bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smartphone use and internet literacy of senior citizens
Authors: Hong S. G. , Trimi S. , Kim D. W.
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of smartphone use on the internet literacy and use by senior citizens.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical study.

Findings

– The results indicate that the use of smartphones does significantly impact the internet literacy and use of older individuals. Educational background and the duration of smartphone use enhance the ability of seniors to use the internet.

Research limitations/implications

– A similar study can be conducted in other different countries and see the effect (if any) of national cultures and the type/purpose of usage of the internet; an expansion of this research, with a larger sample size, and more variables would shed greater insight on this important topic.

Practical implications

– Study provide suggestions to governments, in cooperation with the private sectors, on how to diminish the digital divide for senior citizens not only to improve their well-being, but also because seniors are an important resource that contributes to society financially and intellectually.

Social implications

– Technology is an important factor that can be used to not only alleviate some of the burden and improve the quality of life of senior citizens, but it can also help increase seniors’ contributions to the society.

Originality/value

– This study contributes in the digital divide research: (digital divide) for senior citizens, contributing factors, and the importance of decreasing it.
Towards an integrated approach to homeless hospital discharge
Authors: Albanese Francesca , Hurcombe Rachel , Mathie Helen
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a small-scale evaluation of the Department of Health “Homeless Hospital Discharge Fund” (HHDF) in England.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a mixed-method approach comprising 52 telephone interviews with project staff, 48 responses from an online survey with staff, outcomes data collected by projects, 30 semi-structured interviews with patients and nine in-depth telephone interviews with staff and commissioners.

Findings

– Overall the 52 pilots funded under the “HHDF” provided positive health and accommodation outcomes for homeless people admitted and discharged from hospital. In contrast to previous studies patients described not feeling judged during their stay, however the admission process was a more mixed experience due to communication breakdown by hospital staff. Integrating housing and clinical staff in the hospital discharge projects produced better outcomes for patients and the availability of accommodation as part of the model allowed improved and more stable housing outcomes. We recommend integrated commissioning takes place for future funding of any hospital discharge projects.

Research limitations/implications

– The study was small in scale and carried out before some of the projects had become fully established. The data were self-reported and the quality and completeness varied between projects.

Originality/value

– This is one of the few examples of hospital discharge outcomes for homeless people across a number of different localities and project models which examine the role of both health and housing professionals in the process.
Bottleneck breakthrough, action learning and transformation capability
Authors: Zhou Wenhui , Wang Chang , Hu Pingjie , Zhou Yifang
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the main advantages of integrating bottleneck theory, action learning and transformation capabilities to phenomenon and process analysis systems.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper selects three typical cases, using grounded theory standardized coding procedures, and selects exploratory case study approach.

Findings

– Inward small and medium manufacturing enterprises use the bottleneck breakthrough program and provide a correct knowledge input for action learning. Action learning provides a strong guarantee that for the implementation of bottleneck breakthrough program, programming and action learning are required to continually solve problems and achieve goals in the process.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors used inward manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises as research subjects The authors did not analysis the role of knowledge services; the future studies could explore how to improve the performance through the transformation value co-creation.

Practical implications

– Because of the lack of resources and capacity, small- and medium-sized enterprise adopt appropriate micro-innovation and continuous micro-transformation to break the bottleneck stage and achieve small victories.

Originality/value

– Learning and development enterprises are not only through multinational clients which restructuring enhance the learning capacity of the international M
&
A path. It does not conduct thorough and comprehensive change, and also not related to the structural of readjustment organization. In fact, the radical change and transformation strategy is different than other strategies.
The impact of capital shocks on M
&
A transactions
Authors: Zeng Hongchao , Huang Ying
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine whether an exogenous shock to the supply of financial capital mitigates agency conflicts between managers and shareholders and incentivizes managers to channel available financial resources into value-increasing acquisitions.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors use a difference-in-differences approach to mitigate endogeneity concerns. To address the concern that substantial differences between the treatment and control groups may violate the parallel-trend assumption of the D-in-D approach, the authors use a propensity score-matching procedure and construct a matched sample for their empirical analysis.

Findings

– The authors find that below-investment-grade firms are significantly less likely to make acquisitions relative to unrated firms following the collapse of the junk bond market in 1989. Conditional on initiating a successful acquisition, below-investment-grade acquirers are less likely to acquire diversifying targets and public targets, but more likely to acquire subsidiary targets. In addition, below-investment-grade acquirers experience higher post-merger operating and stock performance for acquisitions initiated in the post-shock period.

Originality/value

– The authors demonstrate that capital shocks negatively impact managers’ propensity to make acquisitions, which are considered a well-established outlet for agency conflicts between managers and shareholders. In addition, managers who are subject to capital shocks tend to manage available financial resources more efficiently and make better acquisition decisions that lead to greater value creation.
AGEs and HMGB1 Increase Inflammatory Cytokine Production from Human Placental Cells, Resulting in an Enhancement of Monocyte Migration
Authors: Shirasuna Koumei , Seno Kotomi , Ohtsu Ayaka , Shiratsuki Shogo , Ohkuchi Akihide , Suzuki Hirotada , Matsubara Shigeki , Nagayama Shiho , Iwata Hisataka , Kuwayama Takehito
Published: March 2016

Problem

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and high‐mobility group box‐1 (HMGB1) are considered contributing to placental inflammation. We examined the effect of AGEs and HMGB1 on cytokines from Sw.71 human trophoblast cell lines and the interactions between Sw.71 cells and THP‐1‐monocytes.

Methods of study

Sw.71 cells were cultured with/without AGEs or HMGB1. We examined the role of AGEs or HMGB1 on THP1 migration and effect of AGEs on IL‐6 from Sw.71 cells using co‐cultures or conditioned medium from THP‐1 cells.

Results

AGEs and HMGB1 increased interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐8, and chemokine C‐C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) secretion from Sw.71 cells. The secretion of IL‐6 was dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NF‐κB. AGEs stimulated IL‐6 secretion through receptor RAGE and TLR4, whereas HMGB1 stimulated it through TLR4. AGEs, but not HMGB1, increased monocyte migration via IL‐8 and CCL2 from Sw.71 cells. THP‐1 monocytes induced IL‐6 secretion from Sw.71 cells, and AGEs further stimulated it.

Conclusions

AGEs and HMGB1 may promote sterile placental inflammation cooperating with monocytes/macrophages.
Effect of students’ determination of testing time on their test performance
Authors: Bakker D. R. , Deng D. M. , Wesselink P. R. , Vervoorn J. M.
Published: March 2016

This article investigates whether giving students control over preparing for and the moment of taking a test affects their test results in comparison with when the school is in control of the amount of training followed by a predetermined test moment. The students participated in training for manual dexterity. After the training, the students performed a test. The results of the test were stored in a database. Students from the group with freedom to select the moment of the test performed much better than those in the other group who did not have the freedom to select the moment for the test, with significantly fewer students requiring three attempts to pass the test. The fact that students when given the responsibility to develop manual skills performed better than when guided by the policy of the school is hopeful in the sense that students can learn in an early stage of their study to take responsibility for learning.
Effects of dust enrichment on oxygen fugacity of cosmic gases
Authors: Fedkin Alexei V. , Grossman Lawrence
Published: March 2016

The degree to which dust enrichment enhances the oxygen fugacity (fO2) of a system otherwise solar in composition depends on the dust composition. Equilibrium calculations were performed at 10−3 bar in systems enriched by a factor of 104 in two fundamentally different types of dust to investigate the iron oxidation state in both cases. One type of dust, called SC for solar condensate, stopped equilibrating with solar gas at too high a temperature for FeO or condensed water to be stabilized in any form, and thus has the composition expected of a nebular condensate. The other has CI chondrite composition, appropriate for a parent body that accreted from SC dust and low‐temperature ice. Upon total vaporization at 2300 K, both systems have high fO2, >IW. In the SC dust‐enriched system, FeO of the bulk silicate reaches ~10 wt% at 1970 K but decreases to <1 wt% below 1500 K. The FeO undergoes reduction because consumption of gaseous oxygen by silicate recondensation causes a precipitous drop in fO2. Thus, enrichment in dust having the composition of likely nebular condensates cannot yield a sufficiently oxidizing environment to account for the FeO contents of chondrules. The fO2 of the system enriched in water‐rich, CI dust, however, remains high throughout condensation, as gaseous water remains uncondensed until very low temperatures. This allows silicate condensates to achieve and maintain FeO contents of 27–35 wt%. Water‐rich parent bodies are thus excellent candidate sources of chondrule precursors. Impacts on such bodies may have created the combination of high dust enrichment, total pressure, and fO2 necessary for chondrule formation.
Cardiac complications in thalassemia major
Authors: Auger Dominique , Pennell Dudley J.
Published: March 2016

The myocardium is particularly susceptible to complications from iron loading in thalassemia major. In the first years of life, severe anemia leads to high‐output cardiac failure and death if not treated. The necessary supportive blood transfusions create loading of iron that cannot be naturally excreted, and this iron accumulates within tissues, including the heart. Free unbound iron catalyzes the formation of toxic hydroxyl radicals, which damage cells and cause cardiac dysfunction. Significant cardiac siderosis may present by the age of 10 and may lead to acute clinical heart failure, which must be treated urgently. Atrial fibrillation is the most frequently encountered iron‐related arrhythmia. Iron chelation is effective at removing iron from the myocardium, at the expense of side effects that hamper compliance to therapy. Monitoring of myocardial iron content is mandatory for clinical management of cardiac risk. T2* cardiac magnetic resonance measures myocardial iron and is the strongest biomarker for prediction of heart failure and arrhythmic events. It has been calibrated to human myocardial tissue iron concentration and is highly reproducible across all magnetic resonance scanner vendors. As survival and patient age increases, endothelial dysfunction and diabetes may become new factors in the cardiovascular health of thalassemia patients. Promising new imaging technology and therapies could ameliorate the long‐term prognosis.
Validity of Self‐Reported Pre‐Pregnancy Weight and Body Mass Index Classification in an Integrated Health Care Delivery System
Authors: Han Emily , Abrams Barbara , Sridhar Sneha , Xu Fei , Hedderson Monique
Published: March 2016

Background

Self‐reported weight prior to pregnancy is prone to error. We utilised a measured pre‐conceptional weight from the electronic health record (EHR) to investigate error in recalled pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) category and compared how associations between pre‐pregnancy BMI and pregnancy outcomes varied by using the two measures.

Methods

We assessed differences in means, correlations, and categorisation of pre‐pregnancy BMI for 5092 singleton pregnancies delivered between 2007 and 2013 in Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Associations between measured and self‐reported BMI category and gestational diabetes, infant size for gestational age, and exceeding the Institute of Medicine gestational weight gain recommendations were assessed.

Results

Overall, the two measures assigned the same BMI category for 86.7% of women with higher risks of misclassification for overweight (Relative Risk (RR) 3.38, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 2.79, 4.10), obese class I (RR 3.81, 95% CI 3.07, 4.75), and obese class II (RR 1.80, 95% CI 1.28, 2.55) women compared to normal weight women. However, associations between self‐reported or measured BMI category and several pregnancy outcomes were similar.

Conclusions

Despite misclassification, self‐reported and measured pre‐pregnancy weights were similarly associated with perinatal outcomes in this study population. Our results illustrate the value of the EHR for recording measured pre‐pregnancy weight for use in research.
Regulation by Reputation: Monitoring and Sanctioning in Nonprofit Accountability Clubs
Authors: Tremblay‐Boire Joannie , Prakash Aseem , Gugerty Mary Kay
Published: March 2016

Nonprofits seek to enhance their reputation for responsible management by joining voluntary regulation mechanisms such as accountability clubs. Because external stakeholders cannot fully observe nonprofits’ compliance with club obligations, clubs incorporate mechanisms to monitor compliance and impose sanctions. Yet including monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms increases the cost of club membership for nonprofits. What factors account for the variation in the strength of monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms in voluntary accountability clubs? An analysis of 224 clubs suggests that stringent monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms are more likely in fund‐raising‐focused clubs, clubs that offer certification (as opposed to only outlining a code of conduct), and clubs with greater longevity. The macro context in which clubs function also shapes their institutional design: clubs inOECDcountries and clubs with global membership are less likely to incorporate monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms than clubs in non‐OECDcountries and single‐country clubs, respectively.
Quantifying Loss Mechanisms in Turbine Tip Shroud Cavity Flows
Authors: Palmer Timothy R. , Tan Choon S. , Zuniga Humberto , Little David , Montgomery Matthew , Malandra Anthony
Published: March 2016

Numerical calculations, steady as well as unsteady, of flow in a turbine stage with a tip shroud cavity elucidate that the loss-generating flow features consist of tip seal leakage jet, the interaction of cavity exit flow with main flow, the partially recirculating cavity inlet flow interaction with vane wakes, and injection of leakage flow into the shroud cavity. The first two flow features, namely, the tip seal leakage flow and mixing of cavity exit flow with main flow, dominate while the injection of leakage flow plays an indirect role in affecting the loss generation associated with cavity exit flow. The tip shroud cavity flow essentially consists of a system of toroidal vortices, the configuration of which is set by the cavity geometry and changes when subject to unsteady vane–rotor interaction. The role which the toroidal vortices play in setting the cavity inlet recirculating flow pattern and loss generation is delineated. It is suggested that there exists a link between the inlet cavity sizing and the toroidal vortical structure. The computed results appear to indicate that the main flow path approximately perceives the presence of the tip shroud cavity as a sink–source pair; as such a flow model based on this approximation is formulated. Loss variations with tip gap height and leakage flow injection are assessed. Results show that the expected loss due to mixing has a functional dependence on the square of the difference in their velocity magnitude and swirl. The tip seal leakage jet loss scales approximately linearly with the corrected mass flow rate per unit area over the range of tip gaps investigated.
Aerothermal Characterization of a Rotating Ribbed Channel at Engine Representative Conditions—Part I: High-Resolution Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements
Authors: Mayo Ignacio , Luca Gori Gian , Lahalle Aude , Arts Tony
Published: March 2016

The present work is part of a detailed aerothermal investigation in a model of a rotating internal cooling channel performed in a novel facility setup which allows test conditions at high rotation numbers (Ro). The test section is mounted on a rotating frame with all the required instrumentation, resulting in a high spatial resolution and accuracy. The channel has a cross section with an aspect ratio of 0.9 and a ribbed wall with eight ribs perpendicular to the main flow direction. The blockage of the ribs is 10% of the channel cross section, whereas the rib pitch-to-height ratio is 10. In this first part of the paper, the flow over the wall region between the sixth and seventh ribs in the symmetry plane is investigated by means of two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV). Tests were carried out at a Reynolds number (Re) of 15,000 in static and rotating conditions, with a maximum Ro of 0.77. Results are in good agreement with the data present in literature at the same Reynolds number and with rotation numbers of 0 (static conditions) and 0.38 in a channel with the same geometry as in the present work. When Ro is increased from 0.38 to 0.77, the main velocity and turbulence fields show important changes. At a rotation number of 0.77, although the extension of the recirculation bubble after the sixth rib on the trailing side does not vary significantly, it covers the full inter-rib area on the leading side in the streamwise direction. The turbulence intensity on the leading side shows a low value with respect to the static case but roughly at the same level as in the lower Ro case. On the trailing side, the maximum value of the turbulence intensity slightly decreases from Ro  = 0.38 to Ro  = 0.77, the wall shear layer is restabilized along the second half of the pitch due to the high rotation, and the secondary flows are redistributed causing spanwise vortex compression. The observed result is the rapid decay of turbulent fluctuations in the second half of the inter-rib area.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mine Safety Enforcement Actions in Forecasting the Lost-Days Rate at Specific Worksites
Authors: Gernand Jeremy M.
Published: March 2016

The safety of mining in the United States has improved significantly over the past few decades, although it remains one of the more dangerous occupations. Following the Sago mine disaster in January 2006, federal legislation (The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response [MINER] Act of 2006) tightened regulations and sought to strengthen the authority and safety-inspection practices of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). While penalties and inspection frequency have increased, understanding of what types of inspection findings are most indicative of serious future incidents is limited. The most effective safety management and oversight could be accomplished by a thorough understanding of what types of infractions or safety inspection findings are most indicative of serious future personnel injuries. However, given the large number of potentially different and unique inspection findings, varied mine characteristics, and types of specific safety incidents, this question is complex in terms of the large number of potentially relevant input parameters. New regulations rely on increasing the frequency and severity of infraction penalties to encourage mining operations to improve worker safety, but without the knowledge of which specific infractions may truly be signaling a dangerous work environment. This paper seeks to inform the question: What types of inspection findings are most indicative of serious future incidents for specific types of mining operations? This analysis utilizes publicly available MSHA databases of cited infractions and reportable incidents. These inspection results are used to train machine learning Classification and Regression Tree (CART) and Random Forest (RF) models that divide the groups of mines into peer groups based on their recent infractions and other defining characteristics with the aim of predicting whether or not a fatal or serious disabling injury is more likely to occur in the following 12-month period. With these characteristics available, additional scrutiny may be appropriately directed at those mining operations at greatest risk of experiencing a worker fatality or disabling injury in the near future. Increased oversight and attention on these mines where workers are at greatest risk may more effectively reduce the likelihood of worker deaths and injuries than increased penalties and inspection frequency alone.
Quantitative Feedback Input Shaping for Flexible-Joint Robot Manipulator
Authors: Chatlatanagulchai Withit , Kijdech Dumrongsak , Benjalersyarnon Takat , Damyot Supparat
Published: March 2016

Input shaping technique has been applied to flexible-joint robot to suppress its residual vibration from fast point-to-point movement. Input shaping performance deteriorates when the knowledge of the mode parameters of the robot is not accurate. Several robust input shapers were proposed at the expense of longer move time. A novel input shaping system, consisting of a quantitative feedback controller, a feed-forward reference model, and a simple zero-vibration (ZV) input shaper, is proposed in this paper. Advantages over the existing robust input shapers include toleration of substantially larger amount of uncertainty in the mode parameters, shorter move time that does not increase with insensitivity, application to nonlinear and time-varying systems, and suppression of vibration induced by disturbance and noise.
Fluid Vibration Induced by High-Shear-Rate Flow in a T-Junction
Authors: Tanaka Gaku , Yamaguchi Ryuhei , Liu Hao , Hayase Toshiyuki
Published: March 2016

For laminar flow in the side branch of a T-junction, periodic fluid vibrations occur with the Strouhal number independent of characteristic flow conditions. As the mechanics is unknown, an experiment was performed to establish the underlying cause in high-shear-rate flow. The fluid vibration appears along both the shearing separation layer and the boundary between two vortices immediately downstream of the side branch, where the shear rates are several orders larger than those further downstream. This vibration is caused by flow instability induced in two types of high-shear-rate flow confirming that is a universal phenomenon associated with the geometry of the T-junction.
When DNA is lying
Authors: Starr Douglas
Published: March 2016

DNA analysis has helped free thousands of wrongly convicted people. But sometimes DNA lands innocent people in prison, Greg Hampikian warns.
Applying humanized mouse models to immune therapy research
Authors: Stripecke Renata , Keck James
Published: March 2016

Mouse models have been a mainstay in biomedical research for decades. As these models have become more sophisticated, their application has grown and now includes a wide variety of immunodeficient strains that can be used to examine the in vivo growth of human tumors and to test new cancer treatments. One of the most popular models is the immunodeficient nonobese diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD scid) gamma (NSG) transgenic mouse line, which can be endowed with a humanized immune system using CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells. Next-generation NSG models that support human myeloid cell proliferation, such as the NSG-SGM3 mouse, can now provide in vivo conditions that better mimic the natural tumor environment. Human tumor tissue or cell lines can be coengrafted into these mouse models, providing a powerful tool for studying the interactions between human immune cells and human cancers. In this webinar we will discuss the latest advances in mouse models for cancer research and how they are being applied to help us understand the pathways and mechanisms involved in new immune therapies.
Simple universal models capture all classical spin physics
Authors: De las Cuevas Gemma , Cubitt Toby S.
Published: March 2016

One model to rule them all?

The idea of finding an all-encompassing model to describe the world around us has appealed to generations of scientists. Although we are very far from this ultimate goal, more modest steps can be taken if we focus on particular problems. De las Cuevas and Cubitt used concepts borrowed from computer science to show that all classical spin models (introduced initially to study magnetism) can be solved by tackling a slightly more complex, universal model (see the Perspective by Wehner). Thanks to these findings, it may be possible to physically simulate systems with complex interactions, using the well-understood two-dimensional Ising model with fields.

Science
, this issue p.
1180
; see also p.
1156
Schedule-dependent interaction between anticancer treatments
Authors: Chen Sheng-hong , Forrester William , Lahav Galit
Published: March 2016

Timing the attack on cancer cells

Cell regulatory systems have dynamic properties that will need to be taken into account when planning therapeutic strategies. Chen
et al.
found that the timing of a radiation treatment of human breast cancer–derived cells in culture determined whether cell survival was enhanced or reduced. Depletion of the oncogene product MDMX caused an initial burst of expression of the tumor suppressor protein p53 within the first 24 hours, and then oscillations of lower amplitude. When the radiation treatment coincided with the first phase, 95% of the cells died, but if radiation was applied in the second phase, fewer than 20% of the cells died.

Science
, this issue p.
1204
Comment on “Math at home adds up to achievement in school”
Authors: Frank Michael C.
Published: March 2016

Berkowitz
et al
. (Reports, 9 October 2015, p. 196) described a randomized field experiment testing whether a math app designed to increase parent-child interaction could also bring academic benefits. A reanalysis of the data suggests that this well-designed trial failed to find strong evidence for the efficacy of the intervention. In particular, there was no significant effect of the intervention on math performance.
The invisible dimension of fungal diversity
Authors: Hibbett David
Published: March 2016

Can microbial taxa be defined from environmental molecular sequences?
Getting into grad school
Inside Graduate Admissions Merit, Diversity, and Faculty Gatekeeping
Julie R. Posselt
Harvard University Press, 2016. 262 pp
Authors: Beilock Sian
Published: March 2016

Who benefits from the Ph.D. admissions process and who falls through the cracks?
Unraveling a pathway to autism
Authors: Burbach J. Peter H.
Published: March 2016

A signaling pathway that controls protein synthesis may be a target for autism therapeutics

[Also see Report by

Bidinosti
et al.

]
Update on Baylisascariasis, a Highly Pathogenic Zoonotic Infection
Authors: Graeff-Teixeira Carlos , Morassutti Alessandra Loureiro , Kazacos Kevin R.
Published: March 2016

Baylisascaris procyonis
, the raccoon roundworm, infects a wide range of vertebrate animals, including humans, in which it causes a particularly severe type of larva migrans. It is an important cause of severe neurologic disease (neural larva migrans [NLM]) but also causes ocular disease (OLM; diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis [DUSN]), visceral larva migrans (VLM), and covert/asymptomatic infections.
B. procyonis
is common and widespread in raccoons, and there is increasing recognition of human disease, making a clinical consideration of baylisascariasis important. This review provides an update for this disease, especially its clinical relevance and diagnosis, and summarizes the clinical cases of human NLM and VLM known to date. Most diagnosed patients have been young children less than 2 years of age, although the number of older patients diagnosed in recent years has been increasing. The recent development of recombinant antigen-based serodiagnostic assays has aided greatly in the early diagnosis of this infection. Patients recovering with fewer severe sequelae have been reported in recent years, reinforcing the current recommendation that early treatment with albendazole and corticosteroids should be initiated at the earliest suspicion of baylisascariasis. Considering the seriousness of this zoonotic infection, greater public and medical awareness is critical for the prevention and early treatment of human cases.
The Clinical Urine Culture: Enhanced Techniques Improve Detection of Clinically Relevant Microorganisms
Authors: Price Travis K. , Dune Tanaka , Hilt Evann E. , Thomas-White Krystal J. , Kliethermes Stephanie , Brincat Cynthia , Brubaker Linda , Wolfe Alan J. , Mueller Elizabeth R. , Schreckenberger Paul C.
Published: March 2016

Enhanced quantitative urine culture (EQUC) detects live microorganisms in the vast majority of urine specimens reported as “no growth” by the standard urine culture protocol. Here, we evaluated an expanded set of EQUC conditions (expanded-spectrum EQUC) to identify an optimal version that provides a more complete description of uropathogens in women experiencing urinary tract infection (UTI)-like symptoms. One hundred fifty adult urogynecology patient-participants were characterized using a self-completed validated UTI symptom assessment (UTISA) questionnaire and asked “Do you feel you have a UTI?” Women responding negatively were recruited into the no-UTI cohort, while women responding affirmatively were recruited into the UTI cohort; the latter cohort was reassessed with the UTISA questionnaire 3 to 7 days later. Baseline catheterized urine samples were plated using both standard urine culture and expanded-spectrum EQUC protocols: standard urine culture inoculated at 1 μl onto 2 agars incubated aerobically; expanded-spectrum EQUC inoculated at three different volumes of urine onto 7 combinations of agars and environments. Compared to expanded-spectrum EQUC, standard urine culture missed 67% of uropathogens overall and 50% in participants with severe urinary symptoms. Thirty-six percent of participants with missed uropathogens reported no symptom resolution after treatment by standard urine culture results. Optimal detection of uropathogens could be achieved using the following: 100 μl of urine plated onto blood (blood agar plate [BAP]), colistin-nalidixic acid (CNA), and MacConkey agars in 5% CO
2
for 48 h. This streamlined EQUC protocol achieved 84% uropathogen detection relative to 33% detection by standard urine culture. The streamlined EQUC protocol improves detection of uropathogens that are likely relevant for symptomatic women, giving clinicians the opportunity to receive additional information not currently reported using standard urine culture techniques.
Evaluation of Multiplex-Based Antibody Testing for Use in Large-Scale Surveillance for Yaws: a Comparative Study
Authors: Cooley Gretchen M. , Mitja Oriol , Goodhew Brook , Pillay Allan , Lammie Patrick J. , Castro Arnold , Moses Penias , Chen Cheng , Ye Tun , Ballard Ronald , Martin Diana L.
Published: March 2016

WHO has targeted yaws for global eradication by 2020. The program goals are to interrupt the transmission in countries where yaws is endemic and to certify countries as yaws free where yaws was endemic in the past. No new rapid plasmin reagin (RPR) seroreactivity in young children is required for certification of elimination at a country level. We sought to evaluate whether antibody responses to specific treponemal antigens measured in a high-throughput multiplex bead array (MBA) assay differentiate past versus current infection and whether a nontreponemal lipoidal antigen test can be incorporated into the MBA. Serum and dried blood spot specimens collected for yaws surveillance projects in Ghana, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea (PNG) were run on MBA to measure antibodies against recombinant p17 (rp17) and treponemal membrane protein A (TmpA) treponemal antigens. Results were compared to standard treponemal laboratory (TPPA or TPHA [TPP(H)A]) and quantitative RPR test data. Of 589 specimens, 241 were TPP(H)A
+
/RPR
+
, 88 were TPP(H)A
+
/RPR
−
, 6 were TPP(H)A
−
/RPR
+
, and 254 were negative for both tests. Compared to TPP(H)A, reactive concordance of rp17 was 93.7%, while reactive concordance of TmpA was only 81.9%. TmpA-specific reactivity showed good correlation with RPR titers (
R
2
= 0.41;
P
< 0.0001). IgG responses to the lipoidal antigen used in RPR testing (cardiolipin) were not detected in the MBA. Our results suggest that TmpA can be used as a treponemal antigen marker for recent or active infection and potentially replace RPR in a high-throughput multiplex tool for large-scale yaws surveillance.
Differential Persistence of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in African Buffalo Is Related to Virus Virulence
Authors: Maree Francois , de Klerk-Lorist Lin-Mari , Gubbins Simon , Zhang Fuquan , Seago Julian , Pérez-Martín Eva , Reid Liz , Scott Katherine , van Schalkwyk Louis , Bengis Roy , Charleston Bryan , Juleff Nicholas
Published: March 2016

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus (FMDV) circulates as multiple serotypes and strains in many regions of endemicity. In particular, the three Southern African Territories (SAT) serotypes are maintained effectively in their wildlife reservoir, the African buffalo, and individuals may harbor multiple SAT serotypes for extended periods in the pharyngeal region. However, the exact site and mechanism for persistence remain unclear. FMD in buffaloes offers a unique opportunity to study FMDV persistence, as transmission from carrier ruminants has convincingly been demonstrated for only this species. Following coinfection of naive African buffaloes with isolates of three SAT serotypes from field buffaloes, palatine tonsil swabs were the sample of choice for recovering infectious FMDV up to 400 days postinfection (dpi). Postmortem examination identified infectious virus for up to 185 dpi and viral genomes for up to 400 dpi in lymphoid tissues of the head and neck, focused mainly in germinal centers. Interestingly, viral persistence
in vivo
was not homogenous, and the SAT-1 isolate persisted longer than the SAT-2 and SAT-3 isolates. Coinfection and passage of these SAT isolates in goat and buffalo cell lines demonstrated a direct correlation between persistence and cell-killing capacity. These data suggest that FMDV persistence occurs in the germinal centers of lymphoid tissue but that the duration of persistence is related to virus replication and cell-killing capacity.

IMPORTANCE
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes a highly contagious acute vesicular disease in domestic livestock and wildlife species. African buffaloes (
Syncerus caffer
) are the primary carrier hosts of FMDV in African savannah ecosystems, where the disease is endemic. We have shown that the virus persists for up to 400 days in buffaloes and that there is competition between viruses during mixed infections. There was similar competition in cell culture: viruses that killed cells quickly persisted more efficiently in passaged cell cultures. These results may provide a mechanism for the dominance of particular viruses in an ecosystem.
BPIFB6 Regulates Secretory Pathway Trafficking and Enterovirus Replication
Authors: Morosky Stefanie , Lennemann Nicholas J. , Coyne Carolyn B.
Published: March 2016

Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) fold-containing family B, member 3 (BPIFB3) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized host factor that negatively regulates coxsackievirus B (CVB) replication through its control of the autophagic pathway. Here, we show that another member of the BPIFB family, BPIFB6, functions as a positive regulator of CVB, and other enterovirus, replication by controlling secretory pathway trafficking and Golgi complex morphology. We show that similar to BPIFB3, BPIFB6 localizes exclusively to the ER, where it associates with other members of the BPIFB family. However, in contrast to our findings that RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing of BPIFB3 greatly enhances CVB replication, we show that silencing of BPIFB6 expression dramatically suppresses enterovirus replication in a pan-viral manner. Mechanistically, we show that loss of BPIFB6 expression induces pronounced alterations in retrograde and anterograde trafficking, which correlate with dramatic fragmentation of the Golgi complex. Taken together, these data implicate BPIFB6 as a key regulator of secretory pathway trafficking and viral replication and suggest that members of the BPIFB family participate in diverse host cell functions to regulate virus infections.

IMPORTANCE
Enterovirus infections are associated with a number of severe pathologies, such as aseptic meningitis, dilated cardiomyopathy, type I diabetes, paralysis, and even death. These viruses, which include coxsackievirus B (CVB), poliovirus (PV), and enterovirus 71 (EV71), co-opt the host cell secretory pathway, which controls the transport of proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex, to facilitate their replication. Here we report on the identification of a novel regulator of the secretory pathway, bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) fold-containing family B, member 6 (BPIFB6), whose expression is required for enterovirus replication. We show that loss of BPIFB6 expression correlates with pronounced defects in the secretory pathway and greatly reduces the replication of CVB, PV, and EV71. Our results thus identify a novel host cell therapeutic target whose function could be targeted to alter enterovirus replication.
2C Proteins of Enteroviruses Suppress IKKβ Phosphorylation by Recruiting Protein Phosphatase 1
Authors: Li Qian , Zheng Zhenhua , Liu Yan , Zhang Zhenfeng , Liu Qingshi , Meng Jin , Ke Xianliang , Hu Qinxue , Wang Hanzhong
Published: March 2016

The NF-κB signaling network, which is an ancient signaling pathway, plays a pivotal role in innate immunity and constitutes a first line of defense against invading pathogens, including viruses. However, numerous viruses possess evolved strategies to antagonize the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Our previous study demonstrated that the nonstructural protein 2C of enterovirus 71 (EV71), which is the major pathogen of hand, foot, and mouth disease, inhibits tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-mediated activation of NF-κB by suppressing IκB kinase β (IKKβ) phosphorylation. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying the inhibition of IKKβ phosphorylation by EV71 2C remains largely elusive. We demonstrate that EV71 2C interacts with all isoforms of the protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) catalytic subunit (the PP1α, PP1β, and PP1γ isoforms) through PP1-docking motifs. EV71 2C has no influence on the subcellular localization of PP1. In addition, the PP1-binding-deficient EV71 2C mutant 3E3L nearly completely lost the ability to suppress IKKβ phosphorylation and NF-κB activation was markedly restored in the mutant, thereby indicating that PP1 binding is efficient for EV71 2C-mediated inhibition of IKKβ phosphorylation and NF-κB activation. We further demonstrate that 2C forms a complex with PP1 and IKKβ to dephosphorylate IKKβ. Notably, we reveal that other human enteroviruses, including poliovirus (PV), coxsackie A virus 16 (CVA16), and coxsackie B virus 3 (CVB3), use 2C proteins to recruit PP1, leading to the inhibition of IKKβ phosphorylation. Our findings indicate that enteroviruses exploit a novel mechanism to inhibit IKKβ phosphorylation by recruiting PP1 and IKKβ to form a complex through 2C proteins, which ultimately results in the inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

IMPORTANCE
The innate antiviral immunity system performs an essential function in recognizing and eliminating invading viruses. Enteroviruses include a number of important human pathogens, including poliovirus (PV), EV71, and coxsackieviruses (CVs). As 2C is the most conserved and complex nonstructural protein of enteroviruses, its biological function is largely unclear, whereas the 2A and 3C proteinases of enteroviruses are well characterized. We reveal that EV71 2C forms a complex with PP1 and IKKβ to maintain IKKβ in an unphosphorylated and inactive state, resulting in the inactivation of the TNF-α-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway. We provide evidence that the 2C proteins of the enteroviruses PV, CVA16, and CVB3 suppress IKKβ phosphorylation through the same mechanism involving PP1. We demonstrate that enteroviruses exploit a novel mechanism involving PP1 to regulate innate antiviral immunity, and our findings may be particularly important for understanding the pathogenicity of enteroviruses.
The prevalence of hyperglycaemia and its relationship with mortality, readmissions and length of stay in an older acute surgical population: a multicentre study
Authors: Myint Phyo Kyaw , Owen Stephanie , Pearce Lyndsay , Greig Matthew F , Tay Hui Sian , McCormack Caroline , McCarthy Kathryn , Moug Susan J , Stechman Michael J , Hewitt Jonathan
Published: March 2016

Background

The purpose of the study is to examine the prevalence of hyperglycaemia in an older acute surgical population and its effect on clinically relevant outcomes in this setting.

Methods

Using Older Persons Surgical Outcomes Collaboration (OPSOC) multicentre audit data 2014, we examined the prevalence of admission hyperglycaemia, and its effect on 30-day and 90-day mortality, readmission within 30 days and length of acute hospital stay using logistic regression models in consecutive patients, ≥65 years, admitted to five acute surgical units in the UK hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales. Patients were categorised in three groups based on their admission random blood glucose: <7.1, between 7.1 and 11.1 and ≥11.1 mmol/L.

Results

A total of 411 patients (77.25±8.14 years) admitted during May and June 2014 were studied. Only 293 patients (71.3%) had glucose levels recorded on admission. The number (%) of patients with a blood glucose <7.1, 7.1–11.1 and ≥11.1 mmol/L were 171 (58.4), 99 (33.8) and 23 (7.8), respectively. On univariate analysis, admission hyperglycaemia was not predictive of any of the outcomes investigated. Although the characteristics of those with no glucose level were not different from the included sample, 30-day mortality was significantly higher in those who had not had their admission glucose level checked (10.2% vs 2.7%), suggesting a potential type II error.

Conclusion

Despite current guidelines, nearly a third of older people with surgical diagnoses did not have their glucose checked on admission highlighting the challenges in prognostication and evaluation research to improve care of older frail surgical patients.
Multi-Baker Map as a Model of Digital PD Control
Authors: Csernák Gábor , Gyebrószki Gergely , Stépán Gábor
Published: March 2016

Digital stabilization of unstable equilibria of linear systems may lead to small amplitude stochastic-like oscillations. We show that these vibrations can be related to a deterministic chaotic dynamics induced by sampling and quantization. A detailed analytical proof of chaos is presented for the case of a PD controlled oscillator: it is shown that there exists a finite attracting domain in the phase-space, the largest Lyapunov exponent is positive and the existence of a Smale horseshoe is also pointed out. The corresponding two-dimensional micro-chaos map is a multi-baker map, i.e. it consists of a finite series of baker’s maps.
Multiscroll Chaotic Sea Obtained from a Simple 3D System Without Equilibrium
Authors: Jafari Sajad , Pham Viet-Thanh , Kapitaniak Tomasz
Published: March 2016

Recently, many rare chaotic systems have been found including chaotic systems with no equilibria. However, it is surprising that such a system can exhibit multiscroll chaotic sea. In this paper, a novel no-equilibrium system with multiscroll hidden chaotic sea is introduced. Besides having multiscroll chaotic sea, this system has two more interesting properties. Firstly, it is conservative (which is a rare feature in three-dimensional chaotic flows) but not Hamiltonian. Secondly, it has a coexisting set of nested tori. There is a hidden torus which coexists with the chaotic sea. This new system is investigated through numerical simulations such as phase portraits, Lyapunov exponents, Poincaré map, and frequency spectra. Furthermore, the feasibility of such a system is verified through circuital implementation.
Pattern Formation in Keller–Segel Chemotaxis Models with Logistic Growth
Authors: Jin Ling , Wang Qi , Zhang Zengyan
Published: March 2016

In this paper, we investigate pattern formation in Keller–Segel chemotaxis models over a multidimensional bounded domain subject to homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. It is shown that the positive homogeneous steady state loses its stability as chemoattraction rate [Formula: see text] increases. Then using Crandall–Rabinowitz local theory with [Formula: see text] being the bifurcation parameter, we obtain the existence of nonhomogeneous steady states of the system which bifurcate from this homogeneous steady state. Stability of the bifurcating solutions is also established through rigorous and detailed calculations. Our results provide a selection mechanism of stable wavemode which states that the only stable bifurcation branch must have a wavemode number that minimizes the bifurcation value. Finally, we perform extensive numerical simulations on the formation of stable steady states with striking structures such as boundary spikes, interior spikes, stripes, etc. These nontrivial patterns can model cellular aggregation that develop through chemotactic movements in biological systems.