bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The retromer protein ZmVPS29 regulates maize kernel morphology likely through an auxin‐dependent process(es)
Authors: Chen Lin , Li Yong‐Xiang , Li Chunhui , Shi Yunsu , Song Yanchun , Zhang Dengfeng , Wang Haiyang , Li Yu , Wang Tianyu
Published: September 2019

Kernel size and morphology are two important yield‐determining traits in maize, but their molecular and genetic mechanisms are poorly characterized. Here, we identified a major QTL, qKM4.08, which explains approximately 24.20% of the kernel morphology variance in a recombinant population derived from two elite maize inbred lines, Huangzaosi (HZS, round kernel) and LV28 (slender kernel). Positional cloning and transgenic analysis revealed that qKM4.08 encodes ZmVPS29, a retromer complex component. Compared with the ZmVPS29 HZS allele, the ZmVPS29 LV28 allele showed higher expression in developing kernels. Overexpression of ZmVPS29 conferred a slender kernel morphology and increased the yield per plant in different maize genetic backgrounds. Sequence analysis revealed that ZmVPS29 has been under purifying selection during maize domestication. Association analyses identified two significant kernel morphology‐associated polymorphic sites in the ZmVPS29 promoter region that were significantly enriched in modern maize breeding lines. Further study showed that ZmVPS29 increased auxin accumulation during early kernel development by enhancing auxin biosynthesis and transport and reducing auxin degradation and thereby improved kernel development. Our results suggest that ZmVPS29 regulates kernel morphology, most likely through an auxin‐dependent process(es).
Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder and Suicidal Experiences: The Role of Experiential Avoidance
Authors: Angelakis Ioannis , Gooding Patricia
Published: September 2019

Objective

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling mental health problem that affects a significant proportion of the general population. Experiential avoidance appears to account for the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, its relationship with OCD has yielded contradictory results. Furthermore, although OCD‐specific thoughts and behaviors, including obsessing, checking, washing, and ordering, have been suggested to significantly predict suicidal ideation and behaviors, this line of research has received scant empirical attention. The overarching aim of this study was to explore the relationship between OCD, OCD‐specific behaviors, experiential avoidance, and suicidal experiences.

Methods

Overall, 1,046 adults from the community who completed self‐report scales participated.

Results

Strong links between overall OCD severity, obsessing, experiential avoidance, and suicidal experiences were established. Results from mediational analyses showed that overall OCD severity and individual obsessive–compulsive thoughts and behaviors were both directly and indirectly linked with suicidal experiences, via experiential avoidance. Obsessing was among the critical obsessive–compulsive symptoms leading to suicidal experiences.

Conclusions

These findings are important because they identify experiential avoidance as a potential key explanatory construct in accounting for the development of OCD and suicidal experiences. However, future research using longitudinal and/or experimental designs is needed to infer causality.
Acute body sodium depletion induces skin sodium mobilization in female Wistar rats
Authors: Lopes‐Menezes V. C. , Dos‐Santos R. C. , Felintro V. , Monteiro L. R. N. , Paes‐Leme B. , Lustrino D. , Casartelli E. A. , Vivas L. , Mecawi A. S. , Reis L. C.
Published: September 2019

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Can Na+ depletion mobilize Na+ from the skin reservoir in ovariectomized rats? Does oestrogen replacement change the amount and the dynamics of skin Na+ storage? Is the reduced salt appetite after Na+ depletion in ovariectomized rats with oestrogen replacement related to changes in the skin Na+?

What is the main finding and its importance?

This work demonstrated that acute body Na+ depletion induced by frusemide mobilized the osmotically inactive skin Na+ reservoir to become osmotically active. Oestrogen treatment decreased the induced Na+ intake in ovariectomized rats but did not modulate the inactive Na+ reservoir in control conditions or its mobilization induced by Na+ depletion.

Oestradiol, which is an important hormone for water and electrolyte balance, also has a role in the inhibition of induced Na+ appetite. Sodium can be stored in the skin in osmotically active or inactive forms, and this skin Na+ reservoir may be involved in the control of body Na+ levels during physiopathological challenges. In this study, we investigated whether the effect of sodium depletion by frusemide can mobilize Na+ from the skin reservoir and whether oestradiol replacement changes or mobilizes the Na+ reserves in the skin. Ovariectomized Wistar rats were treated with vehicle or oestradiol for 7 days to evaluate the effects of oestrogen on the hydroelectrolyte balance, intake responses and skin Na+ and water content in basal conditions. Furthermore, the effects of oestrogen were evaluated after 24 h frusemide‐induced whole‐body Na+ depletion. Oestradiol‐replaced rats exhibited reduced water intake without any significant changes in salt intake, Na+ excretion or water and Na+ skin content in basal conditions. After sodium depletion, both vehicle‐ and oestradiol‐treated rats exhibited an increase in the osmotically active skin Na+, which was associated with a decrease of the inactive skin Na+ reservoir. Oestrogen decreased the hypertonic saline intake induced by Na+ depletion, but it was not associated with any significant changes in the skin Na+ reservoir. Thus, sodium depletion is able to change the inactive–active skin Na+ reservoir balance. However, the oestrogenic modulation of sodium appetite after Na+ depletion is probably not related to the action of this hormone in the skin Na+ reservoir balance.
GGIR: A Research Community–Driven Open Source R Package for Generating Physical Activity and Sleep Outcomes From Multi-Day Raw Accelerometer Data
Authors: Migueles Jairo H. , Rowlands Alex V. , Huber Florian , Sabia Séverine , van Hees Vincent T.
Published: September 2019

Recent technological advances have transformed the research on physical activity initially based on questionnaire data to the most recent objective data from accelerometers. The shift to availability of raw accelerations has increased measurement accuracy, transparency, and the potential for data harmonization. However, it has also shifted the need for considerable processing expertise to the researcher. Many users do not have this expertise. The R package GGIR has been made available to all as a tool to convermulti-day high resolution raw accelerometer data from wearable movement sensors into meaningful evidence-based outcomes and insightful reports for the study of human daily physical activity and sleep. This paper aims to provide a one-stop overview of GGIR package, the papers underpinning the theory of GGIR, and how research contributes to the continued growth of the GGIR package. The package includes a range of literature-supported methods to clean the data and provide day-by-day, as well as full recording, weekly, weekend, and weekday estimates of physical activity and sleep parameters. In addition, the package also comes with a shell function that enables the user to process a set of input files and produce csv summary reports with a single function call, ideal for users less proficient in R. GGIR has been used in over 90 peer-reviewed scientific publications to date. The evolution of GGIR over time and widespread use across a range of research areas highlights the importance of open source software development for the research community and advancing methods in physical behavior research.
Mitigation efforts will not fully alleviate the increase in water scarcity occurrence probability in wheat-producing areas
Authors: Trnka Miroslav , Feng Song , Semenov Mikhail A. , Olesen Jørgen E. , Kersebaum Kurt Christian , Rötter Reimund P. , Semerádová Daniela , Klem Karel , Huang Wei , Ruiz-Ramos Margarita , Hlavinka Petr , Meitner Jan , Balek Jan , Havlík Petr , Büntgen Ulf
Published: September 2019

The risk of severe water scarcity events simultaneously affecting key wheat-producing areas doubles despite CO
2
mitigation efforts.
Genes lost during the transition from land to water in cetaceans highlight genomic changes associated with aquatic adaptations
Authors: Huelsmann Matthias , Hecker Nikolai , Springer Mark S. , Gatesy John , Sharma Virag , Hiller Michael
Published: September 2019

Several genes lost in the ancestors of whales and dolphins likely contributed to adapting to a fully aquatic environment.
Discontinuous spread of millet agriculture in eastern Asia and prehistoric population dynamics
Authors: Leipe C. , Long T. , Sergusheva E. A. , Wagner M. , Tarasov P. E.
Published: September 2019

Early millet-based farming facilitated exponential population growth and spread discontinuously across eastern Asia.
Activity of a Novel 1,3-Beta-
d
-Glucan Synthase Inhibitor, Ibrexafungerp (Formerly SCY-078), against
Candida glabrata
Authors: Ghannoum M. , Long L. , Isham N. , Hager C. , Wilson R. , Borroto-Esoda K. , Barat S. , Angulo D.
Published: September 2019

Ibrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078), a novel glucan synthase inhibitor with oral availability, was evaluated for activity against
Candida glabrata
. The susceptibility of clinical strains to ibrexafungerp was determined by microdilution and time-kill assays. The MIC range against wild-type strains was 1 to 2 μg/ml. Ibrexafungerp was also active against the majority of echinocandin-resistant strains.
Complete Genome Sequence of Salmonella enterica Siphophage Shelanagig
Authors: Broussard Kathryn , Xie Yicheng , Newkirk Heather , Liu Mei , Gill Jason J. , Ramsey Jolene
Published: September 2019

Salmonella enterica
is a Gram-negative human pathogen widely known to cause food poisoning. Here, the genome of
S. enterica
phage Shelanagig is described. Its 42,541-bp genome codes for 68 proteins, for which 33 were assigned a predicted function. Shelanagig shares high similarity at the protein level with other
Salmonella
phages.
Regional-scale paleobathymetry controlled location, but not magnitude, of tidal dynamics in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, USA
Authors: Dean Christopher D. , Collins Daniel S. , van Cappelle Marijn , Avdis Alexandros , Hampson Gary J.
Published: September 2019

Despite extensive outcrop and previous sedimentologic study, the role of tidal processes along sandy, wave- and river-dominated shorelines of the North American Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway remains uncertain, particularly for the extensive mid-Campanian (ca. 75–77.5 Ma) tidal deposits of Utah and Colorado, USA. Herein, paleotidal modeling, paleogeographic reconstructions, and interpretations of depositional process regimes are combined to evaluate the regional-scale (hundreds to thousands of kilometers) basin physiographic controls on tidal range and currents along these regressive shorelines in the “Utah Bight”, southwestern Western Interior Seaway. Paleotidal modeling using a global and astronomically forced tidal model, combined with paleobathymetric sensitivity tests, indicates the location of stratigraphic units preserving pronounced tidal influence only when the seaway had a deep center (∼400 m) and southern entrance (>100 m). Maximum tidal velocity vectors under these conditions suggest a dominant southeasterly ebb tide within the Utah Bight, consistent with the location and orientation of paleocurrent measurements in regressive, tide-influenced deltaic units. The modeled deep paleobathymetry increased tidal inflow into the basin and enhanced local-scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) resonance effects in the Utah Bight, where an amphidromic cell was located. However, the preservation of bidirectional, mudstone-draped cross-stratification in fine- to medium-grained sandstones requires tides in combination with fluvial currents and/or local tidal amplification below the maximum resolution of model meshes (∼10 km). These findings suggest that while regional-scale controls govern tidal potential within basins, localized physiography exerts an important control on the preservation of tidal signatures in the geologic record.
Mercury evidence of intense volcanic effects on land during the Permian-Triassic transition
Authors: Shen Jun , Yu Jianxin , Chen Jiubin , Algeo Thomas J. , Xu Guozhen , Feng Qinglai , Shi Xiao , Planavsky Noah J. , Shu Wenchao , Xie Shucheng
Published: September 2019

The Siberian Traps large igneous province (STLIP) was the likely trigger for the ca. 252 Ma latest Permian mass extinction (LPME), but direct evidence for global volcanic effects on land remains rare. Here, we used mercury (Hg) enrichments, a proxy for ancient volcanic activity, to assess volcanic inputs to two terrestrial Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) sections that were separated by thousands of kilometers and represent different latitudinal zones—the peri-equatorial Lubei section (South China craton) and the high-latitude (40–60°N) Dalongkou section (Junggar terrane). Both sections exhibit strong Hg enrichment within a discrete (≤40 m) stratigraphic window representing the LPME. At Lubei, this interval is also characterized by negative mass-independent fractionation (MIF) of odd Hg isotopes, consistent with massive volcanogenic and/or terrestrial Hg inputs. These findings are significant in documenting Hg spikes and negative MIF excursions near the PTB in terrestrial sections for the first time, providing evidence of the global influence of the STLIP, as well as in demonstrating at high stratigraphic resolution its synchronicity with the PTB negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE), supporting a common global cause for these anomalies.
Quality of medical products for diabetes management: a systematic review
Authors: Saraswati Kartika , Sichanh Chanvilay , Newton Paul N , Caillet Céline
Published: September 2019

Background

The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing alarmingly. However, the quality of vital medicines and medical products used to treat and monitor diabetes remains uncertain but of potential great public health significance. Here, we review the available evidence on the quality of antidiabetic medicines and supplies for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and discuss their potential impact for the patients and society.

Methods

Searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Google and relevant websites in English and French. The Medicine Quality Assessment Reporting Guideline (MEDQUARG) was used to assess the quality of medicine quality surveys.

Results

52 publications on the quality of antidiabetic medicines, including 5 medicine quality prevalence surveys and 20 equivalence studies, were analysed. The prevalence surveys and equivalence studies included 674 samples of which 73 (10.8%) were of poor quality. The median (Q1–Q3) concordance with MEDQUARG items was 30.8% (19.2%–42.3%). No prevalence surveys on SMBG supplies’ quality were found, but 29 publications, including falsified products and incorrect results due to strip degradation or contamination, were identified.

Conclusion

There is little accessible evidence on the quality of antidiabetic medicines and SMBG supplies. Surveys were poorly designed and reported, making data aggregation and interpretation problematic. Despite these caveats, these results suggest that there are important issues with the quality of medical products for diabetes that need focused monitoring. There is an urgent need to achieve consensus protocols for designing, conducting and reporting medical product quality surveys.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42016039841.
Long-term follow-up of normal and structural heart ventricular tachycardia catheter ablation: real-world experience from a UK tertiary centre
Authors: Adlan Ahmed M , Arujuna Aruna , Dowd Rory , Hayat Sajad , Panikker Sandeep , Foster Will , Yusuf Shamil , Umar Fraz , Lellouche Nicolas , Osman Faizel , Dhanjal Tarvinder
Published: September 2019

Background

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is growing evidence for the effectiveness of catheter ablation in improving outcomes in patients with recurrent VT. Consequently the threshold for referral for VT ablation has fallen over recent years, resulting in increased number of procedures.

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of VT ablation in a real-world tertiary centre setting.

Methods

This is a prospective analysis of all VT ablation cases performed at University Hospital Coventry. Follow-up data were obtained from review of electronic medical records and patient interview. The primary endpoint for normal heart VT was death, cardiovascular hospitalisation and VT recurrence, and for structural heart VT was arrhythmic death, VT storm (>3 episodes within 24 hours) or appropriate shock.

Results

Forty-seven patients underwent 53 procedures from January 2012 to January 2018. The mean age ±SD was 57±15 years, 68% were male, 81% were Caucasian and 66% were elective cases. The aetiology of VT included normal heart (49%), ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM, 36%), dilated cardiomyopathy (9%), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (4%) and valvular heart disease (2%). Procedural success occurred in 83%, with six major complications. After a median follow-up of 231 days (lower quartile 133, upper quartile 631), the primary outcome occurred in 28% of patients. There were two non-arrhythmic deaths (4%). At a median follow-up of 193 days (129–468), the primary outcome occurred in 19% of patients with ICM, while VT storm/appropriate shocks occurred in three patients (17%).

Conclusions

Our real-world registry confirms that VT ablation is safe, and is associated with high acute procedural success and long-term outcomes comparable with randomised controlled studies.
Assessing differential responders and mean changes in muscle size, strength, and the crossover effect to 2 distinct resistance training protocols
Authors: Dankel Scott J. , Bell Zachary W. , Spitz Robert W. , Wong Vickie , Viana Ricardo B. , Chatakondi Raksha N. , Buckner Samuel L. , Jessee Matthew B. , Mattocks Kevin T. , Mouser J. Grant , Abe Takashi , Loenneke Jeremy P.
Published: September 2019

The objective of this study was to determine differences in 2 distinct resistance training protocols and if true variability can be detected after accounting for random error. Individuals (n = 151) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (i) a traditional exercise group performing 4 sets to failure; (ii) a group performing a 1-repetition maximum (1RM) test; and (iii) a time-matched nonexercise control group. Both exercise groups performed 18 sessions of elbow flexion exercise over 6 weeks. While both training groups increased 1RM strength similarly (∼2.4 kg), true variability was only present in the traditional exercise group (true variability = 1.80 kg). Only the 1RM group increased untrained arm 1RM strength (1.5 kg), while only the traditional group increased ultrasound measured muscle thickness (∼0.23 cm). Despite these mean increases, no true variability was present for untrained arm strength or muscle hypertrophy in either training group. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate the importance of taking into consideration the magnitude of random error when classifying differential responders, as many studies may be classifying high and low responders as those who have the greatest amount of random error present. Additionally, our mean results demonstrate that strength is largely driven by task specificity, and the crossover effect of strength may be load dependent.

Novelty Many studies examining differential responders to exercise do not account for random error. True variability was present in 1RM strength gains, but the variability in muscle hypertrophy and isokinetic strength changes could not be distinguished from random error. The crossover effect of strength may differ based on the protocol employed.
Sign-changeable interacting agegraphic dark energy in Brans–Dicke cosmology
Authors: Zadeh M. Abdollahi , Sheykhi A.
Published: September 2019

We explore a spatially homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) universe that is filled with agegraphic dark energy (ADE) with mutual interaction with pressureless dark matter in the background of Brans–Dicke (BD) theory. We consider both original and a new type of ADE (NADE) and further assume that the sign of the interaction term can change during the history of the universe. We obtain the equation of the state parameter, the deceleration parameter, and the evolutionary equation for the sign-changeable interacting ADE and NADE in BD cosmology. We find that in both models, the equation of the state parameter, wD, cannot cross the phantom line, although they can predict the universe evolution from the early deceleration phase to the late time acceleration, compatible with observations. We also investigate the sound stability of these models and find out that both models cannot show a signal of stability for different model parameters.
Dynamics of dissipative gravitational collapse with full causal approach in f(R) gravity
Authors: Abbas G. , Nazar H.
Published: September 2019

The aim of this outline is to investigate the consequences of viscous dissipative self-gravitational collapse in non-static spherically symmetric geometry by adopting a Misner–Sharp approach in the context of f(R) metric formalism. In this outline, we propose a viable f(R) model for the physical significance of a self-gravitating system. We determine the junction conditions between interior and exterior space–times. Furthermore, we extend our work for the dissipative dark source case in both forms of heat transformation and free radiation streaming. Finally, the dissipative variables such as heat flux, bulk, and shear viscosity are evaluated in the dynamical equation and then coupled with full causal transport equations in the background of the Israel–Stewart notion. The present analysis discusses the whole study of self-gravitational collapse and recognizes the form of a reduced collapse due to decreasing gravitational mass density, which depends on thermodynamical collapsing variables.
Conflict Resolution in Competitive Liberalized Railway Market: Application of Game Theoretic Concepts
Authors: Shakibaei Shahin , Alpkokin Pelin
Published: September 2019

Public–Private Partnership (PPP) approaches in provision of public infrastructure projects usually involve conflicts. A win–win situation would be the desired goal of such collaborations for both public and private parties. However, stakeholders’ behaviors might result in undesirable worse conditions. Identification and interpretation of the involved parties’ individualistic behaviors to PPP problems can be addressed by game theory where it describes the inclinations and interactions of different parties who are in search of satisfying their self-interest-based objectives rather than system-wide approaches. Outcomes predicted by game theory, which are based on individuality, often differ from those presented by conventional optimization methods and they are more realistic. This study mainly scrutinizes the applicability of game theory into PPP rail projects and conflict resolution. The paper also evaluates the dynamic structure of the PPP problems and highlights the importance of consideration of the game’s evolutionary nature while studying such problems.
Resilient Privacy Protection for Location-Based Services through Decentralization
Authors: Jin Hongyu , Papadimitratos Panos
Published: September 2019

Location-Based Services (LBSs) provide valuable services, with convenient features for mobile users. However, the location and other information disclosed through each query to the LBS erodes user privacy. This is a concern especially because LBS providers can be
honest-but-curious
, collecting queries and tracking users’ whereabouts and infer sensitive user data. This motivated both
centralized
and
decentralized
location privacy protection schemes for LBSs: anonymizing and obfuscating LBS queries to not disclose exact information, while still getting useful responses. Decentralized schemes overcome disadvantages of centralized schemes, eliminating anonymizers, and enhancing users’ control over sensitive information. However, an insecure decentralized system could create serious risks beyond private information leakage. More so, attacking an improperly designed decentralized LBS privacy protection scheme could be an effective and low-cost step to breach user privacy. We address exactly this problem, by proposing security enhancements for mobile data sharing systems. We protect user privacy while preserving accountability of user activities, leveraging pseudonymous authentication with mainstream cryptography. We show our scheme can be deployed with off-the-shelf devices based on an experimental evaluation of an implementation in a static automotive testbed.
The Book Review Column
Authors: Green Frederic
Published: September 2019

In this column I review the following book: Handbook of Graph Theory, Combinatorial Optimization, and Algorithms, edited by KT Thulasiraman (Editor-in-Chief), Subramanian Arumugam, Andreas Brandst¨adt, and Takao Nishizeki. An extensive guide to an extremely important subject. Review by Frederic Green.
Review of Handbook of Graph Theory, Combinatorial Optimization, and Algorithms
Authors: Green Frederic
Published: September 2019

Some (admittedly controversial) models of physical reality propose that it is, at the fundamental level, based on a certain type of graph, called a spin-network (and this among other models of physical reality based on graphs). Recently, astronomers have verified that the otherwise empty reaches of intergalactic space are laced with wispy tendrils of hot gas that connect galaxies. On a more quotidian level, the machine on which I'm typing this document is constructed out of components that are essentially graphs, those components being connected by electrical edges forming an even larger graph, and this one device in turn being connected via various links to millions of other nodes in a huge global graph called the internet. The notion of a graph encompasses all levels of reality, from the subatomic through everyday life and reaching out to the cosmological scale.
The Splendors and Miseries of Rounds
Authors: Shimi Adam
Published: September 2019

Take a stroll with me through the distributed computing literature: we could scour the proceedings of PODC, DISC, SIROCCO, OPODIS, and more; we could explore the issues of Distributed Com- puting; or we could skim through the multitude of preprints on arXiv. Yet, I can already predict that with good probability, the paper we choose to read will contain the word \round" or łayer".1 Is it a lower-bound paper? Then round complexity is probably one measure of performance considered. Is it a combinatorial topology paper? Almost all techniques developed from application of combinatorial topology assume layers of communication, such that an execution can be reduced as successive complexes; here again rounds are essential. Is it a paper on fault-tolerance? Then some broadcasting strategy to ensure decent replication probably uses rounds.
The Difficulties of Addressing Interdisciplinary Challenges at the Foundations of Data Science
Authors: Mahoney Michael W.
Published: September 2019

The Transdisciplinary Research in Principles of Data Science (TRIPODS) program is an e ort funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the foundations of data science. It aims to unite the statistics, mathematics, and theoretical computer science research communities (three areas central to the foundations of data, hence the \TRI" in the name) to build the theoretical foundations that will enable continued data-driven discovery and breakthroughs in the natural and social sciences, engineering, and beyond.
Human Organoids: Tools for Understanding Biology and Treating Diseases
Authors: Schutgens Frans , Clevers Hans
Published: September 2019

Organoids are in vitro–cultured three-dimensional structures that recapitulate key aspects of in vivo organs. They can be established from pluripotent stem cells and from adult stem cells, the latter being the subject of this review. Organoids derived from adult stem cells exploit the tissue regeneration process that is driven by these cells, and they can be established directly from the healthy or diseased epithelium of many organs. Organoids are amenable to any experimental approach that has been developed for cell lines. Applications in experimental biology involve the modeling of tissue physiology and disease, including malignant, hereditary, and infectious diseases. Biobanks of patient-derived tumor organoids are used in drug development research, and they hold promise for developing personalized and regenerative medicine. In this review, we discuss the applications of adult stem cell–derived organoids in the laboratory and the clinic.
Integrating Empathy and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation
Authors: Zaki Jamil
Published: September 2019

When individuals experience empathy , they often seek to bolster others’ well-being. But what do empathizers want others to feel? Though psychologists have studied empathy and prosociality for decades, this question has yet to be clearly addressed. This is because virtually all existing research focuses on cases in which improving others’ well-being also comprises heightening their positive affect or decreasing their negative affect and helping them reach their own emotional goals. In this review, I argue that real-life empathic goals encompass a broader range—including sometimes worsening targets’ affect or contravening their wishes in order to improve their well-being—that can be productively integrated into the framework of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). I review the empathic IER spectrum in a number of contexts, including close relationships, professional caregiving, and group-based emotions. Integrating empathy and IER provides a synthetic and generative way to ask new questions about how social emotions produce prosocial actions.
Extraction and Characterization of Inulin-Type Fructans from Artichoke Wastes and Their Effect on the Growth of Intestinal Bacteria Associated with Health
Authors: Zeaiter Zahraa , Regonesi Maria Elena , Cavini Sofia , Labra Massimo , Sello Guido , Di Gennaro Patrizia
Published: September 2019

Globe artichoke is an intriguing source of indigestible sugar polymers such as inulin-type fructans. In this study, the effect of ultrasound in combination with ethanol precipitation to enhance the extraction of long chain fructans from artichoke wastes has been evaluated. The inulin-type fructans content both from bracts and stems was measured using an enzymatic fructanase-based assay, while its average degree of polymerization (DP) was determined by HPLC-RID analysis. Results show that this method provides artichoke extracts with an inulin-type fructans content of 70% with an average DP between 32 and 42 both in bracts and in stems. The prebiotic effect of long chain inulins from artichoke extract wastes was demonstrated by its ability to support the growth of fiveLactobacillusand fourBifidobacteriumspecies, previously characterized as probiotics. Besides, we considered the possibility to industrialize the process developing a simpler method for the production of inulin-type fructans from the artichoke wastes so that the artichoke inulin preparation could be suitable for its use in synbiotic formulations in combination with different probiotics for further studies includingin vivotrials.
A Neuropilin-1 Antagonist Exerts Antitumor Immunity by Inhibiting the Suppressive Function of Intratumoral Regulatory T Cells
Authors: Jung Keunok , Kim Jeong-Ah , Kim Ye-Jin , Lee Hyun Woo , Kim Chul-Ho , Haam Seokjin , Kim Yong-Sung
Published: September 2019

Regulatory T cells (Treg) are targeted for cancer immunotherapy because they suppress antitumor immunity. Although the importance of neuropilin-1 (NRP1) in the stability and function of intratumoral Tregs is well-documented, targeting of NRP1+ Tregs for anticancer immunotherapy has not been well explored. Here, we found that an NRP1 antagonist [Fc(AAG)-TPP11], generated by fusion of the NRP1-specific binding peptide TPP11 with the C-terminus of an effector function–deficient immunoglobulin Fc(AAG) variant, inhibits intratumoral NRP1+ Treg function and stability. Fc(AAG)-TPP11 triggered the internalization of NRP1, reducing its surface expression on Tregs and thereby inhibiting the suppressive function of Tregs. In two murine syngeneic tumor models, Fc(AAG)-TPP11 retarded tumor growth, comparable with a Treg-depleting anti–CTLA-4 antibody, without noticeable toxicity. Fc(AAG)-TPP11 inhibited NRP1-dependent Treg function, inducing unstable intratumoral Tregs, with reduced expression of Foxp3 and enhanced production of IFNγ, which subsequently increased the functionality and frequency of intratumoral CD8+ T cells. We also observed selective expression of NRP1 on Tregs isolated from human tumors, but not from the blood of healthy donors and patients with cancer, as well as ex vivo inhibition of intratumoral NRP1+ Treg function by Fc(AAG)-TPP11. Our results suggest that the NRP1 antagonist Fc(AAG)-TPP11 has therapeutic potential for the inhibition of intratumoral NRP1+ Tregs with limited unfavorable effects on peripheral Tregs.
The Interstitial Lung Disease-Gender-Age-Physiology Index Can Predict the Prognosis in Surgically Resected Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease and Concomitant Lung Cancer
Authors: Ueno Fumika , Kitaguchi Yoshiaki , Shiina Takayuki , Asaka Shiho , Yasuo Masanori , Wada Yosuke , Kinjo Takumi , Yoshizawa Akihiko , Hanaoka Masayuki
Published: September 2019

Background: The interstitial lung disease-gender-age-physiology (ILD-GAP) index and staging system have been reported as a clinical prognostic factor for ILD, including all ILD subtypes. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to clarify the association of various prognostic indices, including the ILD-GAP index, with the prognosis, the incidence of acute exacerbations of ILD (ILD-AE), and the use of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) after surgery in surgically resected patients with ILD and concomitant lung cancer, to provide additional information when considering whether it is safe to perform surgery. Methods: The medical records of patients with ILD and concomitant lung cancer who had undergone surgery at Shinshu University Hospital between August 2001 and September 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There were significant differences in survival between the ILD-GAP index: 0–1 and ≥4 groups (p = 0.0001) and between the ILD-GAP index: 2–3 and ≥4 groups (p = 0.0236). A higher ILD-GAP index was independently associated with the risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.32030; p = 0.0059). A higher body mass index (BMI) and a higher serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level were independently associated with the incidence of ILD-AE (HR 1.28336; p = 0.0206 and HR 26.3943; p = 0.0165, respectively). A higher severity of ILD on chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was independently associated with the use of LTOT (HR 2.78670; p = 0.0313). Conclusions: The ILD-GAP index can predict the prognosis in surgically resected patients with ILD and concomitant lung cancer. The BMI and serum CRP levels were independent determinants that predicted the incidence of ILD-AE. The severity of ILD on chest HRCT was an independent determinant that predicted the use of LTOT.
GLP-2 Analogues as First Specific Treatment of Intestinal Failure
Authors: Blumenstein Irina
Published: September 2019

Growth factors and other trophic hormones play an important role in the specific treatment of intestinal failure, with teduglutide being the first approved medication specifically for use in patients with intestinal failure in conjunction with specialized nutritional support. This article focusses on the mode of action, the pivotal study data, treatment response prediction as well as new substances in phase clinical trials.
Percepções de jornalistas brasileiros sobre privacidade
Authors: Christofoletti Rogério
Published: September 2019

As transformações tecnológicas e culturais das últimas décadas têm mudado valores importantes para a vida social, entre eles a privacidade. Diariamente, jornalistas precisam ponderar sobre os limites entre as esferas pública e privada, e decidir se violam as suas fronteiras ou atendem às expectativas de resguardo das fontes. Este artigo objetiva saber como os jornalistas brasileiros se relacionam com a privacidade em seu cotidiano profissional e como orientam suas condutas em dilemas éticos. Para isso, aplicamos uma survey online para 120 jornalistas questionando sobre suas condutas em apurações e divulgações. Os sujeitos da pesquisa são profissionais de redação homens e mulheres, com diversas trajetórias e experiência, de todas as regiões do país. Os resultados sugerem que os jornalistas brasileiros valorizam mais a privacidade de suas fontes que as próprias, que existe um comportamento oscilante na divulgação de temas delicados como estupro, sequestro e suicídio, e que há muitas incertezas em como agir diante de novas tecnologias, como o uso de drones.
Unequal Ideas: Reflections on Designing Politics, an Urban Ideas Competition in Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Kaasa Adam
Published: September 2019

This article initiates a discussion about the unequal geography of the labor that challenges institutions and processes of public scholarship in design. The comparison between the urban competitions in New York, London, and Rio de Janeiro demonstrates that it was only in the Global South that challenges to the technology of the competition were raised. These challenges were based on issues of power imbalances between institutions both within and between the Global North and Global South, and around questions of the social inequalities embedded in the structures of the competition itself (the submissions, the jury, the exhibition). Through this analysis, the article suggests that the burden of labor for decolonizing rests on those already oppressed by systems embedded in the continuous presence of colonialism.
Cleansing Instead of Combat?
Authors: Anderson Christian J.
Published: September 2019

As the Church participates in God’s Mission, how is it called to oppose evil forces in the world? In the last fifty years, spiritual warfare approaches have come to the attention of evangelicals through missionary encounters with spirit cosmologies of the global South and the rise of Pentecostalism within World Christianity. But Janet Warren’s book, Cleansing the Cosmos (Wipf and Stock, 2012), offers a theological and practical alternative to spiritual warfare, one that emphasizes God’s cleansing of space in his creation, with evil not so much a strategic enemy but chaos that seeks to intrude over God-given boundaries and contaminate what God has made holy. This article analyzes Warren’s proposal and explores how it may help in some areas of mission where spiritual warfare approaches have been problematic – namely in relation to exaggerated God–Satan dualism, discontinuity of local religious forms, and controversies over space.
Teaching as Emotional Practice or Exercise in Measurement? School Structures, Identity Conflict, and the Retention of Black Women Science Teachers
Authors: Olitsky Stacy
Published: September 2019

To effectively teach historically marginalized groups of students, educators have argued for increasing recruitment and retention of teachers of color. This qualitative study draws on identity theory, exploring the relationship between school structures, self-talk, identity development, and retention of an African American woman science teacher. In this study, the teacher experienced identity conflicts because structures in her school conflicted with her professional identity, shaped by race and gender, as warm and connected. Results from this study indicate that policies that prioritize measurement over relationships can cause contradictions with culturally responsive approaches and the emotional practice of teaching.
Examining the measure of student engagement in the classroom using the bifactor model: Increased validity when predicting misconduct at school
Authors: Dierendonck Christophe , Milmeister Paul , Kerger Sylvie , Poncelet Débora
Published: September 2019

Few studies have used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and exploratory bifactor factor analysis (EBFA) to define a baseline factor structure model checking the construct-relevant psychometric multidimensionality of student engagement. This study was conducted on a sample of 3,374 students in France, Wallonia-Brussels Federation, and Luxembourg by using EFA and EBFA, and by comparing four confirmatory factor models of student engagement in the classroom. Results indicated the relevance of a bifactor model to disentangle general and specific factors of student engagement in the classroom in relation with student misconduct at school. The study suggests that if student engagement is principally a unidimensional construct, specific latent dimensions also exist (e.g., specific boredom behaviors) that have a substantive value and must be specified to increase quality of measurement and predictive validity.
Integrated control of a multiple-degree-of-freedom hand and arm using a reactive architecture based on high-speed proximity sensing
Authors: Koyama Keisuke , Shimojo Makoto , Ming Aiguo , Ishikawa Masatoshi
Published: September 2019

We describe integrated control of a multiple-degree-of-freedom hand and arm using a simple reactive architecture based on high-speed proximity sensing. A proximity sensor installed on each fingertip of the hand detects the positions between the sensor and the surface of an object. By feeding back the sensor outputs, the reactive architecture simultaneously controls the position of the arm tip and the vector connecting the grasping position and the origin of the arm tip coordinates, the wrist posture, and the initial finger configurations before grasping. This architecture makes it possible to correct position errors. In addition, since the positions and postures are controlled without contact, there is no danger of damaging the object or the robot. To realize this integrated control using a simple reactive architecture, we designed a high-speed proximity sensor for the fingertips of the hand, and developed an integrated control system for the hand and the arm. We demonstrate high-speed position adjustment motion and grasping for static and moving objects in experiments.
Identity Documents Bias Face Matching
Authors: Feng Xinran , Burton A. Mike
Published: September 2019

Unfamiliar face matching is a difficult task. In typical experiments, viewers see isolated face pairs and have to decide whether they show the same or different people. Recent research shows that embedding faces into passports introduces a response bias, such that viewers are more likely to accept two pictures as showing the same person. Here, we investigate the cause of this bias. In a series of experiments, we vary the apparent authority of the identity documents, testing passports, driving licences, and student ID. By comparison to isolated face matching, the results show a bias towards responding same person for each document type. However, when ID information (name, date of birth, etc.) was removed from documents, the induced bias disappeared. We conclude that bias does not rely on perceived authority, but instead seems to occur only in the presence of identifying information, despite that being task irrelevant.
Conceptual design method driven by product genes
Authors: Li Pan , Ren Yanzhao , Yan Yan , Wang Guoxin
Published: September 2019

Genetics-based design is an effective approach to develop novel products for conceptual design. It could reduce innovation blindness by providing logically structured procedure. However, the major challenge of genetics-based engineering method is that how to identify what information is genetic information and how to use it in a conceptual design process. To solve this problem, this article proposes a conceptual design method driven by product genes. First, a functional expansion model is established based on analyzing the conceptual design process. Second, to respectively compare the functions and structure schemes in the model to biological traits and proteins, a product gene definition composed of behaviors and attributes is put forward. Then, a modeling and coding method of product genes is given analogous to that of biological genes. Third, operation technologies of product genes are analyzed, including breakdown, crossover, recombination, transcription, and translation. Based on this, a conceptual design method driven by product genes is advanced. Finally, an example shows that this method is able to extract key information of products and gives a method of how to use the information in a conceptual design process. Moreover, structure schemes obtained through this method are of high feasibility and have more possibilities of innovation.
Multi-Parametric Study of the Viability of in Vitro Skin Cancer Cells Exposed to Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields Combined With Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Mi Yan , Li Pan , Liu Quan , Xu Jin , Yang Qiyu , Tang Junying
Published: September 2019

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes with excellent electrical properties and high aspect ratios can reduce the high field strength required to kill cancer cells in vitro with nanosecond pulsed electric fields. For the first time, this article systematically and comprehensively evaluates the effects of various parameters of nanosecond pulsed electric fields combined with multi-walled carbon nanotubes on cell viability. The effects of field strength, E (2-10 kV/cm); pulse width, τ (100-500 ns); and pulse number, N (5-260) on the viability of A375 human skin cancer cells in the presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are studied using the Cell Counting Kit 8 assay. Based on a logistic model, the relationship between cell viability and various parameters is obtained using 1-dimensional nonlinear fitting. The results show a sigmoid-type variation in cell viability with field strength, pulse width, or pulse number. Multivariate scaling analysis shows that the relationship between cell viability and the pulse energy density σE2 τN can be described as a sigmoid type. The introduction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes does not affect the above rules but significantly enhances the killing effect of nanosecond pulsed electric fields, which could effectively improve the electrical safety of nanosecond pulsed electric fields for the treatment of tumors.
Functional outcomes after salvage procedures for the destroyed wrist: an overview
Authors: Boeckstyns Michel E. H.
Published: September 2019

The most widely used procedures for salvaging a destroyed wrist are four-corner arthrodesis, radiocarpal arthrodesis, proximal row carpectomy, total wrist arthrodesis, and total wrist replacement or resurfacing. The purpose of this article is to give an overview of the functional results obtained with the various salvage procedures and of the common methods for assessing the surgical outcomes. The outcomes are assessed by clinical measurements and scoring methods, but the actual functional status and well-being of the patients should be presented together with patient-reported outcomes. No salvage procedure can restore entirely full wrist function. Understanding indications, risks, and the outcomes of these procedures would favour a better decision for surgery and help choose the proper treatment from among the surgical options discussed with patients.
Heterogeneity in neutrophil responses to immune complexes
Authors: Duarte Madelaine , Kuchibhatla Maragatha , Khandelwal Sanjay , Arepally Gowthami M. , Lee Grace M.
Published: September 2019

Key Points

In a whole blood assay, ICs cause neutrophil activation and degranulation. Individuals have a fixed susceptibility to neutrophil activation by ICs.