bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tracking development assistance for health from China, 2007–2017
Authors: Micah Angela E , Zhao Yingxi , Chen Catherine S , Zlavog Bianca S. , Tsakalos Golsum , Chapin Abigail , Gloyd Stephen , Jonas Jost , Lee Paul H , Liu Shiwei , Ng Man Tat Alexander , Phillips Michael R , Rubagotti Enrico , Tang Kun , Tang Shenglan , Younis Mustafa , Zhang Yunquan , Murray Christopher J L , Dieleman Joseph L
Published: October 2019

Introduction

In recent years, China has increased its international engagement in health. Nonetheless, the lack of data on contributions has limited efforts to examine contributions from China. Existing estimates that track development assistance for health (DAH) from China have relied primarily on one dataset. Furthermore, little is known about the disbursing agencies especially the multilaterals through which contributions are disbursed and how these are changing across time. In this study, we generated estimates of DAH from China from 2007 through 2017 and disaggregated those estimates by disbursing agency and health focus area.

Methods

We identified the major government agencies providing DAH. To estimate DAH provided by each agency, we leveraged publicly available development assistance data in government agencies’ budgets and financial accounts, as well as revenue statements from key international development agencies such as the WHO. We reported trends in DAH from China, disaggregated contributions by disbursing bilateral and multilateral agencies, and compared DAH from China with other traditional donors. We also compared these estimates with existing estimates.

Results

DAH provided by China grew dramatically, from US$323.1 million in 2007 to $652.3 million in 2017. During this period, 91.8% of DAH from China was disbursed through its bilateral agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce ($3.7 billion, 64.1%) and the National Health Commission ($917.1 million, 16.1%); the other 8.2% was disbursed through multilateral agencies including the WHO ($236.5 million, 4.1%) and the World Bank ($123.1 million, 2.2%). Relative to its level of economic development, China provided substantially more DAH than would be expected. However, relative to population size and government spending, China’s contributions are modest.

Conclusion

In the current context of plateauing in the growth rate of DAH contributions, China has the potential to contribute to future global health financing, especially financing for health system strengthening.
Do combination HIV prevention programmes result in increased empowerment, inclusion and agency to demand equal rights for marginalised populations in low-income and middle-income countries? A systematic review
Authors: Brody Carinne , Sok Say , Tuot Sovannary , Pantelic Marija , Restoy Enrique , Yi Siyan
Published: October 2019

Introduction

This systematic review aims to determine if combination HIV prevention programmes include outcome measures for empowerment, inclusion and agency to demand equal rights and measure the relationship between empowerment and HIV prevention outcomes.

Methods

An electronic literature search of PubMed, POPLINE, Index Medicus and Google Scholar was conducted between August and October 2018. We included studies that evaluated combination prevention programmes that had all three types of intervention components and that specifically serve members of populations disproportionately affected by HIV published from 2008 to 2018. The selected studies were screened for inclusion, and relevant data abstracted, assessed for bias and synthesised.

Results

This review included a total of 15 studies. Findings indicate that combination HIV prevention programmes for marginalised populations have delivered a variety of theory-based behavioural and structural interventions that support improvements in empowerment, inclusion and agency. However, empowerment, inclusion and least of all agency are not measured consistently or in a standardised way. In addition, analysis of their relationships with HIV prevention outcomes is rare. Out of our 15 included studies, only two measured a relationship between an empowerment, inclusion or agency outcome and an HIV prevention outcome.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that policy-makers, programme planners and researchers might need to consider the intermediate steps on the pathway to increased condom use and HIV testing so as to explain the ‘how’ of their achievements and inform future investments in HIV prevention. This will support replication and expansion of programmes and ensure sustainability of the programmes.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018106909
Benefits of the ‘village’: a qualitative exploration of the patient experience of COPD in rural Australia
Authors: Glenister Kristen , Haines Helen , Disler Rebecca
Published: October 2019

Objectives

This study sought to explore patients’ experiences of living with, and adapting to, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the rural context. Specifically, our research question was ‘What are the barriers and facilitators to living with and adapting to COPD in rural Australia?’

Design

Qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Conversations were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis following the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research guidelines.

Setting

Patients with COPD, admitted to a subregional hospital in Australia were invited to participate in interviews between October and November 2016.

Main outcome measures

Themes were identified that assisted with understanding of the barriers and facilitators to living with, and adapting to, COPD in the rural context.

Results

Four groups of themes emerged:internal facilitators(coping strategies; knowledge of when to seek help) andexternal facilitators(centrality of a known doctor; health team ‘going above and beyond’ and social supports) andinternal/external barriers to COPD self-management(loss of identity, lack of access and clear communication, sociocultural challenges), which were moderated by feelings of inclusion or isolation in the rural community or ‘village’.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that community inclusion enhances patients’ ability to cope and ultimately self-manage COPD. This is facilitated by living in a supportive ‘village’ environment, and included a central, known doctor and a healthcare team willing to go ‘above and beyond’. Understanding, or supplementing, these social networks within the broader social structure may assist people to manage chronic disease, regardless of rural or metropolitan location.
Rotor blade optimization and flight testing of a small UAV rotorcraft
Authors: Kotwicz Herniczek Mark , Jee Dustin , Sanders Brian , Feszty Daniel
Published: October 2019

Rotor blade optimization with blade airfoil Reynolds numbers between 100 000 and 500 000 — characteristic of small single-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) — was performed for hover using blade element momentum theory (BEMT) and demonstrated via flight tests. BEMT was used to test various airfoil profiles and rotor blade shapes using airfoil data from 2D computational fluid dynamics simulations with Reynolds numbers representative of the blade elements. Selected blade designs were manufactured and flight tested on a Blade 600X single main-rotor UAV (671 mm blade radius) to validate the theoretical results. The parameters considered during the optimization process were the rotor frequency, radius, taper ratio, twist, chord length, airfoil profile, and blade number. The best of the improved blade designs increased the figure of merit, a measure of rotor efficiency, from 0.31 to 0.68 and reduced power consumption by 54%. Reducing the rotational frequency accounted for 45% of the improvement in power consumption, while the taper ratio and blade number accounted for 25% and 17%, respectively. The blade twist and airfoil profile only had a minor effect on the power consumption, contributing 7% and 6% to the improvement. The rotor diameter and root chord were kept identical to the original rotor and hence had no contribution. The presented results could serve as useful guidelines to single-rotor UAV manufacturers and operators for increasing endurance and payload capabilities.
Critical phenomena in gravitational collapse of Husain–Martinez–Nunez scalar field
Authors: Wang Xiaobao , Wu Xiaoning , Gao Sijie
Published: October 2019

We construct analytical models to study the critical phenomena in gravitational collapse of the Husain-Martinez-Nunez massless scalar field. We first use the cut-and-paste technique to match the conformally flat solution ($$c=0$$c=0 ) onto an outgoing Vaidya solution. To guarantee the continuity of the metric and the extrinsic curvature, we prove that the two solutions must be joined at a null hypersurface and the metric function in Vaidya spacetime must satisfy certain constraints. We find that the mass of the black hole in the resulting spacetime takes the form $$M\propto (p-p^*)^\gamma $$M∝(p-p∗)γ, where the critical exponent $$\gamma $$γ is equal to 0.5. For the case $$c\ne 0$$c≠0, we show that the scalar field must be joined onto two pieces of Vaidya spacetimes to avoid a naked singularity. We also derive the power-law mass formula with $$\gamma =0.5$$γ=0.5. Compared with previous analytical models which were constructed from a different scalar field with continuous self-similarity, we obtain the same value of $$\gamma $$γ. However, we show that the solution with $$c\ne 0$$c≠0 is not self-similar. Therefore, we provide a rare example that a scalar field without self-similarity also possesses the features of critical collapse.
Extraction of bare form factors for Bs →Kℓν decays in nonperturbative HQET
Authors: Bahr Felix , Banerjee Debasish , Bernardoni Fabio , Koren Mateusz , Simma Hubert , Sommer Rainer
Published: October 2019

We discuss the extraction of the ground state [Formula: see text] matrix elements from Euclidean lattice correlation functions. The emphasis is on the elimination of excited state contributions. Two typical gauge-field ensembles with lattice spacings 0.075, 0.05 fm and pion masses 330, 270 MeV are used from the O[Formula: see text]-improved CLS 2-flavor simulations and the final state momentum is [Formula: see text] GeV. The b-quark is treated in HQET including the [Formula: see text] corrections. Fits to two-point and three-point correlation functions and suitable ratios including summed ratios are used, yielding consistent results with precision of around 2% which is not limited by the [Formula: see text] corrections but by the dominating static form factors. Excited state contributions are under reasonable control but are the bottleneck towards precision. We do not yet include a specific investigation of multi-hadron contaminations, a gap in the literature which ought to be filled soon.
The emergence of protein arginine methyltransferases in skeletal muscle and metabolic disease
Authors: vanLieshout Tiffany L. , Ljubicic Vladimir
Published: October 2019

Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are a family of enzymes that catalyze the methylation of arginine residues on target proteins and thus alter the stability, localization, or activity of the substrate. In doing so, PRMTs mediate a variety of intracellular functions that are essential for survival. Additionally, PRMT dysregulation is involved in a number of the most prevalent health disorders, including cancer and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, as well as in the aging process. Investigations of PRMT biology in skeletal muscle cells began in 2002, and since then these enzymes have emerged as regulators of skeletal muscle phenotype determination, maintenance, and remodeling. Specifically, more recent in vivo studies have revealed that PRMTs impact multiple aspects of skeletal muscle biology, including satellite cell function and phenotypic plasticity in response to exercise and disuse. Skeletal muscle plays critically important roles in regulating whole body metabolism, and recent investigations have also begun elucidating PRMT expression and function under conditions of metabolic dysfunction. The goals of this review are to 1) summarize the literature on PRMT biology in skeletal muscle with a particular emphasis on the in vivo evidence and 2) survey PRMTs in metabolic disorders, namely, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We also identify notable knowledge gaps therein and present opportunities to further expand our understanding of these enzymes so critical to health and disease.
WFRFT Secure Communication Method Based on Chaotic Parameter Pool
Authors: Liu Fang
Published: October 2019

In this study, to solve the hidden limitation of conventional weighted fractional Fourier transform (WFRFT), a random modulation order parameter pool is established by applying chaos technology. Further, a WFRFT secure communication method based on the chaotic parameter pool (CPP) is proposed. Based on the effective characteristics of tent mapping and the sequence output range, the parameter pool constructor is established by parameter transformation. Furthermore, for each parameter selection period, the information can be processed by WFRFT using different modulation orders. The modeling and simulation demonstrate that this method can significantly increase the bit error rate and processing time of unauthorized receivers. This indicates that it can greatly increase the scanning difficulty of unauthorized users and improve the concealment and security of the original information transmission.
Advances in Hybrid Brain-Computer Interfaces: Principles, Design, and Applications
Authors: Li Zina , Zhang Shuqing , Pan Jiahui
Published: October 2019

Conventional brain-computer interface (BCI) systems have been facing two fundamental challenges: the lack of high detection performance and the control command problem. To this end, the researchers have proposed a hybrid brain-computer interface (hBCI) to address these challenges. This paper mainly discusses the research progress of hBCI and reviews three types of hBCI, namely, hBCI based on multiple brain models, multisensory hBCI, and hBCI based on multimodal signals. By analyzing the general principles, paradigm designs, experimental results, advantages, and applications of the latest hBCI system, we found that using hBCI technology can improve the detection performance of BCI and achieve multidegree/multifunctional control, which is significantly superior to single-mode BCIs.
Comprehensive Stress-Based De Novo Transcriptome Assembly and Annotation of Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.): An Important Industrial and Forage Crop
Authors: Al-Qurainy Fahad , Alshameri Aref , Gaafar Abdel-Rhman , Khan Salim , Nadeem Mohammad , Alameri Abdulhafed Abdullah , Tarroum Mohamed , Ashraf Muhammad
Published: October 2019

The forage crop Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.) has the ability to endure heat, drought, and mild salinity. A complete image on its genic architecture will promote our understanding about gene expression networks and different tolerance mechanisms at the molecular level. Therefore, whole mRNA sequence approach on the Guar plant was conducted to provide a snapshot of the mRNA information in the cell under salinity, heat, and drought stresses to be integrated with previous transcriptomic studies. RNA-Seq technology was employed to perform a 2×100 paired-end sequencing using an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform for the transcriptome of leaves of C. tetragonoloba under normal, heat, drought, and salinity conditions. Trinity was used to achieve a de novo assembly followed by gene annotation, functional classification, metabolic pathway analysis, and identification of SSR markers. A total of 218.2 million paired-end raw reads (~44 Gbp) were generated. Of those, 193.5M paired-end reads of high quality were used to reconstruct a total of 161,058 transcripts (~266 Mbp) with N50 of 2552 bp and 61,508 putative genes. There were 6463 proteins having >90% full-length coverage against the Swiss-Prot database and 94% complete orthologs against Embryophyta. Approximately, 62.87% of transcripts were blasted, 50.46% mapped, and 43.50% annotated. A total of 4715 InterProScan families, 3441 domains, 74 repeats, and 490 sites were detected. Biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components comprised 64.12%, 25.42%, and 10.4%, respectively. The transcriptome was associated with 985 enzymes and 156 KEGG pathways. A total of 27,066 SSRs were gained with an average frequency of one SSR/9.825 kb in the assembled transcripts. This resulting data will be helpful for the advanced analysis of Guar to multi-stress tolerance.
ROS from Physical Plasmas: Redox Chemistry for Biomedical Therapy
Authors: Privat-Maldonado Angela , Schmidt Anke , Lin Abraham , Weltmann Klaus-Dieter , Wende Kristian , Bogaerts Annemie , Bekeschus Sander
Published: October 2019

Physical plasmas generate unique mixes of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS or ROS). Only a bit more than a decade ago, these plasmas, operating at body temperature, started to be considered for medical therapy with considerably little mechanistic redox chemistry or biomedical research existing on that topic at that time. Today, a vast body of evidence is available on physical plasma-derived ROS, from their spatiotemporal resolution in the plasma gas phase to sophisticated chemical and biochemical analysis of these species once dissolved in liquids. Data fromin silicoanalysis dissected potential reaction pathways of plasma-derived reactive species with biological membranes, andin vitroandin vivoexperiments in cell and animal disease models identified molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic benefits of physical plasmas. In 2013, the first medical plasma systems entered the European market as class IIa devices and have proven to be a valuable resource in dermatology, especially for supporting the healing of chronic wounds. The first results in cancer patients treated with plasma are promising, too. Due to the many potentials of this blooming new field ahead, there is a need to highlight the main concepts distilled from plasma research in chemistry and biology that serve as a mechanistic link between plasma physics (how and which plasma-derived ROS are produced) and therapy (what is the medical benefit). This inevitably puts cellular membranes in focus, as these are the natural interphase between ROS produced by plasmas and translation of their chemical reactivity into distinct biological responses.
Xiaokeping Mixture Attenuates Diabetic Kidney Disease by Modulating TGF-β/Smad Pathway in db/db Mice
Authors: Yang Bo , Xia Zhongni , Xin Chuanwei , Ma Chenggang , Zhang Feng
Published: October 2019

Xiaokeping mixture (XKP), a traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation, has achieved widespread use for diabetes mellitus and its kidney damage in clinical practice. The current study was carried out to assess the protective effect of XKP in spontaneous diabetic db/db mice and the underlying mechanism whereby XKP regulates TGF-β/Smad pathway. Male C57BLKS/J db/db mice, 12 weeks old, were randomly divided into 3 groups: the model group, 17.5 mg/kg irbesartan-treated group (IST group), and 8 g/kg XKP-treated group (XKP group), while age-matched db/m mice were selected as a control group. After 8 weeks of administration, serum and urea samples were collected from mice for biochemical tests, while the kidneys were removed for histological analysis. The expression of TGF-β/Smad pathway-related mRNA and protein were measured by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Treatment with XKP significantly improved renal function and attenuated the pathological change of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in renal histopathology. Furthermore, the overexpression of TGF-β1, Smad3, and p-Smad3 was inhibited, as well as the reduction of Smad7 and SIP1 was weakened by XKP. In conclusion, these results suggest that XKP could attenuate DKD by modulating TGF-β/Smad pathway.
Spinal Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma
Authors: Almubarak Abdulaziz Oqalaa , Ulhaq Anwar , BinDahmash Abdulmajeed , Al Shail Essam
Published: October 2019

Pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) is a rare brain tumour generally located in the chiasmatic-hypothalamic region. In comparison to pilocytic astrocytoma, PMA has distinct histopathological features, aggressive clinical behaviour, a high recurrence rate, and early cerebrospinal fluid dissemination. Only 14 cases of PMA have been reported in the spinal cord since its pathological description in 1999. Here, we report the 15th case in a 3-year-old girl who was treated with chemoradiotherapy and followed up for 5 years. In this report, we also present a review of spinal PMA including treatment options and prognosis.
The Associations between Antenatal Corticosteroids and In-Hospital Outcomes of Preterm Singleton Appropriate for Gestational Age Neonates according to the Presence of Maternal Histologic Chorioamnionitis
Authors: Ryu Young Hye , Oh Sohee , Sohn Jin , Lee Jin
Published: October 2019

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the association between antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) and in-hospital outcomes of preterm singleton appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants according to the presence of maternal histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA). Methods: A retrospective study was performed with singleton AGA neonates of 23+0 to 33+6 weeks’ gestation born between 2007 and 2014. We compared the clinical outcomes according to the presence of HCA and ACS use. We also divided the ACS group into 2 groups: infants who received ACS 2–7 days before birth (optimal ACS) or not (suboptimal ACS). Multivariate logistic regression with Firth’s penalized likelihood was performed. Results: In total, 254 neonates were eligible with 109 neonates with HCA (42.9%). In multivariate analysis adjusting for GA, sex, and cesarean section, ACS use was associated with reduced severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death and hypotension within 7 postnatal days among the neonates with HCA. However, it was associated with increased patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) treatment. In the optimal ACS group, severe BPD or death (aOR 0.03, 95% CI 0.01–0.42), hypotension (aOR 0.02, 95% CI 0.01–0.26), and inhaled nitric oxide use (aOR 0.06, 95% CI 0.00–0.81) were lower, however, PDA treatment (aOR 8.14, 95% CI 1.20–55.24) and sepsis (aOR 6.85, 95% CI 1.02–46.07) were higher when compared with the no ACS group among HCA+ infants. Among HCA– infants, only PDA treatment was lower in the ACS group. Conclusion: In neonates with HCA, ACS treatment was associated with reduced morbidities. However, increased sepsis was associated with optimal ACS use.
Incidence of Clinically Significant (≤10 g/dL) Late Anemia in Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Imatinib
Authors: Cesini Laura , Carmosino Ida , Breccia Massimo , De Benedittis Daniela , Mohamed Sara , De Luca Maria Lucia , Colafigli Gioia , Molica Matteo , Scalzulli Emilia , Massaro Fulvio , Mariggiò Elena , Rizzo Lorenzo , Loglisci Maria Giovanna , Scamuffa Maria Cristina , Vozella Federico , Diverio Daniela , Mancini Marco , Alimena Giuliana , Foà Robin , Latagliata Roberto
Published: October 2019

Background: In elderly patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) responsive to imatinib, the incidence of clinically significant (CS) late chronic anemia is still unknown. Materials and Methods: To highlight this issue, we revised retrospectively 81 CML patients aged >60 years treated at our Institution with front-line imatinib for at least 24 months in durable complete cytogenetic response (CCyR). CS late chronic anemia was defined as the presence of persistent (>6 months) and otherwise unexplained Hb levels ≤10 g/dL, which occurred >6 months from imatinib start. Results: A condition of CS late chronic anemia occurred in 22 out of 81 patients (27.2%) at different intervals from imatinib start. Seven out of 22 patients (31.8%) needed packed red cell transfusions during the follow-up. At diagnosis, patients who developed CS late chronic anemia were significantly older and had a lower Hb median level. Six out of 22 patients with CS late chronic anemia received subcutaneous recombinant alpha-erythropoietin (EPO) at the standard dosage of 40,000 IU weekly: all 6 patients achieved an erythroid response. A significantly worse event-free survival (EFS) in patients with untreated CS late chronic anemia was observed (p = 0.012). Conclusions: CS late chronic anemia during long-term treatment with imatinib is a common complication in responsive elderly patients, with worse EFS if untreated. Results with EPO are encouraging, but larger studies are warranted to define its role.
Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma as a Rare Cause of Dyspeptic Complaints and Ascites: A Diagnostic Challenge
Authors: Marques de Sousa Susana , Pereira Filipa , Duarte Maria , Marques Marta , Vázquez Dolores , Marques Cristina
Published: October 2019

Introduction: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare malignancy of the mesothelial cells in the peritoneum. The best-defined risk factor is asbestos exposure, but germline mutations in BAP1 also increase susceptibility to this tumor. The diagnosis of MPM is challenging since clinical manifestations are often nonspecific. Case Presentation: We describe a case of MPM in a 53-year-old former construction worker with prior asbestos exposure. The clinical presentation was a 3-month history of dyspeptic complaints. As initial workup, abdominal ultrasound and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were performed. Chronic gastritis due to Helicobacter pylori was detected, which was promptly treated but without symptom relief. Abdominal ultrasound showed small volume ascites with hyperechogenic foci, which was later confirmed on computed tomography scan showing the presence of peritoneal nodules in the greater omentum and mesentery. A thorough investigation was conducted based on the suspicion of peritoneal carcinomatosis. A non-peritoneal primary tumor was not found. Ascitic cytology and immunocytochemical studies were suggestive of mesothelioma. He underwent exploratory laparotomy and inoperable peritoneal disease was observed. Peritoneal biopsy confirmed epithelioid-type MPM. Systemic therapy was initiated with platinum plus pemetrexed with good response. The last follow-up was 38 months after the diagnosis. Discussion/Conclusion: The diagnosis of MPM is challenging since it requires a high degree of suspicion. MPM has a poor prognosis. The standard of treatment recommended is cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. For those who are inoperable, systemic therapy with pemetrexed-cisplatin combination is the alternative. Given the infrequency of disease, it is imperative to ensure patient participation in clinical trials with the purpose of treatment standardization.
Comparative Study of the Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus) Karyotype and Analysis of Satellite DNA Sequences and Their Chromosome Distribution in Six Species of Canidae
Authors: Vozdova Miluse , Kubickova Svatava , Cernohorska Halina , Fröhlich Jan , Vodicka Roman , Rubes Jiri
Published: October 2019

The bush dog (Speothos venaticus, 2n = 74) is a near threatened species taxonomically classified among South American canids. We revised the bush dog karyotype and performed a comparative sequence analysis of satellite and satellite-like DNAs in 6 canids: the bush dog, domestic dog (Canis familiaris, 2n = 78), grey wolf (C. lupus, 2n = 78), Chinese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides procyonoides, 2n = 54+B), red fox (Vulpes vulpes, 2n = 34+B), and arctic fox (V. lagopus, 2n = 48-50) to specify the species position among Canidae. Using FISH with painting and BAC probes, we found that the distribution of canid evolutionarily conserved chromosome segments in the bush dog karyotype is similar to that of the domestic dog and grey wolf. The bush dog karyotype differs by 2 acrocentric chromosome pairs formed by tandem fusions of the canine (29;34) and (26;35) orthologues. An interstitial signal of the telomeric probe was observed in the (26;35) fusion site in the bush dog indicating a recent evolutionary origin of this rearrangement. Sequences and hybridisation patterns of satellite DNAs were compared, and a phylogenetic tree of the 6 canid species was constructed which confirmed the bush dog position close to the wolf-like canids, and apart from the raccoon dog and foxes.
Acute Paralytic Post-Bariatric Surgery Axonal Polyneuropathy: Clinical Features and Outcome
Authors: AlShareef Aysha , Albaradei Omniyah , AlOtaibi Hessah Ateeq , Alanazy Mohammed H. , Abuzinadah Ahmad R.
Published: October 2019

Introduction: The syndrome of post-bariatric surgery axonal polyneuropathy (PAP) may present with various sensory and motor symptoms including paralysis. We aim to describe the diagnostic features and outcome of treatment of the acute paralytic form of PAP (acute paralytic PAP [APPAP]) as it was not described in a separate cohort previously. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical charts and described the clinical, electrodiagnostic features, treatment, and outcome for patients who presented to our clinical neurophysiology unit with disabling weakness within 24 months post-bariatric surgery. The main outcome measure was the percent of patients who are able to walk independently at the last visit and comparing the group who resumed walking independently at 6 months to the group who did not, in regards to the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Results: Thirteen patients were included (10 women and 3 men) with a mean age of 29.8 years (SD 12.5). All presented with loss of ambulation resembling Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The median time of onset was 4 months (interquartile range [IQR] 3–6) post-surgery, and the median time to weakness nadir was 3 weeks (IQR 3–3.5) with an average weight loss of 38.6 kg (SD 17.09). All patients regained their ability to ambulate; however, the ability to walk independently was achieved in 66.7% of patients. The percent of patients who were able to ambulate independently at 6 months were 16% with IVIg versus 66.7% without IVIg. Conclusion: The syndrome of ­APPAP develops in the first-year post-bariatric surgery. The majority of patients regain independent ambulation.
Comparison of Vascular Outgrowth Rate and Retinal Vascular Development Border after Intravitreal Injection of Aflibercept or Bevacizumab to Treat Retinopathy of Prematurity
Authors: Vural Aslı , Yıldız Ekinci Dilbade
Published: October 2019

Purpose: It is aimed to evaluate vascular outgrowth rate (VOR) of retinal vessels and retinal vascular development border (RVDB) after intravitreal injections of aflibercept or bevacizumab (IVA or IVB) monotherapy, which have been used to treat retinopathy of prematurity. Methods: In this study, patients were followed by two sequential fluorescein angiography (FA) examinations (Ret-Cam III Imaging System Clarity Medical Systems, Pleasanton, CA, USA) after anti-VEGF monotherapy. RVDB was determined by the ratio between DB (the distance from the center of the disk to the RVDB) and DM (the distance from the center of the disk to the center of the macula). On the other hand, VOR was calculated by the following novel formula: VOR = (DB/DM on the second FA) – (DB/DM on the first FA)/time between two FA examinations. Results: Fifty-one eyes of 27 infants who received aflibercept were included as group 1; 38 eyes of 19 patients who received bevacizumab were included in group 2. There were no significant differences between these groups in terms of demographic variables, percentages of disease at zone 1 and posterior zone 2 (p = 0.260), as well as stage 2+ and stage 3+ disease (p = 1.0) at the time of anti-VEGF injections. VORs, which had been measured in between two sequential follow-up FAs, were estimated to be significantly higher in group 1, both in nasal (p = 0.042) and temporal sides (p = 0.033). However, DB/DM ratios were significantly higher in group 2 in the first FA (p = 0.001 at nasal and temporal sides) and the second FA examinations (p = 0.007 and p = 0.004 at nasal and temporal sides, respectively). Conclusion: VOR was found to be significantly higher in patients who were treated with IVA monotherapy. Paradoxically, RVDB was farther in patients receiving IVB monotherapy despite a slower VOR in these patients.
Developing Novel Therapeutic Strategies Against Ring Finger Protein 213 Vasculopathy: Is It an Achievable Goal?
Authors: Liu Minghua , Gutierrez Jose
Published: October 2019

See Article
Choi et al
Syntactically Meaningful and Transferable Recursive Neural Networks for Aspect and Opinion Extraction
Authors: Wang Wenya , Pan Sinno Jialin
Published: October 2019

In fine-grained opinion mining, extracting aspect terms (a.k.a. opinion targets) and opinion terms (a.k.a. opinion expressions) from user-generated texts is the most fundamental task in order to generate structured opinion summarization. Existing studies have shown that the syntactic relations between aspect and opinion words play an important role for aspect and opinion terms extraction. However, most of the works either relied on predefined rules or separated relation mining with feature learning. Moreover, these works only focused on single-domain extraction, which failed to adapt well to other domains of interest where only unlabeled data are available. In real-world scenarios, annotated resources are extremely scarce for many domains, motivating knowledge transfer strategies from labeled source domain(s) to any unlabeled target domain. We observe that syntactic relations among target words to be extracted are not only crucial for single-domain extraction, but also serve as invariant “pivot” information to bridge the gap between different domains. In this article, we explore the constructions of recursive neural networks based on the dependency tree of each sentence for associating syntactic structure with feature learning. Furthermore, we construct transferable recursive neural networks to automatically learn the domain-invariant fine-grained interactions among aspect words and opinion words. The transferability is built on an auxiliary task and a conditional domain adversarial network to reduce domain distribution difference in the hidden spaces effectively in word level through syntactic relations. Specifically, the auxiliary task builds structural correspondences across domains by predicting the dependency relation for each path of the dependency tree in the recursive neural network. The conditional domain adversarial network helps to learn domain-invariant hidden representation for each word conditioned on the syntactic structure. In the end, we integrate the recursive neural network with a sequence labeling classifier on top that models contextual influence in the final predictions. Extensive experiments and analysis are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and each component on three benchmark data sets.
Studies in Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) of Hispaniola

Authors: FERNÁNDEZ ELADIO , FERRERAS IRINA , FARRELL BRIAN D. , De MEDEIROS BRUNO A. S. , ROMERO-GONZÁLEZ GUSTAVO A.
Published: October 2019

A review of the literature at large and the field photographic record of the senior author of this study indicate that there are several undescribed species of Aristolochia in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), related to A. bilobata. Here we show that A. mirandae is a synonym of A. bilobata and that what appears as A. bilobata in Marión H. (2011: 76–77) is a new species here described as Aristolochia adiastola. In addition, two new species, A. bonettiana and A. marioniana, also related to A. bilobata, are described and illustrated herein.
Corrigendum to: Nomenclatural changes allow for a broadened circumscription of Lophogyne Tul. to reflect a prominent neotropical clade of Podostemaceae (Podostemoideae)

Authors: BOVE CLAUDIA P. , PHILBRICK C. THOMAS , Da COSTA FILIPE G.C.M.
Published: October 2019

The new name, Lophogyne royenella C.P.Bove & C.T.Philbrick, is proposed to replace the illegitimate later homonym Lophogyne capillacea (Tul.) C.T.Philbrick & C.P.Bove.
Description of three new velvet geckos (Diplodactylidae: Oedura) from inland eastern Australia, and redescription of Oedura monilis De Vis
Authors: HOSKIN CONRAD J.
Published: October 2019

Inland eastern Australia has a complex array of habitats, driven by variation in topography, geology and moisture. This broad region is relatively poorly surveyed compared to coastal eastern Australia and likely contains significant numbers of undescribed reptiles. Oedura monilis is found through much of this region but has been shrouded in taxonomic uncertainty since its original description. Here I assess variation across the range of ‘O. monilis’ and show that it consists of two species: a widespread species in the northern half of the range and a widespread species in the southern half of the range. These two species are readily diagnosed by colour pattern and aspects of shape and scalation. I show that the name O. monilis applies to the northern species. I also show that the name O. attenboroughi Wells & Wellington applies to the northern populations, making it a junior synonym of O. monilis. I describe the southern widespread species as Oedura elegans sp. nov.. I also describe two new, highly localised species from inland eastern Queensland that are allied to O. monilis: Oedura picta sp. nov. from a rocky range in the Moranbah–Dysart region, and Oedura lineata sp. nov. from brigalow forest remnants in the Arcadia Valley. These two species are distinct for colour pattern and aspects of size, shape and scalation. Oedura lineata sp. nov. has a very small and fragmented range, and is restricted to a highly threatened habitat type. It therefore warrants conservation attention. I also provide more detailed diagnoses for O. coggeri Bustard and O. tryoni De Vis, and demonstrate that the name O. ocellata Boulenger is a junior synonym of O. tryoni.
Thermal hazards evaluation of insensitive JEOL-1 polymer bonded explosive
Authors: Yu Rui , Chen Shusen , Lan Guanchao , Li Jing , Wei Chenglong , Jin Shaohua
Published: October 2019

Thermal stimuli is one of the major external stiumuli resulting from an overheated explosion of a munition. In order to evaluate the influence of external thermal stiumuli on the thermal hazards of JEOL-1 (32 wt% octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), 32 wt% 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole-5-one
(NTO), 28 wt% Al and 8 wt% binder system) explosive, accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) is used to study the adiabatic thermal decomposition properties of JEOL-1 molding powders, and the slow cook-off properties of JEOL-1 are studied by experimental test and numerical simulation. The activation
energy Ea, pre-exponential factor A, mechanism function f(α) and self-accelerating decomposition temperature (SADT) of adiabatic thermal decomposition of JEOL-1 molding powders are obtained according to ARC results. The response level of JEOL-1
polymer bonded explosive (PBX) columns exposed to an engulfing liquid pool fire is examined by the slow cook-off test. The ignition location, ignition temperature, ignition time and the transient temperature distributions of JEOL-1 PBX columns during the slow cook-off are obtained by numerical
simulation. It can be concluded from this study that JEOL-1 is a low vulnerable explosive with high thermal safety.
Fe–Ni alloy coatings on carbon fiber reinforced carbon matrix composite with an enhanced interface prepared through ultrasound-assisted electrodeposition
Authors: Zhang Xu , Gan Xueping , Liu Yichun , Xie Ming , Yi Jianhong
Published: October 2019

Fe–Ni alloys with low thermal expansion coefficients were deposited on carbon fiber reinforced carbon matrix composite (C/C composite) as metallization coatings via ultrasound-assisted electrodeposition. The interface was compact at the micrometer scale, and the micro-cracks and
pores on the composite surface were fully filled with the deposited alloy. The interface shear strength reached 16.24 MPa, which was a significant improvement in comparison with that of the conventional electrodeposition. These results may have been due to the residual stress reduction, the
joining area increasement, and the pinning effect enhancement.
Study of the white organic electroluminescent devices performance based on phosphorescent dyes FCNIrPic
Authors: Li Juntong , Xue Chuang , Zhang Gang , Liu Minghui , Wang Lizhong , Jiang Wenlong
Published: October 2019

Two kinds of high efficient white-light OLED devices based on blue phosphorescent material FCNIrPic(Bis(3,5-difluoro-4-cyano-2-(2-pyridyl)phenyl-(2-carboxypyridyl) iridium(III))) were fabricated by means of the principle of whitening with blue-yellow complementary colors. Firstly, white-light
device A was fabricated by the hybrid of yellow fluorescent material Rubrene and blue-light layer of phosphorescent FCNIrPic. The device structure is ITO/m-MTDATA/NPB/Rub/MCP: FCNIrPiC/Alq3/LiF/Al. The structure of the device is optimized by adjusting the thickness of phosphorescent doping
layer MCP: FCNIrPiC. When the thickness of blue layer is 8 nm, the device has the best performance. The maximum brightness is 13240 cd/m2 and the maximum current efficiency is 3.5 cd/A. The color coordinates are near (0.33, 0.37) and change little with the increase in voltage. Secondly,
white OLED device B with double phosphorescent layer was fabricated by yellow phosphorescent PO-01 and FCNIrpic. The device structure is ITO/m-MTDATA/NPB/CBP: PO-01/MCP: FCNIrpic/Alq3/LiF/Al. White light was obtained by adjusting the thickness of blue layer. When the thickness of blue layer
is 10 nm, the device has the best performance. The maximum current efficiency is 9.8 cd/A and the maximum brightness is 11 400 cd/m2. The color coordinates are near (0.33, 0.35).
The Buffer Zone of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation
Authors: Match Aaron , Fueglistaler Stephan
Published: October 2019

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is a descending pattern of winds in the stratosphere that vanishes near the top of the tropical tropopause layer, even though the vertically propagating waves that drive the QBO are thought to originate in the troposphere several kilometers below. The region where there is low QBO power despite sufficient vertically propagating wave activity to drive a QBO is known as the buffer zone. Classical one-dimensional models of the QBO are ill suited to represent buffer zone dynamics because they enforce the attenuation of the QBO via a zero-wind lower boundary condition. The formation of the buffer zone is investigated by analyzing momentum budgets in the reanalyses MERRA-2 and ERA-Interim. The buffer zone must be formed by weak wave-driven acceleration and/or cancellation of the wave-driven acceleration. This paper shows that in MERRA-2 weak wave-driven acceleration is insufficient to form the buffer zone, so cancellation of the wave-driven acceleration must play a role. The cancellation results from damping of angular momentum anomalies, primarily due to horizontal mean and horizontal eddy momentum flux divergence, with secondary contributions from the Coriolis torque and vertical mean momentum flux divergence. The importance of the damping terms highlights the role of the buffer zone as the mediator of angular momentum exchange between the QBO domain and the far field. Some far-field angular momentum anomalies reach the solid Earth, leading to the well-documented lagged correlation between the QBO and the length of day.
How School Leadership Influences Student Learning: A Test of “The Four Paths Model”
Authors: Leithwood Kenneth , Sun Jingping , Schumacker Randall
Published: October 2019

Purpose: This study tested a set of variables mediating school leadership’s influence on students referred to as “The four paths model.” Each path in the model includes variables with significant direct effects on student learning and which are malleable to practices included in an integrated model of effective school leadership. Research Design: Evidence for the study were responses to a survey by 1,779 teachers in 81 Texas elementary schools about the status of school leadership and all 13 variables on the four paths. Student achievement data were provided by results of state tests combining all subjects and all grades, while the count and percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was used to estimate socioeconomic status. Confirmatory factor analysis, regression analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. Findings: Results uncovered a more nuanced and complex set of relationships among the four paths and their component variables than was specified in the original version of the model. School leadership significantly influenced student learning only through variables on one path, while variables on the other three paths influenced student learning only through their contribution to variables on that one path. Conclusions: Results point to the value of future research about the relationships among variables on the four paths, as well as efforts to identify latent variables among the observed variables in the study. Results of the study can be used by school leaders to more productively focus their school improvement efforts.
Agents of Change in a Changing World: Treaty Port Nagasaki and the Limitations of Local Resilience
Authors: Dahl Jessa
Published: October 2019

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the small port city of Nagasaki went from the primary gateway for international trade in Japan to a failed treaty port with dismal economic prospects. This transformation is largely seen as a fall from cultural and economic preeminence that relegated Nagasaki to backwater status. However, during these transitional years, Nagasaki residents demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of a rapidly changing world. This article explores four different examples of local agents who tried to seize the opportunities offered by Nagasaki’s new role in Japan’s dramatic nineteenth century. The successes of these agents demonstrate the ingenuity and diverse mechanisms of adaptation available to Nagasaki residents in the last half of the nineteenth century. Their failures demonstrate the limits of local adaptive capacities in the face of developments in larger regional, national, and international systems.
Behavioral Skills Training to Increase Appropriate Reactions of Adolescent Males in Residential Treatment
Authors: Brogan Kristen M. , Rapp John T. , Edgemon Anna Kate , Niedfeld Amanda M. , Coon Jodi C. , Thompson Kelli R. , Burkhart Barry R.
Published: October 2019

Adolescents in secured residential facilities may engage in excess behavior immediately following verbal directives or corrective statements from staff. Excess behavior may include verbal aggression, indices of disrespect (e.g., eye rolling, grunting, and obscene gestures), or even physical aggression. These excess behaviors may evoke further directives or corrective statements from staff that, in turn, escalate the adolescent’s excess behavior and can produce undesirable effects for both the adolescent (e.g., loss of privileges) and staff members (e.g., increased burn out). Teaching detained adolescents to respond appropriately to staff directives and corrective statements may produce large collateral changes in the way staff interact with adolescents in detention facilities. These changes could be conceptualized as a behavioral cusp. We used behavioral skills training to teach 11 adolescent males to respond appropriately to staff directives. All 11 students showed low percentages of trials with appropriate reactions in baseline and high percentages of trials with appropriate reactions during treatment and generalization sessions. Further, two students showed maintenance of the skill 1 month and 5 months following treatment.