bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hyaluronate likely contributes to the immunesuppression of the regenerating tail blastema in lizards: Implications for organ regeneration in amniotes
Authors: Alibardi Lorenzo
Published: September 2017

The regenerating tail blastema of lizards appears immunesuppressed, and the distribution of hyaluronate, a possible agent of immunesuppression, is evaluated. Transcriptome data show upregulation of genes stimulating hyaluronate production in the tail and limb blastemas. The distribution of hyaluronate in the tail and limb blastemas has been studied using alcian blue atpH2.5 and 1.0 and by immunohistochemistry for hyaluronate receptors. Both tail and limb blastemas initially contain hyaluronate, but this glycosaminoglycan disappears in the scarring limb blastema at 25‐ to 30‐day postamputation after intense inflammation. The regenerating tail tip moves distally during regeneration but conserves hyaluronate that is replaced by sulphated glycosaminoglycans and glycoproteins in proximal regions of the regenerating tail. Hyaluronate receptors are diffuse among blastema cells and ependyma of the tail, intense in wound epidermis but low to absent in the scarring limb. The electron microscope shows that an amorphous extracellular matrix likely containing hyaluronate surrounds mesenchymal cells, ependyma and wound epidermis in the tail but is scarce to absent in the limb, whereas collagen fibrils prevail. Extracellular matrix containing hyaluronate may shield blastema cells from circulating immune cells preventing deleterious immune reactions in the tail but not in the limb, a process leading to scarring.
Does benefit justify research with children?
Authors: Binik Ariella
Published: September 2017

The inclusion of children in research gives rise to a difficult ethical question: What justifies children's research participation and exposure to research risks when they cannot provide informed consent? This question arises out of the tension between the moral requirement to obtain a subject's informed consent for research participation, on the one hand, and the limited capacity of most children to provide informed consent, on the other. Most agree that children's participation in clinical research can be justified. But the ethical justification for exposing children to research risks in the absence of consent remains unclear. One prevalent group of arguments aims to justify children's risk exposure by appealing to the concept of benefit. I call these ‘benefit arguments’. Prominent versions of this argument defend the idea that broadening our understanding of the notion of benefit to include non‐medical benefits (such as the benefit of a moral education) helps to justify children's research participation. I argue that existing benefit arguments are not persuasive and raise problems with the strategy of appealing to broader notions of benefit to justify children's exposure to research risk.
Chronic exposure of interleukin-13 suppress the induction of matrix metalloproteinase-1 by tumour necrosis factor α in normal and scleroderma dermal fibroblasts through protein kinase B/Akt
Authors: Brown Lobbins M L , Shivakumar B R , Postlethwaite A E , Hasty K A
Published: September 2017

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells taken from patients with scleroderma express increased levels of interleukin (IL)-13. Moreover, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) from involved scleroderma skin fibroblasts is refractory to stimulation by tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. To elucidate the mechanism(s) involved, we examined the effect of IL-13 on TNF-α-induced MMP-1 expression in normal and scleroderma human dermal fibroblast lines and studied the involvement of serine/threonine kinase B/protein kinase B (Akt) in this response. Dermal fibroblast lines were stimulated with TNF-α in the presence of varying concentrations of IL-13. Total Akt and pAkt were quantitated using Western blot analyses. Fibroblasts were treated with or without Akt inhibitor VIII in the presence of IL-13 followed by TNF-α stimulation. MMP-1 expression was analysed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (anova) or Student's t-test. Upon TNF-α stimulation, normal dermal fibroblasts secrete more MMP-1 than systemic sclerosis (SSc) fibroblasts. This increase in MMP-1 is lost when fibroblasts are co-incubated with IL-13 and TNF-α. IL-13 induced a significant increase in levels of pAkt in dermal fibroblasts, while Akt inhibitor VIII reversed the suppressive effects of IL-13 on the response of cultured fibroblasts to TNF-α, increasing their expression of MMP-1. We show that IL-13 suppresses MMP-1 in TNF-α-stimulated normal and scleroderma dermal fibroblast. Akt inhibitor VIII is able to reverse the suppressive effect of IL-13 on MMP-1 expression and protein synthesis. Our data suggest that IL-13 regulates MMP-1 expression in response to TNF-α through an Akt-mediated pathway and may play a role in fibrotic diseases such as scleroderma.
Comparison of outcomes of kidney transplantation from donation after brain death, donation after circulatory death, and donation after brain death followed by circulatory death donors
Authors: Chen Guodong , Wang Chang , Ko Dicken Shiu‐Chung , Qiu Jiang , Yuan Xiaopeng , Han Ming , Wang Changxi , He Xiaoshun , Chen Lizhong
Published: September 2017

Background

There are three categories of deceased donors of kidney transplantation in China, donation after brain death (DBD), donation after circulatory death (DCD), and donation after brain death followed by circulatory death (DBCD) donors. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of kidney transplantation from these three categories of deceased donors.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 469 recipients who received deceased kidney transplantation in our hospital from February 2007 to June 2015. The recipients were divided into three groups according to the source of their donor kidneys: DBD, DCD, or DBCD. The primary endpoints were delayed graft function (DGF), graft loss, and patient death.

Results

The warm ischemia time was much longer in DCD group compared to DBCD group (18.4 minutes vs 12.9 minutes, P < .001). DGF rate was higher in DCD group than in DBD and DBCD groups (22.5% vs 10.2% and 13.8%, respectively, P = .021). Urinary leakage was much higher in DCD group (P = .049). Kaplan‐Meier analysis showed that 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐year patient survivals were all comparable among the three groups.

Conclusion

DBCD kidney transplantation has lower incidences of DGF and urinary leakage than DCD kidney transplant. However, the overall patient and graft survival were comparable among DBD, DCD, and DBCD kidney transplantation.
Research into action? The Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education's (EIDGE) experiences as a community‐based group in Vancouver, Canada
Authors: Brown Loretta , Skulsh John , Morgan Rob , Kuehlke Ron , Graham Brittany
Published: September 2017

The Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education has been supportive of research dedicated to establishing the effectiveness of Managed Alcohol Programs since its inception. Dedicated funding for MAPs in Vancouver, British Columbia is contingent on the research demonstrating that alcohol‐related harms are reduced while participating in a Managed Alcohol Program. The Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education understands the need for evidence‐based research but we are critical of how much research is needed before sustainable funding can be established for these innovative programs.
Neurophysiological mechanisms and functional impact of mirror movements in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy
Authors: Kuo Hsing‐Ching , Friel Kathleen M , Gordon Andrew M
Published: September 2017

Children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) often have mirror movements, i.e. involuntary imitations of unilateral voluntary movements of the contralateral upper extremity. The pathophysiology of mirror movements has been investigated in small and heterogeneous cohorts in the literature. Specific pathophysiology of mirror movements and their impact on upper extremity function require systematic investigation in larger and homogeneous cohorts of children with unilateral spastic CP. Here we review two possible neurophysiological mechanisms underlying mirror movements in children with CP and those with typical development: (1) an ipsilateral corticospinal tract projecting from the contralesional motor cortex (M1) to both upper extremities; (2) insufficient interhemispheric inhibition between the two M1s. We also discuss clinical implications of mirror movements in children with unilateral CP and suggest that a thorough examination of the relationship between the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of mirror movements is warranted. We suggest two premises: (1) the presence of mirror movements is indicative of an ipsilateral corticospinal tract reorganization; and (2) the corticospinal tract organization may affect patients' responses to certain treatment. If these premises are supported through future research, mirror movements should be clinically evaluated for patient selection to maximize benefits of therapy, hence promoting individualized medicine in this population.

What this paper adds

Mirror movements may be indicative of the underlying corticospinal tract reorganization in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP).

Future research will benefit from systematic investigations of the relationship between mirror movements and its pathophysiology.

Mirror movements may be a potential biomarker for individualized medicine in children with unilateral spastic CP.
The serum heavy/light chain immunoassay: A valuable tool for sensitive paraprotein assessment, risk, and disease monitoring in monoclonal gammopathies
Authors: Greil Christine , Ihorst Gabriele , Gaiser Felix , Salzer Ulrich , Bisse Emanuel , Kastritis Efstathios , Ludwig Heinz , Wäsch Ralph , Engelhardt Monika
Published: September 2017

Objective

The heavy/light chain (HLC)‐immunoassay quantifies light chain types of each immunoglobulin class in patients with monoclonal gammopathies.

Methods

We assessed 147 consecutive patients with different forms and stages of plasma cell dyscrasias (PCD) who received standard tests (serum and urine protein electrophoresis [SPEP, UPEP], immunofixation [IFE], serum‐free light chain [SFLC]), and HLC‐immunoassay. Patients with multiple myeloma (MM, n = 102), smoldering MM (SMM, n = 5), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS, n = 28), and Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM, n = 12) were included.

Results

We verified a significant correlation between HLC‐ and standard monoclonal protein (mp)‐parameters, and HLC‐increases with higher disease stage and unfavorable remission status. In patients with difficult to quantify mp, more abnormal HLC‐ than SPEP‐, immunoglobulin‐, or SFLC‐results were found. In WM, a pathological HLC κ/λ‐ratio and M‐component were observed in 95% and 58%, respectively. In 21/28 MGUS and 5/5 SMM patients, HLC κ/λ‐ratios were abnormal. Testing different HLC cutoffs, patients with extreme HLC values showed impaired progression‐free survival (PFS).

Conclusions

Despite the fact that different PCD patients were included, the assessment of the HLC‐immunoassay in MGUS, SMM, MM, and WM, our comparison with standard mp‐assays, and relevant PFS differences may excite future applications, which should be confirmed in prospective multicenter trials.
Prevalence and prognostic impact of anemia and iron deficiency in patients hospitalized in an internal medicine ward: The PRO‐IRON study
Authors: Fonseca Cândida , Araújo Manuel , Moniz Patrícia , Marques Filipa , Araújo Inês , Costa Luís , Rodrigues Joana , Frade Luciana , Botella Arturo , Jesus Susana , Leitão Ana , Campos Luís
Published: September 2017

Objectives

To assess prevalence, predictive factors, and prognostic impact on in‐hospital mortality of anemia, iron deficiency anemia (IDA), iron deficiency with or without anemia (ID), and iron deficiency without anemia (IDWA) in patients admitted to an internal medicine ward.

Methods

This 1‐year prospective study collected data on demographics, medical history, and blood tests in 771 consecutive patients on admission.

Results

Most patients were ≥65 years old (80%) and had hypertension (63%), moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) (43%), and heart failure (41%). Prevalence of anemia, IDA, ID, and IDWA was 67%, 41%, 58%, and 18%, respectively. Anemia was independently associated with age ≥65 years (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.15‐2.70), active cancer (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.42‐4.39), and moderate CKD (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.12‐2.43). ID was independently associated with female gender (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.64‐3.22), heart failure (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.16‐2.37), and moderate CKD (OR 2.95, 95% CI 2.04‐4.30). Incidence of in‐hospital mortality was 21% and independently associated with anemia (RR 1.82, 95% CI 1.21‐2.74).

Conclusions

Anemia and iron deficiency were highly prevalent in internal medicine patients. As anemia negatively impacts on in‐hospital mortality, awareness should be raised for effective diagnosis and management of these comorbidities in hospitalized patients.
SIRT7 deacetylates DDB1 and suppresses the activity of the CRL4 E3 ligase complexes
Authors: Mo Yan , Lin Ran , Liu Peng , Tan Minjia , Xiong Yue , Guan Kun‐Liang , Yuan Hai‐Xin
Published: September 2017

Cullin 4 (CUL4) and small ring finger protein ROC1 assemble to form E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRL4) complexes. CUL4 interacts with WD‐40 proteins through the adaptor protein DNA damage‐binding protein 1 (DDB1) to target substrates for ubiquitylation. Very little is known on how the CUL4 and DDB1 interaction is regulated. Here, we show that DDB1 is acetylated and acetylation promotes DDB1 binding to CUL4. We also identify nucleolar sirtuin 7 (SIRT7) as a major deacetylase that negatively regulates DDB1–CUL4 interaction. Following inhibition of nucleolar function by actinomycin D or 5‐fluorouracil treatment or knocking down the gene for the RNA polymerase I component UBF, SIRT7 is mobilized from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm and promotes DDB1 deacetylation, leading to decreased DDB1–CUL4 association and CRL4 activity. This results in the accumulation or activation of CRL4 substrates including LATS1 and p73, which contribute to cell apoptosis induced by actinomycin D and 5‐fluorouracil. Our study uncovers a novel regulation of CRL4 E3 ligase complexes.
Biogeographical, environmental and anthropogenic determinants of global patterns in bird taxonomic and trait turnover
Authors: Barnagaud Jean‐Yves , Kissling W. Daniel , Tsirogiannis Constantinos , Fisikopoulos Vissarion , Villéger Sébastien , Sekercioglu Cagan H. , Svenning Jens‐Christian
Published: September 2017

Aim

To assess contemporary and historical determinants of taxonomic and ecological trait turnover in birds worldwide. We tested whether taxonomic and trait turnover (1) are structured by regional bioclimatic conditions, (2) increase in relationship with topographic heterogeneity and environmental turnover and change according to current and historical environmental conditions, and (3) decrease with human impact.

Major Taxa

Birds.

Location

Global.

Methods

We used computationally efficient algorithms to map the taxonomic and trait turnover of 8,040 terrestrial bird assemblages worldwide, based on a grid with 110 km × 110 km resolution overlaid on the extent‐of‐occurrence maps of 7,964 bird species, and nine ecological traits reflecting six key aspects of bird ecology (diet, habitat use, thermal preference, migration, dispersal and body size). We used quantile regression and model selection to quantify the influence of biomes, environment (temperature, precipitation, altitudinal range, net primary productivity, Quaternary temperature and precipitation change) and human impact (human influence index) on bird turnover.

Results

Bird taxonomic and trait turnover were highest in the north African deserts and boreal biomes. In the tropics, taxonomic turnover tended to be higher, but trait turnover was lower than in other biomes. Taxonomic and trait turnover exhibited markedly different or even opposing relationships with climatic and topographic gradients, but at their upper quantiles both types of turnover decreased with increasing human influence.

Main conclusions

The influence of regional, environmental and anthropogenic factors differ between bird taxonomic and trait turnover, consistent with an imprint of niche conservatism, environmental filtering and topographic barriers on bird regional assemblages. Human influence on these patterns is pervasive and demonstrates global biotic homogenization at a macroecological scale.
Persistence and productivity of orchardgrass and orchardgrass/alfalfa mixtures as affected by cutting height
Authors: Jones G. B. , Tracy B. F.
Published: September 2017

Cutting height is an important factor controlling the yield and persistence of grass swards harvested for conserved feed. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of four cutting heights (5, 10, 15 and 20 cm) on the yield, composition and productivity based on deviation from a size/density compensation line for swards of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerataL.) and an orchardgrass/alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) mixture harvested nine times over three growing seasons. Yield was greatest for the 5 cm cutting height through the course of the experiment but ground cover of orchardgrass declined. Prior to the final harvest, tiller weight and density were determined. The 10‐, 15‐ and 20‐cm treatments fell on an apparent size/density compensation line with slope ‐1·779 (R2 = ·99;p = ·008) while the 5‐cm treatment fell considerably below that line indicating a reduction in productivity or relative persistence. Harvest at 10 cm appears to optimize yield while maintaining stand productivity in infrequently harvested orchardgrass swards.
EMBODIED SEMANTICS: EMBODIED COGNITION IN NEUROSCIENCE
Authors: Tschentscher Nadja
Published: September 2017

This article discusses how the formation of abstract concepts in the brain is related to the basic mechanisms of perception and motor action. It also provides an overview of the neuroscientific techniques currently used to investigate these processes.
EIGHTEENTH‐CENTURY DEPARTURES FROM DUALISM: FROM MECHANISM AND ANIMISM TO VITALISM AND ANTHROPOLOGY
Authors: Carroll Jerome
Published: September 2017

This essay discusses the contribution to overcoming dualism made by eighteenth‐century anthropology. Anthropology in this period is a hybrid discourse comprising elements of popular philosophy, physiognomy, and psychology, which among other things aims to fill the gap left by the perceived failure of abstract, a priori, and transcendental approaches to philosophy either to ground knowledge in any absolute sense or guide us in more everyday questions of knowledge and action. It is associated with a holist approach to the ‘whole man’ and with a naturalist epistemology that prefers description to speculation. This article argues that an important strand of anthropology's holism involves consciously turning away from dualist ontologies. In a way that is anticipated in animist and vitalist approaches to human ontology (which are important aspects of medical science in the period), this dualism is displaced by, firstly, an attitude that is motivated by practical concerns, reflecting the close relationship between anthropological thinking and medicine in the late eighteenth century, and, secondly, a heuristic focus on effects rather than absolute definitions and ultimate causes. This heurism is thus at odds with an understanding of anthropology as adhering simply to naturalist positivism.
‘UEBER DIE ZERTHEILBARKEIT DES ICH'S IM MENSCHEN’. KÖRPER UND SELBSTBEWUSSTSEIN UM 1800
Authors: Müller‐Tamm Jutta
Published: September 2017

Taking the example of the anthropologist and physician Franz von Paula Gruithuisen (1774–1852), this article examines the connection between the organic determinacy of the human being, and the idea of ‘neuropedagogical optimisation’. Anthropology around 1800 understands soul, consciousness, and thought as functions of human physiology. At the same time, it dreams of radically empowering and transforming human abilities. This, for Gruithuisen, could be achieved by means of the further neurological diversification of the functionally divided subject. With recourse to empiricist philosophy and empirical anthropology, he conceives of a dynamic self, existing in and through the sensory and nervous system; he thereby refers to developments in modern neuropedagogy and cognitive studies.
EMBODIED COGNITION: GOETHE'S FARBENLEHRE AS PHENOMENOLOGY
Authors: Boyle Nicholas
Published: September 2017

In his Entwurf einer Farbenlehre, completed in 1806, Goethe aims to integrate the objective and subjective aspects of human knowledge. It is a phenomenology in the same sense as Hegel's Phänomenologie des Geistes (1807). The work begins with propositions not about light (as in Newton's Opticks) but about the body, specifically the eye, and colours generated within the eye, such as after‐images of bright objects. In the section on ʻPhysiological Coloursʼ the eye is shown to respond to any strong stimulus with a complementary and opposite reaction. There is therefore a systematic relation between colours – blue opposed to yellow, red to green – which can be represented as a circle. Colours are not qualities of objects, but experiences of an observer in time. In his second section, on ʻPhysical Colours’, Goethe aims to show that Newton's prismatic experiments, which treat colour as an object, are secondary variations of such subjective experiences. That subjective element cannot be eliminated from colour, which is therefore a ‘primary phenomenon’, an ‘Urphänomen’, not susceptible of further explanation. The appendix on ʻSinnlich‐sittliche Wirkung der Farbeʼ recombines the subjective and objective in the subtlest colour phenomenon of all – the art of painting.
BLINDHEIT UND TAKT IN GOETHES WAHLVERWANDTSCHAFTEN
Authors: Torra‐Mattenklott Caroline
Published: September 2017

In the eighteenth century, the German word ‘Takt’, in the first instance a synonym for the sense of touch and a musical term, adopts the figurative meaning of psychological and aesthetic sensitivity. Within a few decades, ‘tact’ then turns into a philosophical term for an intuitive form of empirical judgement that comes to bear in social intercourse as well as in the arts and sciences. In Goethe's novel Die Wahlverwandtschaften tact is a property of the female characters Charlotte and Ottilie, in whose actions it manifests itself literally as a sense of touch and rhythm. Aesthetic sensitivity, however, is not sufficient to hinder the fatal course of events: in Die Wahlverwandtschaften, tact is inseparably tied to blindness.
Review: A Japanese population‐based meta‐analysis of vonoprazan versus PPI for Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy: Is superiority an illusion?
Authors: Dong Shou Quan , Singh Tikka Prabhjot , Wei Xin , Yao Huang , Wang Hong Ling
Published: September 2017

Background

Vonoprazan (VPZ) is a novel acid suppressant that has been used in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication therapies in recent years. However, the efficacy and safety of VPZ vs proton‐pump inhibitor (PPI) in H. pylori eradication therapies remain controversial.

Objective

To perform a meta‐analysis in order to assess the efficacy and safety of VPZ vs PPI for H. pylori eradication.

Materials and Methods

The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to July 10, 2017, for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized clinical studies (NRCTs). The pooled eradication rate (ER) and pooled occurrence rates of adverse events were used to compare the efficacy and safety of VPZ ‐ and PPI‐containing regimens.

Result

A total of 14 studies with 14 636 patients were included in this meta‐analysis. The results showed that the pooled ER of VPZ ‐containing regimens was much higher than that of PPI‐containing regimens when used as first‐line therapies. This difference was significant for both intention‐to‐treat (85.1% vs 68.0%, P < .00001) and per‐protocol analyses (89.0% vs 74.2%, P < .00001). Moreover, subgroup analysis indicated significant superiority of VPZ in both patients with clarithromycin‐resistant strains (81.5% vs 40.9%, P < .00001) and those with clarithromycin‐susceptible strains (94.9% vs 89.6%, P = .006). However, VPZ did not show superiority to PPI as part of a second‐line triple therapy based on both intention‐to‐treat (83.4% vs 82.0%, P = .79) and per‐protocol analyses (89.3% vs 90.1%, P = .06). Finally, RCT subgroup analysis showed the safety of VPZ ‐containing regimens to be better than PPI‐containing regimens (26.4% vs 33.3%, P = .008), whereas there was no significant difference in this regard for the NRCT subgroup analysis (5.7% vs 4.7%, P = .08).

Conclusions

The efficacy of VPZ is superior to PPI in first‐line H. pylori triple eradication therapies but not in second‐line therapies. The safety of VPZ ‐containing regimens appears to be equal or even superior to that of PPI. However, most reports included in this study had low levels of evidence. Hence, adequate and high‐quality RCTs will be needed to support our results.
The concept of consumer vulnerability: Scale development and validation
Authors: Shi Hua Yu , Jing Feng Jie , Yang Yan , Nguyen Bang
Published: September 2017

Although studies of nonrational consumer behaviour in the fields of psychology and marketing are widespread, few scholars have discussed this issue from the integrated perspective of individual characteristics and consumer welfare. Extant research has introduced the concept of consumer vulnerability to deepen the study of nonrational behaviour. The present research defines consumer vulnerability as an individual characteristic, that is, a tendency to be influenced by an external stimulation or temptation that leads to decisions harmful to the person's own welfare. To operationalize this concept, this study develops a consumer vulnerability scale. Results from exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis reveal the following seven dimensions of consumer vulnerability: product knowledge, product promotion, marketing and emotional stress, social pressure, purchasing power, refunds policy and discrimination ability. After verifying the scale's reliability and validity, this study confirms that it can be applied to measure the degree to which consumer welfare has been harmed and predict nonrational decision‐making behaviour. Limitations and future research directions also are discussed.
Control of Staphylococcus aureus on soya bean products by D‐amino acids/nutmeg essential oil‐co‐loaded nanofilms
Authors: Cui Haiying , Yuan Lu , Li Changzhu , Lin Lin
Published: September 2017

In this present work, to minimise the risk of contamination by biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), D‐amino acid (D‐AA) and nutmeg essential oil (NEO) were used to synergistically eliminate S. aureus biofilm formation. Chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) were introduced to encapsulate D‐Pro, D‐Phe and NEO for getting better chemical stability during processing and storage. The optimal D‐AA/NEO@CNPs possessed high stability (particle size 155.3 nm, zeta potential 42.2 mV), high uniformity (polydispersity index 0.267) and superior antibiofilm performance. Then, for the application in soya bean products, electrospun nanofibrous membranes were introduced to immobilise the D‐AA/NEO@CNPs. And the antibiofilm assay of D‐AA/NEO@CNP‐loaded nanofibrous membranes exhibited excellent antibiofilm activity on soya bean products in this study.
Rheological properties of Colombian‐Caribbean‐coast sour cream from goat milk
Authors: Tirado Diego F. , Vertel‐Gallego Armando , Lora‐Sánchez José , Gallo‐García Luis Alberto , Acevedo Diofanor , Torres‐Gallo Ramiro
Published: September 2017

The viscoelastic properties provide guidelines to help give meaning to the observations on food products, to relate them to the way in which their structures behave, and to predict or modify their properties. This study analyses the incidence of varying the initial fat content of goat milk on the rheological properties of prepared sour cream. Storage (G′) and loss modulus (G″), as well as complex viscosity (η*) and loss factor values (tan δ), were determined at different initial fat contents in goat milk (3.75%, 4.00% and 4.25%). The experimental data were adapted to Maxwell model. All the prepared samples of sour cream meet national and international microbiological standards, and the initial fat content of goat milk influenced the viscoelastic behaviour of sour cream. Structures with prevalent elastic (G′) behaviour were found, and the product that was prepared from goat milk with 4.00% fat content showed the highest elastic modules. This sour cream exhibited higher firmness and better adherence when compared to the samples that were obtained from 3.75% and 4.25% fat‐content milk. This sample also exhibited the lowest tangent of the phase angle. Sour cream that was prepared from milk with higher fat content (4.00% and 4.25%) exhibited a semi‐solid behaviour along the entire temperature range that was studied. On the contrary, rheological properties of sour cream from 3.75% fat‐content milk tend to increase at temperatures above 333.15 K. The viscoelastic behaviour of sour cream was successfully explained under Maxwell model, while data from dynamic viscosity (η′) were adapted to Arrhenius model. Microstructure analysis to the sample considered as the best (from milk with 4.00% of initial fat content) showed that the protein network presented a rough, open surface with aggregates and wide spaces.
Optimal Adaptive Designs with Inverse Ordinary Differential Equations
Authors: Demidenko Eugene
Published: September 2017

Many industrial and engineering applications are built on the basis of differential equations. In some cases, parameters of these equations are not known and are estimated from measurements leading to an inverse problem. Unlike many other papers, we suggest to construct new designs in the adaptive fashion ‘on the go’ using the A‐optimality criterion. This approach is demonstrated on determination of optimal locations of measurements and temperature sensors in several engineering applications: (1) determination of the optimal location to measure the height of a hanging wire in order to estimate the sagging parameter with minimum variance (toy example), (2) adaptive determination of optimal locations of temperature sensors in a one‐dimensional inverse heat transfer problem and (3) adaptive design in the framework of a one‐dimensional diffusion problem when the solution is found numerically using the finite difference approach. In all these problems, statistical criteria for parameter identification and optimal design of experiments are applied. Statistical simulations confirm that estimates derived from the adaptive optimal design converge to the true parameter values with minimum sum of variances when the number of measurements increases. We deliberately chose technically uncomplicated industrial problems to transparently introduce principal ideas of statistical adaptive design.
How to Finance the Rising Costs of Long‐Term Care: Four Alternatives for the Netherlands
Authors: Wouterse Bram , Smid Bert
Published: September 2017

Long‐term care expenditures in the Netherlands have risen substantially over the last 40 years. Only a part of this growth can be attributed to the ageing of the population. Rising long‐term care costs threaten the sustainability of Dutch public finances: additional public revenues are needed to cover the additional spending. In this paper, we evaluate four alternative policies to finance the anticipated additional growth in long‐term care above the rate implied by projected demographic growth. We analyse these financing alternatives using a macro model, focusing on the long‐term effects on economic growth and on the redistribution of costs and benefits between birth cohorts. We find a relatively large intergenerational redistribution of lifetime net benefits for a pay‐as‐you‐go system and for an immediate one‐time increase of the premium rate, while a cohort‐specific savings system or a pensioner tax both have relatively small intergenerational effects. Labour supply and private consumption decline in all four financing alternatives, although the size and timing of these effects differ.
Does the Expansion of Public Long‐Term Care Funding Affect Saving Behaviour?
Authors: Costa‐Font Joan , Vilaplana‐Prieto Cristina
Published: September 2017

We study the effect of further public caregiving subsidies (and expansions of insurance to cover long‐term care) on savings and saving behaviour. Specifically, we examine the unique progressive introduction of a universal public long‐term care subsidy (Sistema para la Autonomía y Atención a la Dependencia, SAAD) in Spain. We draw on a difference‐in‐difference (DID) strategy to show a contraction of savings after the policy intervention, but only among younger elders who receive primarily cash benefits (unconditional caregiving allowance) as opposed to home help (a contraction ranging between 13 per cent and 39 per cent of the subsidy amount). Reductions in savings by individuals in the second and third quintiles of the income distribution, those aged under 75, those without children and those residing in regions that implemented the reform earlier drive the effect.
The Association Between the Use of Zolpidem and the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease Among Older People
Authors: Cheng Hui‐Ting , Lin Fang‐Ju , Erickson Steven R. , Hong Jin‐Liern , Wu Chung‐Hsuen
Published: September 2017

Objectives

To evaluate the association between zolpidem use and the risk of Alzheimer's disease among older people.

Design

A retrospective cohort study using data from 2001 to 2011 from the National Health Insurance Research Database.

Setting

Taiwan.

Participants

A total of 6,922 patients aged 65 years or older enrolled from January 2002 to December 2004 (the enrollment period).

Intervention (Exposure)

Zolpidem users were identified as patients who used zolpidem during the enrollment period. The index date was the date of the first zolpidem prescription. Dosage of zolpidem use was defined using cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) based on the cumulative dosage that patients took within one year after the index date (grouped as: less than 28, 28–90, 91–180, and more than 180 cDDD).

Measurements

The occurrence of Alzheimer's disease was defined as the time period from the end of one year after the index date to the date of the Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. The propensity score was used to adjust the measured confounders of Alzheimer's disease. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between zolpidem use and the incidence of Alzheimer's disease.

Results

Zolpidem users with a high cumulative dose (>180 cDDD) in the first year after initiation had a significantly greater risk of Alzheimer's disease than non‐zolpidem users (HR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.61–5.49) and low cumulative dose (<28 cDDD) users (HR = 4.18, 95% CI = 1.77–9.86).

Conclusion

We found the use of a high cumulative dose of zolpidem was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease among older people living in Taiwan. It is advised to use caution when considering long‐term use of zolpidem in older patients.
Co‐creation by the ABIM Geriatric Medicine Board and the AGS – Helping Move Geriatrics Forward
Authors: Leff Bruce , Lundjeberg Nancy E. , Brangman Sharon A. , Dubow Joyce , Levine Sharon , Morgan‐Gouveia Melissa , Schlaudecker Jeffrey , Lynn Lorna , McDonald Furman S. ,   and the Geriatric Medicine Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
Published: September 2017

The American board of internal medicine (ABIM) establishes standards for physicians. The American geriatrics society (AGS) is a not‐for‐profit membership organization of nearly 6,000 health professionals devoted to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. Beginning in 2013, ABIM redesigned its governance structure, including the role of the specialty boards. Specialty boards are charged with responsibilities for oversight in four main areas: (1) the assessments used in initial certification and maintenance of certification (MOC); (2) medical knowledge self‐assessment and practice assessment in the specialty; (3) building relationships with relevant professional societies and other organizational stakeholders; and (4) issues related to training requirements for initial certification eligibility within the specialty. The aim of this paper is to inform the geriatrics community regarding the function of geriatric medicine board (GMB) of the ABIM, and to invite the geriatrics community to fully engage with and leverage the GMB as a partner to: (1) develop better certification examinations and processes, identifying better knowledge and practice assessments, and in establishing appropriate training and MOC requirements for geriatric medicine; (2) leverage ABIM assets to conduct applied research to guide the field in the areas of training and certification and workforce development in geriatric medicine; (3) make MOC relevant for practicing geriatricians. Active engagement of the geriatrics community with ABIM and the GMB will ensure that certification in geriatric medicine provides the greatest possible value and meaning to physicians, patients, and the public.
A three‐dimensional statistical model for imaged microstructures of porous polymer films
Authors: BARMAN S. , BOLIN D.
Published: September 2017

A thresholded Gaussian random field model is developed for the microstructure of porous materials. Defining the random field as a solution to stochastic partial differential equation allows for flexible modelling of nonstationarities in the material and facilitates computationally efficient methods for simulation and model fitting. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm is developed and used to fit the model to three‐dimensional confocal laser scanning microscopy images. The methods are applied to study a porous ethylcellulose/hydroxypropylcellulose polymer blend that is used as a coating to control drug release from pharmaceutical tablets. The aim is to investigate how mass transport through the material depends on the microstructure. We derive a number of goodness‐of‐fit measures based on numerically calculated diffusion through the material. These are used in combination with measures that characterize the geometry of the pore structure to assess model fit. The model is found to fit stationary parts of the material well.
Paediatric food‐induced anaphylaxis hospital presentations in New Zealand
Authors: Speakman Sophie , Kool Bridget , Sinclair Jan , Fitzharris Penny
Published: September 2017

Aim

Globally, rates of paediatric food‐induced anaphylaxis (FIA) are increasing. Little data is available regarding the epidemiology of FIA among New Zealand (NZ) children. This study investigated the incidence of paediatric (0–14 years) FIA hospital presentations in NZ over a 10‐year period.

Methods

Ministry of Health public hospital discharge data from 2006 to 2015 were analysed using FIA‐related International Classification of Diseases codes (T78.0 – anaphylactic shock due to adverse food reaction and T78.2 – anaphylactic shock unspecified and free text qualifier) to identify acute hospital presentations.

Results

The overall annualised FIA hospital presentation rate was 16.2 per 100 000 children. Subgroup analysis indicated a significantly higher rate in males (19.1/100 000) than in females (13.1/100 000), and among children aged less than 2 years of age (50.5/100 000) compared with older children. Rates among Asian and Pacific children were higher than Māori and NZ European children. In 67.7% of cases, a single specific allergen was suggested by the information provided; among these cases, nuts (48%), specifically peanuts (26%), were the most commonly reported allergen, followed by cow's milk (21%). Time trend analysis showed a 2.8‐fold increase in the overall annualised rate for the 10‐year period.

Conclusion

These findings are consistent with other international studies indicating increasing rates of FIA in children. These data will provide information for a review of NZ paediatric allergy services to ensure current international standards with regard to the equitable delivery of timely, appropriate and accessible care are being met. Reasons for differences by gender, age and ethnicity require further investigation.
Thermal evolution of trans‐Neptunian objects, icy satellites, and minor icy planets in the early solar system
Authors: Bhatia Gurpreet Kaur , Sahijpal Sandeep
Published: September 2017

Numerical simulations are performed to understand the early thermal evolution and planetary scale differentiation of icy bodies with the radii in the range of 100–2500 km. These icy bodies include trans‐Neptunian objects, minor icy planets (e.g., Ceres, Pluto); the icy satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; and probably the icy‐rocky cores of these planets. The decay energy of the radionuclides, 26Al, 60Fe, 40K, 235U, 238U, and 232Th, along with the impact‐induced heating during the accretion of icy bodies were taken into account to thermally evolve these planetary bodies. The simulations were performed for a wide range of initial ice and rock (dust) mass fractions of the icy bodies. Three distinct accretion scenarios were used. The sinking of the rock mass fraction in primitive water oceans produced by the substantial melting of ice could lead to planetary scale differentiation with the formation of a rocky core that is surrounded by a water ocean and an icy crust within the initial tens of millions of years of the solar system in case the planetary bodies accreted prior to the substantial decay of 26Al. However, over the course of billions of years, the heat produced due to 40K, 235U, 238U, and 232Th could have raised the temperature of the interiors of the icy bodies to the melting point of iron and silicates, thereby leading to the formation of an iron core. Our simulations indicate the presence of an iron core even at the center of icy bodies with radii ≥500 km for different ice mass fractions.
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Presenting with Pyoderma Gangrenosum–Like Ulceration and Negative Cytoplasmic Antineutrophilic Cytoplasmic Antibodies in a Child
Authors: Kass Ashley , Fagan Jake D. , Long Paul
Published: September 2017

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a vasculitis that most commonly affects small to medium‐size vessels of the respiratory tract and kidneys, may also present with a wide array of skin findings. We present the case of a 12‐year‐old boy with pyoderma gangrenosum–like ulcerations on his lower extremity as the initial manifestation of GPA despite negative cytoplasmic antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (c‐ANCAs). Although GPA is strongly associated with c‐ANCA, c‐ANCA may be negative on presentation. Thus clinical and pathologic clues must be relied upon when serologic confirmation is negative.
Shedding Light on Alopecia Areata in Pediatrics: A Retrospective Analysis of Comorbidities in Children in the National Alopecia Areata Registry
Authors: Sorrell Jennifer , Petukhova Lynn , Reingold Rachel , Christiano Angela , Garzon Maria
Published: September 2017

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune disease and it is challenging to predict which patients will have severe disease. The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify comorbidities in children enrolled in the National Alopecia Areata Registry. Atopic dermatitis was more common in patients with severe AA than in those with mild disease. The most common autoimmune comorbidities were vitiligo, psoriasis, thyroid disease, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Adams–Oliver Syndrome Type 2 in Association with Compound Heterozygous DOCK6 Mutations
Authors: Jones Krystal M. , Silfvast‐Kaiser Annika , Leake David R. , Diaz Lucia Z. , Levy Moise L.
Published: September 2017

Adams–Oliver syndrome (AOS) is a multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) and transverse terminal limb defects (TTLDs). We present a case of type 2 autosomal recessive AOS associated with heterozygous mutations in the dedicator of cytokinesis 6 (DOCK6) gene, with characteristic findings of ACC, TTLD, intracerebral periventricular calcifications, and polymicrogyria.
The Use of Framing in Inventory Decisions
Authors: Schultz Kenneth L. , Robinson Lawrence W. , Thomas L. Joseph , Schultz Johnathon , McClain John O.
Published: September 2017

It is well established that human newsvendors tend to order insufficient inventory in high‐margin situations, possibly due to implicit risk aversion. In this study, we investigate the use of framing to change newsvendors’ risk preference in order to induce them to make better ordering decisions. Through an exploratory experiment and five different treatments of the newsvendor problem, we found risk reversal only in the treatments with one question. In the other four treatments and the exploratory experiment, we asked multiple questions and found no evidence of risk reversal. Thus, we conclude that risk reversal cannot reliably be used without pretesting and that behavioral theories need to be tested in context. Finally, we reaffirm research showing that relying on averages can mask the heterogeneity of human decision‐making.
The effect of expressive writing on the error‐related negativity among individuals with chronic worry
Authors: Schroder Hans S. , Moran Tim P. , Moser Jason S.
Published: September 2017

The error‐related negativity (ERN), an ERP elicited immediately after errors, is enlarged among individuals with anxiety. The relationship between anxiety and enlarged ERN has spurred interest in understanding potential therapeutic benefits of decreasing its amplitude within anxious individuals. The current study used a tailored intervention—expressive writing—in an attempt to reduce the ERN among a sample of individuals with chronic worry. Consistent with hypotheses, the ERN was reduced in the expressive writing group compared to an unrelated writing control group. Findings provide experimental support that the ERN can be reduced among anxious individuals with tailored interventions. Expressive writing may serve to “offload” worries from working memory, therefore relieving the distracting effects of worry on cognition as reflected in a decreased ERN.
Stalin's Rewriting of 1917
Authors: BRANDENBERGER DAVID
Published: September 2017

As the hundredth anniversary of the October Revolution approaches, even a casual survey of the literature reveals scores of accounts of the Bolshevik seizure of power, written by commentators, participants and eyewitnesses from all across the political spectrum. Indeed, it seems as if no sooner had the Bolsheviks managed to seize power on the streets of revolutionary Petrograd than a new struggle began on the printed page to define the nature and significance of their victory. Neglected within this otherwise rich historiography is the role played by Joseph Stalin. How did Stalin narrate the revolution? How did he understand agency and causality? How did he balance the “Russianness” of the revolution with its internationalism? What overall lessons did he draw from 1917? What role did he afford himself within the year's events? Analyzing two decades of Stalin's writing on 1917 (drawn mostly from heretofore unknown archival sources), this article examines Stalin's efforts to define the meaning of the revolution. It reveals the general secretary's views to have changed markedly over time, leading him to repeatedly overturn the Bolshevik canon as he revised everything from the domestic roles played by the party and revolutionary masses to the international implications of 1917 itself.