bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geriatric Syndromes in Older Adults Living with HIV and Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Hosaka Kalei R.J. , Greene Meredith , Premeaux Thomas A. , Javandel Shireen , Allen Isabel E. , Ndhlovu Lishomwa C. , Valcour Victor
Published: June 2019

Objectives

Nearly half of the population living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States is now older than 50 years with at least 6% over age 65. Between 35% and 50% live with mild to moderate cognitive impairment. Older persons living with HIV (PLWH) also have a substantial burden of HIV‐associated non‐acquired immunodeficiency syndrome medical conditions and are at risk for frailty, geriatric syndromes, and early mortality compared with HIV‐uninfected peers. We sought to define the magnitude of geriatric conditions and multimorbidity in PLWH older than 60 years who are living with symptomatic cognitive impairment. In a subset of participants, we examined associations between these geriatric conditions.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

HIV Elders Study at the University of California, San Francisco, Memory and Aging Center.

Participants

Participants were HIV infected, virally suppressed, 60 years or older, and clinically diagnosed with mild neurocognitive disorder (MND).

Measurements

We conducted standardized assessment of geriatric conditions and everyday function and investigated multimorbidity burden using the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) index.

Results

Among 141 older PLWH with MND, 58% report incontinence, 55% meet criteria for pre‐frailty, and a substantial proportion report dependence with instrumental activities of daily living (52%) or activities of daily living (41%). The mean VACS index score is 33 (standard deviation = 14), suggesting a 13.8% 5‐year all‐cause mortality risk.

Conclusions

Older PLWH with symptomatic cognitive impairment carry a substantial burden of other geriatric conditions. Our work supports the need for comprehensive geriatric systems of care for cognitively impaired individuals aging with HIV. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1913–1916, 2019
People with enteral tubes and their carers' views of living with a tube and managing associated problems: A qualitative interview study
Authors: Green Sue M. , Townsend Kay , Jarrett Nikki , Westoby Catherine , Fader Mandy
Published: June 2019

Background

Nutrition by enteral tube is a complex therapy requiring significant management to ensure safe, timely delivery of nutrients and avoidance of complications. In the home setting, people with enteral tubes and their carers are required to self‐manage the therapy, including the need to cope with problems that arise. Whilst previous studies have conveyed experiences of people with enteral tubes, few have described views on enteral tube problems.

Aims and objectives

Drawing on the findings of a previously reported study (Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2019), this paper aims to describe in‐depth the experiences of people with enteral tubes and their carers of living with the tube day to day and managing problems that arise.

Design

A qualitative descriptive design using semi‐structured in‐depth interviews was employed.

Methods

A purposive sample of 19 people with enteral tubes and 15 carers of people with tubes participated. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Using a thematic analysis approach, codes were defined and applied; themes developed and refined. Five themes with associated subthemes were generated, of which one, “living with the tube,” is reported in‐depth. The COREQ checklist was used.

Results

Participants described the tube affecting both physical and psychosocial being and revealed it had resulted in significant changes to their daily living, necessitating adaptation to a new way of life. Participants reported spending much time and effort to manage tube problems, at times without support from healthcare practitioners knowledgeable in tube management. Discomfort associated with the tube was commonly described.

Conclusions

Living with an enteral tube impacts significantly on daily life requiring adaptations to normal routine. People with tubes and their carers use a range of strategies to manage common complications.

Relevance to clinical practice

Knowledge and understanding of how people with enteral tubes live with their tube and manage issues as they arise will enable healthcare practitioners to provide better support.
Patient experience of hospital screening for carbapenemase‐producing Enterobacteriaceae: A qualitative study
Authors: King Caroline , Grandison Tracyanne , Cawthorne Julie , Currie Kay
Published: June 2019

Aim

To explore patients' accounts of screening and being managed for colonisation with the antimicrobial resistant organism, carbapenemase‐producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), when in hospital.

Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been identified as one of the biggest global health challenges of the 21st Century. As the threat from AMR grows, screening to identify patients who are colonised with resistant organisms such as CPE is becoming an increasingly important aspect of nursing practice, in order to reduce risk of transmission of infection within hospitals. There is currently little research evidence on the patient experience of hospital management of CPE colonisation.

Methods

Qualitative semi‐structured telephone interviews were undertaken, using a topic guide. Nine patients participated in the study. The data were analysed thematically, and rigour was maintained through peer review. The COREQ checklist was used.

Results

Two main themes were identified: “I can't make sense of CPE,” illustrating limitations in patients' understandings of CPE; and, “I feel as if they are saying it is my fault,” indicating the feelings of responsibility and blame which patients experienced.

Conclusions

This paper contributes original evidence to the limited literature on patients' experiences of being colonised with CPE. The findings suggest that support and information provided for patients by healthcare professionals needs to be based on current evidence‐based guidance on the nature of CPE and its implications for patient care, as well as being responsive to patients' emotional needs.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study has international relevance for nursing practice. As the global threat of AMR grows, the demands on healthcare providers to manage resistant organisms and their implications for patient care within healthcare settings are increasing. Enabling healthcare professionals to engage sensitively with patients being managed for colonisation with CPE is paramount to providing patient‐centred care.
Fine‐scale sociality reveals female–male affiliations and absence of male alliances in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland
Authors: Baker Isabel , O'Brien Joanne , McHugh Katherine , Berrow Simon
Published: June 2019

Knowledge of social behavior at an individual level is central to our understanding of complex mammalian societies. In this study, we analyzed the fine‐scale sociality of wild bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland, by examining associations between members of the whole population and between specific female and male dolphins. We carried out 51 boat‐based individual focal follows on 18 identifiable bottlenose dolphins over 90.8 hr (39 days) between 2014 and 2016. Additionally, we conducted 353 boat‐based surveys (with 607 sightings) between 2012 and 2015, and identified 121 distinct adult/juvenile dolphins. The mean group size of focal dolphin groups was 7.2 ± 4.1 (range = 1–20) and the mean fission‐fusion rate was 3.06 ± 1.35 changes/hr. The most frequent composition of within‐group affiliate pairs was female–male. Focal males spent more time with female nearest‐neighbors than male nearest‐neighbors (p = .013). Differences between female and male activity budgets were not strongly supported (p = .13). There was no evidence for male alliance formation in the Shannon Estuary population, and all of the known‐sex top‐ranked associates (7) of known males (n = 10) were females. This research reveals a distinct bottlenose dolphin society with female–male affiliations and an absence of male alliances.
Impact of short nutrient stimuli with different energy source on follicle dynamics and quality of oocyte from hormonally stimulated goats
Authors: Alves Juliana Paula Martins , Fernandes César Carneiro Linhares , Rossetto Rafael , Silva Caroline Pessoa da , Galvão Iolly Tábata Oliveira Marques , Bertolini Marcelo , Rondina Davide
Published: June 2019

The aim of this study was to verify the effect of the energy source for a short‐term diet supplementation on follicular dynamics, ovarian response and oocyte recovery in goats. Thirty Anglo Nubian crossbred does received a diet for 4 weeks to satisfy the nutritional requirements of breeding for adult non‐dairy goats. Seven days prior to oocyte recovery (OR), a group of does (n = 10) was supplemented with ground full‐fat linseed in the diet (Diet A), whereas a second group of does (n = 10) received crude glycerine in the diet (Diet B). The total mixed ration (TMR) diet was maintained as the Control Diet (n = 10). All animals were oestrous‐synchronized by the use of a progesterone insert for 12 days prior to OR. Follicles were stimulated by using pFSH (five 40‐mg/ml doses) during the supplementation time. At OR, follicles were counted and recovered oocytes were classified as viable or degenerated. Follicular dynamics was monitored by ultrasonography, and plasma glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured during supplementation. Glucose was higher in Diet B and cholesterol in Diet A. Diet B had a lower proportion of small (<3 mm) and large follicles (≥3 mm; p = 0.01). The follicular growth rate was higher in Diet A (p < 0.01), with follicles emerging in the 5th day of supplementation. No differences were observed for follicles counted and oocytes recovered. Thus, the type of energy source supplemented for a short term was capable to alter the follicular dynamics, without affecting the proportion of morphologically viable oocytes upon recovery.
On the use of the rotation minimizing frame for variational systems with Euclidean symmetry
Authors: Mansfield E. L. , Rojo‐Echeburúa A.
Published: June 2019

We study variational systems for space curves, for which the Lagrangian or action principle has a Euclidean symmetry, using the Rotation Minimizing frame, also known as the Normal, Parallel, or Bishop frame. Such systems have previously been studied using the Frenet–Serret frame. However, the Rotation Minimizing frame has many advantages, and can be used to study a wider class of examples.

We achieve our results by extending the powerful symbolic invariant calculus for Lie group–based moving frames, to the Rotation Minimizing frame case. To date, the invariant calculus has been developed for frames defined by algebraic equations. By contrast, the Rotation Minimizing frame is defined by a differential equation.

In this paper, we derive the recurrence formulae for the symbolic invariant differentiation of the symbolic invariants. We then derive the syzygy operator needed to obtain Noether's conservation laws as well as the Euler–Lagrange equations directly in terms of the invariants, for variational problems with a Euclidean symmetry. We show how to use the six Noether laws to ease the integration problem for the minimizing curve, once the Euler–Lagrange equations have been solved for the generating differential invariants. Our applications include variational problems used in the study of strands of proteins, nucleid acids, and polymers.
Confidence intervals for extreme Pareto‐type quantiles
Authors: Buitendag Sven , Beirlant Jan , de Wet Tertius
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we revisit the construction of confidence intervals for extreme quantiles of Pareto‐type distributions. A novel asymptotic pivotal quantity is proposed for these quantile estimators, which leads to new asymptotic confidence intervals that exhibit more accurate coverage probability. This pivotal quantity also allows for the construction of a saddle‐point approximation, from which a second set of new confidence intervals follows. The small‐sample properties and utility of these confidence intervals are studied using simulations and a case study from insurance.
Developments in gender and U.S. politics: A call for intersectionality
Authors: Matthews Morgan C.
Published: June 2019

Since “women and politics” scholarship emerged in the 1970s, social, institutional, and theoretical developments have shaped the trajectory of U.S. scholarship in this field. First, the presence of women in formal politics has increased, albeit unevenly across parties and minority groups over time. Simultaneously, the capacity to study “political women” has become supported through institutional mechanisms such as academic journals and communities of practice. Moreover, gender as a critical focus of analysis has been developed and refined. In the literature on women and politics, the shift from studying sex differences to interrogating gendered political institutions is especially salient. This institutional focus, along with recent intersectional studies of gender and politics, increases opportunities for cross‐pollination of sociological and political science perspectives. In this review, I provide a brief history of the U.S. scholarship on gender and politics and map these relevant social, institutional, and theoretical advances. I highlight the value of recent intersectional contributions in this field and make the case for bringing partisanship—an increasingly salient political identity and structure—into intersectional approaches to gender and politics.
Computing and querying strict, approximate, and metrically refined topological relations in linked geographic data
Authors: Regalia Blake , Janowicz Krzysztof , McKenzie Grant
Published: June 2019

Geographic entities and the information associated with them play a major role in Web‐scale knowledge graphs such as Linked Data. Interestingly, almost all major datasets represent places and even entire regions as point coordinates. There are two key reasons for this. First, complex geometries are difficult to store and query using the current Linked Data technology stack to a degree where many queries take minutes to return or will simply time out. Second, the absence of complex geometries confirms a common suspicion among GIScientists, namely that for many everyday queries place‐based relational knowledge is more relevant than raw geometries alone. To give an illustrative example, the statement that the White House is in Washington, DC is more important for gaining an understating of the city than the exact geometries of both entities. This does not imply that complex geometries are unimportant but that (topological) relations should also be extracted from them. As Egenhofer and Mark (1995b) put it in their landmark paper on naive geography, topology matters, metric refines. In this work we demonstrate how to compute and utilize strict, approximate, and metrically refined topological relations between several geographic feature types in DBpedia and compare our results to approaches that compute result sets for topological queries on the fly.
DESIGN OF A SINGLE-PHASE RADIAL FLUX PERMANENT MAGNET GENERATOR WITH VARIATION OF THE STATOR DIAMETER
Authors: Prasetijo Hari , Winasis Winasis , Priswanto Priswanto , Hermawan Dadan
Published: June 2019

This study aims to observe the influence of the changing stator dimension on the air gap magnetic flux density (Bg) in the design of a single-phase radial flux permanent magnet generator (RFPMG). The changes in stator dimension were carried out by using three different wire diameters as stator wire, namely, AWG 14 (d = 1.63 mm), AWG 15 (d = 1.45 mm) and AWG 16 (d = 1.29 mm). The dimension of the width of the stator teeth (Wts) was fixed such that a larger stator wire diameter will require a larger stator outside diameter (Dso). By fixing the dimensions of the rotor, permanent magnet, air gap (lg) and stator inner diameter, the magnitude of the magnetic flux density in the air gap (Bg) can be determined. This flux density was used to calculate the phase back electromotive force (Eph). The terminal phase voltage (V∅) was determined after calculating the stator wire impedance (Z) with a constant current of 3.63 A. The study method was conducted by determining the design parameters, calculating the design variables, designing the generator dimensions using AutoCad and determining the magnetic flux density using FEMM simulation.  The results show that the magnetic flux density in the air gap and the phase back emf Eph slightly decrease with increasing stator dimension because of increasing reluctance. However, the voltage drop is more dominant when the stator coil wire diameter is smaller. Thus, a larger diameter of the stator wire would allow terminal phase voltage (V∅) to become slightly larger. With a stator wire diameter of 1.29, 1.45 and 1.63 mm, the impedance values of the stator wire (Z) were 9.52746, 9.23581 and 9.06421 Ω and the terminal phase voltages (V∅) were 220.73, 221.57 and 222.80 V, respectively. Increasing the power capacity (S) in the RFPMG design by increasing the diameter (d) of the stator wire will cause a significant increase in the percentage of the stator maximum current carrying capacity wire but the decrease in stator wire impedance is not significant. Thus, it will reduce the phase terminal voltage (V∅) from its nominal value.
EFFECT OF RH-WMA ADDITIVE ON ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN PG-76/KESAN BAHAN TAMBAH RH-WMA KE ATAS SIFAT- SIFAT KEJURUTERAAN BITUMEN PG-76
Authors: Rusbintardjo Gatot , Abdul Wahab Sitti Salmah , Khairuddin Faridah Hanim , Ibrahim Ahmad Nazrul Hakimi , Md Yusoff Nur Izzi , Hainin Mohd Rosli
Published: June 2019

Pavement failure phenomena is normally caused by low quality of mixture materials, especially bitumen. The modification of bitumen is one of the alternatives to improve the performance of the material. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the performance of a polymer-modified binder (PG-76) with the addition of different percentages of Reduce Heat-Warm Mix Asphalt (RH-WMA) at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 % (by-weight of binder). Several testings such as penetration, softening point and ductility tests were conducted to determine the physical properties of PG-76 and RH-WMA modified binders. The molecular structures of the materials were analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test while the contact angle test was conducted to investigate the type of binder’s surface. In addition, an optical microscopy test was carried out to determine the morphological properties of the modified binders. Results show that the PG-76’s hardness decreases with the increasing of RH-WMA percentage, but the ductility values are still within the specification. The FTIR test shows an increase of RH-WMA percentage does not provide a significant reaction of the binder and the original properties of the materials remain. The morphology test shows that all percentage of RH-WMA selected are well dispersed in bitumen PG-76. Based on the contact angle results, all the PG-76 and RH-WMA modified binders fall into hydrophobic category.
Fungsi Dan Tanggungjawab Kakitangan Bukan Syariah Dalam Pengurusan Risiko Syariah: Kajian Terhadap Praktis Syarikat Takaful di Malaysia (Functions And Responsibilities of Non-Shariah Staff In Shariah Risk Management: A Study of Malaysian Takaful Companies)
Authors: Mohamed Yusof Mohd Faiz , Romli Nurhanani , Khalid Mohammad Mahyuddin , Bhari Azri , Yaakob Mohd Ashrof Zaki
Published: June 2019

Basically, shariah risk management in the takaful industry is responsible to those specialize in shariah studies (fiqh and usul, fiqh muamalat) namely Shariah Committee (SC) of Takaful Operator and Internal Shariah Department of Takaful Operator. Nonetheless, non-shariah staff, other than SC and Internal Shariah Department of Takaful Operators, also play an important role in managing shariah risk exposures in the operations of Takaful Operator. According to section 29 (3) Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (IFSA 2013) which states that the Chief Executive Officer and Officer including any of the staff of the Takaful Operator are responsible for ensuring shariah compliance in the operation of Islamic financial institutions. Therefore, this study will analyze a using qualitative approach by interviewing respondents who are involved with the operations of takaful companies in Malaysia. Primary data from the takaful industry is analyzed using coding, memo, inductive and deductive processes using the Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Atlas.ti 7. The purpose of this research is to identify the roles and responsibilities of non-shariah staff in managing the shariah risk exposures of the Takaful Company in Malaysia. The secondary objective is to analyse and suggest an improvement for competency non-shariah staff in strengthening the shariah risk management of the Takaful Operator. This study found that non-shariah staff, especially front-line staff who are the first party to identify when there are shariah risk exposures in the operations of Takaful Operators. Subsequently, the underwriting staff is the second party to identify if there is any shariah risk exposures in the application of a new takaful contract. Then, the roles and responsibilities of investment-linked personnel staff, risk management staff and also Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Takaful Operator who are the non-shariah staff that involved in shariah risk management.
Testing Design Optimization for Uncertainty Reduction in Generating Off-Road Mobility Map Using a Bayesian Approach
Authors: Hu Zhen , Mourelatos Zissimos P. , Gorsich David , Jayakumar Paramsothy , Majcher Monica
Published: June 2019

The Next Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model (NG-NRMM) plays a vital role in vehicle mobility prediction and mission planning. The complicated vehicle–terrain interactions and the presence of heterogeneous uncertainty sources in the modeling and simulation (M&S) result in epistemic uncertainty/errors in the vehicle mobility prediction for given terrain and soil conditions. In this paper, the uncertainty sources that cause the uncertainty in mobility prediction are first partitioned into two levels, namely uncertainty in the M&S and uncertainty in terrain and soil maps. With a focus on the epistemic uncertainty in the M&S, this paper presents a testing design optimization framework to effectively reduce the uncertainty in the M&S and thus increase the confidence in generating off-road mobility maps. A Bayesian updating approach is developed to reduce the epistemic uncertainty/errors in the M&S using mobility testing data collected under controllable terrain and soil conditions. The updated models are then employed to generate the off-road mobility maps for any given terrain and soil maps. Two types of design strategies, namely testing design for model selection and testing design for uncertainty reduction, are investigated in the testing design framework to maximize the information gain subject to limited resources. Results of a numerical example demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed mobility testing design optimization framework.
A Fast-Converging Ensemble Infilling Approach Balancing Global Exploration and Local Exploitation: The Go-Inspired Hybrid Infilling Strategy
Authors: Lv Liye , Shi Maolin , Song Xueguan , Sun Wei , Zhang Jie
Published: June 2019

Infilling strategies have been proposed for decades and are widely used in engineering problems. It is still challenging to achieve an effective trade-off between global exploration and local exploitation. In this paper, a novel decision-making infilling strategy named the Go-inspired hybrid infilling (Go-HI) strategy is proposed. The Go-HI strategy combines multiple individual infilling strategies, such as the mean square error (MSE), expected improvement (EI), and probability of improvement (PoI) strategies. The Go-HI strategy consists of two major parts. In the first part, a tree-like structure consisting of several subtrees is built. In the second part, the decision value for each subtree is calculated using a cross-validation (CV)-based criterion. Key factors that significantly influence the performance of the Go-HI strategy, such as the number of component infilling strategies and the tree depth, are explored. Go-HI strategies with different component strategies and tree depths are investigated and also compared with four baseline adaptive sampling strategies through three numerical functions and one engineering case. Results show that the number of component infilling strategies exerts a larger influence on the global and local performance than the tree depth; the Go-HI strategy with two component strategies performs better than the ones with three; the Go-HI strategy always outperforms the three component infilling strategies and the other four benchmark strategies in global performance and robustness and saves much computational cost.
The Modeling of Constant/Variable Solar Heat Flux Into a Porous Coil With Concentrator
Authors: Fanaee Sayyed Aboozar , Rezapour Mojtaba
Published: June 2019

In this paper, thermal-fluid modeling of nonporous/porous thermal coil filled by alumina nanofluid is discussed considering constant/variable solar heat fluxes. The fluxes are calculated for a parabolic concentrator at the solar paths for the city with a longitude of 59.20 deg and latitude of 32.87 deg in the clear sky at spring season. The governing equations are included as continuity, momentum, and energy conservations with considering variable solar flux by shadow effects of the coil on the parabolic concentrator. The numerical model is based on the finite element method by LU algorithm using the mumps solver. The results show that, in a porous medium, that the normalized temperature of the presented model has an acceptable agreement with experimental data with maximum errors of 3%. The existence of porosity significantly increases heat transfer parameters that improve transferred solar heat from the wall of the coil to nanofluid. The variable solar heat flux increases the temperature in the length of the coil rather than constant heat fluxes because of increasing exchanged heat to nanofluid.
A new species of Orangescirulinae (Acariformes: Cunaxidae) from China
Authors: Chen Jianxin , Guo Jian-Jun , Yi Tian-Ci , Jin Daochao
Published: June 2019

A new species of Orangescirulinae, Orangescirula lii Chen & Jin sp. nov., is described and illustrated. It is characterized by having 2 claw-like setae, no solenidion and adorsal setae on palpal tibiotarsus, having 5 pairs of hysterogastral setae, 1 bsl and 5 sts on tibia III, 1 asl and 3 bsl on tarsus I. A key to adult females of Orangescirula of the world is provided.
Ivoria taiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a remarkable new mite genus from West Africa (Acari: Mesostigmata: Urodinychidae)
Authors: Kontschán Jeno
Published: June 2019

A new monotypic genus, Ivoria taiensis gen. nov., sp. nov. (Mesostigmata: Uropodina: Uropodinychidae) is described on the basis of seven females collected in soil samples from Ivory Coast. The new genus has large and robust chelicerae, but it differs from the other Uropodina genera having similar chelicerae in several characters, which are presented in a comparative table. The new genus is placed in the family Urodinychidae based on its long setae h1, chelicerae with an internal sclerotized node, fixed digit of chelicerae apically smooth and devoid of apical processes, corniculi smooth.
Comparison study of passive acoustic mapping and high-speed photography for monitoring in situ cavitation bubbles
Authors: Kim Pilsu , Bae Sua , Song Jae Hee , Song Tai-kyong
Published: June 2019

The spatiotemporal accuracy of passive acoustic mapping (PAM) for monitoring in situ cavitation bubbles has not been assessed directly via optical means. Here, the cavitation bubbles are monitored from two image sequences obtained simultaneously with PAM and high-speed photography (HSP). The temporal accuracy of PAM for detecting cavitation nucleation and the spatial resolution for cavitation localization are compared with those measured from HSP. The results show that PAM has a temporal accuracy of 20 μs. Mean differences in the spatial locations of PAM and HSP are as small as 10.0 and 30.5 μm along the lateral and axial directions, respectively.
An anomalous curved jet emerging from laminar Poiseuille flow (gel-like behavior and breakdown of transparent shear-induced structures in dilute cationic surfactant solutions)
Authors: Mizunuma Hiroshi , Nakamura Shogo , Shimokasa Kenji
Published: June 2019

A laminar Poiseuille flow of a dilute cationic surfactant solution produces threadlike shear-induced structures (SISs) that are dispersed densely within a near-wall layer. This near-wall SIS layer behaves like a coherent gel within the jet. When the jet impinges on the wall, it is found to anomalously curve aside from the wall rather than impinging straight. With an increase in the flow rate, this curved jet becomes a straight impinging jet, and the SIS layer is broken down by compression at the wall stagnation point. The normal stress at the stagnation point is investigated as the critical condition for SIS breakdown and is represented as a function of the wall shear stress of the channel flow. The critical normal stress increases with the wall shear stress in the channel flow and then decreases rapidly above the critical wall shear stress. In addition to the gel-like coherent characteristics of the SIS layer, the macroscopic apparent viscosity of the SIS layer is investigated and estimated to be 2.5–5 mPa s in the channel flow. The SIS layer shows a rather low macroscopic apparent viscosity despite its gel-like coherent behavior.
Draft Genome Sequences of Endophytic
Pseudomonas
spp. Isolated from Grapevine Tissue and Antagonistic to Grapevine Trunk Disease Pathogens
Authors: Niem Jennifer , Billones-Baaijens Regina , Savocchia Sandra , Stodart Benjamin
Published: June 2019

Endophytic strains of
Pseudomonas
were isolated from grapevine tissues and exhibited antagonistic activity against several grapevine trunk disease pathogens. The draft genome sequences of the four strains revealed the presence of putative gene clusters that may impart biocontrol activity against plant pathogens.
Draft Genome Sequences of Flavobacterium columnare Strains ARS1 and BGFS27, Isolated from Channel Catfish (
Ictalurus punctatus
)
Authors: Cai Wenlong , Arias C. R.
Published: June 2019

Flavobacterium columnare
strain BGFS27 was isolated from an apparently healthy wild channel catfish (
Ictalurus punctatus
) collected from the Mobile River in 2005.
F. columnare
strain ARS1 was isolated from a channel catfish suffering from columnaris disease in a commercial farm in 1996. BGFS27 belongs to genomovar II (genetic group 2), while ARS1 belongs to genomovar III (genetic group 3). Here, we report the draft genome sequences of
F. columnare
BGFS27 and ARS1, obtained by PacBio sequencing.
Women’s choices in non-invasive prenatal testing for aneuploidy screening: results from a single centre prior to introduction in England
Authors: Sacco Adalina , Hewitt Hilary , Pandya Pranav
Published: June 2019

Objective

To evaluate patient choices and uptake of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for aneuploidy screening offered in a contingency model as part of routine care.

Method

We retrospectively reviewed data for all women with a singleton pregnancy attending for routine first trimester screening over an 18-month period. Women with a ‘high-chance’ of trisomy 21, 18 or 13 (≥1:150) were offered the choice of no further testing, NIPT or invasive testing, in line with the screening pathway recommended by the UK National Screening Committee.

Results

Of 9342 women attending for a first trimester ultrasound scan, 7939 women were included in this study. Of these, 352 had a high-chance screening result for trisomy 21, and 291 (82.7%) opted for NIPT. The proportion of women opting for NIPT decreased as the chance of trisomy 21 increased: uptake was 93.2%, 90.0%, 77.1% and 47.2% for women with a chance of 1:100–150, 1:50–99, 1:10–49 and >1:10, respectively. 516 women (5.5%) accessed primary NIPT screening in the private sector, and 638 women (6.8%) declined any aneuploidy screening or testing.

Conclusion

Implementation of NIPT testing in a contingency model has a high uptake in a non-research National Health Service setting; the rate of uptake is related to the combined test risk result.
Clonidine suppression testing for pheochromocytoma in neurofibromatosis type 1
Authors: Wan WingYee , Nguyen Bichle , Graybill Sky , Kim Jonathan
Published: June 2019

Compared with the general population, rates of pheochromocytoma are higher in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients. However, pheochromocytoma testing is often plagued by false positive results. Here we present a patient with NF1, elevated urinary metanephrine levels, and an indeterminate adrenal nodule. Clonidine suppression testing aided diagnosis and led to definitive surgical treatment that confirmed a pheochromocytoma. Pheochromocytoma screening and clonidine suppression testing can both aid in the evaluation for catecholamine-secreting tumours.
Prevalence and correlates of domestic violence among people seeking treatment for self-harm: data from a regional self-harm register
Authors: Dalton Tom Rollo , Knipe Duleeka , Feder Gene , Williams Salena , Gunnell David , Moran Paul
Published: June 2019

Background

Previous research suggests that there is an association between domestic violence (DV) and self-harm (SH). Yet, the prevalence and clinical significance of DV among individuals presenting acutely to hospital with SH in the UK is unknown.

Objective

To measure the prevalence and correlates of DV among patients presenting to hospital with SH.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study using registry data in order to describe the prevalence of DV within a UK population of people presenting to the emergency department (ED) with SH (n=1142).

Results

11.1% (95% CI 9.4% to 13.1%) of the sample reported DV. Those reporting DV were more likely to be female and separated from a partner. DV was associated with self-poisoning and with previous occurrence of SH.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that DV victimisation is more prevalent among those presenting to ED with self-harm than among the general population of ED attenders, and that the presence of DV may signify increased risk among those presenting to ED with SH.
Alterations of the bile microbiome in primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Liwinski Timur , Zenouzi Roman , John Clara , Ehlken Hanno , Rühlemann Malte C , Bang Corinna , Groth Stefan , Lieb Wolfgang , Kantowski Marcus , Andersen Nils , Schachschal Guido , Karlsen Tom H , Hov Johannes R , Rösch Thomas , Lohse Ansgar W , Heeren Joerg , Franke Andre , Schramm Christoph
Published: June 2019

Background

Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) display an altered colonic microbiome compared with healthy controls. However, little is known on the bile duct microbiome and its interplay with bile acid metabolism in PSC.

Methods

Patients with PSC (n=43) and controls without sclerosing cholangitis (n=22) requiring endoscopic retrograde cholangiography were included prospectively. Leading indications in controls were sporadic choledocholithiasis and papillary adenoma. A total of 260 biospecimens were collected from the oral cavity, duodenal fluid and mucosa and ductal bile. Microbiomes of the upper alimentary tract and ductal bile were profiled by sequencing the 16S-rRNA-encoding gene (V1–V2). Bile fluid bile acid composition was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and validated in an external cohort (n=20).

Results

The bile fluid harboured a diverse microbiome that was distinct from the oral cavity, the duodenal fluid and duodenal mucosa communities. The upper alimentary tract microbiome differed between PSC patients and controls. However, the strongest differences between PSC patients and controls were observed in the ductal bile fluid, including reduced biodiversity (Shannon entropy, p=0.0127) and increase of pathogenEnterococcus faecalis(FDR=4.18×10−5) in PSC.Enterococcusabundance in ductal bile was strongly correlated with concentration of the noxious secondary bile acid taurolithocholic acid (r=0.60, p=0.0021).

Conclusion

PSC is characterised by an altered microbiome of the upper alimentary tract and bile ducts. Biliary dysbiosis is linked with increased concentrations of the proinflammatory and potentially cancerogenic agent taurolithocholic acid.
Comparison of physical and social risk-reducing factors for the development of disability in older adults: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Fancourt Daisy , Steptoe Andrew
Published: June 2019

Background

Considerations of modifiable risk factors for the development of disability in older age have traditionally focused on physical activity. However, there is increasing evidence that psychological, social, and cognitive factors also help to maintain functional independence. This study compared the protective associations between physical and social activities and disability onset.

Methods

We analysed data from 5434 adults aged 50+ years tracked biennially from 2004/2005 to 2016/2017, measuring self-reported difficulty in carrying out any basic activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental ADLs. Exposures included mild, moderate and vigorous physical activity, frequency of socialising with friends/family, cultural engagement (eg, going to the theatre/museums/concerts), and participation in community groups.

Results

Over the 12-year follow-up, 1945 adults developed disability. Using Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for all identified demographic and health-related variables, vigorous exercise or activity once a month or more (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.96), moderate exercise or activity more than once a week (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.97) or cultural engagement once or twice a year or more (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.97) were associated with a lower hazard of developing disability. Other exposures did not show independent protective associations. Results were robust to sensitivity analyses considering reverse causality and exploring the potential confounding role of time-invariant factors, such as socioeconomic status.

Conclusion

These results suggest the importance of either developing multimodal interventions to protect against disability and promote healthy ageing or promoting greater physical and social engagement with existing community activities among older adults.
Niemann-Pick type C: contemporary diagnosis and treatment of a classical disorder
Authors: Lad Meher , Thomas Rhys H , Anderson Kirstie , Griffiths Timothy D
Published: June 2019

Niemann-Pick type C is an uncommon neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder that can cause a progressive neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with supranuclear vertical gaze palsy and a movement disorder. There have been recent developments in testing that make diagnosis easier and new therapies that aim to stabilise the disease process. A new biochemical test to measure serum cholesterol metabolites supersedes the skin biopsy and is practical and robust. It is treatable with miglustat, a drug that inhibits glycosphingolipid synthesis. We describe a patient, aged 22 years, with juvenile-onset Niemann-Pick type C who presented with seizures and a label of ‘cerebral palsy’. We describe the approach to this syndrome in general, and highlight the classical features and red flags that should alert a neurologist to this treatable condition.
Genetic diversity of diazotrophs and total bacteria in the phyllosphere ofPyrus serotina,Prunus armeniaca,Prunus avium, andVitis vinifera
Authors: Liang Shengxian , Liu Hao , Wu Shanghua , Xu Shengjun , Jin Decai , Faiola Francesco , Zhuang Xuliang , Zhuang Guoqiang , Qu Dong , Fan Haiyan , Bai Zhihui
Published: June 2019

The phyllosphere, which supports a large number of microorganisms, represents the interface between the aboveground parts of plants and air. In this study, four nifH clone libraries were constructed from the phyllosphere of Pyrus serotina (L), Vitis vinifera (P), Prunus armeniaca (X), and Prunus avium (Y). Clones related to Skermanella (L, 12.1%; X, 15.6%; Y, 62.5%; P 70.8%), Bradyrhizobium (X, 2.1%; P, 15.1%; L, 63.7%), Erwinia (X, 68.8%), Pseudomonas (L, 3.3%; P, 7.6%), and Chroococcidiopsis (P, 0.9%; L, 4.4%, X; 5.2%, Y; 19.6%) were present at high percentages, highlighting their critical role in contributing nitrogen to the phyllosphere ecosystem. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis suggested that phyllosphere-associated bacteria were affiliated with a wide range of taxa, encompassing members from Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Tenericutes, and Deinococcus–Thermus. Additionally, the abundance of the nifH gene and 16S rDNA was assessed with quantitative PCR. The number of copies of nifH and 16S rDNA ranged from 1.14 × 103to 1.49 × 104and from 3.72 × 106to 7.02 × 107copies/g fresh leaf sample, respectively. In conclusion, our work sheds light on the microbial communities of the phyllosphere that are important for plant growth. Moreover, we observed a unique composition of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in each phyllosphere sample, suggesting the existence of specific interactions between these functional microorganism and plants, which may provide information or be a reference for the development of bacterial fertilizers.
Design of Low-Power SoC for Wearable Healthcare Device
Authors: Kim Ji Kwang , Oh Jung Hwan , Hwang Gwan Beom , Gwon Oh Seong , Lee Seung Eun
Published: June 2019

In wearable devices, power consumption is a serious issue since wearable devices must maintain the power-on state at any time. In healthcare system, a variety of signal processing operations occupy a large portion of overall workload because it has periodic and heavy computational workloads. In this paper, we propose a low-power System on Chip (SoC) architecture for wearable healthcare devices. In order to reduce power consumption of processor, we design a hardware accelerator that handles signal processing and provides computation offloading. Furthermore, to minimize the area and maximize the performance of the accelerator, we optimize the operation bit-width by analyzing the frequency response. The low-power healthcare SoC was fabricated with 0.11[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m CMOS process. Finally, we measured the power consumption of our chip and verified the applicability of the digital filter accelerator, which reduces the energy consumption for embedded processor.
Cosmic inflation without inflaton
Authors: Arciniega Gustavo , Bueno Pablo , Cano Pablo A. , Edelstein José D. , Hennigar Robie A. , Jaime Luisa G.
Published: June 2019

We propose a novel explanation for universe’s inflationary period. We argue that when the Einstein–Hilbert action is supplemented by an infinite tower of higher-curvature terms — selected order by order by the criterium that they give rise to a well-posed cosmological evolution — the usual Big Bang characteristic of Einstein gravity is replaced by a singularity-free period of exponential growth of the scale factor, which is gracefully connected with standard late-time [Formula: see text]CDM cosmology. No inflaton or any additional fields besides the metric are required.
Steady-State Response and Damping Control Effect of Reid-TMD
Authors: Kang Ying-Jie , Peng Ling-Yun , Liu Wen , Lai Zong-Rui
Published: June 2019

A passive tuned mass damper (TMD) fabricated using the Reid damping, referred to as the Reid-TMD, is proposed. First, the characteristics of the Reid damping model are introduced, followed by the presentation of a passive variable friction damper to achieve this model. Next, the steady-state response of single-degree-of-freedom structures with the Reid-TMD under a harmonic load is solved by the harmonic balance method (HBM), together with an error analysis of the results. Subsequently, the optimization and control effect of the Reid-TMD damping system are analyzed and compared with the traditional viscous damping TMD. The results show that under the action of a harmonic load or seismic load, the vibration suppression effect of the Reid-TMD with the same mass ratio is essentially equivalent to the traditional viscous damping TMD. In addition, the damping control effect increases with the increase in mass ratio. When the mass ratio is less than 0.05, the energy dissipation coefficient is less than 0.5 and the frequency ratio is less than 0.95. For parameters within this range, the steady-state response of the seismic reduction structure with the Reid-TMD is solved by the HBM. If the parameters of the Reid-TMD are outside this range, the error of the HBM becomes large, and recourse should be changed to general numerical methods. The optimum parameters of the Reid-TMD are determined through an optimization analysis for the mass ratio in the range of 0.005–0.1. While using the Reid-TMD for the vibration absorption design, the optimum parameters can be acquired directly by using the established tables. Because the passive variable friction damper has good durability and economy, the application of the Reid-TMD is beneficial to shock absorption technology.
Additive decompositions of polynomials over unique factorization domains
Authors: Benferhat Leila , Benoumhani Safia Manar Elislam , Boumahdi Rachid , Larone Jesse
Published: June 2019

Additive decompositions over finite fields were extensively studied by Brawely and Carlitz. In this paper, we study the additive decomposition of polynomials over unique factorization domains.
Preliminary assessment of dolomite stringers in the Upper Jurassic Farsund Formation as a potential unconventional hydrocarbon reservoir
Authors: Galluccio Laura , Foote Nicolas , Bertouche Meriem , Kostic Boris , James Andrea
Published: June 2019

With the increasing interest in the development of shale reservoirs in Europe, cross-border geoscience co-operation is undoubtedly pivotal in understanding the laterally extensive and vastly underexplored unconventional plays in and around the North Sea. The Upper Jurassic Volgian Farsund Formation is considered to be a key source rock in the North Sea. Organic-rich mudrocks are interbedded with distal silt- to sand-prone turbidites and are commonly punctuated by variably thick dolomitized stringers. The latter are locally hydrocarbon charged, and are considered to have better-preserved microporosity and pore connectivity and higher brittleness compared to the adjacent mudrocks. Hence, an improved awareness of their origin and distribution is essential to understanding this potential unconventional play. In this paper, the origin and lateral continuity of the dolomitized stringers within the Farsund Formation are considered based on the integration of borehole image, sedimentological, petrographical and geochemical data. While acknowledging the high level of uncertainty held in some aspects of this study, based on the restricted dataset, our main purpose is to share preliminary findings and thoughts, which are aimed at prompting wider cross-border discussion.