bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Media for Disaster Management: Operational Value of the Social Conversation
Authors: Yan Lu (Lucy) , Pedraza‐Martinez Alfonso J.
Published: June 2019

Disaster relief organizations increasingly engage in social conversations to inform social media users about activities such as evacuation routes and aid distribution. Concurrently, users share information such as the demand for aid, willingness to donate and availability to volunteer through social conversations with relief organizations. We investigate the effect of this information exchange on social engagement during disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. We propose that the effect of information on social engagement increases from preparedness to response and decreases from response to recovery. Some of the information exchanged in social conversations is actionable as well. We propose, however, that the effect of actionable information reaches its lowest point during disaster response. To test our theory, we use Facebook data from five benchmark organizations that responded to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. We analyze all of the organizations’ posts and users’ comments during a three‐week period before, during and after Hurricane Sandy. Our findings support our theory. Furthermore, we identify an opportunity for relief organizations to improve their use of social media for disaster management. While relief organizations focus on informing disaster victims about aid distribution, most users are asking about how they as individuals can donate or volunteer. Thus, besides posting information directed to victims, organizations should post more information targeting potential donors and volunteers.
Cyanidium chilense (Cyanidiophyceae, Rhodophyta) from tuff rocks of the archeological site of Cuma, Italy
Authors: Ciniglia Claudia , Cennamo Paola , De Natale Antonino , De Stefano Mario , Sirakov Maria , Iovinella Manuela , Yoon Hwan S. , Pollio Antonino
Published: June 2019

Phlegrean Fields is a large volcanic area situated southwest of Naples (Italy), including both cave and thermoacidic habitats. These extreme environments host the genus Cyanidium; the species C. chilense represents a common phototrophic microorganism living in anthropogenic caves. With a view to provide a comprehensive characterization for a correct taxonomic classification, morpho‐ultrastructural investigations of C. chilense from Sybil's cave (Phlegren Fields) was herein carried out and compared with the thermoacidophilic C. caldarium. The biofilm was also analyzed to define the role of C. chilense in the establishment of a biofilm within cave environments. Despite the peculiar ecological and molecular divergences, C. chilense and C. caldarium shared all the main diacritic features, suggesting morphological convergence within the genus; cytological identity was found among C. chilense strains geographically distant and adapted to different substrates, such as the porous yellow tuff of Sybil cave, and calcyte, magnesite and basaltic rocks from other caves. C. chilense is generally dominant in all biofilms, developing monospecific islets, developing both superficially or between fungal hyphae and coccoid cyanobacteria. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were recorded in C. chilense biofilms from Sybil cave, confirming the role of EPS in facilitating cells adhesion to the surface, creating a cohesive network of interconnecting biofilm cells.
Novel exploratory data in interstitial lung disease
Authors: Wells Athol U.
Published: June 2019

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Are Actuarial Crop Insurance Rates Fair?: An Analysis Using a Penalized BivariateB-Spline Method
Authors: Price Michael J. , Yu Cindy L. , Hennessy David A. , Du Xiaodong
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we investigate whether the yield insurance premium rates given by the US Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency are actuarially fair by comparing the conditional yield density inferred from premium data with the conditional yield density inferred from yield data. A procedure is developed to estimate the conditional yield density by using premium data through partial derivatives of the premium rate function, as fitted by penalized bivariate tensor product B-splines. We study the asymptotic properties of partial derivatives of a penalized bivariate tensor product B-spline estimator and provide variance estimates. The conditional yield density inferred from premium data and its variance estimator are evaluated through simulation studies. The procedure is also applied to a crop insurance data set from the state of Iowa to examine the actuarial fairness of the premium rates. On average, premium rates are close to our estimates and this is true for each coverage level. However, premiums for low productivity land are generally too low whereas those for high productivity land are generally too high. Even after subsidies, premiums for the more productive land are generally substantially higher than are our estimates of the corresponding actuarially fair rates.
PERSONAL AND REGIONAL DETERMINANTS OF OUT‐MIGRATION FROM METROPOLITAN AREAS IN JAPAN
Authors: Taima Masahiro , Asami Yasushi
Published: June 2019

In this study, we focus on migration from metropolitan to outside areas in Japan, and quantitatively examine the personal and regional determinants of this process. At the regional level, our results show that the determinants of migration differ depending upon whether migration occurs from smaller to larger cities or vice versa. In the case of migration from larger to smaller cities, the residential environment beyond the metropolitan area is more important than employment opportunities. At the personal level, we analyzed the differences among the determinants of migration, looking at migrants according to age categories and based on their motivations for migrating. The main factors encouraging migration comprised opportunities for employment, education, and marriage.
Vascular access for hemodialysis: A perpetual challenge
Authors: Murea Mariana , Geary Randolph L. , Davis Ross P. , Moossavi Shahriar
Published: June 2019

Vascular access for hemodialysis has a long and rich history. This article highlights major innovations and milestones in the history of angioaccess for hemodialysis. Advances in achievement of lasting hemodialysis access, swift access transition, immediate and sustaining access to vascular space built the momentum at different turning points of access history and shaped the current practice of vascular access strategy. In the present era, absent of large‐scale clinical trials to validate practice, the ever‐changing demographic and comorbidity makeup of the dialysis population pushes against stereotypical angioaccess goals. The future of hemodialysis vascular access would benefit from proper randomized clinical trials and acclimatization to clinical contexts.
Warfarin in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation—Time for a change?
Authors: Reilly Robert F. , Jain Nishank
Published: June 2019

Warfarin is the most commonly prescribed anticoagulant in hemodialysis (HD) patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Recent trends show that Nephrologists are increasingly prescribing novel oral anticoagulants, despite the fact that no randomized clinical trials have been conducted in dialysis patients. Difficulties maintaining international normalized ratio in the therapeutic range, increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage and concerns regarding warfarin‐induced vascular calcification and calciphylaxis may be responsible. Anticoagulation quality is poor in HD patients. A variety of factors contribute to this: increased antibiotic exposure; comorbid illness; decreased adherence and vitamin K deficiency. Attempts to address this with standardized protocols have been uniformly unsuccessful. In nonadherent patients, thrice weekly observed therapy improved quality. Low‐dose vitamin K supplementation improves time in the therapeutic range (TTR) in those with normal kidney function and should be studied in HD patients given their high frequency of vitamin K deficiency. Vascular and valvular calcification associated with warfarin could result from reduced carboxylation of matrix Gla protein (MGP), a well‐known inhibitor of vascular calcification. Multiple observational studies also link calciphylaxis to warfarin; warfarin‐induced hypercoagulability and decreased carboxylation of MGP could explain this. A large observational study, two meta‐analyses, and a systematic review in HD patients with NVAF showed reduced bleeding with apixaban compared to warfarin with similar efficacy in reducing stroke and systemic embolism. Given these results, apixaban is a reasonable alternative to warfarin for anticoagulation of HD patients with NVAF, especially in those with low TTR, until data from randomized clinical trials become available.
Mineralogical evidence for multiple dust sources in an early Triassic loessite
Authors: Wilson Michael J. , Hurst Andrew , Wilkins Anne D. , Wilson Lyudmyla , Bowen Leon
Published: June 2019

Loessite present in a borehole into the Smith Bank Formation (early Triassic age, Central North Sea) differentiates five coeval source terranes for aerosol dust, three long‐distance sources and two local sources. All were active immediately following the end Permian mass extinction. Long‐distance sources are sedimentary, basic magmatic and acid–intermediate volcanic. Although predominantly silt‐sized and dominated by quartz with subordinate feldspars, muscovite and illite, evidence of basic and acid–intermediate magmatic/volcanic sources are pervasive. Baddeleyite is diagnostic of basic magmatism, an origin supported by enrichment of plagioclase relative to potassium feldspar. Deduction of acid–intermediate volcanism comes from the collective occurrence of irregular geometry quartz, volcanic shards, Ti‐mineralization, euhedral biotite, sanidine, the co‐occurrence of apatite and zircon, and the common occurrence of a tosuditic clay mineral. The tosuditic phase occurs as an unusual diagenetic dioctahedral chlorite/smectite formed at low temperature (<45°C), during very shallow burial by the decomposition of unstable rhyo‐dacitic and andesitic grains in alkaline pore water from an adjacent lake that yielded pore fluids with a high Al : Si ratio. The Siberian Traps large igneous province is the likely source terrane for the magmatic and volcanic silt. Locally sourced clay pellets and kaolinite booklets formed from aeolian erosion of an adjacent, periodically desiccated lake‐floor and a kaolinitic regolith, respectively. Inference of a prolonged harsh, arid climate leaves no evidence of any periods of sustained humidity or climatic fluctuation, such as pedogenesis. The association between the end Permian mass extinction, emplacement and aeolian erosion of the Siberian Traps large igneous province, and location of the Smith Bank Formation in a large lacustrine endorheic basin, combine to preserve a record of prolonged harsh climate in the early Triassic.
Welfare service privatization and opinions about service quality: The role of political ideology among local politicians and the public
Authors: Hardell Sanna , Johansson Sevä Ingemar , Öun Ida
Published: June 2019

In this article, we join the discussion about the potential consequences of welfare service privatization by examining the relationship between the privatization of welfare service delivery and public opinion about service quality in Sweden. Due to the politically polarized debate about welfare service privatization in Sweden, we also examine the extent to which individualsapos; ideological orientations influence this relationship in both local politicians and ordinary citizens. For local politicians, the results show that a higher municipal degree of privatization is generally associated with slightly lower levels of satisfaction overall with welfare services, although no such relationship exists for the public. Most importantly, however, the results indicate that political ideology constitutes an important moderator in the relationship between privatization and opinions about service quality. Local politicians and, to some extent, ordinary citizens who place themselves to the left on the ideological left–right scale tend to be less satisfied with services as the municipal degree of welfare service privatization increases. For local politicians who position themselves far to the right on the scale, the relationship between welfare service privatization and satisfaction is positive. These findings suggest that there is no clear‐cut relationship between privatization and individualsapos; opinions about services; rather, this relationship depends on the ideological predispositions of local politicians and ordinary citizens.
Two‐stage Cenozoic evolution of NW–SE‐trending faults in the coastal area of southeast China controlled the fan‐shaped Zhangzhou basin
Authors: Chen Wei , Hu Xiangyun , Zhuang Qingxiang , Chen Qi
Published: June 2019

Widespread NW–SE‐trending faults and Cenozoic basins in the coastal area of Fujian Province demonstrate unique tectonic deformations from the influence of the modern arc‐trench system on the adjacent continent. Field‐based structural analyses in the Zhangzhou region identify two‐stage deformation in the Cenozoic. The early stage was dominated by normal faulting and mafic intrusions. The structural configuration was differentiated as a graben in the estuary area and linear ridges in the western mountains, representing outer arc extension caused by orthogonal flexure of the coast. Late‐stage deformation turned early stage normal faults into sinistral strike‐slip faults and induced a transtensional setting that greatly facilitated the evolution of the basin as well as a small rotation of the segmented structures. The tectonic dynamics are attributed to far‐field effects of the west Pacific subduction zones. Additionally, a strike‐slip fault‐controlled scissor‐like structure is proposed to demonstrate the mechanism of the redefined, fan‐shaped basin.
Fetal RHD detection from circulating cell‐free fetal DNA in maternal plasma: validation of a diagnostic kit using automatic extraction and frozen DNA
Authors: Londero D. , Stampalija T. , Bolzicco D. , Castro Silva E. , Candolini M. , Cortivo C. , Dreossi C. , Fantasia I. , Pecile V. , De Angelis V.
Published: June 2019

Objective

This study aimed to validate non‐invasive RHD genotyping of cell‐free fetal DNA (cff‐DNA) using different DNA extraction methods and of fresh and frozen extracted cff‐DNA.

Background

Non‐invasive RHD genotyping of cff‐DNA predicts fetal RhD phenotype, allowing for the rational implementation of antenatal immunoprophylaxis and representing a big step forward in the management of RhD‐immunised women. Validation of a diagnostic method is mandatory before its clinical application.

Methods

RhD‐negative pregnant women were recruited at different gestational ages. The cff‐DNA extraction was carried out using manual and automatic methods in order to improve cff‐DNA yield and optimise the extraction. Fetal RHD genotyping was performed using a commercial real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit, and the results were compared with postnatal serological RhD determination on cord blood.

Results

Overall, 133 plasma samples were examined for the validation process, and a total of 423 tests were performed. No differences have been observed between the two extraction methods or between fresh or frozen cff‐DNA regarding cff‐DNA stability and quality parameters. There was 100% concordance between fetal RHD genotyping of cff‐DNA and RhD phenotype on cord blood for both extraction methods on both fresh and frozen cff‐DNA.

Conclusion

Our study shows the reliability of automatic and manual cff‐DNA extraction methods and the possibility of freezing extracted cff‐DNA when performing RHD genotyping. This result might be relevant for improving laboratory work and organisation through the development of a standardised procedure for fetal RHD genotyping on cff‐DNA, laying the foundations for evidence‐based use of anti‐D Ig prophylaxis in RhD pregnant women.
Attrition at the final donor stage among unrelated haematopoietic stem cell donors: the British Bone Marrow Registry experience
Authors: Balassa K. , Griffiths A. , Winstone D. , Li Y. , Rocha V. , Pawson R.
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To investigate attrition at the finally selected donor stage among British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR) donors, all recruited from blood donors.

Background

The success of searches for unrelated stem cell donors relies on the existence of large international donor registries and the availability of registered donors when matched with a patient. Withdrawal of donors may adversely affect patient outcomes.

Materials/Methods

Data on 2942 planned donations were analysed to assess donor‐related deferral rates and associated factors.

Results

Overall, 20·2% of requests were cancelled. Transplant centres activated more than half of the cancellations (52·6%). Donor reasons accounted for 46·7% of cancellations (9·4% of requests), of which 61·7% happened for medical and 38·3% for personal reasons. Medical ineligibility of the donor was associated with increasing age (odds ratio [OR] = 1·36, P = 0·011) and peripheral blood stem cell source (OR = 2·22, P = 0·006), and there was some evidence of association with low blood donation reliability (OR = 1·52, P = 0·054). The blood donor reliability score relates to blood donation, and the score worsens if donors consistently fail to attend a donation session when invited. Withdrawal on personal grounds showed associations with donor age (OR = 1·72, P = 0·017, 30–40 years vs other ages), peripheral blood stem cell source (OR = 2·43, P = 0·010) and low blood donor reliability (OR = 1·94, P = 0·007).

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first report on all‐cause cancellation at the finally‐selected donor stage for international stem cell donor provision, showing 9·4% donor‐related cancellation rate. Scores associated with blood donation reliability may be useful to predict stem cell donor withdrawal.
Rebalancing a lopsided global economy
Authors: Triggs Adam
Published: June 2019

The growth in global current account imbalances has produced a lopsided global economy, characterised by large lenders and large borrowers, large savers and large consumers, and large exporters and large importers. For many years, the G20 has committed to reducing these imbalances. But has it been successful? Are the G20's policy prescriptions for reducing these imbalances the right ones? And have countries altered their policies because of the discussions and commitments in the G20 or not? The paper assesses whether the G20 has achieved its goal of reducing global current account imbalances. It then uses the G‐Cubed (G20) model — a multi‐country, multi‐sector, intertemporal general equilibrium model — to assess the impacts of the G20's proposed policy agenda. It shows that the G20's policy prescriptions — reducing the fiscal deficit in the United States, increasing public infrastructure investment in Germany and increasing domestic consumption in China — are not necessarily effective in reducing current account imbalances and, when imbalances are reduced, it often comes at the cost of the real economy. Finally, the paper uses the results from in‐depth interviews with 61 policymakers from across all G20 countries — including Janet Yellen, Kevin Rudd, Ben Bernanke, Haruhiko Kuroda, Jack Lew, Mark Carney and 55 others — to explore whether the G20's focus on current account imbalances influences domestic policies. It finds that, while the G20's influence has been marginal, there are ways in which it could be strengthened. The paper concludes with a discussion on how the G20's agenda could be reformed to help reduce current account imbalances in the future.
The differentiating ability of four plasma biomarkers in canine hip dysplasia
Authors: Cardona‐Ramírez Sebastián , López‐Villegas Catalina , Silva‐Molano Raúl F.
Published: June 2019

Background

The accumulation of cartilage breakdown products in body fluids has been extensively investigated to assess the accuracy of molecular biomarkers from a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic perspective. Nevertheless, to the authors' knowledge, there is a lack of information about spontaneous models of hip osteoarthritis and the differentiating ability of collagen, noncollagen, and inflammatory biomarkers.

Objectives

We aimed to assess the accuracy of four plasma biomarkers that could differentiate between healthy dogs and dogs with hip dysplasia.

Methods

Twenty‐four dogs were used in this institutionally approved study (12 in the mild to severe hip dysplasia group; 12 in the control group). Plasma concentrations of biomarkers were compared. The ability of each marker to differentiate control from diseased dogs was assessed using an independent t‐test, logistic regression, and receiving operating characteristics (ROC) analysis.

Results

Three biomarkers were significantly different between the two groups. The collagen marker procollagen type II propeptide (PIICP) was useful in differentiating between control and diseased dogs with the best combination of sensitivity and specificity. The four biomarkers showed high area under the curve (AUC) values.

Conclusions

The results indicate that plasma biomarkers can be used as a screening tool for canine hip dysplasia. Although the cutoff values and diagnostic ability of the biomarkers used in this study show promising results, the sources of individual variability should be addressed. Future studies with larger groups of dogs are needed to correlate plasma levels in serum and synovial fluid during clinical disease.
Optimum Color and Contrast Enhancement for Online Ferrography Image Restoration
Authors: Yang Lingfeng , Wu Tonghai , Wang Kunpeng , Wu Hongkun , Kwok Ngaiming
Published: June 2019

Online ferrography, because of its nondestructive and real-time capability, has been increasingly applied in monitoring machine wear states. However, online ferrography images are usually degraded as a result of undesirable image acquisition conditions, which eventually lead to inaccurate identifications. A restoration method focusing on color correction and contrast enhancement is developed to provide high-quality images for subsequent processing. Based on the formation of a degraded image, a model describing the degradation is constructed. Then, cost functions consisting of colorfulness, contrast, and information loss are formulated. An optimal restored image is obtained by minimizing the cost functions, in which parameters are properly determined using the Lagrange multiplier. Experiments are carried out on a collection of online ferrography images, and results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the image both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Energy-interaction diagrams: Fostering resources for productive disciplinary engagement with energy
Authors: Harrer Benedikt W.
Published: June 2019

The use of graphical representations structures students' reasoning about a physical scenario or problem. Different graphical representations for energy in physical situations highlight different aspects of energy and therefore may represent and foster different conceptualizations of energy. One particular representation of energy dynamics in a physical system, the Energy-Interaction Diagram, embodies a Stores and Transfer model of energy. In this paper, I show how the Energy-Interaction Diagram can evoke productive resources for disciplinary engagement with energy. In the presented example, students in an introductory college physics course activated the resources indicator reasoning, systems thinking, and substance metaphor while employing the Energy-Interaction Diagram to make sense of a puzzling scenario: Two billiard balls on parallel incline tracks with different widths—why does one ball roll down the ramp faster than the other?
Examining physics teacher understanding of systems and the role it plays in supporting student energy reasoning
Authors: Seeley Lane , Vokos Stamatis , Etkina Eugenia
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we argue that the definition of what constitutes a system differs in physics from other sciences, and in particular, biology, and that these differences matter for learning. Furthermore, even within physics, what textbooks (and instructors) mean by the phrase “energy is conserved” is not unambiguous, often giving the impression that whether or not energy is conserved is contingent on the type of system one chooses for analysis, inappropriately, thereby, interweaving conservation with constancy. These discrepancies and ambiguities in the canonical approach to systems as a tool for energy reasoning may, in turn, undermine the knowledge that teachers need to support energy learning among their students. We present data from a validated assessment of the specialized physics knowledge that teachers use to help students make progress in energy learning, which we administered to hundreds of high school physics teachers and senior physics majors. Assessment results support the following claims: (a) Both high school teachers of physics and senior physics majors manifest significant difficulties in applying a consistent systems approach to energy analysis; (b) Teachers who demonstrate a strong understanding of a systems approach to energy analysis are also better equipped to respond productively to student reasoning about a system approach to energy; and (c) Teachers with a strong understanding of a systems approach to energy analysis are also significantly better equipped to respond productively to student reasoning than senior physics majors who demonstrate a similarly strong understanding. Our results have implications for the professional preparation of teachers, graduate Teaching Assistants, Learning Assistants, and physics faculty in their role as instructors.
Development of an interdisciplinary conceptual conservation of energy theme for use in undergraduate physics, chemistry, and biology courses
Authors: Donaldson Nancy L. , Felzien Lisa K. , Marvin Michael C. , Cielocha Joanna J. , Shapiro Trace
Published: June 2019

An ongoing need exists for the creation of interdisciplinary working groups in the sciences and development of pedagogical approaches to content themes that tie together different scientific disciplines. The work described here addresses this need through the development of a collaborative faculty group and a process of content and pedagogical development around the central interdisciplinary theme of energy conservation and transfer, taught in various lower and upper level courses in physics, biology, and chemistry. Our main goal was to design conceptual, visual models that addressed our energy topic and allowed us to provide related, challenging, active-learning experiences that students could easily recognize and expand upon in subsequent courses as they progressed through our curriculum. We used an assessment-first approach in which we designed models with our student outcomes in mind and then created course approaches around our assessment tools. Early indications suggest that students are challenged by and appreciative of these learning approaches, especially when more advanced models are developed in advanced courses in the Physics of Medicine curriculum.
3-
O
-Methyl-Alkylgallates Inhibit Fatty Acid Desaturation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Rehberg Nidja , Omeje Edwin , Ebada Sherif S. , van Geelen Lasse , Liu Zhen , Sureechatchayan Parichat , Kassack Matthias U. , Ioerger Thomas R. , Proksch Peter , Kalscheuer Rainer
Published: June 2019

In the quest for new antibacterial lead structures, activity screening against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
identified antitubercular effects of gallic acid derivatives isolated from the Nigerian mistletoe
Loranthus micranthus
. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that 3-
O
-methyl-alkylgallates comprising aliphatic ester chains with four to eight carbon atoms showed the strongest growth inhibition
in vitro
against
M. tuberculosis
, with a MIC of 6.25 μM.
Bacterial Nucleobases Synergistically Induce Larval Settlement and Metamorphosis in the Invasive Mussel
Mytilopsis sallei
Authors: He Jian , Dai Qi , Qi Yuxuan , Su Pei , Huang Miaoqin , Ke Caihuan , Feng Danqing
Published: June 2019

Invasive species are an increasingly serious problem globally. In aquatic ecosystems, invasive dreissenid mussels are well-known ecological and economic pests because they appear to effortlessly invade new environments and foul submerged structures with high-density aggregations. To efficiently control exotic mussel recruitment and colonization, the need to investigate the mechanisms of substrate selection for larval settlement and metamorphosis is apparent. Our work is one of very few to experimentally demonstrate that compounds produced by environmental bacteria play an important role in larval settlement and metamorphosis in marine invertebrates. Additionally, this study demonstrates that bacterial nucleobases can be used as chemical mediators in cross-kingdom communication within aquatic systems, which will enhance our understanding of how microbes induce larval settlement and metamorphosis of dreissenid mussels, and it furthermore may allow the development of new methods for application in antifouling.
The Novel Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup K Shares Its Cellular Receptor with Subgroup A
Authors: Přikryl David , Plachý Jiří , Kučerová Dana , Koslová Anna , Reinišová Markéta , Šenigl Filip , Hejnar Jiří
Published: June 2019

ALV consists of several subgroups that are particularly characterized by their receptor usage, which subsequently dictates the host range and tropism of the virus. A few newly emerging and highly pathogenic Chinese ALV strains have recently been suggested to be an independent subgroup, ALV-K, based solely on their genomic sequences. Here, we performed a series of experiments with the ALV-K strain JS11C1, which showed its dependence on the Tva cell surface receptor. Due to the sharing of this receptor with ALV-A, both subgroups were able to interfere with superinfection. Because ALV-K could become an important pathogen and a significant threat to the poultry industry in Asia, the identification of a specific receptor could help in the breeding of resistant chicken lines with receptor variants with decreased susceptibility to the virus.
A Hydrophobic Target: Using the Paramyxovirus Fusion Protein Transmembrane Domain To Modulate Fusion Protein Stability
Authors: Barrett Chelsea T. , Webb Stacy R. , Dutch Rebecca Ellis
Published: June 2019

Enveloped viruses require virus-cell membrane fusion to release the viral genome and replicate. The viral fusion protein triggers from the pre- to the postfusion conformation, an essentially irreversible change, to drive membrane fusion. We found that small proteins containing the TM and a limited flanking region homologous to the fusion protein of the zoonotic Hendra virus reduced protein expression and fusion activity. The introduction of exogenous TM peptides may displace a TM domain, disrupting native TM-TM interactions and globally destabilizing the fusion protein. Supporting this hypothesis, we showed that a sequence-specific transmembrane peptide dramatically reduced viral infection in another enveloped virus model, suggesting a broader inhibitory mechanism. Viral fusion protein TM-TM interactions are important for protein function, and disruption of these interactions dramatically reduces protein stability.
mSphere of Influence: Start with an Interesting Biological Phenomenon
Authors: O’Meara Teresa
Published: June 2019

Teresa O'Meara works in the field of functional genomics of
Candida albicans
, with a focus on host-pathogen interactions. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how papers entitled "Systematic Screens of a
Candida albicans
Homozygous Deletion Library Decouple Morphogenetic Switching and Pathogenicity" by S. M. Noble, S. French, L. A. Kohn, V. Chen, and A.
Stratigraphy and correlations in Deccan Volcanic Province, India: Quo vadis?
Authors: Kale Vivek S. , Dole Gauri , Shandilya Priyanka , Pande Kanchan
Published: June 2019

The Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) is significant for its eruption close to Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. Chemostratigraphy established in its western parts is the foundation of postulated long distance correlations across the province and consequential models of its eruptive history. A critical review of diagnostic parameters used to characterize stratigraphic units shows them to be probabilistic rather than deterministic and therefore, they are ambiguous. We compile the previously overlooked mapping into district-wise altitude-controlled logs across the province.

A reappraisal of the chronological and paleomagnetic data for the DVP shows that volcanism was not concurrent across the province and questions the validity of previous correlations. This analysis also shows that at least three separate eruptive phases occurred in disparate parts of the province, spread over ∼7 million years, of which only one preceded the K-Pg boundary. We resurrect an eruptive model involving multiple eruptive centers and endorse a zonal stratigraphy for the DVP. This approach provides a better context for correlations than the prevailing stratigraphy that clubs the entire province into a single entity.
Detrital zircon U-Pb ages of Paleogene deposits in the southwestern Sichuan foreland basin, China: Constraints on basin-mountain evolution along the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Huang Hanyu , He Dengfa , Li Di , Li Yingqiang
Published: June 2019

The tectonic setting of the southwestern Sichuan foreland basin, China, changed rapidly during the Paleogene period, and records from this period may provide crucial information about the formation and tectonic processes that affected the Sichuan Basin. To constrain the provenance and to reconstruct the paleogeography of the Paleogene successions, we conducted a detailed analysis of the petrology, geochronology, and sedimentary facies of rocks from the southwestern Sichuan foreland basin. The detrital components of the three analyzed sandstone samples indicate moderately to highly mature sediment that was primarily derived from a recycled orogen provenance. Five major age populations were identified in the U-Pb age spectra: Neoarchean to Siderian (2524–2469 Ma and 2019–1703 Ma), Neoproterozoic (Tonian to Cryogenian, 946–653 Ma), Ordovician to Carboniferous (Katian to lower Pennsylvanian, 448–321 Ma), and Carboniferous to Triassic (306–201 Ma). Each of these age populations corresponds to one or several potential sources around the southwestern Sichuan foreland basin. A multidimensional scaling analysis indicated that the Paleogene zircons were mainly derived from recycled sediments of the Songpan-Ganzi terrane and the Sichuan Basin, with minor input from the Yidun terrane, Kangdian terrane, Qinling orogenic belt, and Jiangnan-Xuefeng orogenic belt. More specifically, the sediment supply from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane to the foreland basin decreased significantly from the Mingshan stage to the Lushan stage, and the Sichuan Basin simultaneously became the most important source area. In addition, there is a high correlation between the detrital zircon U-Pb age spectrum of the southwestern Sichuan Basin and that of the Xichang Basin, which may suggest that a wider and unified Paleo-Yangtze Basin existed during the Late Cretaceous-early Paleogene.
Deposition and age of Chicxulub impact spherules on Gorgonilla Island, Colombia
Authors: Mateo Paula , Keller Gerta , Adatte Thierry , Bitchong André M. , Spangenberg Jorge E. , Vennemann Torsten , Hollis Christopher J.
Published: June 2019

The end-Cretaceous mass extinction (66 Ma) has long been associated with the Chicxulub impact on the Yucatan Peninsula. However, consensus on the age of this impact has remained controversial because of differing interpretations on the stratigraphic position of Chicxulub impact spherules relative to the mass extinction horizon. One side argues that the impact occurred precisely at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, thus coinciding with the mass extinction; the other side argues that the impact predated the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, based on the discovery of primary impact spherules deposits in NE Mexico and Texas near the base of planktic foraminiferal zone CF1, dated at 170 k.y. before the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. A recent study of the most pristine Chicxulub impact spherules discovered on Gorgonilla Island, Colombia, suggested that they represent a primary impact deposit with an absolute age indistinguishable from the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Here, we report on the Gorgonilla section with the main objective of evaluating the nature of deposition and age of the spherule-rich layer relative to the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.

The Gorgonilla section consists of light gray-yellow calcareous siliceous mudstones (pelagic deposits) alternating with dark olive-brown litharenites (turbidites). A 3-cm-thick dark olive-green spherule-rich layer overlies an erosional surface separating Maastrichtian and Danian sediments. This layer consists of a clast-supported, normally graded litharenite, with abundant Chicxulub impact glass spherules, lithics (mostly volcanic), and Maastrichtian as well as Danian microfossils, which transitions to a calcareous mudstone as particle size decreases. Mineralogical analysis shows that this layer is dominated by phyllosilicates, similar to the litharenites (turbidites) that characterize the section. Based on these results, the spherule-rich layer is interpreted as a reworked early Danian deposit associated with turbiditic currents. A major hiatus (>250 k.y.) spanning the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary and the earliest Danian is recorded at the base of the spherule-rich layer, based on planktic foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy and carbon stable isotopes. Erosion across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary has been recorded worldwide and is generally attributed to rapid climate changes, enhanced bottom-water circulation during global cooling, sea-level fluctuations, and/or intensified tectonic activity. Chicxulub impact spherules are commonly reworked and redeposited into younger sediments overlying a Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary hiatus of variable extent in the Caribbean, Central America, and North Atlantic, while primary deposits are rare and only known from NE Mexico and Texas. Because of their reworked nature, Gorgonilla spherules provide no stratigraphic evidence from which the timing of the impact can be inferred.
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: a concealed diagnosis with multitreatment approach
Authors: Velosa Ana , Neves António , Barahona-Corrêa J Bernardo , Oliveira-Maia Albino J
Published: June 2019

While neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is typically characterised by delirium, motor rigidity, fever and dysautonomia, the syndrome is not pathognomonic, and NMS remains a diagnosis of exclusion. Here, we describe the case of a 44-year-old woman, with no relevant psychiatric history, admitted to a nephrology unit due to acute renal failure. After administration of antipsychotics, she presented with mental status alteration, generalised tremor, rigidity and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Fever and rhabdomyolysis, however, were not prominent, and NMS was not considered initially in the differential diagnosis. The resulting delay in diagnosis, with continued administration of antipsychotics, led to progressive clinical deterioration. Once NMS was considered, however, antipsychotics were withdrawn and the patient was treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), followed by administration of a dopamine receptor agonist, with close to full remission of all symptoms. Importantly, during outpatient follow-up, sustained mild and asymmetric tremor and rigidity was noted, leading to a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. While this raises questions regarding differential diagnosis between NMS in Parkinson’s disease, versus worsening of Parkinson’s disease due to antipsychotic treatment, the former is supported by the acute and rapidly progressive onset of exuberant autonomic dysfunction and clouded conscience, after administration of a neuroleptic. Ultimately, a definitive distinction between these two alternatives for diagnosis of the inaugural neurological presentation in this patient is not possible. Nevertheless, we believe this case illustrates that NMS can be easily missed, particularly in atypical cases, delaying appropriate treatment, and that a flexible multimodal treatment approach, involving ECT, should be considered for complex clinical cases. Furthermore, it also underlines the importance of post-NMS follow-up, to investigate underlying neurological or medical disorders, particularly in those patients who do not have a full recovery.
Cost of integrated chronic care for severe non-communicable diseases at district hospitals in rural Rwanda
Authors: Eberly Lauren Anne , Rusangwa Christian , Ng'ang'a Loise , Neal Claire C , Mukundiyukuri Jean Paul , Mpanusingo Egide , Mungunga Jean Claude , Habineza Hamissy , Anderson Todd , Ngoga Gedeon , Dusabeyezu Symaque , Kwan Gene , Bavuma Charlotte , Rusingiza Emmanual , Mutabazi Francis , Mucumbitsi Joseph , Gahamanyi Cyprien , Mutumbira Cadet , Park Paul H , Mpunga Tharcisse , Bukhman Gene
Published: June 2019

Background

Integrated clinical strategies to address non-communicable disease (NCDs) in sub-Saharan Africa have largely been directed to prevention and treatment of common conditions at primary health centres. This study examines the cost of organising integrated nurse-driven, physician-supervised chronic care for more severe NCDs at an outpatient specialty clinic associated with a district hospital in rural Rwanda. Conditions addressed included type 1 and type 2 diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, heart failure and rheumatic heart disease.

Methods

A retrospective costing analysis was conducted from the facility perspective using data from administrative sources and the electronic medical record systems of Butaro District Hospital in rural Rwanda. We determined initial start-up and annual operating financial cost of the Butaro district advanced NCD clinic for the fiscal year 2013–2014. Per-patient annual cost by disease category was determined.

Results

A total of US$47 976 in fixed start-up costs was necessary to establish a new advanced NCD clinic serving a population of approximately 300 000 people (US$0.16 per capita). The additional annual operating cost for this clinic was US$68 975 (US$0.23 per capita) to manage a 632-patient cohort and provide training, supervision and mentorship to primary health centres. Labour comprised 54% of total cost, followed by medications at 17%. Diabetes mellitus had the highest annual cost per patient (US$151), followed by heart failure (US$104), driven primarily by medication therapy and laboratory testing.

Conclusions

This is the first study to evaluate the costs of integrated, decentralised chronic care for some severe NCDs in rural sub-Saharan Africa. The findings show that these services may be affordable to governments even in the most constrained health systems.
Impact of severe maternal morbidity on adverse perinatal outcomes in high-income countries: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Authors: Mengistu Tesfaye S , Turner Jessica , Flatley Christopher , Fox Jane , Kumar Sailesh
Published: June 2019

Introduction

Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) includes conditions that are on a continuum of maternal morbidity to maternal death. Rates of SMM are increasing both in high-income countries (HICs) as well as in low/middle-income countries (LMICs). There is evidence that analysis of SMM trends and detailed investigation of factors implicated in these cases may reflect the standard of maternal healthcare both in HICs and LMICs. SMM is also associated with poorer perinatal outcomes. The aim of this protocol is to describe the proposed methodology for the synthesis and analyses of the data describing the relationship between SMM and adverse perinatal outcomes in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

This systematic review and meta-analysis will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and will be registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). Original peer-reviewed epidemiologic/clinical studies of observational (cross-sectional, cohort, case-control) and randomised controlled trial studies conducted in high-income countries will be included. An electronic search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus databases will be performed without restricting publication date/year. Two authors will independently screen the titles, review abstracts and perform data extraction. Where possible, meta-analyses will be done to calculate pooled estimates.

Ethics and dissemination

As this is a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of published data, ethics review and approval are not required. The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at scientific conferences.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42019130933.
Designing and pilot testing of a leadership intervention to improve quality and safety in nursing homes and home care (the SAFE-LEAD intervention)
Authors: Johannessen Terese , Ree Eline , Strømme Torunn , Aase Ingunn , Bal Roland , Wiig Siri
Published: June 2019

Objective

To describe the design of a leadership intervention for nursing home and home care, including a leadership guide for managers to use in their quality and safety improvement work. The paper reports results from the pilot test of the intervention and describes the final intervention programme.

Design

Qualitative design, using the participation of stakeholders.

Methods

The leadership guide and intervention were designed in collaboration with researchers, coresearchers and managers in nursing homes and home care organisations, through workshops and focus group interviews. The pilot test consisted of three workshops with managers working on the leadership guide, facilitated and observed by researchers, and evaluated by means of observation and focus group interviews with the participants. The analysis combined the integration of data from interviews and observations with directed content analysis.

Setting

Norwegian nursing homes and home care services.

Participants

Managers at different levels in three nursing homes and two home care services, coresearchers, and patient and next-of-kin representatives.

Results

The managers and coresearchers suggested some revisions to the leadership guide, such as making it shorter, and tailoring the terminology to their setting. Based on their suggestions, we modified the intervention and developed learning resources, such as videos demonstrating the practical use of the guide. Evaluation of the pilot test study showed that all managers supported the use of the guide. They adapted the guide to their organisational needs, but found it difficult to involve patients in the intervention.

Conclusions

A participatory approach with stakeholders is useful in designing a leadership intervention to improve quality and safety in nursing homes and home care, although patient participation in its implementation remains difficult. The participatory approach made it easier for managers to adapt the intervention to their context and to everyday quality and safety work practice.