bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spectroscopy and characterization of AlNX (X = O and S): Triatomic circumstellar molecules
Authors: Trabelsi T. , Mahjoubi K. , Mehnen B. , Hochlaf M. , Francisco J. S.
Published: March 2019

Three isomers of the triatomic [Al, N, O] molecular system have been observed in a solid argon matrix by infrared absorption spectroscopy using 15N and 18O isotopic substitution. The present work provides high-level quantum chemical predictions of their spectroscopic parameters to observe this system in the interstellar medium. The spectroscopic parameters, stability, and geometries of the lowest stable isomers of its isoelectronic system [Al, N, S] were characterized using coupled-cluster CCSD(T), explicitly correlated coupled-cluster CCSD(T)-F12, and multireference configuration interaction. The three-dimensional potential energy surfaces of all isomers were computed at the CCSD(T)-F12/aug-cc-pV5Z level, and a set of spectroscopic parameters were calculated. In both systems, the most stable isomer is linear with an X3Σ− electronic ground state, and all linear isomers are characterized by small bending modes of less than 200 cm−1. Due to their large dipole moments, the high intensities of such modes, and the nonexistence of anharmonic resonance complicating their spectra, our results facilitate the detection of AlNO and AlNS in the laboratory or in the interstellar medium.
A fusion of principal component analysis and singular value decomposition based multivariate denoising algorithm for free induction decay transversal data
Authors: Liu Huan , Dong Haobin , Ge Jian , Liu Zheng , Yuan Zhiwen , Zhu Jun , Zhang Haiyang
Published: March 2019

The free induction decay (FID) transversal data determines the measurement accuracy of time-dependent geomagnetic fields, whereas the conservation of clean components and removal of noise cannot be easily achieved for this kind of data. Even though numerous techniques have been proven to be effective in improving the signal-to-noise ratio by filtering out frequency bands, how to efficiently reduce noise is still a crucial issue due to several restrictions, e.g., prior information requirement, stationary data assumption. To end this, a new multivariate algorithm based on the fusion of principal component analysis (PCA) and singular value decomposition (SVD), namely, principal component analysis and decomposition (PCAD), was presented. This novel algorithm aims to reduce noise as well as cancel the interference of FID transversal data. Specifically, the PCAD algorithm is able to obtain the dominant principal components of the FID and that of the noise floor by PCA, in which an optimal number of subspaces could be retained via a cumulative percent of variance criterion. Furthermore, the PCA was combined with an SVD filter whose singular values corresponding to the interferences were identified, and then the noise was suppressed by nulling the corresponding singular values, which was able to achieve an optimum trade-off between the preservation of pure FID data and the denoising efficiency. Our proposed PCAD algorithm was compared with the widely used filter methods via extensive experiments on synthetic and real FID transversal data under different noise levels. The results demonstrated that this method can preserve the FID transversal data better and shows a significant improvement in noise suppression.
Modeling microparticle movement
Authors: Kish Stacy W.
Published: March 2019

New paper describes the physics behind how micro-particles move within a colloid.
I

Ks

ion-channel pore conductance can result from individual voltage sensor movements
Authors: Westhoff Maartje , Eldstrom Jodene , Murray Christopher I. , Thompson Emely , Fedida David
Published: March 2019

Significance

A potassium current in the heart (
I

Ks

) is important in regulating the heartbeat. These channels, composed of KCNQ1 and KCNE1 subunits, have four voltage-sensitive components and a pore component, which opens to allow current to pass through. The number of voltage-sensitive components required to activate to allow the pore to open has been debated extensively. While some believe all four are needed, others believe the pore can open with movement of a single voltage-sensitive component. Here, we show that the latter idea is correct, with movement of each component resulting in increasingly more current. This makes for a uniquely flexible channel, tunable for a broad range of responses.
Hydrogen exchange reveals Hsp104 architecture, structural dynamics, and energetics in physiological solution
Authors: Ye Xiang , Lin Jiabei , Mayne Leland , Shorter James , Englander S. Walter
Published: March 2019

Significance

The cryo-EM revolution now provides snapshots of the structure of large protein molecular machines, but the fundamental mechanisms and principles that determine how they work have so far been elusive. What is needed is a technology that can investigate their architecture, structural dynamics, and energetics when they are active in physiological solution. This paper demonstrates the use of hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry methods to resolve all of the functionally active and inactive elements of Hsp104, characterize their interactions and dynamics, and uniquely their energetics. The results reveal in broad structural and energy-based terms how Hsp104 works. The methods used, the results obtained, and the energetic considerations that they suggest will be widely applicable to other ATPase-dependent protein machines.
Inhibition of the lncRNA SAF drives activation of apoptotic effector caspases in HIV-1–infected human macrophages
Authors: Boliar Saikat , Gludish David W. , Jambo Kondwani C. , Kamng’ona Raphael , Mvaya Leonard , Mwandumba Henry C. , Russell David G.
Published: March 2019

Significance

Tissue resident macrophages are long-lived, self-replenishing myeloid cells. They harbor and support HIV-1 replication, but unlike CD4
+
T cells, do not succumb to virus-induced cell death. Here, we have screened a panel of 90 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) and identified a lncRNA, SAF, that plays a critical role in the resistance of HIV-1–infected macrophages to activation of apoptotic caspases. We have further shown that down-regulation of SAF expression with siRNA treatment can activate effector caspase-3/7 specifically in virus-infected macrophages without affecting the uninfected and bystander cells. Overall, our study describes the approach of modulating the lncRNA SAF for targeted elimination of HIV-1–infected macrophages that can lead to reduction and potential clearance of these viral reservoir cells.
Kujigamberoic acid A, a carboxylic acid derivative of kujigamberol, has potent inhibitory activity against the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells
Authors: Takahashi Honoka , Shimoda Nozomu , Koshino Hiroyuki , Kimura Ken-ichi
Published: March 2019

The aldehyde and carboxylic acid derivatives of kujigamberol were synthesized using pyridinium dichromate (PDC). The carboxylic acid derivative exhibited lower cytotoxicity and inhibited the degranulation of rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 (RBL-2H3) cells stimulated by thapsigargin more than kujigamberol. The carboxylic acid derivative was detected and isolated from the methanol extract of Kuji amber (MEKA) by the modified isolation procedure. Thus, it has been named as kujigamberoic acid A.
Possible Registration of Magnetic Particles in Biological Objects
Authors: Ichkitidze L P , Belodedov M V , Selishchev S V , Telishev D V
Published: March 2019

The possibility of non-invasive detection of magnetic particles in biological objects using magnetic field sensors of various types is investigated. Estimates of the threshold sensitivity of the sensors and the maximum distance at which the sensor can detect magnetic particles are made. It is shown that magnetite particles with a concentration of ∼ 10-9 vol.%, superparamagnetic particles and catalytic particles of the composition “iron in carbon nanotubes” can be fixed by SQUID or combined magnetic field sensors with operating temperatures ∼ 4 K at a distance of ≤ 0.1 m. It is noted that magnetic field sensors with ultra-low threshold sensitivity values (≤ 10-10 T) may be promising for non-invasive control of organs, implants, prostheses and other elements of biological systems.
Critical Current in the Strip Wires from the Josephson Medium
Authors: Belodedov M V , Ichkitidze L P , Selishchev S V
Published: March 2019

On the basis of the previously proposed phenomenological material equation of a superconducting granular medium, numerical simulation of some products from granular superconductors which include, in particular, products from high-temperature superconducting ceramics (and electrodynamic processes in them) is carried out. An expression is obtained for the first critical field of the medium in question and its relation to the phenomenological parameters of the medium. A strip wire model from a granular superconducting medium is constructed, the maximum current of these wires and its dependence on the external magnetic field were obtained. An analogue of the SQUID based on the strip from a granular superconductor is proposed, it is shown that its field characteristic has similarities with the field characteristics of the classical single-contact SQUID.
Combined Magnetic Field Sensor with Nanostructured Elements
Authors: Ichkitidze L P , Selishchev S V , Telyshev D V
Published: March 2019

A combined magnetic field sensor consisting of a magnetic field concentrator based on a superconducting ring film and a magnetically sensitive element with a spintronics structure is investigated. The active strip (narrowed part) of the concentrator is separated by an insulating film from the magnetically sensitive element, i.e. the combined magnetic field sensor is a sandwich. It has been established that the concentration coefficient of a sandwich-type magnetic field can be increased by fragmentation (nanostructuring) of the active band, in the form of several superconducting branches and cuts 20 nm wide. Increasing the number of incisions also reduces the threshold sensitivity of the sensor by several times. Nanostructured elements in the form of nanoscale sections in the active strip allow you to reduce the diameter of the concentrator ring, which allows the sensor to make the maximum linear size less than 1mm. It is noted that the considered combined magnetic field sensor with nanostructured elements has a high potential for detecting ultraweak magnetic fields (∼ 10 pT), and apparently, can be an alternative to SQUID.
An Euler-Poincaré formula for a depth zero Bernstein projector
Authors: Barbasch Dan , Ciubotaru Dan , Moy Allen
Published: March 2019

Work of Bezrukavnikov–Kazhdan–Varshavsky uses an equivariant system of trivial idempotents of Moy–Prasad groups to obtain an Euler–Poincaré formula for the r–depth Bernstein projector. We establish an Euler–Poincaré formula for natural sums of depth zero Bernstein projectors (which is often the projector of a single Bernstein component) in terms of an equivariant system of Peter–Weyl idempotents of parahoric subgroups

G

F

\mathscr {G}_{F}

associated to a block of the reductive quotient

G

F

/

G

F

+

\mathscr {G}_{F}/\mathscr {G}^{+}_{F}

.
2. Origins
Authors: Stone Dan
Published: March 2019

‘Origins’ traces the concentration camp’s origins in 19th- and early 20th-century colonial settings in Australia, the United States, Cuba, South Africa, and German South-West Africa (today Namibia), and in the Armenian genocide at the end of the Ottoman Empire. By studying the early concentration camps, we can understand how and why the camps emerged when they did, and clarify the links and differences between them and the fascist and communist concentration camps of the mid-20th century. European racism, military culture, more rapid forms of communication, and increasingly available print media all contributed to the global diffusion of concentration camp concept, which by the end of World War I became accepted as a technique of rule.
2. Textual clues
Authors: Graziosi Barbara
Published: March 2019

Little is known about how the Iliad and the Odyssey were composed, but ‘Textual clues’ suggests that we need to understand how oral techniques worked, as well as epic formulae and type scenes, to reconstruct how the poems were composed and to interpret them. They are also crucial in order to understand the unusual language in which the poems were composed. Homeric Greek was developed in order to sing the deeds of gods and men to the rhythm of the hexameter.
Created, Changeable, and Yet Acausal?
Authors: Carr Vanessa
Published: March 2019

Amongst the entities that have been created by human agents, and can be changed by human agents, besides concrete particulars, such as tables and chairs, our intuitions suggest that there are repeatables—entities that can each have multiple concrete instances. And since there is reason to think that repeatables are acausal, there is reason to think that that there are entities that are created, changeable, repeatable and acausal. Then again, it might be supposed that if an entity is created then it is causal, and that if an entity is changed then it is causal. It is argued here that these suppositions are insufficiently motivated to undermine the case for the existence of entities that are created, changeable, repeatable and acausal.
Estimating menarcheal age distribution from partially recalled data
Authors: Mirzaei Salehabadi Sedigheh , Sengupta Debasis , Ghosal Rahul
Published: March 2019

In a cross-sectional study, adolescent and young adult females were asked to recall the time of menarche, if experienced. Some respondents recalled the date exactly, some recalled only the month or the year of the event, and some were unable to recall anything. We consider estimation of the menarcheal age distribution from this interval-censored data. A complicated interplay between age-at-event and calendar time, together with the evident fact of memory fading with time, makes the censoring informative. We propose a model where the probabilities of various types of recall would depend on the time since menarche. For parametric estimation, we model these probabilities using multinomial regression function. Establishing consistency and asymptotic normality of the parametric maximum likelihood estimator requires a bit of tweaking of the standard asymptotic theory, as the data format varies from case to case. We also provide a non-parametric maximum likelihood estimator, propose a computationally simpler approximation, and establish the consistency of both these estimators under mild conditions. We study the small sample performance of the parametric and non-parametric estimators through Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, we provide a graphical check of the assumption of the multinomial model for the recall probabilities, which appears to hold for the menarcheal data set. Our analysis shows that the use of the partially recalled part of the data indeed leads to smaller confidence intervals of the survival function.
Functional and Structural Brain Correlates of Socioeconomic Status
Authors: Yaple Zachary A , Yu Rongjun
Published: March 2019

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a multidimensional construct that includes not only measures of material wealth, but also education, social prestige, and neighborhood quality. Socioeconomic correlates between wealth and cognitive functions have been well established in behavioral studies. However, functional and structural brain correlates of SES remain unclear. Here, we sought to uncover the most likely neural regions to be affected by low SES, specifically associated with age. Using effect size–seed-based d Mapping, we compiled studies that examined individuals with low SES and performed functional magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry meta-analyses. The results revealed that as from early to late age, individuals exposed to low SES are less likely to have sustained executive network activity yet a greater likelihood to enhanced activity within reward-related regions. A similar activity was shown for gray matter volume across early to older age. These findings provide the first quantitative integration of neuroimaging results pertaining to the neural basis of SES. Hypoactivation of the executive network and hyperactivation of the reward network in low SES individuals may support the scarcity hypothesis and animal models of the effects of early adversity.
Epidemiology, Management, and Outcomes of Large and Small Native Joint Septic Arthritis in Adults
Authors: McBride Stephen , Mowbray Jessica , Caughey William , Wong Edbert , Luey Christopher , Siddiqui Ahsan , Alexander Zanazir , Playle Veronica , Askelund Tim , Hopkins Christopher , Quek Norman , Ross Katie , Orec Robert , Mistry Dinshaw , Coomarasamy Christin , Holland David
Published: March 2019

Background

Native joint septic arthritis (NJSA) is poorly studied. We describe the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of large joint NJSA (LNJSA) and small joint NJSA (SNJSA) in adults at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.

Methods

This was a coding-based retrospective study of patients ≥16 years old admitted between 2009 and 2014. Prosthetic joint infections were excluded.

Results

Five hundred forty-three NJSA episodes were included (302 LNJSA, 250 SNJSA). Only 40% had positive synovial fluid culture. Compared to SNJSA, LNJSA has higher incidence (13 vs 8/100 000 person-years [PY]), occurs in older, more comorbid patients, and is associated with greater rates of treatment failure (23% vs 12%) and mortality, despite longer antibiotic treatment. Total incidence is higher than previously reported (21/100 000 PY), with marked interethnic variation. Incidence rises with age (LNJSA only) and socioeconomic deprivation (LNJSA and SNJSA). Tobacco smokers and males are overrepresented. The most commonly involved joints were knee (21%) and hand interphalangeal (20%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (53%). Mean antibiotic duration was 25 days for SNJSA and 40 days for LNJSA, and the mean number of surgical procedures was 1.5 and 1.6, respectively. Treatment failure was independently associated with LNJSA, age, intra-articular nonarthroplasty prosthesis, and number of surgical procedures.

Conclusions

This is the largest contemporary series of adult NJSA. SNJSA has better outcomes than LNJSA and may be able to be safely treated with shorter antimicrobial courses. Incidence is high, with significant ethnic and socioeconomic variation. Microbiological NJSA case ascertainment underestimates case numbers as it frequently excludes SNJSA.
Optimum lesion set and predictors of outcome in persistent atrial fibrillation ablation: a meta-regression analysis
Authors: Sau Arunashis , Al-Aidarous Sayed , Howard James , Shalhoub Joseph , Sohaib Afzal , Shun-Shin Matthew , Novak Paul G , Leather Rick , Sterns Laurence D , Lane Christopher , Kanagaratnam Prapa , Peters Nicholas S , Francis Darrel P , Sikkel Markus B
Published: March 2019

Aims

Ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (PsAF) has been performed by many techniques with varying success rates. This may be due to ablation techniques, patient demographics, comorbidities, and trial design. We conducted a meta-regression of studies of PsAF ablation to elucidate the factors affecting atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence.

Methods and results 

Databases were searched for prospective studies of PsAF ablation. A meta-regression was performed. Fifty-eight studies (6767 patients) were included. Complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) ablation reduced freedom from AF by 8.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) −15 to −2.3, P = 0.009). Left atrial appendage [LAA isolation (three study arms)] increased freedom from AF by 39.5% (95% CI 9.1–78.4, P = 0.008). Posterior wall isolation (PWI) (eight study arms) increased freedom from AF by 19.4% (95% CI 3.3–38.1, P = 0.017). Linear ablation or ganglionated plexi ablation resulted in no significant effect on freedom from AF. More extensive ablation increased intraprocedural AF termination; however, intraprocedural AF termination was not associated with improved outcomes. Increased left atrial diameter was associated with a reduction in freedom from AF by 4% (95% CI −6.8% to −1.1%, P = 0.007) for every 1 mm increase in diameter.

Conclusion 

Linear ablation, PWI, and CFAE ablation improves intraprocedural AF termination, but such termination does not predict better long-term outcomes. Study arms including PWI or LAA isolation in the lesion set were associated with improved outcomes in terms of freedom from AF; however, further randomized trials are required before these can be routinely recommended. Left atrial size is the most important marker of AF chronicity influencing outcomes.
Moderate emotional reactions to stressful life events are associated with lowest risk of increased alcohol consumption: evidence from the Whitehall II study
Authors: Dich Nadya , Doan Stacey N
Published: March 2019

Background

Research investigating the associations between stress-related negative emotions and alcohol consumption often assumes a linear dose–response relationship. Based on the current theories of emotions, we questioned this assumption and hypothesized that both very low and very high levels of negative emotional response (NER) to stressful life events are related to increased alcohol consumption.

Methods

We used data from Phases 1 (1985–88) and 2 (1989–90) of the British Whitehall II study. At both phases, participants reported on their alcohol consumption, recent stressful events and the NER to the events. Two thousand and sixteen participants without recent stressful events at baseline were selected. Logistic regression was used to model the association between emotional response at baseline and increased frequency of alcohol consumption between the two phases.

Results

The likelihood of increased alcohol consumption increased with the number of recent stressful events. Among participants with at least one event, 17% increased alcohol consumption, compared with 14% of those who reported no events. Participants with average NER were at lowest risk (14%) of increasing alcohol consumption after major life events. Those with highest NER were significantly more likely to increase alcohol consumption (20%) than those with average NER, but the difference between those with highest NER and those with lowest NER (17%) was not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Increases in alcohol consumption following stressful events are least likely if people experience moderate levels of NER to events. Negative emotions in moderate doses should not be regarded as a risk factor for unhealthy behaviours, but rather a potentially protective factor.
Including health impacts in environmental impact assessments for three Australian coal-mining projects: a documentary analysis
Authors: Riley Emily , Sainsbury Peter , McManus Phil , Colagiuri Ruth , Viliani Francesca , Dawson Angus , Duncan Elizabeth , Stone Yolande , Pham Tracy , Harris Patrick
Published: March 2019

Notwithstanding the historical benefits of coal in aiding human and economic development, the negative health and environmental impacts of coal extraction and processing are of increasing concern. Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are a regulated policy mechanism that can be used to predict and consider the health impacts of mining projects to determine if consent is given. The ways in which health is considered within EIA is unclear. This research investigated ‘How and to what extent are health, well-being and equity issues considered in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) of major coal mining projects in New South Wales, Australia’. To this end we developed and applied a comprehensive coding framework designed to interrogate the publicly available environmental impact statements (EISs) of three mines in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, for their inclusion of health, well-being and equity issues. Analysis of the three EISs demonstrates that: the possible impacts of each mine on health and well-being were narrowly and inadequately considered; when health and well-being were considered there was a failure to assess the possible impacts specific to the particular mine and the communities potentially affected; the cumulative impacts on human health of multiple mines in the same geographical area were almost completely ignored; the discussions of intragenerational and intergenerational equity did not demonstrate a sound understanding of equity and, it is essential that governments’ requirements for the EIA include detailed analysis of the health, well-being, equity and cumulative impacts specific to the proposed mine and relevant communities.
Refractory Complex Crohn’s Perianal Fistulas: A Role for Autologous Microfragmented Adipose Tissue Injection
Authors: Laureti Silvio , Gionchetti Paolo , Cappelli Alberta , Vittori Laura , Contedini Federico , Rizzello Fernando , Golfieri Rita , Campieri Massimo , Poggioli Gilberto
Published: March 2019

The study exploited autologous microfragmented fat to treat refractory complex Crohn’s perianal fistula, obtaining 66.7% of combined remission at 6 months in patients already treated without success using combined biosurgical approaches and multiple repair surgeries following the failure of biological therapy.
The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Care Use in the Manitoba IBD Cohort Study
Authors: Witges Kelcie M , Bernstein Charles N , Sexton Kathryn A , Afifi Tracie , Walker John R , Nugent Zoann , Lix Lisa M
Published: March 2019

Background

We aimed to determine the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in persons with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and whether having ACEs was associated with health care utilization post-IBD diagnosis.

Method

Three hundred forty-five participants from the population-based Manitoba IBD Cohort Study self-reported ACEs (ie, physical abuse, sexual abuse, death of a very close friend or family member, severe illness or injury, upheaval between parents, and any other experience thought to significantly impacts one’s life or personality) at a median of 5.3 years following IBD diagnosis. Cohort study data were linked to administrative health databases that captured use of hospitals, physician visits, and prescription drugs; use was classified as IBD-related and non-IBD-related. Mean annual estimates of health care use were produced for the 60-month period following the ACE report. Generalized linear models (GLMs) with generalized estimating equations (GEEs) with and without covariate adjustment were fit to the data.

Results

The prevalence of at least 1 ACE was 74.2%. There was no statistically significant association between having experienced an ACE and health care use. However, unadjusted mean annual non-IBD-related general practitioner visits were significantly higher for participants exposed to physical and sexual abuse than those not exposed. Selected adjusted rates of IBD-related health care use were lower for participants who reported exposure to an upheaval between parents and high perceived trauma from ACEs.

Conclusion

The estimated prevalence of at least 1 self-reported ACE in persons with diagnosed IBD was high. Health care use among those who experienced ACEs may reflect the impacts of ACE on health care anxiety.
When Linder meets Hirschman: inter-industry linkages and global value chains in business services
Authors: López González Javier , Meliciani Valentina , Savona Maria
Published: March 2019

This article looks at the determinants of a country’s participation in business services (BS) global value chains (GVCs). BS GVCs are comparatively less explored than traditional manufacturing ones, and there is a gap in the literature on the relative positions of countries in BS GVCs and the opportunities they might open for development. This article puts forward and finds empirical support to the conjecture that the domestic structure of backward and forward linkages à la Hirschman, alongside the domestic representative demand for BS à la Linder, are of high importance. The results, based on the World Input-Output Database, suggest that the presence of strong domestic backward-linked industries to BS makes an emerging country more likely to create domestic value within BS GVC. Our findings contribute to the debate on a “premature de-industrialization” in emerging countries and on the relationship between levels of development and engagement in BS GVCs.
Chemokine Receptor 7 Is Essential for Coxiella burnetii Whole-Cell Vaccine-Induced Cellular Immunity but Dispensable for Vaccine-Mediated Protective Immunity
Authors: Chen Chen , van Schaik Erin J , Gregory Anthony E , Vigil Adam , Felgner Phillip L , Hendrix Laura R , Faris Robert , Samuel James E
Published: March 2019

Background

Protective immunity against Coxiella burnetii infection is conferred by vaccination with virulent (PI-WCV), but not avirulent (PII-WCV) whole-cell inactivated bacterium. The only well-characterized antigenic difference between virulent and avirulent C. burnetii is they have smooth and rough lipopolysaccharide (LPS), respectively.

Methods

Mice were vaccinated with PI-WCV and PII-WCV. Humoral and cellular responses were evaluated using protein chip microarrays and ELISpots, respectively. Dendritic cell (DC) maturation after stimulation with PI-WVC and PII-WVC was evaluated using flow cytometry. Vaccine-challenge studies were performed to validate the importance of the receptor CCR7.

Results

Other than specific antibody response to PI-LPS, similar antibody profiles were observed but IgG titers were significantly higher after vaccination with PI-WCV. Furthermore, higher frequency of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells was detected in mice immunized with PI-WCV. PI-WCV–stimulated DCs displayed significantly higher levels of CCR7 and migratory ability to secondary lymphoid organs. Challenge-protection studies in wild-type and CCR7-deficient mice confirmed that CCR7 is critical for PI-WCV–induced cellular immunity.

Conclusions

PI-WVC stimulates protective immunity to C. burnetii in mice through stimulation of migratory behavior in DCs for protective cellular immunity. Additionally, the humoral immune response to LPS is an important component of protective immunity.
Drosophila melanogaster as a model to study virulence and azole treatment of the emerging pathogen Candida auris
Authors: Wurster Sebastian , Bandi Ashwini , Beyda Nicholas D , Albert Nathaniel D , Raman Nitya M , Raad Isaam I , Kontoyiannis Dimitrios P
Published: March 2019

Objectives

Candida auris is an emerging, often MDR, yeast pathogen. Efficient animal models are needed to study its pathogenicity and treatment. Therefore, we developed a C. auris fruit fly infection model.

Methods

TollI-RXA/Tollr632 female flies were infected with 10 different C. auris strains from the CDC Antimicrobial Resistance bank panel. We used three clinical Candida albicans strains as controls. For drug protection assays, fly survival was assessed along with measurement of fungal burden (cfu/g tissue) and histopathology in C. auris-infected flies fed with fluconazole- or posaconazole-containing food.

Results

Despite slower in vitro growth, all 10 C. auris isolates caused significantly greater mortality than C. albicans in infected flies, with >80% of C. auris-infected flies dying by day 7 post-infection (versus 67% with C. albicans, P < 0.001–0.005). Comparison of C. auris isolates from different geographical clades revealed more rapid in vitro growth of South American isolates and greater virulence in infected flies, whereas the aggregative capacity of C. auris strains had minimal impact on their growth and pathogenicity. Survival protection and decreased fungal burden of fluconazole- or posaconazole-fed flies infected with two C. auris strains were in line with the isolates’ disparate in vitro azole susceptibility. High reproducibility of survival curves for both non-treated and antifungal-treated infected flies was seen, with coefficients of variation of 0.00–0.31 for 7 day mortality.

Conclusions

Toll-deficient flies could provide a fast, reliable and inexpensive model to study pathogenesis and drug activity in C. auris candidiasis.
Goniometric Measurement of Burn Scar Contracture: A Paradigm Shift Challenging the Standard
Authors: Parry Ingrid , Richard Reg , Aden James K , Yelvington Miranda , Ware Linda , Dewey William , Jacobson Keith , Caffrey Julie , Sen Soman
Published: March 2019

Standard goniometry is the most commonly used method of assessing the range of motion (ROM) in patients with burn scar contracture. However, standard goniometry was founded on arthrokinematic principles and doesn’t consider the cutaneous biomechanical influence between adjacent joint positions and skin pliability to accommodate motion. Therefore, the use of standard goniometry to measure burn scar contracture is called into question. This prospective, multicenter, comparative study investigated the difference between standard goniometry, based on arthrokinematics and a revised goniometry protocol, based on principles of cutaneokinematics and functional positions to measure ROM outcome in burn survivors. Data were collected for 174 joints from 66 subjects at seven burn centers totaling 1044 measurements for comparison. ROM findings using the revised protocol demonstrated significantly more limitation in motion 38.8 ± 15.2% than the standard protocol 32.1 ± 13.4% (p < .0001). Individual analyses of the motions likewise showed significantly more limitation with revised goniometry compared with standard goniometry for 9/11 joint motions. Pearson’s correlation showed a significant positive correlation between the percentage of cutaneous functional units scarred and ROM outcome for the revised protocol (R2 = .05, p = .0008) and the Δ between the revised and standard protocols (R2 = .04, p = .0025) but no correlation was found with the standard goniometric protocol (R2 = .015, p = .065). The results of this study support the hypothesis that standard goniometry underestimates the ROM impairment for individuals whose motion is limited by burn scars. Having measurement methods that consider the unique characteristics of skin impairment and the impact on functional positions is an important priority for both clinical reporting and future research in burn rehabilitation.
Nonlinear Household Earnings Dynamics, Self-Insurance, and Welfare
Authors: De Nardi Mariacristina , Fella Giulio , Paz-Pardo Gonzalo
Published: March 2019

Earnings dynamics are much richer than typically assumed in macro models with heterogeneous agents. This holds for individual-pre-tax and household-post-tax earnings and across administrative and survey data. We estimate two alternative processes for household after-tax earnings and study their implications using a standard life-cycle model. Both processes feature a persistent and a transitory component, but although the first one is the canonical linear process with stationary shocks, the second one has substantially richer earnings dynamics, allowing for age-dependence of moments, non-normality, and nonlinearity in previous earnings and age. Allowing for richer earnings dynamics implies a substantially better fit of the evolution of cross-sectional consumption inequality over the life cycle and of the individual-level degree of consumption insurance against persistent earnings shocks. The richer earnings process implies lower welfare costs of earnings risk.
Non-equilibrium chemistry and destruction of CO by X-ray flares
Authors: Mackey Jonathan , Walch Stefanie , Seifried Daniel , Glover Simon C O , Wünsch Richard , Aharonian Felix
Published: March 2019

Sources of X-rays such as active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries are often variable by orders of magnitude in luminosity over time-scales of years. During and after these flares the surrounding gas is out of chemical and thermal equilibrium. We introduce a new implementation of X-ray radiative transfer coupled to a time-dependent chemical network for use in 3D magnetohydrodynamical simulations. A static fractal molecular cloud is irradiated with X-rays of different intensity, and the chemical and thermal evolution of the cloud are studied. For a simulated $10^5\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ fractal cloud, an X-ray flux <0.01 erg cm−2 s−1 allows the cloud to remain molecular, whereas most of the CO and H2 are destroyed for a flux of ≥1 erg cm−2 s−1. The effects of an X-ray flare, which suddenly increases the X-ray flux by 105×, are then studied. A cloud exposed to a bright flare has 99 per cent of its CO destroyed in 10–20 yr, whereas it takes >103 yr for 99 per cent of the H2 to be destroyed. CO is primarily destroyed by locally generated far-UV emission from collisions between non-thermal electrons and H2; He+ only becomes an important destruction agent when the CO abundance is already very small. After the flare is over, CO re-forms and approaches its equilibrium abundance after 103–105 yr. This implies that molecular clouds close to Sgr A⋆ in the Galactic Centre may still be out of chemical equilibrium, and we predict the existence of clouds near flaring X-ray sources in which CO has been mostly destroyed but H is fully molecular.
Brainstem Functional Connectivity Disturbances in Epilepsy may Recover After Successful Surgery
Authors: González Hernán F J , Goodale Sarah E , Jacobs Monica L , Haas Kevin F , Landman Bennett A , Morgan Victoria L , Englot Dario J
Published: March 2019

BACKGROUND

Focal seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are associated with widespread brain network perturbations and neurocognitive problems.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether brainstem connectivity disturbances improve with successful epilepsy surgery, as recent work has demonstrated decreased brainstem connectivity in TLE that is related to disease severity and neurocognitive profile.

METHODS

We evaluated 15 adult TLE patients before and after (>1 yr; mean, 3.4 yr) surgery, and 15 matched control subjects using magnetic resonance imaging to measure functional and structural connectivity of ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) structures, including cuneiform/subcuneiform nuclei (CSC), pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN), and ventral tegmental area (VTA).

RESULTS

TLE patients who achieved long-term postoperative seizure freedom (10 of 15) demonstrated increases in functional connectivity between ARAS structures and fronto-parietal-insular neocortex compared to preoperative baseline (P = .01, Kruskal–Wallis), with postoperative connectivity patterns resembling controls’ connectivity. No functional connectivity changes were detected in 5 patients with persistent seizures after surgery (P = .9, Kruskal–Wallis). Among seizure-free postoperative patients, larger increases in CSC, PPN, and VTA functional connectivity were observed in individuals with more frequent seizures before surgery (P < .05 for each, Spearman's rho). Larger postoperative increases in PPN functional connectivity were seen in patients with lower baseline verbal IQ (P = .03, Spearman's rho) or verbal memory (P = .04, Mann–Whitney U). No changes in ARAS structural connectivity were detected after successful surgery.

CONCLUSION

ARAS functional connectivity disturbances are present in TLE but may recover after successful epilepsy surgery. Larger increases in postoperative connectivity may be seen in individuals with more severe disease at baseline.
Aelia Capitolina
Authors: Seligman Jon , Weksler-Bdolah Shlomit
Published: March 2019

After the sacking of the Herodian Jerusalem in 70 ce, the city came under direct Roman rule. The Jewish residents were killed or exiled, the city destroyed, and a military camp of the Tenth Roman Legion Fretensis was established on a part of the ruins. Around 130 ce, Emperor Hadrian founded in place of the ruined Jewish city Jerusalem, a colony named Aelia Capitolina, in honor of his clan and the Capitoline Triad. After dismantling the remnants of the Herodian city and its magnificent Temple, the Romans rebuilt the city according to classical orthogonal design. The new city was smaller in size and different in shape relative to the former settlement. From the limited historical sources, we learn that Aelia Capitolina was divided into seven quarters, covering some one hundred hectares and comprised a number of major structures. The new city was characterized by parallel straight streets that cross each other on the cardinal axis, a layout that still forms the basis for the Old City today. The major streets were colonnaded and dotted with triumphal arches and monumental buildings. Though an issue of scholarly debate, it seems that the Tenth Legion’s camp was located in the southwestern part of the city, integrating the three extant Herodian three towers and a portion of the western city wall into its defenses. Furthermore, the Temple Mount enclosure, too large to be destroyed, was rebuilt by the Romans, and incorporated in the new city, as a civic or religious center. The expulsion of the Jewish inhabitants left Aelia Capitolina lightly populated, a situation only partially rectified by the encouragement of settlement by veterans and their families, together with Hellenic groups living in Provincia Palaestina.
Probabilistic Representations of Belief
Authors: Bradley Darren
Published: March 2019

Formal epistemology is epistemology that uses mathematical tools. Foremost among them is probability theory. We can represent the strength of a belief by assigning it a number between zero and one, with one representing belief with maximal strength, and zero with minimal strength. Using these, and other, formal tools, we can investigate a range of epistemological questions, such as: What justifies beliefs? How should evidence inform belief? How should we update our beliefs over time?
Kālī
Authors: van Brussel Noor , Pasty-Abdul Wahid Marianne
Published: March 2019

The goddess Kālī is as much at home in the pan-Indian Brahmanical pantheon as she is in local, regional, and popular forms of worship. Her literary character emerges in the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, and tantric texts, while her iconic image can be found all over India, and abroad, both as a loving mother and as a fierce demon-slaying warrior. Kālī, literally “the black one,” is often a goddess of the margins. In her wild, unruly form, she does not entirely fit into the classical Hindu pantheon. She incarnates raw martial power, especially in the Purāṇic material, associates with evil spirits, and roams the burning grounds adorned with skulls. Just like her husband/father, Śiva, she engages with the liminal, chaotic side of life. In this form she became most popular in left-handed tantric traditions, her transgressive character becoming part of a way to gain insight into the cosmos by abolishing its boundaries. Yet at the same time she is extremely popular in her motherly form, as in the bhakti (devotion) poetry of the Bengali poets and mystics. This aspect of bhakti has significantly shaped the way the majority of devotees from North to South India, in neighboring South Asian countries, and in diaspora picture and worship Kālī. Their devotion is mainly targeted at a personalized incarnation of Kālī located in a specific temple and embodying context-specific religious, social, cultural, and even political traits. If the facets of her personality may then differ from place to place, for her devotees she is the mighty, sometimes ambivalent, but always nurturing mother who protects from evils and grants health and prosperity. Moving away from the context of Hindu worship to situations of human crisis, political conflicts, social agitation, or emancipation and spiritual movements, Kālī assumes new faces that often exacerbate, divert, and interpret selected traditional traits. For some she becomes an epitome of cruelty and perversion, for others a haven for the tormented, a role model for the oppressed, a champion of the engaged, an emblem for the children of a ravaged land, and a guide for liberation. There is probably not a single god in the diverse Hindu pantheon that evokes so many divergent views and ambivalent stances from devotees and researchers as Kālī does. This we have tried to represent in this entry in four overarching parts: I: Kālī as a Part of the Great Goddess Tradition; II: Kālī in Regional, Local, and Popular Worship; III: Kālī in Religious Art/Temple Iconography; and IV: Modern/Nonreligious Interpretations of Kālī. Considering the breadth and diversity of references available, this bibliography does not intend to be exhaustive, but rather to provide the reader with an overview of the major sources, works, aspects, and trends of Kālī studies in the fields of religious, literary, and folklore studies and anthropology.
Sinclair Lewis
Authors: Parry Sally
Published: March 2019

Harry Sinclair Lewis (b. 1885–d. 1951) was an astute critic of American society and the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Born in the prairie town of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Lewis was eager to experience life beyond his hometown. He graduated from Yale University and punctuated his education by trips to England and Panama, as well as work as a janitor at Upton Sinclair’s artistic colony Helicon Hall. Following graduation, he was a newspaperman, a creator of plots for Jack London, and a translator of poetry from the French and German; he also worked for the publishing firms of Frederick Stokes and George H. Doran. Lewis’s first novel, the boy’s adventure tale, Hike and the Aeroplane (1912), was written under a pseudonym. During his lifetime, he wrote over 100 short stories and twenty-three Novels. His first adult novel was the romantic adventure Our Mr. Wrenn (1914). Other novels in this decade included The Trail of the Hawk (1915), about a young pilot; The Job (1917), notable for its portrayal of a successful young businesswoman; and Free Air (1919), an early road novel. Lewis’s life changed forever with the publication of his hugely popular Main Street (1920), a novel that critiqued small-town life. Lewis wrote four other best-selling novels in the 1920s. Babbitt (1922) examined the culture of business and Arrowsmith (1925) delved into the world of medicine, a tribute to his father and brother, who were both doctors. Lewis was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Arrowsmith, but famously declined it, saying that he didn’t believe in literary competition. Elmer Gantry (1927) took on corruption in evangelical religion, while Dodsworth (1929) sent a retired businessman to Europe to reevaluate his life. Lewis’s winning of the Nobel Prize in 1930 was controversial in America, where many felt he was too critical of the United States. However, Lewis’s critiques of American society continued in the second half of his career with such novels as Ann Vickers (1933), which examined women’s suffrage and penal reform, and Cass Timberlane (1945), a meditation on the state of marriage. His two most controversial novels post-1930 were It Can’t Happen Here (1935), about a fascist who is elected president, and Kingsblood Royal (1947), about a white veteran who discovers that he has a black ancestor and becomes ostracized from his middle-class life. Biographer Richard Lingeman said of Lewis, “He wrote with a real moral passion. He really cared.”