bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Athletic Trainer Services in Public and Private Secondary Schools
Authors: Pike Alicia M. , Pryor Riana R. , Vandermark Lesley W. , Mazerolle Stephanie M. , Casa Douglas J.
Published: February 2017

Context: The presence of athletic trainers (ATs) in secondary schools to provide medical care is crucial, especially with the rise in sports participation and resulting high volume of injuries. Previous authors have investigated the level of AT services offered, but the differences in medical care offered between the public and private sectors have not been explored.

Objective: To compare the level of AT services in public and private secondary schools.

Design: Concurrent mixed-methods study.

Setting: Public and private secondary schools in the United States.

Patients or Other Participants: A total of 10 553 secondary schools responded to the survey (8509 public, 2044 private).

Main Outcome Measure(s): School administrators responded to the survey via telephone or e-mail. Descriptive statistics depict national data. Open-ended questions were evaluated through content analysis.

Results: A greater percentage of public secondary schools than private secondary schools hired ATs. Public secondary schools provided a higher percentage of full-time, part-time, and clinic AT services than private secondary schools. Only per diem AT services were more frequent in the private sector. Regardless of the extent of services, reasons for not employing an AT were similar between sectors. Common barriers were budget, school size, and lack of awareness of the role of an AT. Unique to the public sector, remote location was identified as a challenge faced by some administrators.

Conclusions: Both public and private secondary schools lacked ATs, but higher percentages of total AT services and full-time services were available in the public sector. Despite differences in AT services, both settings provided a similar number of student-athletes with access to medical care. Barriers to hiring ATs were comparable between public and private secondary schools; however, remote location was a unique challenge for the public sector.
Impact Analysis of Complexity Drivers in the Supply Chain of Prefabricated Houses
Authors: Stroebele Benjamin S. , Kiessling Andreas J.
Published: February 2017

The lack of living space has recently increased particularly in urban centers. This deficiency cannot be remedied with the productivity status quo in the construction industry. One opportunity to significantly increase the productivity of the construction industry is the industrial modular construction. In order to achieve increased productivity, the value chain must act across the entire organization. A supply chain management is required to exploit the potential of the prefabricated construction. In order to develop a specific supply chain management, the corresponding complexity factors along the value chain must be known. The aim of the study is to quantify the essential factors which influence the value chain for prefabricated houses and form a basis for the future development of a supply chain management. The results of this scientific work clearly show that although an industrial modular production is carried out, the highest complexity drivers are still found on the construction site as well as in the logistics from the module production to the construction site. In addition, it is also apparent that special requirements as well as the size of the modules are decisive factors and as such need to be considered during the future development of the supply chain management concept.
Strategy and Misdirection in Forced Choice Memory Performance Testing in Deception Detection
Authors: Orthey Robin , Vrij Aldert , Leal Sharon , Blank Hartmut
Published: February 2017

We examined forced choice memory performance testing in deception detection from a theoretical perspective. Evidence suggests that participants form different strategies to defeat this test. We attempted to describe these strategies within the framework of Cognitive Hierarchy Theory, a theory that distinguishes strategies based on their degree of anticipation of opponents' strategies. Additionally, we explored whether the strategy selection process is malleable. Truth tellers and liars were subjected to a forced choice memory test about a mock crime. Additionally, half of the sample was subjected to a misdirection changing the appearance of the test to that of a polygraph examination. We found detection accuracies and strategies similar to previous experiments and our misdirection manipulation elicited new strategies and behaviour. Theoretical and practical applications are discussed.Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modulation‐Doped Multiple Quantum Wells of Aligned Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Komatsu Natsumi , Gao Weilu , Chen Peiyu , Guo Cheng , Babakhani Aydin , Kono Junichiro
Published: February 2017

Heterojunctions, quantum wells, and superlattices with precise doping profiles are behind today's electronic and photonic devices based on III–V compound semiconductors such as GaAs. Currently, there is considerable interest in constructing similar artificial 3D architectures with tailored electrical and optical properties by using van der Waals junctions of low‐dimensional materials. In this study, the authors have fabricated a novel structure consisting of multiple thin (≈20 nm) layers of aligned single‐wall carbon nanotubes with dopants inserted between the layers. This “modulation‐doped” multiple‐quantum‐well structure acts as a terahertz polarizer with an ultra‐broadband working frequency range (from ≈0.2 to ≈200 THz), a high extinction ratio (20 dB from ≈0.2 to 1 THz), and a low insertion loss (<2.5 dB from ≈0.2 to 200 THz). The individual carbon nanotube films—highly aligned, densely packed, and large (2 in. in diameter)—were produced using vacuum filtration and then stacked together in the presence of dopants. This simple, robust, and cost‐effective method is applicable to the fabrication of a variety of devices relying on macroscopically 1D properties of aligned carbon nanotube assemblies.
Incidence of Fragile X syndrome in Ireland
Authors: O'Byrne James J. , Sweeney Michael , Donnelly Deirdre E. , Lambert Deborah M. , Beattie Eleanor D. , Gervin Celine M. , Barton David E. , Lynch Sally A.
Published: February 2017

Described as the commonest single gene cause of learning disability internationally, the incidence of Fragile X syndrome (FXS) has never previously been determined in Ireland. The aim of this work was to determine the observed incidence of FXS in the island of Ireland; the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Northern Ireland (NI) separately and combined. Ascertainment was achieved for a cross‐sectional study by a retrospective, clinical and laboratory database review of positive FXS cases, born in either ROI or NI, between years 2000–2009 inclusive. The observed incidence of FXS per 10,000 live births in the island of Ireland in males was 0.94 (95%CI: 0.75–1.13) or ∼1:10,600 and in females was 0.23 (95%CI: 0.14–0.32) or ∼1:43,000. Comparable testing rates for FXS are present in ROI and NI, with on average 1.48% (1.30% in ROI, 1.96% in NI) of live male births and 0.4% (0.35% in ROI, 0.55% in NI) of live female births undergoing analysis which is comparable to other centres internationally. This study demonstrates the observed incidence of FXS in the island of Ireland is (i) approximately half the estimated worldwide incidence in males and is not explained by low levels of testing, and (ii) approximately one quarter the estimated worldwide incidence in females which may be explained by low levels of testing. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Poly(ether sulfone) supported hybrid poly(vinyl alcohol)–maleic acid–silicone dioxide membranes for the pervaporation separation of ethanol–water mixtures
Authors: Wu Yuping , Xie Zongli , Ng Derrick , Shen Shirley , Zhou Zhonghua
Published: February 2017

Microporous poly(ether sulfone) (PES) supported hybrid polymer–inorganic membranes were prepared by the crosslinking of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), maleic acid (MA), and SiO2 via an aqueous sol–gel route and a solution‐casting method. The membrane performance was tested for the pervaporation separation of ethanol–water mixtures from 20 to 60 °C with a feed ethanol concentration of 96 wt %. The membrane characterization results reveal that different SiO2 loadings affected the crystallinity and roughness of the membranes. The PVA–MA–SiO2 membrane containing 10 wt % SiO2 showed that SiO2 nanoparticles were well dispersed within the polymer matrix; this resulted in significant enhancements in both the flux and selectivity. The membrane achieved a high water permeability of 1202 g·μm·m−2 h−1 kPa−1 and a selectivity of 1027 for the separation of a 96 wt % ethanol‐containing aqueous solution. This enhanced membrane performance might have been due to the dense crosslinking membrane network, increased free volume, and uniform distribution of SiO2 nanoparticles. Both the water and ethanol fluxes increased with the feed water concentration and temperature. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44839.
Gene silencing in non‐model insects: Overcoming hurdles using symbiotic bacteria for trauma‐free sustainable delivery of RNA interference
Authors: Whitten Miranda , Dyson Paul
Published: February 2017

Insight into animal biology and development provided by classical genetic analysis of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster was an incentive to develop advanced genetic tools for this insect. But genetic systems for the over one million other known insect species are largely undeveloped. With increasing information about insect genomes resulting from next generation sequencing, RNA interference is now the method of choice for reverse genetics, although it is constrained by the means of delivery of interfering RNA. A recent advance to ensure sustained delivery with minimal experimental intervention or trauma to the insect is to exploit commensal bacteria for symbiont‐mediated RNA interference. This technology not only offers an efficient means for RNA interference in insects in laboratory conditions, but also has potential for use in the control of human disease vectors, agricultural pests and pathogens of beneficial insects.
Total Synthesis and Structural Revision of Clavilactone D
Authors: Takao Ken‐ichi , Nemoto Ryuichi , Mori Kento , Namba Ayumi , Yoshida Keisuke , Ogura Akihiro
Published: February 2017

A structural revision of clavilactone D, a potent inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinases, was achieved by total syntheses of two newly proposed structures. The syntheses relied on ring‐opening/ring‐closing metathesis, which transformed a cyclobutenecarboxylate into a γ‐butenolide. The syntheses confirmed that the correct structure of clavilactone D has an amino group at C‐3 instead of a hydroxy group at C‐2 in the originally proposed structure.
Chemical Synthesis of Ketopentose‐5‐phosphates
Authors: Wei Wei‐Chih , Chang Che‐Chien
Published: February 2017

A chemical synthesis of ketopentose‐5‐phosphates that are involved in the pentose phosphate pathway has been developed. The ketopentose phosphates, d‐ribulose‐5‐phosphate and d‐xylulose‐5‐phosphate, were prepared in five steps starting from known intermediates. Starting from readily available d‐aldopentoses, reduction of the corresponding furanose derivatives gave key intermediates in the form of aldopentitols. Selective phosphorylation, oxidation, and deprotection provided the target molecules. This chemical synthesis makes such ketopentose phosphates readily available, and as a result they could be used as assay substrates for mechanistic studies. Since the pentose phosphate pathway is important in cancer‐cell metabolism, this synthetic approach provides an opportunity for preparing potential enzymatic inhibitors for use in drug development. To further extend this synthetic approach, a different protecting group (a trityl group) was used for the synthesis of the two parent ketopentoses (d‐ribulose and d‐xylulose) in a similar manner.
Tympanomastoid cholesterol granulomas: Immunohistochemical evaluation of angiogenesis
Authors: Iannella Giannicola , Di Gioia Cira , Carletti Raffaella , Magliulo Giuseppe
Published: February 2017

Objectives/Hypothesis

This study investigates the immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD34 in patients treated for middle ear and mastoid cholesterol granulomas to evaluate the angiogenesis and vascularization of this type of lesion. A correlation between the immunohistochemical data and the radiological and intraoperative evidence of temporal bone marrow invasion and blood source connection was performed to validate this hypothesis.

Study Design

Retrospective study.

Methods

Immunohistochemical expression of VEGF and CD34 in a group of 16 patients surgically treated for cholesterol granuloma was examined. Middle ear cholesteatomas with normal middle ear mucosa and external auditory canal skin were used as the control groups. The radiological and intraoperative features of cholesterol granulomas were also examined.

Results

In endothelial cells, there was an increased expression of angiogenetic growth factor receptors in all the cholesterol granulomas in this study. The quantitative analysis of VEGF showed a mean value of 37.5, whereas the CD34 quantitative analysis gave a mean value of 6.8. Seven patients presented radiological or intraoperative evidence of bone marrow invasion, hematopoietic potentialities, or blood source connections that might support the bleeding theory. In all of these cases there was computed tomography or intraoperative evidence of bone erosion of the middle ear and/or temporal bone structures. The mean values of VEGF and CD34 were 41.1 and 7.7, respectively.

Conclusions

High values of VEGF and CD34 are present in patients with cholesterol granulomas. Upregulation of VEGF and CD34 is indicative of a remarkable angiogenesis and a widespread vascular concentration in cholesterol granulomas.

Level of Evidence

3b. Laryngoscope, 127:E283–E290, 2017
Balloon Eustachian tuboplasty under local anesthesia: Is it feasible?
Authors: Luukkainen Veera , Kivekäs Ilkka , Hammarén‐Malmi Sari , Rautiainen Markus , Pöyhönen Leena , Aarnisalo Antti A. , Jero Jussi , Sinkkonen Saku T.
Published: February 2017

Objective

To study whether balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) is a feasible and safe procedure under local anesthesia.

Study Design

Prospective multicenter case‐control study.

Methods

Patients undergoing either BET (n = 13) or endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) (n = 12) under local anesthesia, with the possibility of sedation and analgesia, were monitored during the procedure and recovery period for possible adverse effects. After the procedure, the patients responded to a questionnaire assessing their experience.

Results

No adverse effects were detected in the BET group. Patients in the BET group reported similar Visual Analog Scale scores for pain during the operation as the ESS group (5.0 ± 0.7 vs. 3.2 ± 0.7, mean ± standard error of the mean). However, patients in the BET group experienced more discomfort (4.2 ± 0.6 vs. 2.5 ± 0.3, respectively, P = 0.049). Seventy‐seven and 92% of the patients in the BET and ESS groups, respectively, considered the anesthesia and pain relief to be sufficient. Patients from both the BET and ESS groups were almost devoid of pain 1 to 2 hours postoperatively (0.8 ± 0.2 and 1.4 ± 0.3, respectively). In total, 12 of 13 patients in the BET group, and all 12 patients in the ESS group, would choose local anesthesia with sedation and analgesia if they needed to undergo the same procedure again.

Conclusion

BET is a safe and feasible procedure under monitored anesthesia care, including local anesthesia along with sedation and analgesia. There is need for further methodological improvement to reduce pain and discomfort during the operation.

Level of Evidence

4. Laryngoscope, 127:1021–1025, 2017
Preparation of a new filament based on polyamide‐6 for three‐dimensional printing
Authors: Jia Yunchao , He Hui , Peng Xiaodong , Meng Shuna , Chen Jian , Geng Yi
Published: February 2017

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the trendiest three‐dimensional printing (3DP) technologies. However, FDM products based on virgin polyamide‐6 (PA6) are seriously warped due to the accumulation of shrinkage stress generated from the crystallization of PA6. To solve this problem, maleic anhydride grafted poly(ethylene 1‐octene) (POE‐g‐MAH) is added into PA6 to disturb the crystallization and reduce the shrinkage stress. Besides, rigid polystyrene (PS) with good flowability is further introduced to PA6/POE‐g‐MAH blend because too much addition of POE‐g‐MAH will weaken the PA6/POE‐g‐MAH, which will interrupt the printing process. The POE‐g‐MAH and PS both act as amorphous phase in the blends, which will reduce the shrinkage stress and is helpful to the shape stability of the printed products. Finally, a new kind of PA6‐based filament with good toughness for FDM is prepared via this facile method. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:1322–1328, 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Light emitting mechanisms in Si‐rich SiNx films with different silicon nitride stoichiometry
Authors: Torchynska Tetyana , Vergara Hernandez Erasto , Khomenkova Larysa , Slaoui Abdelilah
Published: February 2017

Silicon‐rich silicon nitride films with different stoichiometry were grown on the silicon substrate using the plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The excess silicon content in the films was monitored via varying the NH3/SiH4 gas flow ratio from 0.45 up to 1.0. High‐temperature annealing was employed to produce the silicon nanocrystals (NCs) in the films and to enhance the photoluminescence in the range of 1.6–2.9 eV. Optical parameters of films were estimated by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry. Photoluminescence (PL) and its temperature dependences were studied as well. PL spectra were found to be complex due to the contribution of several radiative channels in the emission process. It was determined that their competition leads to the non‐monotonous variation of total PL peak position with the increase of Si excess content. The analysis of PL temperature dependencies has revealed that the “blue–orange” emission is owing to the radiative host defects, whereas the “red” PL band is caused by the exciton recombination in Si NCs. The way to control emission is discussed.
Spectral problem for graphene fragments and polyenes: An analytic approach
Authors: Malysheva Lyuba
Published: February 2017

An analytic study of the spectral problem for finite size one‐layer graphene sheets is presented. The solutions of the derived earlier transcendental eigenvalue equation is thoroughly examined and their highly accurate approximations are obtained. The accuracy of the approximations is illustrated by the comparison of approximate and exact results. The range of use of the proposed approach covers graphene, its daughter structures such as zigzag and armchair nanoribbons, and also real polyenes.
Characteristic NH3 and CO losses from sodiated peptides C‐terminated by glutamine residues
Authors: Guan Xinshu , Wang Bing , Wang Huixin , Liu Jinrong , Li Ying , Guo Xinhua
Published: February 2017

Rationale

Under certain conditions some amino acid (AA) residues undergo special reactions in the gas phase, generating characteristic neutral losses and product ions. Taking these special fragments into account and understanding the effect of AA residues on peptide cleavages will consummate database search algorithms and manual data interpretation in peptide sequencing by mass spectrometry (MS). In this study, the details of the characteristic NH3 and CO losses of glutamine (Gln) residues located at the C‐terminus of peptides are presented.

Methods

A number of selected peptides were fragmented under collision‐induced dissociation (CID) in electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (ESI‐QTOF‐MS). Density functional theory (DFT) quantum mechanical calculations at the B3LYP/6‐31+G(d,p) level were carried out to optimize the geometry of peptide ions and provide energy barriers of ions in each step during fragmentations.

Results

Two characteristic peaks appear near the precursor ions of sodiated Gln C‐terminated peptides, suggesting the loss of neutral NH3 and CO via a two‐step process. The proposed mechanism of their formation is as follows: after losing NH3, a non‐classical bn * ion is formed with a glutaric anhydride structure that further dissociates to lose CO. The sodiated peptides show more intensive peaks corresponding to the loss of neutral molecules than the protonated ones. This type of neutral loss can also occur at the Gln residue that is rearranged to the C‐terminus of sodiated peptides.

Conclusions

The experiments and calculations suggest that the two‐step characteristic NH3 and CO loss of sodiated peptides is energetically favored, and can be applied to identify C‐terminated Gln residues. This study provides a mechanistic insight into the role of sodium ion during peptide fragmentation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Screening the covert key using honey encryption to rule out the brute force attack of AES—a survey
Authors: Dharshini P , Arokia Renjith J , Mohan Kumar P
Published: February 2017

Recently, the major challenging attack is the side channel attack for both symmetric and asymmetric algorithm. Because in both cases, the secret key has to be sent out via a safe secured channel. The advanced encryption standard (AES) is mentioned as the best standard encryption algorithm by the US government, but there is one major attack on the AES that is the brute force attack. So, how to rule out these kinds of attack and how it is implemented effectively in hardware are being discussed in this paper. The honey encryption scheme is an effective algorithm, and it is also being discussed. In this paper, the detailed description of the AES and the methods to improve its speed and how it is integrated with the honey technique have been discussed. The different kinds of attacks and the various solutions are discussed for both of the algorithms. A survey of papers which has used these algorithms for various reasons with different perspective has been given. The honey algorithm creates the fake message for the wrong try of the key puncher. Thus, this is considered as the best algorithm, but it is also has some disadvantages that is also focussed in our survey. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pulmonary glass particles may persist in the lung suppressing function of immune cells
Authors: Park Eun‐Jung , Lee Gwang‐Hee , Kim Jae‐Chan , Jin Lee Sang , Lee Kyuhong , Lee Byoung‐Seok , Chang Jaerak , Kim Dong‐Wan
Published: February 2017

The health effects of silica may depend on the inherent properties of crystalline silica or on external factors affecting the biological activity or distribution of its polymorphs. Inhaled crystalline silica is classified as a Group I carcinogen, however, information on the health effects of amorphous silica is still insufficient. Considering that alveolar macrophages play a key role in both innate and adaptive immune responses for removal of foreign bodies that enter via the respiratory system, we treated sheet‐like glass particles (SGPs), a type of noncrystalline amorphous silica, to MH‐S cells, an alveolar macrophage cell line. SGPs reduced the generation of ROS and NO and induced cell death via multiple pathways. Although the expression of CD80, CD86, and CD40, increased by exposure to SGPs, the expression of MHC class II molecules had not notably changed. Additionally, expression of ICAM‐1 tended to decrease. In mice, SGPs were distributed in the interstitial region of the lung without notable pathological lesion on day 14 after a single intratracheal instillation. Pulmonary total cell number increased significantly with the highest dose, but the levels of all measured inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, except IL‐1, were lower in BAL fluid from SGP‐treated mice compared to control. More interestingly, the expression of antigen presentation‐related proteins was enhanced in the lungs of SGP‐exposed mice concomitant with an increase in the number of mature dendritic cells, whereas the expression of ICAM‐1, an important adhesion molecule for helper T cell recruitment, was suppressed. Taken together, we suggest that SGPs may induce adverse health effects by down‐regulating function of immune cells in the lungs. Furthermore, ICAM‐1 may play a key role in immune response to remove pulmonary SGPs.
Abnormal brain oscillations persist after recovery from bipolar depression
Authors: Canali P. , Casarotto S. , Rosanova M. , Sferrazza-Papa G. , Casali A.G. , Gosseries O. , Massimini M. , Smeraldi E. , Colombo C. , Benedetti F.
Published: February 2017

When directly perturbed in healthy subjects, premotor cortical areas generate electrical oscillations in the beta range (20–40 Hz). In schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder (BD), these oscillations are markedly reduced, in terms of amplitude and frequency. However, it still remains unclear whether these abnormalities can be modulated over time, or if they can be still observed after treatment. Here, we employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with EEG to assess the frontal oscillatory activity in eighteen BD patients before/after antidepressant treatments (sleep deprivation and light therapy), relative to nine healthy controls. In order to detect dominant frequencies, event related spectral perturbations (ERSP) were computed for each TMS/EEG session in all participants, using wavelet decomposition. The natural frequency at which the cortical circuit oscillates was calculated as the frequency value with the largest power across 300 ms post-stimulus time interval. Severity of depression markedly decreased after treatment with 12 patients achieving response and nine patients achieving remission. TMS/EEG resulted in a significant activation of the beta/gamma band response (21–50 Hz) in healthy controls. In patients, the main frequencies of premotor EEG responses to TMS did not significantly change before/after treatment and were always significantly lower than those of controls (11–27 Hz) and comparable in patients achieving remission and in those not responding to treatment. These results suggest that the reduction of natural frequencies is a trait marker of BD, independent from the clinical status of the patients. The present findings shed light on the neurobiological underpinning of severe psychiatric disorders and demonstrate that TMS/EEG represents a unique tool to develop biomarkers in psychiatry.
Biofeedback therapy combined with diet to treating ODS (Anismus): 2 years outcome
Authors: Anaraki Fakhryalsadat , Foroughifar Tahereh , Bagherzadeh Saba Reza , Miri Ashtiani Elaheh , Ghanbari Zinat
Published: February 2017

Object The advantages of biofeedback therapy along with diet in patients with constipation are among the issues discussed nowadays. The aim of this study was to evaluate 2 years outcome of biofeedback therapy along with diet in patients with obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS) (Anismus).

Methodology The focus of this prospective study is a group of 129 patients with ODS constipation, who were referred to two tertiary-care referral academic centers from 2013 to 2016. Patients received biofeedback therapy combined with appropriate diet in cases group and received diet in controls group. Good response was defined as a subject with at least 50 percent improvement from before to after biofeedback therapy on a Cleveland Clinic Florida Constipation Scoring System (CCF). Factors associated with better outcome were analyzed using SPSS 20 software.

Results Out of the 129 patients, 112 patients (86.8%) were female. The mean age of patients was 42.44 ± 15.05 years. The mean CCF score of the patients before and after biofeedback therapy was 12.41 ± 4.39 and 6.00 ± 3.28 respectively in case group (p-value < 0.001). In addition, the mean CCF score of the patients before and after diet therapy was 12.82 ± 4.85 and 9.43 ± 3.79 respectively in control group (p-value < 0.001). While CCF score in both case and control groups reduced significantly after therapy, the rate of this reduction was higher in case group (p < 0.001).

Conclusion Our findings suggest that biofeedback therapy combined with diet will improve patients outcome in ODS constipation. Prospective clinical trials with larger sample sizes are recommend allowing for causal correlations.
Genital Sensory Detection Thresholds and Patient Satisfaction with Vaginoplasty in Male-to-Female Transgender Women
Authors: LeBreton Marianne , Courtois Frédérique , Journel Nicolas Morel , Beaulieu-Prévost Dominic , Bélanger Marc , Ruffion Alain , Terrier Jean-Étienne
Published: February 2017

Introduction

Gender-affirming surgery is common for the treatment of gender dysphoria, but its effect on genital sensitivity is not well known.

Aims

To investigate genital sensory detection thresholds in male-to-female transgender women postoperatively and their relation to psychological well-being and variables of satisfaction.

Methods

Prospective study on 28 transgender women at least 18 years old operated on at least 3 months before the study by a single surgeon (N.M.J.).

Main Outcome Measures

Medical complications; sensory detection thresholds for light touch, pressure, and vibration; and questionnaires on general and sexual satisfaction, sexual function, depression, and psychological well-being.

Results

Sensory detection thresholds ranged from 0.07 to 2.82 g for light touch, with the neck being most sensitive; from 20.23 to 34.64 g for pressure, with similar results for the neck and clitoris; and from 0.0052 to 0.0111 V for vibration, with similar findings for all stimulation points. Satisfaction with the appearance of the labia, vulva, clitoris, and sexual function was good to very good. Frequency of sexual activities increased significantly postoperatively for orogenital stimulation and decreased significantly for frequency of fantasies (t = −4.81; P < .0001). Orgasmic function was reported by 80% of participants. Psychological adjustment was good to very good, with low depression scores. Sexual satisfaction was statistically and positively correlated with vaginal function and depth, clitoral sensation, appearance of the vulva and labia minora, and natural lubrication and negatively correlated with depression scores.

Conclusion

Gender-affirming surgery yields good results for satisfaction with appearance and function. Genital sensitivity showed the best results with pressure and vibration.
TASTE TRUMPS HEALTH AND SAFETY: INCORPORATING CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS INTO A DISCRETE CHOICE EXPERIMENT FOR MEAT
Authors: MALONE TREY , LUSK JAYSON L.
Published: February 2017

Consumers implicitly incorporate their perceptions of products into their decision processes, yet little research has explicitly focused on how those perceptions influence demand for meat. This study incorporates taste, health, and safety perceptions into a discrete choice experiment for meat products at a grocery store. Our results indicate that taste is the most important perception as a 1-unit increase in the perceived tastiness (on a −5 to +5 scale) of a food product leads to a $0.60 increase in willingness to pay, whereas equivalent increases in perceived health and safety lead to $0.31 and $0.21 increases, respectively.
Atypical Meningioma: Referral Patterns, Treatment and Adherence to Guidelines
Authors: Alghamdi Majed , Li Haocheng , Olivotto Ivo , Easaw Jay , Kelly John , Nordal Robert , Lim Gerald
Published: February 2017

Objective:To determine the referral rate to radiation oncologist (RO), use of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) and the impact of a clinical practice guideline (CPG) on patients with atypical meningioma (AM).Methods:A retrospective review of meningioma patients (n=526) treated between 2003 and 2013 was undertaken. Patients’ characteristics, extent of surgical resection (EOR), RO referral, PORT, date and treatment of first recurrence were collected for all patients >18 years with a new diagnosis of AM after surgical resection (n=83). Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) according to EOR were assessed by the Log-Rank test of Kaplan-Meier survival.Results:Median age was 57 years. EOR was gross total (GTR) in 44 patients, subtotal (STR) in 36 patients and 3 patients had unknown EOR. RO referral rate was 26.5% (n=22); 5 patients initially had GTR and 17 had STR. Only 7 patients received PORT. At a median follow up time of 29 months, recurrences occurred in 28 patients, 4 had GTR, 21 had STR and 3 had an unknown EOR. With PORT, 2 patients developed recurrence. 5-year PFS was 62% after GTR and 33% after STR (P=0.002). 5-year OS was 92% after GTR and 83% after STR (P=0.45).Conclusion:In this cohort with AM, RO referral rate was low and was not influenced by the CPG. Use of PORT was also low. Given the lack of conclusive evidence supporting PORT in such patients, a multidisciplinary approach, including RO consultation, is needed to provide patients with optimal and individualised care.
Securitization, Normalization, and Representations of Islam in Senate Discourse
Authors: Coen Alise
Published: February 2017

This study explores depictions of Islam in Senate rhetoric across the 106th (1999–2000) and 111th (2009–2010) Congresses. These two periods are compared to consider overall patterns in congressional discourse on Islam and to explore how the September 11th, 2001 attacks might have shaped this discourse. The study also examines the possible effects of ideology, partisanship, and senator religious affiliation on representations of Islam. The article ultimately suggests that despite some important post-September 11 shifts in Senate rhetoric pertaining to Islam, persistent themes regarding securitization, Orientalist tendencies, moderate-fundamentalist dichotomizations, and ideological divisions merit scrutiny. This study contributes to work on Congress, religion, and American politics by assessing trends in the discursive representation of Islam by United States legislators. Theoretically, the article draws upon the Copenhagen School in International Relations to assess the securitization of Islam within legislative debates and to develop the related concept of normalization.
Identification of a genetically defined ultra-high-risk group in relapsed pediatric T-lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Richter-Pechańska P , Kunz J B , Hof J , Zimmermann M , Rausch T , Bandapalli O R , Orlova E , Scapinello G , Sagi J C , Stanulla M , Schrappe M , Cario G , Kirschner-Schwabe R , Eckert C , Benes V , Korbel J O , Muckenthaler M U , Kulozik A E
Published: February 2017

In the search for genes that define critical steps of relapse in pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and can serve as prognostic markers, we performed targeted sequencing of 313 leukemia-related genes in 214 patients: 67 samples collected at the time of relapse and 147 at initial diagnosis. As relapse-specific genetic events, we identified activating mutations in NT5C2 (P=0.0001, Fisher’s exact test), inactivation of TP53 (P=0.0007, Fisher’s exact test) and duplication of chr17:q11.2-24.3 (P=0.0068, Fisher’s exact test) in 32/67 of T-ALL relapse samples. Alterations of TP53 were frequently homozygous events, which significantly correlated with higher rates of copy number alterations in other genes compared with wild-type TP53 (P=0.0004, Mann–Whitney’s test). We subsequently focused on mutations with prognostic impact and identified genes governing DNA integrity (TP53, n=8; USP7, n=4; MSH6, n=4), having key roles in the RAS signaling pathway (KRAS, NRAS, n=8), as well as IL7R (n=4) and CNOT3 (n=4) to be exclusively mutated in fatal relapses. These markers recognize 24/49 patients with a second event. In 17 of these patients with mostly refractory relapse and dire need for efficient treatment, we identified candidate targets for personalized therapy with p53 reactivating compounds, MEK inhibitors or JAK/STAT-inhibitors that may be incorporated in future treatment strategies.
Prenatal thalamic waves regulate cortical area size prior to sensory processing
Authors: Moreno-Juan Verónica , Filipchuk Anton , Antón-Bolaños Noelia , Mezzera Cecilia , Gezelius Henrik , Andrés Belen , Rodríguez-Malmierca Luis , Susín Rafael , Schaad Olivier , Iwasato Takuji , Schüle Roland , Rutlin Michael , Nelson Sacha , Ducret Sebastien , Valdeolmillos Miguel , Rijli Filippo M. , López-Bendito Guillermina
Published: February 2017

The cerebral cortex is organized into specialized sensory areas, whose initial territory is determined by intracortical molecular determinants. Yet, sensory cortical area size appears to be fine tuned during development to respond to functional adaptations. Here we demonstrate the existence of a prenatal sub-cortical mechanism that regulates the cortical areas size in mice. This mechanism is mediated by spontaneous thalamic calcium waves that propagate among sensory-modality thalamic nuclei up to the cortex and that provide a means of communication among sensory systems. Wave pattern alterations in one nucleus lead to changes in the pattern of the remaining ones, triggering changes in thalamic gene expression and cortical area size. Thus, silencing calcium waves in the auditory thalamus induces Rorβ upregulation in a neighbouring somatosensory nucleus preluding the enlargement of the barrel-field. These findings reveal that embryonic thalamic calcium waves coordinate cortical sensory area patterning and plasticity prior to sensory information processing.
Dual origins of the intracellular circadian calcium rhythm in the suprachiasmatic nucleus
Authors: Enoki Ryosuke , Ono Daisuke , Kuroda Shigeru , Honma Sato , Honma Ken-ichi
Published: February 2017

In mammals, the master circadian clock is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), where most neurons show circadian rhythms of intracellular Ca2+ levels. However, the origin of these Ca2+ rhythms remains largely unknown. In this study, we successfully monitored the intracellular circadian Ca2+ rhythms together with the circadian PER2 and firing rhythms in a single SCN slice ex vivo, which enabled us to explore the origins. The phase relation between the circadian PER2 and Ca2+ rhythms, but not between the circadian PER2 and firing rhythms, was significantly altered in Cry1/Cry2 double knockout mice, which display a loss of intercellular synchronization in the SCN. In addition, in Cry1/Cry2 double knockout mice, circadian Ca2+ rhythms were abolished in the dorsolateral SCN, but were maintained in the majority of the ventromedial SCN. These findings indicate that intracellular circadian Ca2+ rhythms are composed of an exogenous and endogenous component involving PER2 expression.
Forensic SNP Genotyping using Nanopore MinION Sequencing
Authors: Cornelis Senne , Gansemans Yannick , Deleye Lieselot , Deforce Dieter , Van Nieuwerburgh Filip
Published: February 2017

One of the latest developments in next generation sequencing is the Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ (ONT) MinION nanopore sequencer. We studied the applicability of this system to perform forensic genotyping of the forensic female DNA standard 9947 A using the 52 SNP-plex assay developed by the SNPforID consortium. All but one of the loci were correctly genotyped. Several SNP loci were identified as problematic for correct and robust genotyping using nanopore sequencing. All these loci contained homopolymers in the sequence flanking the forensic SNP and most of them were already reported as problematic in studies using other sequencing technologies. When these problematic loci are avoided, correct forensic genotyping using nanopore sequencing is technically feasible.
Cover crops support ecological intensification of arable cropping systems
Authors: Wittwer Raphaël A. , Dorn Brigitte , Jossi Werner , van der Heijden Marcel G. A.
Published: February 2017

A major challenge for agriculture is to enhance productivity with minimum impact on the environment. Several studies indicate that cover crops could replace anthropogenic inputs and enhance crop productivity. However, so far, it is unclear if cover crop effects vary between different cropping systems, and direct comparisons among major arable production systems are rare. Here we compared the short-term effects of various cover crops on crop yield, nitrogen uptake, and weed infestation in four arable production systems (conventional cropping with intensive tillage and no-tillage; organic cropping with intensive tillage and reduced tillage). We hypothesized that cover cropping effects increase with decreasing management intensity. Our study demonstrated that cover crop effects on crop yield were highest in the organic system with reduced tillage (+24%), intermediate in the organic system with tillage (+13%) and in the conventional system with no tillage (+8%) and lowest in the conventional system with tillage (+2%). Our results indicate that cover crops are essential to maintaining a certain yield level when soil tillage intensity is reduced (e.g. under conservation agriculture), or when production is converted to organic agriculture. Thus, the inclusion of cover crops provides additional opportunities to increase the yield of lower intensity production systems and contribute to ecological intensification.
Ag/Au/Polypyrrole Core-shell Nanowire Network for Transparent, Stretchable and Flexible Supercapacitor in Wearable Energy Devices
Authors: Moon Hyunjin , Lee Habeom , Kwon Jinhyeong , Suh Young Duk , Kim Dong Kwan , Ha Inho , Yeo Junyeob , Hong Sukjoon , Ko Seung Hwan
Published: February 2017

Transparent and stretchable energy storage devices have attracted significant interest due to their potential to be applied to biocompatible and wearable electronics. Supercapacitors that use the reversible faradaic redox reaction of conducting polymer have a higher specific capacitance as compared with electrical double-layer capacitors. Typically, the conducting polymer electrode is fabricated through direct electropolymerization on the current collector. However, no research have been conducted on metal nanowires as current collectors for the direct electropolymerization, even though the metal nanowire network structure has proven to be superior as a transparent, flexible, and stretchable electrode platform because the conducting polymer’s redox potential for polymerization is higher than that of widely studied metal nanowires such as silver and copper. In this study, we demonstrated a highly transparent and stretchable supercapacitor by developing Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks as electrode by coating the surface of Ag NWs with a thin layer of gold, which provide higher redox potential than the electropolymerizable monomer. The Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks demonstrated superior mechanical stability under various mechanical bending and stretching. In addition, proposed supercapacitors showed fine optical transmittance together with fivefold improved areal capacitance compared to pristine Ag/Au core-shell nanowire mesh-based supercapacitors.
MISSA 2.0: an updated synthetic biology toolbox for assembly of orthogonal CRISPR/Cas systems
Authors: Zhang Hai-Yan , Wang Xing-Hui , Dong Li , Wang Zhi-Ping , Liu Bing , Lv Jie , Xing Hui-Li , Han Chun-Yan , Wang Xue-Chen , Chen Qi-Jun
Published: February 2017

Efficient generation of plants carrying mutations in multiple genes remains a challenge. Using two or more orthogonal CRISPR/Cas systems can generate plants with multi-gene mutations, but assembly of these systems requires a robust, high-capacity toolkit. Here, we describe MISSA 2.0 (multiple-round in vivo site-specific assembly 2.0), an extensively updated toolkit for assembly of two or more CRISPR/Cas systems. We developed a novel suicide donor vector system based on plasmid RK2, which has much higher cloning capacity than the original, plasmid R6K-based system. We validated the utility of MISSA 2.0 by assembling multiple DNA fragments into the E. coli chromosome, and by creating transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana that constitutively or inducibly overexpress multiple genes. We then demonstrated that the higher cloning capacity of the RK2-derived MISSA 2.0 donor vectors facilitated the assembly of two orthogonal CRISPR/Cas systems including SpCas9 and SaCas9, and thus facilitated the creation of transgenic lines harboring these systems. We anticipate that MISSA 2.0 will enable substantial advancements in multiplex genome editing based on two or more orthogonal CRISPR/Cas9 systems, as well as in plant synthetic biology.
Intracellular detection of hazardous Cd2+ through a fluorescence imaging technique by using a nontoxic coumarin based sensor
Authors: Kumari Chanda , Sain Dibyendu , Kumar Ashish , Debnath Sushanta , Saha Partha , Dey Swapan
Published: February 2017

A new coumarin based turn on fluorescent sensor (R1) was reported for the detection of highly hazardous Cd2+ with excellent selectivity and sensitivity without any interference of other metal ions.
Energy-efficient electrolytic hydrogen generation using a Cu3P nanoarray as a bifunctional catalyst for hydrazine oxidation and water reduction
Authors: Liu Meng , Zhang Rong , Zhang Lixue , Liu Danni , Hao Shuai , Du Gu , Asiri Abdullah M. , Kong Rongmei , Sun Xuping
Published: February 2017

A Cu3P nanoarray acts as a durable bifunctional catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction and hydrazine oxidation reaction with 100 mA cm−2at 0.72 V in 1.0 M KOH.
Promising advances of thiacalix[4]arene in crystal structures
Authors: Zhao Mei , Lv Jing , Guo Dian-Shun
Published: February 2017

Thiacalix[4]arenes are one kind of robust scaffolds and extensively applied in supramolecular chemistry and materials science owing to their novel features.
Performance assessment of activated carbon supported catalyst during catalytic wet oxidation of simulated pulping effluents generated from wood and bagasse based pulp and paper mills
Authors: Yadav Bholu Ram , Garg Anurag
Published: February 2017

The present study reports the performance of catalytic wet oxidation (CWO) for the treatment of simulated pulping effluents (with chemical oxygen demand (COD) = 15 000 and 17 000 mg L−1) from large and small scale pulp and paper mills, respectively.
Chemical structure versus second-order nonlinear optical response of the push–pull type pyrazoline-based chromophores
Authors: Szukalski A. , Sahraoui B. , Kulyk B. , Lazar C. A. , Manea A. M. , Mysliwiec J.
Published: February 2017

In this study, we present experimental results of the second-order nonlinear optical response of a series of pyrazoline derivatives.
Inclusion complexes of norepinephrine with β-cyclodextrin, 18-crown-6 and cucurbit[7]uril: experimental and molecular dynamics study
Authors: Al-Burtomani Suad K. S. , Suliman FakhrEldin O.
Published: February 2017

Binary and ternary complexes of norepinephrine with 18C6, βCD and CB7 have been characterized using various experimental and theoretical techniques.
Renewable high density fuels containing tricyclic sesquiterpanes and alkyl diamondoids
Authors: Harrison Kale W. , Harvey Benjamin G.
Published: February 2017

High density fuels are prepared from bio-derived tricyclic sesquiterpenes. Acid catalyzed isomerization lowers the viscosity and increases the cetane number.
Structural analysis for dynamic model of time‐varying switch in bond graph – a case study of single phase switch converters
Authors: Tseng Kuo‐Hsiung , Chang Tuo‐Wen , Hung Ming‐Fu , Chen Kuan‐Wen
Published: February 2017

This study proposes a new dynamic model of a time‐varying switch bond graph for further improvement of the bond graph modelling method. The previous reference to the time‐varying switch only discussed the on and off modes, but the dynamic model of a time‐varying switch was not presented. This study proposes a bond graph modelling method of a time‐varying switch which is mainly used for obtaining insights into the important dominant behaviour of the switch converter, such as the converter modelling, design of the controller, stability analysis and simulation of the converter; this is the reason why this study does not consider the multi‐frequency modelling or generalised state‐space averaging as the switch converter of a high‐frequency switch behaviour.