bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platelets, endothelial cells and leukocytes contribute to the exercise‐triggered release of extracellular vesicles into the circulation
Authors: Brahmer Alexandra , Neuberger Elmo , Esch‐Heisser Leona , Haller Nils , Jorgensen Malene Moeller , Baek Rikke , Möbius Wiebke , Simon Perikles , Krämer‐Albers Eva‐Maria
Published: May 2019

Physical activity initiates a wide range of multi‐systemic adaptations that promote mental and physical health. Recent work demonstrated that exercise triggers the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the circulation, possibly contributing to exercise‐associated adaptive systemic signalling. Circulating EVs comprise a heterogeneous collection of different EV‐subclasses released from various cell types. So far, a comprehensive picture of the parental and target cell types, EV‐subpopulation diversity and functional properties of EVs released during exercise (ExerVs) is lacking. Here, we performed a detailed EV‐phenotyping analysis to explore the cellular origin and potential subtypes of ExerVs.

Healthy male athletes were subjected to an incremental cycling test until exhaustion and blood was drawn before, during, and immediately after the test. Analysis of total blood plasma by EV Array suggested endothelial and leukocyte characteristics of ExerVs. We further purified ExerVs from plasma by size exclusion chromatography as well as CD9‐, CD63‐ or CD81‐immunobead isolation to examine ExerV‐subclass dynamics. EV‐marker analysis demonstrated increasing EV‐levels during cycling exercise, with highest levels at peak exercise in all EV‐subclasses analysed. Phenotyping of ExerVs using a multiplexed flow‐cytometry platform revealed a pattern of cell surface markers associated with ExerVs and identified lymphocytes (CD4, CD8), monocytes (CD14), platelets (CD41, CD42, CD62P), endothelial cells (CD105, CD146) and antigen presenting cells (MHC‐II) as ExerV‐parental cells. We conclude that multiple cell types associated with the circulatory system contribute to a pool of heterogeneous ExerVs, which may be involved in exercise‐related signalling mechanisms and tissue crosstalk.
Agency, action, and projects: A response to Risto Heiskala
Authors: Toprak Vasfiye Betul , Reed Isaac Ariail , Weinman Michael
Published: May 2019

Risto Heiskala’s response to ‘Agency, Power, and Modernity: A Manifesto for Social Theory’ provides provocative and probing questions, revealing points that require further clarification. In response, we clarify the core of the manifesto as being three-fold, with the rector-actor-other model being but one dimension. First, the manifesto is concerned with distinguishing agency from action, and we critique the tendency to slide towards an understanding of ‘agency’ that is essentially ‘heroic’. Secondly, we clarify that projects, not actions and intentions, are the true site of agency relations, and of the contestation for power and authority; thus, not all transformative actions are the point of analysis for agency relations. Finally, we emphasise that in explaining agency through the rector-actor-other model, we aim not only to identify the rectors, actors, and others but also to understand human action and agency through an analysis of the symbolic representations of social power that enable them.
Temporal evolution of electron density and temperature in low pressure transient Ar/N2 plasmas estimated by optical emission spectroscopy
Authors: Kaupe J , Riedl P , Coenen D , Mitic S
Published: May 2019

A recently published method for the analysis of phase-resolved optical emission spectra was extended in order to permit estimation of time-resolved electron density profiles. The previously presented method combined collisional-radiative modelling with a self-absorption method to estimate the evolution of T

e
with sub-cycle time-resolution. However, it was not capable to give similar profiles for n

e
as the model was insensitive to its variations. The extensions proposed in this work describe a way to also estimate the electron density with sub-cycle time resolution from the changing rates of the argon Paschen 1s states. The method was applied to a low-pressure DBD-jet operated with argon and several argon–nitrogen mixtures with up to 4% N2. Good agreement among evaluation of n

e
from changing rates of individual 1s states was observed during the collisional phase and the full-cycle temporal profile could be calculated from relative changes in light emission. Electron densities exhibited a drop for larger admixtures of nitrogen and ranged from 1017 m−3 to 1018 m−3. As assumed in a previous work, the electron temperature model worked without explicit consideration of additional processes even when N2 affected the plasma. However, presumably due to collisional quenching by nitrogen, two argon Paschen 2p levels were found to be inappropriate for T

e
estimation and had to be removed. Values for electron temperature from the remaining levels remained at a similar value as for pure argon.
Preparation and characterization of composite materials polylactic acid (PLA) and Oxide Reduced Graphitic (RGO), for use in 3D printing small scale
Authors: Cordero A C , De la Cruz A P , Restrepo J B , Vargas O A
Published: May 2019

Summary. Composite materials polylactic acid/Reduced graphitic oxide (PLA/RGO) were prepared using the method of mixing chloroform solution. the chemical structure of chemically modified RGO obtained after reduction GO by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was studied. PLA composites with different contents of RGO (1-3 wt%) in terms of distribution and morphology were compared, using optical microscopy. RGO better dispersion in the matrix of the PLA using chloroform as a solvent and 3% by weight of RGO was obtained.
BPM analysis and security case study: dining rooms Cartagena military, Colombia.
Authors: Polo-Carrillo E , Cabarcas-Ariza Y , Marrugo-Arnedo C A
Published: May 2019

Foodborne diseases constitute an important public health and productivity problem for companies, since it increases the level of employee absenteeism and decreases productivity. Objective, analyse the conditions of good practices of manufacturing and security in the dining rooms of a military complex located in the City of Cartagena, Colombia. Descriptive study based on the application of a standardized instrument in six dining rooms of a military complex located in Cartagena. Analysing 164 aspects contained in Resolution 2674 of 2013, it was possible to observe total compliance in 58 aspects, for its part, 36 partially comply and finally, 70 aspects do not comply with the provisions of the legislation. It is necessary to consider that the implementation of good manufacturing practices is constituted as the primary instrument for the adequate handling of food. The study is the basis for the implementation of internal policies aimed at improving good practices in manufacturing and security in the dining halls of the military complex.
Stimulation program for selective and sustained attention in preschool based on ICT
Authors: Paternina T L , Rodríguez D A , Sibaja D , Morales A D
Published: May 2019

Attention is the key cognitive system of mental activity, which influences the development of higher processes and executive functions. Indeed, the need to design an innovative training program for preschoolers arose. Because here the most important evolutionary development of individuals is determined. Because of this, record potentiates the program and improves attentional levels in children, emphasizing two respective types of attention which are sustained and selective, and focusing in two modes, which are visual and auditory, but based on software of ICT implementation. The research type is quasi-experimental and descriptive, through which a documentary review of psychological theories and apps were made with relevance for this purpose. As a result, a specialized program to stimulate attention, with a complete file containing the theoretical directives of the program and its respective protocol program was obtained. It is concluded that the use of ICT to stimulate selective and sustained attention in children of this age, can generate many benefits for being interactive and innovative, contributing to the motivation of preschool, while it enhances mental abilities and improves their attentional levels.
Design of a web application for the registration and control of the research projects at CORPOSUCRE
Authors: Pineda-Pertuz C M , Mercado-Montes C A , Morales-Acosta A D
Published: May 2019

This project aims to support the University Corporation Antonio José de Sucre-Corposucre, because it will develop an application to keep a record and control of the different documents generated from the projects, emerged of the academic activities carried out in the subjects with an investigative approach, within the Faculty of Engineering of the Institution. This project began with a stage of analysis of the current situation of the faculty of engineering science of Corposucre, in the way of carried out the storage of research projects, which is done in magnetic devices without any backup and control, which can generate deterioration or loss of information. It is important to highlight that with this work the programming methodology Extreme Programming or XP was used with the objective of giving a solution in the less possible time, maintaining a permanent collaboration among all the team members. The result of this work will be a web-based software, which will allow to digitally storing the information of all those research projects that have been developed by the students throughout their professional careers, such as Classroom projects, degree thesis, among others. This in order not only to help its preservation and prevent its deterioration, but also to constitute a source of valuable information for other students and/or teachers who see on this platform a means to draw on, when they need to support their researchs or some work where they are participating. This coupled with this tool will give more visibility to the investigative work of our academic community.
Prototype for identification of vehicle plates and character recognition implemented in Raspberry pi
Authors: Arrieta-Rodríguez E , Murillo L F , Arnedo M , Caicedo A , Fuentes M A
Published: May 2019

This paper presents the development of a prototype for the identification of license plates and character recognition implemented in a RASPBERRY PI 3 device. The device is used as a program controller, allowing to make a real time video from an integrated camera. From the video an image of the license plate is extracted, which allows to recognize the characters from it. Subsequently, the information of the license plates, current date, time, and camera code is integrated into a server which can be accessed from a web application. With this it can be achieved a systematic control of vehicles income and output.
Integration of learning objects for adaptative learning
Authors: Rojas-Contreras M , Portilla-Jaimes O
Published: May 2019

The integration of learning management systems with learning object management systems allows to increase the availability, reuse, integration and adaptability of educational contents according to the characteristics and preferences of the clients. However, given the new trends in the integration of learning objects, software architectures and recommendation systems, it is of high added value to optimize the services offered to customers through an integrated learning management system aimed at the automatic construction of Adaptive training processes in higher education. The main result is the description of an integral system of virtual education based on the competences required by the students, which integrates learning objects (OA) through a semantic OA recommender system and then the system sequencing the OAs to respond to the required competences. The software architecture of the system is structured in two layers: The layer of OA discovery and adaptability and the layer of generation of adaptive training processes, which have as a design principle the web services in order to guarantee the interoperability of the layers.
Development of a web application for consultation and online payments of technological services in higher education institutions
Authors: Gómez-Sierra C J , López-Bustamante B J
Published: May 2019

Currently services for online payments using gateways, have been displacing traditional payments. In this way, in addition to providing ease to the user, it also increases revenues from the use of these technologies. All electronic payment methods make life easier and make processing much cheaper, more efficient and more friendly for the end user, who with just a couple of clicks can process any request from your Smartphone, Tablet or Laptop. At present, the marketing processes of Tecnar’s Technological Office services are carried out manually, as well as the offer to the external community in general. The process of paying for a service, vital to guarantee the income and sustainability of the business unit, does not have an online payment platform. For this reason, it is necessary to develop an information system that allows executing consultations and online payments.

A dynamic website will be delivered in a first phase using the PayU platform, to pay for computer maintenance services. Prior to this, there will be an investigation of other sites that use electronic commerce to promote their products. Finally, the development of the site will be carried out, implementing a database in MySQL, developing the site in HTML5 language through the BoilerPlate framework and the CSS3, JavaScript and PHP languages. In addition, implementing the Scrum methodology, which allows us to incorporate a set of good practices to work as a team and obtain better results. Preliminary effects include the creation of the database, the administration module and the PayU gateway registration.
System of information for the management in the optics of the city of Riohacha la Guajira
Authors: Quintero J , Romero S
Published: May 2019

The objective of the research was to develop an information system for the management in the optics of the city of Riohacha, which allows the information to be obtained in a reliable, timely manner, facilitating the whole process carried out in these companies, for the management and provision of services to their patients. The system includes an administrative management module and a sales and inventory module. This research is of applied projective type, with non-experimental, cross-field design, on the information management needs that are presented in the opticians of the city of Riohacha. The result of this investigation was the development and implementation of a system to strengthen the process of administrative management of the optical of the city of Riohacha, this software is the result of an analysis of the prerequisites of the processes of the optics of the city, the design and development of the system, tests and finally the commissioning of the System in one of the analyzed optics: the Iris Optics of the Guajira.
Application of the Wilcoxon Test to correlate the results of the Saber 11 and Saber T&T Test
Authors: Ahumada L K , Sanchez I D
Published: May 2019

In Colombia there is a model of monitoring the Quality of Education in which different tests are applied throughout the academic lifecycle of a student, in basic education, secondary education, until finally reaching higher education. Among these tests are: the Saber Test 11 and the Saber T & T Test, among others. The first, applies to students of the last grade of secondary education and the second to students of the last semester of the Technical and Technological program. It is possible to think that a person who obtained good results in the test saber 11, after preparing in a Higher Education program and presenting the corresponding test, should present a notable improvement in their results, if compared with the first exam. The foregoing is not necessarily true, in order to make this statement it is essential to carry out a study that supports this theory. The present research makes use of Test Wilcoxon to compare the means of 2 distributions, for this case particularly : the Saber 11 and Saber T & T tests of the same student. From the Saber 11 test, the generic Mathematical and language competences are chosen, and for the Saber T & T tests, quantitative reasoning and critical reading were selected. The selected population are the students of the Technology in Systems program who took the test in 2012, belonging to the Faculty of Design and Engineering of the Technological Foundation Antonio de Arevalo - TECNAR, they are students, product of the first accreditation of the program.
Zinc adsorption capacity with humic acids extracted from bituminous coal
Authors: Vásquez-Osorio M , Colpas-Castillo F , Castro-Suarez J R , Vásquez-Osorio Y
Published: May 2019

The contamination of bodies of water by heavy metals represents not only a danger for the environment, but also for human health; because they do not have the capacity to biodegrade, accumulate in the environment and in the tissues of the living organisms that inhabit it. In order to minimize these impacts, Zinc adsorption (Zn) was studied in aqueous solutions using humic acids extracted from bituminous coal from the Cerrejón mine (Guajira). This investigation was divided into two phases: The extraction of Humic Acids and the adsorption study. In the first phase, an aqueous oxidation of coal samples with different particle sizes (125mm, 250mm, and 425mm) was performed, with hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent, at a concentration of 30%. In the second phase Zn2+ removal using Humic Acids extracted from bituminous coals was studied in aqueous media as a function of pH, highest percentage of adsorption obtained was of 66.8% at a pH of 5.
Bone Marrow Findings in Patients With Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Treated With Arsenic Trioxide
Authors: Miller Karin P , Venkataraman Girish , Gocke Christopher D , Batista Denise A , Borowitz Michael J , Burns Kathleen H , Pratz Keith , Duffield Amy S
Published: May 2019

Objectives

Increasingly, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is treated with a combination of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO). This study characterizes bone marrow findings after ATRA/ATO therapy.

Methods

Bone marrow biopsies from 16 patients treated with ATRA/ATO and seven patients treated with ATRA/chemotherapy (CTX) for APL were evaluated.

Results

In ATRA/ATO cases, the marrow was likely to be hypercellular (79%) with a decreased myeloid:erythroid (M:E) ratio (88%), megaloblastoid maturation of erythroid precursors (100%), erythroid atypia (75%), and increased (88%) and atypical (75%) megakaryocytes. Significant myeloid atypia was only seen in extensive residual disease. The ATRA/CTX cases were less likely to be hypercellular (38%), have a M:E ratio of 1:1 or less (0%), exhibit significant erythroid atypia (0%), or have increased (0%) or atypical (38%) megakaryocytes.

Conclusions

Bone marrow biopsies from patients treated with ATO have unusual but characteristic features. Despite variability in marrow findings, clinical outcomes were uniformly favorable.
High background risk induces risk allocation rather than generalized neophobia in the fathead minnow
Authors: Meuthen Denis , Ferrari Maud C O , Lane Taylor , Chivers Douglas P
Published: May 2019

To cope with the heterogeneous nature of predation and the trade-off between predator avoidance and foraging, prey animals have evolved several cognitive rules. One of these is the risk allocation hypothesis, which predicts that in environments with long periods of sustained high risk, individuals should decrease their antipredator effort to satisfy their metabolic requirements. The neophobia hypothesis, in turn, predicts increased avoidance of novel cues in high-risk habitats. Despite the recent interest in predator-induced neophobia across different sensory channels, tests of such generalized neophobia are restricted to a single fish taxon, the Cichlidae. Hence, we retested the generalized neophobia hypothesis in fathead minnows Pimephales promelas, a small schooling North American cyprinid fish. From hatching onward, minnows were exposed to conspecific alarm cues, which indicate predation risk, or distilled water in a split-clutch design. After 1 month, shoaling behavior was examined prior and subsequent to a mechanical predator disturbance. Fish previously exposed to elevated background risk formed compact shoals for a shorter time interval after the stimulus compared with controls. These results contrast previous studies of generalized neophobia but match the risk allocation hypothesis. Consequently, risk allocation and generalized neophobia are not ubiquitous cognitive rules but instead evolved adaptations of different taxa to their respective environments.
Towards Agility: Scaffolding Anticipative Education in Social Work
Authors: Neden Jeanette , Cleak Helen , Thomson Sheona
Published: May 2019

Digital transformation, uncertain funding and global competition are rapidly disrupting higher and vocational educational contexts and contributing significantly to the challenges and opportunities of a fluid educational environment. To remain relevant for the 21st century and to Industry 4.0, educational providers, disciplines and professions must anticipate the future world of work and educate today’s students as tomorrow’s graduates with capabilities for work in emerging contexts that may not sit within existing roles, disciplines, trades, professions or forms of communication. The tertiary sector increasingly seeks to navigate these challenges, remain competitive and create engaging learning through flexible, integrated and personalised learning offerings and pathways, adopting digital learning and multi-modal designs and by innovating in curriculum, pedagogies and assessments. However, to transform legacy learning environments and practices requires academic development that builds capability, resilience and agility, as well as an appetite for such transformation within the discipline. It requires a cultural transformation toward anticipative education both in the profession and in the university. In this article, we demonstrate that a framework to scaffold anticipative education does enable social work educators to accommodate uncertainty, build curriculum flexibility, retain relevance and foster academic resilience to navigate and find a fit in new and emerging contexts.
Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Community Response to Livestock Grazing: Implications for Avian Conservation
Authors: Goosey Hayes B , Smith Joseph T , O’Neill Kevin M , Naugle David E
Published: May 2019

Terrestrial arthropods are a critical component of rangeland ecosystems that convert primary production into resources for higher trophic levels. During spring and summer, select arthropod taxa are the primary food of breeding prairie birds, of which many are imperiled in North America. Livestock grazing is globally the most widespread rangeland use and can affect arthropod communities directly or indirectly through herbivory. To examine effects of management on arthropod community structure and avian food availability, we studied ground-dwelling arthropods on grazed and ungrazed sagebrush rangelands of central Montana. From 2012 to 2015, samples were taken from lands managed as part of a rest-rotation grazing program and from idle lands where livestock grazing has been absent for over a decade. Bird-food arthropods were twice as prevalent in managed pastures despite the doubling of overall activity-density of arthropods in idle pastures. Activity-density on idled lands was largely driven by a tripling of detritivores and a doubling in predators. Predator community structure was simplified on idled lands, where Lycosid spiders increased by fivefold. In contrast, managed lands supported a more diverse assemblage of ground-dwelling arthropods, which may be particularly beneficial for birds in these landscapes if, for example, diversity promotes temporal stability in this critical food resource. Our results suggest that periodic disturbance may enhance arthropod diversity, and that birds may benefit from livestock grazing with periodic rest or deferment.
Specificity and action pattern of heparanase Bp, a β-glucuronidase from Burkholderia pseudomallei
Authors: Yu Yanlei , Williams Asher , Zhang Xing , Fu Li , Xia Ke , Xu Yongmei , Zhang Fuming , Liu Jian , Koffas Mattheos , Linhardt Robert J
Published: May 2019

The specificity and action pattern of a β-glucuronidase derived from the pathogenic bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei and expressed in Escherichia coli as a recombinant protein has been evaluated. While this enzyme shows activity on a number of glycosaminoglycans, our study has focused on its action on heparin, heparan sulfate and their biosynthetic intermediates as well as chemoenzymatically synthesized, structurally defined heparan sulfate oligosaccharides. These heparin/heparan sulfate (HP/HS) substrates examined varied in size and structure, but all contained an uronic acid (UA) residue β-(1→4) linked to a glucosamine residue. On the substrates tested, this enzyme (heparanase Bp) acted only on a glucuronic acid residue β-(1→4) linked to an N-acetylglucosamine, N-sulfoglucosamine or N-acetyl-6-O-sulfoglucosamine residue. A substrate was required to have a length of pentasaccharide or longer and heparanase Bp acted with a random endolytic action pattern on HP/HS. The specificity and glycohydrolase mechanism of action of heparanase Bp resembles mammalian heparanase and is complementary to the bacterial heparin lyases, which act through an eliminase mechanism on a glucosamine residue (1→4) linked to a UA residue, suggesting its utility as a tool for the structural determination of HP/HS as well as representing a possible model for the medically relevant mammalian heparanase. The utility heparanase Bp was demonstrated by the oligosaccharide mapping of heparin, which afforded resistant intact highly sulfated domains ranging from tetrasaccharide to >28-mer with a molecular weight >9000.
Transgenic overexpression of polysialyltransferase ST8SiaIV under the control of a neuron-specific promoter does not affect brain development but impairs exploratory behavior
Authors: Fewou Simon Ngamli , Röckle Iris , Hildebrandt Herbert , Eckhardt Matthias
Published: May 2019

A large body of the literature has demonstrated that the polysialic acid (polySia) modification of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is a key regulator of cellular interactions during brain development, maintenance and plasticity. To properly fulfill these functions, polySia concentration has to be carefully controlled. This is done by the regulation of the expression of the two polySia-synthesizing enzymes ST8SiaII and ST8SiaIV. From this point of view we and others have demonstrated that downregulation of ST8SiaIV during oligodendrocyte differentiation is a prerequisite for efficient myelin formation and maintenance. Here, we addressed the question whether the prevention of polySia downregulation in neurons affects brain and particularly myelin development and functioning. For this purpose, we developed transgenic (tg) mouse lines overexpressing the polysialyltransferase ST8SiaIV in neurons. tg expression of ST8SiaIV prevented the postnatal downregulation of polySia, and most of the polySias in the forebrain and brain stem of adult tg mice were associated with NCAM-140 and NCAM-180 isoforms. Structural examination of the brain revealed no overt abnormalities of axons and myelin. In addition, ultrastructural and western blot analyses indicated normal myelin development. However, behavioral studies revealed reduced rearing activity, a measure for exploratory behavior, while parameters of motor activity were not affected in tg mice. Taken together, these results suggest that a persisting presence of polySia in neurons has no major effect on brain structure, myelination and myelin maintenance, but causes mild behavioral changes.
“The biggest reform to China's health system”: did the zero-markup drug policy achieve its goal at traditional Chinese medicines county hospitals?
Authors: Shi Xuefeng , Zhu Dawei , Man Xiaowei , Wang Weifu , Zhu Kun , Nicholas Stephen , He Ping
Published: May 2019

The zero-markup drug policy (ZMDP) was heralded as the biggest reform to China’s modern health system. However, there have been a very limited number of investigations of the ZMDP at county hospital level, and those limited county hospital studies have several limitations in terms of sample representativeness and study design. We investigated the overall and dynamic effects of ZMDP at traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) county hospitals. We obtained longitudinal data from all TCM county hospitals in 2004–16 and the implementation year of ZMDP for each hospital. We used differences-in-difference methods to identify the overall and dynamic effects of ZMDP. On average, the ZMDP reform was associated with the reduction in the share of revenue from drug sales (3.1%), revenue from western medicines sales (12.7%), revenue from medical care services (3.6%) and gross hospital revenue (3.4%), as well as increased government subsidies (24.4%). The ZMDP reform was not significantly associated with the number of annual outpatient and inpatient visits. In terms of dynamic effects, the share of revenue from drug sales decreased by 2.5% in the implementation year and by about 5% in the subsequent years. Revenue from western medicine sales fell substantially in the short term and continued to drop in the long term. Government subsidies went up strikingly in the short term and long term, and revenue from medical care services and gross revenue decreased only in the implementation year. The ZMDP achieved its stated goal through reducing the share of revenue from drug sales without disrupting the availability of healthcare services at TCM county hospitals. The success of ZMDP was mainly due to the huge growth in the government’s financial investment in TCM hospitals.
Effect of endometrial thickness on birthweight in frozen embryo transfer cycles: an analysis including 6181 singleton newborns
Authors: Zhang Jie , Liu Hongfang , Mao Xiaoyan , Chen Qiuju , Si JiQiang , Fan Yong , Xiao Yitao , Wang Yun , Kuang Yanping
Published: May 2019

STUDY QUESTION

Does endometrial thickness (EMT) have an impact on singleton birthweight in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles?

SUMMARY ANSWER

An EMT <8 mm was associated with a lower mean birthweight and gestational age- and gender-adjusted birthweight (Z-scores) of singletons resulting from FET.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Previous studies have examined the impact of EMT on IVF success rates. Little is known, however, regarding the relationship between EMT and neonatal birthweight.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

This retrospective study involved singleton live births born to women undergoing frozen-thawed Day 3 embryo transfer during the period from January 2010 to December 2017 at a tertiary care centre.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

A total of 6181 women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included and were grouped into five groups depending on the EMT: <8 mm, 8–9.9 mm, 10–11.9 mm, 12–13.9 mm and ≥14 mm. EMT between 10 and 11.9 mm was taken as a reference group. Singleton birthweight was the primary outcome measure. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to detect a relationship between EMT and newborns' birthweight after controlling for a number of potential confounders.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

A modest but significant decrease in birthweight was observed in the EMT <8 mm group as compared with groups with EMT ≥10 mm, with a mean difference of 89–108 g. Also, singletons from the EMT <8 mm group (0.24 ± 1.04) had a significantly lower birthweight Z-scores than those from the EMT 10–11.9 mm (0.41 ± 1.02; P = 0.032) or EMT 12–13.9 mm (0.46 ± 1.07; P = 0.004) groups. Further, multiple linear regression analyses indicated that parental BMIs, gestational age, newborn gender, pregnancy complications and EMT <8 mm were all independent predictors of neonatal birthweight.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

The present study was limited by its retrospective design. Future prospective studies are required to confirm our findings.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Our findings provided new insight into the relationship between EMT and neonatal outcomes by showing that a thin endometrium is associated with a decrease in singleton birthweight.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1003000); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81771533, 81571397, 31770989, 81671520); the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M630456). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Not applicable.
Russian responses to the changing character of war
Authors: Renz Bettina
Published: May 2019

For much of the post-Soviet era there was a widespread belief that improving capabilities required for dealing with local small wars and insurgencies was the central focus of Russian military reforms. As a result, Moscow's military assertiveness and return to geopolitical rivalries since 2014 came as a surprise to many in the West. The article argues that small wars were never the major focus of Russian military transformation and reforms. Tracing the country's experience of war and conflict regionally and internationally since the end of the Cold War, and the impact this had on Moscow's views on what kind of armed forces it required, the article shows that the Kremlin's military ambitions started to diverge dramatically from western expectations as early as the mid-1990s. Russia never really saw armed forces geared towards small and ‘new war’-type scenarios as sufficient for upholding its regional and international status ambitions. Moreover, the Kremlin's growing preoccupation with internal order and regime stability has increasingly reinforced the rhetoric of a hostile West, which is used to justify the increasing centralization of domestic politics. Russia's military revival has been long in the making and poses serious challenges to its neighbours and to the West.
Field surveying of marine recreational fisheries in Norway using a novel spatial sampling frame reveals striking under-coverage of alternative sampling frames
Authors: Vølstad Jon Helge , Christman Mary , Ferter Keno , Kleiven Alf Ring , Otterå Håkon , Aas Øystein , Arlinghaus Robert , Borch Trude , Colman Jonathan , Hartill Bruce , Haugen Thrond O , Hyder Kieran , Lyle Jeremy M , Ohldieck Martin Junker , Skov Christian , Strehlow Harry V , van Voorhees Dave , Weltersbach Marc Simon , Weber Edward D
Published: May 2019

Norway has the highest participation rate in marine recreational fisheries (MRF) in Europe, and is popular among marine tourist anglers. Fishing licences are not required for marine recreational anglers, and the complex and long coastline makes on-site surveys a challenge. A novel approach for spatial sampling was developed and tested in on-site surveys, as part of a National study of MRF using multiple sampling frames including a telephone screening survey based on the national telephone directory. Field surveys were conducted in Troms and Hordaland Counties, and in the Oslofjord. We created spatial sampling frames of modified Voronoi polygons with continuous sea-surface area, with clusters of polygons as primary sampling units (PSUs). Interviews of intercepted anglers were obtained quarterly from a stratified sample of PSUs searched by boat. Many anglers interviewed in Troms (63%) and Hordaland (53%) were non-residents, of which 92 and 66% stayed in registered tourist fishing camps, respectively. Most anglers in the Oslofjord were residents, and in the inner Oslofjord, 63% of the resident anglers interviewed on-site were born outside Norway, which was not reflected in the telephone survey. Thus, if only off-site methods were used to map Norwegian MRF, this could lead to biased results in some regions.
Birthweight, lifetime obesity and physical functioning in mid-adulthood: a nationwide birth cohort study
Authors: Rogers Nina Trivedy , Power Chris , Pinto Pereira Snehal M
Published: May 2019

Background

Evidence is scant on long-term implications of childhood obesity and body mass index (BMI) gains over the life-course for poor physical functioning (PF). The objective was to establish whether (i) birthweight and BMI across the life-course, (ii) BMI gains at specific life-stages and (iii) age of obesity onset were associated with PF at 50 y.

Methods

In the 1958 British birth cohort (n = 8674), BMI (kg/m2) was calculated using height and weight [measured (7, 11, 16, 33 and 45 y); self-reported (23 and 50 y)]. PF was assessed at 50 y using the validated PF subscale of the Short-form 36 survey; the bottom (gender-specific) 10% was classified as poor PF. Missing data were imputed via multiple imputation. Associations were examined using logistic regression, adjusting for health and social factors.

Results

Birthweight was not associated with PF. At each adult age, odds of poor PF were highest for obese (vs normal), e.g. for 23 y obesity the odds ratio (OR)adjusted for poor PF was 2.28 (1.34, 3.91) and 2.67 (1.72, 4.14) in males and females respectively. BMI gains were associated with poor PF, e.g. for females, ORadjusted per standard deviation (SD) in BMI gain 16–23 y was 1.28 (1.13, 1.46); for BMI gains 45–50 y it was 1.36 (1.11, 1.65). Longer duration of obesity was associated with poor PF, e.g. in males, ORadjusted was 2.32 (1.26, 4.29) for childhood obesity onset and 1.50 (1.16, 1.96) for mid-adulthood onset (vs never obese, P-trend < 0.001).

Conclusion

Obesity, BMI gains, and earlier obesity onset were associated with poor PF in mid-adulthood, reinforcing the importance of preventing and delaying obesity onset.
Evaluation criteria of independent hybrid energy systems
Authors: Jung Tae Yong , Kim Donghun , Lim SeoKyung , Moon Jongwoo
Published: May 2019

Based on actual measurement data from a resort in the Maldives, this paper explores the criteria for the optimal off-grid renewable energy systems that contribute to greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation efforts from three perspectives: technical, economic and environmental. Using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Electric Renewables software, the optimal technical combination of hybrid energy system is determined. Moreover, indicators such as levelized cost of energy and net present cost are considered as economic criteria to determine the financial feasibility of the off-grid renewable energy systems. Finally, CO2 emission level and renewable shares are reviewed from environmental perspective.
Comparative study of properties and fatty acid composition of some neat vegetable oils and waste cooking oils
Authors: Awogbemi Omojola , Onuh Emmanuel Idoko , Inambao Freddie L
Published: May 2019

Vegetable oils have been used as a feedstock for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) production. The high cost of neat vegetable oil and its impact on food security have necessitated its replacement as a feedstock for FAME by used vegetable oil, also known as waste cooking oil (WCO). This study compares the properties and fatty acid (FA) compositions of samples of neat vegetable oil with those of samples of WCO, collected from restaurants and takeaway outlets at the point of disposal. The samples were subjected to property determination and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometer (PYGCMS) analysis. Analysis showed that degree of usage and the type of food items originally fried in the oil substantially affected its properties and FA composition. Density of neat vegetable oil varied between 904.3 and 919.7 kg/m3 and of WCO between 904.3 and 923.2 kg/m3. The pH of neat vegetable oil varied between 7.38 and 8.63 and of WCO between 5.13 and 6.61. The PYGCMS analysis showed that neat palm oil contains 87.7% unsaturated FA and 12.3% saturated FA, whereas neat sunfoil contains 74.37% saturated FA and 25% polyunsaturated FA. Generally, neat vegetable oils consisted mainly of saturated FAs and polyunsaturated FAs, whereas the WCO contained mainly of saturated FAs and monounsaturated FAs. This research confirms the suitability of WCO as feedstock for FAME.
The piglet mycobiome during the weaning transition: a pilot study1
Authors: Summers Katie L , Frey Juli Foster , Ramsay Timothy G , Arfken Ann M
Published: May 2019

The importance of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract of animals is recognized as a critical player in host health. Recently, the significance of the mycobiome has been recognized, but culture-independent studies are limited, especially in swine. Weaning is a time of stress, dietary changes, and a predisposition to infections, making it a time point of interest to industry. In this pilot study, we sought to assess and characterize the mycobiome in the feces of swine from birth through the critical weaning transition to investigate the mycobiome population and its temporal dynamics in piglet feces. Cultured fecal samples demonstrate a significant increase in fungal burden following weaning that does not differ from adult levels, suggesting stable colonization. Culturable fungi were not found in any environmental samples tested, including water, food, sow milk or colostrum. To determine the fungal diversity present and to address the problem of unculturable fungi, we performed a pilot study utilizing ITS and 16S rRNA focused primers for high-throughput sequencing of fungal and bacterial species, respectively. Bacterial populations increase in diversity over the experimental timeline (days 1 to 35 postbirth), but the fungal populations do not demonstrate the same temporal trend. Following weaning, there is a dynamic shift in the feces to a Saccharomycetaceae-dominated population. The shift in fungal population was because of the dominance of Kazachstania slooffiae, a poorly characterized colonizer of animal gastrointestinal tracts. This study provides insights into the early colonization and subsequent establishment of fungi during the weaning transition in piglets. Future studies will investigate the effect of the mycobiome on piglet growth and health during the weaning transition.
African Citrus Greening Disease in East Africa: Incidence, Severity, and Distribution Patterns
Authors: Rasowo B A , Khamis F M , Mohamed S A , Ajene I J , Aidoo O F , Ombura L , Sétamou M , Ekesi S , Borgemeister C
Published: May 2019

African citrus greening disease (ACGD) is considered as one of the major diseases of citrus threatening citrus production in East Africa. Our study aimed for the first time to assess the incidence, severity, and distribution patterns of ACGD in Kenya and Tanzania. In total, 105 citrus orchards were assessed in 13 regions representing low, mid, and high altitude areas. In each backyard and orchard, trees were randomly selected and rated for visual ACGD symptoms; then leaves and insect samples collected for analysis of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus’ (CLaf), the presumptive causal agent of ACGD. Endpoint PCR, sequencing, and molecular phylogenetic tools were employed to confirm the identity of potential circulating pathogens. Incidence and severity of ACGD varied significantly among the different regions. Both Trioza erytreae (Del Guerico) (Hemiptera: Triozidae) and the invasive Asian citrus psyllid vector Diaphorina citri (Kuwayama) (Hemiptera: Liviidae) were found to co-occur in upper and lower midland regions. Molecular characterization identified ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus spp. Clausenae’ (CLafCl) as the main causal agent of ACGD in most of the citrus plants and insect samples. No instances of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus infection were found. These findings provide valuable insights into understanding and management of ACGD by employing stringent and early disease detection tools to curb the spread of the disease.
Effect of Concomitant Antibiotic and Vaccine Administration on Serologic Responses to Rotavirus Vaccine
Authors: Anderson Evan J , Lopman Benjamin , Yi Jumi , Libster Romina , Creech C Buddy , El-Khorazaty Jill , Baqar Shahida , Yildirim Inci , Kao Carol , Rouphael Nadine , Shane Andi L , Edwards Kathryn
Published: May 2019

Data from 1174 infants enrolled in a previous rotavirus vaccine study were analyzed to determine the effect of antibiotic exposure (from 14 days before to 7 days after vaccination) on rotavirus serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) responses. Serum IgA responses 1 month after the completion of vaccination were similar among antibiotic-exposed and nonexposed infants.
A Bayesian direct method implementation to fit emission line spectra: application to the primordial He abundance determination
Authors: Fernández Vital , Terlevich Elena , Díaz Angeles I , Terlevich Roberto
Published: May 2019

This work presents a Bayesian algorithm to fit the recombination and collisionally excited line spectra of gas photoionized by clusters of young stars. The current model consists of 14 dimensions: two electron temperatures, one electron density, the extinction coefficient, the optical depth on the $\rm He\, \small {I}$ recombination lines, and nine ionic species. The results are in very good agreement with those previously published using the traditional methodology. The probabilistic programming library pymc3 was chosen to explore the parameter space via an NUTs sampler. These machine learning tools provided excellent convergence quality and speed. The primordial helium abundance measured from a multivariable regression using oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur was $Y_{\mathrm{ P},\, \mathrm{ O}\!-\!\mathrm{ N}\!-\!\mathrm{ S}}=0.243\pm 0.005$ in agreement with a standard Big Bang scenario.
HST unveils a compact mildly relativistic broad-line region in the candidate true type 2 NGC 3147
Authors: Bianchi Stefano , Antonucci Robert , Capetti Alessandro , Chiaberge Marco , Laor Ari , Bassani Loredana , Carrera Francisco J , La Franca Fabio , Marinucci Andrea , Matt Giorgio , Middei Riccardo , Panessa Francesca
Published: May 2019

NGC 3147 has been considered the best case of a true type 2 AGN: an unobscured AGN, based on the unabsorbed compact X-ray continuum, which lacks a broad-line region (BLR). However, the very low luminosity of NGC 3147 implies a compact BLR, which produces very broad lines, hard to detect against the dominant background host galaxy. Narrow (0.1 arcsec × 0.1 arcsec) slit HST spectroscopy allowed us to exclude most of the host galaxy light, and revealed an H α line with an extremely broad base (FWZI${\sim }27\, 000$ km s−1). The line profile shows a steep cut-off blue wing and an extended red wing, which match the signature of a mildly relativistic thin accretion disc line profile. It is indeed well fit with a nearly face on thin disc, at i ∼ 23°, with an inner radius at 77 ± 15 rg, which matches the prediction of $62^{+18}_{-14}$rg from the RBLR–L1/2 relation. This result questions the very existence of true type 2 AGN. Moreover, the detection of a thin disc, which extends below 100 rg in an L/LEdd ∼ 10−4 system, contradicts the current view of the accretion flow configuration at extremely low accretion rates.