a male. Removal of males decreased the number of Fos-IR cells in the ARC, VMH and OVLT, but not in the POA. Thus, hypothalamic neural activation and LH secretion in female sheep are stimulated by males and decline after male removal. However, activation in the POA persists after removal and may explain the incomplete decline in the LH response.
Policy ambassadors: human agency in the transnationalization of Brazilian social policies
Authors: Porto de Oliveira Osmany
Published: September 2019

In the past decade, Brazil became a model for social policies, ‘exporting’ ideas and techniques to tackle issues on social participation, poverty and hunger mostly to Southern countries, but also to the Northern States. International policy diffusion is immersed in a complex web of relations established among a plethora of actors participating in various moments and spaces. How policies become models for exporting? Why Brazil was elected as a showcase for social policies? Which actors were engaged in this process? The literature presents different arguments that focus on international organizations, think-tanks, epistemic communities, private agents, networks and so on to explain how policy models travel from a place to another. In this study, the action of exporting elites and their circulation between various institutions are put under analysis to understand diffusion. We introduce in this article a new concept of ‘Policy Ambassador’, a transnational transfer agent, to explain the diffusion of Brazilian social policy ideas and instruments in the areas of participatory democracy, fight against poverty and hunger eradication.
Multiple metamagnetism, extreme magnetoresistance and nontrivial topological electronic structures in the magnetic semimetal candidate holmium monobismuthide
Authors: Wu Z M , Ruan Y R , Tang F , Zhang L , Fang Y , Zhang J-M , Han Z D , Tang R J , Qian B , Jiang X F
Published: September 2019

Inconceivably large changes (up to 106%) of the resistivity induced by external magnetic field—a phenomenon known as the extreme magnetoresistance effect has been reported in a great number of exotic semimetals. The very recent and exciting discoveries mainly pay attention to the compounds without magnetic ground states, which appears to limit the potential growth of semimetal family. For fundamental scientific interests, introduction of spin degree of freedom would provide an almost ideal platform for investigating the correlation effect between magnetism, crystallographic structure and electric resistivity in materials. Here, we report the experimental observation of metamagnetic behaviors and transport properties of HoBi single crystals. Being a magnetic member of the rare earth monopnictide family, the magnetoresistance of HoBi is significantly modulated by the magnetic orders at low temperature, which shows a nonmonotonic increment across the successive magnetic phases and reaches 104% (9 T and 2 K) in the ferromagnetic state. Kohler’s rule predicts that more than one type of carriers dominates the transport properties. Well fitted magnetoresistance and Hall resistivity curves by the semiclassical two-band model suggest that the densities of electron and hole carriers are nearly compensated and the carrier mobilities in this compound are ultrahigh. Besides, the inverted band structures and nonzero Z
2 topological invariant indicate that possible nontrivial electronic states could generate in the ferromagnetic phase of HoBi. Combining the experimental and theoretical results, it is found that the cooperative action of carrier compensation effect and ultrahigh mobility might contribute to the extreme magnetoresistance observed in the titled compound. These findings suggest a paradigm for obtaining the extreme magnetoresistance in magnetic compounds and are relevant to understand the rare-earth-based correlated topological materials.
A Study on Key Factors Influencing Bid Decision Model for Construction Projects
Authors: Kiran Kumar J , Raj Vimal
Published: September 2019

Competitive bidding serves as a platform for public/private contractors to execute the works specified by the client. Deciding to bid or not to bid for that job proves to be a major hindrance between the bidder and the work. Smart contractors tend to bid for a work, based on facts studied through a pre-bid survey rather being heuristic in taking their decisions. This paper identifies the potential factors influencing the contractors’ bid decisions for different construction projects through a structured questionnaire survey. The factors were ranked based on their importance and utilized as a base for developing a bid decision model using DEA, a non-parametric approach. These factors govern the framework of bid decision model being developed. DEA creates a favorability score from the top and least ranked factors for each and every bid opportunity with a cut-off value as a reference. The public and private bidders utilize the cut-off value as a pivotal point of making bid decisions. This study serves as a tool for decision making process whenever a bid opportunity is created. This paper also recommends the contractors to utilize the bid model, to not only execute the work successfully, but also to improve the self-credibility and effectiveness among the global market.
Optimization through NSGA-II during machining of A356Al/20%SiCp metal matrix composites using PCD Tool
Authors: Seeman M. , Kanagarajan D. , Sivaraj P. , Seetharaman R. , Devaraju A.
Published: September 2019

Metal matrix composite (MMC) has established growing usages in the engineering for lightweight high-strength application. However, because of abrasive nature of the reinforcement particles in MMC, machinability is reduced, tool wear is high, yet only diamond tools are appropriate for machining MMC. Being a complex process, it is very complicated to establish optimal parameters for improving cutting performance. Tool flank wear (VBmax) and Average surface roughness (Ra) are the most significant output responses, which decide the machinability of a material. The effect of cutting parameters on output responses of tool flank wear and average surface roughness are conflict with each one another so there is no single optimal mixture of cutting parameters. In this study multi regression model function, based on NSGA-II was used to optimize the machining of Al/20%SiCp MMC using tipped polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tool and also characterize the relationship among input parameters and output performance. The NSGA-II based non dominated solutions of 30 combinations chosen from 100 and presented; none of them superior to any other each and every one are best based on engineer requirement.
Effect of Process Parameters in Friction Stir Welding of Dissimilar Aluminium Alloys
Authors: Muruganandam D. , Raguraman D. , Kumaraswamidhas L.A.
Published: September 2019

Friction stir welding was invented at Welding institute, United Kingdom in the year 1991 and has ever since been proved to be one of the best solid state joining methods for materials such as aluminium and magnesium. Some of the aluminium alloys which are not able to weld (Al-Cu, Al-Zn-Mg alloy) by fusion welding techniques, which produce defects and reduce the mechanical properties on the weld nugget could be welded using friction stir welding (FSW) successfully with excellent joint efficiencies. However effect of the process parameters on the properties of weldment have not been investigated fully. In this study, 5mm thick plates of aluminium alloys AA2024 (4.4%Cu, 0.6%Mn, 1.6%Mg) and AA7075 (2.5%Mg, 1.4%Cu, 0.2%Cr, 5.6%Zn) is selected for investigation. The FSW welding process was conducted on varying the welding process parameters such as tool rotation speed (RPM), welding speed (mm/min) and tool pin profile by keeping downward force (kN) constant. The properties such as defects, macro and microstructure, micro hardness, tensile and bend behavior on welded plates were studied. Sixteen sets of butt welds were produced using straight and tapered cylindrical with left hand threaded FSW tool pins. It has been found out that defect free weld could be produced with the help of tapered cylindrical with left hand threaded tool pin with tool rotation speed of 600 RPM, welding speed of 30 mm/min and downward force of 2.5 kN
Effect of Nano Filler Reinforcement on Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Composites
Authors: Suresha B , Varun C A , Indushekhara N M , Vishwanath H R , Venkatesh
Published: September 2019

Nano-sized functional fillers, such as Nano-clay (N-C) and Nano-calcium carbonate (N-CC), have attracted a great deal of awareness due to their unexpected intrinsic properties. Extensive research has been done on clay material for epoxy nanocomposites but only a few have ventured into a comparison with other Nanofillers. In this paper, a study has been made of the mechanical properties of epoxy containing N-C and N-CC fillers. These composites were studied for their mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile, flexural and impact strength as per ASTM standards. Fraction of void cohort in the samples was quantified following the rule of mixture. Experimental results demonstrated that incorporation of N-C fillers expanded the hardness, impact strength and module of epoxy nanocomposites. However, the tensile and flexural properties have shown declining trend for N-C/N-CC nanocomposites. The morphological and fractographic features were examined utilizing scanning electron microscopy.
Effect of Wood-Particles Aggregate Percentage on Some Physical Properties of Concrete
Authors: Al Numan Bayan Salim , Ahmed Junaid Kameran
Published: September 2019

This paper is focused on light-weight aggregate concrete with wood particles and its issuesaccording to physical and thermal properties. The experimental work for the estimation of density, absorption and thermal conductivity of light-weight wood-particles aggregate concrete is presented. Wide range of wood-particles percentages were used in the experimental work. The thermal conductivity is related to the air-dry density of wood-particles aggregate concrete. The relation is liedclosely within the predictions presented in ACI 213 committee report. The range of air dry density was about 1400 to 1900 kg/m3.
Effect of Tio2 Nanoparticles In Spirulina Biodiesel-Diesel Blends at Various Injection Strategies: Performance, Combustion and Emission characteristics
Authors: Yaramati Suresh , Sakthimurugan V
Published: September 2019

Since so many years all the automobile engines are running by using the fossil fuels. Day by day the usage is increasing. So, by using the fossil fuels it reaching the last stage and finally it leads to the depletion. So, the fossil fuels are the responsible for air pollution, global warming, and the gradually increasing of global climate. So, the algae biofuels are considered to be the most renewable source of energy and also it is eco-friendly. Microalgae considered to be the potential source which can produce biofuel from algae. Nitrates, phosphates, and carbon dioxide which were produced from atmosphere are consider to be growing environment for algae. Spirulina is a blue-green algae. Autotrophic and alkallophyletic are the two attributes of spirulina. For spirulina lesser amount of sunlight is needed than the homes. pH is the important ingredient in the culture medium. After the transesterification process about 87.75% of biodiesel yield was obtained at optimum level conditions. By comparing of both spirulina bio-oil and chlorella bio-oil the parameters like viscosity and density of chlorella were very equally to the conventional diesel fuel. By the above reasons spirulina is strongly considered to be a potential raw material or feedstock for the biodiesel production to be used in diesel engines. For this investigation to measure the engine performance parameters like exhaust temperature, brake specific fuel consumption and emission parameters like hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, oxygen, carbon monoxides and smoke are measured by changing the injection timings like retard 23 degree, retard 21 degree and retard 19 degree. Finally B20 is the blend taken and this blend is mixed with 75 ppm of Titanium dioxide as a nanoparticle experiment was conducted on four stroke, twin cylinder diesel engineused.
Exercise During the First Trimester and Infant Size at Birth: Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation of the Causal Risk Difference
Authors: Ehrlich Samantha F , Neugebauer Romain S , Feng Juanran , Hedderson Monique M , Ferrara Assiamira
Published: September 2019

This cohort study sought to estimate the differences in risk of delivering infants who were small or large for gestational age (SGA or LGA, respectively) according to exercise during the first trimester of pregnancy (vs. no exercise) among 2,286 women receiving care at Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2013–2017. Exercise was assessed by questionnaire. SGA and LGA were determined by the sex- and gestational-age-specific birthweight distributions of the 2017 US Natality file. Risk differences were estimated by targeted maximum likelihood estimation, with and without data-adaptive prediction (machine learning). Analyses were also stratified by prepregnancy weight status. Overall, exercise at the cohort-specific 75th percentile was associated with an increased risk of SGA of 4.5 (95% CI: 2.1, 6.8) per 100 births, and decreased risk of LGA of 2.8 (95% CI: 0.5, 5.1) per 100 births; similar findings were observed among the underweight and normal-weight women, but no associations were found among those with overweight or obesity. Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines was associated with increased risk of SGA and decreased risk of LGA but only among underweight and normal-weight women. Any vigorous exercise reduced the risk of LGA in underweight and normal-weight women only and was not associated with SGA risk.
History of predator exposure affects cell-mediated immunity in female eastern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)
Authors: Sprayberry Kristen , Tylan Catherine , Owen Dustin A S , Macleod Kirsty J , Sheriff Michael J , Langkilde Tracy
Published: September 2019

On exposure to stressors, energy is diverted from non-urgent functions towards those important for immediate survival. The degree and nature of reallocation may be affected by the evolutionary history of the animal. The eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) coexists in parts of its range with invasive fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), which attack and wound lizards and elevate stress-relevant hormones (corticosterone), whereas other populations have never been exposed to fire ants. We examined how a history of fire ant invasion affected the immune response in female lizards after exposure to exogenous corticosterone (mimicking exposure to a stressor) during gestation (dosing regimens differed among corticosterone-exposed lizards owing to the constraints of the original studies, but we found no evidence that this affected the outcome of the present study). A history of exposure to predatory stressors (fire ants) and corticosterone treatment affected cell-mediated immunity. Lizards from fire ant-invaded sites had a reduced immune response compared with those from uninvaded sites. Corticosterone treatment had no effect on the immune response of lizards from invaded sites but reduced the immune response of lizards from uninvaded sites. This suggests that an evolutionary history of exposure to wounding alters the immune response to corticosterone. Future work on how the immune system responds to environmental threats will be informative for the prediction and management of these threats.
The electrocardiogram endeavour: from the Holter single-lead recordings to multilead wearable devices supported by computational machine learning algorithms
Authors: Vardas Panos , Cowie Martin , Dagres Nikolaos , Asvestas Dimitrios , Tzeis Stylianos , Vardas Emmanuel P , Hindricks Gerhard , Camm John
Published: September 2019

This review aims to provide a comprehensive recapitulation of the evolution in the field of cardiac rhythm monitoring, shedding light in recent progress made in multilead ECG systems and wearable devices, with emphasis on the promising role of the artificial intelligence and computational techniques in the detection of cardiac abnormalities.
Artificial neural network-assisted Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for differentiation ofSalmonellaserogroups and its application on epidemiological tracing ofSalmonellaBovismorbificans outbreak isolates from fresh sprouts
Authors: Oberreuter Helene , Rau Jörg
Published: September 2019

Salmonellae represent one of the most common bacterial infection reagents in both humans and animals. For detection and epidemiological elucidation of Salmonella infections, determination of Salmonella serotypes and differentiation between different Salmonella isolates is crucial. In the first part of this study, Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-assisted Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to establish a method for subtyping Salmonella isolates according to their serogroups. For this, 290 Salmonella strains from 35 different serogroups were used to establish an ANN for differentiation between infrared spectra of 10 different Salmonella serogroups (B, C1, C2-C3, D1/D2, E1, E4, F, G, H, O:55) vs. the remaining serogroups. In the final ANN, sensitivity values ranged between 90 and 100% for most of the 10 serogroups under investigation. In the second part of this study, ANN-assisted FTIR spectroscopy was applied for epidemiological distinction of Salmonella Bovismorbificans outbreak isolates from fresh sprouts vs. isolates from other sources. Four Salmonella Bovismorbificans isolates from human and food origin in the context of a Southern German outbreak were successfully discriminated from other S. Bovismorbificans isolates from various sources. ANN-assisted FTIR spectroscopy is thus an effective tool for discrimination of Salmonella isolates at or even below serogroup level.
Measuring Quality of Life in Carers of People With Dementia: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of Scales measuring the Impact of DEmentia on CARers (SIDECAR)
Authors: Horton Mike C , Oyebode Jan , Clare Linda , Megson Molly , Shearsmith Leanne , Brayne Carol , Kind Paul , Hoare Zoe , Al Janabi Hareth , Hewison Val , Tennant Alan , Wright Penny
Published: September 2019

Background and Objectives

A 2008 European consensus on research outcome measures in dementia care concluded that measurement of carer quality of life (QoL) was limited. Three systematic reviews (2012, 2017, and 2018) of dementia carer outcome measures found existing instruments wanting. In 2017, recommendations were published for developing reliable measurement tools of carers’ needs for research and clinical application. The aim of this study was to develop a new instrument to measure the QoL of dementia carers (family/friends).

Methods

Items were generated directly from carers following an inductive needs-led approach. Carers (n = 566) from 22 English and Welsh locations then completed the items and comparator measures at three time points. Rasch, factor, and psychometric (reliability, validity, responsiveness, and minimally important differences [MIDs]) analyses were undertaken.

Results

Following factor analysis, the pool of 70 items was refined to three independent scales: primary SIDECAR-D (direct impact of caring upon carer QOL, 18 items), secondary SIDECAR-I (indirect impact, 10 items), and SIDECAR-S (support and information, 11 items). All three scales satisfy Rasch model assumptions. SIDECAR-D, I, S psychometrics: reliability (internal ≥ .70; test–retest ≥ .85); convergent validity (as hypothesized); responsiveness (effect sizes: D: moderate; I and S: small); MIDs (D = 9/100, I = 10/100, S = 11/100).

Discussion and Implications

SIDECAR scales demonstrate robust measurement properties, meeting COSMIN quality standards for study design and psychometrics. SIDECAR provides a theoretically based needs-led QoL profile specifically for dementia carers. SIDECAR is free for use in public health, social care, and voluntary sector services, and not-for-profit organizations.
Hybrid de novo genome assembly of Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima)
Authors: Xing Yu , Liu Yang , Zhang Qing , Nie Xinghua , Sun Yamin , Zhang Zhiyong , Li Huchen , Fang Kefeng , Wang Guangpeng , Huang Hongwen , Bisseling Ton , Cao Qingqin , Qin Ling
Published: September 2019

Background

The Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) is widely cultivated in China for nut production. This plant also plays an important ecological role in afforestation and ecosystem services. To facilitate and expand the use of C. mollissima for breeding and its genetic improvement, we report here the whole-genome sequence of C. mollissima.

Findings

We produced a high-quality assembly of the C. mollissima genome using Pacific Biosciences single-molecule sequencing. The final draft genome is ~785.53 Mb long, with a contig N50 size of 944 kb, and we further annotated 36,479 protein-coding genes in the genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. mollissima diverged from Quercus robur, a member of the Fagaceae family, ~13.62 million years ago.

Conclusions

The high-quality whole-genome assembly of C. mollissima will be a valuable resource for further genetic improvement and breeding for disease resistance and nut quality.
Variations and surgical management of pulmonary vein in living-donor lobectomy
Authors: Kayawake Hidenao , Chen-Yoshikawa Toyofumi Fengshi , Tanaka Satona , Yamada Yoshito , Yutaka Yojiro , Nakajima Daisuke , Ohsumi Akihiro , Hamaji Masatsugu , Date Hiroshi
Published: September 2019

OBJECTIVES

In a living-donor lobectomy, the donor undergoes a right or left lower lobectomy. The surgical procedures for living-donor lobectomy are sometimes influenced by the anatomical variations of the pulmonary vein (PV). The goal of this study was to analyse the PV variations in living donors and to review the influence of these variations on the surgical procedures used.

METHODS

Between June 2008 and September 2018, 154 living donors underwent right or left lower lobectomy. The PV variations were analysed using 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT), and the surgical management of these variations was reviewed.

RESULTS

Among 154 donors, 21 PV variations that could influence the surgical procedure for a right lower lobectomy were found in 19 (12.3%) donors, whereas no such variations for a left lower lobectomy were found. Detected PV variations were dorsal branch of the right upper PV (n = 12), middle PV draining into the right lower PV (n = 6) and the superior segment branch of the right lower PV draining into the right upper PV (n = 3). Among 96 donors undergoing right lower lobectomy, 9 (9.4%) donors had PV variations that could influence the surgical procedure. In 2 donors, sparing of PV branches with multiple vascular clamps was required. Pulmonary venoplasty was not required in any donor, whereas pulmonary venoplasty in recipient surgery was required in 4 recipients. There were no complications related to the surgical procedures performed on the PV.

CONCLUSIONS

Living-donor lobectomy was performed safely owing to the preoperative evaluation of PV on 3D-CT and the use of appropriate surgical approaches to PV.
Gardnerella vaginalis Clade Distribution Is Associated With Behavioral Practices and Nugent Score in Women Who Have Sex With Women
Authors: Plummer Erica L , Vodstrcil Lenka A , Murray Gerald L , Fairley Christopher K , Danielewski Jennifer A , Garland Suzanne M , Chow Eric P F , Bulach Dieter M , Fethers Katherine A , Hocking Jane S , Bradshaw Catriona S
Published: September 2019

Background

Gardnerella vaginalis is detected in women with and without bacterial vaginosis (BV). Identification of 4 G. vaginalis clades raised the possibility that pathogenic and commensal clades exist. We investigated the association of behavioral practices and Nugent Score with G. vaginalis clade distribution in women who have sex with women (WSW).

Methods

Longitudinal self-collected vaginal specimens were analyzed using established G. vaginalis species-specific and clade-typing polymerase chain reaction assays. Logistic regression assessed factors associated with detection of G. vaginalis clades, and multinomial regression assessed factors associated with number of clades.

Results

Clades 1, 2, and 3 and multiclade communities (<2 clades) were associated with Nugent-BV. Clade 1 (odds ratio [OR], 3.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65–6.84) and multiclade communities (relative risk ratio [RRR], 9.51; 95% CI, 4.36–20.73) were also associated with Lactobacillus-deficient vaginal microbiota. Clade 4 was neither associated with Nugent-BV nor Lactobacillus-deficient microbiota (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 0.67–3.33). Specific clades were associated with differing behavioral practices. Clade 1 was associated with increasing number of recent sexual partners and smoking, whereas clade 2 was associated with penile-vaginal sex and sharing of sex toys with female partners.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that G. vaginalis clades have varying levels of pathogenicity in WSW, with acquisition occurring through sexual activity. These findings suggest that partner treatment may be an appropriate strategy to improve BV cure.
A Mathematical Modeling Approach to the Cort-Fitness Hypothesis
Authors: El Moustaid F , Lane S J , Moore I T , Johnson L R
Published: September 2019

The Cort-Fitness Hypothesis has generated much interest from investigators integrating field endocrinology with evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation. The hypothesis was developed to test the assumption that if glucocorticoid levels increase with environmental challenges and fitness decreases with environmental challenges, then there should be a negative relationship between baseline glucocorticoid levels and fitness. Indeed, studies across diverse taxa have found that the relationship between baseline glucocorticoid levels and fitness are not consistent: some studies show a positive relationship, others negative, and some show no correlation. Hence, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between baseline glucocorticoid levels, environmental challenges, and fitness is needed. We propose a mathematical model representing the links between baseline glucocorticoid levels, environmental challenges, and fitness. Our model describes how variation in the predictability and intensity of environmental challenges, reproductive strategies, and fitness metrics can all contribute to the variability observed in empirical tests of the Cort-Fitness Hypothesis. We provide qualitative results showing that much of the inconsistency in previous studies can be explained and we discuss how the model can be used to inform future Cort-Fitness studies.
Novel Spiroplasma sp. Isolated From CWD Is an Extreme Bacterial Thermoacidophile That Survives Autoclaving, Boiling, Formalin Treatment, and Significant Gamma Irradiation
Authors: Bastian Frank O , Lynch James , Wang Wei-Hsung
Published: September 2019

Rapid spreading of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wildlife and captive cervid populations has exposed lack of progress in dealing with the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) of man and animals. Since the TSE transmissible agent was resistant to extremes in environmental and chemical treatments, focus was on an unconventional agent including the prion theory. Recent breakthrough research has revealed consistent isolation of a novel Spiroplasma sp. from TSE-affected tissues that propagates in cell-free media and on agar. Here, we developed a live culture assay to test whether the CWD spiroplasma isolate possessed unconventional biologic properties akin to those of the transmissible agent of TSE. The CWD spiroplasma isolate survived boiling for 1 hour, standard liquid autoclaving, 10% formalin treatment overnight, and gamma irradiation of 20 kGy. The CWD spiroplasma isolate is an acidophile, growing best at pH 2. The biologic resistance of the CWD spiroplasma isolate may be due to unusual phage-like viruses found in the bacterial pellet or to DNA-protein binding. Because the CWD spiroplasma isolate has biologic properties consistent with the causal agent of the TSEs, TSE research focus should be redirected to development of diagnostic tests and preventive vaccines for control of CWD based upon the bacterium.
Longitudinal Colonization With Streptococcus pneumoniae During the First Year of Life in a Healthy Newborn Cohort
Authors: Meropol Sharon B , Jacobs Michael R , Stange Kurt C , Bajaksouzian Saralee , Bonomo Robert A
Published: September 2019

Background

The objective of this study was to characterize longitudinal colonization with Streptococcus pneumoniae during the first year of life within a community newborn infant cohort, and assess the relationship between antibiotic exposure and colonization with antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Methods

During April 2013–February 2014, 326 infants were enrolled from an urban academic hospital well-baby nursery. At ages 4, 8, and 12 months, we collected antibiotic data, other exposure data, and nasopharyngeal cultures for pneumococcal isolation.

Results

Follow-up visits were completed for 211, 158, and 144 infants at ages 4, 8, and 12 months, respectively. By 12 months, 33% of infants attending the visits had ever been exposed to antibiotics, 67% if exposures to maternal antibiotics at birth are included. Pneumococci were isolated at 38/839 (4.5%) visits from 38 infants, including one 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) serotype (6A). There were 1 (0.3%), 15 (7%), 7 (4%), and 15 (10%) infants who were colonized at 0-, 4-, 8-, and 12-month visits, respectively. By age 12 months, at least 35 (11%) infants had ever been colonized. Sixteen isolates (42%) exhibited nonsusceptibility to at least 1 antibiotic. Infants with recent antibiotic exposure were not more likely to be colonized or to harbor nonsusceptible organisms.

Conclusions

Within a hospital birth cohort followed in the community, pneumococcal colonization and related antibiotic resistance were lower than previously reported, likely associated with PCV13 use. Antibiotic exposure was not associated with subsequent colonization with resistant isolates. The influence of other environmental factors needs further study.
sitoolbox: A package for Bayesian estimation of the isotropy violation in the CMB sky
Authors: Das Santanu
Published: September 2019

The standard model of cosmology predicts a statistically isotropic (SI) cosmic microwave background (CMB) sky. However, the SI violation signals are always present in an observed sky-map. Different cosmological artefacts, measurement effects, and unavoidable effects during data analysis, etc. may lead to isotropy violation in an otherwise SI sky. Therefore, a proper data analysis technique should calculate all these SI violation signals, so that they can be matched with SI violation signals from the known sources, and then conclude if there is any intrinsic SI violation in the CMB sky. In one of our recent works, we presented a general Bayesian formalism for measuring the isotropy violation signals in the CMB sky in the presence of an idealized isotropic noise. In this paper, we have extended the mechanism and develop a software package, sitoolbox, for measuring SI violation in presence of anisotropic noise and masking.
SDSS-IV MaNGA: the inner density slopes of nearby galaxies
Authors: Li Ran , Li Hongyu , Shao Shi , Lu Shengdong , Zhu Kai , Wang Chunxiang , Gao Liang , Mao Shude , Dutton Aaron A , Ge Junqiang , Wang Yunchong , Leauthaud Alexie , Zheng Zheng , Bundy Kevin , Brownstein Joel R
Published: September 2019

We derive the mass-weighted total density slopes within the effective (half-light) radius, γ′, for more than 2000 nearby galaxies from the SDSS-IV (Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV) MaNGA survey using Jeans-anisotropic-models applied to integral field unit observations. Our galaxies span a wide range of the stellar mass (109 M⊙ < M* < 1012 M⊙) and the velocity dispersion (30 km s−1 < σv < 300 km s−1). We find that for galaxies with velocity dispersion σv > 100 km s−1, the density slope has a mean value 〈γ′〉 = 2.24 and a dispersion σγ = 0.22, almost independent of velocity dispersion, consistent with previous lensing and stellar dynamical analysis. We also quantitatively confirm with high accuracy a turnover in the γ′–σv relation is present at σ ∼ 100 km s−1, below which the density slope decreases rapidly with σv, consistent with the results reported by previous analysis of ${\rm ATLAS^{\rm 3D}}$ survey. Our analysis shows that a large fraction of dwarf galaxies (below M* = 1010 M⊙) have total density slopes shallower than 1, which implies that they may reside in cold dark matter haloes with shallow density slopes. We compare our results with that of galaxies in hydrodynamical simulations of EAGLE, Illustris, and IllustrisTNG projects, and find all simulations predict shallower density slopes for massive galaxies with high σv. Finally, we explore the dependence of γ′ on the positions of galaxies in haloes, namely centrals versus satellites, and find that for the same velocity dispersion, the amplitude of γ′ is higher for satellite galaxies by about 0.1.
Signatures of cell death and proliferation in perturbation transcriptomics data—from confounding factor to effective prediction
Authors: Szalai Bence , Subramanian Vigneshwari , Holland Christian H , Alföldi Róbert , Puskás László G , Saez-Rodriguez Julio
Published: September 2019

Transcriptional perturbation signatures are valuable data sources for functional genomics. Linking perturbation signatures to screenings opens the possibility to model cellular phenotypes from expression data and to identify efficacious drugs. We linked perturbation transcriptomics data from the LINCS-L1000 project with cell viability information upon genetic (Achilles project) and chemical (CTRP screen) perturbations yielding more than 90 000 signature–viability pairs. An integrated analysis showed that the cell viability signature is a major factor underlying perturbation signatures. The signature is linked to transcription factors regulating cell death, proliferation and division time. We used the cell viability–signature relationship to predict viability from transcriptomics signatures, and identified and validated compounds that induce cell death in tumor cell lines. We showed that cellular toxicity can lead to unexpected similarity of signatures, confounding mechanism of action discovery. Consensus compound signatures predicted cell-specific drug sensitivity, even if the signature is not measured in the same cell line, and outperformed conventional drug-specific features. Our results can help in understanding mechanisms behind cell death and removing confounding factors of transcriptomic perturbation screens. To interactively browse our results and predict cell viability in new gene expression samples, we developed CEVIChE (CEll VIability Calculator from gene Expression; https://saezlab.shinyapps.io/ceviche/).