bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genodermatoses with itch as a prominent feature
Authors: Fourzali K. , Yosipovitch G.
Published: September 2020

A number of inherited conditions cause chronic itch as a part of the recognized phenotype. Advances in the understanding of the genetic factors that cause these diseases elucidate the molecular underpinning of itch as a symptom. Our knowledge of the causes of chronic itch has also advanced, providing an opportunity to integrate the genetic pathophysiology with the molecular landscape of chronic itch mediators. This article reviews select genodermatoses that have itch as a predominant feature with a focus on the pathophysiology of the disease, how it may lead to itch and potential therapeutic targets.
A rapid detection method of early spore viability based on AC impedance measurement
Authors: Yang Ning , Hu Jiaqi , Zhou Xu , Wang Aiying , Yu Junjie , Tao Xinyi , Tang Jian
Published: September 2020

Rice blast is a destructive disease of rice; it is difficult to detect the pathogenic spore viability in early stage. In this paper, a rapid detection method is proposed; the impedance‐viability model of spores was established by measuring the viability of early rice blast spores and the AC impedance at the most sensitive frequencies. This model is a nice linear model, and the goodness of fit R2 is greater than 0.99. At the same time, there is a positive correlation between the spore impedance‐viability model and the hyphae impedance‐growth speed model measured in practice. The p value is less than 0.05, and the Pearson coefficient is close to 1, which proves the feasibility of this method to detect spore viability. Compared with the traditional experimental culture method, the detection speed of spore viability based on impedance method is greatly improved, which brings convenience for the study of rice blast.

Practical Applications

The viability of spores is one of the most important indexes to show the degree of rice blast. The early spores of the rice blast look similarly, which makes it hard for the naked eye to distinguish the viability, and makes it difficult for farmers to decide whether to use pesticides in the rice field. The traditional method for the detection of spore viability of rice blast is complicated and needs a long time. In recent years, the method of microbial impedance is put forward, which can provide the information of microbial AC impedance, and has the advantages of fast and nondestructive. The results showed that it is feasible to detect spore viability by impedance technique.
Recommendations to Improve Payment Policies for Comprehensive Dementia Care
Authors: Lees Haggerty Kristin , Epstein‐Lubow Gary , Spragens Lynn H. , Stoeckle Rebecca J. , Evertson Leslie C. , Jennings Lee A. , Reuben David B.
Published: September 2020

Access to comprehensive dementia care is limited. Recent changes in billing for professional services, including new physician fee schedule codes, encourage clinicians to provide new services; however, current reimbursement does not cover costs for all needed elements of dementia care. The Payment Model for Comprehensive Dementia Care Conference convened more than 50 national experts from diverse perspectives to review promising strategies for payment reform including ways to accelerate their adoption. Recommendations for reform included payments for services to family caregivers; new research to determine success metrics; education for consumers, providers, and policymakers; and advancing a population health model approach to tier coverage based on risk and need within a health system.
Home Video Visits: Two‐Dimensional View of the Geriatric 5 M's
Authors: Moo Lauren R.
Published: September 2020

Telehealth visits using a video‐to‐home format are opportunities for virtual house calls. Embracing the benefits of the format allows a patient‐centered approach to care that can reveal things that in‐person clinic visits may miss.
Portable gluten sensors: qualitative assessments by adults and adolescents with coeliac disease
Authors: Wolf R. L. , Vipperman‐Cohen A. , Green P. H. R. , Lee A. R. , Reilly N. R. , Zybert P. , Lebwohl B.
Published: September 2020

Background

Portable gluten sensors are now commercially available to the public, although there is genuine uncertainty within the medical community over whether they should be used for coeliac disease management. The present study described qualitatively the experience of using a portable gluten sensor for 15 adults and 15 adolescents with coeliac disease participating in a 3‐month pilot clinical trial.

Methods

Participants were 30 individuals, aged 13–70 years, with biopsy‐confirmed coeliac disease on a gluten‐free diet. All received a portable gluten sensor and were randomised to low, medium, and high numbers of single‐use capsules. Open‐ended questions addressed likes and dislikes using the portable gluten sensor after 3 months. Major themes were identified and described.

Results

Participants liked that the portable gluten sensor provided extra assurance to check foods presented as gluten‐free, the convenient size and portability, the added sense of control, and overall peace‐of‐mind. Participants disliked having attention drawn to them when using the sensor and feeling as if they were deterring others from eating. Participants also disliked the physical difficulty associated with using the capsules, questionable accuracy and the inability to test fermented foods. Adults were more enthusiastic about the sensor than adolescents.

Conclusions

Positive and negative experiences may be expected when using commercially available portable gluten sensors to help manage coeliac disease. As future versions of this and other gluten sensors become available, it will be important to investigate the relationship between users’ experience with the sensors and long‐term outcomes such as mucosal healing and quality of life.
Respiratory nursing care with Angong Niuhuang pill for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following cardiac surgery
Authors: Lv Linhua , Zheng Jinping , Zhang Ying , Chen Bijiao , Yan Fengjiao , Qin Xiaomin , Zheng Cuiyu , Wu Zhongkai , Feng Kangni
Published: September 2020

Aim

Angong Niuhuang pill (ANP) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) drug widely used for treating stroke. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ANP on respiratory nursing outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients following cardiac surgery.

Methods

A total of 80 COPD patients following cardiac surgery were enrolled and randomized into the control group receiving routine postoperative nursing and ANP group additionally receiving ANP treatment for 3 days (n = 40 for both group). The frequency of back percussion, time of back percussion, amount of expectoration, arterial blood gas levels were compared between groups.

Results

Compared to the control group, the ANP group had a significantly shorter daily mean time of back percussion at day 3 (p = .036) and day 7 (p = .014). The daily mean amount of expectoration was higher at day3 (p = .018) but lower at day 7 (p = .043) in the ANP group than in the control group. In addition, the ANP group had significantly higher hemoglobin saturation (SpO2) and partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) but lower partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) at both day 3 and day 7 than the control group (all p < .05). Furthermore, the time of postoperative aerosol inhalations (p = .041), pulmonary infection rate (p = .025) and postoperative hospital stay (p = .036) were significantly reduced in the ANP group. The ANP group had significantly lower TCM symptom scores at day 3 and day 7 after surgery.

Conclusion

These results suggested that ANP treatment can effectively promote the postoperative recovery and respiratory nursing outcomes in COPD patients following cardiac surgery.
Drainage of subduction interface fluids into the forearc mantle evidenced by a pristine jadeitite network (Polar Urals)
Authors: Angiboust Samuel , Glodny Johannes , Cambeses Aitor , Raimondo Tom , Monié Patrick , Popov Michael , Garcia‐Casco Antonio
Published: September 2020

The physical and mechanical processes rooted in the hydrated, serpentinized mantle above subduction zones remain insufficiently explored despite fundamental implications for our understanding of rheology and fluid recycling along subduction interfaces. Through a field‐based investigation, serpentinized peridotites and jadeitite samples from a fossil forearc mantle in the Polar Urals (Russia) are studied here to document fluid–rock interaction processes in the high‐P field, as well as the long‐term evolution of the base of the mantle wedge. Petrographic, geochemical and microstructural observations reveal a complex, protracted evolution of the jadeitite‐forming fluid pathway throughout the gradual cooling of the forearc mantle and increasing serpentinization of the host. It is shown that the jadeitite lenses in the studied locality (a) derive for a large part from a trondhjemitic dyke earlier emplaced in a warm subduction environment, and (b) record the cooling of the subduction hangingwall under high‐P conditions associated with increasing host serpentinization. In the studied locality, the majority of the jadeitites formed at relatively high temperatures (>600°C) by the influx of Na–Al‐rich, slab‐derived metamorphic fluids that were drained along the base of the mantle wedge, parallel to the subduction interface. Changes in bulk‐rock geochemical signatures and in paragenetic sequences also constrain the compositional evolution of the fluid channelized along this drainage, with an increasing sedimentary component. The phlogopite‐bearing walls of the dyke exhibit Rb–Sr and Ar–Ar ages ranging between c. 405 and c. 390 Ma, a range partly overlapping within uncertainty with the previously dated zircons from the jadeitite core (410–⁠400 Ma; U–Pb). This study opens a unique window on the pristine structures formed above the plate interface by melting and fluid–rock interaction in the early subduction stages, as well as their evolution during secular cooling of the base of the mantle wedge.
A nuclear fluorescent dye identifies pericytes at the neurovascular unit
Authors: Mai‐Morente Sandra P. , Marset Virginia M. , Blanco Fabiana , Isasi Eugenia E. , Abudara Verónica
Published: September 2020

Perivascular pericytes are key regulators of the blood–brain barrier, vascular development, and cerebral blood flow. Deciphering pericyte roles in health and disease requires cellular tracking; yet, pericyte identification remains challenging. A previous study reported that the far‐red fluorophore TO‐PRO‐3 (642/661), usually employed as a nuclear dye in fixed tissue, was selectively captured by live pericytes from the subventricular zone. Herein, we validated TO‐PRO‐3 as a specific pericyte tracer in the nervous system (NS). Living pericytes from ex vivo murine hippocampus, cortex, spinal cord, and retina robustly incorporated TO‐PRO‐3. Classical pericyte immunomarkers such as chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan neuron‐glial antigen 2 (NG2) and platelet‐derived growth factor receptor beta antigen (PDGFrβ) and the new pericyte dye NeuroTrace 500/525 confirmed cellular specificity of dye uptake. The TO‐PRO‐3 signal enabled quantification of pericytes density and morphometry; likewise, TO‐PRO‐3 labeling allowed visualization of pericytes associated with other components of the neurovascular unit. A subset of TO‐PRO‐3 stained cells expressed the contractile protein α–SMA, indicative of their ability to control the capillary diameter. Uptake of TO‐PRO‐3 was independent of connexin/pannexin channels but was highly sensitive to temperature and showed saturation, suggesting that a yet unidentified protein‐mediated active transport sustained dye incorporation. We conclude that TO‐PRO‐3 labeling provides a reliable and simple tool for the bioimaging of pericytes in the murine NS microvasculature.

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Method to evaluate intravenous maintenance tocolysis for preterm labor
Authors: Yoneda Satoshi
Published: September 2020

Aim

Despite the lack of evidence‐based medicine, continuous intravenous maintenance tocolysis is the main treatment for preterm labor (PTL) in Japan because it is considered to prolong the gestational period. This treatment needs to be evaluated in more detail, and we herein propose one method to assess maintenance tocolysis using the timing of delivery by PTL patients.

Methods

PTL patients (n = 307) were divided into three groups according to delivery weeks of gestation. Group A (severe PTL) delivered at <34 weeks, group B (mild PTL) at 34–37 weeks and group C (cases suspected overtreatment) at ≥38 weeks. The percentages of patients in each group was calculated and clinical characteristics were compared between groups.

Results

The percentages of patients (%) in groups A, B and C were 33.9, 43.6 and 22.5, respectively. Gestational weeks on admission, maternal white blood cell count and C‐reactive protein, PTL index, fetal fibronectin levels in vaginal secretions, amniotic fluid interleukin‐8 levels, staying at neonatal intensive care unit were significantly different between these three groups by analysis of variance. Furthermore, amniotic fluid interleukin‐8 levels were significantly higher in group B (3.5 [0.1–46.5] ng/mL) than in group C (1.7 [0.1–16.1], P < 0.05).

Conclusions

PTL patients were classified according to the prognosis. The ratio of patients in each group represented the severity of PTL and the risk of overtreatment. When this ratio is investigated on a nationwide scale, the use of intravenous maintenance tocolysis or definition of PTL may need to be reconsidered.
Clinical Performance of Posterior Inlay‐Retained and Wing‐Retained Monolithic Zirconia Resin‐Bonded Fixed Partial Dentures: Stage One Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Bömicke Wolfgang , Rathmann Friederike , Pilz Maximilian , Bermejo Justo Lorenzo , Waldecker Moritz , Ohlmann Brigitte , Rammelsberg Peter , Zenthöfer Andreas
Published: September 2020

Purpose

To prospectively compare the clinical performance of posterior inlay‐retained and wing‐retained monolithic zirconia fixed partial dentures (FPDs).

Materials and methods

After simple randomization, 30 participants received either one inlay‐retained (n = 15; mean age: 56.38 ± 12.70 years; 10 men [66.7%]) or one wing‐retained (n = 15; mean age: 45.90 ±13.24 years; 7 men [46.7%]) FPD. The restorations, which predominantly replaced first molars, were fabricated from translucent, 3 mol% yttria‐stabilized zirconia and attached with self‐etching resin cement. Restorations and abutment teeth were clinically followed up for complications one week and 3, 6, and 12 months after cementation. Plaque and gingival scores, probing pocket depths, and attachment levels were recorded for the abutment and contralateral reference teeth both before treatment and during follow‐up examinations. The restorations were also assessed in accordance with FDI World Dental Federation criteria. Statistical analyses were conducted with R (α = 0.05). An adaptive, 2‐stage study design based on the incidence of failure‐free survival in the groups after 12 months (stage 1) was implemented. Predefined decision rules were used to determine whether further recruitment (stage 2) would enable the detection of a statistically significant difference between the restoration designs with sufficient power.

Results

During 12 months, only one wing retainer debonded which required removal of the FPD. Failure‐free survival was thus 93.3% for wing‐retained and 100% for inlay‐retained FPDs (log‐rank test, p = 0.317). Moderate aftercare resulted in intervention‐free rates of 78.8% and 86.7% for inlay‐retained and wing‐retained restorations, respectively (log‐rank test, p = 0.605). Based on FDI World Dental Federation criteria, all restorations were acceptable at the 12‐month follow‐up (Fisher‐Boschloo test, p = 0.161). Plaque, gingival, and periodontal scores remained practically unchanged from before treatment to the 12‐month follow‐up. Recruitment was stopped after stage 1 because, based on the small difference in the incidence of failure‐free survival in the groups, it was accepted that it would not be possible to recruit the necessary number of participants to show a statistically significant difference between the retainer designs.

Conclusions

Both inlay‐retained and wing‐retained monolithic zirconia resin‐bonded FPDs performed well for the 12‐month, short‐term follow‐up period.
Codevelopment of Delinquency, Alcohol Use, and Aggression Toward Peers and Dates: Multitrajectory Patterns and Predictors
Authors: McNaughton Reyes Heathe Luz , Foshee Vangie Ann , Gottfredson Nisha C. , Ennett Susan T. , Chen May S.
Published: September 2020

We aimed to characterize developmental patterns of involvement in alcohol use, delinquency, and interpersonal aggression in a normative sample of adolescents by applying multitrajectory group‐based modeling. Using seven waves of data from a cohort sequential study spanning the 6th to 12th grades (n = 2,825; 50% girls), we identified four distinct trajectory groups: low risk (33%), declining peer aggressors (44%), peer and dating aggressors (13%), and multidomain high risk (10%). Across all comparisons, girls were more likely than boys to be members of the peer and dating aggressor group and less likely to be members of the multidomain high‐risk group. Moreover, individual (self‐control, negative emotionality), family (family violence, parental monitoring), and peer (substance use norms) distinguished class membership.
Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Moderate and Acute Suicidal Ideation among a National Sample of Tribal College and University Students 2015‐2016
Authors: Parker Myra , Duran Bonnie , Rhew Isaac , Magarati Maya , Larimer Mary , Donovan Dennis
Published: September 2020

Objectives

We examined the relationship between suicide risk and disability status, as well as risk and protective factors, adjusting for demographic characteristics, among students attending 22 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU; 20 rural and 2 urban) across the United States in fall 2015 and 2016.

Methods

Tribal college students (N = 3,239) participated in a cross‐sectional online or paper survey assessing alcohol use patterns and mental health outcomes, yielding a response rate of 31.3%.

Results

Of the students surveyed, 8.8% indicated moderate or high suicide risk. Hearing impairment was significantly associated with moderate/high suicide risk (OR = 2.11; 1.24‐3.61, P = .006), as was vision impairment (OR = 3.03; 1.92‐4.77, P < .001), having a physical/mental/or emotional condition (OR = 2.12; 1.75‐2.57, P < .001), experiencing critical appraisal (OR = 1.30; 1.24‐1.36, P < .001), and experiencing critical isolation (OR = 1.83; 1.66‐2.01, P < .001). Scoring high on resilience (OR = 0.93; 0.92‐0.95, P < .001), reporting higher emotional social support (OR = 0.75; 0.70‐0.79, P < .001), and reporting higher levels of instrumental social support (OR = 0.69, 0.62‐0.76, P < .001) were significantly associated with lower suicide risk.

Conclusions

Students attending tribal colleges who experience hearing impairment, sight impairment, or a physical/emotional/mental condition have a greater risk of suicidality. Students experiencing critical appraisal and critical isolation may benefit from behavioral health interventions to reframe these experiences and develop resiliency skills. Developing avenues of emotional and instrumental social support within TCU settings offers key protective factors to buffer the risk of suicidality. Examining additional ways to build resiliency may also offer protection from suicide risk in this population.
Diagnosis and treatment of a caecal mucocoele in a dog
Authors: McKenna M. , Suárez‐Bonnet A. , Smith K. , Stewart S.
Published: September 2020

An 11‐year‐old male intact Staffordshire Bull terrier was referred for diabetic ketoacidosis. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination revealed a 5 cm × 2 cm intraluminal caecal mass‐like structure. Exploratory laparotomy and typhlectomy were subsequently performed. Histopathology of the caecal mass‐like structure was consistent with a caecal mucocoele, defined as a cystic dilation of the caecal lumen with stasis of mucus. This lesion has been previously described in humans, where it is termed an appendiceal mucocoele. The patient was euthanased 58 days post‐operatively due to unrelated diabetic complications.
Survival and complications in cats treated with subcutaneous ureteral bypass
Authors: Kulendra N. J. , Borgeat K. , Syme H. , Dirrig H. , Halfacree Z.
Published: September 2020

Objectives

To report the complications and factors affecting outcome for cats following placement of a subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB™).

Materials and Methods

In this retrospective study, complications, the presence of a urinary tract infection and survival time were recorded following subctutaneous ureteral bypass placement. Factors affecting survival time were assessed using a Kaplan Meier curve and log rank test.

Results

Ninety‐five cats had 130 subcutaneous ureteral bypasses placed. Ten cats did not survive to discharge. Forty cats died or were euthanised after discharge (42%); the median survival time of these cats was 530 days (range 7 to 1915). Minor complications occurred in 18 cats (19%) and major complications occurred in 46 cats (48%), the majority of which were after hospital discharge. Twenty‐seven cats were diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) post‐operatively. A significant association between long‐term survival and creatinine at presentation was identified. The median survival time for cats presenting with creatinine concentration ≥440 μmol/L (International Renal Interest Society stage acute kidney injury (AKI) 4 and 5) was 530 days (95% CI 273–787 days), compared to a median survival time of 949 days (95% CI 655–1243 days; Log Rank P=0.024) for those cats presenting with creatinine <440 μmol/L (International Renal Interest Society stage AKI 1–3).

Clinical Significance

In this population of cats, subcutaneous ureteral bypass placement was associated with an approximately 10% in‐hospital mortality and a high complication rate. Most complications were manageable, resulting in an overall median survival time of over 2 years.
CT findings in dogs with gastric malposition: 6 cases (2016‐2019)
Authors: White C. , Dirrig H. , Fitzgerald E.
Published: September 2020

Objectives

To describe the computed tomographic (CT) findings of gastric malposition in a group of dogs with suspected chronic gastric instability.

Materials and Methods

A multicentre retrospective study of CT studies of dogs with abnormal gastric position in the absence of clinical signs referable to gastric dilatation and volvulus.

Results

Gastric malposition was identified in six dogs as either an incidental finding or in dogs with histories of chronic and intermittent gastroenteropathy. Gastric malposition was similar in all six cases; the pyloric canal was positioned in the left cranial abdomen in close proximity to the cardia and the pyloric antrum was found either to the left or ventral to the fundus.

Clinical Significance

Recognition of gastric malposition as an incidental or chronic finding may prevent unnecessary emergency intervention on patients presenting for unrelated conditions.
A Note on Efficient Fitting of Stochastic Volatility Models
Authors: Gong Chen , Stoffer David S.
Published: September 2020

The stochastic volatility model is a popular tool for modeling the volatility of assets. The model is a nonlinear and non‐Gaussian state space model and presents some challenges not seen in general. Many approaches have been developed for Bayesian analysis that rely on numerically intensive techniques such as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Convergence and mixing problems still plague MCMC algorithms used for the model. We present an approach that ameliorates the slow convergence and mixing problems when fitting stochastic volatility models. The approach accelerates the convergence by exploiting the geometry of one of the targets. We demonstrate the method on various numerical examples.
Concordance of disk diffusion, broth microdilution, and whole‐genome sequencing for determination of in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Mannheimia haemolytica
Authors: Snyder Emily R. , Savitske Bridget J. , Credille Brent C.
Published: September 2020

Background

Extensive drug resistance (XDR) is an emerging concern with Mannheimia haemolytica, and a variety of testing methods are available for characterizing in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility.

Objectives

To compare the concordance among disk diffusion, broth microdilution, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) for susceptibility testing of M. haemolytica before and after mass treatment using tulathromycin.

Animals

Forty‐eight M. haemolytica isolates collected from high‐risk beef stocker calves before and after mass treatment (metaphylaxis) using tulathromycin (Draxxin, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) given at the label dosage of 2.5 mg/kg body weight SC in the neck.

Methods

In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility was determined for all 48 isolates using disk diffusion, broth microdilution, and WGS. Concordance was calculated between pairs of susceptibility testing methods as follows: number of isolates classified identically by the 2 testing methods for each timepoint, divided by the number of isolates tested at that timepoint. Discordance was calculated as follows: number of isolates classified differently by the 2 testing methods for each timepoint, divided by the number of isolates tested at that timepoint.

Results

Concordance between testing methods ranged from 42.3% to 100%, depending on antimicrobial evaluated, timing of sample collection, and testing method used. Very major errors were identified in up to 7.7% of classifications whereas minor errors were seen in up to 50% of classifications depending on antimicrobial evaluated, timing of sample collection, and testing method used.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Our results show that discrepancies in the results of different susceptibility testing methods occur and suggest a need for greater harmonization of susceptibility testing methods.
Impact of a resistance gene against a fungal pathogen on the plant host residue microbiome: The case of the Leptosphaeria maculans–Brassica napus pathosystem
Authors: Kerdraon Lydie , Barret Matthieu , Balesdent Marie‐Hélène , Suffert Frédéric , Laval Valérie
Published: September 2020

Oilseed rape residues are a crucial determinant of stem canker epidemiology as they support the sexual reproduction of the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans. The aim of this study was to characterize the impact of a resistance gene against L. maculans infection on residue microbial communities and to identify microorganisms interacting with this pathogen during residue degradation. We used near‐isogenic lines to obtain healthy and infected host plants. The microbiome associated with the two types of plant residues was characterized by metabarcoding. A combination of linear discriminant analysis and ecological network analysis was used to compare the microbial communities and to identify microorganisms interacting with L. maculans. Fungal community structure differed between the two lines at harvest, but not subsequently, suggesting that the presence/absence of the resistance gene influences the microbiome at the base of the stem whilst the plant is alive, but that this does not necessarily lead to differential colonization of the residues by fungi. Direct interactions with other members of the community involved many fungal and bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). L. maculans appeared to play a minor role in networks, whereas one ASV affiliated to Plenodomus biglobosus (synonym Leptosphaeria biglobosa) from the Leptosphaeria species complex may be considered a keystone taxon in the networks at harvest. This approach could be used to identify and promote microorganisms with beneficial effects against residue‐borne pathogens and, more broadly, to decipher the complex interactions between multispecies pathosystems and other microbial components in crop residues.
Teaching and learning in ecology: a horizon scan of emerging challenges and solutions
Authors: Cooke Julia , Araya Yoseph , Bacon Karen L. , Bagniewska Joanna M. , Batty Lesley C. , Bishop Tom R. , Burns Moya , Charalambous Magda , Daversa David R. , Dougherty Liam R. , Dyson Miranda , Fisher Adam M. , Forman Dan , Garcia Cristina , Harney Ewan , Hesselberg Thomas , John Elizabeth A. , Knell Robert J. , Maseyk Kadmiel , Mauchline Alice L. , Peacock Julie , Pernetta Angelo P. , Pritchard Jeremy , Sutherland William J. , Thomas Rebecca L. , Tigar Barbara , Wheeler Philip , White Rachel L. , Worsfold Nicholas T. , Lewis Zenobia
Published: September 2020

We currently face significant, anthropogenic, global environmental challenges and the role of ecologists in mitigating these challenges is arguably more important than ever. Consequently there is an urgent need to recruit and train future generations of ecologists, both those whose main area is ecology, but also those involved in the geological, biological and environmental sciences.

Here we present the results of a horizon scanning exercise that identified current and future challenges facing the teaching of ecology, through surveys of teachers, students and employers of ecologists. Key challenges identified were grouped in terms of the perspectives of three groups: students, for example the increasing disconnect between people and nature; teachers, for example the challenges associated with teaching the quantitative skills that are inherent to the study of ecology; and society, for example poor societal perceptions of the field of ecology.

In addition to the challenges identified, we propose a number of solutions developed at a workshop by a team of ecology teaching experts, with supporting evidence of their potential to address many of the problems raised. These proposed solutions include developing living labs, teaching students to be ecological entrepreneurs and influencers, embedding skills‐based learning and coding in the curriculum, an increased role for learned societies in teaching and learning, and using new technology to enhance fieldwork studies including virtual reality, artificial intelligence and real‐time spoken language translation.

Our findings are focused towards UK higher education, but they should be informative for students and teachers of a wide range of educational levels, policy makers and professional ecologists worldwide.
Earliest vertebrate embryos in the fossil record (Middle Devonian, Givetian)
Authors: Newman Michael J. , den Blaauwen Jan , Burrow Carole , Jones Roger
Published: September 2020

Serial sectioning of a nodule encapsulating an adult specimen of the arthrodire placoderm Watsonosteus fletti from the Eday Flagstone Formation (Givetian) in the Orcadian Basin of northern Scotland has revealed the presence of a number of embryos within the adult. This specimen represents the oldest known record of fossilized vertebrate embryos. Thin sections of two of the slices have revealed the detailed histological structure of embryonic plates in placoderms, showing that as previously deduced from visual examination, the outer and inner layers were the first to form. Gut contents preserved near the embryos show that the species had a varied diet, with dermal bone fragments from sarcopterygians and placoderms.
Absence of Iodinated Contrast Hypersensitivity and Characterization of Gadolinium Utilization in an Interventional Pain Population
Authors: Kalangara Jerry , Lanier Kasey , Beckworth William J. , Kuruvilla Merin
Published: September 2020

Background

Iodinated contrast media (ICM) allergy labels pose a unique clinical problem for the interventional pain physician due to the drawbacks of gadolinium for enhancement during pain procedures, as well as the reluctance to add to the cumulative steroid burden with steroid premedication. However, the risks of ICM hypersensitivity specific to this setting have not been previously described.

Methods

We aimed to describe the incidence of ICM‐induced hypersensitivity during the performance of epidural injections in a large healthcare system. We also sought to characterize preexisting ICM allergy labels and how these affected consequent gadolinium utilizations in this population.

Results

6,471 epidural pain procedures requiring contrast enhancement were performed during the 18‐month study period. There were no reported contrast‐induced hypersensitivity reactions in this time. 108 patients (1.6%) had a preexisting ICM allergy; a shellfish/seafood allergy was recorded in 118 patients (1.82%), and 51 charts (0.78%) were labeled with “iodine” allergy. 183 individuals received gadolinium for enhancement during epidural steroid injections. 96.7% of gadolinium utilization occurred in the context of preexisting allergy labels in the electronic medical record. Of note, 20 patients (18.5%) with ICM allergy labels also received iodinated contrast, and this was uneventful in all cases.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that ICM‐associated hypersensitivity is very rare during epidural procedures and the incidence is significantly lower than expected based on reaction rates during intravascular administration. This may be related to both dose as well as route of administration. The establishment of a protocol for safe workup of ICM allergy labels would be useful in optimizing pain procedures.
Solitary congenital Langerhans cell histiocytoma: A pattern of benign, spontaneous regression in patients with single lesion disease
Authors: Schwartz Ziv , Bender Anna , Magro Cynthia M.
Published: September 2020

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is the neoplastic proliferation of dendritic langerin‐positive histiocytes manifesting as either single system unifocal, single system multifocal, or multisystem disease. The designation Hashimoto‐Pritzker, or self‐healing LCH, has fallen out of favor since it is impossible to predict at time of diagnosis whether the disease is truly self‐remitting or capable of spreading to other organ systems. We review the English literature on solitary congenital Langerhans cell histiocytoma, draw novel conclusions from the data provided by 81 cases in the literature, and illustrate a typical presentation of the diagnosis with a previously unreported patient. Each of the patients diagnosed with solitary congenital histiocytoma experienced spontaneous resolution and had no signs of systemic disease at latest follow‐up. Furthermore, we offer an analysis of the histopathological findings available from the 81 cases and our patient. Based on our study observations, we propose solitary congenital Langerhans cell histiocytoma may portend a good prognosis and represent a distinct entity. However,

until further confirmation with prospective studies, we recommend clinicians

continue conducting appropriate workup to rule out systemic involvement.
Nietzsche's aesthetics
Authors: Huddleston Andrew
Published: September 2020

We find numerous discussions of art and aesthetics stretching from Nietzsche's first bookThe Birth of Tragedyto his final books of 1888. In what follows, I seek to give an overview of Nietzsche's views. I proceed in a roughly chronological fashion, but try to group key themes together insofar as possible.
Two dogmas of empirical justification
Authors: Lyons Jack C.
Published: September 2020

Nearly everyone agrees that perception gives us justification and knowledge, and a great number of epistemologists endorse a particular two‐part view about how this happens. That view is that perceptual beliefs get their justification from perceptual experiences, and that they do so by being based on them. Despite the wide acceptance of these two views, I think that neither has very much going for it; on the contrary, there's good reason not to believe either one of them.
Effect of Sublethal Blue Light on Herbal Extract Activity Against Volatile Sulfide Compound Production by Fusobacterium nucleatum
Authors: Jeffet Uziel , Dagan Neta , Sterer Nir
Published: September 2020

Previously, we have shown that sublethal exposure of blue light caused increased cell membrane permeability in Fusobacterium nucleatum. The aim of the present study was to test the effect of this exposure on the activity of Lavender, Sage, Echinacea and Mastic gum extracts against volatile sulfide compound (VSC) production by Fusobacterium nucleatum. Bacterial suspensions were pre‐exposed to blue light (400–500 nm) bellow minimal inhibitory dosage (sub‐MID). Exposed and nonexposed samples were inoculated into test tubes containing growth medium, filtered saliva with or without herbal extracts. Following incubation, test tubes were tested for malodor production (odor judge scores), VSC levels (OralChroma), salivary protein degradation (SDS‐PAGE) and bacterial cell membrane damage (fluorescence microscopy). Results showed that sub‐MID blue light exposure significantly increased the ability of Lavender and Echinacea to reduce VSC production by Fusobacterium nucleatum by more than 30%. These results suggest that sublethal blue light exposure may be useful to increase the efficacy of antimalodor agents.
Biological functions of circRNAs and their progress in livestock and poultry
Authors: Huang Yong , Wang Yanli , Zhang Cai , Sun Xihong
Published: September 2020

CircRNAs are a new member of endogenous RNAs, which characterized by a closed‐loop structure without terminated 5′ caps and 3′ tails via covalent bonding, which are evolutionarily conserved among different species and often exhibit tissue or developmental stage‐specific expression. So far, thousands of circRNAs have been discovered in eukaryotic cells. CircRNAs are more stable due to its resistance to exonuclease implying important biological functions in all kingdoms of life. They could function as miRNA sponges, interfere with splicing and bind to protein to regulate the expression of host genes and so on. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that circRNAs are closely related to a series of physiological processes in livestock and poultry. In this review, we summarized the biogenesis mechanism, major biological function and detection methods and focused on research advance of circRNAs in livestock and poultry, aiming at providing certain reference value and novel techniques for the development of new molecular genetic markers and breeding of livestock and poultry. Meanwhile, we hope this review could show significant prospect for other researches.
Key Factors and Coupling Relationships of Collaborative Governance for Disaster Prevention in China's Coastal Cities
Authors: Xing Huang , Xing Li
Published: September 2020

In order to discover the key factors for the successful implementation of the collaborative management of disaster prevention and mitigation in coastal cities and their causal coupling, based on the hypothesis, the main factor analysis method was used to analyze the key factors of the various subsystems of disaster prevention and mitigation, and to verify the correlation between the main factors and the successful implementation of coordinated governance for disaster prevention and mitigation in coastal cities. Interpretative structural model (ISM) is used to explore the coupling relationship between subsystems and key factors within each subsystem. The results show that there have 6 factors, including emergency organization coordination, plan construction coordination, monitoring and early warning coordination, information sharing coordination, emergency command coordination, and emergency resource coordination are positively related to the successful implementation of coastal city disaster prevention and mitigation collaborative governance; emergency rescue coordination and emergency decision‐making coordination are not directly related to the successful implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation collaborative governance in coastal cities. When the main factors work together, the impact on the successful implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation collaborative governance in coastal cities is not obvious. There are obvious hierarchical relationships and clear influence paths between key factors within each main factor.
Assembling Agency: Expression, Action, and Ethics in Deleuze and Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus
Authors: Bowden Sean
Published: September 2020

In response to several problems identified in the primary and secondary literature, this article advances an “expressive” conception of action and agency that (i) is consistent with the metaphysics of Deleuze and Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus, (ii) can underpin the ethical dimensions of this text, and (iii) meets some of the general requirements of a philosophy of action. This conception will be distinguished from standard theories in the philosophy of action, to the extent that these latter conceptualize and explain action with reference to intentions taken as psychological causes that are specifiable in advance and independently of the resultant activity. But it will also be distinguished from commentaries that, after rightly identifying the standard conception of intentional action as incompatible with Deleuze and Guattari’s metaphysics, fail to substitute a viable conception of action and agency in its stead. In short, drawing on a notion of expression, this article will advance a conception of intentions that does not treat them as prior and independently specifiable causes of action, but rather as “immanent” causes whose intelligible content is inseparable from—that is, dynamically assembled and specified within—the ecologically and socially situated, temporally extended and reality‐transforming actions they animate.
Different rates of biochar application change 15N retention in soil and 15N utilization by maize
Authors: Ma Rui , Guan Song , Dou Sen , Wu Dong , Xie Shuai , Ndzelu Batande Sinovuyo
Published: September 2020

Biochar application to soil may impact soil nitrogen (N) dynamics, but the effects on N uptake and utilization by crop remain largely unknown, especially the effects of the rate of biochar application. To investigate the effects of biochar on soil 15N retention rate and 15N utilization efficiency (15NUE) by maize, a six‐month 15N isotope tracer technique combined with in situ pot experiment was conducted in Mollisol. The experiment included four treatments: no biochar applied (CK) and biochar applied at the rates of 12 t ha−1 (P12), 24 t ha−1 (P24) and 48 t ha−1 soil (P48). Compared with CK, biochar application reduced soil bulk density and 15N loss rate, and significantly improved total N and 15N retention amount in the 0–30 cm soil depth. The P24 treatment had the largest increase in 15N retention rate throughout the 0–40 cm depth. After biochar application, the 15N uptake and 15NUE were significantly increased in the grain and leaf, which promoted grain yields. Contrary to this, the P48 treatment appeared to lower 15N uptake and 15NUE compared with P12 and P24. In conclusion, biochar application improves the potential of the soil to retain N and the improvement in 15N uptake and utilization are more pronounced in maize leaves and grain. Moreover, biochar application promotes 15N utilization in maize plant and improves maize yield. However, when biochar application rate is high (i.e. P48 treatment), the 15N retention by the soil and 15N utilization by the maize are reduced markedly compared with P12 and P24.
Utilization of hepatitis C viremic donors for liver transplant recipients without hepatitis C. A veterans transplant center report
Authors: Said Adnan , Weiss Matthew , Varhelyi Anna , Farago Rebecca , Ballweg Cristy , Rice John , Agarwal Parul , Fernandez Luis , Foley David
Published: September 2020

Background

We report our experience utilizing liver donors with HCV Viremia (RNA+) for HCV‐negative recipients (HCV D+R−) at a Veterans Affairs (VA) transplant center.

Methods

In 2018, we introduced an informed consent process for HCV D+R− liver transplants.

Results

Eight HCV D+R− liver transplants (LT) were performed. Median time from listing to LT was 189 days (range 41‐511). Median MELD at LT was 23.5 (median MELD at LT of 31 for center). All recipients developed HCV viremia after transplant. Median time to DAA initiation was 10 days after viremia (range 3‐25). After transplant, the DAAs used were Mavyret in five recipients and Epclusa in three, all for 12 weeks. All eight patients completed DAA therapy and achieved negative HCV RNA by end of therapy (ETR) and seven reached sustained virologic response (SVR) by 12 weeks after end of therapy. One patient died from chronic ischemic encephalopathy after ETR, before SVR.

Conclusions

HCV D+R− is a practical strategy to expand the pool of donor organs. It shortened waiting time, allowing patients to receive transplants at lower MELD scores. VA liver transplant programs have provided universal and timely access to post‐transplant HCV DAA therapy after donor‐derived infection.
The Ubp3/Bre5 deubiquitylation complex modulates COPII vesicle formation
Authors: Gomez‐Navarro Natalia , Boulanger Jérôme , Miller Elizabeth A.
Published: September 2020

The appropriate delivery of secretory proteins to the correct subcellular destination is an essential cellular process. In the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), secretory proteins are captured into COPII vesicles that generally exclude ER resident proteins and misfolded proteins. We previously characterized a collection of yeast mutants that fail to enforce this sorting stringency and improperly secrete the ER chaperone, Kar2 (Copic et al., Genetics 2009). Here, we used the emp24Δ mutant strain that secretes Kar2 to identify candidate proteins that might regulate ER export, reasoning that loss of regulatory proteins would restore sorting stringency. We find that loss of the deubiquitylation complex Ubp3/Bre5 reverses all of the known phenotypes of the emp24Δ mutant, and similarly reverses Kar2 secretion of many other ER retention mutants. Based on a combination of genetic interactions and live cell imaging, we conclude that Ubp3 and Bre5 modulate COPII coat assembly at ER exit sites. Therefore, we propose that Ubp3/Bre5 influences the rate of vesicle formation from the ER that in turn can impact ER quality control events.