bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Making Room for Liberals in the Antiwar Movement: The Americans for Democratic Action and the Dilemma of Liberal Opposition to the Vietnam War
Authors: Kamen Scott
Published: April 2019

The opposition of American liberals to the Vietnam War has often been seen as suspect by historians who compare their actions and positions unfavorably with the passionate dissent of the New Left and its straightforward call for the unilateral withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Southeast Asia. This article argues that when it is evaluated on its own merits, the antiwar activism of prominent liberals from the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) does not represent a less “pure” version of the dissent mounted by the New Left, but a dedicated, if less than effective, opposition to U.S. military intervention in a distant civil war. By making room for liberals—both within and outside of the ADA—in the antiwar movement, we gain a more complete picture of both postwar liberalism and the complex dynamics of the largest antiwar movement in American history.
Theorizing human impacts into ecological restoration is not a slippery slope, but a toehold for reaching social‐ecological resilience: a counter‐response to McDonald et al. (2019)
Authors: Evans Nicole M. , Davis Mark A.
Published: April 2019

In their reply, McDonald et al. have misconstrued several crucial points from our article. In this counter‐response, we clarify our concerns with the Standards as a document with global implications. We highlight our concern with framing preindustrial indigenous peoples' impacts as natural and the colonial connotations of such an assumption. We also discuss practical issues that arise from the Standards' conceptualization of natural variation and suggest avenues for developing frameworks that do not rely on a nature‐culture dichotomy or naturalization of indigenous landscapes.
Causation Analysis of Risk Coupling of Gas Explosion Accident in Chinese Underground Coal Mines
Authors: Zhang Jinjia , Xu Kaili , You Greg , Wang Beibei , Zhao Lei
Published: April 2019

The coal mine production industry is a complex sociotechnical system with interactive relationships among several risk factors. Currently, causation analysis of gas explosion accidents is mainly focused on the aspects of human error and equipment fault, while neglecting the interactive relationships among risk factors. A new method is proposed through risk coupling. First, the meaning ofrisk coupling of a gas explosionis defined, and types of risk coupling are classified. Next, the coupled relationship and coupled effects among risk factors are explored through combining the interpretative structural modeling (ISM) and the NK model. Twenty‐eight representative risk factors and 16 coupled types of risk factors are obtained through analysis of 332 gas explosion accidents in coal mines in China. Through the application of the combined ISM–NK model, an eight‐level hierarchical model of risk coupling of a gas explosion accident is established, and the coupled degrees of different types of risk coupling are assessed. The hierarchical model reveals that two of the 28 risk factors, such as state policies, laws, and regulations, are the root risk factors for gas explosions; nine of the 28 risk factors, such as flame from blasting, electric spark, and local gas accumulation, are direct causes of gas explosions; whereas 17 of the risk factors, such as three‐violation actions, ventilation system, and safety management, are indirect ones. A quantitative analysis of the NK model shows that the probability of gas explosion increases with the increasing number of risk factors. Compared with subjective risk factors, objective risk factors have a higher probability of causing gas explosion because of risk coupling.
Sign here, please! On developing countries’ market access conditions in regional trade agreements
Authors: Stender Frederik
Published: April 2019

Have regional trade agreements (RTAs) improved market access conditions for developing countries? Employing a measure expressing effective tariff margins and using disaggregated panel data for a sample of 45 developing country exporters, 60 export destinations, and the period between 1991 and 2015, it is shown that this question can generally be answered in the affirmative. Although the effect is estimated to be moderate, RTAs might thus be an important long‐run building block in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in order to increase developing countries’ participation in world trade. On closer inspection, however, for the countries included in the sample, there is considerable variation depending on the choice of integration partners and economic sectors. More specifically, market access improvements cannot be found for African economies in South–South agreements and developing countries engaging formally with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) or the Republic of Korea, while leading industrialized nations are reluctant to grant improved market access to developing countries in RTAs especially in capital‐intensive (high‐productivity) manufacturing sectors.
Joint Modelling of Competing Risks and Current Status Data: An Application to a Spontaneous Labour Study
Authors: Lee Youjin , Wang Mei-Cheng , Grantz Katherine L. , Sundaram Rajeshwari
Published: April 2019

The second stage of labour begins when the cervix is fully dilated and pushing begins until the fetus is delivered. A Caesarean delivery (CD) or operative vaginal delivery (OVD) is typically encouraged after the recommended time set by ‘expert consensus’. This recommended time has been set out of concern for an increased chance of maternal and neonatal morbidities due to a prolonged second stage of labour, but without thorough consideration of heterogeneous risks for spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) and morbidities among women. To provide quantitative evidence for the recommendation, the first step is to compare the risks for SVD, CD or OVD, and the risks of maternal or neonatal morbidities simultaneously across the duration of the second stage of labour. To address such risk comparisons statistically, one needs to study the joint distribution for the time to delivery due to each mode and time to maternal or neonatal morbidity given information provided for each individual. We introduce a joint model which combines the competing risks data for delivery time and current status data for any type of maternal or neonatal morbidity given each woman's baseline characteristics. These two processes are assumed dependent through individual-specific frailty under the joint model. Our numerical studies include a simulation that reflects the structure of observed real data and a detailed real data analysis based on nearly 12000 spontaneous labours. Our finding indicates the necessity to incorporate maternal characteristic such as age or body mass index in assessing the probability for delivery due to SVD, CD or OVD and the onset of morbidities across the second stage of labour.
The effects of intradialytic exercise on hemodialysis adequacy: A systematic review
Authors: Kirkman Danielle L. , Scott Matthew , Kidd Jason , Macdonald Jamie H.
Published: April 2019

Dialysis adequacy is an independent predictor of high mortality rates in hemodialysis patients. Intradialytic exercise is a potential strategy to increase uremic solute removal by increasing blood flow to low perfusion tissue beds. The purpose of this review is to establish the efficacy of intradialytic exercise for hemodialysis adequacy. Additionally, this review aims to provide practical information to aid health care professionals implement intradialytic exercise for dialysis adequacy. Database and hand searches identified 15 published interventional studies that implemented intradialytic exercise for dialysis adequacy as a primary outcome measure in adult maintenance hemodialysis patients. Data pertaining to dialytic solute clearance of urea, creatinine, beta2 microglobulin, phosphate, and potassium were extracted. Mean differences, normalized to percentages, and effect sizes were calculated and reported. The current data pertaining to the use of intradialytic exercise for improving dialysis adequacy in terms of Kt/Vurea or small molecule uremic toxin clearance are equivocal. Limited data showed that intradialytic exercise has no effect middle molecule toxin (beta2 ‐ microglobulin) clearance. Intradialytic exercise favored increased phosphate removal showing medium to large effects for reduced serum concentrations, reduced rebound and increased clearance. In summary, supervised light to moderate intradialytic aerobic cycling appears to be beneficial for increasing phosphate removal and may be an adjunct therapy for patients failing to meet clinical phosphate targets. Further work is required to establish the effect of intradialytic exercise on Kt/Vurea and other middle molecule and protein bound solutes. Research aimed at establishing the most effective exercise prescription for improved solute clearance is warranted.
Syn‐rift sequence development in a fault‐controlled embayment (Early Permian Irwin River Coal Measures, Northern Perth Basin, Western Australia)
Authors: Dillinger Antoine , George Annette D.
Published: April 2019

Stratigraphic patterns and sequence development in tectonically active extensional basins remain poorly documented in comparison with passive‐margin settings. Rift basin fills are generally characterized by coarsening‐upward trends in response to the rapid creation of accommodation by extensional faulting, and the progressive filling of graben during more quiescent periods. The Early Permian Irwin River Coal Measures in the Northern Perth Basin (Western Australia) record a complex stratigraphic arrangement of conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone and coal, and have been attributed to delta plain depositional environments that developed in a cool–temperate climatic setting during syn‐rift activity. Sedimentary analysis of outcrop and core data from the fault‐bounded Irwin Terrace is used to distinguish nine facies associations reflecting deposition in braided rivers, fixed‐anastomosed channel belts, tide‐influenced coastal environments and storm‐affected distal bays. The broader depositional system is interpreted as a morphologically asymmetrical tide‐dominated embayment with a fluvial and wave influence. The stratigraphic architecture of the Irwin River Coal Measures was strongly influenced by the evolving rift basin margin. Fault reactivation of the major basin‐bounding Darling Fault in the early syn‐rift phase caused footwall uplift and the inception of transverse palaeo‐valleys occupied by braided fluvial systems. Fault block subsidence during the subsequent balanced, backstepping and drowning phases resulted in a dominantly retrogradational stacking pattern indicating progressive flooding of marginal‐marine areas and culminating in deposition of distal marine elements. In the active rift basin, it is proposed that preservation of a shallow‐marine syn‐rift sequence was promoted by the geomorphological confinement of the embayed system increasing tidal current acceleration and hampering transgressive ravinement. The proposed sequence model demonstrates that transgressive successions can develop in the early syn‐rift phase in response to footwall uplift and tectonic subsidence. The syn‐rift sequence recording the filling of an embayment on a rift basin margin may be applied in similar tectonic and/or depositional contexts worldwide.
Optimal Incentives on Multiple Prosocial Activities when Reputation Matters*
Authors: Candel‐Sánchez Francisco , Perote‐Peña Juan
Published: April 2019

In this paper, we present a signaling model in which individuals engage in socially beneficial but costly activities in order to convey information about their willingness to cooperate with other agents. When several activities are available, the inclusion of monetary compensations in any one of them affects the relative costs of undertaking each activity and, therefore, their informative value for agents. We find the subsidies that maximize social welfare, which are shown to depend critically on the reputation gained from each activity. Finally, we use comparative statics analysis to study the effects on optimal subsidies of changes in their determinants.
Short‐term results of acellular porcine corneal stroma keratoplasty for herpes simplex keratitis
Authors: Zheng Jiao , Huang Xiaodan , Zhang Yue , Wang Yi , Qin Qiyu , Lin Lin , Jin Xiuming , Lam Ching , Zhang Jinnan
Published: April 2019

Background

Corneal transplantation is a common surgical intervention for restoring vision loss due to corneal damages. However, for cultural reasons, there is a huge shortage of donor corneas in China. Acellular porcine corneal stromas (APCSs) can be used as corneal substitutes in lamellar keratoplasty for corneal ulcers. This study was conducted to analyze the results of APCS use for herpes simplex keratitis (HSK).

Methods

The study involved HSK patients who underwent keratoplasty with APCSs from February 2016 to October 2017 in the second affiliated hospital of Zhejiang University. Patient data were collected at 7 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and at the last follow‐up (7‐25 months) postoperative. The corneal transparency, neovascularization, visual acuity, and graft stability were observed.

Results

Thirteen patients with HSK including five patients with corneal perforation were included in this study, nine patients underwent deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and five perforation patients underwent double lamellar keratoplasty. There were nine men and four women with an average age of 62.5 ± 5.6 years old (ranging from 52 to 70 years old). The mean postoperative follow‐up duration was 15.1 ± 5.8 months (ranging from 7 to 25 months). At the last visit, visual acuity improved in nine patients (69.2%) compared with preoperative (P = 0.008).The grafts of seven individuals (53.8%) were completely transparent or slightly opaque; their corneal transparency score had improved significantly compared with before the surgery (P = 0.010). Various degrees of neovascularization were present in 11 of the 13 patients (84.6%), most neovascularization gradually stabilized. Graft dissolution occurred in three eyes (23.1%) during the observation period, two underwent regrafting, the other one became stable after treatment. Three patients underwent second allograft transplantation, two of which encountered APCS graft dissolution and one of the patients requested a human donor allograft transplantation due to transparency issues despite the absence of adverse issues.

Conclusion

Acellular porcine corneal stroma seems to be effective in the treatment of HSK and can be used in HSK with corneal perforation by using double lamellar keratoplasty in an emergency.
Investigation of the Boundary Layer Flow Under Engine-Like Conditions Using Particle Image Velocimetry
Authors: Liu Daming , Wang Tianyou , Jia Ming , Li Wei , Lu Zhen , Zhen Xudong
Published: April 2019

The turbulent boundary layer flow in internal combustion (IC) engines has a significant effect on the in-cylinder flow and the wall heat transfer. A detailed analysis of the in-cylinder near-wall flow was carried out on an optical steady flow test bench by using high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) in order to characterize the in-cylinder boundary layer flow in this study. The difference between the in-cylinder boundary layer and the canonical turbulent boundary layer was analyzed. The experimental results show that small-scale vortices with a length scale of about 1–2 mm in the instantaneous flow fields appeared in the wall jet region due to the entrainment of the free jet in the outer region of the wall jet. The viscous sublayer thickness decreased from 0.5 mm to 0.3 mm as the valve lift increased from 2.32 mm to 7.975 mm and the pressure drop from 0.5 kPa to 1 kPa. The dimensionless velocity profile is in good agreement with the law of the wall in the viscous sublayer. However, no obvious logarithmic law distribution region was observed in the logarithmic layer. The distribution of the Reynolds stress and the turbulent kinetic energy is similar to that of the canonical turbulent boundary layer. But the Reynolds stress had a much larger magnitude because the turbulent velocity measured in this boundary layer included not only the turbulence generated by wall shear but also the large-scale turbulent vortices caused by the wall jet.
Study of a Cooling Feed Pipe With a Covering Plate on a Ribbed Turbine Case
Authors: Liu Fangyuan , Mao Junkui , Han Chao , Liu Yuanjian , Han Xingsi , Liang Fengli
Published: April 2019

Considering the complicated geometry in an active clearance control (ACC) system, the design of an improved cooling feed pipe with a covering plate for a high pressure ribbed turbine case was investigated. Numerical calculations were analyzed to obtain the interactions between the impinging jet arrays fed by the pipe. Experimental tests were performed to explore the effect of the Reynolds number (2000–20,000) and the jet-to-surface spacing ratio (6–10) on the streamwise-averaged Nusselt numbers. Additionally, the effect of the crossflow produced by the configuration was investigated. Results showed a confined curved channel was formed by the pipe and ribbed case, which resulted in crossflow. The crossflow evolved into vortices and the streamwise-averaged Nusselt number on the high ribs was subsequently increased. Furthermore, the distribution of the heat transfer on the entire surface became more uniform compared with that of traditional impinging jet arrays. A higher Nusselt number was achieved by decreasing the jet-to-surface spacing and increasing the Reynolds number. This investigation has revealed a cooling configuration for controlling the wall flow and evening the heat transfer on the case surface, especially for the ribs.
Machine Learning-Based Pre-Impact Fall Detection Model to Discriminate Various Types of Fall
Authors: Kim Tae Hyong , Choi Ahnryul , Heo Hyun Mu , Kim Kyungran , Lee Kyungsuk , Mun Joung Hwan
Published: April 2019

Pre-impact fall detection can send alarm service faster to reduce long-lie conditions and decrease the risk of hospitalization. Detecting various types of fall to determine the impact site or direction prior to impact is important because it increases the chance of decreasing the incidence or severity of fall-related injuries. In this study, a robust pre-impact fall detection model was developed to classify various activities and falls as multiclass and its performance was compared with the performance of previous developed models. Twelve healthy subjects participated in this study. All subjects were asked to place an inertial measuring unit module by fixing on a belt near the left iliac crest to collect accelerometer data for each activity. Our novel proposed model consists of feature calculation and infinite latent feature selection (ILFS) algorithm, auto labeling of activities, and application of machine learning classifiers for discrete and continuous time series data. Nine machine-learning classifiers were applied to detect falls prior to impact and derive final detection results by sorting the classifier. Our model showed the highest classification accuracy. Results for the proposed model that could classify as multiclass showed significantly higher average classification accuracy of 99.57 ± 0.01% for discrete data-based classifiers and 99.84 ± 0.02% for continuous time series-based classifiers than previous models (p < 0.01). In the future, multiclass pre-impact fall detection models can be applied to fall protector devices by detecting various activities for sending alerts or immediate feedback reactions to prevent falls.
A Finite Element Modeling Framework for Planar Curved Beam Dynamics Considering Nonlinearities and Contacts
Authors: Feng Tianheng , Bakshi Soovadeep , Gu Qifan , Chen Dongmei
Published: April 2019

Motivated by modeling directional drilling dynamics where planar curved beams undergo small displacements, withstand high compression forces, and are in contact with an external wall, this paper presents an finite element method (FEM) modeling framework to describe planar curved beam dynamics under loading. The shape functions of the planar curved beam are obtained using the assumed strain field method. Based on the shape functions, the stiffness and mass matrices of a planar curved beam element are derived using the Euler–Lagrange equations, and the nonlinearities of the beam strain are modeled through a geometric stiffness matrix. The contact effects between curved beams and the external wall are also modeled, and corresponding numerical methods are discussed. Simulations are carried out using the developed element to analyze the dynamics and statics of planar curved structures under small displacements. The numerical simulation converges to the analytical solution as the number of elements increases. Modeling using curved beam elements achieves higher accuracy in both static and dynamic analyses compared to the approximation made by using straight beam elements. To show the utility of the developed FEM framework, the post-buckling condition of a directional drill string is analyzed. The drill pipe undergoes spiral buckling under high compression forces, which agrees with experiments and field observations.
An Ankle Exoskeleton Using a Lightweight Motor to Create High Power Assistance for Push-Off
Authors: Liu Jiazhen , Xiong Caihua , Fu Chenglong
Published: April 2019

Active exoskeletons have capacity to provide biologically equivalent levels of joint mechanical power, but high mass of actuation units may lead to uncoordinated walking and extra metabolic consumption. Active exoskeletons normally supply assistance directly during push-off and have a power burst during push-off. Thus, the requirements on power of motors are high, which is the main reason for the high mass. However, in a muscle-tendon system, the strategy of injecting energy slowly and releasing quickly is utilized to obtain a higher peak power than that of muscle alone. Application of this strategy of peak power amplification in exoskeleton actuation might lead to reductions of input power and device mass. This paper presents an ankle exoskeleton which can accumulate the energy injected by a motor during the swing phase and mostly the stance phase and then release it quickly during push-off. An energy storage and release system was developed using a four-bar linkage clutch. In addition, evaluation experiments on the exoskeleton were carried out. Results show that the exoskeleton could provide a high power assistance with a low power motor and reduced the requirement on motor power by 4.73 times. Besides, when walking with the exoskeleton, the ankle peak power was reduced by 25.8% compared to the normal condition. The strategy which imitates the working pattern of the muscle-tendon system leads to a lightweight and effective exoskeleton actuation, and it also supplies ideas for the designs of lightweight actuators that work discontinuously in other conditions.
The Design of Looped-Synchronous Mechanism With Duplicated Spatial Assur-Groups
Authors: Wang Xu , Guo Weizhong
Published: April 2019

The looped-synchronous mechanism (LSM) is a special one degree-of-freedom (DOF) closed chain of transmission with a large number of duplicated units that synchronizes the motion of many output links. This kind of mechanism can be found in many applications such as stator blade adjusting mechanisms for various aero-engines. The LSMs are composed of a large number of links and joints and must be designed by specific means. Spatial Assur-group, which is a concept extended from traditional Assur-group(in planar scope), and usually with a little number of parts and joints, is used in this work to design LSM. First, based on the formula of DOF of spatial Assur-group, all possible combinations are listed and two feasible combinations are chosen as the main body of each unit of LSM, combining with a prime mover to meet the requirement to be inexpandable and adjustable. Second, the condition for transmission ratio of the used Assur-group to be 1 is distilled for being synchronous and looped under the situation that all units of LSM have the same topology. To meet the condition, the needed dimensional conditions are researched and mathematical deduction is used to figure out the possibilities. Third, after confirming that it is impossible to meet the condition strictly, an optimization method in the environment of Simulink is used to approach the condition as close as possible. Finally, numerical and dynamic simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the mentioned methods.
Lower-Limb Prostheses and Exoskeletons With Energy Regeneration: Mechatronic Design and Optimization Review
Authors: Laschowski Brock , McPhee John , Andrysek Jan
Published: April 2019

Lower-limb biomechatronic devices (i.e., prostheses and exoskeletons) depend upon onboard batteries to power wearable sensors, actuators, and microprocessors, therein inherently limiting their operating durations. Regenerative braking, also termed electrical energy regeneration, represents a promising solution to the aforementioned shortcomings. Regenerative braking converts the otherwise dissipated mechanical energy during locomotion into electrical energy for recharging the onboard batteries, while simultaneously providing negative mechanical work for controlled system deceleration. This paper reviewed the electromechanical design and optimization of lower-limb biomechatronic devices with electrical energy regeneration. The technical review starts by examining human walking biomechanics (i.e., mechanical work, power, and torque about the hip, knee, and ankle joints) and proposes general design principles for regenerative braking prostheses and exoskeletons. Analogous to electric and hybrid electric vehicle powertrains, there are numerous mechatronic design components that could be optimized to maximize electrical energy regeneration, including the mechanical power transmission, electromagnetic machine, electrical drive, device mass and moment of inertia, and energy storage devices. Design optimization of these system components is individually discussed while referencing the latest advancements in robotics and automotive engineering. The technical review demonstrated that existing systems (1) are limited to level-ground walking applications and (2) have maximum energy regeneration efficiencies between 30% and 37%. Accordingly, potential future directions for research and innovation include (1) regenerative braking during dynamic movements like sitting down and slope and staircase descent and (2) utilizing high-torque-density electromagnetic machines and low-impedance mechanical power transmissions to maximize energy regeneration efficiencies.
VPS4 triggers constriction and cleavage of ESCRT-III helical filaments
Authors: Maity Sourav , Caillat Christophe , Miguet Nolwenn , Sulbaran Guidenn , Effantin Gregory , Schoehn Guy , Roos Wouter H. , Weissenhorn Winfried
Published: April 2019

VPS4 constricts ESCRT-III CHMP2A-CHMP3.
Genomic Investigation of the Emergence of Invasive Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Dublin in Humans and Animals in Canada
Authors: Mangat Chand S. , Bekal Sadjia , Avery Brent P. , Côté Geneviève , Daignault Danielle , Doualla-Bell Florence , Finley Rita , Lefebvre Brigitte , Bharat Amrita , Parmley E. Jane , Reid-Smith Richard J. , Longtin Jean , Irwin Rebecca J. , Mulvey Michael R. ,   on behalf of the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Public Health Partnership, Hoang Linda , Louie Marie , Romanow Roy , Alexander David C. , Allen Vanessa , Haldane David , German Greg J. , El Bailey Sameh , Zahariadis George
Published: April 2019

Salmonella enterica
subsp.
enterica
serovar Dublin is a zoonotic pathogen that often leads to invasive bloodstream infections in humans that are multidrug resistant.
Treatment with the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Glycoside Hydrolase PslG Combats Wound Infection by Improving Antibiotic Efficacy and Host Innate Immune Activity
Authors: Pestrak Matthew J. , Baker Perrin , Dellos-Nolan Sheri , Hill Preston J. , Passos da Silva Daniel , Silver Holly , Lacdao Ira , Raju Deepa , Parsek Matthew R. , Wozniak Daniel J. , Howell P. Lynne
Published: April 2019

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is an opportunistic, nosocomial bacterial pathogen that forms persistent infections due to the formation of protective communities, known as biofilms. Once the biofilm is formed, the bacteria embedded within it are recalcitrant to antimicrobial treatment and host immune defenses.
Tissue Distribution and Penetration of Isavuconazole at the Site of Infection in Experimental Invasive Aspergillosis in Mice with Underlying Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Authors: Lee Annie , Prideaux Brendan , Lee Min Hee , Zimmerman Matthew , Dolgov Enriko , Perlin David S. , Zhao Yanan
Published: April 2019

Isavuconazole, the active moiety of the prodrug isavuconazonium sulfate, has potent activity against a wide spectrum of fungal pathogens and is approved for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis, yet little is known about the tissue penetration of isavuconazole at the target sites of infection. Here, we explored the spatial and quantitative distribution of isavuconazole in tissue lesions in experimental pulmonary aspergillosis established in mice with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) (gp91
phox−
).
Competence beyond Genes: Filling in the Details of the Pneumococcal Competence Transcriptome by a Systems Approach
Authors: Winkler Malcolm E. , Morrison Donald A.
Published: April 2019

DNA uptake by natural competence is a central process underlying the genetic plasticity, biology, and virulence of the human respiratory opportunistic pathogen
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. A study reported in this issue (J.
25th Annual Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference
Authors: Yahr Timothy L. , Ellermeier Craig D.
Published: April 2019

The 25th annual Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference (MMPC) was held at the University of Iowa from 28 to 30 September 2018. The conference has a long-standing tradition of providing scientists from the Midwest with a forum to present and discuss cutting-edge advances in microbial pathogenesis with particular focus on bacterial interactions with the environment, host, and other microbes.
Antagonizing the Glucocorticoid Receptor Impairs Explant-Induced Reactivation in Mice Latently Infected with Herpes Simplex Virus 1
Authors: Harrison Kelly S. , Zhu Liqian , Thunuguntla Prasanth , Jones Clinton
Published: April 2019

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) establishes lifelong latent infections in neurons within trigeminal ganglia (TG); periodically, reactivation from latency occurs, leading to virus transmission and recurrent disease. Chronic or acute stress increases the frequency of reactivation from latency; how this occurs is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that the synthetic corticosteroid dexamethasone stimulated explant-induced reactivation from latency. Conversely, a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist significantly impaired reactivation from latency, indicating that GR activation stimulated explant-induced reactivation. The viral regulatory protein VP16 was readily detected in TG neurons prior to infected-cell protein 0 (ICP0) and ICP4 during explant-induced reactivation. Dexamethasone induced expression of all three viral regulatory proteins following TG explant. Whereas the immunosuppressive properties of corticosteroids would facilitate viral spread during reactivation from latency, these studies indicate GR activation increases the number of TG neurons that express viral regulatory proteins during early stages of explant-induced reactivation.
Genome Sequences of Bacteriophages KaiHaiDragon and OneinaGillian, Isolated from Microbacterium foliorum in Riverside, California
Authors: Miller Gillian , Tran Steven , Abrahams Rhiannon , Bazan Daniel , Blaylock Ethan , Choi Jessica , Grewal Shannon , Hernandez Elmira , Kim Daniel , Kim Kay , Lee Yumin , Lopez Meagan , Specht Rachel , Kalaj Nancy , Muthiah Arun , Dean Natasha , Diaz Arturo
Published: April 2019

KaiHaiDragon and OneinaGillian are two bacteriophages which have been recovered from soil samples using the bacterial host
Microbacterium foliorum
. Their genome lengths are 52,992 bp and 61,703 bp, with 91 and 104 predicted open reading frames, respectively.
Draft Genome Sequence of Halotolerant Bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens ANJ207, Isolated from Salt Crystal Deposits in Pipelines
Authors: Srivastava Alok Kumar , Sharma Anjney , Srivastava Ruchi , Tiwari Praveen Kumar , Singh Alok Kumar , Yadav Jagriti , Jamali Hena , Bharati Akhilendra Pratap , Srivastava Anchal Kumar , Kashyap Prem Lal , Chakdar Hillol , Kumar Murugan , Saxena Anil Kumar
Published: April 2019

Chromohalobacter salexigens
ANJ207 was isolated from a salt crystal and is known to tolerate up to 30% NaCl concentration. Here, we report the
de novo
draft assembly of
C. salexigens
ANJ207.
Genome Sequence of an Arthroconidial Yeast, Saprochaete fungicola CBS 625.85
Authors: Brejová Broňa , Lichancová Hana , Hodorová Viktória , Neboháčová Martina , Tomáška Ľubomír , Vinař Tomáš , Nosek Jozef
Published: April 2019

Saprochaete fungicola
is an arthroconidial yeast classified in the
Magnusiomyces
/
Saprochaete
clade of the subphylum Saccharomycotina. Here, we report the genome sequence of holotype strain CBS 625.85, assembled to five putative chromosomes.
The Mastitis Pathogens Culture Collection
Authors: Dufour Simon , Labrie Josée , Jacques Mario
Published: April 2019

The Mastitis Pathogen Culture Collection contains more than 16,000 mastitis-causing bacterial isolates from milk samples taken from cow quarters and bulk tanks in a national cohort of 91 dairy farms across Canada over a period of 2 years. These isolates are linked to demographic and production data that were recorded at the mammary gland, cow, and farm levels.
Draft Genome Sequences of 48 Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Strains Isolated from Inpatients with Bacteremia and Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Udaondo Zulema , Wongsurawat Thidathip , Jenjaroenpun Piroon , Anderson Courtney , Lopez James , Mohan Meera , Tytarenko Ruslana , Walker Brian , Nookaew Intawat , Ussery David , Kothari Atul , Jun Se-Ran
Published: April 2019

Vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus faecium
(VREfm) is a major cause of nosocomial infections of the bloodstream and urinary tract. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 48 vancomycin-resistant
E. faecium
isolates recovered from inpatients exhibiting clinical signs of bacteremia at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus plantarum CRL681, Isolated from Argentinean Artisanal Fermented Sausages
Authors: Fadda Silvina , Villena Julio , Albarracin Leonardo , Saavedra Lucila , Islam M. Aminul , Vignolo Graciela M. , Kitazawa Haruki , Hebert Elvira Maria
Published: April 2019

Lactobacillus plantarum
CRL681 was isolated from Argentinean artisanal fermented sausages. Here, the draft genome sequence of the CRL681 strain is described.
Accelerated gastric emptying is associated with improved aspiration efficiency in obesity
Authors: Vargas Eric J , Storm Andrew C , Bazerbachi Fateh , Abu Dayyeh Barham K
Published: April 2019

Background

The overall effectiveness of aspiration therapy (AT) for obesity relies on optimal aspiration timing after a meal, which can vary depending on a patient’s rate of gastric emptying (GE). Our aim was to identify if baseline GE rates were associated with differences in aspiration efficiency (AE).

Methods

Subjects from an ongoing AT clinical trial were enrolled in this study. AE was calculated as the absolute gastric residual and calories aspirated at 20 and 40 min. Participants were then divided by baseline GE rate into two groups (slow vs fast). Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare AE at 20 and 40 min between the groups. Exploratory linear regression was used to assess relationship between GE and AE.

Results

7 patients (85% female) were coenrolled in the study. Mean age and body mass index were 39.8±9.44 and 43±5, respectively. AE did not significantly differ between the 20 and 40 min time points for the group as a whole (34.3% vs 36.9%; p>0.5). However, those with fast GE aspirated more calories than those with slow GE (20 min: 200 kcal vs 72.5 kcal; 40 min: 154 kcal vs 63 kcal) (p=0.05). On linear regression, delayed GE was associated with poorer aspiration (20 min: β=−107 calories; p=0.019; R2=0.7). 4/7 patients had significant differences in residual/caloric aspiration across the two time points.

Conclusion

Patients undergoing AT may benefit from a GE test to optimise their AE. Paradoxically faster GE times saw better aspiration. Prospective studies are revealing a personalised approach to obesity.
Alterations in immune and renal biomarkers among workers occupationally exposed to low levels of trichloroethylene below current regulatory standards
Authors: Lee Kyoung-Mu , Zhang Luoping , Vermeulen Roel , Hu Wei , Bassig Bryan A , Wong Jason JJ , Qiu Chuangyi , Purdue Mark , Wen Cuiju , Walker Douglas I , Jones Dean P , Li Laiyu , Huang Yongshun , Rothman Nathaniel , Smith Martyn T , Lan Qing
Published: April 2019

Objectives

The occupational exposure limit for trichloroethylene (TCE) in different countries varies from 1 to 100 ppm as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). Many countries currently use 10 ppm as the regulatory standard for occupational exposures, but the biological effects in humans at this level of exposure remain unclear. The objective of our study was to evaluate alterations in immune and renal biomarkers among workers occupationally exposed to low levels of TCE below current regulatory standards.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional molecular epidemiology study of 80 healthy workers exposed to a wide range of TCE (ie, 0.4–229 ppm) and 96 comparable unexposed controls in China, and previously reported that TCE exposure was associated with multiple candidate biological markers related to immune function and kidney toxicity. Here, we conducted further analyses of all of the 31 biomarkers that we have measured to determine the magnitude and statistical significance of changes in the subgroup of workers (n=35) exposed to <10 ppm TCE compared with controls.

Results

Six immune biomarkers (ie, CD4+ effector memory T cells, sCD27, sCD30, interleukin-10, IgG and IgM) were significantly decreased (% difference ranged from −16.0% to −72.1%) and one kidney toxicity marker (kidney injury molecule-1, KIM-1) was significantly increased (% difference: +52.5%) among workers exposed to <10 ppm compared with the control group. These associations remained noteworthy after taking into account multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate (ie, <0.20).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that occupational exposure to TCE below 10 ppm as an 8-hour TWA may alter levels of key markers of immune function and kidney toxicity.
Distinct diel and seasonal behaviours in rainbow trout detected by fine-scale acoustic telemetry in a lake environment
Authors: Watson Breanna M. , Biagi Carlo A. , Northrup Sara L. , Ohata Michael L.A. , Charles Colin , Blanchfield Paul J. , Johnston Sam V. , Askey Paul J. , van Poorten Brett T. , Devlin Robert H.
Published: April 2019

The fine-scale behavioural activities of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in nature are not well understood, but are of importance for identifying interactions with the ecosystem and of interest to conservationists and recreational anglers. We have undertaken a high-resolution acoustic telemetry study to identify the distinct movement patterns of 30 rainbow trout in a freshwater lake, specifically examining swim speed, area of movement, and site preference in both summer and winter. Activity levels were reduced in winter compared with summer across all fish, but ranking of individuals was consistent. In summer, 16/30 fish displayed diel movement, in which they travelled to a different area of the lake at dawn and returned at dusk, while other fish maintained their site preference regardless of the time of day or swam more randomly throughout the lake. These patterns were minimized in winter, where there was a reduction in cross-lake movement under ice and only 4/30 fish displayed diel movement. Winter conditions may limit the capability (physiological limitations) and (or) motivation (prey availability) for diel behaviours observed in summer.
Stability properties of the colored Jones polynomial
Authors: Lee Christine Ruey Shan
Published: April 2019

It is known that the colored Jones polynomial of a [Formula: see text]-adequate link has a well-defined tail consisting of stable coefficients, and that the coefficients of the tail carry geometric and topological information on the [Formula: see text]-adequate link complement. We show that a power series similar to the tail of the colored Jones polynomial for [Formula: see text]-adequate links can be defined for all links, and that it is trivial if and only if the link is non [Formula: see text]-adequate.
Cayley–Dickson process and centrally essential rings
Authors: Markov V. T. , Tuganbaev A. A.
Published: April 2019

We describe associative center [Formula: see text] and the center [Formula: see text] of the ring [Formula: see text] obtained by applying the generalized Cayley–Dickson construction and we find conditions under which the ring [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-essential or centrally essential. The obtained results are applied to generalized quaternion rings and octonion rings; we use them to construct an example of a nonassociative centrally essential ring.
Time delay and cross-correlated Gaussian noises-induced stochastic stability and regime shift between steady states for an insect outbreak system
Authors: Wang Kang-Kang , Wang Ya-Jun , Ye Hui , Li Sheng-Hong
Published: April 2019

In this paper, we focus on investigating the stochastic stability and the regime transition between the endangered state and the boom state for a time-delayed insect growth system driven by correlated external and internal noises. By use of the Fokker–Planck equation, the method of small time delay approximation and the fast descent method, we explore in detail the joint action of noise terms and time delay on the mean reproduction and depression time for the insect population. Our investigations indicate that the pseudo-resonance phenomenon of the mean first-passage time (MFPT) occurs because of the impact of different noises and time delay. Through the numerical calculation, it is discovered that multiplicative noise can speed up the shift of the insect population from the boom state to the endangered one, while the noise correlation and time delay can propel the insect system to evolve from the endangered state to the boom state and improve the biological stability. In addition, the impact of the additive noise on the stability of the biological system depends on the positive and negative situation of the noise correlation. On the other hand, during the process of suppressing the insect explosion, it is beneficial to the pest control to amplify the association noise strength and weaken the intensities of the multiplicative, additive noises and time delay. However, during the process of eliminating the pests, it can produce nice effect on the disinsection to increase time delay, the intensities of multiplicative and additive noises and weaken the strength of noise correlation.
Odd twists on strongly chordal graphs
Authors: McKee Terry A.
Published: April 2019

Strongly chordal graphs can be characterized as chordal graphs in which every even cycle of length at least [Formula: see text] has an odd chord (a chord whose endpoints are an odd distance apart in the cycle subgraph). Define “oddly chordal graphs” to be chordal graphs in which every odd cycle of length at least [Formula: see text] has an odd chord. Strongly chordal graphs are shown to be oddly chordal, and the oddly chordal graphs are characterized by forbidding induced “double [Formula: see text]-sun” subgraphs. Both strongly chordal and oddly chordal graphs are also characterized in terms of uncrossed chords of appropriate-length cycles.
Advances of Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Heart Failure
Authors: Fu Yanbin , He Zhiying , Zhang Chao
Published: April 2019

Stem cell therapy is being developed as a promising novel strategy for the treatment of heart-associated diseases. Several types of cells such as skeletal myoblasts, bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), adipose stem cells (ADSCs), cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been tested in pre-clinical and clinical cardiac repairing models. Fibroblasts, as terminally differentiated cells, could also be trans-differentiated into cardiomyocytes in vitro. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances of cell types, potential applications and challenges of stem cell therapy in the treatment of heart failure.
SPIN
Authors: Bergman Shai , Brokhman Tanya , Cohen Tzachi , Silberstein Mark
Published: April 2019

Recent GPUs enable Peer-to-Peer Direct Memory Access (
p
2
p
) from fast peripheral devices like NVMe SSDs to exclude the CPU from the data path between them for efficiency. Unfortunately, using
p
2
p
to access
files
is challenging because of the subtleties of low-level non-standard interfaces, which bypass the OS file I/O layers and may hurt system performance. Developers must possess intimate knowledge of low-level interfaces to manually handle the subtleties of data consistency and misaligned accesses.

We present
SPIN
, which integrates
p
2
p
into the standard OS file I/O stack, dynamically activating
p
2
p
where appropriate, transparently to the user. It combines
p
2
p
with page cache accesses, re-enables read-ahead for sequential reads, all while maintaining standard POSIX FS consistency, portability across GPUs and SSDs, and compatibility with virtual block devices such as software RAID.

We evaluate SPIN on NVIDIA and AMD GPUs using standard file I/O benchmarks, application traces, and end-to-end experiments. SPIN achieves significant performance speedups across a wide range of workloads, exceeding
p
2
p
throughput by up to an order of magnitude. It also boosts the performance of an aerial imagery rendering application by 2.6× by dynamically adapting to its input-dependent file access pattern, enables 3.3× higher throughput for a GPU-accelerated log server, and enables 29% faster execution for the highly optimized GPU-accelerated image collage with only 30 changed lines of code.
Accelerating In-Memory Database Selections Using Latency Masking Hardware Threads
Authors: Budhkar Prerna , Absalyamov Ildar , Zois Vasileios , Windh Skyler , Najjar Walid A. , Tsotras Vassilis J.
Published: April 2019

Inexpensive DRAMs have created new opportunities for in-memory data analytics. However, the major bottleneck in such systems is high memory access latency. Traditionally, this problem is solved with large cache hierarchies that only benefit
regular
applications. Alternatively, many data-intensive applications exhibit
irregular
behavior. Hardware multithreading can better cope with high latency seen in such applications. This article implements a multithreaded prototype (MTP) on FPGAs for the relational selection operator that exhibits control flow irregularity. On a standard TPC-H query evaluation, MTP achieves a bandwidth utilization of 83%, while the CPU and the GPU implementations achieve 61% and 64%, respectively. Besides being bandwidth efficient, MTP is also 14.2× and 4.2× more power efficient than CPU and GPU, respectively.
Trustworthy machine learning and artificial intelligence
Authors: Varshney Kush R.
Published: April 2019

How can we add the most important ingredient to our relationship with machine learning?