bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular natural history of breast cancer: Leveraging transcriptomics to predict breast cancer progression and aggressiveness
Authors: Cook Daniel J. , Kallus Jonatan , Jörnsten Rebecka , Nielsen Jens
Published: March 2020

Background

Characterizing breast cancer progression and aggressiveness relies on categorical descriptions of tumor stage and grade. Interpreting these categorical descriptions is challenging because stage convolutes the size and spread of the tumor and no consensus exists to define high/low grade tumors.

Methods

We address this challenge of heterogeneity in patient‐specific cancer samples by adapting and applying several tools originally created for understanding heterogeneity and phenotype development in single cells (specifically, single‐cell topological data analysis and Wanderlust) to create a continuous metric describing breast cancer progression using bulk RNA‐seq samples from individual patient tumors. We also created a linear regression‐based method to predict tumor aggressiveness in vivo from bulk RNA‐seq data.

Results

We found that breast cancer proceeds along three convergent phenotype trajectories: luminal, HER2‐enriched, and basal‐like. Furthermore, 31 296 genes (for luminal cancers), 17 827 genes (for HER2‐enriched), and 18 505 genes (for basal‐like) are dynamically differentially expressed during breast cancer progression. Across progression trajectories, our results show that expression of genes related to ADP‐ribosylation decreased as tumors progressed (while PARP1 and PARP2 increased or remained stable), suggesting the potential for a differential response to PARP inhibitors based on cancer progression. Additionally, we developed a 132‐gene expression regression equation to predict mitotic index and a 23‐gene expression regression equation to predict growth rate from a single breast cancer biopsy.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that breast cancer dynamically changes during disease progression, and growth rate of the cancer cells is associated with distinct transcriptional profiles.
Uncommon anomalies of the left pulmonary artery during VATS lobectomy for lung cancer
Authors: Amore Dario , Caterino Umberto , Casazza Dino , Imitazione Pasquale , Saglia Alessandro , Valentino Maria Rosaria , Izzo Alessandro , Curcio Carlo
Published: March 2020

The key to avoid intraoperative complications due to failure in the preoperative detection of pulmonary vascular anomalies is to perform a careful hilar dissection.
Pediatric bilateral ureteral stone successfully removed using single‐use flexible ureteroscopy with a holmium: YAG laser
Authors: Kawahara Takashi , Kobayashi Kota , Hanai Takahiro , Kuroda Shinnosuke , Teranishi Jun‐ichi , Uemura Hiroji
Published: March 2020

A 12‐year‐old boy received steroid for his minimal change nephrotic syndrome for 10 years, and bilateral renal and ureteral stones and hydronephrosis were observed. Single‐use flexible ureteroscopy is usable for pediatric lithotripsy with Ho: YAG laser.
Self‐Assembly of Tetraphenylethylene‐Based Amphiphiles in Aqueous Methanol Solution into Two‐Dimensional Chiral Sheets for Enantioselective Sorption
Authors: Wang Yanqiu , Lee Myongsoo
Published: March 2020

Most synthetic building blocks self‐assemble into one‐ or three‐dimensional architectures. However, fewer examples have been reported on the aggregation of amphiphiles to form optically‐active two‐dimensional (2D) structures. Herein, we report the self‐assembly of tetraphenylethylene (TPE)‐containing hydrophilic dendrons into 2D sheet structures in aqueous methanol solution. TEM and AFM investigations showed that the self‐assembly of disubstituted TPE generates helical nanofibers as an intermediate structure which, in turn, laterally associate into a chiral sheet structure with a thickness of 4.6 nm, whereas tetrasubstituted TPE self‐assembles into a nonchiral sheet structure with a thickness of 3.8 nm. In great contrast to the nonchiral sheets, the chiral sheets are able to preferentially absorb the d‐enantiomer in a racemic phenylalanine derivative solution accompanied by fluorescence enhancement, thus indicating that the single‐layered chiral sheets act as an enantioselective membrane that can be used for fluorescence sensing.
Interference‐aware clustering approach improving QoS for linear WSNs using a token‐based MAC protocol
Authors: Ndoye El Hadji Malick , Diallo Ousmane , Hakem Nadir , Jacquet Frédérique , Misson Michel , Rodrigues Joel J. P. C.
Published: March 2020

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have received a lot of attention from both academia and industry due to the increasing need for ubiquitous computing for monitoring applications, the continuous advances in miniaturization of electronic devices, and the ultra‐low‐power wireless technologies. These innovations in technology have driven the curiosity to use sensor networks in a new kind of applications such as road track or railway monitoring, border monitoring, oil and gas, or even water pipeline monitoring. Due to the underlying linear topology of these applications, a new type of network, called a linear sensor network (LSN), has emerged. Because of the specific characteristics of this application and the resource constraints of sensors, some of the major challenges faced in LSNs are to reduce end‐to‐end delays, to maximize the packet delivery ratio to a sink, and an even distribution of the load between nodes. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to control node‐to‐node packet traffic conditions and to manage radio interference created by simultaneously active nodes. This paper addresses these challenges and proposes a new method of clustering LSNs that reduces or controls radio interference risks in order to satisfy these objectives, application needs, and the resource limitations of sensor nodes in the best possible way. This method is applied for LSNs using a token‐passing mechanism to access the medium. The performance evaluation is conducted by using a realistic propagation model in the analytical evaluation and also a NS‐2 simulation process.
The effectiveness of insulin glargine 300 U/mL among type 2 diabetes patients: Analysis of a real‐world data in Israel
Authors: Melzer Cohen Cheli , Banon Tamar , Shalev Varda , Chodick Gabriel
Published: March 2020

Aims

Randomized controlled trials have shown that insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla‐300) has a more stable and prolonged glucose lowering effect among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) compared to insulin glargine 100 U/mL (Gla‐100), resulting in a reduced risk of hypoglycaemia while maintaining a similar efficacy of lowering HbA1c. We aimed to investigate if the effectiveness of Gla‐300 is reproducible in real‐world settings.

Material and methods

In this retrospective cohort study, data from a large state‐mandated health organization were used to identify adult T2DM patients who were previously on insulin and initiated Gla‐300 therapy between 6/ 2016 and 12/2017. Changes in HbA1c levels, body weight and insulin dose were calculated from baseline period and over a follow‐up period of 180 days. Documented hypoglycaemia events were also explored.

Results

A total of 1797 patients were included in this study with a mean age of 64.2 (SD = ±11.0y), baseline HbA1c was 8.7 ± 1.6% and 42.5% were females. Among all patients with HbA1c measurement during follow‐up (n = 1508), HbA1c was significantly reduced by −0.6% (95% CI −0.6,−0.5; P < .001) from baseline, with a significant reduction in body weight (−0.4 kg; P = <.001).

Additionally, a significant (P = .04) reduction of 40.5% in patients with hypoglycaemia events was recorded during follow‐up period, from 2.1% (n = 37) at the baseline period to 1.2% (n = 22).

Conclusions

This real‐world study supports evidence from RCTs regarding the effectiveness of Gla‐300 among T2DM patients by improving glycaemic control.
Burning biases: Mitigating cognitive biases in fire engineering
Authors: Kinsey Michael J. , Kinateder Max , Gwynne Steven M. V. , Hopkin Danny
Published: March 2020

Fire engineering has developed into a mainstream engineering discipline within the building design process. Building fire codes are increasingly complex, comprising thousands of requirements regarding a wide range of topics that must be considered. Fire engineers are required to possess increasingly complex knowledge about a variety of subjects, along with expertise in their application. This has been magnified with the proliferation of performance‐based methods using a range of computational tools. This coupled with increased project performance pressures, raises the potential for errors in judgment. Errors in judgment may be caused by limitations in a given resource (e.g. time, information available, knowledge, etc) and/or neglect/over‐focus on specific information (at the expense of other and more relevant information) through cognitive biases. This paper initially provides a broad overview of general decision‐making, including the use of heuristics and cognitive biases. Examples of cognitive biases are presented which may be linked to errors in fire engineer decision‐making. This study considers several fire engineering decision contexts where cognitive biases may exist which are associated with fire code application, modeling/calculations, probabilistic risk assessments, general fire engineering practice, and perceptions based on experience. Potential measures to mitigate some of these biases and prompt better decision‐making are discussed. Those that may benefit from awareness of such biases and mitigation measures include not only practicing fire engineers, but also building developers, fire code committees, evacuation/fire/structural fire modeling developers, approving authorities, and fire engineering researchers/students.
Research of inorganic fire‐extinguishing materials on preventing and controlling gas and coal spontaneous combustion in the narrow coal pillar and adjacent goaf
Authors: Zheng Wancheng , Yang Shengqiang , Li Weizhu , Wang Jiao
Published: March 2020

To reduce the pressure on underlying coal seam and maximize the mining efficiency of coal resource, narrow coal pillar mining technology is often used. However, for coal mines with high gas and spontaneous combustion, this technology can cause gas and coal spontaneous combustion composite disaster easily. In this paper, we adopted a new type of inorganic fire‐extinguishing material (IFEM) to prevent and control gas and coal spontaneous combustion composite disaster. The result shows that the destruction of narrow pillar caused by stress extrusion and mining disturbance is the internal cause of gas and coal spontaneous combustion composite disaster. IFEM can go deep into the cracks of coal mass to seal up the cracks and reduce gas exchange between roadway and adjacent goaf. Meanwhile, it is full of moisture in the interior, which can reduce the temperature of coal mass through evaporation and heat absorption. The IFEM has the characteristics of high water retention, strong fluidity, and strong flame retardant, which can inhibit the generation of free radicals in coal mass at both physical and chemical levels, prevent the spontaneous combustion of coal mass, and reduce the occurrence of composite disasters of gas and coal spontaneous combustion.

Highlights

The crack inside the narrow coal pillar develops, and the gas permeability is good.

The combined disaster in the narrow coal pillar working face is serious.

IFEM can seal cracks and increase the strength of narrow coal pillars.

IFEM can inhibit the generation of free radicals in coal and prevent coal from contact with oxygen.
Sensitivity analysis of the precooling process of strawberry: Effect of package designing parameters and the moisture loss
Authors: Nalbandi Habibeh , Seiiedlou Sadegh
Published: March 2020

Strawberry is one of the most perishable fruits, and precooling of strawberry increases the percentage of marketable fruits. To assess the sensitivity of strawberry cooling uniformity with respect to package vents and tray design, the previously proposed modified parallel airflow system (MPAS) was modified and a sensitivity analysis was conducted in this paper. Some improvements in homogeneous strawberry precooling process were made to give improved parallel airflow system (IPAS). To evaluate its performance, the cooling process of strawberries was simulated using the mathematical models of heat, momentum, and mass transfer, which were validated experimentally. Results showed that the IPAS was able to distribute cold air uniformly throughout the packages. A difference of 0.1°C was observed between the average fruit temperatures of the packages after 3 hr of cooling. Therefore, the cooling process of strawberry could be done at lower airflow rate, cooling time, and heterogeneity. In addition, the precooling process of strawberry was studied considering the moisture loss during the cooling process and comparing the data with the models without this term. The results indicated that the moisture loss of strawberries during the cooling process is not negligible and the cooling rate increased and the cooling time decreased (31%) by considering this term in the modeling. However, the moisture loss did not affect the heterogeneity of cooling process.
Metabolic factors contribute to T‐cell inhibition in the ovarian cancer ascites
Authors: Gong Yueqing , Yang Jianling , Wang Yan , Xue Lixiang , Wang Junjie
Published: March 2020

Malignant ascites is one of the major clinical features of ovarian cancer, which serves as a carrier for the peritoneal dissemination of tumor cells and predicts a poor prognosis in patients. In the microenvironment of ovarian cancer ascites, antitumor immunity is suppressed, which enables the tumor cells to escape from immune surveillance. The metabolic factors, including hypoxia, nutrient deprivation and accumulation of metabolic products, contribute to the immunosuppressive status of malignant ascites. The malignant ascites and ovarian solid tumors exhibit differential metabolic profiles. In this review, we have summarized the most recent findings on the interaction between immune cells and metabolic factors in the ovarian cancer ascites. The effects of metabolic factors on the antitumor functions of T‐cells in the malignant ascites were analyzed. Finally, we have discussed the potential directions for future research in this field.
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles attenuate lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammatory responses through modulation of toll‐like receptor 4 expression
Authors: Chen Yajing , Zeng Zhisen , Ying Haoran , Wu Chuang , Chen Shuzhen
Published: March 2020

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are extensively applied in biomedical fields, such as magnetic resonance imaging and as nanocarriers. However, the biosafety of SPIONs is not completely established, especially their effect on the immune system and inflammatory responses. Toll‐like receptor (TLR) signaling is essential for many acute and chronic human inflammatory diseases. Regulation of TLR responses with drugs is helpful for these inflammatory conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of 10 and 30 nm SPIONs on macrophages in the presence or absence of the TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that SPIONs inhibited the release of inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS both in murine and human macrophages in a concentration‐dependent manner. Meanwhile, SPIONs suppressed inducible nitric oxide synthase expression activated by SPIONs in RAW264.7 macrophages. Additionally, TLR4 mRNA transcription and expression were attenuated with SPIONs treatment, which positively correlated with the release of inflammatory cytokines. In summary, our study demonstrates that SPIONs can suppress inflammatory responses, and the underlying mechanism may be regulated by TLR4 expression. Our present work contributes to clarifying the biosafety of SPIONs and provides a potential approach to alleviate human inflammatory diseases.
Targeting in Practice: A Review of Existing Mechanisms for Beneficiary Selection in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Stoeffler Quentin , Fontshi Francis , Lungela Aimé
Published: March 2020

This article presents a field‐based review of existing mechanisms in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for targeting poor households as beneficiaries of social programs. We surveyed 69 programs from diverse organizations in five regions of the DRC. Our approach is in contrast with the existing targeting literature that focuses on single public programs or cross‐country evidence. We find that targeting is diverse, mostly ad hoc, and relies heavily on categorical targeting or limited community‐based selection, with the exception of humanitarian organizations in the eastern regions. We suggest a way forward for implementing a national targeting strategy in the DRC. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The influence of climate change on low‐level jet characteristics over the South‐Central Plains as simulated by CMIP5 models
Authors: Wimhurst Joshua J. , Greene J. Scott
Published: March 2020

Previous studies have projected the Central Plains low‐level jet (LLJ) to form more frequently over the South‐Central Plains region in the future, with limited projected changes in its speed and height. This work's objective was to assess future LLJ characteristics with wind speed outputs obtained from the Phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) suite of models. Improvements in model resolution and simulation of climate dynamics relevant to LLJs were made in CMIP5, and a multi‐model study that focuses specifically on the LLJ's future state using these models is yet to be done. Occurrences of LLJs were identified by applying an LLJ definition based on wind shear to six‐hourly vertical wind profiles derived from the model outputs. Changes in future LLJ speed, frequency, and height versus a historical control were subsequently calculated on seasonal and diurnal temporal scales. As seen in previous work, the largest expected changes in LLJ characteristics are those of its frequency, especially in summer, autumn, and at night. Evidence was also found for large increases in frequency in the northern half of the study region, consistent with previous expectations. CMIP5 models with finer horizontal and vertical resolutions tended to project greater increases in LLJ frequency than those with coarse resolutions. Projected changes in LLJ speed and height were by contrast largely insignificant, also consistent with previous findings. However, these characteristics, along with frequency, exhibited notable diurnal variability in historical and future simulations, especially in winter. An increase in cold‐season LLJ variability could have implications for the consistency of synoptically driven LLJs. This finding, along with the projected warm‐season poleward shift in the LLJ's frequency maximum over the study region, elucidates the LLJ's future state as projected by a selection of CMIP5 models, and the consequences for processes that depend upon the LLJ's consistency.
Impact of plant species and atmospheric CO2 concentration on rhizodeposition and soil microbial activity and community composition
Authors: Jílková Veronika , Sim Allan , Thornton Barry , Jandová Kateřina , Cajthaml Tomáš , Paterson Eric
Published: March 2020

Both plant species and CO2 concentration can potentially affect rhizodeposition and consequently soil microbial activity and community composition. However, the effect differs based on plant developmental stage. We focused on the effect of three plant species (forbs, grasses, and N2‐fixers) at an early stage of development on root C deposition and fate, soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization and soil microbial community composition at ambient (aCO2) and elevated (eCO2) CO2 levels. Plants were grown from seed, under continuous 13C‐labelling atmospheres (400 and 800 µmol mol−1 CO2), in grassland soil for three weeks. At the end of the growth period, soil respiration, dissolved organic C (DOC) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles were quantified and isotopically partitioned into root‐ and soil‐derived components.

Root‐derived DOC (0.53 ± 0.34 and 0.26 ± 0.29 µg mL soil solution−1) and soil‐derived CO2 (6.14 ± 0.55 and 5.04 ± 0.44 µg CO2‐C h−1) were on average two times and 22% higher at eCO2 than at aCO2, respectively. Plant species differed in exudate production at aCO2 (0.11 ± 0.11, 0.10 ± 0.18, and 0.58 ± 0.58 µg mL soil solution−1 for Plantago, Festuca, and Lotus, respectively) but not at eCO2 (0.20 ± 0.28, 0.66 ± 0.32, and 0.75 ± 0.15 µg mL soil solution−1 for Plantago, Festuca, and Lotus, respectively). However, no differences among plant species or CO2 levels were apparent when DOC was expressed per gram of roots. Relative abundance of PLFAs did not differ between the two CO2 levels. A higher abundance of actinobacteria and G‐positive bacteria occurred in unplanted (8.07 ± 0.48 and 24.36 ± 1.18 mol%) and Festuca‐affected (7.63 ± 0.31 and 23.62 ± 0.69 mol%) soil than in Plantago‐ (7.04 ± 0.36 and 23.41 ± 1.13 mol%) and Lotus‐affected (7.24 ± 0.17 and 23.13 ± 0.52 mol%) soil. In conclusion, the differences in root exudate production and soil respiration are mainly caused by differences in root biomass at an early stage of development. However, plant species evidently produce root exudates of varying quality affecting associated microbial community composition.
Temperature dependence of Raman scattering in GeSn films
Authors: Liu Tao , Miao Yuanhao , Wang Liming , Zhu Guangjian , Hu Huiyong , Zhong Zhenyang , Yang Xinju , Jiang Zuimin
Published: March 2020

Temperature dependence of Raman scattering from Ge0.95Sn0.05 and Ge0.92Sn0.08 films, grown on Ge (001) substrates by low temperature molecular beam epitaxy, was studied over the temperature range of 90 to 850 K. Nonlinear temperature dependencies in the Raman shift of Ge‐Ge and Ge‐Sn modes have been observed. Although they could be well described by an empirical formula, much different values were found in first‐order temperature coefficient of the Raman shift for the Ge‐Ge mode in bulk Ge, the Ge0.95Sn0.05, and Ge0.92Sn0.08 films, being 1.7, 2.4, and 2.7 × 10−2 cm−1/K, respectively. Two factors, phonon–phonon coupling and thermal expansion, contribute to the temperature dependence of Raman shift. Detailed analysis shows that the thermal expansion contribution increases slightly with the Sn content, whereas the phonon–phonon coupling contribution increases markedly with the Sn content. In other words, the anharmonic decay process is much enhanced by the alloy perturbation in GeSn alloys. In addition, an abrupt change was observed at temperature of 650 K in Raman shift and linewidth of Ge‐Ge mode for the Ge0.92Sn0.08 film, which is caused by Sn segregation, concomitant lattice relaxation, and crystallization as well.
Imaging Evidence of Nigrostriatal Degeneration in DYT‐PRKRA
Authors: Pinto Maria João , Oliveira Ana , Rosas Maria José , Massano João
Published: March 2020

View Supplementary Video S1
Kein Hokuspokus – Inhaltsstoffe der Zauberpilze
Authors: Hoffmeister Dirk
Published: March 2020

Sie sind geniale Chemiker: Pilze duften oder stinken, ein scharfer Geschmack weist oft auf ihre Ungenießbarkeit hin. Pilze der Gattung Psilocybe beeinflussen Wahrnehmung sowie Bewusstsein des Menschen, und sie haben noch eine Besonderheit: Wird der Fruchtkörper verletzt, färbt er sich blau. Über den dafür verantwortlichen Farbstoff und was daraus werden kann.
Trendbericht Analytische Chemie
Authors: Alfeld Matthias , Eckhardt Hanns‐Simon , Kraft Jörg , Maiwald Michael , Meermann Björn , Merz Klaus , Pacholski Claudia , Prikler Simon , Richert Joachim , Steiner Gerald , von Tümpling Wolf
Published: March 2020

Zusätzlich zu Methodenentwicklung, Miniaturisierung und Kopplungsverfahren zeigen sich die Hyperspektroskopie zusammen mit Imaging‐Verfahren, der Einzelmolekülnachweis und der Einsatz von 3‐D‐Druckern als neue Schwerpunkte. Hinzu kommen künstliche Intelligenz bei Sensoren, Bildgebungsverfahren und Prozesssteuerung sowie die Vernetzung von Analyse‐ und Laborgeräten. Trends und Forschungsthemen aus der analytischen Chemie, zusammengestellt von elf Autoren, koordiniert von Günter Gauglitz.
Vorstandssitzungen
Authors: Koch Wolfram
Published: March 2020

Bericht über die Sitzung des GDCh‐Vorstands am 3. Dezember 2019 und die Vorstands‐Telefonkonferenz am 20. Dezember 2019.
Curcumin loaded PEG400‐OA nanoparticles: A suitable system to increase apoptosis, decrease migration, and deregulate miR‐125b/miR182 in MDA‐MB‐231 human breast cancer cells
Authors: Pakizehkar Safura , Ranji Najmeh , Naderi Sohi Alireza , Sadeghizadeh Majid
Published: March 2020

Curcumin is an anti‐cancerous agent, but its low‐solubility limits its clinical use. The relationship between deregulation of miRNAs and their targets suggested that miRNAs can be interest targets of curcumin in treatment of different cancers. In this study, to overcome essential defects of the clinical usage of this golden drug, curcumin‐encapsulated polymersome nanoparticles (CPNs) have been developed, and the cytotoxicity effects were studied on MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells. The expression level of miR‐182/125b and the expression pattern of some potential targets in apoptotic pathway, predicted by in silico approaches, were analyzed by RT‐qPCR in CPNs‐treated and untreated cells. Moreover, the amount of CASP9 and CASP8 proteins were determined by Western blotting. The effect of CPNs on cell migration were studied by scratch test and the level of EGFR, E‐cadherin, and beta‐catenin proteins were monitored in CPNs‐treated and untreated cells by western blotting. RT‐qPCR analysis identified the downregulation of miR‐125b and miR‐182 in CPNs‐treated cells and the upregulation of some predicted apoptotic target genes such as P53, CASP9 and BAX after 24 hours. Western blotting confirmed the effects of curcumin on the increase of cleaved CASP9 protein. Based on data from the current experiment, the migration of MDA‐MB‐231 cells was decreased after CPNs treatment. According to the results, CPNs, as suitable and compatible nanocarriers, can deliver curcumin into cancerous cells more effectively and can increase the therapeutic effects of curcumin on MDA‐MB‐231 cells partly by suppression of miR‐125b and miR‐182 as well as induction of apoptosis and inhibition of metastatic progression.
Metabolite identification using an ion mobility enhanced data‐independent acquisition strategy and automated data processing
Authors: Radchenko Tatiana , Kochansky Christopher J. , Cancilla Mark , Wrona Mark D. , Mortishire‐Smith Russell J. , Kirk Jayne , Murray Gordon , Fontaine Fabien , Zamora Ismael
Published: March 2020

Rationale

Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry is an essential tool for efficient and reliable quantitative and qualitative analysis and underpins much of contemporary drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Data‐independent acquisition methods such as MSE have reduced the potential to miss metabolites, but do not formally generate quadrupole‐resolved product ion spectra. The addition of ion mobility separation to these approaches, for example, in High‐Definition MSE (HDMSE) has the potential to reduce the time needed to set up an experiment and maximize the chance that all metabolites present can be resolved and characterized. We compared High‐Definition Data‐Dependent Acquisition (HD‐DDA), MSE and HDMSE approaches using automated software processing with Mass‐MetaSite and WebMetabase.

Methods

Metabolite identification was performed on incubations of glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (7‐37) (GLP‐1) and verapamil hydrochloride. The HD‐DDA, MSE and HDMSE experiments were conducted on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC I‐Class LC system with a VION IMS quadrupole time‐of‐flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer operating under UNIFI control. All acquired data were processed using MassMetaSite able to read data from UNIFI 1.9.4. WebMetabase was used to review the detected chromatographic peaks and the spectral data interpretations.

Results

A comparison of outcomes obtained for MSE and HDMSE data demonstrated that the same structures were proposed for metabolites of both verapamil and GLP‐1. The ratio of structurally matched to mismatched product ions found by MassMetaSite was slightly greater for HDMSE than for MSE, and HD‐DDA, thus improving confidence in the structures proposed through the addition of ion mobility based data acquisitions.

Conclusions

HDMSE data acquisition is an effective approach for the elucidation of metabolite structures for both small molecules and peptides, with excellent accuracy and quality, requiring minimal tailoring for the compound under investigation.
The Capaciousness of No: Affective Refusals as Literacy Practices
Authors: Truman Sarah E. , Hackett Abigail , Pahl Kate , McLean Davies Larissa , Escott Hugh
Published: March 2020

The authors considered the capacious feeling that emerges from saying no to literacy practices, and the affective potential of saying noasa literacy practice. The authors highlight the affective possibilities of saying no to normative understandings of literacy, thinking with a series of vignettes in which children, young people, and teachers refused literacy practices in different ways. The authors use the termcapaciousto signal possibilities that are as yet unthought: a sense of broadening and opening out through enacting no. The authors examined how attention to affect ruptures humanist logics that inform normative approaches to literacy. Through attention to nonconscious, noncognitive, and transindividual bodily forces and capacities, affect deprivileges the human as the sole agent in an interaction, thus disrupting measurements of who counts as a literate subject and what counts as a literacy event. No is an affective moment. It can signal a pushback, an absence, or a silence. As a theoretical and methodological way of thinking/feeling with literacy, affect proposes problems rather than solutions, countering solution‐focused research in which the resistance is to be overcome, co‐opted, or solved. Affect operates as a crack or a chink, a tiny ripple, a barely perceivable gesture, that can persist and, in doing so, hold open the possibility for alternative futures.
Estimation of treatment effects following a sequential trial of multiple treatments
Authors: Whitehead John , Desai Yasin , Jaki Thomas
Published: March 2020

When a clinical trial is subject to a series of interim analyses as a result of which the study may be terminated or modified, final frequentist analyses need to take account of the design used. Failure to do so may result in overstated levels of significance, biased effect estimates and confidence intervals with inadequate coverage probabilities. A wide variety of valid methods of frequentist analysis have been devised for sequential designs comparing a single experimental treatment with a single control treatment. It is less clear how to perform the final analysis of a sequential or adaptive design applied in a more complex setting, for example, to determine which treatment or set of treatments amongst several candidates should be recommended. This article has been motivated by consideration of a trial in which four treatments for sepsis are to be compared, with interim analyses allowing the dropping of treatments or termination of the trial to declare a single winner or to conclude that there is little difference between the treatments that remain. The approach taken is based on the method of Rao‐Blackwellization which enhances the accuracy of unbiased estimates available from the first interim analysis by taking their conditional expectations given final sufficient statistics. Analytic approaches to determine such expectations are difficult and specific to the details of the design: instead “reverse simulations” are conducted to construct replicate realizations of the first interim analysis from the final test statistics. The method also provides approximate confidence intervals for the differences between treatments.
Making Europe go from bottles to the tap: Political and societal attempts to induce behavioral change
Authors: Tosun Jale , Scherer Ulrike , Schaub Simon , Horn Harald
Published: March 2020

In several European countries and at the level of the European Union, we can observe political and societal attempts to promote the use of tap water. Most prominently, the European Commission proposed revisions for the Drinking Water Directive, which includes strategies for promoting the consumption of tap water. The strategies comprise the following: improving access to tap water, upgrading quality standards for tap water, and enhancing transparency concerning the benefits of tap water. National initiatives in European countries pursue similar strategies that concentrate on enhancing access to tap water and communicating its economic, environmental, and social benefits. By drawing on existent literature in different disciplines, we assess how promising these strategies are for inducing individuals to drink tap water rather than bottled water. Our overview reveals that our knowledge regarding the quality dimension is very good: numerous studies on European countries have shown that dissatisfaction with the sensory properties and health‐related concerns prevent individuals from drinking (more) tap water and opting for bottled water instead. The body of research with a specific focus on Europe is significantly smaller concerning the other two dimensions: access to tap water and the benefits of tap water. Nonetheless, there is indicative and preliminary evidence that improved access to tap water and a better communication of the benefits of tap water could positively affect consumption patterns.

This article is categorized under:

Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water

Human Water > Water Governance

Human Water > Water as Imagined and Represented
Die Misteltherapie in der Behandlung von Patienten mit einer Krebserkrankung
Authors: Rostock Matthias
Published: March 2020

Die Mistel (Viscum album L.) ist im deutschen Sprachraum nach wie vor die Heilpflanze, die bei Patienten mit einer Krebserkrankung am häufigsten verordnet wird. Der Impuls dazu geht vielfach vom Patienten selbst aus und fordert vom Behandler eine fundierte Berücksichtigung im Beratungsgespräch.

Mistelextrakte stehen im deutschen Sprachraum als zugelassene Arzneimittel zur Verfügung (basierend auf den Monografien der Kommissionen C und E beim Bundesamt für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte). Die Behandlungskosten werden in der Schweiz regelhaft und in Deutschland in der palliativen Erkrankungssituation von den gesetzlichen Krankenversicherungen getragen. In der adjuvanten Therapiesituation kann auch in Deutschland bei Bedarf eine Kostenübernahme durch den behandelnden Arzt beantragt werden.

Das Inhaltsstoffspektrum umfasst u. a. Mistellektine, Viscotoxine, Flavonoide, Aminosäuren, Polysaccharide und Membranlipide. In präklinischen Untersuchungen wurden u. a. zytotoxische, apoptoseinduzierende und immunmodulatorische Wirkungen gezeigt.

Ein großer Teil der aktuell vorliegenden klinischen Studien weist auf eine supportive Wirksamkeit von Mistelextrakten bei tumorkranken Menschen hin, wenngleich die methodische Qualität dieser Studien z. T. kontrovers diskutiert wird. In Bezug auf eine mögliche Verlängerung der Überlebenszeit bei bestehender Tumorerkrankung ist die klinische Datenlage inkonsistent. Die Daten zur Beeinflussung der Lebensqualität der Patienten sowie der Verträglichkeit einer antitumoralen Behandlung werden positiver bewertet.

Angesichts des hohen Bedarfs auf Patientenseite und zunehmender Evidenz durch klinische Studien sollten sowohl die Verordnungsmöglichkeiten aufrechterhalten werden als auch die wissenschaftliche Evaluation fortgeführt werden.
Die Behandlung des Diabetes mellitus: Mythen und Evidenz
Authors: Göke Burkhard
Published: March 2020

Schon vor mehr als 3500 Jahren wurden Stoffwechselstörungen beschrieben, deren Symptome den heute bekannten Formenkreis des Diabetes mellitus widerspiegeln. Über Jahrhunderte gab es Erklärungsansätze für diese Krankheitsbilder und frustrane Behandlungsversuche; Mythen und Fehleinschätzungen haben teilweise bis heute Bestand. Vor 200 Jahren setzte eine sich im 20. Jahrhundert rapide beschleunigende Zunahme der wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse und Therapiekonzepte ein. Obwohl Diabetes heute sehr viel besser diagnostiziert, klassifiziert und behandelt werden kann, leben manche traditionelle Mythen fort und es entstehen neue Fehleinschätzungen. In diesem narrativen Übersichtsbeitrag werden gängige Mythen zur Diabetesentstehung und -behandlung besprochen und die Evidenz für aktuelle Therapieverfahren vorgestellt.

Unter Berücksichtigung realistischer Therapieziele hinsichtlich der Blutzuckereinstellung werden zunehmend Endpunktstudien zur kardiovaskulären Morbidität und Mortalität durchgeführt. Polyvalente Konzepte verdrängen den klassischen glucozentrischen Behandlungsansatz des Typ-2-Diabetes. Mit dem Einzug der molekularen Medizin und anderer disruptiver Innovationen wird ein Paradigmenwechsel in der Therapie erwartet, der möglicherweise dennoch von alten und neuen Mythen begleitet wird. Dieses Phänomen ist bei der Entwicklung neuer Behandlungsformen zu beachten.
Herbert Sukopp – an inspiring pioneer in the field of urban ecology
Authors: Kowarik Ingo
Published: March 2020

Urban ecology is a well-established integrative discipline with many historical roots. One of the eminent pioneers of urban ecology is the German ecologist Herbert Sukopp, who works in Berlin since the late 1950s and is often referred to as the founder of the "Berlin School of Urban Ecology". On the occasion of his 90th anniversary in 2020, this paper aims to recognize and commemorate the major contributions of Sukopp to the field of urban ecology, based on his scientific work and on results of an online survey on his perception in the international scientific community. Sukopp’s contributions were groundbreaking for the establishment of urban ecology. Specifically, his work furthered: (1) the performance of comprehensive biodiversity studies across all land-use types within the city, in relation to the specifics of urban environments; (2) the establishment of modern approaches of nature conservation in cities and their integration into all land-use types, and the city as a whole; (3) the formation of a multidisciplinary conceptual basis of urban ecology as a modern science, with combined scientific and applied perspectives, ultimately aiming at the preservation and further development of nature within cities for the benefit of urban residents. Herbert Sukopp is thus an important and inspiring pioneer in the field of urban ecology.
Rural–urban health disparities for mood disorders and obesity in a midwestern community
Authors: Patten Christi A. , Juhn Young J. , Ryu Euijung , Wi Chung-Il , King Katherine S. , Bublitz Josh T. , Pignolo Robert J.
Published: March 2020

Introduction:

Prior studies indicate greater disease burden for obesity among rural compared with urban residents but no differences for mood disorder based on geographic location. Recent attention has focused on the need to examine regional rural–urban disparities in disease burden. We focused on mood disorders and obesity prevalence within three southeastern Minnesota counties served by the Mayo Clinic Center for Translational Science Award, in Rochester, Minnesota, as these were top priorities identified in community health needs assessments.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study to assess the association of rural–urban locality on 5-year (2009–2014) prevalence of mood disorder and obesity obtained using the Rochester Epidemiological Project medical records linkage system, among subjects residing in three mixed rural–urban counties on April 1, 2014. Multivariable analyses adjusted for demographics, socioeconomic status using an individual housing-based measure, and counties.

Results:

The study cohort (percent rural location) included 91,202 (15%) for Olmsted, 10,197 (51%) in Dodge, and 10,184 (57%) in Wabasha counties. On multivariate analysis, 5-year prevalence of mood disorders and obesity was significantly greater for urban compared with rural residents, after adjusting for confounders; odds ratios (95% confidence intervals): 1.21 (1.17–1.26), P < 0.001, and 1.05 (1.01–1.10), P = 0.016, respectively. Observed effects were not modified in additional models adjusted for health care utilization (HCU; ≥1 general medical examination visit and flu vaccination).

Conclusions:

Rural–urban health disparities for burden of mood disorders and obesity are independent of socioeconomic status and HCU in a Midwestern community. It is important to assess potential regional heterogeneity of rural–urban disparities on health outcomes.
Chronology of COVID-19 Cases on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship and Ethical Considerations: A Report From Japan
Authors: Nakazawa Eisuke , Ino Hiroyasu , Akabayashi Akira
Published: March 2020

The Diamond Princess cruise ship has been anchored at the Yokohama port in Japan since February 3, 2020. A total of 691 cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection had been confirmed as of February 23. The government initially assumed that the infection was not spreading aboard and therefore indicated that any persons who either tested negative for the virus or were asymptomatic should immediately disembark. However, on February 5, the government set a 14-day health observation period because of the severity of the infection. Passengers confirmed to be free from infection began disembarking on Day 15 (February 19) of the quarantine. The effectiveness and validity of infection control, justification for the timing of inspections, and even the nature of COVID-19 itself now are all in question. The ethical considerations related to cruise ship infection control include the reasonable justification for isolation, the psychological fragility and quality of life of the isolated passengers and crew members, the procedural justice inherent in a forced quarantine, and the optimization of control measures.

The international coordination framework and the global ramifications of such outbreaks should be reevaluated by the international community. Denying a ship’s entry based on local politics is incompatible with global justice. Events such as these require an international response and global regulations that seek to reduce disparities.
From Complementary to Competitive: The London and U.K. Provincial Stock Markets
Authors: Rogers Meeghan , Campbell Gareth , Turner John
Published: March 2020

For many decades, there were stock exchanges operating in provincial cities across Britain. We analyze why companies listed on these markets and how this changed over time. We find that the provincial exchanges had traditionally been complementary to London, providing a trading venue for smaller regional companies. However, they gradually lost their uniqueness and were increasingly competing with London by listing similar stocks. Much of this change can be explained by shifts in industrial composition, leading to more companies being headquartered and listed in the capital and many of the remaining regional firms cross-listing in London to achieve certification.
Existence and stability of bistable wavefronts in a nonlocal delayed reaction–diffusion epidemic system
Authors: LI KUN , LI XIONG
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we consider the monotone travelling wave solutions of a reaction–diffusion epidemic system with nonlocal delays. We obtain the existence of monotone travelling wave solutions by applying abstract existence results. By transforming the nonlocal delayed system to a non-delayed system and choosing suitable small positive constants to define a pair of new upper and lower solutions, we use the contraction technique to prove the asymptotic stability (up to translation) of monotone travelling waves. Furthermore, the uniqueness and Lyapunov stability of monotone travelling wave solutions will be established with the help of the upper and lower solution method and the exponential asymptotic stability.
Discourses on Judicial Formalism in Central and Eastern Europe: Symptom of an Inferiority Complex?
Authors: Cserne Péter
Published: March 2020

Post-communist Central and Eastern European legal cultures in general, and judicial style in particular, are often characterized as formalistic. This article reconstructs two ideological narratives about the formalist heritage of CEE judiciary, variants of which have dominated academic and policy debates about rule of law, judicial reforms and European integration in the last three decades. As the debate becomes linked to deeply rooted and long-term, sometimes traumatic issues of national and political identity, patterns of ideological thinking resurface easily. While it is symptomatic of CEE political cultures that the debate on judicial method has become a battleground for fierce controversies about collective (political) identity, arguably this exemplifies a broader phenomenon. Other weak or peripheral national cultures also face and struggle with issues of collective identity and inferiority complexes which may resurface in professional discourses and seemingly unpolitical domains.
TENSOR-PRODUCT COACTION FUNCTORS
Authors: KALISZEWSKI S. , LANDSTAD MAGNUS B. , QUIGG JOHN
Published: March 2020

Recent work by Baum et al. [‘Expanders, exact crossed products, and the Baum–Connes conjecture’, Ann. K-Theory 1(2) (2016), 155–208], further developed by Buss et al. [‘Exotic crossed products and the Baum–Connes conjecture’, J. reine angew. Math. 740 (2018), 111–159], introduced a crossed-product functor that involves tensoring an action with a fixed action $(C,\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE})$, then forming the image inside the crossed product of the maximal-tensor-product action. For discrete groups, we give an analogue for coaction functors. We prove that composing our tensor-product coaction functor with the full crossed product of an action reproduces their tensor-crossed-product functor. We prove that every such tensor-product coaction functor is exact, and if $(C,\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE})$ is the action by translation on $\ell ^{\infty }(G)$, we prove that the associated tensor-product coaction functor is minimal, thereby recovering the analogous result by the above authors. Finally, we discuss the connection with the $E$-ization functor we defined earlier, where $E$ is a large ideal of $B(G)$.
The Improvement of Individually Defined Problem Behaviors During a Telephone-Assisted Self-Help Intervention for Parents of Pharmacologically Treated Children with ADHD
Authors: Dose Christina , Waschau Friederike , von Wirth Elena , Döpfner Manfred
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Background: This study examined change in individually defined problem behaviors during a telephone-assisted self-help (TASH) intervention for parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: Parents of children with ADHD and functional impairment despite methylphenidate treatment participated in a 12-month TASH intervention (8 self-help booklets plus up to 14 counseling telephone calls). The severity of three individually defined target problems, of ADHD symptoms, and oppositional symptoms were rated at baseline and after 6 and 12 months; parental satisfaction with the intervention was assessed after 12 months. The problems were categorized according to the type of behavior and the disorder to which they were related (ADHD vs. oppositional symptoms). Results: Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant decrease in problem severity during the intervention. The change in problem severity was greater than the change in ADHD and oppositional symptoms. Correlations between problem severity and symptom severity were low to moderate. Correlations between the change in problem severity and parental satisfaction were moderate. Discussion: The decrease in the individual problem severity during TASH is stronger than the decrease in ADHD and oppositional symptoms. Individually defined problems should be attended to in psychotherapy research to avoid underestimating the benefit of interventions by solely considering standardized measures.