bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behavioral response of a mobile marine predator to environmental variables differs across ecoregions
Authors: Byrne Michael E. , Vaudo Jeremy J. , Harvey Guy C. McN. , Johnston Matthew W. , Wetherbee Bradley M. , Shivji Mahmood
Published: May 2019

Animal movement and habitat selection are in part a response to landscape heterogeneity. Many studies of movement and habitat selection necessarily use environmental covariates that are readily available over large‐scales, which are assumed representative of functional habitat features such as resource availability. For widely distributed species, response to such covariates may not be consistent across ecosystems, as response to any specific covariate is driven by its biological relevance within the context of each ecosystem. Thus, the study of any widely distributed species within a limited geographic region may provide inferences that are not widely generalizable. Our goal was to evaluate the response of a marine predator to a suite of environmental covariates across a wide ecological gradient. We identified two behavioral states (resident and transient) in the movements of shortfin mako sharks Isurus oxyrinchus tracked via satellite telemetry in two regions of the western North Atlantic Ocean: the tropical Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico marginal sea (CGM), and the temperate waters of the open western Atlantic Ocean (OWA). We compared patterns of resident behavior between regions, and modeled relationships between oceanographic variables and resident behavior. We tracked 39 sharks during 2013–2015. Resident behavior was associated with shallow, continental shelf and slope waters in both regions. In the OWA resident behavior was associated with low sea surface temperature and high primary productivity, however, sharks exhibited no response to either variable in the CGM. There was a negative relationship between sea‐surface height gradient (a proxy for oceanic fronts) and resident behavior in the OWA, and a positive relationship in the CGM. Our observations likely reflect shark responses to regional variability in factors responsible for the distribution and availability of prey. Our study illustrates the importance of studying widely distributed species in a consistent manner over large spatial scales.
Habitat diversity associated to island size and environmental filtering control the species richness of rock‐savanna plants in neotropical inselbergs
Authors: Henneron Ludovic , Sarthou Corinne , de Massary Jean‐Christophe , Ponge Jean‐François
Published: May 2019

Disentangling the multiple factors controlling species diversity is a major challenge in ecology. Island biogeography and environmental filtering are two influential theories emphasizing respectively island size and isolation, and the abiotic environment, as key drivers of species richness. However, few attempts have been made to quantify their relative importance and investigate their mechanistic basis. Here, we applied structural equation modelling, a powerful method allowing test of complex hypotheses involving multiple and indirect effects, on an island‐like system of 22 French Guianan neotropical inselbergs covered with rock‐savanna. We separated the effects of size (rock‐savanna area), isolation (density of surrounding inselbergs), environmental filtering (rainfall, altitude) and dispersal filtering (forest‐matrix openness) on the species richness of all plants and of various ecological groups (terrestrial versus epiphytic, small‐scale versus large‐scale dispersal species). We showed that the species richness of all plants and terrestrial species was mainly explained by the size of rock‐savanna vegetation patches, with increasing richness associated with higher rock‐savanna area, while inselberg isolation and forest‐matrix openness had no measurable effect. This size effect was mediated by an increase in terrestrial‐habitat diversity, even after accounting for increased sampling effort. The richness of epiphytic species was mainly explained by environmental filtering, with a positive effect of rainfall and altitude, but also by a positive size effect mediated by enhanced woody‐plant species richness. Inselberg size and environmental filtering both explained the richness of small‐scale and large‐scale dispersal species, but these ecological groups responded in opposite directions to altitude and rainfall, that is positively for large‐scale and negatively for small‐scale dispersal species. Our study revealed both habitat diversity associated with island size and environmental filtering as major drivers of neotropical inselberg plant diversity and showed the importance of plant species growth form and dispersal ability to explain the relative importance of each driver.
Spatial variability in a plant–pollinator community across a continuous habitat: high heterogeneity in the face of apparent uniformity
Authors: Reverté Sara , Bosch Jordi , Arnan Xavier , Roslin Tomas , Stefanescu Constantí , Calleja Juan Antonio , Molowny‐Horas Roberto , Hernández‐Castellano Carlos , Rodrigo Anselm
Published: May 2019

Large‐scale spatial variability in plant–pollinator communities (e.g. along geographic gradients, across different landscapes) is relatively well understood. However, we know much less about how these communities vary at small scales within a uniform landscape. Plants are sessile and highly sensitive to microhabitat conditions, whereas pollinators are highly mobile and, for the most part, display generalist feeding habits. Therefore, we expect plants to show greater spatial variability than pollinators. We analysed the spatial heterogeneity of a community of flowering plants and their pollinators in 40 plots across a 40‐km2area within an uninterrupted Mediterranean scrubland. We recorded 3577 pollinator visits to 49 plant species. The pollinator community (170 species) was strongly dominated by honey bees (71.8% of the visits recorded). Flower and pollinator communities showed similar beta‐diversity, indicating that spatial variability was similar in the two groups. We used path analysis to establish the direct and indirect effects of flower community distribution and honey bee visitation rate (a measure of the use of floral resources by this species) on the spatial distribution of the pollinator community. Wild pollinator abundance was positively related to flower abundance. Wild pollinator visitation rate was negatively related to flower abundance, suggesting that floral resources were not limiting. Pollinator and flower richness were positively related. Pollinator species composition was weakly related to flower species composition, reflecting the generalist nature of flower–pollinator interactions and the opportunistic nature of pollinator flower choices. Honey bee visitation rate did not affect the distribution of the wild pollinator community. Overall, we show that, in spite of the apparent physiognomic uniformity, both flowers and pollinators display high levels of heterogeneity, resulting in a mosaic of idiosyncratic local communities. Our results provide a measure of the background of intrinsic heterogeneity within a uniform habitat, with potential consequences on low‐scale ecosystem function and microevolutionary patterns.
Mediating role of cognitive biases, resilience and depressive symptoms in the relationship between childhood trauma and psychotic‐like experiences in young adults
Authors: Mętel Dagmara , Arciszewska Aleksandra , Daren Artur , Pionke Renata , Cechnicki Andrzej , Frydecka Dorota , Gawęda Łukasz
Published: May 2019

Objectives

The present study aimed to test a hypothetical model where causally linked and ordered cognitive biases, resilience and depressive symptoms serve as mediators of the relationship between early traumatic life events and psychotic‐like experiences (PLEs) in the general population of young adults.

Methods

Two thousand six hundred and fourteen people (1673 females) took part in the online survey. Participants completed self‐report questionnaires measuring exposure to early traumatic life events, PLEs, cognitive biases, resilience and depressive symptoms. Correlation and multiple mediation analyses were performed.

Results

All three mediators turned out to be significantly correlated with early trauma, PLEs and with each other. Mediational analysis demonstrated that hypothesized model of causally linked mediators was significant (P ≤ .001) and accounted for 33% (P < .001) of the explained variance in PLEs in comparison to 11% (P ≤ .001) without mediators.

Conclusions

First, our results provide evidence for significant associations between early traumatic life events, cognitive biases, depressive symptoms, psychological resilience and PLEs. Second, they indicate significant indirect effects of early trauma exposure on PLEs through a path consisted of cognitive biases, psychological resilience and depressive symptoms that suggest a possible importance of interventions bolstering resilience in young people in order to minimize the severity of depressive and psychotic psychopathology.
What is Lesson Study?
Authors: Elliott John
Published: May 2019

This article addresses the conceptual question “what is lesson study?” as an issue that arises in the context of the globalisation of lesson study as a method for improving teaching and learning beyond its presumed origins in the Japanese education system. To what extent can adaptations of the method in different national settings be interpreted as faithful representations of its practically significant “critical features” in the country of origin? In order to address this question, the article begins by examining the comparative classroom research by Stigler and Hiebert that culminated in the publication of The Teaching Gap. This work is generally acknowledged to have been seminal for the global development of lesson study as a method for improving teaching and learning. Sponsored by the 1997 TIMMS testing programme, the research sought to explain pronounced differences in measured educational attainment between students of all ages in Japan, and the US and Germany. In the process Stigler and Hiebert discovered the extensive use of lesson study in Japanese primary schools as a school‐based research method for securing consistency between learning goals and teaching methods. In doing so, they identified six principles which underpinned the method and pinpointed its practical significance. In this article, the author claims that the principles identified by Stigler and Hiebert can be used as a framework for assessing adaptations of lesson study in the context of globalisation, and connecting it to related methodological ideas that are internationally circulating. In particular, the author stresses links between lesson study, the tradition of classroom action research forged by Lawrence Stenhouse and his colleagues at the University of East Anglia, UK and the theory of variation developed in Sweden and Hong Kong by Ference Marton, Lo Mun Ling and others. Such links can deepen a theoretical understanding of “lesson study” and safe‐guard it against a “cherry‐picking” approach to its implementation in a context of globalisation. The article particularly highlights the importance of understanding the ways in which the organisational cultures of schooling in many countries shape and distort the implementation of lesson study. It argues for the greater involvement of school leaders and administrators in a form of second‐order action research aimed at transforming the organisational context of teachers’ work in classrooms and creating more space for them to spend less time as test data managers and more time as lesson researchers in accordance with the six principles outlined.
Leaf leachates have the potential to influence soil nitrification via changes in ammonia‐oxidizing archaea and bacteria populations
Authors: Chen Wei‐Bin , Chen Bao‐Ming , Liao Hui‐Xuan , Su Jin‐Quan , Peng Shao‐Lin
Published: May 2019

Soil nitrogen (N) transformation is mainly controlled by microorganisms. Different plant species have specific effects on soil ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB). Furthermore, plant secondary metabolites have dramatic influences on soil N transformation and soil ammonia‐oxidizers. However, no study has directly linked the changes in soil AOA and AOB communities to N transformation due to different plant species' leaf leachates, including comparing invasive versus native plants. We selected three invasive species, Wedelia trilobata, Ipomoea cairica and Mikania micrantha, and two native species, Wedelia chinensis and Merremia hederacea, and incubated soil with high and low concentrations of leaf leachates from the five species. Soil N transformation and ammonia oxidizer communities (based on quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing) were determined. Leaf leachates significantly affected soil N transformation and soil AOA and AOB abundance, and the effects were dependent on the plant species and leachate concentration. The leachate of W. chinensis increased soil net nitrification rates (NNR), whereas that of M. micrantha increased soil nitrate (NO3−) and NNR. The leachate of M. micrantha increased AOB amoA genes, whereas that of M. hederacea decreased AOA amoA genes. At the higher concentration, all leachates showed inhibitory effects on the relative abundance of all AOA taxonomic groups. Phenolics, flavonoids and organic carbon in leaf leachates had a negative correlation with soil NO3−, NNR and the amoA genes of AOA and AOB, whereas NH4+ and NO3− in leachates showed a positive correlation. Among the five species, the invasive species M. micrantha had the strongest positive effect on soil N transformation and AOB abundance. The altered soil ammonia oxidizer communities and modified N process rates induced by leaf leachates provide an explanatory mechanism for the differential effects of plant species on N cycling.

Highlights

Link changes in soil AOA and AOB to N cycling due to leaf leachates.

Specific plants can dramatically alter soil ammonia‐oxidizer presence and abundance.

Effects of invasive plants on soil N and AOB are mainly driven by M. micrantha.

High concentrations of plant leachates reduced the relative abundance of AOA groups.
To mate or not to mate, and subsequent host search by a haplodiploid female parasitoid wasp
Authors: Chhan Stephanie , Morse Douglass H.
Published: May 2019

Mated females of haplodiploid species can vary the sex ratio of their offspring, but virgin or sperm‐depleted females can produce only males. Depending on the costs and benefits, the theory of constrained sex allocation states that female haplodiploids may vary in their propensity to mate, with important implications for the populations’ sex ratio. Unmated female parasitoid wasps Alabagrus texanus (Braconidae) have been observed to reject matings with males, even under highly confined spatial conditions. We performed field trials to determine whether unmated female A. texanus would mate. We then compared the preferences of the resulting unmated (constrained) and mated (unconstrained) female wasps for shelters constructed and occupied by their hosts, fern moth caterpillars Herpetogramma theseusalis (Crambidae) on fern fronds. We presented the wasps with pairs of shelters collected from the field that differed in size, as well as freshness, fern species, and presence or absence of caterpillars. Unconstrained females searched small shelters more frequently than did constrained females and tended to favor senesced (old) shelters over fresher ones. They did not differ in choice between shelters on marsh and sensitive ferns or between shelters containing caterpillars and empty shelters. The preference for small shelters by the unconstrained wasps may enhance their rate of contacting favorable hosts, but the foraging regime of the constrained females should expose them to caterpillars at sites infrequently searched by the unconstrained females.
Diagnosis, management and prognosis of small colon impactions
Authors: Reid Hanson R. , Schumacher J.
Published: May 2019

Common causes of obstruction of the small colon and rectum include diffuse faecal impaction, enterolithiasis, faecalithiasis, phytobezoar, trichobezoar, phytotrichobezoar, phytoconglobate, foreign body, intramural haematoma and retained meconium. Poor dentition, poor‐quality hay, lack of adequate water, parasite damage and lack of exercise are risk factors for the development of small colon impactions. Clinical signs of small colon obstruction develop slowly because a large space proximal to the obstruction allows ingesta, gas and fluid to accumulate. Medical management of horses with faecal impaction of the small colon involves improvement of hydration, stimulation of colonic motility, softening the impaction by the administration of osmotic laxatives or lubricants, and control of pain. Surgical intervention is indicated when medical management fails to resolve the impaction or when intractable pain and a deteriorating cardiovascular status ensues.
CO2 emissions from an undrained tropical peatland: Interacting influences of temperature, shading and water table depth
Authors: Hoyt Alison M. , Gandois Laure , Eri Jangarun , Kai Fuu Ming , Harvey Charles F. , Cobb Alexander R.
Published: May 2019

Emission of CO2 from tropical peatlands is an important component of the global carbon budget. Over days to months, these fluxes are largely controlled by water table depth. However, the diurnal cycle is less well understood, in part, because most measurements have been collected daily at midday. We used an automated chamber system to make hourly measurements of peat surface CO2 emissions from chambers root‐cut to 30 cm. We then used these data to disentangle the relationship between temperature, water table and heterotrophic respiration (Rhet). We made two central observations. First, we found strong diurnal cycles in CO2 flux and near‐surface peat temperature (<10 cm depth), both peaking at midday. The magnitude of diurnal oscillations was strongly influenced by shading and water table depth, highlighting the limitations of relying on daytime measurements and/or a single correction factor to remove daytime bias in flux measurements. Second, we found mean daily Rhet had a strong linear relationship to the depth of the water table, and under flooded conditions, Rhet was small and constant. We used this relationship between Rhet and water table depth to estimate carbon export from both Rhet and dissolved organic carbon over the course of a year based on water table records. Rhet dominates annual carbon export, demonstrating the potential for peatland drainage to increase regional CO2 emissions. Finally, we discuss an apparent incompatibility between hourly and daily average observations of CO2 flux, water table and temperature: water table and daily average flux data suggest that CO2 is produced across the entire unsaturated peat profile, whereas temperature and hourly flux data appear to suggest that CO2 fluxes are controlled by very near surface peat. We explore how temperature‐, moisture‐ and gas transport‐related mechanisms could cause mean CO2 emissions to increase linearly with water table depth and also have a large diurnal cycle.
Patient and caregiver experience with delayed discharge from a hospital setting: A scoping review
Authors: Everall Amanda C. , Guilcher Sara J. T. , Cadel Lauren , Asif Maliha , Li Joyce , Kuluski Kerry
Published: May 2019

Background

Delayed hospital discharge occurs when patients are medically cleared but remain hospitalized because a suitable care setting is not available. Delayed discharge typically results in reduced levels of treatment, placing patients at risk of functional decline, falls and hospital‐related adverse events. Caregivers often take on an active role in hospital to mitigate these risks.

Objective

This scoping review aimed to summarize the literature on patient and caregiver experiences with delayed hospital discharge.

Search strategy

Seven electronic databases and grey literature were searched using keywords including alternate level of care, delayed discharge, patients, caregivers and experiences.

Inclusion criteria

Included articles met the following criteria: (a) patient or caregiver population 18 years or older; (b) delayed discharge from a hospital setting; (c) included experiences with delayed discharge; (d) peer‐reviewed or grey literature; and (e) published between 1 January 1998 and 16 July 2018.

Data extraction

Data were extracted from the seven included articles using Microsoft Excel 2016 to facilitate a thorough analysis and comparison.

Main results

Study themes were grouped into five elements of the delayed discharge experience: (1) overall uncertainty; (2) impact of hospital staff and physical environment; (3) mental and physical deterioration; (4) lack of engagement in decision making and need for advocacy; and (5) initial disbelief sometimes followed by reluctant acceptance.

Conclusion

This review provides a foundation to guide future research, policies and practices to improve patient and caregiver experiences with delayed hospital discharge, including enhanced communication with patients and families and programmes to reduce deconditioning.
Health information behaviour of rare disease patients: seeking, finding and sharing health information
Authors: Stanarević Katavić Snježana
Published: May 2019

Background

Rare disease patients find independent health information seeking necessary due to the general lack of knowledge on rare diseases and inadequate information provision by health care professionals.

Objective

The aim of this study is to describe distinctive aspects of health information behaviour of rare disease patients and specific challenges they face when seeking health information.

Methods

A qualitative research approach was employed including semi‐structured interviews that were analysed using thematic analysis. Fifteen respondents suffering from three different rare diseases participated in the study.

Results

Health information behaviour of rare disease patients is characterised by independent and continuous health information seeking and sharing. Connecting with other patients and getting realistic insight into the condition after diagnosis, advice for everyday life, comfort and hope and confirmation that their symptoms are ‘normal’ are of particular importance. Lack of specific advice for daily life, inaccessible new knowledge, lack of information about drugs and encountering severe health information are common challenges patients face due to insufficient support from health care professionals.

Conclusion

Health information seeking and sharing are important aspects of rare disease patients’ everyday life. Challenges they face could be overcome in cooperation with patient support groups, health care professionals and health information professionals.
CD4 recovery following antiretroviral treatment interruptions in children and adolescents with HIV infection in Europe and Thailand
Authors:   The European Pregnancy and Paediatric HIV Cohort Collaboration (EPPICC) Study Group in EuroCoord
Published: May 2019

Objectives

The aim of the study was to explore factors associated with CD4 percentage (CD4%) reconstitution following treatment interruptions (TIs) of antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Methods

Data from paediatric HIV‐infected cohorts across 17 countries in Europe and Thailand were pooled. Children on combination ART (cART; at least three drugs from at least two classes) for > 6 months before TI of ≥ 30 days while aged < 18 years were included. CD4% at restart of ART (r‐ART) and in the long term (up to 24 months after r‐ART) following the first TI was modelled using asymptotic regression.

Results

In 779 children with at least one TI, the median age at first TI was 10.1 [interquartile range (IQR) 6.4, 13.6] years and the mean CD4% was 27.3% [standard deviation (SD) 11.0%]; the median TI duration was 9.0 (IQR 3.5, 22.5) months. In regression analysis, the mean CD4% was 19.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 18.3, 20.1%] at r‐ART, and 27.1% (26.2, 27.9%) in the long term, with half this increase in the first 6 months. r‐ART and long‐term CD4% values were highest in female patients and in children aged < 3 years at the start of TI. Long‐term CD4% was highest in those with a TI lasting 1 to <3 months, those with r‐ART after year 2000 and those with a CD4% nadir ≥ 25% (all P < 0.001). The effect of CD4% nadir during the TI differed significantly (P = 0.038) by viral suppression at the start of the TI; in children with CD4% nadir < 15% during TI, recovery was better in those virally suppressed prior to the TI; viral suppression was not associated with recovery in children with CD4% nadir ≥ 25%.

Conclusions

After restart of ART following TI, most children reconstituted well immunologically. Nevertheless, several factors predicted better immunological reconstitution, including younger age and higher nadir CD4% during TI.
Microrheological study of ternary surfactant‐biosurfactant mixtures
Authors: Xu L. , Amin S.
Published: May 2019

Objective

The main objective of this paper is to understand the rheological impact of rhamnolipids biosurfactant (mono/dirhamnolipids mixture, CCB) on a common personal care mixed surfactants system: anionic sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and zwitterionic cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB). The ternary biosurfactant/surfactants mixtures were evaluated at three different formulation conditions. The experimental results can provide a formulation guideline when applying rhamnolipids in cosmetics and personal care products.

Methods

Traditional mechanical rheometer was used to measure bulk viscosity and lower frequency rheological behaviour of ternary surfactant mixtures. Diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) was utilized to access rheological responses at high frequency regime. Structural parameters such as contour length, entanglement length and persistence length of wormlike micelles in the anionic/zwitterionic/biosurfactant mixtures can be extracted from the rheological data gathered by DWS.

Results

Maxwellian type response was present in SLES/CAPB/CCB system which indicated the formation of wormlike micelle. Contour length of wormlike micelle formed by SLES/CAPB reduced from 445.8 to 88.37 nm with only 2 wt% addition of CCB. In the same system, viscosity decreased and shorter relaxation time were observed. Addition of sodium chloride built the viscosity of SLES/CAPB/CCB to an extent by screening charges between surfactant head groups. Highest viscosity of SLES/CAPB/CCB (10 wt%, 2wt% and 4wt% respectfully) was observed when sodium chloride concentration was at 4 wt%. In the same SLES/CAPB/CCB system, pH impacted the system's rheological response significantly. Due to the zwitterionic nature of CAPB, it became more cationic at lower pH while rhamnolipids became more nonionic. SLES still maintained its anionic nature at low pH and this promoted the interaction between CAPB and SLES. At lower pH, overall loss and storage modulus exhibited higher values while longer relaxation times were observed. Increase in micelles contour length under lower pH conditions were shown by the DWS data.

Conclusion

This preliminary rheological and microstructure study of the complex biosurfactant/surfactants ternary systems revealed the effect of formulation conditions on the mixtures rheological responses.
Cytogenetics and associated mutation profile in patients with acute monocytic leukemia
Authors: Xing Shanshan , Wang Biao , Gao Yu , Li Mengjie , Wang Tong , Sun Yiwu , Shen Yimin , Chao Hongying
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Cytogenetics and molecular testings for disease classifying and prognosis estimation are becoming routine in clinical practice. However, the molecular characteristics of acute monocytic leukemia (AML‐M5) remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between karyotypes and gene mutations, especially in AML‐M5 patients with 11q23/KMT2A (MLL) rearrangement and normal karyotype.

Methods

A total of 126 de novo AML‐M5 patients were screened for mutations in the 51 genes known or suspected to have a role in myeloid malignancies or in monocytic differentiation using next‐generation sequencing (NGS). Chromosome karyotype analysis was performed by R‐banding method and further confirmed either by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and/or by multiple reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (multiple RT‐PCR).

Results

Of the 126 patients, one or more mutations were detected in 83.3% patients. FLT3‐ITD and NRAS had the highest mutation frequency, followed by NPM1, DNMT3A, TET2, KRAS, and RUNX1. We also identified a significant difference in mutational spectrums between KMT2A‐rearranged (KMT2Ar) patients and normal karyotype (NK) patients, as reflected in the average number of gene mutations per patient (1.66 vs 2.46), and in the frequencies of commonly mutated genes (FLT3‐ITD: 6% vs 43.5%; NPM1: 0% vs 43.5%; RUNX1: 2.0% vs 15.2%; DNMT3A: 4% vs 26.1%; KRAS: 24.0% vs 4.35%). Patients harboring ≥3 mutations showed much lower complete remission rate than that with double mutations (P = 0.043) in high‐risk group.

Conclusion

There was a significantly different mutation profile between KMT2Ar‐patients and NK patients. Our research provided new insight into the molecular characteristics of AML‐M5.
Erythrocyte indices in a large cohort of β‐thalassemia carrier: Implication for population screening in an area with high prevalence and heterogeneity of thalassemia
Authors: Singha Kritsada , Taweenan Wachiraporn , Fucharoen Goonnapa , Fucharoen Supan
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Most β‐thalassemia carriers have hypochromic microcytosis with mean corpuscular volume (MCV) < 80 fL and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) < 27 pg. These can be variable due to β‐thalassemia mutations, genetic interaction between thalassemic genes, and blood cell counters. We have examined whether these indices are effective in screening of β‐thalassemia in Thailand where thalassemia is prevalence and heterogeneous.

Methods

Retrospective data were reviewed on 11 443 Thai subjects encountered from August 2014 to August 2017. Subjects with heterozygous β‐thalassemia based on Hb and DNA analyses were recruited along with MCV and MCH values and analyzed.

Results

Among the 11 443 subjects reviewed, 1425 were β‐thalassemia carriers. Data were available on 1214 subjects for MCV and 965 subjects for MCH. DNA analysis identified 20 different β0‐thalassemia mutations in 874 (72.0%) cases and 6 β+‐thalassemia mutations in 340 (28.0%) subjects. Of these 1214 carriers, 26 (2.1%) had MCV ≥ 80 fL; 6 (23.1%) carried β0‐thalassemia, and the remaining 20 (76.9%) had β+‐thalassemia. In contrast for those having MCH values, only 4 of 965 (0.4%) had MCH ≥ 27 pg. DNA analysis identified both β0‐thalassemia and β+‐thalassemia mutations.

Conclusions

Using MCV alone for the screening of β‐thalassemia may pose a significant number of false negative although three‐quarter of them are carriers of mild β+‐thalassemia. MCH with approximately five times more sensitive is a better screening marker. Using a combined MCV and MCH is highly recommended, especially in an area with high prevalence and heterogeneity of thalassemia like Thailand.
Unknowability and Incarnation: Creation and Christology as Philosophy of Science in the Work of Nicholas Cusanus
Authors: Alfsvåg Knut
Published: May 2019

Nicholas Cusanus contributed to the development of modern science through a philosophy of unknowability, according to which the fact that the world makes sense is interpreted as a gift from the Creator, and the fact that it makes sense for the human is seen as an implication of the human being created in God's image. As placed on the crossroads between the eternal and the finite, the human is thus confronted with the challenge of discerning the manifestations of the infinite in the finite. This challenge was realized by Christ, who is thus epistemologically relevant as a demonstration of the possibility of adequate human knowledge through the coincidence of the human difference from and union with God.
Quantifying factors influencing American lobster (Homarus americanus) predation on the invasive green crab (Carcinus maenas) in Newfoundland, Canada
Authors: Rayner Gemma , Bird Tomas J. , McGaw Iain J.
Published: May 2019

The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is a newly invasive species in Newfoundland, where it has likely been present for ≤15 years. The green crab has been found in stomach contents of American lobster (Homarus americanus) in New England and Nova Scotia, Canada, but predation on this species has not yet been quantified in Newfoundland. We conducted feeding experiments to determine whether lobsters from Newfoundland were as likely as those from Nova Scotia (which have coexisted with green crabs for >60 years) to recognize and prey upon this new species. We also performed experiments to determine whether green crabs reach a size refuge from predation and whether factors including starvation, availability of alternate food sources, or habitat complexity would influence the probability of lobster attacking or feeding on green crabs. In our trials, lobster origin had no significant effect on crab predation; lobsters, irrespective of origin, were more likely to consume small (<40 mm carapace width [CW]) and medium (40–65 mm CW) crabs than larger (>65 mm CW) ones. Nevertheless, even small lobsters (73–76 mm carapace length, 300 g) were able to kill and consume the largest green crabs (78 mm CW, 100 g). Green crabs were less likely to be attacked or eaten when an alternative food source was present, suggesting that the lobsters were preying on the crabs, rather than simply killing them in a dispute over territory. The addition of a shelter provided a refuge for the green crabs; however, the crabs were only able to avoid being injured or eaten if this shelter was structurally complex. The green crab is slowly spreading westward around the island of Newfoundland, and so its long‐term effects, interactions with other organisms, and contribution to the diet of Newfoundland lobsters remain to be seen.
Historical hybrid zone movement: More pervasive than appreciated
Authors: Wielstra Ben
Published: May 2019

Hybrid zones are established where two divergent populations meet and interbreed, but experience some reproductive isolation. If one population expands its range at the expense of the other, their hybrid zone moves. While hybrid zone movement is generally considered to be uncommon and insignificant, recent studies challenge this idea. The commonality of contemporary hybrid zone movement—with shifts in hybrid zones tracked over years to decennia—cannot be disputed, given the many examples available. Cases of historical hybrid zone movement—covering centuries or millennia of mobility—are accumulating, with movement having been inferred from five lines of evidence: (1) range shifts documented in the fossil/pollen record; (2) distribution dynamics derived from species distribution modelling; (3) enclaves of a displaced population persisting inside the range of an expanding one; (4) a peak of linkage disequilibrium at the leading edge of a moving hybrid zone; and (5) genome‐wide genetic traces of a displaced population, left behind in an expanding one. While most of these lines of evidence are not straightforward to interpret and/or broadly applicable, the latter—a genomic footprint of hybrid zone movement—promises to be particularly suitable to determine whether a hybrid zone has been on the move since its inception. I argue that historical hybrid zone movement is likely to be prevalent and deserves wider acknowledgement in historical biogeography.
PIWIL1 suppresses circadian rhythms through GSK3β‐induced phosphorylation and degradation of CLOCK and BMAL1 in cancer cells
Authors: Tan Hao , Zhu Yingchuan , Zheng Xulei , Lu Yilu , Tao Dachang , Liu Yunqiang , Ma Yongxin
Published: May 2019

Circadian rhythms are maintained by series of circadian clock proteins, and post‐translation modifications of clock proteins significantly contribute to regulating circadian clock. However, the underlying upstream mechanism of circadian genes that are responsible for circadian rhythms in cancer cells remains unknown. PIWIL1 participates in many physiological processes and current discoveries have shown that PIWIL1 is involved in tumorigenesis in various cancers. Here we report that PIWIL1 can suppress circadian rhythms in cancer cells. Mechanistically, by promoting SRC interacting with PI3K, PIWIL1 can activate PI3K‐AKT signalling pathway to phosphorylate and inactivate GSK3β, repressing GSK3β‐induced phosphorylation and ubiquitination of CLOCK and BMAL1. Simultaneously, together with CLOCK/BMAL1 complex, PIWIL1 can bind with E‐BOX region to suppress transcriptional activities of clock‐controlled genes promoters. Collectively, our findings first demonstrate that PIWIL1 negatively regulates circadian rhythms via two pathways, providing molecular connection between dysfunction of circadian rhythms and tumorigenesis.
A retrospective analysis omalizumab treatment patterns in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria: a real‐world study in Belgium
Authors: Lapeere H. , Baeck M. , Stockman A. , Sabato V. , Grosber M. , Moutschen M. , Lambert J. , Vandebuerie L. , de Montjoye L. , Rabijns H. , Allewaert K. , Schrijvers R.
Published: May 2019

Background

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is characterized by the repeated occurrence of persistent hives and/or angioedema for ≥6 weeks, without specific external stimuli. H1‐antihistamines have long been the standard of care of CSU, but many patients remain uncontrolled even at 4× the approved dose. Add‐on therapy with omalizumab has proven effective in clinical trials, but little is known about omalizumab treatment in Belgium.

Objective

To collect real‐world clinical data on omalizumab treatment in adults with CSU in Belgium.

Methods

This was an observational, retrospective chart review of adults with CSU, who initiated omalizumab treatment between August 2014 and December 2016 (maximum 28 months follow‐up).

Results

In total, 235 patients were included (median time from symptom onset to diagnosis, 5.4 months; median time from diagnosis to commencing omalizumab, 6.7 months). Treatments used before/after commencing omalizumab did not always adhere to guidelines; many patients (26.4%/11.1%) received first‐generation H1‐antihistamines, while 20.4% used omalizumab monotherapy after initiating treatment. The mean interval between omalizumab administrations was 4.8 (SD 1.7) weeks; 67.8% of patients had ≥1 interval prolongation and/or shortening. Mean baseline 7‐day Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) was 32.0 (SD 6.05); this improved to 12.6 (SD 11.2) after 1 month of omalizumab. About 67.2% of patients reached UAS7 ≤ 6 (well controlled) during the study. A total of 87 patients stopped omalizumab and never restarted before the end of the observation period; the most prevalent reason was remission of symptoms (49.4% of patients), followed by lack of effect (12.6%), lost to follow‐up (6.9%) and adverse events (3.4%). Headache was the most common adverse event (n = 8/82). No anaphylaxis was reported.

Conclusions

This study revealed that patients initiated on omalizumab in Belgium had severe CSU at baseline, and showed substantial improvements after 1 month of treatment. Greater adherence to the prescription of guideline‐recommended medications is needed for the treatment of CSU.
Colorimetric assay for the in vitro evaluation of Saprolegnia biofilm inhibitors
Authors: Ali Shimaa E. , Songe Mwansa M. , Skaar Ida
Published: May 2019

A quantitative and reproducible 96‐well microtiter method that is easily adaptable for the screening of Saprolegnia biofilm inhibitors is described. As opposed to other methods previously developed for the screening of Saprolegnia inhibitors on spore germination or mycelial growth, this technique is of particular significance as it investigates potential inhibitors against surface‐attached mycelial mats of Saprolegnia spp. (biofilm). In this study, we have investigated the effects of propionic acid (PPA) on reducing the viability of induced Saprolegnia biofilms using colorimetric MTS assay based on the reduction of tetrazolium salts. Viability of Saprolegnia hyphae in treated biofilms was reduced significantly following treatment with different PPA concentrations. The effect was enhanced after combining each of the tested PPA concentrations with 500 mg/L of boric acid (BA). However, the percentage of non‐viable hyphae was still higher in 200 mg L–1 bronopol‐treated biofilms (positive control) following 6‐ and 12‐hr exposure. Similar results were observed using other recently described fluorescence‐based assays for viability.
Intelligent modeling and detailed analysis of drying, hydration, thermal, and spectral characteristics for convective drying of chicken breast slices
Authors: Kumar Deepak , Tarafdar Ayon , Kumar Yogesh , Badgujar Prarabdh C.
Published: May 2019

Chicken breast slices were convectively dried at three different temperatures (60, 70, and 80°C). Drying characteristics were analyzed and the predictive capabilities of artificial neural network (ANN) and semiempirical models were exploited. Low complexity ANN model with 10 hidden layer neurons was developed which provided improved results over eight tested semiempirical models. Influence of drying temperature on water activity, rehydration, shrinkage, color, thermal, and spectroscopic properties of the dried product was investigated. Samples dried at 70°C displayed lower moisture content (7.13% w.b.), water activity (aw = 0.45) and color change; while, exhibiting better rehydration potential. Effect of pH on hydration showed that alkaline pH (12.0) facilitated the hydration rate in the samples. Shrinkage in dried samples varied within 20–40% and increased with increase in drying temperature. Thermograms of the dried samples revealed a shift in glass transition temperature from 93° to 140° with an increase in drying temperature, indicating a change in protein structure, which was later confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Practical Application

Data on drying, thermal, and hydration characteristics for chicken slices generated in this study could aid the meat industry in developing faster and more convenient processes. Moreover, the low complexity model engineered in this study will facilitate the development of robust control systems for industrial applications. Salient findings of the study such as: (a) optimum time and temperature combination (i.e., 70°C/5 hr) for drying of chicken breast slices; (b) increased rehydration rate with increase in pH from 3.0 to 12.0; and (c) thermal and spectral characteristics have been reported for dried chicken slices which provides vital information on drying process for improvement in the end product obtained.
Automatic surface area and volume prediction on ellipsoidal ham using deep learning
Authors: Liong Sze‐Teng , Gan Yee‐Siang , Huang Yen‐Chang
Published: May 2019

This article presents novel methods to predict the surface area and volume of ham through a camera. By doing so, conventional methods of obtaining volume through measuring weight can be neglected, as they are not very economically effective. Both the surface area and volume are obtained in the following two ways: manually and automatically. The former is assumed as the true or exact measurement and the latter is done through a computer vision technique together with some geometrical analysis that includes mathematically‐derived functions. For the automatic implementation, most of the existing approaches extract the features of the food material based on handcrafted features and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to estimate the surface area and volume of ham with deep learning features. We address the estimation task with a Mask Region‐based CNN (Mask R‐CNN) approach, which will perform the ham detection and semantic segmentation from a video. The experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm proposed is robust and promising as surface area and volume estimation are obtained from two angles of the ellipsoidal ham (i.e., horizontal and vertical positions). Specifically, when the ham is measured from a vertical angle, the overall accuracy achieved is up to 95% whereas from the horizontal angle, accuracy is around 80%.

Practical Application

Predict the surface area and volume of the ham through a 2D camera.

Robustness on automatic object segmentation for high accuracy measurement of object's volume by adopting deep learning algorithms.
Real‐time detection of saponin content during the fermentation process of Tremella aurantialba using a homemade artificial olfaction system
Authors: Dai Chunxia , Huang Xingyi , Huang Daming , Lv Riqin , Sun Jun , Zhang Zhicai , Aheto Joshua H.
Published: May 2019

Saponin is one of the most important products of Tremella aurantialba fermentation. The purpose of this research is to develop a portable artificial visualization system for convenient and nondestructive monitoring the saponin content during the fermentation process of T. aurantialba in real time. This system consisted of a colorimetric sensor array (CSA) and image acquisition program. Support vector machine regression (SVR) model was utilized to establish the quantitative model for predicting saponin content. Principal component analysis was applied to reduce the input dimension of SVR model and predigest model complexity. The reaction time was optimized with the predicted results as the main concern. The results indicated good performance in the correlation between reference measurement and CSA predicted when the reaction time was 2 min. Additionally, genetic algorithm was used to select colorimetric sensors that resulted in the best‐fitted for models. The determination coefficient (Rp) was 0.8829 and the root‐mean‐square error of prediction was 1.7783 mg/mL in the testing set. The results validated that the designed system is feasible to quantify saponin content, and it could serve as a useful technology for quality control of submerged fermentation of T. aurantialba.

Practical applications

The fermentation process is susceptive and even small changes can result in unacceptable final product quality. However, the classical analysis methods need off‐line extraction techniques and complex preparation of the sample and lengthy analysis time, which cannot satisfy the demand of in‐situ and rapid test. This study developed a portable artificial visualization system for convenient and rapid detection during the submerged fermentation of Tremella aurantialba, and tested its reliability and accuracy. The results obtained from this research sufficiently showed that the developed system has broad application prospects in the real‐time detection of the fermentation process.