bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Allergens with Protease Activity from House Dust Mites
Authors: Reithofer Manuel , Jahn-Schmid Beatrice
Published: June 2017

Globally, house dust mites (HDM) are one of the main sources of allergens causing Type I allergy, which has a high risk of progressing into a severe disabling disease manifestation such as allergic asthma. The strong protease activities of a number of these allergens are thought to be involved in several steps of the pathophysiology of this allergic disease. It has been a common notion that protease activity may be one of the properties that confers allergenicity to proteins. In this review we summarize and discuss the roles of the different HDM proteases in the development of Type I allergy.
Ligand Shaping in Induced Fit Docking of MraY Inhibitors. Polynomial Discriminant and Laplacian Operator as Biological Activity Descriptors
Authors: Lungu Claudiu N. , Diudea Mircea V. , Putz Mihai V.
Published: June 2017

Docking—i.e., interaction of a small molecule (ligand) with a proteic structure (receptor)—represents the ground of drug action mechanism of the vast majority of bioactive chemicals. Ligand and receptor accommodate their geometry and energy, within this interaction, in the benefit of receptor–ligand complex. In an induced fit docking, the structure of ligand is most susceptible to changes in topology and energy, comparative to the receptor. These changes can be described by manifold hypersurfaces, in terms of polynomial discriminant and Laplacian operator. Such topological surfaces were represented for each MraY (phospho-MurNAc-pentapeptide translocase) inhibitor, studied before and after docking with MraY. Binding affinities of all ligands were calculated by this procedure. For each ligand, Laplacian and polynomial discriminant were correlated with the ligand minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) retrieved from literature. It was observed that MIC is correlated with Laplacian and polynomial discriminant.
3D-QSAR and Molecular Docking Studies on the TcPMCA1-Mediated Detoxification of Scopoletin and Coumarin Derivatives
Authors: Hou Qiu-Li , Luo Jin-Xiang , Zhang Bing-Chuan , Jiang Gao-Fei , Ding Wei , Zhang Yong-Qiang
Published: June 2017

The carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval), is an economically important agricultural pest that is difficult to prevent and control. Scopoletin is a botanical coumarin derivative that targets Ca2+-ATPase to exert a strong acaricidal effect on carmine spider mites. In this study, the full-length cDNA sequence of a plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase 1 gene (TcPMCA1) was cloned. The sequence contains an open reading frame of 3750 bp and encodes a putative protein of 1249 amino acids. The effects of scopoletin on TcPMCA1 expression were investigated. TcPMCA1 was significantly upregulated after it was exposed to 10%, 30%, and 50% of the lethal concentration of scopoletin. Homology modeling, molecular docking, and three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships were then studied to explore the relationship between scopoletin structure and TcPMCA1-inhibiting activity of scopoletin and other 30 coumarin derivatives. Results showed that scopoletin inserts into the binding cavity and interacts with amino acid residues at the binding site of the TcPMCA1 protein through the driving forces of hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, CoMFA (comparative molecular ﬁeld analysis)- and CoMSIA (comparative molecular similarity index analysis)-derived models showed that the steric and H-bond fields of these compounds exert important influences on the activities of the coumarin compounds.Notably, the C3, C6, and C7 positions in the skeletal structure of the coumarins are the most suitable active sites. This work provides insights into the mechanism underlying the interaction of scopoletin with TcPMCA1. The present results can improve the understanding on plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase-mediated (PMCA-mediated) detoxification of scopoletin and coumarin derivatives in T. cinnabarinus, as well as provide valuable information for the design of novel PMCA-inhibiting acaricides.
Gestational Alcohol Exposure Altered DNA Methylation Status in the Developing Fetus
Authors: Mandal Chanchal , Halder Debasish , Jung Kyoung Hwa , Chai Young Gyu
Published: June 2017

Ethanol is well known as a teratogenic factor that is capable of inducing a wide range of developmental abnormalities if the developing fetus is exposed to it. Duration and dose are the critical parameters of exposure that affect teratogenic variation to the developing fetus. It is suggested that ethanol interferes with epigenetic processes especially DNA methylation. We aimed to organize all of the available information on the alteration of DNA methylation by ethanol in utero. Thus, we have summarized all published information regarding alcohol-mediated alterations in DNA methylation during gestation. We tried to arrange information in a way that anyone can easily find the alcohol exposure time, doses, sampling time, and major changes in genomic level. Manuscript texts will also represent the correlation between ethanol metabolites and subsequent changes in methylome patterns. We hope that this review will help future researchers to further examine the issues associated with ethanol exposure.
Effect of Ultrasonic Nano-Crystal Surface Modification (UNSM) on the Passivation Behavior of Aged 316L Stainless Steel
Authors: Kim Ki-Tae , Lee Jung-Hee , Kim Young-Sik
Published: June 2017

Stainless steels have good corrosion resistance in many environments but welding or aging can decrease their resistance. This work focused on the effect of aging time and ultrasonic nano-crystal surface modification on the passivation behavior of 316L stainless steel. In the case of slightly sensitized 316L stainless steel, increasing the aging time drastically decreased the pitting potential, increased the passive current density, and decreased the resistance of the passive film, even though aging did not form chromium carbide and a chromium depletion zone. This behavior is due to the micro-galvanic corrosion between the matrix and carbon segregated area, and this shows the importance of carbon segregation in grain boundaries to the pitting corrosion resistance of stainless steel, in addition to the formation of the chromium depletion zone. UNSM (Ultrasonic Nano Crystal Surface Modification)-treatment to the slightly sensitized 316L stainless steel increased the pitting potential, decreased the passive current density, and increased the resistance of the passive film. However, in the case of heavily sensitized 316L stainless steel, UNSM-treatment decreased the pitting potential, increased the passive current density, and decreased the resistance of the passive film. This behavior is due to the dual effects of the UNSM-treatment. That is, the UNSM-treatment reduced the carbon segregation, regardless of whether the stainless steel 316L was slightly or heavily sensitized. However, since this treatment made mechanical flaws in the outer surface in the case of the heavily sensitized stainless steel, UNSM-treatment may eliminate chromium carbide, and this flaw can be a pitting initiation site, and therefore decrease the pitting corrosion resistance.
Magnetic Hysteresis in Nanocomposite Films Consisting of a Ferromagnetic AuCo Alloy and Ultrafine Co Particles
Authors: Chinni Federico , Spizzo Federico , Montoncello Federico , Mattarello Valentina , Maurizio Chiara , Mattei Giovanni , Bianco Lucia Del
Published: June 2017

One fundamental requirement in the search for novel magnetic materials is the possibility of predicting and controlling their magnetic anisotropy and hence the overall hysteretic behavior. We have studied the magnetism of Au:Co films (~30 nm thick) with concentration ratios of 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2, grown by magnetron sputtering co-deposition on natively oxidized Si substrates. They consist of a AuCo ferromagnetic alloy in which segregated ultrafine Co particles are dispersed (the fractions of Co in the AuCo alloy and of segregated Co increase with decreasing the Au:Co ratio). We have observed an unexpected hysteretic behavior characterized by in-plane anisotropy and crossed branches in the loops measured along the hard magnetization direction. To elucidate this phenomenon, micromagnetic calculations have been performed for a simplified system composed of two exchange-coupled phases: a AuCo matrix surrounding a Co cluster, which represents an aggregate of particles. The hysteretic features are qualitatively well reproduced provided that the two phases have almost orthogonal anisotropy axes. This requirement can be plausibly fulfilled assuming a dominant magnetoelastic character of the anisotropy in both phases. The achieved conclusions expand the fundamental knowledge on nanocomposite magnetic materials, offering general guidelines for tuning the hysteretic properties of future engineered systems.
Corrosion Behavior of X80 Steel with Coupled Coating Defects under Alternating Current Interference in Alkaline Environment
Authors: Li Zhong , Li Caiyu , Qian Hongchang , Li Jun , Huang Liang , Du Cuiwei
Published: June 2017

The corrosion behavior of X80 steel in the presence of coupled coating defects was simulated and studied under the interference of alternating current (AC) in an alkaline environment. The results from electrochemical measurements showed that the electrode potential of the coating defect with the smaller exposed area was lower than that with the larger area, which indicated that the steel with the smaller coating defect was more prone to corrosion. The result of weight loss tests also showed that the smaller coating defect had induced a higher corrosion rate. However, the corrosion rate of X80 steel at the larger coating defect decreased gradually with the increase of the larger defect area at a constant smaller defect area. The corrosion morphology images showed that the coating defects with smaller areas suffered from more severe pitting corrosion.
Effect of Ausforming Temperature on the Microstructure of G91 Steel
Authors: Vivas Javier , Capdevila Carlos , Jimenez José , Benito-Alfonso Miguel , San-Martin David
Published: June 2017

The development of thermomechanical treatments (TMT) has a high potential for improving creep-strength in 9Cr-1Mo ferritic/martensitic steel (ASTM T/P91) to operate at temperatures beyond 600 °C. To maximize the number of nanoscale MX precipitates, an ausforming procedure has been used to increase the number of nucleation sites for precipitation inside the martensite lath. Relative to standard heat treatments (consisting of austenitization at about 1040 °C followed by tempering at about 730 °C) this processing concept has enabled achieving a microstructure containing approximately three orders of magnitude higher number density of MX precipitates having a size around four times smaller in ASTM T/P91 steel. On the other hand; this TMT has little effect on the size and number density of M23C6 particles. The optimized microstructure produced by this TMT route proposed is expected to improve the creep strength of this steel.
Welcome to the New Journal Methods and Protocols
Authors: Albericio Fernando
Published: June 2017

I am pleased to introduce Methods and Protocols, a new multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal devoted to providing an open forum to report on new procedural approaches and cutting-edge methodological developments.[...]
Secularism and Empire in the United States, 1780–1900
Authors: Jordan Ryan
Published: June 2017

This essay will explore white Americans’ use of the rhetoric of church/state separation as a discourse of racial difference during the period from roughly the Revolution to the Spanish American war, when the United States both conquered vast spaces of other people’s land, and put forth justifications for national expansion. Over the course of the nineteenth century, white Americans fretted over the assimilability of new groups coming under control of the United States and focused their concern over other groups’ fitness for self-government. As will be shown below, religious discussions regarding the extent of people’s privatization of religious sentiment, or nascent secularization, figured into this concern about racial fitness. Religious discourses—even those cloaked in defense of “liberal” values such as the separation of church and state—remained an indispensable tool in the construction of a racially exclusive American identity throughout the nineteenth century.
Automated Assembly Using 3D and 2D Cameras
Authors: Kleppe Adam , Bjørkedal Asgeir , Larsen Kristoffer , Egeland Olav
Published: June 2017

2D and 3D computer vision systems are frequently being used in automated production to detect and determine the position of objects. Accuracy is important in the production industry, and computer vision systems require structured environments to function optimally. For 2D vision systems, a change in surfaces, lighting and viewpoint angles can reduce the accuracy of a method, maybe even to a degree that it will be erroneous, while for 3D vision systems, the accuracy mainly depends on the 3D laser sensors. Commercially available 3D cameras lack the precision found in high-grade 3D laser scanners, and are therefore not suited for accurate measurements in industrial use. In this paper, we show that it is possible to identify and locate objects using a combination of 2D and 3D cameras. A rough estimate of the object pose is first found using a commercially available 3D camera. Then, a robotic arm with an eye-in-hand 2D camera is used to determine the pose accurately. We show that this increases the accuracy to < 1 and < 1 . This was demonstrated in a real industrial assembly task where high accuracy is required.
Urban Area Extraction by Regional and Line Segment Feature Fusion and Urban Morphology Analysis
Authors: Zhang Qian , Huang Xin , Zhang Guixu
Published: June 2017

Urban areas are a complex combination of various land-cover types, and show a variety of land-use structures and spatial layouts. Furthermore, the spectral similarity between built-up areas and bare land is a great challenge when using high spatial resolution remote sensing images to map urban areas, especially for images obtained in dry and cold seasons or high-latitude regions. In this study, a new procedure for urban area extraction is presented based on the high-level, regional, and line segment features of high spatial resolution satellite data. The urban morphology is also analyzed. Firstly, the primitive features—the morphological building index (MBI), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and line segments—are extracted from the original images. Chessboard segmentation is then used to segment the image into the same-size objects. In each object, advanced features are then extracted based on the MBI, the NDVI, and the line segments. Subsequently, object-oriented classification is implemented using the above features to distinguish urban areas from non-urban areas. In general, the boundaries of urban and non-urban areas are not very clear, and each urban area has its own spatial structure characteristic. Hence, in this study, an analysis of the urban morphology is carried out to obtain a clear regional structure, showing the main city, the surrounding new development zones, etc. The experimental results obtained with six WorldView-2 and Gaofen-2 images obtained from different regions and seasons demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods.
Study of PBLH and Its Correlation with Particulate Matter from One-Year Observation over Nanjing, Southeast China
Authors: Qu Yawei , Han Yong , Wu Yonghua , Gao Peng , Wang Tijian
Published: June 2017

The Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBLH) plays an important role in the formation and development of air pollution events. Particulate Matter is one of major pollutants in China. Here, we present the characteristics of PBLH through three-methods of Lidar data inversion and show the correlation between the PBLH and the PM2.5 (PM2.5 with the diameter <2.5 μm) in the period of December 2015 through November 2016, over Nanjing, in southeast China. We applied gradient method (GRA), standard deviation method (STD) and wavelet covariance transform method (WCT) to calculate the PBLH. The results show that WCT is the most stable method which is less sensitive to the signal noise. We find that the PBLH shows typical seasonal variation trend with maximum in summer and minimum in winter, respectively. The yearly averaged PBLH in the diurnal cycle show the minimum of 570 m at 08:00 and the maximum of 1089 m at 15:00 Beijing time. Furthermore, we investigate the relationship of the PBLH and PM2.5 concentration under different particulate pollution conditions. The correlation coefficient is about −0.70, which is negative correlation. The average PBLH are 718 m and 1210 m when the PM2.5 > 75 μg/m3 and the PM2.5 < 35 μg/m3 in daytime, respectively. The low PBLH often occurs with condition of the low wind speed and high relative humidity, which will lead to high PM2.5 concentration and the low visibility. On the other hand, the stability of PBL is enhanced by high PM concentration and low visibility.
Exploitation of SPR to Investigate the Importance of Glycan Chains in the Interaction between Lactoferrin and Bacteria
Authors: O’Riordan Noelle , Kilcoyne Michelle , Joshi Lokesh , Hickey Rita
Published: June 2017

Bovine lactoferrin (LF) has been shown to prevent adhesion to and invasion of mammalian cell lines by pathogenic bacteria, with evidence for direct bacterial binding by the milk glycoprotein. However, the glycosylation pattern of LF changes over the lactation cycle. In this study, we aim to investigate the effect that this variation has on the milk glycoprotein’s ability to interact with pathogens. Surface plasmon resonance technology was employed to compare the binding of LF from colostrum (early lactation) and mature milk (late lactation) to a panel of pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Cronobacter sakazakii, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium). Novel interactions with LF were identified for C. sakazakii, S. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa with the highest binding ability observed for mature milk LF in all cases, with the exception of S. typhimurium. The difference in bacterial binding observed may be as a result of the varying glycosylation profiles. This work demonstrates the potential of LF as a functional food ingredient to prevent bacterial infection.
Development of RP-HPLC, Stability Indicating Method for Degradation Products of Linagliptin in Presence of Metformin HCl by Applying 2 Level Factorial Design; and Identification of Impurity-VII, VIII and IX and Synthesis of Impurity-VII
Authors: Jadhav Sushant , Reddy P. , Narayanan Kalyanaraman , Bhosale Popatrao
Published: June 2017

The novel reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), stability indicating method was developed for determination of linagliptin (LGP) and its related substances in linagliptin and metformin HCl (MET HCl) tablets by implementing design of experiment to understand the critical method parameters and their relation with critical method attributes; to ensure robustness of the method. The separation of nine specified impurities was achieved with a Zorbax SB-Aq 250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm column, using gradient elution and a detector wavelength of 225 nm, and validated in accordance with International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines and found to be accurate, precise, reproducible, robust, and specific. The drug was found to be degrading extensively in heat, humidity, basic, and oxidation conditions and was forming degradation products during stability studies. After slight modification in the buffer and the column, the same method was used for liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography -time-of-flight/mass spectrometry UPLC-TOF/MS analysis, to identify m/z and fragmentation of maximum unspecified degradation products i.e., Impurity-VII (7), Impurity-VIII (8), and Impurity-IX (9) formed during stability studies. Based on the results, a degradation pathway for the drug has been proposed and synthesis of Impurity-VII (7) is also discussed to ensure an in-depth understanding of LGP and its related degradation products and optimum performance during the lifetime of the product.
Small Scale Hydroelectric Power Plants in Norway. Some Microeconomic and Environmental Considerations
Authors: Idsø Johannes
Published: June 2017

The development of small-scale hydroelectric power plants in Norway is determined by natural conditions, policies, attitudes and property rights. The owner of the river is the central decision maker. It is he/she who decides whether he/she will develop the power plant himself/herself, whether he/he wants to enter into a contract with an external investor and let him/her develop the power plant, whether he/she will sell his/her property rights or postpone the decisions. All available choices will involve risk. In order for him/her to make the best choice, he/she must find the certainty equivalent to each of the choices and choose the one with the highest certainty equivalent. To find the certainty equivalent, we use the utility theory of John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern. The owner of the river makes the decision that gives him/her the greatest utility when both economic and non-economic effects are assessed within the opportunity set made by the local and the central authorities.
Study on Dynamic Response of Novel Masonry Structures Impacted by Debris Flow
Authors: Li Peizhen , Li Tangzhenhao , Lu Zheng , Li Jin
Published: June 2017

Debris flow is a very destructive natural disaster. This paper presents a novel masonry structure with strong resistance to debris flow—by using walls that are set with braces and filled with straw bricks. This structure was designed according to the concepts of sustainability. In order to study the dynamic response of this novel masonry structure under debris flow, finite element models of different masonry structures were established by means of LS-DYNA software. The responses of this novel structure and other traditional structures were calculated and compared when the rock of debris flow hits the center of the wall. Results showed that the out-of-plane stiffness of the impacted wall with cross braces was enhanced in this novel structure, leading to an increased resistance to the impact of debris flow more effectively. Furthermore, braces were able to stop rocks in the debris flow and dissipate the corresponding energy through deformation. These braces also improved anti-collapse capabilities, leading to an increase in the safety of people’s lives and properties. This novel structure is a response to national policies and plans, which plays an active role in promoting sustainable development of society.
Non-Adaptive Behavior in the Face of Climate Change: First Insights from a Behavioral Perspective Based on a Case Study among Firm Managers in Alpine Austria
Authors: Meinel Ulrike , Höferl Karl-Michael
Published: June 2017

Although climate change can induce large-scale impacts on industrial supply chain networks, first empirical studies suggest that adaptation to climate change is only slowly emerging as a management topic in firms. The present study examines why managers often do not engage their firms in adaptations to climate change. Thereby the study focuses, in particular, on the lack of strategic adaptation, which we define as anticipatory and target-oriented action with the purpose of increasing resilience to climate change. In order to investigate causes of lacking strategic adaptation in firms, the study employs a behavioral perspective based on the reasoned action approach. Thus, the study examines how barriers and motivational factors jointly shape the non-adaptive behavior of firm managers. Such causes of non-adaptive behavior are examined by comparing different classes of non-adaptors based on a case study in the manufacturing industry of the Austrian state of Tyrol. The obtained results underline recent criticism on barrier-centered analyses of non-adaptation by demonstrating the importance of motivational factors. Moreover, results point to the changeable nature of the identified causes of non-adaptive behavior by clarifying interactions between them and by suggesting influences from background factors.
Building a National-Longitudinal Geospatial Bicycling Data Collection from Crowdsourcing
Authors: Leao Simone , Lieske Scott , Conrow Lindsey , Doig Jonathan , Mann Vandana , Pettit Chris
Published: June 2017

To realize the full potential of crowdsourced data collected by smartphone applications in urban research and planning, there is a need for parsimonious, reliable, computationally and temporally efficient data processing routines. The literature indicates that the opportunities brought by crowdsourced data in generating low-cost, bottom-up, and fine spatial and temporal scale data, are also accompanied by issues related to data quality, bias, privacy concerns and low accessibility. Using an exemplar case of RiderLog, a crowdsourced GPS tracked bicycling data, this paper describes and critiques the processes developed to transform this urban big data. Furthermore, the paper outlines the important tasks of formatting, cleaning, validating, anonymizing and publishing this data for the capital cities of each state and territory in Australia. More broadly, this research contributes to the foundational underpinnings of how to process and make available crowdsourced data for research and real world urban planning purposes.
Raw Meat-Based Diets in Dogs and Cats
Authors: Fredriksson-Ahomaa Maria , Heikkilä Tiina , Pernu Noora , Kovanen Sara , Hielm-Björkman Anna , Kivistö Rauni
Published: June 2017

Feeding pets raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) is commonly practiced by many companion animal owners and has received increasing attention in recent years. It may be beneficial for the animals, but may also pose a health risk for both pets and their owners, as RMBDs may be contaminated by enteric pathogens—such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Yersinia—which are the most common zoonotic bacteria causing enteritis in humans. Little information exists on the prevalence of these pathogens in pet food, and thus one aim was to investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Yersinia in commercial RMBDs from retail stores. Little evidence also exists on the significance of raw meat feeding on the shedding of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and enteropathogenic Yersinia in the feces of pets, and therefore, the second goal was to study the presence of these pathogens in dogs and cats fed RMBDs. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) only sporadically detected Campylobacter, Salmonella, and enteropathogenic Yersinia in RMBDs. These pathogens were not found by culturing, indicating a low contamination level in frozen RMBDs. They were also detected in the feces of dogs and cats, but the association with feeding RMBDs to them remained unclear.
Patients’ attitudes and perceptions towards treatment of hypothyroidism in general practice: an in-depth qualitative interview study
Authors: Dew Rosie , King Kathryn , Okosieme Onyebuchi E , Pearce Simon , Donovan Gemma , Taylor Peter , Leese Graham , Hickey Janis , Razvi Salman , Dayan Colin , Wilkes Scott
Published: June 2017

Background

Suboptimal thyroid hormone replacement is common in patients with hypothyroidism and the behavioural factors underlying this are poorly understood.

Aim

To explore the attitudes and perceptions of patients to thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

Design & setting

An in-depth qualitative interview study with patients with hypothyroidism residing in Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear, UK.

Method

Twenty-seven patients participated, of which 15 patients had thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels within the reference range (0.4–4.0 mU/L) and 12 patients had TSH levels outside the reference range. A grounded theory approach was used to explore and develop emerging themes, which were mapped to the health belief model (HBM).

Results

Patients generally had a low understanding of their condition or of the consequences of suboptimal thyroid hormone replacement. Patients that had experienced hypothyroid symptoms at initial diagnosis had a better perception of disease susceptibility, and this was reflected in excellent adherence to levothyroxine in this group of patients. The main benefits of optimal thyroid replacement were improved wellbeing and performance. However, patients who remained unwell despite a normal serum TSH level felt that their normal result presented a barrier to further evaluation of their symptoms by their GP.

Conclusion

Educating patients with hypothyroidism regarding the consequences of inadequate thyroid hormone replacement may reduce barriers and improve treatment outcomes. An over-reliance on TSH as a sole marker of wellbeing reduced opportunities for clinicians to address patient symptoms. Evaluating symptoms in combination with biochemical indices, may lead to better patient outcomes than relying on laboratory tests alone.
Linkage of Clinical Trial and Administrative Data: A Survey of Cancer Patient Preferences
Authors: Hay Annette E. , Leung Y. W. , Pater J. L. , Brown M. C. , Bell E. , Howell D. , Kassam Z. , Willing S. , Tian C. , Liu G.
Published: June 2017

Background: Personal health information, including diagnoses and hospital admissions, is routinely collected in administrative databases. Patients enrolling on clinical trials consent to separate collection and storage of their personal health information. We evaluated patient preferences for linking long-term data from administrative databases with clinical trials. Methods: Adults with cancer attending outpatient clinics at 3 Ontario hospitals were surveyed about their willingness, when faced with the hypothetical scenario of participating in a clinical trial, to provide potentially identifying information such as initials and date of birth to facilitate long-term research access to normally deidentified publicly collected databases. Results: Of 569 patients surveyed, 335 (59%) were women, 452 (79%) were white, 385 (68%) had a post-secondary education, and 386 (68%) had never participated in a clinical trial. Median age in the group was 59 years. Most participants (93%, cohort 1) would allow long-term access to their information and allow personal information to be used to match clinical trial with administrative data. At the time of clinical trial closure, two thirds of participants (68%, cohort 2) preferred to make additional clinical information available through linkage with administrative databases, and 8 (9%) preferred to have no further information made available to researchers. No significant differences were found in the subset of patients who were part of a clinical trial and those who had never participated (p = 0.65). Interpretation: Almost all patients would allow a clinical trial research team to access their confidential information, providing a more comprehensive assessment of an intervention’s long-term risks and benefits.
When Cancer Hits the Streets
Authors: Stajduhar Kelli I. , Mollison A. , Gleave D. , Hwang S. W.
Published: June 2017

Toby died 5 October 2015. [...]
Identification of PAH Isomeric Structure in Cosmic Dust Analogs: The AROMA Setup
Authors: Sabbah Hassan , Bonnamy Anthony , Papanastasiou Dimitris , Cernicharo Jose , Martín-Gago Jose-Angel , Joblin Christine
Published: June 2017

We developed a new analytical experimental setup called AROMA (Astrochemistry Research of Organics with Molecular Analyzer) that combines laser desorption/ionization techniques with ion trap mass spectrometry. We report here on the ability of the apparatus to detect aromatic species in complex materials of astrophysical interest and characterize their structures. A limit of detection of 100 femto-grams has been achieved using pure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) samples, which corresponds to 2 × 108 molecules in the case of coronene (C24H12). We detected the PAH distribution in the Murchison meteorite, which is made of a complex mixture of extraterrestrial organic compounds. In addition, collision induced dissociation experiments were performed on selected species detected in Murchison, which led to the first firm identification of pyrene and its methylated derivatives in this sample.
El paludismo en Palencia (1800-1804) a través del Canto Votivo del jesuita Tolrá
Authors: Astorgano Abajo Antonio , Garrido Domené Fuensanta
Published: June 2017

El jesuita expulso Juan José Tolrá (Badajoz, 1739 - Madrid, 1830) fue un competente profesor de Humanidades y uno de los restauradores de la Compañía de Jesús (1812-1830) más influyentes. Retornado a España en 1798 y habiendo logrado eludir la segunda expulsión (1801), residió en Palencia en compañía de la familia de una hermana, donde contempló la hambruna y paludismo en el quinquenio 1800-1805. Ante este desastre humanitario compuso el Canto Votivo al Santísimo Cristo del Otero, que analizamos en el presente artículo. En bellas octavas reales narra el difícil contexto social, económico y sanitario palentino de la época. Al mismo tiempo aporta sinceras reflexiones morales, propias del ideario jesuítico y de su carácter personal, eminentemente reservado y conservador.
Una firma autógrafa de Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, antiguos poseedores y circulación de un ejemplar “De la Natural Historia de las Indias”
Authors: Rodrigues Costa Júlio Manuel
Published: June 2017

Esta nota de investigación tiene como objetivo revelar una copia de Oviedo De la natural Historia de las Indias, también conocida como Sumario de historia natural, publicada en Toledo en 1526 y actualmente bajo la custodia de la Biblioteca Municipal de Oporto, Portugal. Se presentan las características especiales de este ejemplar: una firma manuscrita del autor y algunas marcas de propiedad que nos permiten identificar a los anteriores dueños, las conexiones entre ellos y rutas de circulación del libro.
Pierres, mortiers et parements de la tour des Minimes au regard du compte de construction de 1495-1496, des investigations archéologiques et des analyses pétrographiques
Authors: Gaugain Lucie , Bréheret Jean-Gabriel , Mechling Jean-Michel , Prigent Daniel
Published: June 2017

Le chantier de Charles VIII (1483-1498) au château
d’Amboise se déroula entre 1492 et 1498. L’année 1495-1496 est
documentée par un livre de compte concernant notamment la tour
cavalière des Minimes, aujourd’hui bien conservée. L’étude croisée du
bâti, du livre de compte, des pierres de taille (pétrographie et
statistique), des mortiers (granulométrie et analyses de la chaux) et
du badigeon recouvrant les joints a nécessité la mise en place d’une
méthodologie précise, demandant de continuels échanges entre
historiens de l’architecture, géologues et archéologues. Ces
investigations permettent d’identifier les dénominations des pierres
et le vocabulaire technique en usage à la fin du Moyen Âge. Mais bien
au-delà, elles démontrent l’intervention probable d’un appareilleur,
l’organisation du chantier régi en plusieurs pôles et ateliers, ainsi
que son rythme très soutenu puisque, pour la seule tour, plus de 15 m
de maçonneries voûtées furent élevées. Ce fut possible grâce à la
connaissance empirique des matériaux qu’avaient les hommes œuvrant à
la construction, à la qualité des matériaux employés et à la
remarquable mise en œuvre qui en fut faite. Il en résulte un ouvrage
hors du commun, d’une rare audace où quatre révolutions et demie de
voûtes d’ogives montent autour d’un noyau creux.
La construction de l'enseignement secondaire (1802-1914)
Authors: Savoie Philippe
Published: June 2017

Cet ouvrage constitue la première histoire d'ensemble de l'enseignement secondaire au XIXe siècle. Il s’agit d’un magnifique outil de travail qui s’est attaché à retrouver la réalité des établissements en exploitant les rapports envoyés au ministère et les statistiques exceptionnellement riches du XIXe siècle. Ils permettent d’apprécier les effectifs d’élèves dans leur diversité de classe et de statut comme le fonctionnement pédagogique des « maisons ». L’histoire retracée s’articule autour de deux évolutions solidaires, l’une institutionnelle, l’autre pédagogique. Elle éclaire d’un jour nouveau bien des aspects actuels de notre enseignement. En analysant le passé, l’ouvrage explique le présent. C’est pourquoi il ne s’intéresse pas seulement aux historiens mais aussi aux actuels responsables et réformateurs de notre système éducatif.
Feeding of preterm infants and fortification of breast milk
Authors: Mangili Giovanna , Garzoli Elena
Published: June 2017

The administration of the adequate amount of nutrients helps to improve a correct short-term linear growth and long-term neurocognitive development. To reduce the extra-uterine growth delay in very low birth weight infants (VLBW) the best strategy of nutrition (parenteral or enteral) should be established rapidly, since the first day of life. In preterm infants, nutrition can be administered parenterally and enterally. Prematurity is the most frequent indication for parenteral nutritional support due to intestinal functional immune deficiency, deficiency of digestive enzymatic systems and reduced nutritional reserve of these infants. In terms of enteral nutrition, breast milk is the first choice. In case of preterm and VLBW infants, fortifiers are used to overcome breast milk’s protein and mineral deficiencies. When breast milk is not available, specific infant formula is the alternative.
Enteral feeding of intrauterine growth restriction preterm infants: theoretical risks and practical implications
Authors: Bozzetti Valentina , Tagliabue Paolo E.
Published: June 2017

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) infants are thought to have impaired gut function after birth secondary to intrauterine redistribution of the blood flow, due to placental insufficiency, with a consequent reduction of gut perfusion. For this reason, infants complicated by IUGR have been considered at higher risk of feeding intolerance. Postnatal evaluation of splanchnic perfusion, through Doppler of the superior mesenteric artery, and of splanchnic oxygenation, through near infrared spectroscopy measurements, may be useful in evaluating the persistence (or not) of the redistribution of blood flow occurred in utero.
Treatment of Low-Blast Count AML using Hypomethylating Agents
Authors: De Bellis Eleonora , Fianchi Luana , Buccisano Francesco , Criscuolo Marianna , Maurillo Luca , Cicconi Laura , Brescini Mattia , Del Principe Maria Ilaria , Di Veroli Ambra , Venditti Adriano , Lo-Coco Francesco , Voso Maria Teresa
Published: June 2017

In 2002, the WHO classification reduced the proportion of blasts in the bone marrow (BM) necessary for the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from 30% to 20%, eliminating the RAEB-t subtype of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, this AML subtype, defined as low-blast count AML (LBC-AML, with 20-30% BM-blasts) is characterized by peculiar features, as increased frequency in elderly individuals and after cytotoxic treatment for a different primary disease (therapy-related), poor-risk cytogenetics, lower white blood cell counts, and less frequent mutations of NPM1 and FLT3 genes. The clinical course of this entity is often similar to MDS with 10-19% BM-blasts. The hypomethylating agents azacitidine and decitabine have been shown to induce responses and prolong survival both in MDS and LBC-AML.  The role of these agents has been also demonstrated in AML with >30% BM-blasts, particularly in patients with poor-risk cytogenetics and in AML with myelodysplasia related changes. Most recent studies are evaluating strategies to improve outcome, including combinations of hypomethylating agents with immune-response checkpoint inhibitors, which have a role in cancer immune surveillance. Efforts are also ongoing to identify mutations which may predict response and survival in these patients.
Delivering Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in New Settings: Advice for Frontline Clinicians
Authors: Gladman JRF
Published: June 2017

Over the decades, as the principles of comprehensive geriatric assessment have been established, there have been attempts to apply its principles to settings other than acute hospital medical wards or the general community-dwelling older population, for example, to other settings where older people with infirmity are found. The purpose of this paper is to describe and reflect upon the application of and evidence for comprehensive geriatric assessment in these new settings and give some advice to clinicians about how to optimise their contributions to these processes. I will state my advice having first discussed intermediate care, emergency surgery (hip fracture), elective surgery, dementia and delirium care, emergency care, cancer care, and the care of residents of care homes (mindful of the irony of calling the latter a new setting, given that geriatric medicine originated in long term care).
Yoshinori Ohsumi'S Nobel Prize for Mechanisms of Autophagy: From Basic Yeast Biology to Therapeutic Potential
Authors: Frake RA , Rubinsztein DC
Published: June 2017

On 3 October 2016, Japanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ‘for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy'; autophagy being an intracellular degradation pathway that helps maintain cytoplasmic homeostasis. This commentary discusses Ohsumi's Nobel prize-winning work in context, before explaining the clinical relevance of autophagy.
Insulin-Mediated Hypoglycaemia Secondary to Recurrent Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma
Authors: Gogna G , Patel N , Bilinski P
Published: June 2017

Renal cell carcinoma has previously been associated with hypoglycaemia in the setting of non-islet cell tumours, caused by a paraneoplastic phenomenon relating to the production of insulin-like growth factor type II. We present a case of recurrent clear cell renal cell carcinoma, leading to an insulin-mediated paraneoplastic phenomenon causing severe recurrent hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemina was managed successfully using diazoxide therapy, in conjunction with pazopanib and radiotherapy to reduce tumour burden.
Addressing Noncommunicable Diseases in Primary Care: The Case of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Narayan KM Venkat , Rhodes EC
Published: June 2017

The rapid growth of noncommunicable diseases represents a formidable global health challenge. Here we use type 2 diabetes as a case study to illustrate the rise of noncommunicable diseases and call attention to the important role of primary care systems in addressing these diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Comprehensive screening for diabetes should be implemented through primary care systems to increase early detection of prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes – a first step to diabetes prevention and management. In addition, primary care systems should strengthen and expand capacity to link patients to appropriate interventions based on their diabetes status and provide care coordination (e.g. leveraging task-shifting and technology), and integrate clinic and community resources for diabetes prevention and control. Additional strategies should include continuous quality improvement, health systems strengthening, workforce development, and affordable and sustainable financing. Together, these actions could elevate the role of primary care in addressing diabetes in low- and middle-income countries and help advance global progress towards reducing diabetes complications, and also preventing or delaying diabetes among those at risk.
Foreign capital inflow and its welfare implications in a developing country context
Authors: Mukherjee Rudrarup
Published: June 2017

In a small open developing country context, the author considers a three-sector general equilibrium framework and tries to find out the effects of foreign capital inflow on welfare of the country. Comparative-static results show that foreign capital inflow widens the skilledunskilled wage gap under some reasonable conditions, although it causes an expansion of the foreign enclave and the agricultural sector and contraction of the domestic manufacturing sector. Taking sector specific foreign capital, the authors find that foreign direct investment is beneficial in a free market small open economy in the absence of tariff.
Orbit related sea level errors for TOPEX altimetry at seasonal to decadal time scales
Authors: Esselborn Saskia , Rudenko Sergei , Schöne Tilo
Published: June 2017

Abstract. Interannual to decadal sea level trends are indicators of climate variability and change. A major source of global and regional sea level data is satellite radar altimetry, which relies on precise knowledge of the satellite's orbit. Here, we assess the error budget of the radial orbit component for the TOPEX/Poseidon mission for the period 1993 to 2004 from a set of different orbit solutions. Upper bound errors for seasonal, interannual (5 years), and decadal periods are estimated on global and regional scales based on radial orbit differences from three state-of-the-art orbit solutions provided by different research teams (GFZ, GSFC, and GRGS). The global mean sea level error related to the orbit is of the order of 7 mm (more than 10 % of the sea level variability) with negligible contributions on the annual and decadal time scale. In contrast, the orbit related error of the interannual trend is 0.1 mm/year (18 % of the corresponding sea level variability) and might hamper the estimation of an acceleration of the global mean sea level rise. For regional scales, the gridded orbit related error is up to 11 mm and for about half the ocean the orbit error accounts for at least 10 % of the observed sea level variability. The seasonal orbit error amounts to 10 % of the observed seasonal sea level signal in the Southern Ocean. At interannual and decadal time scales, the orbit related trend uncertainties reach regionally more than 1 mm/year. The interannual trend errors account for 10 % of the observed sea level signal in the Tropical Atlantic and the south-eastern Pacific. For decadal scales, the orbit related trend errors are prominent in a couple of regions including: South Atlantic, western North Atlantic, central Pacific, South Australian Basin, and Mediterranean Sea. Based on a set of test orbits calculated at GFZ, the sources of the observed orbit related errors are further investigated. Main contributors on all time scales are uncertainties in Earth’s time variable gravity field models and on annual to interannual time scales discrepancies of the tracking station sub-networks, i.e., SLR and DORIS.
Turismo comunitario en territorios conflictivos. El caso de las comunidades indígenas mapuche en la Región de los Ríos en Chile
Authors: Pilquimán vera Marisela Jeanette
Published: June 2017

La recuperación del territorio ancestral, el fortalecimiento cultural y el rescate de saberes tradicionales son prioridades de los pueblos originarios en Chile. En este entramado de demandas el turismo trasciende a su rol tradicional de agente dinamizador de las economías locales al constituirse, desde el imaginario indígena, en una alternativa para reivindicar su cultura frente a la sociedad dominante. Es el caso de comunidades mapuche en el centro sur de Chile donde el turismo comunitario se posiciona como una estrategia de supervivencia en que converge la resistencia, la cosmovisión y la generación de oportunidades. En este artículo exploramos en imaginarios y experiencias de estas comunidades con la finalidad de rescatar aspectos que contribuyan a la construcción de un modelo de desarrollo turístico pertinente a las realidades locales en territorios que progresivamente reflejan los efectos de la globalización.