bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitigating Sports Injury Risks Using Internet of Things and Analytics Approaches
Authors: Wilkerson Gary B. , Gupta Ashish , Colston Marisa A.
Published: March 2018

Sport injuries restrict participation, impose a substantial economic burden, and can have persisting adverse effects on health‐related quality of life. The effective use of Internet of Things (IoT), when combined with analytics approaches, can improve player safety through identification of injury risk factors that can be addressed by targeted risk reduction training activities. Use of IoT devices can facilitate highly efficient quantification of relevant functional capabilities prior to sport participation, which could substantially advance the prevailing sport injury management paradigm. This study introduces a framework for using sensor‐derived IoT data to supplement other data for objective estimation of each individual college football player's level of injury risk, which is an approach to injury prevention that has not been previously reported. A cohort of 45 NCAA Division I‐FCS college players provided data in the form of self‐ratings of persisting effects of previous injuries and single‐leg postural stability test. Instantaneous change in body mass acceleration (jerk) during the test was quantified by a smartphone accelerometer, with data wirelessly transmitted to a secure cloud server. Injuries sustained from the beginning of practice sessions until the end of the 13‐game season were documented, along with the number of games played by each athlete over the course of a 13‐game season. Results demonstrate a strong prediction model. Our approach may have strong relevance to the estimation of injury risk for other physically demanding activities. Clearly, there is great potential for improvement of injury prevention initiatives through identification of individual athletes who possess elevated injury risk and targeted interventions.
Village Facilities and Social Place Attachment in the Rural Netherlands
Authors: Gieling Joost , Haartsen Tialda , Vermeij Lotte
Published: March 2018

Economies of scale and increased mobility have led to the closure of many village facilities. Most residents do not rely on locally available facilities anymore for their primary function. However, facilities are also meeting places. A decline in facilities may therefore negatively influence residents' social place attachment. This article examines which facilities impact residents' social place attachment. It also explores whether different facilities impact the social place attachment of different groups of residents differently. In our analyses, we make a distinction between rural areas near and away from urban areas. Based on structural equation modeling, we conclude that in rural areas, both near and away from cities, cafés and supermarkets may well matter for residents' social attachment. In contrast to common expectations, community centers, primary schools, and sports facilities were not shown to enhance social place attachment. Considering the increasing self‐reliance of local communities, these findings raise doubts about the use of public services to revitalize local communities.
Gender and Promotions: Evidence from Academic Economists in France*
Authors: Bosquet Clément , Combes Pierre‐Philippe , García‐Peñalosa Cecilia
Published: March 2018

The promotion system for French academic economists provides an interesting environment to examine the promotion gap between men and women. Promotions occur through national competitions for which we have information both on candidates and on those eligible to be candidates. Thus, we can examine the two stages of the process: application and success. Women are less likely to seek promotion, and this accounts for up to 76 percent of the promotion gap. Being a woman also reduces the probability of promotion conditional on applying, although the gender difference is not statistically significant. Our results highlight the importance of the decision to apply.
Toolbox: Creating a systematic database of secretory pathway proteins uncovers new cargo for COPI
Authors: Weill Uri , Arakel Eric C. , Goldmann Omer , Golan Matan , Chuartzman Silvia , Munro Sean , Schwappach Blanche , Schuldiner Maya
Published: March 2018

A third of yeast genes encode for proteins that function in the endomembrane system. However, the precise localization for many of these proteins is still uncertain. Here, we visualized a collection of ~500 N‐terminally, green fluorescent protein (GFP), tagged proteins of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By co‐localizing them with 7 known markers of endomembrane compartments we determined the localization for over 200 of them. Using this approach, we create a systematic database of the various secretory compartments and identify several new residents. Focusing in, we now suggest that Lam5 resides in contact sites between the endoplasmic reticulum and the late Golgi. Additionally, analysis of interactions between the COPI coat and co‐localizing proteins from our screen identifies a subset of proteins that are COPI‐cargo. In summary, our approach defines the protein roster within each compartment enabling characterization of the physical and functional organization of the endomembrane system and its components.
GalT‐KO pig lungs are highly susceptible to acute vascular rejection in baboons, which may be mitigated by transgenic expression of hCD47 on porcine blood vessels
Authors: Watanabe Hironosuke , Sahara Hisashi , Nomura Shunichiro , Tanabe Tatsu , Ekanayake‐Alper Dilrukshi K. , Boyd Lennan K. , Louras Nathan J. , Asfour Arsenoi , Danton Makenzie A. , Ho Siu‐Hong , Arn Scott J. , Hawley Robert J. , Shimizu Akira , Nagayasu Takeshi , Ayares David , Lorber Marc I. , Sykes Megan , Sachs David H. , Yamada Kazuhiko
Published: March 2018

Background

Despite recent progress in survival times of xenografts in non‐human primates, there are no reports of survival beyond 5 days of histologically well‐aerated porcine lung grafts in baboons. Here, we report our initial results of pig‐to‐baboon xeno‐lung transplantation (XLTx).

Methods

Eleven baboons received genetically modified porcine left lungs from either GalT‐KO alone (n = 3), GalT‐KO/humanCD47(hCD47)/hCD55 (n = 3), GalT‐KO/hD47/hCD46 (n = 4), or GalT‐KO/hCD39/hCD46/hCD55/TBM/EPCR (n = 1) swine. The first 2 XLTx procedures were performed under a non‐survival protocol that allowed a 72‐hour follow‐up of the recipients with general anesthesia, while the remaining 9 underwent a survival protocol with the intention of weaning from ventilation.

Results

Lung graft survivals in the 2 non‐survival animals were 48 and >72 hours, while survivals in the other 9 were 25 and 28 hours, at 5, 5, 6, 7, >7, 9, and 10 days. One baboon with graft survival >7 days, whose entire lung graft remained well aerated, was euthanized on POD 7 due to malfunction of femoral catheters. hCD47 expression of donor lungs was detected in both alveoli and vessels only in the 3 grafts surviving >7, 9, and 10 days. All other grafts lacked hCD47 expression in endothelial cells and were completely rejected with diffuse hemorrhagic changes and antibody/complement deposition detected in association with early graft loss.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of histologically viable porcine lung grafts beyond 7 days in baboons. Our results indicate that GalT‐KO pig lungs are highly susceptible to acute humoral rejection and that this may be mitigated by transgenic expression of hCD47.
Cycles in the de Rham cohomology of abelian varieties over number fields
Authors: Tang Yunqing
Published: March 2018

In his 1982 paper, Ogus defined a class of cycles in the de Rham cohomology of smooth proper varieties over number fields. This notion is a crystalline analogue of$\ell$-adic Tate cycles. In the case of abelian varieties, this class includes all the Hodge cycles by the work of Deligne, Ogus, and Blasius. Ogus predicted that such cycles coincide with Hodge cycles for abelian varieties. In this paper, we confirm Ogus’ prediction for some families of abelian varieties. These families include geometrically simple abelian varieties of prime dimension that have non-trivial endomorphism ring. The proof uses a crystalline analogue of Faltings’ isogeny theorem due to Bost and the known cases of the Mumford–Tate conjecture.
Failure to expand the motor unit size to compensate for declining motor unit numbers distinguishes sarcopenic from non‐sarcopenic older men
Authors: Piasecki M. , Ireland A. , Piasecki J. , Stashuk D. W. , Swiecicka A. , Rutter M. K. , Jones D. A. , McPhee J. S.
Published: March 2018

Key points

The age‐related loss of muscle mass is related to the loss of innervating motor neurons and denervation of muscle fibres.

Not all denervated muscle fibres are degraded; some may be reinnervated by an adjacent surviving neuron, which expands the innervating motor unit proportional to the numbers of fibres rescued.

Enlarged motor units have larger motor unit potentials when measured using electrophysiological techniques.

We recorded much larger motor unit potentials in relatively healthy older men compared to young men, but the older men with the smallest muscles (sarcopenia) had smaller motor unit potentials than healthy older men.

These findings suggest that healthy older men reinnervate large numbers of muscle fibres to compensate for declining motor neuron numbers, but a failure to do so contributes to muscle loss in sarcopenic men.

Sarcopenia results from the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and reduced function in older age. It is likely to be associated with the well‐documented reduction of motor unit numbers innervating limb muscles and the increase in size of surviving motor units via reinnervation of denervated fibres. However, no evidence exists to confirm the extent of motor unit remodelling in sarcopenic individuals. The aim of the present study was to compare motor unit size and number between young (n = 48), non‐sarcopenic old (n = 13), pre‐sarcopenic (n = 53) and sarcopenic (n = 29) men. Motor unit potentials (MUPs) were isolated from intramuscular and surface EMG recordings. The motor unit numbers were reduced in all groups of old compared with young men (all P < 0.001). MUPs were higher in non‐sarcopenic and pre‐sarcopenic men compared with young men (P = 0.039 and 0.001 respectively), but not in the vastus lateralis of sarcopenic old (P = 0.485). The results suggest that extensive motor unit remodelling occurs relatively early during ageing, exceeds the loss of muscle mass and precedes sarcopenia. Reinnervation of denervated muscle fibres probably expands the motor unit size in the non‐sarcopenic and pre‐sarcopenic old, but not in the sarcopenic old. These findings suggest that a failure to expand the motor unit size distinguishes sarcopenic from pre‐sarcopenic muscles.
Comparison of the longitudinal effects of persistent periodic breathing and apnoea on cerebral oxygenation in term‐ and preterm‐born infants
Authors: Horne Rosemary S. C. , Sun Sunjuri , Yiallourou Stephanie R. , Fyfe Karinna L. , Odoi Alexsandria , Wong Flora Y.
Published: March 2018

Key points

Periodic breathing and apnoea were more common in preterm compared to age‐matched term‐born infants across the first 6 months after term‐corrected age.

Periodic breathing decreased with age in both term and preterm infants.

Apnoea duration was not different between groups; however, the decline in apnoea index with postnatal age observed in the term infants was not seen in the preterm infants.

Falls in tissue oxygenation index (brain TOI) associated with apnoeas were greater in the preterm infants at all three ages studied.

The clinical significance of falls in brain TOI during periodic breathing and apnoea on neurodevelopmental outcome is unknown and warrants further investigations.

Periodic breathing and short apnoeas are common in infants, particularly those born preterm, but are thought to be benign. The aim of our study was to assess the incidence and impact of periodic breathing and apnoea on heart rate, oxygen saturation and brain tissue oxygenation index (TOI) in infants born at term and preterm over the first 6 months after term equivalent age. Nineteen term‐born infants (38–42 weeks gestational age) and 24 preterm infants (born at 27–36 weeks gestational age) were studied at 2–4 weeks, 2–3 months and 5–6 months post‐term‐corrected age during sleep. Periodic breathing episodes were defined as three or more sequential apnoeas each lasting ≥3 s and apnoeas as ≥3 s in duration. The mean duration of periodic breathing episodes was longer in term infants than in preterm infants at 2–4 weeks (P < 0.05) and at 5–6 months (P < 0.05); however, the nadir in TOI was significantly less in the term infants at 2–3 months (P < 0.001). Apnoea duration was not different between groups; however, the decline in apnoea index with postnatal age observed in the term infants was not seen in the preterm infants. Falls in TOI associated with apnoeas were greater in the preterm infants at all three ages studied. In conclusion, periodic breathing and short apnoeas were more common in infants born preterm and falls in cerebral oxygenation were greater than in the term group. The clinical significance of this on neurodevelopmental outcome is unknown and warrants further investigations.
The carotid chemoreceptor contributes to the elevated arterial stiffness and vasoconstrictor outflow in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Phillips Devin B. , Steinback Craig D. , Collins Sophie É. , Fuhr Desi P. , Bryan Tracey L. , Wong Eric Y. L. , Tedjasaputra Vincent , Bhutani Mohit , Stickland Michael K.
Published: March 2018

Key points

The reason(s) for the increased central arterial stiffness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not well understood.

In this study, we inhibited the carotid chemoreceptor with both low‐dose dopamine and hyperoxia, and observed a decrease in central arterial stiffness and muscle sympathetic nervous activity in COPD patients, while no change was observed in age‐ and risk‐matched controls.

Carotid chemoreceptor inhibition increased vascular conductance, secondary to reduced arterial blood pressure in COPD patients.

Findings from the current study suggest that elevated carotid chemoreceptor activity may contribute to the increased arterial stiffness typically observed in COPD patients.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have increased central arterial stiffness and muscle sympathetic nervous activity (MSNA), both of which contribute to cardiovascular (CV) dysfunction and increased CV risk. Previous work suggests that COPD patients have elevated carotid chemoreceptor (CC) activity/sensitivity, which may contribute to the elevated MSNA and arterial stiffness. Accordingly, the effect of CC inhibition on central arterial stiffness, MSNA and CV function at rest in COPD patients was examined in a randomized placebo‐controlled study. Thirteen mild–moderate COPD patients (forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV1) predicted ± SD: 83 ± 18%) and 13 age‐ and risk‐matched controls completed resting CV function measurements with either i.v. saline or i.v. dopamine (2 μg kg−1 min−1) while breathing normoxic or hyperoxic air (100% O2). On a separate day, a subset of COPD patients and controls completed MSNA measurements while breathing normoxic or hyperoxic air. Arterial stiffness was determined by pulse‐wave velocity (PWV) and MSNA was measured by microneurography. Brachial blood flow was determined using Doppler ultrasound, cardiac output was estimated by impedance cardiography, and vascular conductance was calculated as flow/mean arterial pressure (MAP). CC inhibition with dopamine decreased central and peripheral PWV, and MAP (P < 0.05) while increasing vascular conductance in COPD. No change in CV function was observed with dopamine in controls. CC inhibition with hyperoxia decreased peripheral PWV and MSNA (P < 0.05) in COPD, while no change was observed in controls. CC inhibition decreased PWV and MSNA, and improved vascular conductance in COPD, suggesting that tonic CC activity is elevated at rest and contributes to the elevated arterial stiffness in COPD.
Estrogen Degraders and Estrogen Degradation Pathway Identified in an Activated Sludge
Authors: Chen Yi-Lung , Fu Han-Yi , Lee Tzong-Huei , Shih Chao-Jen , Huang Lina , Wang Yu-Sheng , Ismail Wael , Chiang Yin-Ru
Published: March 2018

The environmental release and fate of estrogens are becoming an increasing public concern. Bacterial degradation has been considered the main process for eliminating estrogens from wastewater treatment plants. Various bacterial isolates are reportedly capable of aerobic estrogen degradation, and several estrogen degradation pathways have been proposed in proteobacteria and actinobacteria. However, the ecophysiological relevance of estrogen-degrading bacteria in the environment is unclear. In this study, we investigated the estrogen degradation pathway and corresponding degraders in activated sludge collected from the Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant, Taipei, Taiwan. Cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent methods were used to assess estrogen biodegradation in the collected activated sludge. Estrogen metabolite profile analysis revealed the production of pyridinestrone acid and two A/B-ring cleavage products in activated sludge incubated with estrone (1 mM), which are characteristic of the 4,5-secopathway. PCR-based functional assays detected sequences closely related to alphaproteobacterialoecC, a key gene of the 4,5-secopathway. Metagenomic analysis suggested thatNovosphingobiumspp. are major estrogen degraders in estrone-amended activated sludge.Novosphingobiumsp. strain SLCC, an estrone-degrading alphaproteobacterium, was isolated from the examined activated sludge. The general physiology and metabolism of this strain were characterized. Pyridinestrone acid and the A/B-ring cleavage products were detected in estrone-grown strain SLCC cultures. The production of pyridinestrone acid was also observed during the aerobic incubation of strain SLCC with 3.7 nM (1 μg/liter) estrone. This concentration is close to that detected in many natural and engineered aquatic ecosystems. The presented data suggest the ecophysiological relevance ofNovosphingobiumspp. in activated sludge.

IMPORTANCEEstrogens, which persistently contaminate surface water worldwide, have been classified as endocrine disruptors and human carcinogens. We contribute new knowledge on the major estrogen biodegradation pathway and estrogen degraders in wastewater treatment plants. This study considerably advances the understanding of environmental estrogen biodegradation, which is instrumental for the efficient elimination of these hazardous pollutants. Moreover, this study substantially improves the understanding of microbial estrogen degradation in the environment.
Tissue Localization and Variation of Major Symbionts in Haemaphysalis longicornis, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, and Dermacentor silvarum in China
Authors: Wang Mengfei , Zhu Dan , Dai Jianfeng , Zhong Zhengwei , Zhang Yi , Wang Jingwen
Published: March 2018

Ticks are important disease vectors, as they transmit a variety of human and animal pathogens worldwide. Symbionts that coevolved with ticks confer crucial benefits to their host in nutrition metabolism, fecundity, and vector competence. Although over 100 tick species have been identified in China, general information on tick symbiosis is limited. Here, we visualized the tissue distribution of
Coxiella
sp. and
Rickettsia
sp. in lab-reared
Haemaphysalis longicornis
and
Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides
by fluorescent
in situ
hybridization. We found that
Coxiella
sp. colonized exclusively the Malpighian tubules and ovaries of
H. longicornis
, while
Rickettsia
sp. additionally colonized the midgut of
R. haemaphysaloides
. We also investigated the population structure of microbiota in
Dermacentor silvarum
ticks collected from Inner Mongolia, China, and found that
Coxiella
,
Rickettsia
, and
Pseudomonas
are the three dominant genera. No significant difference in microbiota composition was found between male and female
D. silvarum
ticks. We again analyzed the tissue localization of
Coxiella
sp. and
Rickettsia
sp. and found that they displayed tissue tropisms similar to those in
R. haemaphysaloides
, except that
Rickettsia
sp. colonized the nuclei of spermatids instead of ovaries in
D. silvarum
. Altogether, our results suggest that
Coxiella
sp. and
Rickettsia
sp. are the main symbionts in the three ticks and reside primarily in midgut, Malpighian tubules, and reproductive tissues, but their tissue distribution varies in association with species and sexes.

IMPORTANCE
Tick-borne diseases constitute a major public health burden, as they are increasing in frequency and severity worldwide. The presence of symbionts helps ticks to metabolize nutrients, promotes fecundity, and influences pathogen infections. Increasing numbers of tick-borne pathogens have been identified in China; however, knowledge of native ticks, especially tick symbiosis, is limited. In this study, we analyze the distribution of
Coxiella
sp. and
Rickettsia
sp. in tissues of laboratory-reared
Haemaphysalis longicornis
and
Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides
and field-collected
Dermacentor silvarum
. We found that the localization patterns of
Coxiella
sp. in three Chinese tick species were similar to those of other tick species. We also found a previously undefined intracellular localization of
Rickettsia
sp. in tick midgut and spermatids. In addition, we demonstrate that tissue tropisms of symbionts vary between species and sexes. Our findings provide new insights into the tissue localization of symbionts in native Chinese ticks and pave the way for further understanding of their functional capabilities and symbiotic interactions with ticks.
The Adjuvant Bordetella Colonization Factor A Attenuates Alum-Induced Th2 Responses and Enhances Bordetella pertussis Clearance from Mouse Lungs
Authors: Jennings-Gee Jamie , Quataert Sally , Ganguly Tridib , D'Agostino Ralph , Deora Rajendar , Dubey Purnima
Published: March 2018

The reemergence of pertussis or whooping cough in several countries highlights the need for better vaccines. Acellular pertussis vaccines (aPV) contain alum as the adjuvant and elicit Th2-biased immune responses that are less effective in protecting against infection than the reactogenic whole-cell pertussis vaccines (wPV), which elicit primarily a Th1/Th17 response. An important goal for the field is to devise aPV that will induce immune responses similar to those of wPV. We show that Bordetella colonization factor A (BcfA), an outer membrane protein fromBordetella bronchiseptica, has strong adjuvant function and elicits cellular and humoral immune responses to heterologous andBordetella pertussisantigens. Addition of BcfA to a commercial aPV resulted in greater reduction ofB. pertussisnumbers from the lungs than that elicited by aPV alone. The more-efficient pathogen clearance was accompanied by increased interleukin-17 (IL-17) and reduced IL-5 and an increased ratio of IgG2/IgG1 antibodies. Thus, our results suggest that BcfA improves aPV-induced responses by modifying the alum-induced Th2-biased aPV response toward Th1/Th17. A redesigned aPV containing BcfA may allow better control of pertussis reemergence by reshaping immune responses to resemble those elicited by wPV immunization.
Antigenic Variation in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
PspC Promotes Immune Escape in the Presence of Variant-Specific Immunity
Authors: Georgieva M. , Kagedan L. , Lu Ying-Jie , Thompson C. M. , Lipsitch M.
Published: March 2018

Genomic analysis reveals extensive sequence variation and hot spots of recombination in surface proteins of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. While this phenomenon is commonly attributed to diversifying selection by host immune responses, there is little mechanistic evidence for the hypothesis that diversification of surface protein antigens produces an immune escape benefit during infection with
S. pneumoniae
. Here, we investigate the biological significance of sequence variation within the
S. pneumoniae
cell wall-associated pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC) protein antigen. Using
pspC
allelic diversity observed in a large pneumococcal collection, we produced variant-specific protein constructs that span the sequence variability within the
pspC
locus. We show that antibodies raised against these PspC constructs are variant specific and prevent association between PspC and the complement pathway mediator, human factor H. We found that PspC variants differ in their capacity to bind factor H, suggesting that sequence variation within
pspC
reflects differences in biological function. Finally, in an antibody-dependent opsonophagocytic assay,
S. pneumoniae
expressing a PspC variant matching the antibody specificity was killed efficiently. In contrast, killing efficacy was not evident against
S. pneumoniae
expressing mismatched PspC variants. Our data suggest that antigenic variation within the PspC antigen promotes immune evasion and could confer a fitness benefit during infection.

IMPORTANCE
Loci encoding surface protein antigens in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
are highly polymorphic. It has become a truism that these polymorphisms are the outcome of selective pressure on
S. pneumoniae
to escape host immunity. However, there is little mechanistic evidence to support the hypothesis that diversifying protein antigens produces a benefit for the bacteria. Using the highly diverse
pspC
locus, we have now characterized the functional and immune implications of sequence diversity within the PspC protein. We have characterized the spectrum of biological function among diverse PspC variants and show that
pspC
sequence diversity reflects functional differences. Further, we show that sequence variation in PspC confers an immune escape benefit in the presence of anti-PspC variant-specific immunity. Overall, the results of our studies provide insights into the functional implications of protein sequence diversity and the role of variant-specific immunity in its maintenance.
Antibody-Mediated Killing of Carbapenem-Resistant ST258
Klebsiella pneumoniae
by Human Neutrophils
Authors: Kobayashi Scott D. , Porter Adeline R. , Freedman Brett , Pandey Ruchi , Chen Liang , Kreiswirth Barry N. , DeLeo Frank R.
Published: March 2018

Carbapenem-resistant
Klebsiella pneumoniae
is a problem worldwide. A carbapenem-resistant
K. pneumoniae
lineage classified as multilocus sequence type 258 (ST258) is prominent in the health care setting in many regions of the world, including the United States. ST258 strains can be resistant to virtually all clinically useful antibiotics; treatment of infections caused by these organisms is difficult, and mortality is high. As a step toward promoting development of new therapeutics for ST258 infections, we tested the ability of rabbit antibodies specific for ST258 capsule polysaccharide to enhance human serum bactericidal activity and promote phagocytosis and killing of these bacteria by human neutrophils. We first demonstrated that an isogenic
wzy
deletion strain is significantly more susceptible to killing by human heparinized blood, serum, and neutrophils than a wild-type ST258 strain. Consistent with the importance of capsule as an immune evasion molecule, rabbit immune serum and purified IgG specific for ST258 capsule polysaccharide type 2 (CPS2) enhanced killing by human blood and serum
in vitro
. Moreover, antibodies specific for CPS2 promoted phagocytosis and killing of ST258 by human neutrophils. Collectively, our findings suggest that ST258 CPS2 is a viable target for immunoprophylactics and/or therapeutics.

IMPORTANCE
Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant
K. pneumoniae
are difficult to treat, and mortality is high. New prophylactic approaches and/or therapeutic measures are needed to prevent or treat infections caused by these multidrug-resistant bacteria. A strain of carbapenem-resistant
K. pneumoniae
, classified by multilocus sequence typing as ST258, is present in many regions of the world and is the most prominent carbapenem-resistant
K. pneumoniae
lineage in the United States. Here we show that rabbit antibodies specific for capsule polysaccharide of ST258 significantly enhance human serum bactericidal activity and promote phagocytosis and killing of this pathogen by human neutrophils. These studies have provided strong support for the idea that development of an immunotherapy (vaccine) for carbapenem-resistant
K. pneumoniae
infections is feasible and has merit.
Plasmid Negative Regulation of CPAF Expression Is Pgp4 Independent and Restricted to InvasiveChlamydia trachomatisBiovars
Authors: Patton Michael John , Chen Chih-Yu , Yang Chunfu , McCorrister Stuart , Grant Chris , Westmacott Garrett , Yuan Xin-Yong , Ochoa Estela , Fariss Robert , Whitmire William M. , Carlson John H. , Caldwell Harlan D. , McClarty Grant
Published: March 2018

Chlamydia trachomatisis an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes blinding trachoma and sexually transmitted disease.C. trachomatisisolates are classified into 2 biovars—lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) and trachoma—which are distinguished biologically by their natural host cell infection tropism. LGV biovars infect macrophages and are invasive, whereas trachoma biovars infect oculo-urogenital epithelial cells and are noninvasive. TheC. trachomatisplasmid is an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of these infections. Central to its pathogenic role is the transcriptional regulatory function of the plasmid protein Pgp4, which regulates the expression of plasmid and chromosomal virulence genes. As many gene regulatory functions are post-transcriptional, we employed a comparative proteomic study of cells infected with plasmid-curedC. trachomatisserovars A and D (trachoma biovar), a L2 serovar (LGV biovar), and the L2 serovar transformed with a plasmid containing a nonsense mutation inpgp4to more completely elucidate the effects of the plasmid on chlamydial infection biology. Our results show that the Pgp4-dependent elevations in the levels of Pgp3 and a conserved core set of chromosomally encoded proteins are remarkably similar for serovars within bothC. trachomatisbiovars. Conversely, we found a plasmid-dependent, Pgp4-independent, negative regulation in the expression of the chlamydial protease-like activity factor (CPAF) for the L2 serovar but not the A and D serovars. The molecular mechanism of plasmid-dependent negative regulation of CPAF expression in the LGV serovar is not understood but is likely important to understanding its macrophage infection tropism and invasive infection nature.

IMPORTANCETheChlamydia trachomatisplasmid is an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of chlamydial infection. It is known that plasmid protein 4 (Pgp4) functions in the transcriptional regulation of the plasmid virulence protein 3 (Pgp3) and multiple chromosomal loci of unknown function. Since many gene regulatory functions can be post-transcriptional, we undertook a comparative proteomic analysis to better understand the plasmid’s role in chlamydial and host protein expression. We report that Pgp4 is a potent and specific master positive regulator of a common core of plasmid and chromosomal virulence genes shared by multipleC. trachomatisserovars. Notably, we show that the plasmid is a negative regulator of the expression of the chlamydial virulence factor CPAF. The plasmid regulation of CPAF is independent of Pgp4 and restricted to aC. trachomatismacrophage-tropic strain. These findings are important because they define a previously unknown role for the plasmid in the pathophysiology of invasive chlamydial infection.
On average, a professional rugby union player is more likely than not to sustain a concussion after 25 matches
Authors: Rafferty James , Ranson Craig , Oatley Giles , Mostafa Mohamed , Mathema Prabhat , Crick Tom , Moore Isabel S
Published: March 2018

Objectives

To investigate concussion injury rates, the likelihood of sustaining concussion relative to the number of rugby union matches and the risk of subsequent injury following concussion.

Methods

A four-season (2012/2013–2015/2016) prospective cohort study of injuries in professional level (club and international) rugby union. Incidence (injuries/1000 player-match-hours), severity (days lost per injury) and number of professional matches conferring a large risk of concussion were determined. The risk of injury following concussion was assessed using a survival model.

Results

Concussion incidence increased from 7.9 (95% CI 5.1 to 11.7) to 21.5 injuries/1000 player-match-hours (95% CI 16.4 to 27.6) over the four seasons for combined club and international rugby union. Concussion severity was unchanged over time (median: 9 days). Players were at a greater risk of sustaining a concussion than not after an exposure of 25 matches (95% CI 19 to 32). Injury risk (any injury) was 38% greater (HR 1.38; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.56) following concussion than after a non-concussive injury. Injuries to the head and neck (HR 1.34; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.70), upper limb (HR 1.59; 95% CI 1.19 to 2.12), pelvic region (HR 2.07; 95% CI 1.18 to 3.65) and the lower limb (HR 1.60; 95% CI 1.21 to 2.10) were more likely following concussion than after a non-concussive injury.

Conclusion

Concussion incidence increased, while severity remained unchanged, during the 4 years of this study. Playing more than 25 matches in the 2015/2016 season meant that sustaining concussion was more likely than not sustaining concussion. The 38% greater injury risk after concussive injury (compared with non-concussive injury) suggests return to play protocols warrant investigation.
Feasibility of a blended group treatment (bGT) for major depression: uncontrolled interventional study in a university setting
Authors: Schuster Raphael , Fichtenbauer Isabelle , Sparr Verena Maria , Berger Thomas , Laireiter Anton-Rupert
Published: March 2018

Objective

This study investigated the feasibility of a novel blended (face-to-face and computer-based) group intervention for the reduction of depressive symptoms in major depression.

Design

Patient-centred uncontrolled interventional study.

Setting

University setting in a general community sample. A multimodal recruitment strategy (public health centres and public areas) was applied.

Participants

Based on independent interviews, 26 participants, diagnosed with major depressive disorder (81% female; 23% comorbidity >1 and 23% comorbidity >2), entered treatment.

Intervention

Acceptance and mindfulness based, as well as self-management and resource-oriented psychotherapy principles served as the theoretical basis for the low-threshold intervention. The blended format included face-to-face sessions, complemented with multimedia presentations and a platform featuring videos, online work sheets, an unguided group chat and remote therapist–patient communication.

Main outcome measures

The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire.

Results

Large to very large within group effect sizes were found on self-reported depression (F(2, 46.37)=25.69, p<0.001;d=1.80), general health (F(2,46.73)=11.47, p<0.001;d=1.32), personal resources (F(2,43.36)=21.17, p<0.001;d=0.90) and mindfulness (F(2,46.22)=9.40, p<0.001;d=1.12) after a follow-up period of 3 months. Treatment satisfaction was high, and 69% ranked computer and multimedia use as a therapeutic factor. Furthermore, participants described treatment intensification as important advantage of the blended format. Half of the patients (48%) would have preferred more time for personal exchange.

Conclusion

The investigated blended group format seems feasible for the reduction of depressive symptoms in major depression. The development of blended interventions can benefit from assuring that highly structured treatments actually meet patients’ needs. As a next step, the intervention should be tested in comparative trials in routine care.

Trial registration number

DRKS00010894; Pre-results.
Investigation of carrier transport mechanisms in the Cu–Zn–Se based hetero-structure grown by sputtering technique
Authors: Güllü H.H. , Terlemezoğlu M. , Bayraklı Ö. , Yıldız D.E. , Parlak M.
Published: March 2018

In this paper, we present results of the electrical characterization of n-Si/p-Cu–Zn–Se hetero-structure. Sputtered film was found in Se-rich behavior with tetragonal polycrystalline nature along with (112) preferred orientation. The band gap energy for direct optical transitions was obtained as 2.65 eV. The results of the conductivity measurements indicated p-type behavior and carrier transport mechanism was modelled according to thermionic emission theory. Detailed electrical characterization of this structure was carried out with the help of temperature-dependent current–voltage measurements in the temperature range of 220–360 K, room temperature, and frequency-dependent capacitance–voltage and conductance-voltage measurements. The anomaly in current–voltage characteristics was related to barrier height inhomogeneity at the interface and modified by the assumption of Gaussian distribution of barrier height, in which mean barrier height and standard deviation at zero bias were found as 2.11 and 0.24 eV, respectively. Moreover, Richardson constant value was determined as 141.95 Acm−2K−2 by means of modified Richardson plot.
The thickness dependence of dielectric properties in the plasma polymer thin films
Authors: Ulutaş Kemal
Published: March 2018

In this study, the results of dielectric spectroscopy of plasma polymerized poly(ethylene oxide) thin films are presented. The films were deposited by plasma-assisted physical vapour deposition at radio-frequency plasma discharge power of 5 W, and film thicknesses of 20, 100, and 250 nm. Dielectric measurements of the films were performed in the frequency range of 10−1–107 Hz and temperature was scanned between 173 and 353 K. The dielectric constant ([Formula: see text]) and dielectric loss ([Formula: see text]) of plasma polymerized poly(ethylene oxide) thin films were calculated by measuring capacitance (C) and dielectric loss factor (tanδ). It was observed that there were two relaxation mechanisms in the investigated frequency range. These were called α and β relaxations. These relaxations shift toward higher frequencies with increasing temperature. Moreover, α-relaxation starts to appear at different temperatures. This shows the difference between the polarizability abilities of samples at the same temperature and same frequencies. The reason for this behavior can be expressed by the dead layer concept, which is a result of good adhesion of the bottom layer of plasma polymer to the substrate. In light of these interpretations, with thinner samples it is possible to have structurally similar thin films like thin films deposited at high plasma power. A thinner film may support more transparency and these thinner films may be effective as coverage of optical devices, such as lenses, visors, etc.
Identification of Solar Activities Based on Heliophysics Event Knowledgebase
Authors: Li Wei Jiang , Zheng Yamin , Qi Xin
Published: March 2018

Solar image consists of obvious regions of solar activities and peaceful regions of no activity. Identifying effective solar active areas from solar image is a typical application of image-processing technology in astronomical research. Benefiting from real-time solar observation data provided by Heliophysics Event Knowledgebase (HEK) of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), this paper presents a method of solar activity identification based on HEK. In this method, we gather data of six kinds of solar activities (time, location, and area) and establish a multiscale transformation model for the full-disk solar image of the corresponding time. Combining both location data and area data, we design different gradient thresholds to segment different solar activities’ regions. Two kinds of boundary-identification methods are used to locate and recognize solar activities’ regions, respectively. Furthermore, we study the correlation of the characteristic parameters (six kinds of solar activities’ data) of solar image and get the best combination of the characteristic parameters of each solar activity. The method in the paper provides precise positioning and efficient identification of solar activities, which lays the foundation for further work. In addition to that, extracting specific combination of features from different solar activities’ regions can provide a feasible way to build a streamlined image feature set for content-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems.
Virtual Flower Visualization System Based on Somatosensory Interaction
Authors: Liu Long , Huai Yongjian
Published: March 2018

Somatosensory interaction has already become a research focus with the rapid development of virtual reality (VR) technologies, which has been widely applied in the field of computer vision. However, the task is very challenging because of the serious penetrating phenomena in the process of interaction and the high complexity of the gesture recognition problem. For these issues, we present a feasible solution that solves the problem of finger penetration in virtual flower interaction process, which includes the details of virtual hand position mapping, object collision detection, and finger position optimization. After analyzing the requirements associated with hand gesture in virtual flower interaction, we propose a finger gesture-based method to recognize the custom gestures, which utilized Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to optimize the trajectory of fingertips and joints. In addition, a prototype of virtual flower somatosensory interaction system has been designed and implemented for interactive forestry application, and the prototype evaluation has been given through users’ experiments. Experimental results show that the proposed methods can effectively solve the problem of finger penetration during grasping, accurately identify the custom gestures, and provide a more natural, intuitive and efficient user experience compared with the traditional interaction.
Integrated Application of Eye Movement Analysis and Beauty Estimation in the Visual Landscape Quality Estimation of Urban Waterfront Park
Authors: Sun Liang , Shao Hua , Li Shuyang , Huang Xiaoxun , Yang Wenyan
Published: March 2018

Beauty estimation is a common method for landscape quality estimation, although it has some limitations. With eye tracker, the visual behaviors of the subjects during the estimation can be recorded. Through the analyses of heat maps, path maps and eye movement data, the psychological changes of the subjects and the underlying law of beauty aesthetic can be understood, which will provide supplementation to beauty estimation. This paper studied the beauty estimation of urban waterfront parks and proofed that the landscape quality estimation method focussing on beauty estimation and assisted by eye movement tracking is feasible. It can improve the objectiveness and accuracy of landscape quality estimation to some extent and provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects and combination law of landscape characteristic elements.
Content Independent Writer Identification on Bangla Script: A Document Level Approach
Authors: Halder Chayan , Obaidullah Sk. Md. , Santosh K. C. , Roy Kaushik
Published: March 2018

Offline writer identification is one of the major fields of study in behavioral biometric. It is a process of matching a questioned document with other documents of known writers to find the appropriate writer. In this paper, local handwriting-based attributes are used as features, and multi-layer perceptron and simple logistic classifiers are used for decision making. The method is tested on an unconstrained handwritten Bangla database of 1383 documents with variable number of datasets from 190 writers. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our system, since it outperforms the state-of-the-art methods by approximately 3% (top-3 and top-4 choices). Further, our method is approximately 27 times faster than conventional segmentation-based methods.
ANALYSIS OF ANAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA IMAGES USING 1D AND 2D HIGUCHI’s FRACTAL DIMENSION METHODS
Authors: KLONOWSKI W. , STEPIEN P. , STEPIEN R. , SEDIVY R. , AHAMMER H. , SPASIC S. Z.
Published: March 2018

The ILF (Image Landscapes’ Fractal Dimension) method and [Formula: see text] method obtained by a 2D generalization of Higuchi’s algorithm were applied to a set of 120 digital histological images of Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (AIN). The main goal of this research was to examine accuracy that means sensitivity and specificity of these methods and compare the applicability of both methods in the quantitative characterization and differentiation of clinical cases of AIN. Histological examination by an experienced pathologist revealed three grades of AIN tumors in the 120 histological slices: 36 of AIN1, 56 of AIN2 and 28 of AIN3. Statistical tests showed significant differences between calculated fractal dimension values in three datasets (AIN1, AIN2 and AIN3) using ILF and [Formula: see text] methods at the level of significance of 0.05. Application of the ILF and [Formula: see text] methods has an advantage when it comes to speed, accuracy, simplicity and time necessary for analysis. Both methods can be successfully applied for differentiation between AIN stages giving practically the same results. They can easily be adapted to other histological specimen.
ASYMPTOTIC FORMULA OF ECCENTRIC DISTANCE SUM FOR VICSEK NETWORK
Authors: YE QIANQIAN , HE LONG , WANG QIN , XI LIFENG
Published: March 2018

In this work, we study the eccentric distance sum of Vicsek networks. To obtain the eccentric distance sum of networks, we investigate the corresponding integral on self-similar measure for Vicsek fractals. We use the self-similarity of distance and measure to solve the integral.
THE ANALYSIS OF THERMAL RESISTANCE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL FRACTAL NETWORKS EMBEDDED IN A SPHERE
Authors: TANG S. W. , A H. B. , YU P. , WANG L. , CAI R. J. , CHEN E.
Published: March 2018

This paper presents a preliminary work to evaluate the thermal resistance of a spherical medium. In the sphere, a three-dimensional pore fractal network combined with electrical double layers is constructed to represent the pore structure of medium. The construction and structural parameters of a network are illustrated in detail. The thermal resistance of a sphere is primarily associated with structural parameters of network, pore structure parameters of medium, thermal conductivities of solid phase and pore channels. In this work, the evolution of thermal resistance with the fractal network is analyzed comprehensively. Besides, the evolution mechanisms of thermal resistance with pore structure parameters of medium are revealed. The influences of types of porous materials on thermal resistance are systematically studied.
ELZAKI PROJECTED DIFFERENTIAL TRANSFORM METHOD FOR FRACTIONAL ORDER SYSTEM OF LINEAR AND NONLINEAR FRACTIONAL PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION
Authors: LU DIANCHEN , SULEMAN MUHAMMAD , HE JI HUAN , FAROOQ UMER , NOEIAGHDAM SAMAD , CHANDIO FARMAN ALI
Published: March 2018

The pivotal aim of this paper is to propose an efficient computational technique, namely, Elzaki fractional projected differential transform method (EFPDTM) to solve the system of linear and nonlinear fractional differential equations. In the EFPDTM process, we investigate the behavior of independent variables for convergent series solution in admissible range. The EFPDTM manipulates and controls the series solution, which rapidly converges to the exact solution in a large admissible domain in a very efficient way. The solution procedure and explanation show the flexible efficiency of the EFPDTM, compared to the other existing classical techniques for solving the system of linear and nonlinear fractional differential equations.