bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles mediated by Coccinia grandis and Phyllanthus emblica: a comparative comprehension
Authors: Nayagam Vasanth , Gabriel Melchias , Palanisamy Kumaravel
Published: April 2018

Fruit extracts also have the potentiality to synthesize silver nanoparticles, which serve as antimicrobial agent in the biological field. At present, the field of biomedical largely depends on the biosynthesized NPs to fight against the multi-drug-resistant pathogens. The fruit residue of Coccinia grandis and Phyllanthus emblica are employed for synthesizing AgNPs by green method. The NPs are further subjected to UV, FTIR, SEM, and XRD measurements. The ten different pathogens were tested against the AgNPs synthesized. The same were tested for early growth of some seed variety too, so as to check the advantages of AgNPs. The UV spectrum analysis showed 442 nm and 423 nm, respectively, and FTIR peaks for the functional group that is responsible for the conversion of NPs were observed at 1640.02 for N–H bond amines (Coccinia grandis) and at 1637.45 for N–H bond amines (Phyllanthus emblica). The SEM results also illustrated that AgNPs are spherical in shape. The XRD patterns indicate the crystalline nature of the AgNPs formed with both these plants. The antimicrobial assay of AgNPs from Coccinia grandis shows maximum zone of inhibition (14 mm) for Vibrio cholerae whereas the AgNPs from Phyllanthus emblica show maximum inhibition at distinct points, namely for Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, and Proteus mirabilis (12 mm). Seed germination initiated by AgNPs is quiet effective and healthier compared to the water-induced seeds. Hence, biogenic AgNPs have various applications in favour of human society.
Constructing critical thinking in health professional education
Authors: Kahlke Renate , Eva Kevin
Published: April 2018

Introduction Calls for enabling ‘critical thinking’ are ubiquitous in health professional education. However, there is little agreement in the literature or in practice as to what this term means and efforts to generate a universal definition have found limited traction. Moreover, the variability observed might suggest that multiplicity has value that the quest for universal definitions has failed to capture. In this study, we sought to map the multiple conceptions of critical thinking in circulation in health professional education to understand the relationships and tensions between them.
Methods We used an inductive, qualitative approach to explore conceptions of critical thinking with educators from four health professions: medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work. Four participants from each profession participated in two individual in-depth semi-structured interviews, the latter of which induced reflection on a visual depiction of results generated from the first set of interviews.
Results Three main conceptions of critical thinking were identified: biomedical, humanist, and social justice-oriented critical thinking. ‘Biomedical critical thinking’ was the dominant conception. While each conception had distinct features, the particular conceptions of critical thinking espoused by individual participants were not stable within or between interviews.
Discussion Multiple conceptions of critical thinking likely offer educators the ability to express diverse beliefs about what ‘good thinking’ means in variable contexts. The findings suggest that any single definition of critical thinking in the health professions will be inherently contentious and, we argue, should be. Such debates, when made visible to educators and trainees, can be highly productive.
Learning adaptive receptive fields for deep image parsing networks
Authors: Wei Zhen , Sun Yao , Lin Junyu , Liu Si
Published: April 2018

In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to automatically regulate receptive fields in deep image parsing networks. Unlike previous work which placed much importance on obtaining better receptive fields using manually selected dilated convolutional kernels, our approach uses two affine transformation layers in the network’s backbone and operates on feature maps. Feature maps are inflated or shrunk by the new layer, thereby changing the receptive fields in the following layers. By use of end-to-end training, the whole framework is data-driven, without laborious manual intervention. The proposed method is generic across datasets and different tasks. We have conducted extensive experiments on both general image parsing tasks, and face parsing tasks as concrete examples, to demonstrate the method’s superior ability to regulate over manual designs.
DYNAMIC VOLATILITY SPILLOVERS BETWEEN AGRICULTURAL AND ENERGY COMMODITIES
Authors: XIARCHOS IRENE M. , BURNETT J. WESLEY
Published: April 2018

This study contributes to the literature by using a spillover index method to examine the changing interrelations in volatility among corn and energy future prices. This methodology allows us to account for endogenously determined economic fundamentals and market speculation. After controlling for market trends and seasonality, we find relative large increases in volatility spillovers between corn, crude oil, and ethanol futures prices. Our results suggest that the cross-commodity spillovers provide useful incremental information in determining future price volatility; however, a commodity's own dynamics explain the largest portion of volatility spillovers.
The “International Crime” Exception in the ILC Draft Articles on the Immunity of State Officials from Foreign Criminal Jurisdiction: Two Steps Back?
Authors: van Alebeek Rosanne
Published: April 2018

In addressing the topic of the immunity of state officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction, the International Law Commission (ILC) took on one of the most contentious issues in contemporary international law. The question whether functional immunity applies when officials are accused of having committed international crimes has divided courts and scholars alike, and the ILC was deeply split. The “international crimes” exception set forth in Draft Article 7 was, exceptionally, put up for a vote, with twenty-one votes cast in favor of provisional adoption, one abstention, and eight negative votes. Because the ILC has a mandate to both codify and progressively develop international law, these figures do not help resolve what was arguably the real bone of contention: whether or not the exception is already part of customary international law—that is, whether it is lex lata.
Variability of renal colic management and outcomes in two Canadian cities
Authors: Innes Grant , McRae Andrew , Grafstein Eric , Law Michael , Teichman Joel M. H. , Weber Bryce , Carlson Kevin , Boyda Heidi , Andruchow James
Published: April 2018

Background

Some centres favour early intervention for ureteral colic while others prefer trial of spontaneous passage, and relative outcomes are poorly described. Calgary and Vancouver have similar populations and physician expertise, but differing approaches to ureteral colic. We studied 60-day hospitalization and intervention rates for patients having a first emergency department (ED) visit for ureteral colic in these diverse systems.

Methods

We used administrative data and structured chart review to study all Vancouver and Calgary patients with an index visit for ureteral colic during 2014. Patient demographics, arrival characteristics and triage category were captured from ED information systems, while ED visits and admissions were captured from linked regional hospital databases. Laboratory results were obtained from electronic health records and stone characteristics were abstracted from diagnostic imaging reports. Our primary outcome was hospitalization or urological intervention from 0 to 60 days. Secondary outcomes included ED revisits, readmissions and rescue interventions. Time to event analysis was conducted and Cox Proportional Hazards modelling was performed to adjust for covariate imbalance.

Results

We studied 3283 patients with CT-defined stones. Patient and stone characteristics were similar for the cities. Hospitalization or intervention occurred in 60.9% of Calgary patients and 31.3% of Vancouver patients (p<0.001). Calgary patients had higher index intervention rates (52.1% v. 7.5%), and experienced more ED revisits and hospital readmissions during follow-up. The data suggest that outcome events were associated with overtreatment of small stones in one city and undertreatment of large stones in the other.

Conclusions

An early interventional approach was associated with higher ED revisit, hospitalization and intervention rates. If these events are markers of patient disability, then a less interventional approach to small stones and earlier definitive management of large stones may reduce system utilization and improve outcomes for patients with acute ureteral colic.
Suspension flow through an asymmetric T-junction
Authors: Manoorkar Sojwal , Krishnan Sreenath , Sedes Omer , Shaqfeh Eric S. G. , Iaccarino Gianluca , Morris Jeffrey F.
Published: April 2018

The flow of a suspension through a bifurcating channel is studied experimentally and by computational methods. The geometry considered is an ‘asymmetric T’, as flow in the entering branch divides to either continue straight or to make a right angle turn. All branches are of the same square cross-section of side length $D$, with inlet and outlet section lengths $L$ yielding $L/D=58$ in the experiments. The suspensions are composed of neutrally buoyant spherical particles in a Newtonian liquid, with mean particle diameters of $d=250~\unicode[STIX]{x03BC}\text{m}$ and $480~\unicode[STIX]{x03BC}\text{m}$ resulting in $d/D\approx 0.1$ to $d/D\approx 0.2$ for $D=2.4~\text{mm}$. The flow rate ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=Q_{\Vert }/Q_{0}$, defined for the bulk, fluid and particles, is used to characterize the flow behaviour; here $Q_{\Vert }$ and $Q_{0}$ are volumetric flow rates in the straight outlet branch and inlet branch, respectively. The channel Reynolds number $Re=(\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}DU)/\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}$ was varied over $0<Re<900$, with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}$ the fluid density and viscosity, respectively, and $U$ the mean velocity in the inlet channel; the inlet particle volume fraction was $0.05\leqslant \unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}\leqslant 0.30$. Experimental and numerical results for single-phase Newtonian fluid both show $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}$ increasing with $Re$, implying more material tending toward the straight branch as the inertia of the flow increases. In suspension flow at small $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}$, inertial migration of particles in the inlet branch affects the flow rate ratio for particles ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{\mathit{particle}}$) and suspension ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{\mathit{suspension}}$). The flow split for the bulk suspension satisfies $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}>0.5$ for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}<0.16$ while $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}=0.16$ crosses from $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\approx 0.5$ to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}>0.5$ at $Re\approx 100$. For $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}\geqslant 0.2$, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}<0.5$ at all $Re$ studied. A complex dependence of the mean solid fraction in the downstream branches upon inlet fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}$ and $Re$ is observed: for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}<0.1$, the solid fraction in the straight downstream branch initially decreases with $Re$, before increasing to surpass the inlet fraction at large $Re$ ($Re\approx 500$ for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}=0.05$). At $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}>0.1$, the solid fraction in the straight branch satisfies $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{\Vert }/\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{0}>1$, and this ratio grows with $Re$. Discrete-particle simulations employing immersed boundary and lattice-Boltzmann techniques are used to analyse these phenomena, allowing rationalization of aspects of this complex behaviour as being due to particle migration in the inlet branch.
Identifying linear and nonlinear coupling between fluid sloshing in tanks, roll of a barge and external free-surface waves
Authors: Zhao W. , Taylor P. H. , Wolgamot H. A. , Eatock Taylor R.
Published: April 2018

Wave-induced roll motions of liquefied natural gas carriers with partially filled spherical tanks are of practical concern. The fluid within the tanks may be excited into resonance and thus strong sloshing motion may occur at certain frequencies. However, the nature of the coupling between internal sloshing and global roll motions, possibly via higher harmonics, is uncertain. A NewWave-type approach, based on the average shape of large waves, is used to examine nonlinearity of the roll response with and without liquid cargo motion. A phase-combination method based on weakly nonlinear theory is adopted to extract the components of the high frequency signals coupled to the low frequency signals. A significant contribution is observed from the higher harmonics of the main roll response, which are coupled to the liquid cargo sloshing motion. This coupling between higher harmonics of the main roll resonance and internal sloshing appears to be linear, despite the internal sloshing being coupled nonlinearly to the low frequency roll.
An Ediacaran opportunist? Characteristics of a juvenileDickinsonia costatapopulation from Crisp Gorge, South Australia
Authors: Reid Lily M. , García-Bellido Diego C. , Gehling James G.
Published: April 2018

Despite 70 years of study,Dickinsoniaremains one of the Ediacara biota’s most enigmatic taxa with both morphological characters and phylogenetic affinities still debated. A large population of relatively smallDickinsonia costatapresent on a semi-contiguous surface from the Crisp Gorge fossil locality in the Flinders Ranges (South Australia) provides an opportunity to investigate this taxon in its juvenile form. This population supports earlier findings that suggestD.costata’s early growth was isometric, based on the relationship between measured variables of length and width. The number of body units increases with length, but at a decreasing rate. A correlation between a previously described physical feature, present as a shrinkage rim partially surrounding some specimens and a novel, raised lip in some specimens, suggests that both features may have been the result of a physical contraction in response to the burial process, rather than due to a gradual loss of mass during early diagenesis. A marked protuberance in 15% of the population is also noted in limited specimens within the South Australian Museum collections and appears to be present only in juvenileD.costata. Both the abundance and narrow size range of this population support the notion thatDickinsoniawas a hardy opportunist, capable of rapid establishment and growth on relatively immature textured organic-mat substrates.
Del Pezzo Surfaces in Weighted Projective Spaces
Authors: Paemurru Erik
Published: April 2018

We study singular del Pezzo surfaces that are quasi-smooth and well-formed weighted hypersurfaces. We give an algorithm to classify all of them.
Quasi-axisymmetric magnetic fields: weakly non-axisymmetric case in a vacuum
Authors: Plunk G. G. , Helander Per
Published: April 2018

An asymptotic expansion is performed to obtain quasi-axisymmetric magnetic configurations that are weakly non-axisymmetric. A large space of solutions is identified, which satisfy the condition of quasi-axisymmetry on a single magnetic flux surface, while (non-axisymmetric) globally quasi-axisymmetric solutions are shown to not exist, agreeing with the conclusions of previous theoretical work. The solutions found are shown to be geometrically constrained at low aspect ratio or high toroidal period number. Solutions satisfying the more general condition of omnigeneity (generalized quasi-axisymmetry) are also shown to exist, and it is found that quasi-axisymmetric deformations can be superposed with an omnigenous solution, while preserving the property of omnigeneity, effectively extending the space of ‘good’ configurations. A numerical solution of the first-order quasi-axisymmetry problem is demonstrated and compared with solutions found with a widely used magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium solver, independently verifying that quasi-axisymmetry is satisfied at the appropriate order. It is thereby demonstrated that approximately quasi-axisymmetric solutions can be directly constructed, i.e. without using numerical search algorithms.
UNTANGLING, UNBUNDLING, AND MOVING FORWARD: FRAMING HEALTH TECHNOLOGY REASSESSMENT IN THE CHANGING CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE
Authors: Soril Lesley J.J. , Niven Daniel J. , Esmail Rosmin , Noseworthy Tom W. , Clement Fiona M.
Published: April 2018

Objectives:Health technology reassessment (HTR) is a policy process to manage health technologies throughout their lifecycle and ensure their ongoing optimal use. However, within an ever-evolving field, HTR is only one of many concepts associated with the optimization of health technologies. There is limited understanding of how other concepts and processes might differ and/or be interrelated. This study aims to describe the concepts underlying the various technology optimization processes and to reconcile their relationships within the HTR process.

Methods:A synthesis of the literature on approaches to HTR was completed. An inductive synthesis approach was completed to catalogue common concepts and themes. Expert stakeholders were consulted to develop a schematic to diagrammatically depict the relationships among concepts and frame them within the HTR process.

Results:A practical schematic was developed. Common concepts and themes were organized under six major domains that address the following discussion questions: (i) what is the value of the existing technology?; (ii) what is the current utilization gap?; (iii) what are the available tools and resources?; (iv) what are the levers for change?; (v) what is the desired outcome?; and (vi) who are the foundational actors?

Conclusions:Using these six questions to frame the issues faced by HTR will advance the common understanding of HTR, as well as improve implementation of HTR initiatives. These questions will clearly identify the process required to move forward within a complex healthcare system.
The Clash of Rights: Explaining Attitudes toward a Religious Exemption to the HHS Contraception Mandate
Authors: Holmes Kate Garand , Garand James C.
Published: April 2018

In recent years, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contraception mandate associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a contentious issue that has created clash-of-rights claims between advocates of reproductive freedom and advocates of religious freedom. Americans differ considerably in their views toward whether religiously affiliated institutions that object to the use of contraceptives should be granted an exemption to the HHS contraception mandate. This article explores the determinants of Americans’ support for or opposition to the religious exemption. We focus particularly on the effects of individuals’ religious orientations, gender, and political attitudes that generate support for competing rights claims. Using data from a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, we (surprisingly) find little evidence of a gender effect. Rather, we find that support for the religious exemption is driven largely by church attendance and moral conservatism, with adherence to specific religious traditions having relatively minor effects. We also find that support for the religious exemption to the HHS contraception mandate is influenced by political variables (i.e., partisanship and ideology, attitudes toward President Obama, and Tea Party support) and demographic attributes (i.e., number of children in a given household, racial/ethnic identity, education, and age). We conclude that the clash of values over the contraception mandate is driven largely by religion and political attitudes.
The cartographic and the geopolitical: advocating a new agenda in architectural thinking and research
Authors: Zhu Jianfei
Published: April 2018

Today, there is an increasing use of terms such as ‘transnational architecture’, ‘architecture beyond Europe’, ‘architecture of China, Japan and Korea’, ‘China in Africa’ and ‘Socialist architecture in Africa’. This signals a change in the basic outlook in thinking and research around architecture towards a problematic concerning geography and geopolitical relations. Michel Foucault, as early as 1967, had already said that ‘history’ was being replaced by ‘geography’, and a historical outlook on an endless timeline was being replaced by a new awareness of a finite world, of a world geography, of things happening ‘here and there’, of space and place, and of a ‘network’ we were all located within (in a speech published later as ‘Of Other Spaces: Principles of Heterotopia’).13 My contention is that, due to many factors, today more than any other time, a world-historical paradigm in architectural research is being replaced, or at least radically reformed, by a new one that methodologically privileges local and material happenings as horizontally connected to other sites and happenings, in a networked geographic spread: it involves a cartographic perspective that challenges endogenous, national and formalist categories.
Innovative research units in architecture studios in New York
Authors: Brown Francisco
Published: April 2018

Various New York architecture studios have research entities, or labs, which are each unique in their scope, funding and their stakeholders. They do not offer alternative or tangential ways to practice architecture. Instead, these units live and work in the studio context and adhere to the protocols and cultures of architecture offices. They follow similar design-think/problem-solve paradigms but operate with different frameworks and business models, providing different services. They challenge the binary division of client and architect, and are located in a different position in the decision-making process.

Research units like this are growing in number, with architecture studios diversifying their work portfolio in an attempt to amplify their popularity and influence. As a result, architects’ creative and political interests have produced new exploratory platforms with stable financial performance within their business models. Thornton Tomasetti's CORE Studio has collaborated with Autodesk on cutting-edge design software almost since its inception. Snøhetta's brand design unit was commissioned to design Norwegian banknotes, and Prada/AMO, as a design-powerhouse duo, has had significant influence. The field of architectural design, often relegated to intellectual isolation or wrongly commodified, is thus finding innovative ways to detach product and process, and capitalising it in novel and sophisticated ways. Such initiatives seem to have launched the studios concerned into new markets and disciplines, harnessing the transdisciplinary nature of the profession while expanding the scope of their curiosity.

In 2014, I interviewed leading protagonists from successful in-house research units in New York. We discussed their methods and how they manage their financial and human resources. I explored with them what prompted their bold exploration into new, creative territories. This paper presents excerpts from four interviews with: Shogei Shigematsu, OMA/AMO; Richard Olcott, ennead/Lab; Jonatan Schumacher, Thorton Tomasetti/CORE Studio and; Michael Sorkin, Terreform.
Digital research in architecture: reflecting on the past, analysing the trends, and considering the future
Authors: Ostwald Michael J.
Published: April 2018

This paper traces the rising and falling significance of twenty-two topics in digital architectural research. These topics, which are divided into seven primary themes, are examined using a longitudinal analysis (1995 to 2017) of research in the CumInCAD database. This database, which indexes more than 12,000 publications spanning the last four decades, is the largest dedicated resource for digital architectural research. The primary themes examined in this paper include research into: documentation and representation; environmental immersion; transformative methods or approaches; industry applications and impacts; pedagogy and interaction; and cross-disciplinary and sub-disciplinary focus. Some of the specific topics examined within these themes include research trends in BIM, virtual reality, parametric design, rapid-prototyping, the design studio and space syntax. In addition to these primary themes and topics, the longitudinal analysis is also used to examine a further twenty social, cultural and philosophical topics. Some of these secondary themes include crime, homelessness, politics, poverty, gender, emotions, ethics and violence. From this two-part analysis of the prevalence (or lack thereof) of various themes in the last twenty-one years of digital architectural research, the paper identified several challenges for the future. These challenges include the dangers of self-referentiality and insularity, the possible loss of grounding in industrial or professional needs and applications, and the lack of consideration of a growing number of problems facing the modern world.
On research by design
Authors: Megahed Yasser
Published: April 2018

Early issues of arq in the mid-1990s were preoccupied with the possibilities for researching architecture through design: how design research might be constituted and communicated, and – practically for architecture schools at that time – how design might be counted as research in the newly-introduced metrics used to judge research quality in UK Universities.

Debates around design research in arq in the 1990s reflected uncertainties about its position in both practice and academic culture at that time. Since then, design research has gained traction, becoming increasingly accepted and acquiring greater capital in architectural academe. Key texts in architectural design research are increasingly leaving behind the question ‘is design considered research or not?’ to search instead for how to secure the status of design as a rigorous mode of academic inquiry. There is increasing confidence in the architectural field about the potential and power of design as a research method. Yet the notion of design research in architecture remains broad, with a diversity of approaches echoed in a diversity of distinct but overlapping terminologies. Taking its cue from arq's early focus on design research, this paper sketches-out its contemporary methodological landscape in architecture, surveying key sources in design research scholarship.
Metacognitive Training for Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (B-MCT)
Authors: Kolbeck Katharina , Schilling Lisa
Published: April 2018

Abstract. Metacognitive Training for borderline personality disorder (B-MCT) is a low-threshold group intervention program, which targets borderline-specific cognitive biases and aims to ameliorate borderline symptomatology. The goal of the intervention is to help patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) identify and weaken (meta-)cognitive biases (e. g., monocausal reasoning, high-confident responses when interpreting facial expressions) that play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of BPD. Metacognitive training for BPD utilizes a “backdoor approach” by attenuating cognitive biases with entertaining and playful exercises. The training demonstrates patients that cognitive biases are normal to a certain extent, however, can lead to dysfunctional thinking patterns and compromise patient’s judgement when escalated. Preliminary findings confirm the feasibility, acceptance, and efficacy of B-MCT. This article describes the implementation of B-MCT in detail.
Fear and Anxiety in Social Setting
Authors: Ranđelović Kristina , Smederevac Snežana , Čolović Petar , Corr Philip J.
Published: April 2018

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dispositional and situational factors on cognitive biases. The theoretical background was based on Kimbrel’s Mediated Model of Social Anxiety and the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory by Gray and McNaughton. Two experiments were conducted. Study 1 (78 participants [85.9% females, aged 19–21 years]) included the induction of potential social threat, while in Study 2 (121 participants [85.1% females, aged 19–23 years]) real threat was used. The Reinforcement Sensitivity Questionnaire was employed as a measure of personality traits (Behavioral Inhibition System [BIS], Behavioral Approach System [BAS], Fight, Flight, and Freeze). Cognitive biases were assessed with the Dot Probe Task (attentional bias), Incidental Free Recall Task (memory bias), and Social Probability Cost Questionnaire (judgmental bias). The probability of occurrence of negative events was higher in the experimental group. BIS contributed positively to the prediction of probability of occurrence of negative events; and Freeze was positively related to attention bias toward pleasant stimuli. The results of the second study showed that experimentally induced circumstances of social threats did not affect cognitive biases. BIS and Freeze contributed positively to prediction of probability and distress in social context, while BIS was positively related with probability of occurrence of negative social events.
Does Dispositional Mindfulness Predict the Development of Grit?
Authors: Raphiphatthana Buaphrao , Jose Paul , Salmon Karen
Published: April 2018

Abstract. Grit, that is, perseverance and passion for long-term goals, is a novel construct that has gained attention in recent years ( Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007 ). To date, little research has been performed with the goal of identifying the antecedents of grit. Thus, in order to fill this gap in the literature, self-report data were collected to examine whether mindfulness, a mindset of being-in-the-present in a nonjudgmental way, plays a role in fostering grittiness. Three hundred and forty-three undergraduate students completed an online survey once in a cross-sectional study, and of these, 74 students completed the survey again 4.5 months later. Although the cross-sectional analyses identified a number of positive associations between mindfulness and grit, the longitudinal analysis revealed that the mindfulness facets of acting with awareness and non-judging were the most important positive predictors of grit 4.5 months later. This set of findings offers implications for future grit interventions.
Accelerated and enhanced osteointegration of MAO-treated implants: histological and histomorphometric evaluation in a rabbit model
Authors: Li Xin , Xu Haiyang , Zhao Baodong , Jiang Shuai
Published: April 2018

Microarc oxidation (MAO) has become a promising technique for the surface modification of implants. Therefore, the aims of this study were to further quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the osteointegration abilities of MAO-treated and smooth surface (SF) implants in vivo and to investigate the areas in which the superiority of MAO-treated implants are displayed. In a rabbit model, a comprehensive histomorphological, osteogenic, mineralizational, and integrative assessment was performed using light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and radiographic analyses. Compared with the SF groups, the MAO-treated groups exhibited more active contact osteogenesis, as well as distant osteogenesis, under fluorescence examination, the mineral apposition rate was found to be greater for all of the MAO-treated implants, and the osteointegration index (OI) value was greater in the MAO-treated groups at different times. In conclusion, the calcium-rich amorphous layer created by MAO provided a better environment for osteointegration, with more active contact osteogenesis, a more rapid mineral apposition rate and greater OI values.
Serum trans-fatty acids level are positively associated with lower food security among american adults
Authors: Mazidi Mohsen , Vatanparast Hassan
Published: April 2018

Objectives

In the current study we aimed to assess whether the food security is associated with serum trans-fatty acids (TFAs) and dietary fat.

Methods

Analyses were restricted to participants (from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) with data available on serum and diet TFAs and food security status from 2009 to 2010. All statistical analyses (analysis of covariance and linear regression) accounted for the survey design and sample weights.

Results

We included 3876 participants, overall (48.6%) participants were men, and (51.4%) were women, generally (69.0%) had high food security. Subjects with higher food security had a higher level of education as well (p < 0.001). Age-adjusted, sex-adjusted, race-adjusted, education-adjusted mean of trans 9-octadecenoic acid and trans-9, trans-12-octadecadienoic acid were higher in plasma of participants with lower food security (all p < 0.001), moreover in same model there was a significant positive association between plasma level of trans-11-octadecenoic acid, trans-9-octadecenoic acid and trans-9, trans-12-octadecadienoic acid and score of food security. Further, age, sex, race, education, and energy intake adjusted mean of dietary fatty acids show that total polyunsaturated fatty acids are higher in subjects with higher food security (p = 0.026) while, cholesterol consumption is higher in subjects with lower food security (p = 0.039).

Conclusions

Our findings provide more evidence on the association between food insecurity and the higher level of TFAs in serum and different type of fat in the diet.
Differential effect of body mass index on the incidence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in two Asian populations
Authors: Chan Joel Chee Yee , Chee Miao Li , Tan Nicholas Yi Qiang , Cheng Ching-Yu , Wong Tien Yin , Sabanayagam Charumathi
Published: April 2018

Aims

To examine the association of body mass index (BMI) with the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Asians.

Methods

We analysed data from 4101 adults (Malay, n = 1901 and Indian, n = 2200) who participated in the baseline (2004–2009) and 6-year follow-up (2011–2015) of two independent population-based studies with similar methodology in Singapore. BMI was categorised into normal (<25 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) and obese (≥30 kg/m2). DM was diagnosed as random plasma glucose ≥200 mg/dL, HbA1c ≥6.5% or self-reported physician diagnosed DM. DR was assessed from retinal photographs graded using a standard protocol. The associations of baseline BMI with incident DM and DR was examined using multivariable poisson regression models adjusting for potential confounders including duration of DM, family history of DM and HbA1c.

Results

The incidence of DM was 12.8% and among 1586 participants with DM, the incidence of DR was 17.6% over a median follow-up period of 6.2 years. Compared to those with BMI < 25, the relative risk (95% confidence interval) of incident DM was 1.77 (1.36–2.29) for overweight and 2.01 (1.50–2.71) for obese (p trend < 0.001). Relative risk of DR was 0.80 (0.59–1.09) for overweight and 0.60 (0.39–0.92) for obese (p trend = 0.02). In analyses stratified by ethnicity, similar pattern of associations with DM and DR were observed in both ethnicities.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that, overweight and obesity increased the 6-year risk of DM but decreased the 6-year risk of DR in these Asian populations.
Effects of supplemented isoenergetic diets varying in cereal fiber and protein content on the bile acid metabolic signature and relation to insulin resistance
Authors: Weickert Martin O. , Hattersley John G. , Kyrou Ioannis , Arafat Ayman M. , Rudovich Natalia , Roden Michael , Nowotny Peter , von Loeffelholz Christian , Matysik Silke , Schmitz Gerd , Pfeiffer Andreas F. H.
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Bile acids (BA) are potent metabolic regulators influenced by diet. We studied effects of isoenergetic increases in the dietary protein and cereal-fiber contents on circulating BA and insulin resistance (IR) in overweight and obese adults. Randomized controlled nutritional intervention (18 weeks) in 72 non-diabetic participants (overweight/obese: 29/43) with at least one further metabolic risk factor. Participants were group-matched and allocated to four isoenergetic supplemented diets: control; high cereal fiber (HCF); high-protein (HP); or moderately increased cereal fiber and protein (MIX). Whole-body IR and insulin-mediated suppression of hepatic endogenous glucose production were measured using euglycaemic–hyperinsulinemic clamps with [6-62H2] glucose infusion. Circulating BA, metabolic biomarkers, and IR were measured at 0, 6, and 18 weeks. Under isoenergetic conditions, HP-intake worsened IR in obese participants after 6 weeks (M-value: 3.77 ± 0.58 vs. 3.07 ± 0.44 mg/kg/min, p = 0.038), with partial improvement back to baseline levels after 18 weeks (3.25 ± 0.45 mg/kg/min, p = 0.089). No deleterious effects of HP-intake on IR were observed in overweight participants. HCF-diet improved IR in overweight participants after 6 weeks (M-value 4.25 ± 0.35 vs. 4.81 ± 0.31 mg/kg/min, p = 0.016), but did not influence IR in obese participants. Control and MIX diets did not influence IR. HP-induced, but not HCF-induced changes in IR strongly correlated with changes of BA profiles. MIX-diet significantly increased most BA at 18 weeks in obese, but not in overweight participants. BA remained unchanged in controls. Pooled BA concentrations correlated with fasting fibroblast growth factor-19 (FGF-19) plasma levels (r = 0.37; p = 0.003). Higher milk protein intake was the only significant dietary predictor for raised total and primary BA in regression analyses (total BA, p = 0.017; primary BA, p = 0.011). Combined increased intake of dietary protein and cereal fibers markedly increased serum BA concentrations in obese, but not in overweight participants. Possible mechanisms explaining this effect may include compensatory increases of the BA pool in the insulin resistant, obese state; or defective BA transport.
The antioxidant potential of the Mediterranean diet in patients at high cardiovascular risk: an in-depth review of the PREDIMED
Authors: Billingsley Hayley E , Carbone Salvatore
Published: April 2018

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death. Diet is known to be important in the prevention of CVD. The PREDIMED trial tested a relatively low-fat diet versus a high-fat Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) for the primary prevention of CVD. The resulting reduction of the CV composite outcome resulted in a paradigm shift in CV nutrition. Though many dietary factors likely contributed to this effect, this review focuses on the influence of the MedDiet on endogenous antioxidant systems and the effect of dietary polyphenols. Subgroup analysis of the PREDIMED trial revealed increased endogenous antioxidant and decreased pro-oxidant activity in the MedDiet groups. Moreover, higher polyphenol intake was associated with lower incidence of the primary outcome, overall mortality, blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, onset of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity. This suggests that polyphenols likely contributed to the lower incidence of the primary event in the MedDiet groups. In this article, we summarize the potential benefits of polyphenols found in the MedDiet, specifically the PREDIMED cohort. We also discuss the need for further research to confirm and expand the findings of the PREDIMED in a non-Mediterranean population and to determine the exact mechanisms of action of polyphenols.
SNAIL1 action in tumor cells influences macrophage polarization and metastasis in breast cancer through altered GM-CSF secretion
Authors: Brenot Audrey , Knolhoff Brett L. , DeNardo David G. , Longmore Gregory D.
Published: April 2018

The EMT inducer SNAIL1 regulates breast cancer metastasis and its expression in human primary breast tumor predicts for poor outcomes. During tumor progression SNAIL1 has multiple effects in tumor cells that can impact metastasis. An inflammatory tumor microenvironment also impacts metastasis and recently SNAIL1 has been implicated as modulating the secretion of cytokines that can influence the tumor immune infiltrate. Using a spontaneous genetic model of breast cancer metastasis and syngeneic orthotopic transplant experiments we show that the action of SNAIL1 in primary breast tumor cells is required for breast tumor growth and metastasis. It does so, in part, by regulating production of GM-CSF, IL1α, IL-6, and TNFα by breast cancer cells. The SNAIL1-dependent tumor cell secretome modulates the primary tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) polarization. GM-CSF alone modulates TAM polarization and impacts breast cancer metastasis in vivo. This study highlights another role for breast tumor SNAIL1 in cancer progression to metastasis—modulation of the immune microenvironment of primary breast tumors.
Increased mtDNA copy number promotes cancer progression by enhancing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer
Authors: Sun Xiacheng , Zhan Lei , Chen Yibing , Wang Gang , He Linjie , Wang Qian , Zhou Feng , Yang Fang , Wu Jin , Wu Yousheng , Xing Jinliang , He Xianli , Huang Qichao
Published: April 2018

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. According to global genomic status, colorectal cancer can be classified into two main types: microsatellite-stable and microsatellite-instable tumors. Moreover, the two subtypes also exhibit different responses to chemotherapeutic agents through distinctive molecular mechanisms. Recently, mitochondrial DNA depletion has been shown to induce apoptotic resistance in microsatellite-instable colorectal cancer. However, the effects of altered mitochondrial DNA copy number on the progression of microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer, which accounts for the majority of colorectal cancer, remain unclear. In this study, we systematically investigated the functional role of altered mitochondrial DNA copy number in the survival and metastasis of microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, the underlying molecular mechanisms were also explored. Our results demonstrated that increased mitochondrial DNA copy number by forced mitochondrial transcription factor A expression significantly facilitated cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrated that increased mitochondrial DNA copy number enhanced the metastasis of microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer cells. Mechanistically, the survival advantage conferred by increased mitochondrial DNA copy number was caused in large part by elevated mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, treatment with oligomycin significantly suppressed the survival and metastasis of microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer cells with increased mitochondrial DNA copy number. Our study provides evidence supporting a possible tumor-promoting role for mitochondrial DNA and uncovers the underlying mechanism, which suggests a potential novel therapeutic target for microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer.
Multiple mechanisms drive phage infection efficiency in nearly identical hosts
Authors: Howard-Varona Cristina , Hargreaves Katherine R , Solonenko Natalie E , Markillie Lye Meng , White Richard Allen , Brewer Heather M , Ansong Charles , Orr Galya , Adkins Joshua N , Sullivan Matthew B
Published: April 2018

Phage–host interactions are critical to ecology, evolution, and biotechnology. Central to those is infection efficiency, which remains poorly understood, particularly in nature. Here we apply genome-wide transcriptomics and proteomics to investigate infection efficiency in nature’s own experiment: two nearly identical (genetically and physiologically) Bacteroidetes bacterial strains (host18 and host38) that are genetically intractable, but environmentally important, where phage infection efficiency varies. On host18, specialist phage phi18:3 infects efficiently, whereas generalist phi38:1 infects inefficiently. On host38, only phi38:1 infects, and efficiently. Overall, phi18:3 globally repressed host18’s transcriptome and proteome, expressed genes that likely evaded host restriction/modification (R/M) defenses and controlled its metabolism, and synchronized phage transcription with translation. In contrast, phi38:1 failed to repress host18’s transcriptome and proteome, did not evade host R/M defenses or express genes for metabolism control, did not synchronize transcripts with proteins and its protein abundances were likely targeted by host proteases. However, on host38, phi38:1 globally repressed host transcriptome and proteome, synchronized phage transcription with translation, and infected host38 efficiently. Together these findings reveal multiple infection inefficiencies. While this contrasts the single mechanisms often revealed in laboratory mutant studies, it likely better reflects the phage–host interaction dynamics that occur in nature.
Syntrophic pathways for microbial mercury methylation
Authors: Yu Ri-Qing , Reinfelder John R , Hines Mark E , Barkay Tamar
Published: April 2018

Exposure to dietary sources of methylmercury (MeHg) is the focus of public health concerns with environmental mercury (Hg) contamination. MeHg is formed in anoxic environments by anaerobic microorganisms. This process has been studied mostly with single-species culture incubations, although the relevance of such studies to Hg(II)-methylation in situ is limited because microbial activities in the environment are critically modulated by interactions among microbial functional groups. Here we describe experiments in which Hg(II)-methylation was examined within the context of various microbial syntrophies. We show enhanced Hg(II)-methylation under conditions that established syntrophy by interspecies hydrogen and acetate transfer. Relative to activity of monocultures, interactions of Hg(II) methylating sulfate-reducing bacteria with a methanogen stimulated potential Hg(II)-methylation rates 2-fold to 9-fold, and with Syntrophobacter sp. 1.7-fold to 1.8-fold; those of a Hg(II) methylating Syntrophobacter sp. with a methanogen increased Hg(II)-methylation 2-fold. Under sulfate-depleted conditions, higher Hg(II)-methylation rates in the syntrophic incubations corresponded to higher free energy yields (ΔG°′) than in the monocultures. Based on energetic considerations, we therefore propose that syntrophic microbial interactions are likely a major source of MeHg in sulfate- and iron-limited anoxic environments while in sulfate-replete environments, MeHg formation via sulfate reduction dominates.
Thermophilic endospores associated with migrated thermogenic hydrocarbons in deep Gulf of Mexico marine sediments
Authors: Chakraborty Anirban , Ellefson Emily , Li Carmen , Gittins Daniel , Brooks James M , Bernard Bernie B , Hubert Casey R J
Published: April 2018

Dormant endospores of thermophilic bacteria (thermospores) can be detected in cold marine sediments following high-temperature incubation. Thermospores in the cold seabed may be explained by a dispersal history originating in deep biosphere oil reservoir habitats where upward migration of petroleum fluids at hydrocarbon seeps transports viable cells into the overlying ocean. We assessed this deep-to-shallow dispersal hypothesis through geochemical and microbiological analyses of 111 marine sediments from the deep water Eastern Gulf of Mexico. GC-MS and fluorescence confirmed the unambiguous presence of thermogenic hydrocarbons in 71 of these locations, indicating seepage from deeply sourced petroleum in the subsurface. Heating each sediment to 50 °C followed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed several thermospores with a cosmopolitan distribution throughout the study area, as well as thermospores that were more geographically restricted. Among the thermospores having a more limited distribution, 12 OTUs from eight different lineages were repeatedly detected in sediments containing thermogenic hydrocarbons. A subset of these were significantly correlated with hydrocarbons (p < 0.05) and most closely related to Clostridiales previously detected in oil reservoirs from around the world. This provides evidence of bacteria in the ocean being dispersed out of oil reservoirs, and suggests that specific thermospores may be used as model organisms for studying warm-to-cold transmigration in the deep sea.