bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of weaning date and late gestation supplementation on beef system productivity II: economic analysis1
Authors: Luebbe Kelsey M , Stalker Leslie A , Stockton Matthew C , Klopfenstein Terry J , Funston Richard N
Published: October 2019

Cow–calf production systems were analyzed using experimental data and historical economic information to model four separate production year using the 10-yr price period from 2005 to 2014. Treatments included two weaning dates, October (OCT) and December (DEC), and four winter nutritional treatments, grazing winter range with no supplement (WR0), low supplement (WR1), high supplement (WR2); or grazing corn residue with no supplement (CR) applied in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement. Net returns at the December weaning date were greatest (P < 0.05) for DEC systems where cows were fed the WR2 level ($151.14/cow) or CR ($140.17/cow), intermediate for cows fed the WR1 ($110.44/cow), and least for cows fed WR0 ($62.23/cow). Average net returns across winter nutrition treatments at the December weaning date were greater (P < 0.01) for DEC systems ($115.99/cow) compared with OCT systems ($110.28/cow). Marketing October weaned calves in December increased net returns on average by $47.24/cow compared with October marketing. Retained and owned (RO) slaughter steer net returns sold on a hot carcass weight (HCW) basis were greatest (P < 0.05) for CR systems ($190.62/cow) or WR2 ($188.13/cow), intermediate for WR1 ($132.67/cow) and least for the WR0 ($68.08/cow) treatment. In general, purchasing weaned calves (PC) and marketing them as finished steers either on a HCW basis or on a marketing grid were not profitable. The WR2 and the CR grazing regimes were more profitable than WR0 and WR1 regardless of market end point, primarily due to reduction in replacement and production loss costs.
Providing Patient-Centered Perinatal Care for Transgender Men and Gender-Diverse Individuals
Authors: Hahn Monica , Sheran Neal , Weber Shannon , Cohan Deborah , Obedin-Maliver Juno
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND:

Little is documented about the experiences of pregnancy for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. There is scant clinical guidance for providing prepregnancy, prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care to transgender and gender-diverse people who desire pregnancy.

CASE:

Our team provided perinatal care to a 20-year-old transgender man, which prompted collaborative advocacy for health care systems change to create gender-affirming patient experiences in the perinatal health care setting.

CONCLUSION:

Systems-level and interpersonal-level interventions were adopted to create gender-affirming and inclusive care in and around pregnancy. Basic practices to mitigate stigma and promote gender-affirming care include staff trainings and query and use of appropriate name and pronouns in patient interactions and medical documentation. Various factors are important to consider regarding testosterone therapy for transgender individuals desiring pregnancy.
Termination of Pregnancy as a Means to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Pregnant Women With Medical Comorbidities
Authors: Aziz Michael M. , Calfee Alexa , Albright Catherine , Gladstein Natalie , Houser Molly V.
Published: October 2019

The United States is the world's only developed country with a rising maternal mortality rate, with an increase of 26% between 2000 and 2014. Of the approximately 700 pregnancy-related deaths per year in the United States, nearly 30% are attributable to preexisting disease. Maternal–fetal medicine physicians are in a unique position—they are tasked with counseling patients regarding the risks of pregnancy in the context of their medical comorbidities. Individual physicians' opinions regarding the level of risk of death at which a termination of pregnancy would be considered “medically indicated” are highly variable and are influenced by where physicians are from, where they trained, and their knowledge regarding the safety of termination of pregnancy. Additionally, 43 states have legislated restrictions to abortion access that contain exceptions to protect women's life or health, but what constitutes a risk to a woman's life or health is not well-defined and appropriates medical terminology for political purposes. The current statements from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine advocate for safe, legal, and unobstructed access to pregnancy termination services. These statements attempt to remove health care providers' own biases regarding the exact risk level at which they would consider an abortion to be medically indicated. Because the risk of death from a first- or second-trimester termination is less than that of a traditional delivery, any medical problem that increases that risk of death could be considered an indication for counseling patients regarding the option of termination of pregnancy as a means to reduce mortality or morbidity.
Patient Perception of the Remote Versus Clinic Visits for Interrogation of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators
Authors: Srivatsa Uma N. , Joy Kelly C. , Zhang Xin J. , Fan Dali , Oesterle Adam , Birgersdotter-Green Ulrika
Published: October 2019

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) are used in the management of sudden cardiac arrest. Compared with clinic visits, remote interrogation of these devices has shown clinical benefit and lower cost. We hypothesize that demographic and socioeconomic factors influence patient satisfaction with remote monitoring and therefore the choice of a pathway for follow-up. Questionnaires were mailed to 85 patients (mean age 63 ± 13.5 years, 73% male), with ICDs implanted for primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest. Information regarding education, social support, employment, and income was collected. To compare clinic and remote monitoring, patients were given questionnaires to assess which parameters they consider important: convenience, accuracy, human contact, scheduling, and cost. Of the 34 responders, patients rated clinic visit to be as accurate with better opportunity to ask questions and better human contact, but there was no difference in perception of convenience, scheduling, or cost between the 2 groups. Significant number of patients dropped from the labor market after ICD implantation; however labor status, education, or income did not influence the preference of clinic appointment. Survey respondents preferred clinic to remote interrogation because they believe clinic appointments allow better interaction. Educating patients about the benefits of remote interrogation and improved communication will enhance utilization of this sophisticated technology for superior patient care.
Corneal Topographic Astigmatism Based on Total Corneal Power Data (CorT Total): A Benchmark for Total Corneal Astigmatism
Authors: Alpins Noel , Ong James K. Y. , Randleman J. Bradley , Nevyas-Wallace Anita , Stamatelatos George
Published: October 2019

Purpose:

To evaluate how closely manufacturer-provided measures of total corneal astigmatism correspond with the manifest refractive cylinder, as compared to a benchmark of corneal topographic astigmatism calculated on the basis of measured total corneal power (TCP) data (CorT Total).

Methods:

The SD of the ocular residual astigmatism magnitude (ORAsd) was evaluated for normal virgin eyes based on an optimized benchmark CorT Total and the various measures of total corneal astigmatism provided by 3 different Scheimpflug tomographers.

Results:

The CorT Total corresponded with the manifest refractive cylinder at least as well as all the measures of total corneal astigmatism provided by the tomographers [Sirius CorT Total ORAsd: 0.320D (standard error [SE] 0.017D), Sirius TCP 4 mm ORAsd: 0.324D (SE 0.017D); Pentacam CorT Total ORAsd: 0.338D (SE 0.027D), Pentacam total corneal refractive power apex zone 4 mm ORAsd: 0.337D (SE 0.029D); Galilei CorT Total ORAsd: 0.472D (SE 0.068D), and Galilei TCP2 ORAsd: 0.536D (SE 0.124D)]. The difference between CorT Total and best measure on each tomographer was not statistically significant (Sirius TCP 4 mm: P = 0.24, Pentacam total corneal refractive power apex zone 4 mm: P = 0.64, Galilei TCP2: P = 0.24). Most of the manufacturer-provided measures did not correspond closely with the manifest refractive cylinder. When there were multiple measures of total corneal astigmatism, those derived from a zone with a diameter of 4.0 mm corresponded best with the manifest refractive cylinder.

Conclusions:

The CorT Total is a reliable benchmark measure that can be used to assess how well other measures of total corneal astigmatism correspond with the manifest refractive cylinder.
Late effects of pediatric brain tumors
Authors: Rey-Casserly Celiane , Diver Tanya
Published: October 2019

Purpose of review

Adverse late effects of pediatric brain tumors can be numerous and complex and potentially alter the life trajectories of survivors in a multitude of ways. We review these inter-related late effects that compromise neurocognitive function, general health, social and psychological adjustment, and overall adaptive and vocational outcomes, and threaten to undermine the ability of survivors to transition independently into adulthood and effectively manage their care. Intervention/prevention strategies and advances in treatment that may reduce such late effects are discussed.

Recent findings

Studies of neuropsychological late effects have revealed specific deficits in core cognitive functions of attention, working memory and processing speed, with many survivors demonstrating decline in working memory and processing speed over time, irrespective of tumor type or treatment. This in turn affects the ongoing development of higher order neurocognitive skills. Research also highlights the increasing burden of health-related, neuropsychological and psychosocial late effects into adulthood and impact across life outcomes.

Pediatric brain tumor survivors require coordinated interdisciplinary care, ongoing evaluation and management of late effects, and timely interventions focused on mitigating the impact of late effects. The transition to adulthood can be especially vulnerable and addressing barriers to care is of paramount importance.
Excessive drinking and checking in the rat model of Schedule-Induced Polydipsia reveal impaired bi-directional plasticity at BNST GABA synapses
Authors: Angelis Staci , Gregory James Gardner , Hawken Emily R. , Dumont Éric C.
Published: October 2019

Compulsions, defined by debilitating repetitive actions, permeate many mental illnesses and are challenging to treat partly because of a limited understanding of their neurobiological underpinnings. Accumulating evidence suggests the rodent model of Schedule-Induced Polydipsia (SIP) as a promising pre-clinical assay to elucidate the neurobiological and behavioural manifestations of compulsivity. In the rodent SIP paradigm, susceptible rats develop adjunctive excessive drinking when they are chronically food restricted and presented with food pellets according to a fixed-time schedule. We found that normally, bi-directional plasticity of GABA synapses in the oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (ovBNST) tightly followed the rats’ satiety state where low-frequency stimulation-induced potentiation (LTPGABA) prevailed in sated rats whilst food restriction uncovered long-term depression (LTDGABA). In rats that developed excessive drinking during SIP, removing the caloric restriction failed at reverting LTDGABA to LTPGABA whereas bi-directional plasticity at ovBNST GABA synapses was unaltered in low-drinking SIP-trained rats. Excessive drinking ceased in polydipsic rats removed from their caloric restriction; however, these rats retained a form of compulsive schedule-induced checking (SIC) and impaired plasticity at ovBNST GABA synapses for several days following termination of the caloric restriction. We conclude that altered bi-directional plasticity at ovBNST GABA synapses is a neurophysiological trace of compulsivity in susceptible rats in the SIP model.
Corporate governance reporting in Bangladesh
Authors: Rouf Abdur , Akhtaruddin M.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the extent and nature of corporate governance reporting (CGR) in corporate annual reports of Bangladesh. The aim of the study to test empirically the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and CGR by the listed companies in Bangladesh. The CG examined the proportion of independent directors, board leadership structure, board size, ownership structure and audit committee size.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a sample of 86 listed non-financial companies in Dhaka stock exchanges (DSE) from the period of 2015-2017 and all the companies are selected by judgment Sampling. The study has been used as an unweighted relative disclosure index for measuring CGR.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that board leadership structure (BLS) is positively associated with the level of CGR. In contrast, the percentage of equity owned by the insiders to all equity of the firm is negatively associated with the level of CGR.

Practical implications

Findings of this study have important implications for regulatory authority, enforcement agencies such as Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, DSE, policymakers, shareholders and others who have an interemaammast in CG.

Originality/value

Finding of the study will be a benchmark for policymakers and implementers in torching the avenues of improvement in raising the level of CG reporting.
Milk composition traits in Jamunapari goats: Genetic parameters and effect of CSN1S1 gene variants
Authors: Verma Mahima , Dige Mahesh S , Kaushik Rakesh , Gautam Devika , De Sachinandan , Rout Pramod K
Published: October 2019

Milk protein polymorphism was analysed to improve the protein content in milk. The present study characterises the CSN1S1 gene and the effect of allelic combinations on milk composition traits in Jamunapari goats. The allelic variants obtained from sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism were confirmed by cloning and sequencing. Genetic parameters were obtained from 518 records from 48 sires and 131 dams. The A, B and F alleles were observed in the population and the protein percentage in milk was significantly (P < 0.01) affected by allelic variants. The frequencies of A, B and F alleles were 0.456, 0.503 and 0.041, respectively. The protein content in milk was highest in the goats with AB genotype followed by AA > BB > BF > AF > FF. The goats with AB genotype had a significantly (P < 0.01) higher protein percentage in milk than goats with BF (t = 5.311, df = 113), AF (t = 8.13, df = 123) and FF (t = 9.55, df = 115) genotypes. The direct heritability for protein percentage was 0.441. Parity and season of birth had significant effects (P < 0.05) on the solids‐not‐fat percentage and lactose concentrations. The CSN1S1 AA, AB and BB genotypes should be selected for higher protein content and to improve milk quality and processing traits in Indian goats.
Systemic serotonin inhibits brown adipose tissue sympathetic nerve activity via a GABA input to the dorsomedial hypothalamus, not via 5HT1A receptor activation in raphe pallidus
Authors: Mota Clarissa M. D. , Branco Luiz G. S. , Morrison Shaun F. , Madden Christopher J.
Published: October 2019

Aim

Serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine, 5‐HT), an important neurotransmitter and hormone, modulates many physiological functions including body temperature. We investigated neural mechanisms involved in the inhibition of brown adipose tissue (BAT) sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and BAT thermogenesis evoked by 5‐HT.

Methods

Electrophysiological recordings, intravenous (iv) injections and nanoinjections in the brains of anaesthetized rats.

Results

Cooling‐evoked increases in BAT SNA were inhibited by the intra‐rostral raphé pallidus (rRPa) and the iv administration of the 5‐HT1A receptor agonist, 8‐OH‐DPAT or 5‐HT. The intra‐rRPa 5‐HT, the intra‐rRPa and the iv 8‐OH‐DPAT, but not the iv 5‐HT‐induced inhibition of BAT SNA were prevented by nanoinjection of a 5‐HT1A receptor antagonist in the rRPa. The increase in BAT SNA evoked by nanoinjection of NMDA in the rRPa was not inhibited by iv 5‐HT, indicating that iv 5‐HT does not inhibit BAT SNA by acting in the rRPa or in the sympathetic pathway distal to the rRPa. In contrast, under a warm condition, blockade of 5HT1A receptors in the rRPa increased BAT SNA and BAT thermogenesis, suggesting that endogenous 5‐HT in the rRPa contributes to the suppression of BAT SNA and BAT thermogenesis. The increases in BAT SNA and BAT thermogenesis evoked by nanoinjection of NMDA in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) were inhibited by iv 5‐HT, but those following bicuculline nanoinjection in the DMH were not inhibited.

Conclusions

The systemic 5‐HT‐induced inhibition of BAT SNA requires a GABAergic inhibition of BAT sympathoexcitatory neurones in the DMH. In addition, during warming, 5‐HT released endogenously in rRPa inhibits BAT SNA.
Urban poverty alleviation strategies in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Contrasting opportunities for community development
Authors: Roitman Sonia
Published: October 2019

A multidimensional understanding of poverty includes the access of poor groups to decision‐making processes based on their needs and aspirations. However, the realisation of this ‘right to make decisions’ faces multiple obstacles. Over the last 20 years in Indonesia, in a context of a more democratic political environment and policy decentralisation, poverty alleviation policies have followed institutional arrangements to provide communities with opportunities for greater participation in development projects. Poverty data show a clear improvement in the living conditions of urban poor citizens in Indonesia; however, it is unclear whether poor communities have become stronger and more independent from public grants and better able to make their own decisions. This research analysed two urban poor communities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and found that some communities working on participatory poverty alleviation strategies still face obstacles to becoming more independent and making their own decisions because they remain part of an historical legacy of top‐down approaches to poverty, highly dependent on government support and working only within ‘invited spaces’. Conversely, those communities with more limited access to government funding have been more innovative in their strategies and have created ‘invented spaces’ for collective action that allows them to be more independent and empowered.
Sequential adaptive variables and subject selection for GEE methods
Authors: Chen Zimu , Wang Zhanfeng , Chang Yuan‐chin Ivan
Published: October 2019

Modeling correlated or highly stratified multiple‐response data is a common data analysis task in many applications, such as those in large epidemiological studies or multisite cohort studies. The generalized estimating equations method is a popular statistical method used to analyze these kinds of data, because it can manage many types of unmeasured dependence among outcomes. Collecting large amounts of highly stratified or correlated response data is time‐consuming; thus, the use of a more aggressive sampling strategy that can accelerate this process—such as the active‐learning methods found in the machine‐learning literature—will always be beneficial. In this study, we integrate adaptive sampling and variable selection features into a sequential procedure for modeling correlated response data. Besides reporting the statistical properties of the proposed procedure, we also use both synthesized and real data sets to demonstrate the usefulness of our method.
Designing precision medicine trials to yield a greater population impact
Authors: Zhao Ying‐Qi , LeBlanc Michael L.
Published: October 2019

Traditionally, a clinical trial is conducted comparing treatment to standard care for all patients. However, it could be inefficient given patients’ heterogeneous responses to treatments, and rapid advances in the molecular understanding of diseases have made biomarker‐based clinical trials increasingly popular. We propose a new targeted clinical trial design, termed as Max‐Impact design, which selects the appropriate subpopulation for a clinical trial and aims to optimize population impact once the trial is completed. The proposed design not only gains insights on the patients who would be included in the trial but also considers the benefit to the excluded patients. We develop novel algorithms to construct enrollment rules for optimizing population impact, which are fairly general and can be applied to various types of outcomes. Simulation studies and a data example from the SWOG Cancer Research Network demonstrate the competitive performance of our proposed method compared to traditional untargeted and targeted designs.
Stratigraphic evolution from the early Albian to late Campanian of the Potiguar Basin, Northeast Brazil: An approach in seismic scale
Authors: Melo Anderson H. , Andrade Peryclys R. O. , Magalhães Antonio J. C. , Fragoso Daniel G. C. , Lima‐Filho Francisco P.
Published: October 2019

Five 3rd‐order depositional sequences are interpreted from the early Albian to late Campanian interval in the Potiguar Basin. An integrated analysis of seismic interpretations, well logs, cores and biostratigraphic data provides a stratigraphic framework composed by stratigraphic surfaces, systems tracts and sequences. Depositional Sequence 1 and 2 are, respectively, Albian and early to mid‐Cenomanian aged and are composed by the falling stage, low stand, transgressive and high stand systems tracts. Depositional Sequence 3 is late Cenomanian to mid‐Turonian aged and is composed by the transgressive and high stand systems tracts. Depositional sequences 4 and 5 are, respectively, late Turonian to mid‐Santonian and late Santonian to mid‐Campanian aged and are composed only by transgressive and high stand systems tracts. The lack of falling stage and low stand systems tracts in depositional sequences 3, 4 and 5, as well the increasing in transgressive and highstand systems tracts thickness as depositional sequences get younger, are reflection of an overall transgressive trend of a 2nd‐order sequence. The interpretation proposed in this paper correlates onshore with offshore deposits within a seismic scale (3rd‐order) sequence stratigraphy framework. This approach allows a better understanding of the Açu Formation, the primary oil‐bearing formation of the Potiguar Basin. The Açu Formation is part of depositional sequences 1, 2 and 3 and is characterized by lateral and vertical variations of depositional systems instead of being associated to a specific depositional system. This sequence stratigraphy analysis can be used as a low‐resolution framework for future high‐resolution (4th‐order scale) studies.
The deforestation of Easter Island
Authors: Rull Valentí
Published: October 2019

Easter Island deforestation has traditionally been viewed as an abrupt island‐wide event caused by the prehistoric Rapanui civilization, which precipitated its own cultural collapse. This view emerges from early palaeoecological analyses of lake sediments, which showed a sudden and total replacement of palm pollen by grass pollen shortly after Polynesian settlement (800–1200 CE). However, further palaeoecological research has challenged this view, showing that the apparent abruptness and island‐wide synchronicity of forest removal was an artefact due to the occurrence of a sedimentary gap of several millennia that prevented a detailed record of the replacement of palm‐dominated forests by grass meadows. During the last decade, several continuous (gap‐free) and chronologically coherent sediment cores encompassing the last millennia have been retrieved and analysed, providing a new picture of forest removal on Easter Island. According to these analyses, deforestation was not abrupt but gradual and occurred at different times and rates, depending on the site. Regarding the causes, humans were not the only factors responsible for forest clearing, as climatic droughts as well as climate–human–landscape feedbacks and synergies also played a role. In summary, the deforestation of Easter Island was a complex process that was spatially and temporally heterogeneous and took place under the actions and interactions of both natural and anthropogenic drivers. In addition, archaeological evidence shows that the Rapanui civilization was resilient to deforestation and remained healthy until European contact, which contradicts the occurrence of a cultural collapse. Further research should aim to obtain new continuous cores and make use of recently developed biomarker analyses to advance towards a holistic view of the patterns, causes and consequences of Easter Island deforestation.
Lysyl oxidase impacts disease outcomes and correlates with global DNA hypomethylation in esophageal cancer
Authors: Kalikawe Rebecca , Baba Yoshifumi , Nomoto Daichi , Okadome Kazuo , Miyake Keisuke , Eto Kojiro , Hiyoshi Yukiharu , Nagai Youhei , Iwatsuki Masaaki , Ishimoto Takatsugu , Iwagami Shiro , Miyamoto Yuji , Yoshida Naoya , Watanabe Masayuki , Baba Hideo
Published: October 2019

Abnormal function of human body enzymes and epigenetic alterations such as DNA methylation have been shown to lead to human carcinogenesis. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) enzyme has attracted attention due to its involvement in tumor progression in various cancers. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical importance of LOX expression and its epigenetic regulation in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Using a database of 284 ESCCs, we examined LOX expression and its prognostic characteristics. The functional role of LOX was assessed by in vitro growth, migration, and invasion assays. The relationship between LOX expression, global DNA hypomethylation (ie, LINE‐1 methylation), and LOX promoter methylation was evaluated by using mRNA expression arrays and pyrosequencing technology. High LOX expression cases had a significantly shorter overall survival and cancer‐specific survival (log‐rank, P < .001). The prognostic effect of LOX expression was not significantly modified by other clinical variables. Silencing and enzymatic inhibition of LOX suppressed growth and reduced the invasion and migration ability of ESCC cell lines along with the downregulation of AKT and MMP2. An integrated gene analysis in tissues and cell lines revealed that LOX was the most highly upregulated gene in LINE‐1 hypomethylated tumors. In vitro, LOX expression was upregulated following DNA demethylation. LOX promoter methylation was not associated with LOX expression. Conclusively LOX expression was associated with poor prognosis in ESCC and was regulated epigenetically by genome‐wide hypomethylation. It could serve as a prognostic biomarker in ESCC patients, and therapeutically targeting LOX could reverse the progression of esophageal cancer.
The methylisothiazolinone epidemic goes along with changing patients' characteristics – After cosmetics, industrial applications are the focus
Authors: Schnuch Axel , Schubert Steffen , Lessmann Holger , Geier Johannes ,   for the IVDK
Published: October 2019

Background

Sensitization to methylisothiazolinone (MI) has seen an exceptional epidemic, mainly attributed to its use in cosmetics.

Objectives

To trace the epidemic of MI allergy (2009–2018), and to analyze a possible change of patients' characteristics.

Methods

Informationsverbund Dermatologischer Kliniken‐data of patients patch tested between 2009 and 2018 with MI (0.05% aq.) were analyzed concerning anamnestic items and sensitization frequencies.

Results

Overall, 4.9% reacted positive to MI. Comparing sensitization to MI in three periods (2009, 2013/14, and 2017/18), there was an increase to 7% in 2013 and a decrease to 3.4% in 2018. The MOAHLFA Index (M=Men, O=Occupational Dermatitis, A=Atopic Dermatitis, L=Leg Dermatitis, F=Face Dermatitis, A= Age > 40) for the period 2013/14 is characterized by a lower proportion of occupational dermatitis and a higher proportion of face dermatitis. The period 2017/18 is characterized by increases of occupational dermatitis and hand dermatitis, and a decrease of face dermatitis. Painters, personal care workers, and hairdressers were particularly affected. Sensitization in hairdressers and personal care workers (mostly cosmeticians) decreased after the peak in 2013/14, whereas sensitization to MI in painters continued to increase.

Conclusions

After an unprecedented epidemic of MI allergy, mainly caused by its use in cosmetics, the continuous use of MI in industrial applications, for example, paints, and subsequent sensitization remain a matter of concern.
Rapid detection and toxicity assessment of ochratoxin A by Photobacterium leiognathi in drinking water
Authors: Li Liang , Wu Shizheng , Yang Panpan , Liu Qianyu , Tang Shuze
Published: October 2019

This study was aimed to develop a rapid technique for detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) by Photobacterium leiognathi (P. leiognathi) based on its inhibition of luminescence on P. leiognathi. The freeze‐dried powder of P. leiognathi was incubated and grown aerobically in sterile liquid medium at 28 °C for 20 h. Optical cell density (OD) at wavelength of 610 nm was measured using UV spectrometer every 2 h. Different concentrations of standard OTA solution were used to measure its luminescence inhibition and calculate its half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), flow cytometry (FCM), sodium dodecyl sulphonate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE), DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis were used to observe the performance of P. leiognathi under the treatment of OTA. A correlation (R2 > 0.98) was obtained between the relative luminosity unit of P. leiognathi and OTA concentration in the range of 0.01–20 mg L−1 with recoveries of 80.8–87.4%. The effects of OTA on P. leiognathi are time‐dependent, and the IC50 value of 12.71 mg L−1 at 30 min demonstrated its good sensitivity to OTA. The cells of P. leiognathi under 40 mg L−1 OTA exposure for 30 mins showed morphological alterations, protein damage, apoptosis and necrosis. The aforementioned results indicate that biological assay is a promising and alternative method used for rapidly monitoring the sudden pollution of OTA in the early emergency warning of drinking water system.
National Governance Frameworks in the Global Compact on Refugees: Dangers and Opportunities
Authors: Arnold‐Fernández Emily E.
Published: October 2019

This article examines the treatment of national governance frameworks in the Global Compact on Refugees. Given that national governance frameworks are the primary determinants of whether a refugee can live safely, move freely, work, and access state and private services such as education, healthcare, banking and justice, their treatment in the Global Compact has important implications for future prospects for local integration, the durable solution least‐often discussed but most likely to become the de facto reality for most of the world's refugees.
The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale: Translation for portuguese language, cultural adaptation, and validation
Authors: Lenzi LGS , Santos JBG , Raduan Neto J , Fernandes CH , Faloppa F
Published: October 2019

Evaluating scars is fundamental to analyse the outcome of treatments that include surgical intervention. Scales facilitate this type of assessment, but most of these measuring instruments are in different languages. The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) is one of the most robust instruments available in the literature for the evaluation of scars, although there is no validated version in Brazilian Portuguese. The aims of this study were to culturally translate and validate POSAS for the Portuguese language of Brazil and to test its reproducibility, face validity, content, and construct. Following the methodology proposed by Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, Ferraz, MB, Spine 2000, 25, 3186, the questionnaire was translated and adapted to the Brazilian culture. The reproducibility, face, content, and construct validity were then analysed. In all, the scale was applied to 35 patients with postoperative scars (patient version) and 35 hand surgery specialists (version for the observer). The internal consistency was tested by Cronbach's alpha, and construct validation was performed by correlating the translated instrument with the Brazilian Portuguese translation of the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). The cultural adaptation of POSAS Escola Paulista de Medicina/Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM/UNIFESP) was confirmed. Both subscales showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.77‐0.93), demonstrating reliability. The reproducibility was excellent, and the adapted scale demonstrated significant intra‐ and inter‐observer reproducibility (r > 0.9) (P < 0.05). The validity of the construct was significant and showed good sensitivity between POSAS EMP/UNIFESP and the VSS. This study confirmed that POSAS EPM/UNIFESP can be used to evaluate patients with surgical scars in the Brazilian population. It has proven to be useful for clinical and research purposes, lending itself to capturing medical opinions and those of the patients themselves.
Analysis of taste, cordycepin, phenolic compounds, and water distribution of radio frequency heated Cordyceps militaris combined with electronic tongue and NMR
Authors: Ma Liang , Zhang Min , Xu Jicheng , Zhao Shuyong
Published: October 2019

Radio frequency (RF) was applied to heat Cordyceps militaris for the purpose of quality evaluation and microorganism control. RF heating caused gradual temperature increases ranging from 59.6 to 63.8°C, resulting in good heating uniformity and uniform temperature distribution. Compared with conventional high pressure steam (HPS), RF heating resulted in significant (p < .05) higher total phenolic, flavonoids, and cordycepin contents of C. militaris. In addition to higher reduction of total aerobic bacteria counts, bitterness taste value increased from 2.35 (unpasteurized) to 4.79 (HPS). Umami value significantly decreased from 13.58 (unpasteurized sample) to 12.13 (HPS treated sample). Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed that 20 min of RF significantly reduced the loss of water mobility than HPS. Principal component analysis of taste characteristics indicated distinct differences between RF and HPS treated samples. Hierarchical clustering analysis also revealed higher similarity between RF heated samples and the unpasteurized one.

Practical applications

Cordyceps militaris is an edible and medicinal mushroom with high nutritional quality. Results of the present study indicate that radio frequency (RF) contributed to higher umami taste, higher retention of bioactive compounds, and higher water mobility of C. militaris. Therefore, this process can be used to develop a promising alternative to conventional thermal method for the processing of C. militaris. It is highly possible that RF could be applied to healthy food industries.
The Challenges of March and Simon’s Organizations: Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Bromiley Philip , Koumakhov Rouslan , Rousseau Denise M. , Starbuck William H.
Published: October 2019

March and Simon pushed the study of organizations into the mainstream of academic writing about business. We outline central ideas discussed by the book and its pioneering role in studying cognitive processes underlying boundedly rational human beings. Through their representational approach, March and Simon defined and explicated key mechanisms of individual and organizational decision‐making. Organizations provided an empirically‐based understanding of human behavior and coordination, and set up core scientific criteria for creating the cumulative body of management and organization research. We summarize the papers presented in this special issue and point out contributions by Organizations that have been understated, forgotten or ignored in management studies.
Gut microbiota perturbation is associated with acute sleep disturbance among rectal cancer patients
Authors: González‐Mercado Velda J. , Sarkar Anujit , Penedo Frank J. , Pérez‐Santiago Josué , McMillan Susan , Marrero Sara Janet , Marrero‐Falcón Miguel A. , Munro Cindy L.
Published: October 2019

Cancer treatment‐associated gut microbial perturbation/dysbiosis has been implicated in the pathobiology of sleep disturbance; however, evidence is scarce. Eighteen newly diagnosed rectal cancer patients (ages 52–81 years; 10 males) completed a sleep disturbance questionnaire and provided stool samples for 16s RNA gene sequencing during chemo‐radiotherapy. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon test and regression analyses were computed. Regression analyses showed the Shannon's diversity index to be a significant factor associated with sleep disturbance. This preliminary work suggests that the biological “gut–brain axis” mechanism may be associated with symptoms of sleep disturbance.
Assessing the hydrologic impact of historical railroad embankments on wetland vegetation response in Canaan Valley, West Virginia: the value of high‐resolution data
Authors: Young John , Welsch Daniel , Deacon Sarah
Published: October 2019

The recovery of natural ecological processes after disturbance is poorly understood. Some disturbances may be so severe as to set ecosystems onto a new trajectory. The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia protects a unique high‐altitude wetland that was heavily disturbed by logging 100 years before present (BP) and has since transitioned to a new ecological state (shrub wetland). Refuge managers interested in preserving and restoring ecosystem states expressed concern about lingering impacts of previous disturbances (logging, railroads, beaver, deer, fire). Available data suggested hydrologic impacts from a remnant railroad grade, but managers had insufficient quantitative data to assess these impacts. We initiated a fine‐scale assessment of topography, vegetation distribution, and hydrology to assess impacts from the remnant rail grade using lidar data, vegetation surveys, and piezometers. We developed topographic models, hydrological models, and mapped vegetation distribution. We developed statistical models to assess relationships between vegetation communities, hydrology, and distance to the rail grade. Surprisingly, we found that hydrologic flow paths did not conform to expectation and were not restricted by remnant land use features. For the most part, vegetation communities are responding to topographic and environmental gradients that existed prior to disturbance. Use of highly detailed topographic data (lidar), field hydrology, and vegetation studies allowed us to more accurately assess hydrologic and vegetation regimes, eliminating the need for mitigation, thus saving significant resources.
Evaluation of a 0.75 × 109/L absolute neutrophil count cut‐off for antimicrobial prophylaxis in canine cancer chemotherapy patients
Authors: Bisson Jocelyn L. , Fournier Quentin , Johnston Emily , Handel Ian , Bavcar Spela
Published: October 2019

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) cut‐offs for antimicrobial prophylaxis in veterinary cancer chemotherapy patients are empirical and vary between institutions. Evidence based cut‐offs are vital for antimicrobial stewardship, particularly as global antimicrobial resistance rises. The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate the tolerability of a <0.75 × 109/l ANC cut‐off for antimicrobial prophylaxis in dogs after receiving chemotherapy and its impact on antimicrobial prescription. Predicted nadir ANCs (pnANCs) were stratified into six groups (<0.75 × 109/l [receiving antimicrobial prophylaxis], 0.75‐0.99 × 109/l, 1‐1.49 × 109/l, 1.5‐1.99 × 109/l, 2.0‐3.59 × 109/l and 3.6‐12 × 109/l [reference interval]). The incidences of post‐nadir febrile neutropenia (FN) and non‐haematological toxicity (NHT) were compared between groups. Five hundred and eighty‐six pnANCs were recorded for 181 dogs. There were four episodes of post‐nadir FN and 90 episodes of post‐nadir NHT. There was no significant difference in incidence of post‐nadir FN (P= .063) or post‐nadir NHT (P= .084) between pnANC groups. Antimicrobial prophylaxis was prescribed following 8.8% of the chemotherapy administrations; had cut‐off values of <1.0 × 109/l or <1.5 × 109/l been used it would have been prescribed in 15.3% and 25.8% of cases respectively. An ANC cut‐off of <0.75 × 109/l for antimicrobial prophylaxis appears to be well tolerated and minimizes the prescription of antimicrobials.
Toll-Like Receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 Mediate the IgA Immune Response Induced by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
Authors: Li Xia , Zhang Yun-ke , Yin Bao , Liang Jing-bo , Jiang Fei , Wu Wen-xue
Published: October 2019

IgA plays an important role in mucosal immunity against infectious pathogens; however, the molecular mechanism of IgA secretion in response to infection remains largely unknown, particularly in
Mycoplasma
spp. In this study, we found that the levels of IgA in the peripheral blood serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, nasal mucosa, trachea, hilar lymph nodes, and lung tissues of pigs increased significantly after infection with
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
.
Anisotropic MHRDE model in BD theory of gravitation
Authors: Pradhan Anirudh , Dixit Archana , Singhal Shilpi
Published: October 2019

In this paper, in the framework of the Brans–Dicke [Phys. Rev. 124 (1961) 925] Gravitation theory, we propose to study the spatially homogeneous, anisotropic and axially symmetric model filled with dark matter and dark energy. Here, we consider the modified holographic Ricci dark energy proposed by Chen and Jing [Phys. Rev. B 679 (2009) 144] as a feasible state of darkness. To achieve a solution, we consider the time-dependent deceleration parameter, which contributes to the average scale factor of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are arbitrary constants. We have derived field equations of Brans–Dicke theory of gravitation with the help of an axially symmetric anisotropic Bianchi-type space-time. We have determined the cosmological parameters, namely, deceleration parameter, matter energy density, anisotropic dark energy density, BD scalar field, skewness parameter, EoS parameter and jerk parameter. Here, the various phenomena like the Big Bang, expanding the universe, and shift from anisotropy to isotropy are observed in the model. A comprehensive physical debate of these dynamic parameters is provided through a graphical representation. We observe that we have a quintessence model that exhibits a smooth transition from decelerated stage to an accelerated phase of the universe. This situation is in complete agreement with the modern cosmology scenario. Some physical and geometric behaviors are also discussed and discovered to be in excellent agreement with SNe Ia Supernova’s latest observations.
Multi-objective Exploration for Practical Optimization Decisions in Binary Translation
Authors: Park Sunghyun , Wu Youfeng , Lee Janghaeng , Aupov Amir , Mahlke Scott
Published: October 2019

In the design of mobile systems, hardware/software (HW/SW) co-design has important advantages by creating specialized hardware for the performance or power optimizations. Dynamic binary translation (DBT) is a key component in co-design. During the translation, a dynamic optimizer in the DBT system applies various software optimizations to improve the quality of the translated code. With dynamic optimization, optimization time is an exposed run-time overhead and useful analyses are often restricted due to their high costs. Thus, a dynamic optimizer needs to make smart decisions with limited analysis information, which complicates the design of optimization decision models and often causes failures in human-made heuristics. In mobile systems, this problem is even more challenging because of strict constraints on computing capabilities and memory size.

To overcome the challenge, we investigate an opportunity to build practical optimization decision models for DBT by using machine learning techniques. As the first step,
loop unrolling
is chosen as the representative optimization. We base our approach on the industrial strength DBT infrastructure and conduct evaluation with 17,116 unrollable loops collected from 200 benchmarks and real-life programs across various domains. By utilizing all available features that are potentially important for loop unrolling decision, we identify the best classification algorithm for our infrastructure with consideration for both prediction accuracy and cost. The greedy feature selection algorithm is then applied to the classification algorithm to distinguish its significant features and cut down the feature space. By maintaining significant features only, the best affordable classifier, which satisfies the budgets allocated to the decision process, shows 74.5% of prediction accuracy for the optimal unroll factor and realizes an average 20.9% reduction in dynamic instruction count during the steady-state translated code execution. For comparison, the best baseline heuristic achieves 46.0% prediction accuracy with an average 13.6% instruction count reduction. Given that the infrastructure is already highly optimized and the ideal upper bound for instruction reduction is observed at 23.8%, we believe this result is noteworthy.
AuthCropper
Authors: Kim Jihye , Lee Jiwon , Ko Hankyung , Oh Donghwan , Han Semin , Jeong Gwonho , Oh Hyunok
Published: October 2019

As surveillance systems are popular, the privacy of the recorded video becomes more important. On the other hand, the authenticity of video images should be guaranteed when used as evidence in court. It is challenging to satisfy both (personal) privacy and authenticity of a video simultaneously, since the privacy requires modifications (e.g., partial deletions) of an original video image while the authenticity does not allow any modifications of the original image. This paper proposes a novel method to convert an encryption scheme to support partial decryption with a constant number of keys and construct a privacy-aware authentication scheme by combining with a signature scheme. The security of our proposed scheme is implied by the security of the underlying encryption and signature schemes. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can handle the UHD video stream with more than 17 fps on a real embedded system, which validates the practicality of the proposed scheme.
Memory- and Communication-Aware Model Compression for Distributed Deep Learning Inference on IoT
Authors: Bhardwaj Kartikeya , Lin Ching-Yi , Sartor Anderson , Marculescu Radu
Published: October 2019

Model compression has emerged as an important area of research for deploying deep learning models on Internet-of-Things (IoT). However, for extremely memory-constrained scenarios, even the compressed models cannot fit within the memory of a single device and, as a result, must be distributed across multiple devices. This leads to a
distributed inference
paradigm in which memory and communication costs represent a major bottleneck. Yet, existing model compression techniques are not communication-aware. Therefore, we propose
Network of Neural Networks
(NoNN), a new distributed IoT learning paradigm that compresses a large pretrained ‘teacher’ deep network into several disjoint and highly-compressed ‘student’ modules, without loss of accuracy. Moreover, we propose a network science-based knowledge partitioning algorithm for the teacher model, and then train individual students on the resulting disjoint partitions. Extensive experimentation on five image classification datasets, for user-defined memory/performance budgets, show that NoNN achieves higher accuracy than several baselines and similar accuracy as the teacher model, while using minimal communication among students. Finally, as a case study, we deploy the proposed model for CIFAR-10 dataset on edge devices and demonstrate significant improvements in memory footprint (up to 24×), performance (up to 12×), and energy per node (up to 14×) compared to the large teacher model. We further show that for distributed inference on multiple edge devices, our proposed NoNN model results in up to 33× reduction in total latency w.r.t. a state-of-the-art model compression baseline.