bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laser protection with optical limiting by combination of polymers with dyes
Authors: Hege C. S. , Muller O. , Merlat L.
Published: October 2018

Lasers are becoming more and more common and can damage eyes and sensors, so arise the need for efficient protection. A possibility is the use of filters with optical limiting abilities. Optical limiting leads to a reduced transmittance of these filters above a certain light energy. Solid‐state optical limiting filters consist frequently of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Using dyes is an often used way to provide optical limiting qualities to polymers. PMMA does not offer the possibility to attach the dye covalently to the polymer chain. Poly(lactide), also a transparent polymer, has so far not been used for filters for optical limiting. Its polymerization mechanism offers a simple possibility to a covalent binding of the dyes, by using them as initiator. This should be, like the attaching of big side groups to dyes, a possibility to increase stability of dyes against aggregation. Hybrids out of polymers and dyes and filters thereof could be produced. The polymers were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, and nonlinear optical measurements. Including azophloxine leads to an attenuation of the laser beam in the range of 10−3 and Eosin B even to 10−5. The eosin sample shows a two magnitudes better attenuation then usual guest–host systems like poly(methyl acrylate) with carbon nanotubes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47150.
Role of MicroRNAs in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Wang Ping , Li Yongqiang , Huang Changxin , Ni Wei , Chen Yidan , Shi Junping , Chen Gongying , Hu Xiangrong , Ye Meng , Duan Shiwei , Wang Kaifeng
Published: October 2018

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent liver malignancy that can be developed from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Numerous pathophysiological alterations, including insulin resistance, specific cytokine release, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial damage, are involved in the transition of NAFLD to cirrhosis and HCC. MicroRNAs, as post‐transcriptional modulators, play a critical role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD‐related HCC by regulating lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and differentiation. This review summarizes the current progress of microRNAs in the risk and prognosis of NAFLD‐related HCC. Anat Rec, 302:193–200, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cyclophilin A ControlsSalmonellaInternalization Levels and is Present atE. coliActin‐Rich Pedestals
Authors: Dhanda Aaron S. , Warren Kiera E. , Chiu Robert H. , Guttman Julian A.
Published: October 2018

Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), enteropathogenicEscherichia coli(EPEC) and enterohemorrhagicE. coli(EHEC) commandeer the actin cytoskeleton of their host cells as a crucial step in their infectious processes. These pathogens depend on the injection of their own effectors directly into target host cells in order to usurp cellular signaling pathways that lead to morphological actin rearrangements in those cells. Here we show that the PPIase Cyclophilin A (CypA) is a novel component ofS. Typhimurium‐induced membrane ruffles and functions to restrict bacterial invasion levels, as in cells depleted of CypA, bacterial loads increase. We also demonstrate that CypA requires the EPEC effector Tir as well as pedestal formation for its recruitment to bacterial attachment sites and that its presence at pedestals also holds during EHEC infections. Finally, we demonstrate that CypA is found at lamellipodia; actin‐rich structures at the leading edge of motile cells. Our findings further establish CypA as a component of dynamic actin‐rich structures formed during bacterial infections and within cells in general. Anat Rec, 301:2086–2094, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nuclear Actin: From Discovery to Function
Authors: Kelpsch Daniel J. , Tootle Tina L.
Published: October 2018

While actin was discovered in the nucleus over 50 years ago, research lagged for decades due to strong skepticism. The revitalization of research into nuclear actin occurred after it was found that cellular stresses induce the nuclear localization and alter the structure of actin. These studies provided the first hints that actin has a nuclear function. Subsequently, it was established that the nuclear import and export of actin is highly regulated. While the structures of nuclear actin remain unclear, it can function as monomers, polymers, and even rods. Furthermore, even within a given structure, distinct pools of nuclear actin that can be differentially labeled have been identified. Numerous mechanistic studies have uncovered an array of functions for nuclear actin. It regulates the activity of RNA polymerases, as well as specific transcription factors. Actin also modulates the activity of several chromatin remodeling complexes and histone deacetylases, to ultimately impinge on transcriptional programing and DNA damage repair. Further, nuclear actin mediates chromatin movement and organization. It has roles in meiosis and mitosis, and these functions may be functionally conserved from ancient bacterial actin homologs. The structure and integrity of the nuclear envelope and sub‐nuclear compartments are also regulated by nuclear actin. Furthermore, nuclear actin contributes to human diseases like cancer, neurodegeneration, and myopathies. Here, we explore the early discovery of actin in the nucleus and discuss the forms and functions of nuclear actin in both normal and disease contexts. Anat Rec, 301:1999–2013, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Internalization of Intact Intercellular Junctions in the Testis by Clathrin/Actin‐Mediated Endocytic Structures: Tubulobulbar Complexes
Authors: Adams Arlo , Sriram Aarati , Wayne Vogl A.
Published: October 2018

Sertoli cells of the mammalian seminiferous epithelium form unique subcellular actin‐related structures at intercellular junctions. The appearance of these so called “tubulobulbar complexes” (TBCs) precedes both sperm release at the apex of the epithelium and the movement of early spermatogenic cells out of the spermatogonial stem cell niche at the base of the epithelium. TBCs are considered to be part of the mechanism of junction endocytosis by Sertoli cells. The structures contain junction proteins and morphologically identifiable junctions, and are associated with markers of endocytosis. Here we review the current state of knowledge about the structure and function of TBCs. As the complexes form, they morphologically resemble and have the molecular signature of clathrin‐coated pits with extremely long necks. As they mature, the actin filament networks around the “necks” of the structures progressively disassemble and the membrane cores expand or swell into distinct “bulbs”. These bulbs acquire extensive membrane contact sites with associated cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum. Eventually the bulbs undergo scission and continue through endosomal compartments of the Sertoli cells. The morphology and composition of TBC indicates to us that the structures likely evolved from the basic clathrin‐mediated endocytosis mechanism common to cells generally, and along the way they incorporated unique features to accommodate the cyclic turnover of massive and “intact” intercellular junctions that occurs during spermatogenesis. Anat Rec, 301:2080–2085, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Überführungsbauwerk der L3378 bei Fulda‐Lehnerz
Authors: Pelke Eberhard , Jaborek André , Berger Dieter , Brühwiler Eugen
Published: October 2018

Meist können in die Jahre gekommene Brücken des deutschen Straßennetzes aufgrund fehlender Ressourcen der am Bau Beteiligten und komplexer Planungsrechtverfahren nicht rechtzeitig ersetzt werden. Daraus entstehen für neue Werkstoffe und alternative Lösungsansätze Chancen, ihre Leistungsfähigkeit unter Beweis zu stellen. Der in den letzten Jahren eingesetzte neuartige Werkstoff UHFB ermöglicht eine zielgerechte Instandsetzung und Verstärkung von Bauwerken aus Stahlbeton. Eine Anhebung der Nutzungsdauer wird so möglich. Mit dem Überführungsbauwerk im Zuge der Bundesfernstraße B 27 bei Fulda gelang der Nachweis, UHFB für Abdichtung und Tragfunktion unter Baustellenbedingungen erfolgreich einzusetzen. Über die Erfahrung bei Projektentwicklung, Entwurf, Ausschreibung und Baudurchführung berichtet dieser Fachaufsatz.
Torsionstragverhalten eines Segmentturms mit alternativer Fugenausbildung
Authors: Hartwig Steffen , Bock Hendrik , Göhlmann Joachim , Marx Steffen
Published: October 2018

Eine Weiterentwicklung der zurzeit gängigsten Herstellungsart von Segmenttürmen für Windenergieanlagen stellt die veränderte Ausbildung der entstehenden Fugen dar. Die seit vielen Jahren für die Horizontalfugen verwendete Trockenfuge, welche ohne eine Ausgleichsschicht durch Epoxid‐ oder Zementmörtel auskommt, soll auch für die senkrechten Fugen verwendet werden. Die Ebenheit in den Fugen wird über eine hochpräzise CNC‐Fräse hergestellt und dadurch die Dichtigkeit der Konstruktion sowie die flächige Kraftübertragung sichergestellt. Die in diesem Artikel durchgeführten numerischen Untersuchungen zeigen die durch die neuartige Konstruktion entstehenden Veränderungen in der Lastabtragung und der Tragfähigkeit. Für diese Konstruktionsart existieren derzeit keine allgemeingültigen Bemessungsansätze, welche die Veränderung des Querschnitts vom geschlossenen Kreisringsegment zu zwei „offenen“ Halbkreisringsegmenten berücksichtigen.
Überführungsbauwerk der L 3378 bei Fulda‐Lehnerz
Authors: Orgass Marko , Klitsch Bernhard , Wißler Michael , Tauscher Franka , Dehn Frank
Published: October 2018

Für ein Überführungsbauwerk im Zuge der Bundesstraße B27 bei Fulda‐Lehnerz wurde erstmalig in Deutschland ultrahochfester Beton (UHPC) im Straßenbrückenbau als Ortbeton eingesetzt. Ultrahochfester Beton wird derzeit in Deutschland nicht durch bauaufsichtlich eingeführte technische Spezifikationen geregelt. Daher war für die Anwendung des UHPC eine Zustimmung im Einzelfall (ZiE) erforderlich. Der Überbau der Brücke wurde als vierstegiger Plattenbalken aus Spannbetonfertigteilen mit einer Ortbetonergänzung aus normalfestem Beton und darauffolgender UHPC‐Schicht ausgebildet. Unter anderem wegen der hohen Dichtigkeit des UHPC gegenüber Flüssigkeiten wurde auf das kosten‐ und zeitintensive Einbringen einer konventionellen Abdichtung – bestehend aus Epoxidharz und Abklebung mit zusätzlicher Gussasphaltschutzschicht – verzichtet. Die Umsetzung erfolgte mittels einer 7 cm dünnen UHPC‐Schicht, die sowohl eine verstärkende als auch eine abdichtende Funktion übernehmen soll. Neben einer mittleren Druckfestigkeit > 150 N/mm2 ließ sich mit dem für das Pilotprojekt entwickelten UHPC auch ein Gefälle von 3,5 % realisieren. Insgesamt wurden 57 m3 UHPC in einem Transportbetonwerk hergestellt und als Ortbeton auf der Baustelle eingebaut. Mit der Umsetzung dieses Pilotprojekts konnte die Praxistauglichkeit der Verstärkungs‐ und Abdichtungsvariante mittels UHPC erstmals im Straßenbrückenbau in Deutschland erfolgreich erprobt werden. In diesem Fachaufsatz wird vor allem über die Betontechnologie und die Qualitätssicherung berichtet.
Exploration of an interactive “Virtual and Actual Combined” teaching mode in medical developmental biology
Authors: Xu Xiaoqian , Allen William , Miao Ziwei , Yao Jiang , Sha Lei , Chen Yuhua
Published: October 2018

Biochemistry and molecular techniques are used for the development of the scientific practice of students. To improve both the teaching and learning quality and promote the students' motivation, this article outlines an interactive “Virtual Simulation and Actual Operation Combined” approach by using a tailored virtual practice‐learning platform and participated by students and lectures, as well as a curriculum secretary. The implementation of the Virtual Simulation Laboratory provides a series of learning resources, which the students can access in their own time; and the participation of the curriculum secretary also makes the class more interactive and efficient. This method incorporates an experimental platform and a virtual experiment class to utilize fully both the traditional and virtual teaching methods and thereby promote effective student learning. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(6):585–591, 2018.
Consider lessons learned from Ohio State investigation
Authors: O'Brien Timothy
Published: October 2018

The recent investigation involving the responses by Ohio State's head football coach Urban Meyer to the claims of domestic assault allegedly perpetrated by a former assistant coach against his ex‐wife have garnered national attention.
Creative strategies make challenges more manageable
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: October 2018

As a four‐year, private military school that has a student population composed of three lifestyles — civilian, commuter, and the Corps of Cadets, many of whom have an ROTC scholarship — Norwich University fills a unique niche, which certainly gives it an edge when it comes to recruiting. But that niche doesn't erase the challenges so familiar to many other Division III schools, noted Tony Mariano, director of athletics at Norwich.
First‐in‐human experience with Aortix intraaortic pump
Authors: Vora Amit N. , Schuyler Jones William , DeVore Adam D. , Ebner Adrian , Clifton William , Patel Manesh R.
Published: October 2018

Background

There are limited options for percutaneous mechanical circulatory support (pMCS) in patients requiring high‐risk percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives

This first‐in‐human, single‐center study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a novel pMCS device in high‐risk percutaneous coronary intervention patients.

Methods

Aortix (Procyrion, Houston, Texas) is a pMCS device deployed in the descending aorta via the femoral artery that uses axial flow to provide cardiac unloading and augment renal and systemic perfusion. We assessed the use and effect of the Aortix device in six patients undergoing high‐risk PCI. All patients had impaired left ventricular function, complex coronary disease, renal dysfunction, and suitable iliofemoral anatomy for Aortix placement via transfemoral approach. We recorded periprocedural events including hemodynamic effects of the device on cardiac output and urine output. We then followed patients up to 30 days following the PCI procedure for adverse events.

Results

Aortix delivery (18 Fr sheath) took 4–9 min, mean support time was 70 (range 47–95) min, and mean flow rate through the device was 3.5 L/min. During support, mean rate of urine output increased 10‐fold (range 2.5–25.0x). Estimated GFR improved at discharge compared with baseline (mean increase 6.95 ± 8.09 mL/min). There were no device failures and PCI was successful in all patients. Aortix was removed and hemostasis was achieved with a vascular closure device and manual pressure. No patients experienced adverse events or hemodynamic compromise. No clinically significant hemolysis occurred (mean LDH 239.2 ± 73.6 mU/mL at baseline and 206.4 ± 82.2 mU/mL at discharge). No vascular access complications were observed.

Conclusions

Aortix, a novel pMCS device, was successfully deployed and retrieved in all initial patients undergoing high‐risk PCI. We noted no significant hemolysis with temporary use of this axial flow device. Improvement in eGFR suggests a potential renal protective effect and is an important area for future investigation in patients with impaired left ventricular function and renal dysfunction.
Usable implantation depth for watchman left atrial appendage occlusion is greater with appendage angiography than transesophageal echocardiography
Authors: Glassy Matthew S. , Sharma Gaurav , Singh Gagan D. , Smith Thomas W. R. , Fan Dali , Rogers Jason H.
Published: October 2018

Objectives

To compare left atrial appendage (LAA) angiography to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for assessing usable LAA depth.

Background

TEE is typically employed for procedural measurement of LAA ostial diameter and depth. Since angiography enhances distal LAA anatomy, we sought to compare angiography to TEE for determining usable LAA depth.

Methods

Seventy five Watchman device cases were retrospectively evaluated. Two independent cardiologists measured intraoperative LAA ostial diameter and depth at standard 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135° TEE omniplane views and in the right anterior oblique (RAO) 30°, caudal (CAUD) 30° angiographic view.

Results

The average age and CHA2DS2VASc score were 74 (±7.2) years and 4.6 (±1.3), respectively. The average ostial diameter and depth (mm) by TEE were 0°: 19.6 and 26.5; 45°: 17.5 and 26.6; 90°: 18.3 and 25.1; 135°: 19.5 and 23.3. The ostial diameter and depth (mm) by RAO 30° CAUD 30° angiography were 21.1 and 29.7. This angiographic view corresponds to a TEE view between 90° and 135°. In comparison to angiography, TEE 90° underestimated the LAA ostial diameter by 2.9 ± 3.7 mm (P < 0.001) and by 1.9 ± 4.0 mm at TEE 135° (P < 0.01); Pearson's r 0.53 angiography/TEE 90° and 0.50 angiography/TEE 135°. More importantly, TEE 90° underestimated the true usable LAA depth by 5.4 ± 5.8 mm (P < 0.001) and by 7.3 ± 6.1 mm at TEE 135° (P < 0.001); Pearson's r 0.39 angiography/TEE 90° and 0.30 angiography/TEE 135°.

Conclusions

Compared to TEE, LAA angiography provides additional depth information and may be particularly valuable when patients have insufficient depth for Watchman by TEE measures.
Replacement of the Benzylpiperidine Moiety with Fluorinated Phenylalkyl Side Chains for the Development of GluN2B Receptor Ligands
Authors: Thum Simone , Schepmann Dirk , Kalinin Dmitrii V. , Ametamey Simon M. , Wünsch Bernhard
Published: October 2018

The 4‐benzylpiperidine moiety is a central structural element of potent N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists containing the GluN2B subunit. To obtain novel GluN2B ligands suitable for positron emission tomography, the benzylpiperidine moiety was replaced with fluorinated ω‐phenylalkylamino groups. For this purpose three primary propyl‐ and butylamines 7 a–c and one butyraldehyde 7 d bearing a fluorine atom and an ω‐phenyl moiety were prepared in 3‐ to 7‐step syntheses. Compounds 7 a–d were attached to various scaffolds of potent GluN2B antagonists (scaffold hopping) instead of the original 4‐benzylpiperidine moiety. Although benzoxazol‐2‐ones and indoles with a benzylpiperidine moiety show high GluN2B affinity, the corresponding fluorophenylalkylamine derivatives did not result in high Glu2B affinity. Moderate GluN2B affinity was observed for a 3‐(fluoroalkyl)‐substituted tetrahydro‐1H‐3‐benzazepine (Ki=239 nm). However, high GluN2B affinity was obtained for the tetrahydro‐5H‐benzo[7]annulen‐7‐amines 12 a–c (Ki=17–30 nm). Docking studies resulted in the same binding pose for 12 a as for the lead compound Ro 25‐6981. It can be concluded that some GluN2B ligands (benzoxazolones, indoles) do not tolerate replacement of the 4‐benzylpiperidine moiety with flexible fluorinated phenylalkyl side chains, but other scaffolds such as tetrahydro‐3‐benzazepines and ‐benzo[7]annulenes retain interaction with NMDA receptors containing the GluN2B subunit.
Identification of retinal homeobox (rax) gene–dependent genes by a microarray approach: The DNA endoglycosylase neil3 is a major downstream component of the rax genetic pathway
Authors: Pan Yi , Kelly Lisa E. , El‐Hodiri Heithem M.
Published: October 2018

Background: The retinal homeobox (rx/rax) gene is a transcription factor expressed in the developing eye field that is necessary for normal eye development. rax is necessary for retinal specification and stem cell development. The genetic program of early retinal development, including rax expression, can be induced in naïve ectoderm by activation of insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) signaling. We have undertaken a microarray‐based approach to identify rax‐dependent IGF‐induced genes. Results: We identified 21 IGF‐induced genes that exhibit at least a two‐fold decrease in expression when rax expression is knocked down. Ten of these genes were expressed in the developing eye, eight were expressed in the ciliary marginal zone of the mature tadpole retina, and four could significantly rescue the rax knockdown phenotype. One of these, the nei endonuclease VIII‐like 3 (neil3) gene, rescued the rax knockdown phenotype to a remarkable degree. We found that neil3 is necessary for normal retinal lamination and retinal neuron differentiation. Conclusions: We have identified neil3 as a component of the rax genetic pathway necessary for normal retinal progenitor cell development. neil3 is involved in the base excision DNA repair pathway, suggesting that this pathway is essential for normal rax‐dependent progenitor cell development in the mature retina. Developmental Dynamics 247:1199–1210, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Athletes’ Relationships with Training scale (ART): A self‐report measure of unhealthy training behaviors associated with eating disorders
Authors: Chapa Danielle A. N. , Hagan Kelsey E. , Forbush Kelsie T. , Perko Victoria L. , Sorokina Daria A. , Alasmar Ahmed Y. , Becker Carolyn B. , Sherman Roberta T. , Thompson Ron A. , Farrell Jennifer G. , Stewart Tiffany M.
Published: October 2018

Objective

Several studies indicate that eating‐disorder (ED) psychopathology is elevated in athletes compared to non‐athletes. The assessment of excessive exercise among athletes is a challenge because, compared to non‐athletes, athletes are required to train at higher intensities and for longer periods of time. However, individuals participating in competitive sports are still susceptible to unhealthy physical‐activity patterns. Most ED assessments were developed and normed in non‐athlete samples and, therefore, do not capture the nuances of athletes’ training experiences. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate a clinically useful, self‐report measure of unhealthy training behaviors and beliefs in athletes, the Athletes’ Relationships with Training Scale (ART).

Method

The initial item pool was administered to N = 267 women collegiate athletes who were participating in an ED prevention program study and N = 65 women athletes who were in ED treatment.

Results

Factor analyses indicated the ART had a four‐factor structure. Factorial and construct validity of the ART were demonstrated. ART scores significantly predicted health care utilization and differed between athletes with an ED versus athletes without an ED. For athletes in ED treatment, ART scores significantly decreased from treatment admission to discharge.

Discussion

The ART showed evidence of strong psychometric properties and clinical utility. The ART could be helpful for clinicians and athletic trainers to help gauge whether athletes are engaging in unhealthy training practices that may warrant clinical attention and for tracking clinical outcomes in athletes with EDs who are receiving treatment.
Eating disorder symptomatology and body mass index are associated with readers' expectations about character behavior: Evidence from eye‐tracking during reading
Authors: Ralph‐Nearman Christina , Filik Ruth
Published: October 2018

Objective

Many theories have been put forward suggesting key factors underlying the development and maintenance of eating disorders, such as: unhealthy food‐related cognitive biases, negative body attitude, and perfectionism; however, underlying cognitive processes associated with eating disorder symptomatology remain unclear. We used eye‐tracking during reading as a novel implicit measure of how these factors may relate to eating disorder symptomatology.

Method

In two experiments, we monitored women's eye movements while they read texts in which the characters' emotional responses to food‐, body image‐, and perfectionism‐related scenarios were described. Participants' eating disorder symptomatology was then assessed.

Results

Both studies suggest that moment‐to‐moment processing of characters' emotional responses to perfectionism‐, and to a lesser extent, body image‐related information was associated with participants' eating disorder symptomatology, thus supporting theories in which these factors are key to developing and maintaining eating disorders. Interestingly, the moment‐to‐moment processing of characters' emotional responses to food‐related scenarios was not related to eating disorder symptomatology.

Discussion

These findings provide novel insights into cognitive processes underlying eating disorder symptomatology, as well as demonstrating the utility of more natural implicit measures.
Identification of marine Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas for penguins around the South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands
Authors: Dias Maria P. , Carneiro Ana Paula Bertoldi , Warwick‐Evans Victoria , Harris Colin , Lorenz Katharina , Lascelles Ben , Clewlow Harriet L. , Dunn Michael J. , Hinke Jefferson T. , Kim Jeong‐Hoon , Kokubun Nobuo , Manco Fabrizio , Ratcliffe Norman , Santos Mercedes , Takahashi Akinori , Trivelpiece Wayne , Trathan Philip N.
Published: October 2018

Aim

To provide a method of analyzing penguin tracking data to identify priority at‐sea areas for seabird conservation (marine IBAs), based on pre‐existing approaches for flying seabirds but revised according to the specific ecology of Pygoscelis penguin species.

Location

Waters around the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland, and South Orkney archipelagos (FAO Subareas 48.1 and 48.2).

Methods

We made key improvements to the pre‐existing protocol for identifying marine IBAs that include refining the track interpolation method and revision of parameters for the kernel analysis (smoothing factor and utilization distribution) using sensitivity tests. We applied the revised method to 24 datasets of tracking data on penguins (three species, seven colonies, and three different breeding stages—incubation, brood, and crèche).

Results

We identified five new marine IBAs for seabirds in the study area, estimated to hold ca. 600,000 adult penguins.

Main conclusions

The results demonstrate the efficacy of a new method for the designation of a network of marine IBAs in Antarctic waters for penguins based on tracking data, which can contribute to an evidence‐based, precautionary, management framework for krill fisheries.
Crop competition in winter wheat has a higher potential than farming practices to regulate weeds
Authors: Gaba Sabrina , Caneill Jacques , Nicolardot Bernard , Perronne Rémi , Bretagnolle Vincent
Published: October 2018

Management of biotic interactions has been recognized as a potential substitute for costly agrochemical inputs. Competition is one of the most important biotic interactions known to regulate populations and govern species assemblages. However, although theoretical and empirical work has been produced on competition, in situ experimental evidence is much scantier, mainly because of the difficulty of manipulating competition in the field. Arable weeds offer an outstanding opportunity to meet this challenge, because of the relative ease of in situ experimental manipulation and because of the urgent need to find sustainable weed management strategies. Here, we assess the importance of crop competition and two main conventional farming practices (N fertilizer and weed control) on weed species richness, abundance, and biomass. We set up an experiment with a design with two factors, presence/absence of crops and presence/absence of N fertilizer and weed control, in working farm fields with winter cereals as the target crop. We found that the crop competition reduced weed biomass production by almost 65%, as a result of the crop's competitive advantage from its greater ability to take up N, while the effect on weed species richness was less important. Our results also show that the effect of crop competition on the weed assemblage was much stronger than the effect of N fertilizer and weed control. The decrease in weed abundance and biomass mainly resulted from a strong effect of the crop on the dominant species, while the abundance of intermediate species tended to be much less affected, a result consistent with studies in grasslands where the removal of the dominant species provides a competitive release for subordinate ones. Our results further give experimental support for crop competition as a way to reduce costly agricultural inputs for weed control. Conducting experiments with farmers in their field is a valuable approach to generate knowledge for the future delivery of sustainable management.
Horizontal policy coherence starts with problem definition: Unpacking the EU integrated energy‐climate approach
Authors: Kurze Kristina , Lenschow Andrea
Published: October 2018

The existing policy coherence literature usually takes problem definition for granted. Building on the case of the Energy Policy for Europe we argue that a focus on shifting problem definitions adds depth to the analysis of policy coherence as it allows us to problematize the standard on which the judgment of coherence is based. We further argue that problem definition is instrumental in enabling certain horizontal policy options. Empirically, the European Union's (EU's) support of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies illustrates that policy coherence between EU energy and environmental policies is increasingly conceptualized as an integrated approach headed for climate change mitigation and a low‐carbon economy. We show that by shifting the focus of policy integration and coherence from environment to climate policy, CCS moved from the margins to the center of available policy options. Arguably, this comes at the expense of coherence if viewed from a broader sustainable development perspective.
A new combined approach to improved lipid production using a strictly aerobic and oleaginous yeast
Authors: Guerreiro Fábio , Constantino Ana , Lima‐Costa Emília , Raposo Sara
Published: October 2018

Microbial lipids have potential applications in energy, and food industry, because most of those lipids are triacylglycerol with long‐chain fatty‐acids that are comparable to conventional vegetable oils and can be obtained without arable land requirement. Rhodosporidium toruloides is a strictly aerobic strain, where oxygen plays a crucial role in growth, maintenance, and metabolite production, such as lipids and carotenoids. Dissolved oxygen concentration is one of the major factors affecting yeast physiological and biochemical characteristics. In this context, different approaches have been developed to increase available oxygen by the increasing the aeration and the addition of an oxygen‐vector. The growth of R. toruloides in 2‐L mechanical stirred tank reactor equipped with 1 or 2 porous spargers and a 70 C/N ratio, revealed a lipid content of 0.47 and 0.52 g/g and a lipidic productivity of 0.16 and 0.17 g/L day, respectively. The oxygen‐vector addition, increased the lipidic productivity for 0.20 g/L day and a lipid contend of 0.51 g of lipids/g of biomass. The combined approach, combining high aeration (AA), and 1% of n‐dodecane addition (DA), produced a significant improvement in the lipid accumulation (62%, w/w), when compared with the DA (51%, w/w) and the AA (52%, w/w) approaches. The increasing of lipids accumulation and smaller culture time are key factors for the success of scale‐up and profitability of a bioprocess.
An aerodynamic ROM of the blade subjected to wake based on Fourier method for flow
Authors: Li Li‐zhou , Zhang Jun , Luo Xiao , Yuan Mei‐ni , Wang Xin‐mei
Published: October 2018

A reduced‐order model (ROM) is presented based on Fourier method for flow to predict aerodynamic forces of blades subjected to periodic time‐varying upstream wakes. In the method, a time‐varying wake is decomposed into harmonic waves by fast Fourier transformation. Using the Fourier method for flow and neglecting the cross‐coupling between harmonics, the aerodynamic forces caused by the wake are represented by a linear combination of harmonics with the same frequencies as the wake. The coefficients of the aerodynamic force harmonics are interpolated at the per‐fitted curves of the normalized Fourier coefficients (coefficients of aerodynamic forces harmonics corresponding to a unit simple harmonic excitation)–frequency relationship. A blade example is used to show the ability of the proposed method. The results indicate that the ROM method can predict the aerodynamic forces of blades caused by wakes efficiently and accurately. The amplitude levels of wakes have a linear impact on the accuracy of the ROM. Neglecting the higher‐order cross‐coupling between the harmonics in the ROM method is acceptable.
Crossing U.S. Borders While Pregnant: An Increasingly Complex Reality
Authors: Reed‐Sandoval Amy
Published: October 2018

In response to the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland, which states that the fetus and the mother have equal rights to life and that nearly all abortions are therefore illegal, many Irish feminists sported luggage tags that read “HEALTHCARE NOT AIRFARE.” The expression—which recently became a popular twitter hashtag for pro‐choice citizens of Ireland leading up to the historic referendum to repeal that abortion ban—refers to the fact that pregnant women from Ireland have long been forced to travel to other European countries in order to legally terminate their pregnancies. In the United States, there is also a deep and challenging relationship between borders and reproductive health. However, that relationship is not understood as clearly as it appears to be in the Irish context. We urgently need to pay careful attention to the interconnections between U.S. border politics and reproductive health care access and to take concrete steps to address resultant injustices.
When Societal Structural Issues Become Patient Problems: The Role of Clinical Ethics Consultation
Authors: Milliken Aimee , Jurchak Martha , Sadovnikoff Nicholas
Published: October 2018

The debate about health insurance coverage and the related issue of unequal access to health care turn on fundamental questions of justice, but for an individual patient like DM, the abstract question about who is deserving of health insurance becomes a very concrete problem that has a profound impact on care and livelihood. DM's circumstances left him stuck in the hospital. A satisfactory discharge plan remained elusive; his insurance coverage severely limited the number and type of facilities that would accept him; and his inadequate engagement in his own rehabilitation process limited discharge options even further. Despite extensive involvement with the psychiatry, social work, physical therapy, and occupational therapy teams, DM consistently made “bad” decisions. He repeatedly refused antibiotics and did not consistently work with rehab services to improve his strength and mobility. Although the clinicians wanted to provide him with the best care possible, he often seemed unwilling to do the things necessary to achieve this care—or perhaps his depression rendered him unable to do so. He also tended to take out his frustration on staff members caring for him. All of this was, in turn, very frustrating for the staff. It may be easy, however, to make too much of DM's role, to see his choices as more important than his circumstances. A major goal of the ethics consultants was to reframe DM's predicament for the staff members involved in his care.
How Bioethics Can Shape Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Authors: Nabi Junaid
Published: October 2018

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to revolutionize the delivery of health care. But designing machine learning‐based decision support systems is not a merely technical challenge. It also requires attention to bioethical principles. As AI and machine learning advance, bioethical frameworks need to be tailored to address the problems that these evolving systems might pose, and the development of these automated systems also needs to be tailored to incorporate bioethical principles.
Justifying Conscience Clauses
Authors: Wicclair Mark R.
Published: October 2018

In “Disentangling Conscience Protections,” in this issue of the Hastings Center Report, Nadia Sawicki offers a taxonomy of conscience protection laws (conscience clauses) that highlights the expansive protections they can offer to health professionals who refuse to provide a medical service for reasons of conscience. Conscience clauses can protect health professionals from adverse actions by public actors (such as administrative agencies, prosecutors, and government funders) or private actors (such as employers, private professional associations, and injured patients), and they can also protect health professionals from being subject to adverse actions for their beliefs, their conduct, or harm that results from their conduct. This taxonomy provides an accurate description of the broad range of protections conscience clauses can offer and thereby is a valuable contribution to the scholarly literature on conscientious objection in health care. But it remains to consider whether the distinctions Sawicki identifies disentangle conscience protections beyond merely providing a taxonomy. In particular, does the taxonomy identify relevant distinctions in relation to determining whether a conscience clause is justified?
Whom to Engage in Patient‐Engaged Research? Reflection on Selection
Authors: Morain Stephanie R.
Published: October 2018

Engaging patients in research has come to be viewed as a vital component of high‐quality research, and funders now regard engaging patients and other stakeholders as a core criterion for funding decisions. In response, numerous empirical and conceptual papers have emerged to guide the process of engagement. However, as Emily Largent and colleagues rightly note, the inquiry of whom to engage has received less attention. While several teams have suggested that the selection of patients for engagement is an important consideration, researchers generally have little guidance on how to undertake this process. To that end, Largent and colleagues offer an important contribution to the literature. I agree with their argument regarding the centrality of critically examining which patients to engage in research and with their recommendations to maximize the positive goals of patient engagement. However, three issues warrant further consideration.
Investing in Parenthood
Authors: Blustein Jeffrey
Published: October 2018

The recent child custody case Weisberger v Weisberger raises a number of ethical issues concerning the rights and responsibilities of parents. Chavie Weisberger, thirty‐five, and her husband, both members of an ultraorthodox Hasidic community, appeared before a religious court in 2008 to obtain a divorce. There are two sharply contrasting legal rulings in this case. Setting aside the legally significant fact that Chavie had signed the divorce agreement with the clause requiring her to raise her children Hasidic, which decision is ethically more defensible and why? Were Chavie's parental rights violated when the court removed her children from her care? Should her ex‐husband have been awarded full custody on the ground that this was in the children's best interest, and is this the right standard to use in making custody decisions? What parental responsibilities did Chavie and her ex‐husband have, and were they satisfactorily discharging them? A theory of the moral foundations of parenthood should provide answers to these questions among others. Joseph Millum, in his excellent new book The Moral Foundations of Parenthood, does this and more. His theory encompasses accounts of the foundation and content of parental rights and responsibilities, the acquisition of parental responsibilities, and the standards governing parental decision‐making.
Solidarity: Careful What We Wish For
Authors: Illingworth Patricia
Published: October 2018

In his well‐researched new book, Solidarity and Justice in Health and Social Care, Ruud ter Meulen traces the history of the concept of solidarity and describes the important role that it can play in health care. He contrasts solidarity with other normative concepts, such as autonomy and justice. According to ter Meulen, solidarity entails a commitment and willingness to help others who are “in need of it due to circumstances out of their control” (p. 170). Thus, solidarity exists when people act for the sake of other people who are vulnerable in some way. Ter Meulen treats solidarity as a distinct normative concept and believes that it is critical for health care. No doubt insofar as social ties and cohesion are good for health, so is solidarity.
Amyloid in the Brain, Alzheimer's on the Mind
Authors: Karlawish Jason
Published: October 2018

Twenty percent of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease by experts like me in fact don't have elevated amyloid and so, in fact, don't have Alzheimer's. What they do have is the subject of intense research, and there are many possibilities. A recent study of one thousand brain autopsies from older adults with a range of cognitive impairment showed at least 230 combinations of neuropathology. The point is that while the disease will be treatable, we're unlikely to defeat it as we did polio and smallpox. We're going to have to learn how to live with Alzheimer's as an at least somewhat treatable disease. To do so, we need to think outside the biomedical box.
The Extended Body: On Aging, Disability, and Well‐being
Authors: Reynolds Joel Michael
Published: October 2018

Insofar as many older adults fit some definition of disability, disability studies and gerontology would seem to have common interests and goals. However, there has been little discussion between these fields. The aim of this paper is to open up the insights of disability studies as well as philosophy of disability to discussions in gerontology. In doing so, I hope to contribute to thinking about the good life in late life by more critically reflecting upon the meaning of the body, ability, and the variability of each. My central argument is that we should conceptualize age‐associated bodily variations and abilities not in terms of individual capacity, but in terms of what I call “the extended body.” It is in light of the meaning of embodiment and ability in general that we must think differently and more capaciously about the meaning of late life in particular.
Taking a Systems Approach to Chronic Illness in Old Age
Authors: Walker Tom
Published: October 2018

We are living through a demographic transition from a world in which there were lots of young people and very few older adults to one in which the numbers in these age groups are becoming more evenly balanced. One reason for this is that more of us are living into our seventies, eighties, nineties, and beyond. That is the good news. Unfortunately, the chance of developing chronic illnesses (including diabetes, arthritis, and dementia) is typically higher for people in these older age groups than for those who are younger. Because we do not know how to cure these illnesses, many of us will spend at least some of this extra time with one or more chronic illness. While we are more likely than in the past to live into older age, we are likely to be living with illness when we get there. That raises a challenge: how should we respond to this change?
Age‐Friendly Initiatives, Social Inequalities, and Spatial Justice
Authors: Greenfield Emily A.
Published: October 2018

Discourse on communities and aging traditionally has focused on the availability, accessibility, and quality of local services to support older adults in need of assistance. More recently, however, a growing worldwide “age‐friendly” movement has pushed the conceptualization of community supports for an aging society beyond service provision. The term “age friendly” is used in considering how various aspects of a community facilitate or impede the health and well‐being of individuals as they experience long lives.

Frameworks on age friendliness include attention to health and community services for older adults but also encompass other aspects of communities, such as the physical design of outdoor spaces and buildings, the diversity of mobility options for drivers and nondrivers alike, and the availability of safe, affordable, and various types of housing. Age‐friendly frameworks also highlight how the very social fabric of a community can influence older residents’ quality of life. Over the past decade, a growing number of cities and communities have launched age‐friendly initiatives as organized and comprehensive efforts to make localities better for residents as they age. This essay begins to explore how AFIs can address social inequalities in health and aging. It concludes by describing how embedding a spatial justice lens within age‐friendly efforts could help AFIs realize more fully the changes that they seek to create at the local, national, and global levels.
How Do We Fund Flourishing? Maybe Not through Health Care
Authors: Taylor Lauren A.
Published: October 2018

The health policy community has a growing interest in the impact of nonmedical determinants of health, such as housing, nutrition, and social supports, on both health outcomes and costs. This interest has been spurred by the Affordable Care Act’s emphasis on prevention, Robert Wood Johnson’s grant‐making focus on a Culture of Health, and an uptick of research demonstrating the potential returns to health care from investments in social services. Much of this policy‐making, grant making, and research has focused on older Americans.

The direct policy implications of this strategy can be elusive. It has become clear that more than medicine will be necessary to improve older Americans’ health status. Real improvement likely requires the development of additional social service offerings, including housing that is accessible to people with disabilities, Meals on Wheels‐type nutrition supports, and transportation. But who should bear the costs and control the finances associated with these programs? In this essay, I explore the question of how policy‐makers should consider financing nonmedical investments in older Americans’ health. As the reader will recognize, I stop short of arguing for what will work. Rather, I identify the strands of an emerging strategy—namely, for health care dollars to be diverted into social service programming—and offer several cautions. It may be that policy‐makers still wish to continue down this path, but my hope is that this essay will allow them to so with greater attention to the risks and unintended consequences of that strategy.
“Tho’ much is taken, much abides”: A Good Life within Dementia
Authors: Powell Tia
Published: October 2018

In writing these essays, we were asked to consider, “What makes a good life in late life?” I thought instantly, perhaps like many people, of photos and stories of older people taking up new careers and new hobbies—running marathons and soup kitchens, starting organic farms. This response is right and proper. Older people can leverage wisdom and creativity to make wonderful contributions to their communities and should be celebrated for doing so. But this happy picture is incomplete. We live longer than ever before, and with that long life, many of us can expect disability. This is the product of medical success. We are less likely to die from cancer, a heart attack, or a stroke; we survive with chronic illnesses and their associated disabilities. A good life in late life, for many of us, will be a life with disability.

For this essay, I focus on dementia, a common and ultimately fatal illness, and one that typically lasts many years from the start of symptoms to the end. More than five million Americans currently suffer from dementia; fifteen million paid and volunteer caregivers help support them. What would a good life with dementia look like? How would it change from the early phase, when cognitive impairment and other challenges are relatively modest, to the final phase marked by severe cognitive and physical decline?