bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Occurrences and Characterization of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Genetic Determinants of Hospital Wastewater in a Tropical Country
Authors: Le Thai-Hoang , Ng Charmaine , Chen Hongjie , Yi Xin Zhu , Koh Tse Hsien , Barkham Timothy Mark Sebastian , Zhou Zhi , Gin Karina Yew-Hoong
Published: October 2016

Wastewater discharged from clinical isolation and general wards at two hospitals in Singapore was examined to determine the emerging trends of antibiotic resistance (AR). We quantified the concentrations of 12 antibiotic compounds by analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), the class 1 integrase gene (
intI1
), and 16 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that confer resistance to 10 different clinically relevant antibiotics. A subset of 119 antibiotic-resistant isolates were phylogenetically classified and tested for the presence of ARGs encoding resistance to β-lactam antibiotics (
bla
NDM
,
bla
KPC
,
bla
SHV
,
bla
CTX-M
), amikacin [
aac(6′)-Ib
], co-trimoxazole (
sul1
,
sul2
,
dfrA
), ciprofloxacin (
qnrA
,
qnrB
), and the
intI1
gene. Among these resistant isolates, 80.7% were detected with
intI1
and 66.4% were found to carry at least 1 of the tested ARGs. Among 3 sampled locations, the clinical isolation ward had the highest concentrations of ARB and the highest levels of ARGs linked to resistance to β-lactam (
bla
KPC
), co-trimoxazole (
sul1
,
sul2
,
dfrA
), amikacin [
aac(6′)-Ib
], ciprofloxacin (
qnrA
), and
intI1
. We found strong positive correlations (
P
< 0.05) between concentrations of bacteria resistant to meropenem, ceftazidime, amikacin, co-trimoxazole, and ciprofloxacin and abundances of
bla
KPC
,
aac(6′)-Ib
,
sul1
,
sul2
,
dfrA
,
qnrA
, and
intI1
genes.
Pharmacokinetics of Piperacillin in Critically Ill Australian Indigenous Patients with Severe Sepsis
Authors: Tsai Danny , Stewart Penelope , Goud Rajendra , Gourley Stephen , Hewagama Saliya , Krishnaswamy Sushena , Wallis Steven C. , Lipman Jeffrey , Roberts Jason A.
Published: October 2016

There are no available pharmacokinetic data to guide piperacillin dosing in critically ill Australian Indigenous patients despite numerous reported physiological differences. This study aimed to describe the population pharmacokinetics of piperacillin in critically ill Australian Indigenous patients with severe sepsis. A population pharmacokinetic study of Indigenous patients with severe sepsis was conducted in a remote hospital intensive care unit. Plasma samples were collected over two dosing intervals and assayed by validated chromatography. Population pharmacokinetic modeling was conducted using Pmetrics. Nine patients were recruited, and a two-compartment model adequately described the data. The piperacillin clearance (CL), volume of distribution of the central compartment (Vc), and distribution rate constants from the central to the peripheral compartment and from the peripheral to the central compartment were 5.6 ± 3.2 liters/h, 14.5 ± 6.6 liters, 1.5 ± 0.4 h−1, and 1.8 ± 0.9 h−1, respectively, where CL andVcwere found to be described by creatinine clearance (CLCR) and total body weight, respectively. In this patient population, piperacillin demonstrated high interindividual pharmacokinetic variability. CLCRwas found to be the most important determinant of piperacillin pharmacokinetics.
Nonencapsulated Trichinella pseudospiralis Infection Impairs Follicular Helper T Cell Differentiation with Subclass-Selective Decreases in Antibody Responses
Authors: Asano Kazunobu , Wu Zhiliang , Srinontong Piyarat , Ikeda Takahide , Nagano Isao , Morita Hirokuyi , Maekawa Yoichi
Published: October 2016

Infectious microorganisms often modify host immunity to escape from immune elimination.
Trichinella
is a unique nematode of the helminth family, whose members parasitize the muscle cells inside the host without robust eliminative reactions. There are several species of
Trichinella
; some develop in muscle cells that become encapsulated (e.g.,
Trichinella spiralis
) and others in cells that do not encapsulate (e.g.,
Trichinella
pseudospiralis
). It has already been established that
Trichinella
infection affects host immune responses in several experimental immune diseases in animal models; however, most of those studies were done using
T. spiralis
infection. As host immune responses to
T. spiralis
and
T. pseudospiralis
infections have been reported to be different, it is necessary to clarify how
T. pseudospiralis
infection influences the host immune responses. In this study, we investigated the influence on host humoral immunity in
T. pseudospiralis
-infected mice. We demonstrated that
T. pseudospiralis
infection decreased antigen-specific IgG2a and IgG2b antibody (Ab) production in mice immunized with a model antigen. This selective decrease in gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-dependent Ab production was not due to a decrease in IFN-γ production, and we instead found impaired follicular helper T (Tfh) cell differentiation. The affinity maturation of antigen-specific Ab tended to be delayed but was not significant in
T. pseudospiralis
-infected mice. We also observed that CD11b
+
spleen cells in
T. pseudospiralis
-infected mice expressed CD206 and PD-L2, the phenotype of which was M2 macrophages with weak production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), possibly resulting in impaired Tfh differentiation. Taken together, our results indicate that nonencapsulated
Trichinella
infection induces selective dampening in humoral immunity with the suppression of Tfh differentiation.
InlP, a New Virulence Factor with Strong Placental Tropism
Authors: Faralla Cristina , Rizzuto Gabrielle A. , Lowe David E. , Kim Byoungkwan , Cooke Cara , Shiow Lawrence R. , Bakardjiev Anna I.
Published: October 2016

Intrauterine infection is a major detriment for maternal-child health and occurs despite local mechanisms that protect the maternal-fetal interface from a wide variety of pathogens. The bacterial pathogenListeria monocytogenescauses spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and preterm labor in humans and serves as a model for placental pathogenesis. Given the unique immunological environment of the maternal-fetal interface, we hypothesized that virulence determinants with placental tropism are required for infection of this tissue. We performed a genomic screen in pregnant guinea pigs that led to the identification of 201 listerial genes important for infection of the placenta but not maternal liver. Among these genes waslmrg1778(lmo2470), here namedinlP, predicted to encode a secreted protein that belongs to the internalin family. InlP is conserved in virulentL. monocytogenesstrains but absent inListeriaspecies that are nonpathogenic for humans. The intracellular life cycle ofL. monocytogenesdeficient ininlP(ΔinlP) was not impaired. In guinea pigs and mice, InlP increased the placental bacterial burden by a factor of 3 log10while having only a minor role in other maternal organs. Furthermore, the ΔinlPstrain was attenuated in intracellular growth in primary human placental organ cultures and trophoblasts. InlP is a novel virulence factor for listeriosis with a strong tropism for the placenta. This virulence factor represents a tool for the development of new modalities to prevent and treat infection-related pregnancy complications.
Coxiella burnetii Avirulent Nine Mile Phase II Induces Caspase-1-Dependent Pyroptosis in Murine Peritoneal B1a B Cells
Authors: Schoenlaub Laura , Cherla Rama , Zhang Yan , Zhang Guoquan
Published: October 2016

Our recent study demonstrated that virulent
Coxiella burnetii
Nine Mile phase I (NMI) is capable of infecting and replicating within peritoneal B1a cells and that B1a cells play an important role in host defense against
C. burnetii
infection in mice. However, it remains unknown if avirulent Nine Mile phase II (NMII) can infect and replicate in B1a cells and whether NMI and NMII can differentially interact with B1a cells. In this study, we examined if NMI and NMII can differentially modulate host cell apoptotic signaling in B1a cells. The results showed that NMII induced dose-dependent cell death in murine peritoneal B1a cells but NMI did not, suggesting that NMI and NMII may differentially activate host cell apoptotic signaling in B1a cells. Western blotting indicated that NMII-induced B1a cell death was not dependent on either caspase-3 or PARP-1 cleavage, but cleavage of caspase-1 was detected in NMII-infected B1a cells. In addition, inhibition or deficiency of caspase-1 activity blocked NMII-induced B1a cell death. These results suggest that NMII induces a caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis in murine peritoneal B1a cells. We also found that heat-killed NMII and type 4 secretion system (T4SS) mutant NMII were unable to induce B1a cell death and that NMII infection did not induce cell death in peritoneal B1a cells from Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2)- or NLRP3 inflammasome-deficient mice. These data suggest that NMII-induced caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis may require its T4SS and activation of the TLR-2 and NLRP3 signaling pathways.
Exploring Hydrogenotrophic Methanogenesis: a Genome Scale Metabolic Reconstruction of Methanococcus maripaludis
Authors: Richards Matthew A. , Lie Thomas J. , Zhang Juan , Ragsdale Stephen W. , Leigh John A. , Price Nathan D.
Published: October 2016

Hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis occurs in multiple environments, ranging from the intestinal tracts of animals to anaerobic sediments and hot springs. Energy conservation in hydrogenotrophic methanogens was long a mystery; only within the last decade was it reported that net energy conservation for growth depends on electron bifurcation. In this work, we focus on
Methanococcus maripaludis
, a well-studied hydrogenotrophic marine methanogen. To better understand hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and compare it with methylotrophic methanogenesis that utilizes oxidative phosphorylation rather than electron bifurcation, we have built iMR539, a genome scale metabolic reconstruction that accounts for 539 of the 1,722 protein-coding genes of
M. maripaludis
strain S2. Our reconstructed metabolic network uses recent literature to not only represent the central electron bifurcation reaction but also incorporate vital biosynthesis and assimilation pathways, including unique cofactor and coenzyme syntheses. We show that our model accurately predicts experimental growth and gene knockout data, with 93% accuracy and a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.78. Furthermore, we use our metabolic network reconstruction to probe the implications of electron bifurcation by showing its essentiality, as well as investigating the infeasibility of aceticlastic methanogenesis in the network. Additionally, we demonstrate a method of applying thermodynamic constraints to a metabolic model to quickly estimate overall free-energy changes between what comes in and out of the cell. Finally, we describe a novel reconstruction-specific computational toolbox we created to improve usability. Together, our results provide a computational network for exploring hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and confirm the importance of electron bifurcation in this process.

IMPORTANCE
Understanding and applying hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is a promising avenue for developing new bioenergy technologies around methane gas. Although a significant portion of biological methane is generated through this environmentally ubiquitous pathway, existing methanogen models portray the more traditional energy conservation mechanisms that are found in other methanogens. We have constructed a genome scale metabolic network of
Methanococcus maripaludis
that explicitly accounts for all major reactions involved in hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Our reconstruction demonstrates the importance of electron bifurcation in central metabolism, providing both a window into hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and a hypothesis-generating platform to fuel metabolic engineering efforts.
Protein Synthesis during Germination: Shedding New Light on a Classical Question
Authors: Boone Tyler , Driks Adam
Published: October 2016

Despite over a century of research into the mystery of bacterial spore dormancy and germination, a key question remains unresolved: is protein synthesis required for germination? The development of more sophisticated techniques for assessing and preventing protein synthesis has renewed interest in this long-standing question in recent years. In this issue, Korza et al. (G. Korza, B. Setlow, L. Rao, Q. Li, and P. Setlow, J. Bacteriol 198:3254–3264, 2016,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.00583-16
) address this with a novel approach. We discuss their results in the context of recently published data.
Prosthetic Device Infections
Authors: Martinez Raquel M. , Bowen Thomas R. , Foltzer Michael A.
Published: October 2016

The immunocompromised host is a particularly vulnerable population in whom routine and unusual infections can easily and frequently occur. Prosthetic devices are commonly used in these patients and the infections associated with those devices present a number of challenges for both the microbiologist and the clinician. Biofilms play a major role in device-related infections, which may contribute to failed attempts to recover organisms from routine culture methods. Moreover, device-related microorganisms can be difficult to eradicate by antibiotic therapy alone. Changes in clinical practice and advances in laboratory diagnostics have provided significant improvements in the detection and accurate diagnosis of device-related infections. Disruption of the bacterial biofilm plays an essential role in recovering the causative agent in culture. Various culture and nucleic acid amplification techniques are more accurate to guide directed treatment regimens. This chapter reviews the performance characteristics of currently available diagnostic assays and summarizes published guidelines, where available, for addressing suspected infected prosthetic devices.
Parasites
Authors: Theel Elitza S. , Pritt Bobbi S.
Published: October 2016

Parasites are an important cause of human disease worldwide. The clinical severity and outcome of parasitic disease is often dependent on the immune status of the host. Specific parasitic diseases discussed in this chapter are amebiasis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, cyclosporiasis, cystoisosporiasis, microsporidosis, granulomatous amebic encephalitis, toxoplasmosis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, malaria, babesiosis, strongyloidiasis, and scabies.
Selected Topics in Anaerobic Bacteriology
Authors: Church Deirdre L.
Published: October 2016

Alteration in the host microbiome at skin and mucosal surfaces plays a role in the function of the immune system, and may predispose immunocompromised patients to infection. Because obligate anaerobes are the predominant type of bacteria present in humans at skin and mucosal surfaces, immunocompromised patients are at increased risk for serious invasive infection due to anaerobes. Laboratory approaches to the diagnosis of anaerobe infections that occur due to pyogenic, polymicrobial, or toxin-producing organisms are described. The clinical interpretation and limitations of anaerobe recovery from specimens, anaerobe-identification procedures, and antibiotic-susceptibility testing are outlined. Bacteriotherapy following analysis of disruption of the host microbiome has been effective for treatment of refractory or recurrentClostridium difficileinfection, and may become feasible for other conditions in the future.
Mycobacteria
Authors: Simner Patricia J. , Woods Gail L. , Wengenack Nancy L.
Published: October 2016

The immunocompromised host is at increased risk of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex and nontuberculous mycobacteria infection. Although
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex is a significant mycobacterial pathogen, nontuberculous mycobacteria causes substantial disease in those with suppressed immune responses. Mycobacterial infections can cause significant morbidity and mortality in this patient population, and rapid identification and susceptibility testing of the mycobacterial species is paramount to patient management and outcomes. Mycobacterial diagnostics has undergone some significant advances in the last two decades with immunodiagnostics (interferon gamma release assay), microscopy (light-emitting diode), culture (automated broth-based systems), identification (direct PCR, sequencing and matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry) and susceptibility testing (molecular detection of drug resistance from direct specimens or positive cultures). Employing the most rapid and sensitive methods in the mycobacterial laboratory will have a tremendous impact on patient care and, in the case of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex, in the control of tuberculosis.
Genitourinary Tract Infections
Authors: Lanfranco Odaliz ABREU , Alangaden George J.
Published: October 2016

Similarly to the general population, genitourinary tract infections are common conditions in theimmunocompromised host. They can be furthermore divided into infections of the urinary tract and genital tract infections. Transplant recipients are more likely to have infections of the urinary tract infections while persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at higher risk for the second group of infections, especially sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Manifestations of these diseases can be associated with more complications and can be more severe. We provide an overview of manifestations, diagnosis, and management of these disorders.
Respiratory RNA Viruses
Authors: Hodinka Richard L.
Published: October 2016

Acute upper and lower respiratory infections are a major public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. At greatest risk are young children, the elderly, the chronically ill, and those with suppressed or compromised immune systems. Viruses are the predominant cause of respiratory tract illnesses and include RNA viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus. Laboratory testing is required for a reliable diagnosis of viral respiratory infections, as a clinical diagnosis can be difficult since signs and symptoms are often overlapping and not specific for any one virus. Recent advances in technology have resulted in the development of newer diagnostic assays that offer great promise for rapid and accurate detection of respiratory viral infections. This chapter emphasizes the fundamental characteristics and clinical importance of the various RNA viruses that cause upper and lower respiratory tract diseases in the immunocompromised host. It highlights the laboratory methods that can be used to make a rapid and definitive diagnosis for the greatest impact on the care and management of ill patients, and the prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections and community outbreaks.
Yeasts
Authors: Zhang Sean X. , Wiederhold Nathan P.
Published: October 2016

Yeasts are unicellular organisms that reproduce mostly by budding and less often by fission. Most medically important yeasts originate from Ascomycota or Basidiomycota. Here, we review taxonomy, epidemiology, disease spectrum, antifungal drug susceptibility patterns of medically important yeast, laboratory diagnosis, and diagnostic strategies.
Comparative Microbial Genomics and Forensics
Authors: Massey Steven E.
Published: October 2016

Forensic science concerns the application of scientific techniques to questions of a legal nature and may also be used to address questions of historical importance. Forensic techniques are often used in legal cases that involve crimes against persons or property, and they increasingly may involve cases of bioterrorism, crimes against nature, medical negligence, or tracing the origin of food- and crop-borne disease. Given the rapid advance of genome sequencing and comparative genomics techniques, we ask how these might be used to address cases of a forensic nature, focusing on the use of microbial genome sequence analysis. Such analyses rely on the increasingly large numbers of microbial genomes present in public databases, the ability of individual investigators to rapidly sequence whole microbial genomes, and an increasing depth of understanding of their evolution and function. Suggestions are made as to how comparative microbial genomics might be applied forensically and may represent possibilities for the future development of forensic techniques. A particular emphasis is on the nascent field of genomic epidemiology, which utilizes rapid whole-genome sequencing to identify the source and spread of infectious outbreaks. Also discussed is the application of comparative microbial genomics to the study of historical epidemics and deaths and how the approaches developed may also be applicable to more recent and actionable cases.
Soil Microbial Forensics
Authors: Santiago-Rodriguez Tasha M. , Cano Raúl J.
Published: October 2016

Soil microbial forensics can be defined as the study of how microorganisms can be applied to forensic investigations. The field of soil microbial forensics is of increasing interest and applies techniques commonly used in diverse disciplines in order to identify microbes and determine their abundances, complexities, and interactions with soil and surrounding objects. Emerging new techniques are also providing insights into the complexity of microbes in soil. Soil may harbor unique microbes that may reflect specific physical and chemical characteristics indicating site specificity. While applications of some of these techniques in the field of soil microbial forensics are still in early stages, we are still gaining insight into how microorganisms may be more robustly used in forensic investigations.
Forensic Phytopathology: a Critical Review
Authors: Bayman Paul , Serrato-Díaz Luz M.
Published: October 2016

Forensic phytopathology is the application of plant pathology to legal or criminal matters. It is an emerging field. The existing literature focuses mainly on potential agricultural bioterrorism threats to the United States. Here we try to take a broader view including agricultural bioterrorism, mycoherbicide applications to eradicate plants used for illegal drugs, civil cases involving charges of sale or movement of diseased plants, and mycotoxins. In several of the examples given the evidence is inconclusive, but the examples are no less interesting for that.
Induction of Immunological Tolerance as a Therapeutic Procedure
Authors: Waldmann Herman , Howie Duncan , Cobbold Stephen
Published: October 2016

A major goal of immunosuppressive therapies is to harness immune tolerance mechanisms so as to minimize unwanted side effects associated with protracted immunosuppressive therapy. Antibody blockade of lymphocyte coreceptor and costimulatory pathways in mice has demonstrated the principle that both naive and primed immune systems can be reprogrammed toward immunological tolerance. Such tolerance can involve the amplification of activity of regulatory T cells, and is maintained through continuous recruitment of such cells through processes of infectious tolerance. We propose that regulatory T cells create around them microenvironments that are anti-inflammatory and endowed with enhanced protection against destructive damage. This acquired immune privilege involves the decommissioning of cells of the innate as well as adaptive immune systems. Evidence is presented that nutrient sensing by immune cells acting through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway provides one route by which the immune system can be directed toward noninflammatory and regulatory behavior at the expense of destructive functions. Therapeutic control of immune cells so as to harness metabolic routes favoring dominant regulatory mechanisms has offered a new direction for immunosuppressive therapy, whereby short-term treatment may be sufficient for long-term benefit or even cure.
Anti-TNF Therapy
Authors: Udalova Irina , Monaco Claudia , Nanchahal Jagdeep , Feldmann Marc
Published: October 2016

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is one of the most important cytokines produced by macrophages. TNF is a very important component of host defense, released very rapidly after all types of injuries and stimuli. The kinetics of TNF release are short, and so it is perhaps not surprising that prolonged TNF production is associated with pathology. This was first elucidated in rheumatoid arthritis but extends to other chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s disease and psoriasis. In this chapter, the discovery of anti-TNF therapy is reviewed, with its benefit but also its limitations. The potential of anti-TNF therapy in other diseases, e.g., cardiovascular and fibrosis, is discussed, as is the opportunity to define ways of blocking TNF synthesis.
Adaptive Characteristics of Innate Immune Responses in Macrophages
Authors: Arts Rob J. W. , Netea Mihai G.
Published: October 2016

The innate immune system is considered to have no immune memory. However, lately there has been as shift in paradigm. Cells of the innate immune system, and especially monocytes and macrophages, are capable of building a nonspecific memory, resulting in either better or worse responses to secondary stimulations/infections, as a result of epigenetic changes. This review gives a general overview of the at-the-moment available data.
Secretion from Myeloid Cells: Secretory Lysosomes
Authors: Griffiths Gillian M.
Published: October 2016

Many cells of the myeloid lineage use an unusual secretory organelle to deliver their effector mechanisms. In these cells, the lysosomal compartment is often modified not only to fulfill the degradative functions of a lysosome but also as a mechanism for secreting additional proteins that are found in the lysosomes of each specialized cell type. These extra proteins vary from one cell type to another according to the specialized function of the cell. For example, mast cells package histamine; cytotoxic T cells express perforin; azurophilic granules in neutrophils express antimicrobial peptides, and platelets von Willebrand factor. Upon release, these very different proteins can trigger inflammation, cell lysis, microbial death, and clotting, respectively, and hence deliver the very different effector mechanisms of these different myeloid cells.
Toxoplasma gondiias a Parasite in Food: Analysis and Control
Authors: Hill Dolores E. , Dubey Jitender P.
Published: October 2016

Foodborne infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and foodborne parasitic diseases, though not as widespread as bacterial and viral infections, are common on all continents and in most ecosystems, including arctic, temperate, and tropical regions. Outbreaks of disease resulting from foodstuffs contaminated by parasitic protozoa have become increasingly recognized as a problem in the United States and globally. Increased international trade in food products has made movement of these organisms across national boundaries more frequent, and the risks associated with infections have become apparent in nations with well-developed food safety apparatus in place.
Experimental Infection Models of Tuberculosis in Domestic Livestock
Authors: Buddle Bryce M. , Vordermeier H. Martin , Hewinson R. Glyn
Published: October 2016

In this article we present experimentalMycobacterium bovisinfection models in domestic livestock species and how these models were applied to vaccine development, biomarker discovery, and the definition of specific antigens for the differential diagnosis of infected and vaccinated animals. In particular, we highlight synergies between human and bovine tuberculosis (TB) research approaches and data and propose that the application of bovine TB models could make a valuable contribution to human TB vaccine research and that close alignment of both research programs in a one health philosophy will lead to mutual and substantial benefits.
Socioeconomic disparities in preterm birth and birth weight in a non-Western developed setting: evidence from Hong Kong's ‘Children of 1997’ birth cohort
Authors: Leung June Y Y , Leung Gabriel M , Schooling C Mary
Published: October 2016

Background

Preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight and small-for-gestational age (SGA) are associated with lower socioeconomic position (SEP) in developed Western settings, but it is unclear if such disparities persist to the same extent elsewhere, and whether associations differ by measure of SEP used. Here, we assessed the association of SEP with PTB, birth weight and SGA in the recently developed non-Western setting of Hong Kong where few women smoke or use alcohol.

Methods

We used multivariable logistic and linear regression to assess the associations of parental and neighbourhood SEP with PTB, birth weight and SGA among 8173 singleton births from the Hong Kong population-representative ‘Children of 1997’ birth cohort.

Results

The only measure of SEP associated with PTB was type of housing adjusted for maternal age (p for trend 0.046). Highest paternal education had a small positive association with birth weight adjusted for gestational age (21 g, 95% CI 0.2 to 43 g for ≥grade 12 compared with ≤grade 9), as did residing in private compared with public housing (21 g, 95% CI 3 to 39 g). However, these associations did not persist after adjusting for mother's age. Lower neighbourhood Gini coefficient adjusted for mother's age was associated with a lower risk of SGA (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.98). None of these associations remained after adjusting for multiple comparisons.

Conclusions

PTB, birth weight and SGA may be less clearly socially patterned in Hong Kong than other developed settings, highlighting the need for setting-specific interventions to prevent adverse birth outcomes.
Socioeconomic inequalities in a 16-year longitudinal measurement of successful ageing
Authors: Kok Almar A L , Aartsen Marja J , Deeg Dorly J H , Huisman Martijn
Published: October 2016

Background

This study examines to what extent education, occupation and income are associated with the multidimensional process of successful ageing, encompassing trajectories of physical, mental and social functioning in old age.

Methods

We employed 16-year longitudinal data from 2095 participants aged 55–85 years at baseline in the Dutch, nationally representative Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. For 9 indicators of successful ageing, separate Latent Class Growth models were used to identify subgroups of older adults with a ‘successful’ trajectory. A ‘Successful Aging Index’ expressed the number of indicators for which individual respondents had a successful trajectory (range 0–9). Using multivariate regression models, we investigated associations between socioeconomic position and the Successful Ageing Index, and with separate indicators of successful ageing.

Results

Higher education, occupational skill level and income were independently associated with higher numbers of successful trajectories. Education (β=0.09) was a slightly stronger correlate of successful ageing than income (β=0.08). Analyses of separate indicators of successful ageing showed that cognitive functioning, functional limitations and emotional support given were associated with all three components of socioeconomic position, while other indicators were associated with only one (eg, life satisfaction) or none (eg, social loneliness). For some indicators of successful ageing, socioeconomic inequalities were present at baseline, and also increased or decreased during follow-up.

Conclusions

Education, occupation and income represent distinct socioeconomic life course factors, each of which contribute in a specific way to inequalities in successful ageing. Physical and cognitive functioning were associated more strongly with socioeconomic position than social and emotional functioning.
Reliability of time-to-exhaustion and selected psycho-physiological variables during constant-load cycling at the maximal lactate steady-state
Authors: Faude Oliver , Hecksteden Anne , Hammes Daniel , Schumacher Franck , Besenius Eric , Sperlich Billy , Meyer Tim
Published: October 2016

The maximal lactate steady-state (MLSS) is frequently assessed for prescribing endurance exercise intensity. Knowledge of the intra-individual variability of the MLSS is important for practical application. To date, little is known about the reliability of time-to-exhaustion and physiological responses to exercise at MLSS. Twenty-one healthy men (age, 25.2 (SD 3.3) years; height, 1.83 (0.06) m; body mass, 78.9 (8.9) kg; maximal oxygen uptake, 57.1 (10.7) mL·min−1·kg−1) performed 1 incremental exercise test, and 2 constant-load tests to determine MLSS intensity. Subsequently, 2 open-end constant-load tests (MLSS 1 and 2) at MLSS intensity (3.0 (0.7) W·kg−1, 76% (10%) maximal oxygen uptake) were carried out. During the tests, blood lactate concentrations, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), variables of gas exchange, and core body temperature were determined. Time-to-exhaustion was 50.8 (14.0) and 48.2 (16.7) min in MLSS 1 and 2 (mean change: −2.6 (95% confidence interval: −7.8, 2.6)), respectively. The coefficient of variation (CV) was high for time-to-exhaustion (24.6%) and for mean (4.8 (1.2) mmol·L−1) and end (5.4 (1.7) mmol·L−1) blood lactate concentrations (15.7% and 19.3%). The CV of mean exercise values for all other parameters ranged from 1.4% (core temperature) to 8.3% (ventilation). At termination, the CVs ranged from 0.8% (RPE) to 11.8% (breathing frequency). The low reliability of time-to-exhaustion and blood lactate concentration at MLSS indicates that the precise individual intensity prescription may be challenging. Moreover, the obtained data may serve as reference to allow for the separation of intervention effects from random variation in our sample.
Read What You Touch with Intelligent Audio System for Non-Visual Interaction
Authors: El-Glaly Yasmine N. , Quek Francis
Published: October 2016

Slate-type devices allow Individuals with Blindness or Severe Visual Impairment (IBSVI) to read in place with the touch of their fingertip by audio-rendering the words they touch. Such technologies are helpful for spatial cognition while reading. However, users have to move their fingers slowly, or they may lose their place on screen. Also, IBSVI may wander between lines without realizing they did. We addressed these two interaction problems by introducing a dynamic speech-touch interaction model and an intelligent reading support system. With this model, the speed of the speech will dynamically change with the user’s finger speed. The proposed model is composed of (1) an Audio Dynamics Model and (2) an Off-line Speech Synthesis Technique. The intelligent reading support system predicts the direction of reading, corrects the reading word if the user drifts, and notifies the user using a sonic gutter to help him/her from straying off the reading line. We tested the new audio dynamics model, the sonic gutter, and the reading support model in two user studies. The participants’ feedback helped us fine-tune the parameters of the two models. A decomposition study was conducted to evaluate the main components of the system. The results showed that both intelligent reading support with tactile feedback are required to achieve the best performance in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, we ran an evaluation study where the reading support system is compared to other VoiceOver technologies. The results showed preponderance to the reading support system with its audio dynamics and intelligent reading support components.
Joint Modeling of User Check-in Behaviors for Real-time Point-of-Interest Recommendation
Authors: Yin Hongzhi , Cui Bin , Zhou Xiaofang , Wang Weiqing , Huang Zi , Sadiq Shazia
Published: October 2016

Point-of-Interest (POI) recommendation has become an important means to help people discover attractive and interesting places, especially when users travel out of town. However, the extreme sparsity of a user-POI matrix creates a severe challenge. To cope with this challenge, we propose a unified probabilistic generative model, the
Topic-Region Model (TRM)
, to simultaneously discover the semantic, temporal, and spatial patterns of users’ check-in activities, and to model their joint effect on users’ decision making for selection of POIs to visit. To demonstrate the applicability and flexibility of TRM, we investigate how it supports two recommendation scenarios in a unified way, that is, hometown recommendation and out-of-town recommendation. TRM effectively overcomes data sparsity by the complementarity and mutual enhancement of the diverse information associated with users’ check-in activities (e.g., check-in content, time, and location) in the processes of discovering heterogeneous patterns and producing recommendations. To support real-time POI recommendations, we further extend the TRM model to an online learning model, TRM-Online, to track changing user interests and speed up the model training. In addition, based on the learned model, we propose a clustering-based branch and bound algorithm (CBB) to prune the POI search space and facilitate fast retrieval of the top-
k
recommendations.

We conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the performance of our proposals on two real-world datasets, including recommendation effectiveness, overcoming the cold-start problem, recommendation efficiency, and model-training efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our TRM models, especially TRM-Online, compared with state-of-the-art competitive methods, by making more effective and efficient mobile recommendations. In addition, we study the importance of each type of pattern in the two recommendation scenarios, respectively, and find that exploiting temporal patterns is most important for the hometown recommendation scenario, while the semantic patterns play a dominant role in improving the recommendation effectiveness for out-of-town users.
A Rational Convex Program for Linear Arrow-Debreu Markets
Authors: Devanur Nikhil R. , Garg Jugal , Végh László A.
Published: October 2016

We present a new flow-type convex program describing equilibrium solutions to linear Arrow-Debreu markets. Whereas convex formulations were previously known ([Nenakov and Primak 1983; Jain 2007; Cornet 1989]), our program exhibits several new features. It provides a simple necessary and sufficient condition and a concise proof of the existence and rationality of equilibria, settling an open question raised by Vazirani [2012]. As a consequence, we also obtain a simple new proof of the result in Mertens [2003] that the equilibrium prices form a convex polyhedral set.
Design of A GPS Monitoring System for Dementia Care and its Challenges in Academia-Industry Project
Authors: Wan Lin , Müller Claudia , Randall Dave , Wulf Volker
Published: October 2016

We present a user-centered development process for a GPS monitoring system to be used in dementia care to support care for persons with wandering behavior. The usage of GPS systems in dementia care is still very low. The article takes a socio-technical stance on development and appropriation of GPS technology in dementia care and assesses the practical and ideological issues surrounding care to understand why. The results include (1) results from qualitative user studies from which design ideas, implications, and requirements for design and redesign were developed. (2) Description of the politics, negotiations, and challenges encountered in the project at hand. These processual matters had a powerful impact on the product that was finally envisaged. The design process was taken as a whole to illuminate the way in which design outcomes are arrived at and to foster discussion about how “best practice” might possibly be achieved.
How Good Is Multi-Pivot Quicksort?
Authors: Aumüller Martin , Dietzfelbinger Martin , Klaue Pascal
Published: October 2016

Multi-Pivot Quicksort
refers to variants of classical quicksort where in the partitioning step
k
pivots are used to split the input into
k
+ 1 segments. For many years, multi-pivot quicksort was regarded as impractical, but in 2009 a two-pivot approach by Yaroslavskiy, Bentley, and Bloch was chosen as the standard sorting algorithm in Sun’s Java 7. In 2014 at ALENEX, Kushagra et al. introduced an even faster algorithm that uses three pivots. This article studies what possible advantages multi-pivot quicksort might offer in general. The contributions are as follows: Natural comparison-optimal algorithms for multi-pivot quicksort are devised and analyzed. The analysis shows that the benefits of using multiple pivots with respect to the average comparison count are marginal and these strategies are inferior to simpler strategies such as the well-known median-of-
k
approach. A substantial part of the partitioning cost is caused by rearranging elements. A rigorous analysis of an algorithm for rearranging elements in the partitioning step is carried out, observing mainly how often array cells are accessed during partitioning. The algorithm behaves best if three to five pivots are used. Experiments show that this translates into good cache behavior and is closest to predicting observed running times of multi-pivot quicksort algorithms. Finally, it is studied how choosing pivots from a sample affects sorting cost. The study is theoretical in the sense that although the findings motivate design recommendations for multipivot quicksort algorithms that lead to running-time improvements over known algorithms in an experimental setting, these improvements are small.
Are Stakeholders the Only Source of Information for Requirements Engineers? Toward a Taxonomy of Elicitation Information Sources
Authors: Burnay Corentin
Published: October 2016

Requirements elicitation consists in collecting and documenting information about the requirements from a system-to-be and about the environment of that system. Elicitation forms a critical step in the design of any information system, subject to many challenges like information incompleteness, variability, or ambiguity. To deal with these challenges, requirements engineers heavily rely on stakeholders, who turn out to be one of the most significant provider of information during elicitation. Sometimes, this comes at the cost of less attention being paid by engineers to other sources of information accessible in a business. In this article, we try to deal with this issue by studying the different sources of information that can be used by engineers when designing a system. We propose TELIS (a Taxonomy of Elicitation Sources), which can be used during elicitation to review more systematically the sources of information about a system-to-be. TELIS was produced through a series of empirical studies and was partially validated through a real-world case study. Our objective in this article is to increase the awareness of engineers about the other information providers within a business. Ultimately, we believe our taxonomy may help in better dealing with classical elicitation challenges and increase the chances of successful information systems design.
Context Trees
Authors: Thomason Alasdair , Griffiths Nathan , Sanchez Victor
Published: October 2016

Exposing latent knowledge in geospatial trajectories has the potential to provide a better understanding of the movements of individuals and groups. Motivated by such a desire, this work presents the
context tree
, a new hierarchical data structure that summarises the context behind user actions in a single model. We propose a method for context tree construction that augments geospatial trajectories with land usage data to identify such contexts. Through evaluation of the construction method and analysis of the properties of generated context trees, we demonstrate the foundation for understanding and modelling behaviour afforded. Summarising user contexts into a single data structure gives easy access to information that would otherwise remain latent, providing the basis for better understanding and predicting the actions and behaviours of individuals and groups. Finally, we also present a method for pruning context trees for use in applications where it is desirable to reduce the size of the tree while retaining useful information.
Boosting Recommendation in Unexplored Categories by User Price Preference
Authors: Chen Jia , Jin Qin , Zhao Shiwan , Bao Shenghua , Zhang Li , Su Zhong , Yu Yong
Published: October 2016

State-of-the-art methods for product recommendation encounter a significant performance drop in categories where a user has no purchase history. This problem needs to be addressed since current online retailers are moving beyond single category and attempting to be diversified. In this article, we investigate the challenging problem of product recommendation in unexplored categories and discover that the price, a factor comparable across categories, can improve the recommendation performance significantly. We introduce the price utility concept to characterize users’ sense of price and propose three different utility functions. We show that user price preference in a category is a distribution and we mine typical user price preference patterns based on three different types of distance between distributions. We fuse user price preference through regularization and joint factorization to boost recommendation performance in both browsing and buying shopping orientations. Experimental results show that fusing user price preference improves performance in a series of recommendation tasks: unexplored category recommendation, product recommendation under a given unexplored category, and product recommendation under generic unexplored categories.
Unums 2.0: An Interview with John L. Gustafson
Authors: Tichy Walter
Published: October 2016

In an earlier interview (April 2016),
Ubiquity
spoke with John Gustafson about the unum, a new format for floating point numbers. The unique property of unums is that they always know how many digits of accuracy they have. Now Gustafson has come up with yet another format that, like the unum 1.0, always knows how accurate it is. But it also allows an almost arbitrary mapping of bit patterns to the reals. In doing so, it paves the way for custom number systems that squeeze the maximum accuracy out of a given number of bits. This new format could have prime applications in deep learning, big data, and exascale computing.
The Worst Four-Letter Word in Higher Education Today? Uber.
Authors: Sarofian-Butin Dan
Published: October 2016

Uber has become the worst four-letter word in higher education. It connotes the unbundling and deprofessionalization of faculty work. The only way to get over this worry is to realize Uber and similar technologies are just another four-letter word: a tool. This will allow us to rethink and recreate our role in this "age of disruption."
Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Chitosan/Polyvinyl Alcohol Silver Nanoparticles Gel for Wound Dressing Applications
Authors: Hiep Nguyen Thi , Khon Huynh Chan , Niem Vo Van Thanh , Toi Vo Van , Ngoc Quyen Tran , Hai Nguyen Dai , Ngoc Tuan Anh Mai
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this study was to fabricate chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/Ag nanoparticles (CPA) gels with microwave-assistance for skin applications. Microwave irradiation was employed to reduce silver ions to silver nanoparticles and to crosslink chitosan (CS) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The presence of silver nanoparticles in CPA gels matrix was examined using UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The interaction of CS and PVA was analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The release of silver ions was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The antimicrobial properties of CPA gels againstP. aeruginosaandS. aureuswere investigated using agar diffusion method. Finally, the biocompatibility and wound-healing ability of the gels were studied using fibroblast cells (in vitro) and mice models (in vivo). In conclusion, the results showed that CPA gels were successfully fabricated using microwave irradiation method. These gels can be applied to heal an open wound thanks to their antibacterial activity and biocompatibility.