bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two languages, one variable? Pharyngeal realizations among Arabic–Hebrew bilinguals
Authors: Gafter Roey J. , Horesh Uri
Published: August 2019

Linguistic features that index ethnic identities often originate in another language spoken by the same community, often involving the introduction of exogenous features absent from the mainstream variety. We examine the more unusual situation of Hebrew spoken by Arabic–Hebrew bilingual Palestinians, where the pharyngeal consonants, which occur in both Arabic and Hebrew monolingual varieties, serve as ethnically linked sociolinguistic variables. Drawing on sociolinguistic interviews with such bilinguals in Jaffa, we demonstrate that while Palestinians’ use of pharyngeals in Hebrew is commonly perceived as transfer from Arabic, their linguistic and social conditioning does not support a transfer account. Rather, for these speakers, pharyngeals are a socially meaningful resource simultaneously linked to Arab identity and to a rich indexical field in Hebrew. While the pharyngeals pattern linguistically as Hebrew features, our findings illustrate that, from a social meaning perspective, sociolinguistic features need not be unambiguously associated with a single language.
Effects of pegylated interferon‐α based therapies on functional cure and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Ren Hong , Huang Yan
Published: August 2019

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to pose a serious global health threat and a significant socio‐economic burden in many areas of the world. Almost all current clinical practice guidelines on the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection recommend that eligible patients pursue the optimal treatment endpoint, which is defined asHBsAg loss with or without anti‐HBs seroconversion. This review describes the effects of various regimens containing pegylated interferon (peg‐IFN)‐alpha on functional cure and the outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients withCHB. Peg‐IFN‐α monotherapy is a treatment option recommended by local and international clinical practice guidelines to help moreCHBpatients achieve a sustained off‐treatment virological response, which is particularly appropriate for relatively young patients who demand a finite treatment approach. Peg‐IFN‐α add‐on or sequential therapy in patients who have achieved a suppressed viral load after nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) therapy may offer further benefits onHBeAg seroconversion andHBsAg decline, although the effects of de novo combination therapy with peg‐IFN‐α andNAs on long‐term outcomes remain unclear. Evaluation of baseline and on‐treatment predictors is useful for selecting the patients who are likely to achieve additional benefits. Furthermore, some recent studies have shown that peg‐IFN‐α–based therapy results in better prevention ofHBV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially in high‐risk patients.
Evaluation of a logistic regression model for predicting liver necroinflammation in hepatitis B e antigen‐negative chronic hepatitis B patients with normal and minimally increased alanine aminotransferase levels
Authors: Xie Yao , Yi Wei , Zhang Lu , Lu Yao , Hao Hong‐Xiao , Gao Yuan‐Jiao , Ran Chong‐Ping , Lu Hui‐Hui , Chen Qi‐Qi , Shen Ge , Wu Shu‐Ling , Chang Ming , Ping‐Hu Lei , Liu Rui‐Yu , Sun Lei , Wan Gang , Li Ming‐Hui
Published: August 2019

Liver necroinflammation is the indicator for treating patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. However, there is no suitable non‐invasive index for diagnosing liver necroinflammation. This study aimed to create a non‐invasive index to predict liver necroinflammation in patients who lack clear‐cut clinical inflammation parameters. Patients who were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐negative and underwent liver histological diagnosis, had a normal or minimally increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level were enrolled. Liver necroinflammation was defined as histological active index ≥4. A logistic regression model (LRM) was established based on the parameters independently associated with liver necroinflammation. Of all 550 patients, 36.73% had necroinflammation. In patients with an abnormal ALT level, the rate of necroinflammation was 52.49%. The area under the curve (AUC) of the ALT level for predicting necroinflammation was 0.655 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.609‐0.702), and that of the HBV DNA level ≥2000 IU/mL combined with an abnormal ALT level was 0.618. By using the LRM, the AUC improved to 0.769 (95% CI, 0.723‐0.815) with a Youden index of 0.519 and diagnostic accuracy of 75.3%. The cutoff value ≥0.7 in the LRM had a specificity of 97.4% and positive predictive value of 85.0% for predicting necroinflammation. By using the cutoff value <0.15 in the LRM, the presence of necroinflammation could be excluded with a negative predictive value of 90.8%. This study indicated that the LRM can be used to effectively diagnose liver necroinflammation in HBeAg‐negative patients with CHB who have normal or minimally elevated ALT levels.
Excavating ghost footprints and tangled trees from modern genomes
Authors: Jacobs Arne , Therkildsen Nina Overgaard
Published: August 2019

Due to pervasive gene flow and admixture, simple bifurcating trees often do not provide an accurate representation of relationships among diverging lineages, but limited resolution in the available genomic data and the spatial distribution of samples has hindered detailed insights regarding the evolutionary and demographic history of many species and populations. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Foote et al. (2019) combine a powerful sampling design with novel analytical methods adopted from human genetics to describe previously unrecognized patterns of recurrent vicariance and admixture among lineages in the globally distributed killer whale (Orcinus orca). Based on sequence data from modern samples alone, they discover clear signatures of ancient admixture with a now extinct “ghost” lineage, providing one of the first accounts of archaic introgression in a nonhominid species. Coupling a cost‐effective sequencing strategy with novel analytical approaches, their paper provides a roadmap for advancing inference of evolutionary history in other nonmodel species, promising exciting times ahead for our field.
Hypothetical Questions as Strategic Devices in Negotiation
Authors: Grigorov Diyan Nikolov , Snoeck Henkemans A. Francisca
Published: August 2019

In this article, we analyze the use of hypothetical questions in integrative negotiation. We argue that hypothetical questions are useful devices for advancing implicit proposals and can also provide strategic argumentative support for the acceptance of a particular solution. To explain why negotiators prefer to use hypothetical questions when putting forward implicit proposals and to demonstrate how these questions fulfill negotiators' argumentative purposes, our study uses the pragma‐dialectical concept of strategic maneuvering and applies it to the analysis of a number of real‐life negotiations. We conclude by demonstrating that hypothetical questions can be effective devices for strategic maneuvering and that negotiators can employ these kinds of questions to resolve some of the rhetorical predicaments imposed by the negotiator's dilemma as well as to gain a competitive edge over their counterparts.
The cultural policy puzzle
Authors: O’Brien Dave
Published: August 2019

Is cultural policy a problem or a solution for social inequality?
The oak syngameon: more than the sum of its parts
Authors: Cannon Charles H. , Petit Rémy J.
Published: August 2019

One of Anthropocene's most daunting challenges for conservation biology is habitat extinction, caused by rapid global change. Tree diversity has persisted through previous episodes of rapid change, even global extinctions. Given the pace of current change, our management of extant diversity needs to facilitate and even enhance the natural ability of trees to adapt and diversify. Numerous processes contribute to this evolutionary flexibility, including introgression, a widespread yet under‐studied process. Reproductive networks, in which species remain distinct despite interspecific gene flow, are called syngameons, a concept largely inspired from work focusing on Quercus. Delineating and analyzing such species groups, empirically and theoretically, will provide insights into the nonadditive effects on evolution of numerous partially interfertile species exchanging genetic material episodically under changing environmental conditions. To conserve tree diversity, crossing experiments designed with an empirical and theoretical understanding of the constituent syngameon should be set up to assist diversification and adaptation in the Anthropocene. Our increasingly detailed knowledge of the oak genome and of oak interspecific and intraspecific phenotypic variation will improve our ability to sustain the diversity of this tree through an unpredictable and unprecedented future.
Nutrient supplementation during the first 1000 days and growth of infants born to pregnant adolescents
Authors: Dewey Kathryn G. , Matias Susana L. , Mridha Malay K. , Arnold Charles D.
Published: August 2019

Few studies have evaluated the impact of nutritional supplementation among pregnant adolescents. We examined the effects of the Rang Din Nutrition Study (RDNS) interventions on children born to mothers <20 years of age. The RDNS was a cluster‐randomized effectiveness trial with four arms: (1) women and children both received small‐quantity lipid‐based nutrient supplements (LNS‐LNS), (2) women received iron and folic acid (IFA) and children received LNS (IFA‐LNS), (3) women received IFA and children received micronutrient powder (MNP) (IFA‐MNP), and (4) women received IFA and children received no supplements (IFA‐Control). We enrolled 4011 women at <20 weeks gestation; 1552 were adolescents. Among adolescents, prenatal LNS reduced newborn stunting by 25% and small head size by 28% and had a marginally significant effect on newborn wasting, compared with IFA. Low birth weight and preterm birth were reduced only among adolescents with lower food security. Effects on subsequent growth status were observed only among female children in the LNS‐LNS group: less stunting at 18 months (versus IFA‐MNP) and lower prevalence of small head circumference and wasting at 24 months (versus IFA‐Control). Initiatives targeting pregnant adolescents in similar settings should consider inclusion of small‐quantity LNS, particularly for adolescents living in food‐insecure households.
Epidemiology of the U.S. opioid crisis: the importance of the vector
Authors: Compton Wilson M. , Jones Christopher M.
Published: August 2019

The roots of the remarkably lethal U.S. opioid crisis are complex and inextricably entangled with healthcare, especially in its treatment of another serious health problem: pain. Failures of the healthcare system—including lack of both training in pain management and caution in using an addictive class of medications—precipitated the rise in opioid misuse and addiction over the past two decades, but a wider range of social and economic forces has helped perpetuate the crisis and altered its character. The classic epidemiologic host–agent–environment triad can be augmented for the purpose of elucidating the current opioid crisis by addition of the “vector” to emphasize the importance of purveyors of opioids (licit and illicit), leading to our proposing an expanded host–agent–vector–environment model. Interventions addressing multiple components are needed, including solutions that account for behaviors of all vectors associated with the crisis. For prescription opioids, the vectors include clinicians and pharmaceutical‐related companies involved in marketing, prescribing, distributing, and dispensing opioid medications; for illicit opioids, they include drug manufacturing and distribution networks. Attending to the vectors of opioids, while simultaneously implementing a full range of public health, clinical, law enforcement, and other approaches to ending the opioid crisis, may help to improve public health outcomes.
Diversity of virulence phenotypes among annual populations of Puccinia triticina originating from common wheat in Israel during the period 2000–15
Authors: Kosman E. , Ben‐Yehuda P. , Manisterski J. , Sela H.
Published: August 2019

Leaf rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia triticina, is the most common rust disease of wheat in wheat‐producing areas worldwide. The Israeli population of P. triticina has been consistently monitored since 1993. A total of 784 single urediniospore isolates from Triticum aestivum were analysed during 2000–15. The structure of the pathogen population has changed to a large extent since 2000. The annual populations of P. triticina were separated into two distinct groups, 2000–11 and 2012–15, while populations of 2000–5 and 2006–12 were differentiated to a lesser extent. The change in the population originating from T. aestivum during the period 2000–15 is less significant compared to changes in the 1990s described previously. Diversity within the annual populations of P. triticina was rather stable during the period studied. Three new pathotypes, characterized by virulences on Lr3ka and Lr30 genes, became dominant between 2012 and 2015, while all but one prevailing pathotypes in 2000–11 were avirulent on these two genes. Significant changes in virulence frequencies on a number of Lr genes (Lr2c, Lr3ka, Lr15, Lr21, Lr23, Lr26, Lr30) and pairwise associations of virulences (mainly with Lr2c and Lr26) were registered in 2012–15 or earlier. It is postulated that the composition and pathotype structure of the P. triticina population in Israel is determined by wind‐disseminated urediniospores from neighbouring regions, where the migration of P. triticina from the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and from the Horn of Africa seem to have the greatest influence.
The Coming of Age of Risk Governance
Authors: Klinke Andreas , Renn Ortwin
Published: August 2019

Proposed as an advanced conceptualization of how to handle risk, risk governance begins with the critique and expansion of the traditional idea and standard practices of risk analysis. In developments over the last two decades, proponents of a more integrative approach on governing risks have moved further away from distinct conceptions of risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication and toward the processes and institutions that guide, restrain, and integrate collective activities of handling risk. In early formulations of what risk governance entails, the superiority of the interplay between risk evaluation and risk management over linear and simple deductions from risk assessment to risk management was established precisely by developing a distinctive rationality of how to proceed. Later, the International Risk Governance Council recaptured this distinctive rationality that institutionalized processes should embody the interplay of the assessment of risks and related concerns, their sociopolitical appraisal, and the logical inference for risk management. Recently, this approach has been refined and augmented toward an integrative and adaptive concept of risk governance and toward a postnormal conception of risk governance. Main characteristics are a new concept of differentiated responsibility and deliberation in which expertise, experience, and tacit knowledge are integrated, forming the core of legitimate political risk decision making.
Indices of Non-Ignorable Selection Bias for Proportions Estimated from Non-Probability Samples
Authors: Andridge Rebecca R. , West Brady T. , Little Roderick J. A. , Boonstra Philip S. , Alvarado-Leiton Fernanda
Published: August 2019

Rising costs of survey data collection and declining response rates have caused researchers to turn to non-probability samples to make descriptive statements about populations. However, unlike probability samples, non-probability samples may produce severely biased descriptive estimates due to selection bias. The paper develops and evaluates a simple model-based index of the potential selection bias in estimates of population proportions due to non-ignorable selection mechanisms. The index depends on an inestimable parameter ranging from 0 to 1 that captures the amount of deviation from selection at random and is thus well suited to a sensitivity analysis. We describe modified maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimation approaches and provide new and easy-to-use R functions for their implementation. We use simulation studies to evaluate the ability of the proposed index to reflect selection bias in non-probability samples and show how the index outperforms a previously proposed index that relies on an underlying normality assumption. We demonstrate the use of the index in practice with real data from the National Survey of Family Growth.
Decoding inflammation, its causes, genomic responses, and emerging countermeasures
Authors: Hawiger Jacek , Zienkiewicz Jozef
Published: August 2019

Inflammation is the mechanism of diseases caused by microbial, autoimmune, allergic, metabolic and physical insults that produce distinct types of inflammatory responses. This aetiologic view of inflammation informs its classification based on a cause‐dependent mechanism as well as a cause‐directed therapy and prevention. The genomic era ushered in a new understanding of inflammation by highlighting the cell's nucleus as the centre of the inflammatory response. Exogenous or endogenous inflammatory insults evoke genomic responses in immune and non‐immune cells. These genomic responses depend on transcription factors, which switch on and off a myriad of inflammatory genes through their regulatory networks. We discuss the transcriptional paradigm of inflammation based on denying transcription factors’ access to the nucleus. We present two approaches that control proinflammatory signalling to the nucleus. The first approach constitutes a novel intracellular protein therapy with bioengineered physiologic suppressors of cytokine signalling. The second approach entails control of proinflammatory transcriptional cascades by targeting nuclear transport with a cell‐penetrating peptide that inhibits the expression of 23 out of the 26 mediators of inflammation along with the nine genes required for metabolic responses. We compare these emerging anti‐inflammatory countermeasures to current therapies. The transcriptional paradigm of inflammation offers nucleocentric strategies for microbial, autoimmune, metabolic, physical and other types of inflammation afflicting millions of people worldwide.
Communicating and Disagreeing with Distinct Concepts: A Defense of Semantic Internalism
Authors: Valente Matheus
Published: August 2019

I suggest a solution to a conflict between semantic internalism – according to which the concepts one expresses are determined by one's use of representations – and publicity – according to which, if two subjects successfully communicate or are in genuine agreement, then they entertain thoughts constituted by the same concepts. My solution rests on the thesis that there can be successful communication and genuine agreement between thinkers employing distinct concepts as long as there is a certain relation (of conceptually guaranteed sameness of extension) between them. In section 2, I motivate semantic internalism and show how it conflicts with publicity. In section 3, I carve the logical space of possible solutions to the conflict into liberal and conservative solutions. Section 4 assesses Wikforss's conservative solution to Burge's arthritis thought‐experiment and concludes that it fails for more than one reason. Section 5 introduces a new case study involving a deferential concept. This case serves as the backdrop for my positive account offered in section 6. The conclusion of the article is preceded by a comparison of my view with another recently proposed by Recanati (section 7) and some replies to possible objections (section 8).
The interaction between RUNX2 and core binding factor beta as a potential therapeutic target in canine osteosarcoma
Authors: Alegre Fernando , Ormonde Amanda R. , Godinez Dayn R. , Illendula Anuradha , Bushweller John H. , Wittenburg Luke A.
Published: August 2019

Osteosarcoma remains the most common primary bone tumour in dogs with half of affected dogs unable to survive 1 year beyond diagnosis. New therapeutic options are needed to improve outcomes for this disease. Recent investigations into potential therapeutic targets have focused on cell surface molecules with little clear therapeutic benefit. Transcription factors and protein interactions represent underdeveloped areas of therapeutic drug development. We have utilized allosteric inhibitors of the core binding factor transcriptional complex, comprised of core binding factor beta (CBFβ) and RUNX2, in four canine osteosarcoma cell lines Active inhibitor compounds demonstrate anti‐tumour activities with concentrations demonstrated to be achievable in vivo while an inactive, structural analogue has no activity. We show that CBFβ inhibitors are capable of inducing apoptosis, inhibiting clonogenic cell growth, altering cell cycle progression and impeding migration and invasion in a cell line‐dependent manner. These effects coincide with a reduced interaction between RUNX2 and CBFβ and alterations in expression of RUNX2 target genes. We also show that addition of CBFβ inhibitors to the commonly used cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs doxorubicin and carboplatin leads to additive and/or synergistic anti‐proliferative effects in canine osteosarcoma cell lines. Taken together, we have identified the interaction between components of the core binding factor transcriptional complex, RUNX2 and CBFβ, as a potential novel therapeutic target in canine osteosarcoma and provide justification for further investigations into the anti‐tumour activities we describe here.
Implementing Follow‐Along Physical Activity Videos with People Living With Chronic Conditions: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Tucker Sharon , Abbott Linda , Anderson Robert , Eppen Kim , Laroche Helena , Paelmo Evan , Lanningham‐Foster Lorraine
Published: August 2019

Background

Compelling evidence supports multiple benefits of physical activity (PA) even in small bursts. Less than 50% of Americans achieve recommended PA levels, lower still for individuals living with chronic illness or disease.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of 3‐min follow‐along video scenarios to promote brief episodes of low–moderate levels of PA among individuals with chronic diseases.

Methods

Guided by our previous studies and self‐efficacy theory, the program (WellMe in 3© for Patients) was modeled after another program developed for healthcare staff. An advisory panel and a health and fitness expert guided the creation of twelve 3‐min video scenarios that included two individuals living with chronic illness and a fitness leader who guided the PA scenarios and how to adapt them based on limitations. The 12 scenarios included 3 min of aerobic activities, stretching, or balance. Preliminary pilot effects were measured among 39 patients living with chronic conditions for one month. Standardized instruments were used to measure PA levels, PA self‐efficacy (SE), and quality of life (QoL); usability and satisfaction were assessed using researcher‐developed tools. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to evaluate change over time.

Results

Twelve video scenarios were created tailored to persons with chronic illness. Thirty‐nine participants piloted the program, reporting an average of two chronic conditions. Baseline QoL scores were lower than normative data, self‐efficacy scores were low‐to‐moderate, and PA levels were very low. Participants averaged using one video per day. 62% of participants provided complete self‐reported pre‐ and post‐QoL and SE data and 41% provided pre‐ and post‐PA (accelerometer) data. Significant improvements were found for general health and energy scores, and trends were found for self‐efficacy scores. PA levels were highly variable with nonsignificant increases from baseline. Effect sizes were low–moderate for several measures. About 79% of participants rated program “Very good”; all recommended the program.

Linking Evidence to Action

Physical activity has multiple health benefits for all people including those living with chronic conditions. Even short bouts of physical activity have health benefits. A program of 3‐min follow‐along PA videoclips for individuals living with chronic disease holds promise for clinicians and researchers.
The Change in ELT Pre-service Teachers’ Cognition During Teaching Practicum
Authors: Yüksel İlknur , Başaran Banu Çiçek
Published: August 2019

The aim of this study was to examine the change of ELT pre-service teachers’ cognition during teaching practicum uncovering their beliefs regarding language teaching, being a teacher and dynamics of practicum. To adopt a comprehensive perspective on how the participants’ cognition evolved as a result of practicum, qualitative research design with open-ended surveys before and after the practicum process was conducted with ELT pre-service teachers. The findings were evaluated and discussed in terms of a certain framework with change categories of Cabaroglu and Roberts (2000). The results indicated that the practicum is apt to change the pre-service teachers’ beliefs through awareness, elaboration, addition, re-ordering and reversal as a result of practicum. As the results suggest the practicum provides a real-life context for the pre-service teachers, they could adopt their grounded beliefs, which were acquired as language learners, and transform them into language teachers’ beliefs. As the participants stated the mentor, supervisor and classroom dynamics enabled such transformation, mostly in positive route. However, there are some stable beliefs that did not change during the practicum. The participants kept some functioning beliefs for their teaching practice. The results implied the complexities of the practicum process on the pre-service teachers’ cognition.
Contributions of lexical tone to Mandarin sentence recognition in hearing-impaired listeners under noisy conditions
Authors: Li Nan , Wang Shuo , Wang Xianhui , Xu Li
Published: August 2019

Mandarin sentence recognition using natural-tone and flat-tone sentences was tested in 22 subjects with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and 25 listeners with normal hearing (NH) in quiet, speech-shaped noise, and two-talker-babble conditions. While little effects of flat tones on sentence recognition were seen in the NH listeners when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was ≥0 dB, the SNHL listeners showed decreases in flat-tone-sentence recognition in quiet and at +5-dB SNR. Such declined performance was correlated with their degrees of hearing loss. Lexical tone contributes greatly to sentence recognition in hearing-impaired listeners in both quiet and in noise listening conditions.
Quantitative Physiology of Non-Energy-Limited Retentostat Cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at Near-Zero Specific Growth Rates
Authors: Liu Yaya , el Masoudi Anissa , Pronk Jack T. , van Gulik Walter M.
Published: August 2019

The yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
is a commonly used microbial host for production of various biochemical compounds. From a physiological perspective, biosynthesis of these compounds competes with biomass formation in terms of carbon and/or energy equivalents. Fermentation processes functioning at extremely low or near-zero growth rates would prevent loss of feedstock to biomass production. Establishing
S. cerevisiae
cultures in which growth is restricted by the limited supply of a non-energy substrate therefore could have a wide range of industrial applications but remains largely unexplored. In this work we accomplished near-zero growth of
S. cerevisiae
through limited supply of a non-energy nutrient, namely, the nitrogen or phosphorus source, and carried out a quantitative physiological study of the cells under these conditions. The possibility to achieve near-zero-growth
S. cerevisiae
cultures through limited supply of a non-energy nutrient may offer interesting prospects to develop novel fermentation processes for high-yield production of bio-based chemicals.
Thymoma-associated multiorgan autoimmunity
Authors: Hung Chien-Tzu , Tsai Tsen-Fang , Chen Jin-Shing , Hsieh Min-Shu
Published: August 2019

Thymoma-associated multiorgan autoimmunity is a relatively new term to describe the rare paraneoplastic syndrome that complicates thymoma, which can involve the thyroid, liver and intestine in addition to the skin. The pathology often indicates a graft-versus-host-like pattern commonly observed in recipients of an allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplant. We report a case of type B2 and B3 thymoma with invasion to the lung and pleura in a patient who presented with oral lichen planus and graft-versus-host-like erythroderma. The cutaneous lesions improved after complete resection of the thymoma in combination with systemic glucocorticoids, which was subsequently complicated by cytomegalovirus pneumonitis.
Cryptosporidiuminfection in a case of appendicitis
Authors: Franklin Haley , Glosemeyer Katherine , Hassoun Ali
Published: August 2019

A 39-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the emergency department with worsening abdominal pain, localised to the right lower quadrant, and diarrhoea for a week. Stool tested negative forClostridium difficile,GiardialambliaandCryptosporidium. Following an abdominal CT, she was diagnosed with appendicitis. The histological preparation, along with the acute inflammatory changes of the vermiform appendix, was notable for clusters of small, basophilic spherical bodies most consistent withCryptosporidium parvuminfection. Ultimately, the patient was diagnosed with appendicitis secondary toC. parvuminfection. This is exceedingly rare and only one other case has been previously reported.
Snoring and incident chronic kidney disease: a community-based prospective cohort study
Authors: Lee Changhyun , Joo Young Su , Lee Sangmi , Kang Shinchan , Kim Joohwan , Nam Ki Heon , Yun Hae-Ryong , Jhee Jong Hyun , Kim Hyoungnae , Han Seung Hyeok , Yoo Tae-Hyun , Kang Shin-Wook , Park Jung Tak
Published: August 2019

Objectives

Previous studies have shown that symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing are associated with metabolic derangements and vascular disease development. However, the relationship between snoring and renal function is not well investigated. The association between snoring and the development of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in subjects with normal renal function was evaluated.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Ansung (rural community) and Ansan (urban community) cities.

Participants

Community-based cohort participants aged 40–69 years.

Methods

A total of 9062 participants in the Ansung–Ansan cohort study were prospectively followed up from 2001 to 2014. The participants were classified into three groups: non-snorer, <1 day/week and ≥1 day/week. The main outcome was incident CKD, which was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2during the follow-up period.

Primary outcome

Incident CKD.

Results

The mean subject age was 52.0±8.9 years, and 4372 (48.2%) subjects were male. The non-snorer,<1 day/week and ≥1 day/week groups included 3493 (38.5%), 3749 (41.4%), and 1820 (20.1%) subjects, respectively. Metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in the snoring groups than in the non-snoring group. Snoring frequency showed a significant positive relationship with age, waist:hip ratio, fasting glucose, total cholesterol (Tchol) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. During a mean follow-up of 8.9 years, 764 (8.4%) subjects developed CKD. Cox proportional hazards model analysis revealed that the risk of CKD development was significantly higher in subjects who snored ≥1 day/week than in non-snorers, even after adjustments for confounding factors (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.38, p<0.01).

Conclusion

Snoring may increase the risk of CKD development in subjects with normal renal function.
Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies and functional assays decipher susceptibility genes for gastric cancer in Chinese populations
Authors: Yan Caiwang , Zhu Meng , Ding Yanbing , Yang Ming , Wang Mengyun , Li Gang , Ren Chuanli , Huang Tongtong , Yang Wenjun , He Bangshun , Wang Meilin , Yu Fei , Wang Jinchen , Zhang Ruoxin , Wang Tianpei , Ni Jing , Chen Jiaping , Jiang Yue , Dai Juncheng , Zhang Erbao , Ma Hongxia , Wang Yanong , Xu Dazhi , Wang Shukui , Chen Yun , Xu Zekuan , Zhou Jianwei , Ji Guozhong , Wang Zhaoming , Zhang Zhengdong , Hu Zhibin , Wei Qingyi , Shen Hongbing , Jin Guangfu
Published: August 2019

Objective

Although a subset of genetic loci have been associated with gastric cancer (GC) risk, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We aimed to identify new susceptibility genes and elucidate their mechanisms in GC development.

Design

We conducted a meta-analysis of four genome-wide association studies (GWASs) encompassing 3771 cases and 5426 controls. After targeted sequencing and functional annotation, we performed in vitro and in vivo experiments to confirm the functions of genetic variants and candidate genes. Moreover, we selected 33 promising variants for two-stage replication in 7035 cases and 8323 controls from other five studies.

Results

The meta-analysis of GWASs identified three loci at 1q22, 5p13.1 and 10q23.33 associated with GC risk at p<5×10−8 and replicated seven known loci at p<0.05. At 5p13.1, the risk rs59133000[C] allele enhanced the binding affinity of NF-κB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) to the promoter of PRKAA1, resulting in a reduced promoter activity and lower expression. The knockout of PRKAA1 promoted both GC cell proliferation and xenograft tumour growth in nude mice. At 10q23.33, the rs3781266[C] and rs3740365[T] risk alleles in complete linkage disequilibrium disrupted and created, respectively, the binding motifs of POU2F1 and PAX3, resulting in an increased enhancer activity and expression of NOC3L, while the NOC3L knockdown suppressed GC cell growth. Moreover, two new loci at 3q11.2 (OR=1.21, p=4.56×10−9) and 4q28.1 (OR=1.14, p=3.33×10−11) were associated with GC risk.

Conclusion

We identified 12 loci to be associated with GC risk in Chinese populations and deciphered the mechanisms of PRKAA1 at 5p13.1 and NOC3L at 10q23.33 in gastric tumourigenesis.
Flexural vibration band gaps in Bragg acoustical hyperstructure beam with local-resonance system
Authors: Lei X. F. , Hou H. P. , Liu P. , Xu Z. F. , Liu S. H. , Hu B. B.
Published: August 2019

Bragg acoustical hyperstructure can scatter elastic wave, local resonance system can fight against vibration by the reaction force with reversed phase in low-frequency range, for improving the scattering performance of Bragg hyperstructure, a novel composite beam of Bragg beam with local resonator is investigated theoretically. Its dispersion relations and bang gaps are calculated by the established theoretical model. In order to confirm the veritable existence of band gaps, the transmission spectrum of flexural vibration waves are also studied by finite-element method, and comparing the relationship of vibration transmission spectrum and band gaps, the results indicate that the proposed theoretical model can accurately predict the band gaps of the proposed composite beam. For probing the dispersion mechanics, comparing the band gaps and modes shapes of the proposed composite beam with an unalloyed Bragg beam, the results denoted that local resonator can add two band gaps at the base of Bragg beam. Further, the changes of the band gaps that depend on the local resonator and on Bragg beam are studied. It is indicated that the total band gaps can be narrowed when the resonance frequency of the local resonators located at the band gaps of the Bragg beam and the branches will become approximately flat. The band gaps will broaden if the branch that depends on the local resonator gets closer to the branch on Bragg beam.
Evolutionary dynamics of cooperation in a population with probabilistic corrupt enforcers and violators
Authors: Liu Linjie , Chen Xiaojie , Szolnoki Attila
Published: August 2019

Pro-social punishment is a key driver of harmonious and stable society. However, this institution is vulnerable to corruption since law-violators can avoid sanctioning by paying bribes to corrupt law-enforcers. Consequently, to understand how altruistic behavior survives in a corrupt environment is an open question. To reveal potential explanations here, we introduce corrupt enforcers and violators into the public goods game with pool punishment, and assume that punishers, as corrupt enforcers, may select defectors probabilistically to take a bribe from, and meanwhile defectors, as corrupt violators, may select punishers stochastically to be corrupted. By means of mathematical analysis, we aim to study the necessary conditions for the evolution of cooperation in such corrupt environment. We find that cooperation can be maintained in the population in two distinct ways. First, cooperators, defectors, and punishers can coexist by all keeping a steady fraction of the population. Second, these three strategies can form a cyclic dominance that resembles a rock-scissors-paper cycle or a heteroclinic cycle. We theoretically identify conditions when the competing strategies coexist in a stationary way or they dominate each other in a cyclic way. These predictions are confirmed numerically.
THE TRAPPING PROBLEM OF WEIGHTED (2,2)-FLOWER NETWORKS WITH THE SAME WEIGHT SEQUENCE
Authors: XING CHANGMING
Published: August 2019

Intuitively, edge weight has an effect on the dynamical processes occurring on the networks. However, the theoretical research on the effects of edge weight on network dynamics is still rare. In this paper, we present two weighted network models by adjusting the matching relationship between weights and edges. Both network models are controlled by the weight factor [Formula: see text]. They have the same connection structure and weight sequence when [Formula: see text] is fixed. Based on their self-similar network structure, we study two types of biased walks with a trap. One is standard weight-dependent walk, while the other is mixed weight-dependent walk including both nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor jumps. For both weighted scale-free networks, we obtain exact solutions of the average trapping time (ATT) measuring the efficiency of the trapping process in both network models. Analyzing and comparing the obtained solutions, we find that the ATT is related to the walking rule and the spectral dimension of the fractal network, and not all ATT for the weighted networks are affected by the weight factor [Formula: see text]. In other words, not all weight adjustments can change the trapping efficiency in the network. We hope that the present findings could help us get deeper understanding about the influence factor of biased walk in complex systems.
A PRIMAL-DUAL ALGORITHM FOR ROBUST FRACTAL IMAGE CODING
Authors: XU CHEN , YE YUTING , HU ZHENWEI , ZOU YURU , SHEN LIXIN , LIU XIAOXIA , LU JIAN
Published: August 2019

The essence of Huber fractal image coding (HFIC) is to predict the fractal code of a noiseless image as accurately as possible from its corrupted observation with outliers by adopting Huber M-estimation technique. However, the traditional HFIC is not quite satisfactory mainly due to the absence of contractivity restriction for the estimate of the fractal parameters (actually, it is a fundamental requirement in the theory of fractal image coding). In this paper, we introduce a primal-dual algorithm for robust fractal image coding (PD-RFIC), which formulates the problem of robust prediction of the fractal parameters with contractivity condition as a constrained optimization model and then adopts a primal-dual algorithm to solve it. Furthermore, in order to relieve using the corrupted domain block as the independent variable in the proposed method, instead of using the mean operation on a [Formula: see text] subblock in the traditional HFIC, we apply a median operation on a larger subblock to obtain the contracted domain blocks for achieving the robustness against outliers. The effectiveness of the proposed method is experimentally illustrated on problems of image denoising with impulse noise (specifically, salt & pepper noise and random-valued noise). Remarkable improvements of the proposed method over conventional HFIC are demonstrated in terms of both numerical evaluations and visual quality. In addition, a median-based version of Fisher classification method is also developed to accelerate the encoding speed of the proposed method.
Superposition, reduction of multivariable problems, and approximation
Authors: Jorgensen Palle E. T. , Tian James F.
Published: August 2019

We study reduction schemes for functions of “many” variables into system of functions in one variable. Our setting includes infinite dimensions. Following Cybenko–Kolmogorov, the outline for our results is as follows: We present explicit reduction schemes for multivariable problems, covering both a finite, and an infinite, number of variables. Starting with functions in “many” variables, we offer constructive reductions into superposition, with component terms, that make use of only functions in one variable, and specified choices of coordinate directions. Our proofs are transform based, using explicit transforms, Fourier and Radon; as well as multivariable Shannon interpolation.
Diagonal forms of higher degree over function fields of p-adic curves
Authors: Pumplün S.
Published: August 2019

We investigate diagonal forms of degree [Formula: see text] over the function field [Formula: see text] of a smooth projective [Formula: see text]-adic curve: if a form is isotropic over the completion of [Formula: see text] with respect to each discrete valuation of [Formula: see text], then it is isotropic over certain fields [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. These fields appear naturally when applying the methodology of patching; [Formula: see text] is the inverse limit of the finite inverse system of fields [Formula: see text]. Our observations complement some known bounds on the higher [Formula: see text]-invariant of diagonal forms of degree [Formula: see text]. We only consider diagonal forms of degree [Formula: see text] over fields of characteristic not dividing [Formula: see text].
The arithmetic of vector-valued modular forms on Γ0(2)
Authors: Gottesman Richard
Published: August 2019

Let [Formula: see text] denote an irreducible two-dimensional representation of [Formula: see text] The collection of vector-valued modular forms for [Formula: see text], which we denote by [Formula: see text], form a graded and free module of rank two over the ring of modular forms on [Formula: see text], which we denote by [Formula: see text] For a certain class of [Formula: see text], we prove that if [Formula: see text] is any vector-valued modular form for [Formula: see text] whose component functions have algebraic Fourier coefficients then the sequence of the denominators of the Fourier coefficients of both component functions of [Formula: see text] is unbounded. Our methods involve computing an explicit basis for [Formula: see text] as a [Formula: see text]-module. We give formulas for the component functions of a minimal weight vector-valued form for [Formula: see text] in terms of the Gaussian hypergeometric series [Formula: see text], a Hauptmodul of [Formula: see text], and the Dedekind [Formula: see text]-function.
D-Measure: A Bayesian Model Selection Criterion for Survival Data
Authors: Bao Yiqi , Cancho Vicente G. , Dey Dipak K. , Louzada Francisco , Suzuki Adriano K.
Published: August 2019

An authentic way for assessing the goodness of a model is to estimate its predictive capability. In this paper, we propose the D-measure, which measures the goodness of a model by comparing how close its predictions are from the observed data based on the survival function. The proposed D-measure can be used for all kinds of survival data in the presence of censoring. It can also be used to compare cure rate models, even in the presence of random effects or frailties. The advantages of the D-measure are verified via simulation, in which it is compared to the deviance information criterion, which is a widely used Bayesian model comparison criterion. The D-measure is illustrated in two real data sets.
Chemical and Biological Approaches to Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering
Authors: Langer Robert
Published: August 2019

The loss or failure of an organ or tissue is one of the most frequent, devastating, and costly problems in human healthcare. The areas of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering apply the principles of chemistry, biology, and engineering to create new tissues and organs. Here we discuss some of the early work in this field and, in particular, review our studies combining chemistry, materials science, biology, and engineering to create new tissues and organs.
Unusual Suspect: A Case Report of Tubulocystic Renal Cell Carcinoma with Features of Cystic Renal Oncocytoma
Authors: McFadden Jacob D. , Sesterhenn Isabell A. , Kern Sean Q.
Published: August 2019

Tubulocystic renal cell carcinoma is an uncommon subtype of renal cell carcinoma that was only recently acknowledged by the World Health Organization. There is a relatively small collection of literature dedicated to the features and clinical course of this lesion. Despite its rarity, this diagnosis should remain in the differential for all cystic renal masses. We present a case report of tubulocystic renal cell carcinoma (TC-RCC) with remarkable similarity to cystic renal oncocytoma, highlighting the diagnostic challenges associated with this unusual renal malignancy.
Oxide Nanomaterials Based on SnO2 for Semiconductor Hydrogen Sensors
Authors: Fedorenko George , Oleksenko Ludmila , Maksymovych Nelly
Published: August 2019

Nanosized tin dioxide with an average particle size of 5.3 nm was synthesized by a sol-gel method and characterized by IR spectroscopy, TEM, X-ray, and electron diffraction. The obtained SnO2 can be used as initial material for creation of gas-sensitive layers of adsorption semiconductor sensors. Addition of palladium into the initial nanomaterial allows to improve response to hydrogen of such sensors in comparison with sensors based on undoped SnO2 and provides fast response and recovery time, a wide measuring range of hydrogen content in air ambient, and good repeatability of the sensor signal. Such promising properties could make useful the sensors based on these nanomaterials for devices intended to determine hydrogen in air.