bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical and genetic evaluation after sudden cardiac arrest
Authors: Harris Stephanie L. , Lubitz Steven A.
Published: January 2020

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) can be attributed to cardiac, respiratory, metabolic, and toxicologic etiologies. Most cases of SCD are caused by coronary artery disease and approximately 40% of cardiac arrests are unexplained. Inherited arrythmias and cardiomyopathies are important contributors to SCA and SCD. Identifying an inherited condition after such an event not only has important ramifications for the individual, but also for relatives who may be at risk for the familial condition. This review will provide an overview of inherited cardiovascular disorders than can predispose to SCA/SCD, review the diagnostic evaluation for an individual and/or family after an SCA/SCD, and discuss the role of genetic testing.
Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons modifies the effects of early life stress on attention and Thought Problems in late childhood
Authors: Pagliaccio David , Herbstman Julie B. , Perera Frederica , Tang Deliang , Goldsmith Jeff , Peterson Bradley S. , Rauh Virginia , Margolis Amy E.
Published: January 2020

Background

Risk for childhood psychopathology is complex and multifactorial, implicating direct and interacting effects of familial and environmental factors. The role of environmental neurotoxicants in psychiatric risk is of growing concern, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), common in air pollution. Prenatal PAH exposure is linked to adverse physical, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes as well as increasing psychiatric risk. It is unclear whether environmental exposures, like PAH, magnify the effects of exposure to early life stress (ELS), a critical risk factor for psychopathology. The current work aimed to test potential interactions between prenatal PAH exposure and psychosocial/socioeconomic stress on psychiatric symptoms in school‐age children.

Methods

Data were from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health Mothers and Newborns longitudinal birth cohort study. Prenatal PAH exposure was ascertained though air monitoring during pregnancy and maternal PAH‐DNA adducts at delivery. Mothers reported on ELS (child age 5) and on child psychiatric symptoms across childhood (child age 5, 7, 9, and 11) using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

Results

Significant prenatal airborne PAH × ELS interactions (FDR‐corrected) predicted CBCL Attention (β = 0.22, t(307) = 3.47, p < .001, pfdr = .003) and Thought Problems T‐scores (β = 0.21, t(307) = 3.29, p = .001, pfdr = .004) at age 11 (n = 319). Relative to those with lower exposure, children with higher prenatal PAH exposure exhibited stronger positive associations between ELS and CBCL Attention and Thought Problem T‐scores. This interaction was also significant examining convergent ADHD measures (Conners, DuPaul) and examining maternal PAH‐DNA adducts (β = 0.29, t(261) = 2.48, p = .01; n = 273). A three‐way interaction with assessment wave indicated that the PAH × ELS interaction on Attention Problems was stronger later in development (β = 0.03, t(1,601) = 2.19, p = .03; n = 477).

Conclusions

Prenatal exposure to PAH, a common neurotoxicant in air pollution, may magnify or sustain the effects of early life psychosocial/socioeconomic stress on psychiatric outcomes later in child development. This work highlights the critical role of air pollution exposure on child mental health.
Biodegradable sodium alginate films incorporated with norbixin salts
Authors: de Farias Yuri B. , Coutinho Anderson K. , Assis Renato Q. , Rios Alessandro de Oliveira
Published: January 2020

Plastic packaging derived from petroleum may have a negative impact on the environment when it is not properly recycled. Some studies present the use of biodegradable packages developed from natural polymers as a sustainable alternative; thus, the present work aimed to develop biodegradable sodium alginate films with antioxidant properties by the incorporation of carotenoid norbixin. Norbixin salts at the concentration of 0.01–0.05% were added to the sodium alginate films complexed with calcium ions. Carotenoid incorporation did not significantly impacted with the moisture content and the swelling capacity of the films. The thickness, water activity, and solubility were higher in the films with 0.05% addition of norbixin salts. The presence of the carotenoid improved the thermal stability of the films, as well as the water vapor barrier properties and lower ultraviolet–visible light transmission. However, the incorporation of 0.03% norbixin salts showed the best result for the analysis of antioxidant activity, with lower formation of oxidation products during sunflower oil storage and potential application for high fat foods.

Practical Applications

Researchers aim to replace synthetic packaging by eco‐friendly packaging. The use of alternative materials such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids has been studied for the production of packaging susceptible to degradation under environmental conditions. Thus, the present work developed sodium alginate films complexed with calcium and incorporated with norbixin salts able to decrease sunflower oil oxidation.
School Gun Violence in the United States
Authors: Kolbe Lloyd J.
Published: January 2020

BACKGROUND

Although less than 2% of all homicides among young people are school‐associated, since 1970 1373 K‐12 school gun violence incidents have injured 1403 people and killed another 728. These incidents have changed the education landscape. Informed stakeholders must work together to prevent school gun violence.

METHODS

We reviewed the nature of school gun violence in the United States and efforts to prevent it.

RESULTS

We briefly outline a public health approach to prevent school gun violence, major actions the nation has taken, current school gun violence surveillance systems, the effects of school gun violence nationwide, the extent to which our schools are implementing various interventions to prevent it, and a national strategy to move forward.

CONCLUSIONS

Our young people and our schools deserve a more organized national effort.
Antihyperuricemic and nephroprotective effects of extracts from Orthosiphon stamineus in hyperuricemic mice
Authors: Xu Wen-hao , Wang Han-tao , Sun Ying , Xue Zhen-cheng , Liang Ming-li , Su Wei-ke
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To investigate the antihyperuricemia and nephroprotective effects of Orthosiphon stamineus extracts on hyperuricemia (HUA) mice and explore the potential mechanisms.

Methods

Orthosiphon stamineus extracts were extracted using 50% ethanol and enriched using ethyl acetate, and characterised utilising UPLC/ESI-MS. A potassium oxonate (PO) induced hyperuricemic mouse model was used to evaluate antihyperuricemia and nephroprotective effects of O. stamineus ethyl acetate extracts (OSE).

Key findings

Eight constituents from OSE were identified and OSE treatment ameliorated HUA by regulating key indicators of kidney dysfunction and xanthine oxidase, adenosine deaminase activity and urate transporters in hyperuricemic mice. Moreover, in renal histopathology analysis, OSE significantly alleviated kidney injury.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate that OSE has antihyperuricemic and nephroprotective effects on PO-induced HUA mice and those results indicate that OSE could be a safe and effective agent or functional ingredient for treating HUA.
Poor sleep quality associates with self‐reported psychiatric and cardiometabolic symptoms independently of sleep timing patterns in a large sample of rural and urban workers
Authors: Carvalho Felipe Gutiérrez , Cunha Ana Maria Delgado , Tonon André Comiran , Pereira Fernanda dos Santos , Matte Ursula , Callegari‐Jacques Sidia Maria , Hidalgo Maria Paz
Published: January 2020

Poor sleep associates with mental and cardiometabolic pathological outcomes. The participation of sleep timing features in the pathways by which this relationship occurs is not clear. This study aims to evaluate the interrelationship between sleep quality and self‐reported psychiatric/cardiometabolic symptoms, considering mediation and moderation effects of sleep timing patterns, and urban versus rural work environment, respectively; and to verify the association between sleep quality and polymorphisms of AANAT, RORA and TIMELESS genes. An epidemiological survey was performed in a rural area in southern Brazil. Eight‐hundred and twenty‐nine subjects were evaluated for sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and sleep timing patterns using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. Work characteristics and psychiatric/cardiometabolic symptoms were assessed using a structured self‐report questionnaire. Three polymorphisms of AANAT, RORA and TIMELESS (rs3760138, rs782931 and rs774045, respectively) were genotyped in blood samples. We found statistically significant associations of poor sleep quality with self‐reported psychiatric symptoms (B = 0.382; 95% CI 0.289–0.476; adjusted p‐value <.001), and with self‐reported cardiometabolic symptoms (B = 0.079; 95% CI 0.013–0.151; adjusted p‐value = .048). The genetic analysis showed that RORA GA/AA genotype was associated to poor sleep quality (B = 0.146, 95% CI 0.054–0.239; adjusted p‐value = .004). No moderated mediation effects were observed in the conditional analysis. TIMELESS polymorphism was not included in the analysis due to the low frequency of risk genotypes. These results yield new insights regarding the interrelationship between sleep characteristics and psychiatric/cardiometabolic self‐reported symptoms, taking into account genes related to the biological clocks and melatonin pathways.
On the Development of a Light Dosimetry Planning Tool for Photodynamic Therapy in Arbitrary Shaped Cavities: Initial Results
Authors: van Doeveren Thérèse E. M. , Bouwmans Rens , Wassenaar Nienke P. M. , Schreuder Willem H. , van Alphen Maarten J. A. , van der Heijden Ferdinand , Tan I. Bing , Karakullukçu M. Barıs , van Veen Robert L. P.
Published: January 2020

Previous dosimetric studies during photodynamic therapy (PDT) of superficial lesions within a cavity such as the nasopharynx, demonstrated significant intra‐ and interpatient variations in fluence rate build‐up as a result of tissue surface re‐emitted and reflected photons, which depends on the optical properties. This scattering effect affects the response to PDT. Recently, a meta‐tetra(hydroxyphenyl)chlorin‐mediated PDT study of malignancies in the paranasal sinuses after salvage surgery was initiated. These geometries are complex in shape, with spatially varying optical properties. Therefore, preplanning and in vivo dosimetry is required to ensure an effective fluence delivered to the tumor. For this purpose, two 3D light distribution models were developed: first, a simple empirical model that directly calculates the fluence rate at the cavity surface using a simple linear function that includes the scatter contribution as function of the light source to surface distance. And second, an analytical model based on Lambert’s cosine law assuming a global diffuse reflectance constant. The models were evaluated by means of three 3D printed optical phantoms and one porcine tissue phantom. Predictive fluence rate distributions of both models are within ± 20% accurate and have the potential to determine the optimal source location and light source output power settings.
Histological and ultrastructural characterization of the leaf infection events of Colletotrichum fructicola on Malus domestica ‘Gala’
Authors: Shang Shengping , Liang Xiaofei , Liu Guangli , Zhang Song , Lu Zhongxin , Zhang Rong , Gleason Mark L. , Sun Guangyu
Published: January 2020

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS), characterized by black necrotic spots and severe defoliation, is a destructive foliar disease of apple. Widely grown cultivars such as Gala and Golden Delicious are highly susceptible to GLS. Currently, the infection biology of the causal pathogen, Colletotrichum fructicola, on apple leaves is unclear. In the present study, the penetration and colonization processes of C. fructicola were characterized on apple (cv. Gala) leaves using light and transmission electron microscopy. C. fructicola conidia produced germ tubes 4 hours post‐inoculation (hpi) and appressoria at 8 hpi. In melanized appressoria, funnel‐shaped appressorial cones formed around the penetration pore. At 12 hpi, C. fructicola produced secondary conidia. After penetration, C. fructicola began to develop infection vesicles at 36 hpi. At 48 hpi, the primary hyphae of C. fructicola were produced from infection vesicles within host epidermal cells; the host epidermal cell plasma membrane remained intact, indicating a biotrophic association. Subsequently, secondary hyphae penetrated epidermal cells and destroyed cell components, initiating necrotrophic colonization. C. fructicola also produced biotrophic subcuticular infection vesicles and hyphae. Together, these results demonstrate that C. fructicola forms special infection structures and colonizes apple leaves in a hemibiotrophic manner, involving intracellular as well as subcuticular colonization strategies. Detailed characterization of the infection process of C. fructicola on apple leaves will assist in the development of disease management strategies and provide a foundation for studies of the molecular mechanism of the C. fructicola–apple leaf interaction.
Frontline managers' perceptions and justifications of behavioural conditionality
Authors: Sadeghi Talieh , Terum Lars Inge
Published: January 2020

The debate on behavioural conditionality is characterised by abundant controversies. Frontline managers have a particularly important role in implementing these policies because their interpretation of the welfare policies regulates the frameworks of street‐level bureaucrat's discretionary powers. A nationwide survey among frontline managers in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration revealed that 86% of the managers expressed strong normative support towards welfare conditionality. With this as a backdrop, this paper develops a better understanding of managers' perceptions and justifications of the Norwegian type of behavioural conditionality. Analysis of focus group interview data showed that the managers adopted a broad definition of conditionality, meaning promotion of an overall (re)integration of the client into the society as opposed to the narrow definition focusing solely on labour market integration. Furthermore, the implementation of welfare conditionality primarily was perceived as mild and client sensitive. The managers mainly justified welfare conditionality in terms of care and paternalistic defences, arguing that requirement of work and activities are in the client's best interest, understood in terms of social democratic values.
Photorespiration in the context of Rubisco biochemistry, CO2 diffusion and metabolism
Authors: Busch Florian A.
Published: January 2020

Photorespiratory metabolism is essential for plants to maintain functional photosynthesis in an oxygen‐containing environment. Because the oxygenation reaction of Rubisco is followed by the loss of previously fixed carbon, photorespiration is often considered a wasteful process and considerable efforts are aimed at minimizing the negative impact of photorespiration on the plant’s carbon uptake. However, the photorespiratory pathway has also many positive aspects, as it is well integrated within other metabolic processes, such as nitrogen assimilation and C1 metabolism, and it is important for maintaining the redox balance of the plant. The overall effect of photorespiratory carbon loss on the net CO2 fixation of the plant is also strongly influenced by the physiology of the leaf related to CO2 diffusion. This review outlines the distinction between Rubisco oxygenation and photorespiratory CO2 release as a basis to evaluate the costs and benefits of photorespiration.
Energy-Saving Potential of Daylighting in the Atria of Colleges in Najran University, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Qahtan Abdultawab Mohammed , Ebrahim Diaeldin A , Ahmed Hussein M.
Published: January 2020

Daylighting is recognised as an effective strategy for enhancing visual comfort and reducing energy used for electric lighting. Najran University, Saudi Arabia, has 15 colleges for males and 10 colleges for females. Each college has several atria and courtyards for introducing daylighting into the hearts of college buildings. However, the electrical lights used in the colleges atria and linked corridors keep on all the daytime. This study is an attempt to investigate the daylight illuminance level and energy-saving potential on the atria and linked corridors when it incorporates a time-scheduling lighting control system. The field measurements were performed in the College of Applied Medical Sciences. The results indicate that daylight illuminance in the atrium spaces are abundant with an average illumination level on the atrium floor varying from 300 lux to 3 600 lux, depending on the time of the day. In the clear sky climate of Najran city throughout the year, the time-scheduling control system is effective and found to contribute to approximately 43 855.2 kWh of annual energy savings in electrical-lighting consumption in the present case study scenario. The total annual energy savings from all 25 colleges at Najran University is 1 096 380 kWh/year, which results in a cost saving of approximately 93,512.86 USD. There would be additional substantial savings from other atria and courtyards in all of the college buildings throughout the campus
Unsteady MHD Flow of Cassonnano Fluid with Chemical Reaction, Thermal Radiation and Heat Generation/Absorption
Authors: Mat Noor Nur Azlina , Shafie Sharidan , Admon Mohd Ariff
Published: January 2020

The hydromagnetic mixed convection flow of Cassonnano fluid under the influence of chemical reaction,thermal radiation and heat generation or absorption is investigated. The flow is induced due to unsteady nonlinearly stretching sheet saturated in a porous medium. The governing nonlinear coupled partial differential equations are converted into the system of coupled ordinary differential equations using similarity transformations and then solved numerically via Keller box method. The effects of pertinent parameters on velocity, temperature and nanoparticles concentration as well as wall shear stress, heat and mass transfer rate are analyzed and displayed graphically. The results for skin friction coefficient and local Nusselt number are compared with previously published work and found to be in good agreement. Findings demonstrate that increase in Casson parameter enhanced the friction factor and heat transfer rate. It is noticed that the heat transfer rate is declined with increment in Brownian motion and thermophoresis parameters. The nanoparticles concentration is seen to be higherin generative chemical reaction and opposite effect is observed in destructive chemical reaction. Increase in unsteadiness parameter decreased the fluid velocity, temperature and nanoparticles concentration. The magnitude of wall shear stress is also reduced with increase in unsteadiness and porous medium parameters.
Use of Empirical Mode Decomposition in Improving Neural Network Forecasting of Paddy Price
Authors: Abdullah Siti Nabilah Syuhada , Shabri Ani , Samsudin Ruhaidah
Published: January 2020

Since rice is a staple food in Malaysia, its price fluctuations pose risks to the producers, suppliers and consumers. Hence, an accurate prediction of paddy price is essential to aid the planning and decision-making in related organizations. The artificial neural network (ANN) has been widely used as a promising method for time series forecasting. In this paper, the effectiveness of integrating empirical mode decomposition (EMD) into an ANN model to forecast paddy price is investigated. The hybrid method is applied on a series of monthly paddy prices fromFebruary 1999 up toMay 2018 as recorded in the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) per metric tons. The performance of the simple ANN model and the EMD-ANN model was measured and compared based on their root mean squared Error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and mean percentage error (MPE). This study finds that the integration of EMD into the neural network model improves the forecasting capabilities. The use of EMD in the ANN model made the forecast errors reduced significantly, and the RMSE was reduced by 0.012, MAE by 0.0002 and MPE by 0.0448.
Distinguishing the Effect of Oil Shocks on the Global Economy: A Threshold Regression Approach
Authors: Sim Khang Yi , Sek Siok Kun
Published: January 2020

The effect of oil shock on the global economy is evident through many studies. However, the effect is heterogeneous over time. One of the reasons that lead to such different impacts is due to the oil source that is either the oil shock is demand or supply-driven. Applying the structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model to generate the three oil shocks based on the three oil sources (oil supply, oil demand and oil specific-demand), we extended the examination on the effect of oil shock on the global economy using the threshold regression. Our results reveal the threshold effects of oil directly and indirectly on the global economy. The impacts of oil shocks differ across sectors, implying oil intensity, as well as oil sources, are the factors that determine the impact of oil shocks on the global economy. Overall, the oil specific-demand shock is more influential among the three oil shocks. Hence, the global economy is oil demand-driven. Besides that, the impact of oil is relatively large in the energy sector when compared to the non-energysector and precious metals industry. Despite that, the impact of oil shocks is small if compared to the non-oil shocks such as exchange rate changes and global consumer price inflation shock. Consequently, non-oil shocks are the main determinants of the global economic fluctuation. The study leads to a better understanding of the transmission of oil shock and its sources, the interaction between oil and economic indicators and the policy implication due to oil dependency/ intensity.
Examining the Effects of Domestic versus Global Prices Uncertainty on Sectoral Price Inflation in Malaysia
Authors: Chiew Eng Woo , Sek Siok Kun
Published: January 2020

Price stability is one of the main policy objectives that is targeted by policymakers in many countries. Price uncertainty occurs due to the changes in market structure and consumer preference and expectation, which may affect price stability. In this study, the researchers aimed to examine the effects of price uncertainty of consumer price disaggregation in Malaysian sectors. To be specific, the researchers were seeking to discover on how domestic and global commodity prices can affect sectoral Consumer Price Index (CPI) on price inflation in Malaysia and most importantly, whether the effect is different for economic sectors in Malaysia. In addition, the effects of other factors (i.e., internal and external factors) on Malaysian sectoral CPI inflation were also studied. The threshold generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (TGARCH) model was used to generate the price uncertainties. For the purpose of analysis, the threshold regression approach was applied based on time series of each single sector, followed by a combination of panel data of all sectors. The results differed across sectors, revealing that the impact of price uncertainties was determined by the sensitivity of each sector towards the price uncertainties. The effect of price increase is larger than the effect of price decrease. Price fluctuations were obvious in sectors that were dependent on consumer price or commodity price. Exchange rate and oil price inflation had also greatly influenced the CPI inflation.
Numerical Computation of Signal Stimulation from Ligand-EGFR Binding During Invadopodia Formation
Authors: Yaacob Noorehan , Noor Azhuan Nur Azura , Shafie Sharidan , Admon Mohd Ariff
Published: January 2020

Invadopodia are finger-like protrusions located at subcellular membrane which can lead to cancer cell invasion. The formation of invadopodia involves several steps such as actin polymerizations, degradation of extracellular matrix which produce ligand and signal stimulation that is occurred from the binding of ligand with epidermal growth factor receptor. In this paper, a mathematical model of signal transduction is investigated. Both signal and ligand are represented by Laplace equation with Dirichlet boundary condition for each region. The cell membrane is treated as free boundary surface to separate any activity that occurred in intracellular and extracellular regions. The motion of the interface is taken as gradient of  nterior signal and the cell membrane is set as zero level set function. The problem is solved numerically using finite difference scheme of upwind, interpolation and extrapolation methods. The results showed that the formation of invadopodia is formed when protrusions exist on the cell membrane.
The Influence of Humor Styles on The Sense of Belonging among University Students
Authors: Mohd Sukor Mohammad Saipol , Panatik Siti Aisyah , Noordin Nurul Farhana
Published: January 2020

The sense of belonging is a strongly human desire, but it is less explored by past researchers. The sense of belonging exists when people in a group or community were taking care and supporting each others. In order to further explore the predictors of the sense of belonging, this study is conducted to identify the influence of humor styles behavior on the sense of belonging. A total of 108 local postgraduate full-time students in a public university in Malaysia were involved in the study. The instruments used were Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) and Psychological Sense of Belonging (SOBI-P). The result from regression analysis shows that there are significant influences of humor styles behavior on the sense of belonging among postgraduate students. It was found that the self-enhancing humor will increase the sense of belonging, whereas the aggressive humor will decrease the sense of belonging among postgraduate students. Overall, this study support Martin’s theory about the role of adaptive and maladaptive humor in the social relationship especially in the context of educational environment.
Low frequency fatigue and changes in muscle fascicle length following eccentric exercise of the knee extensors
Authors: Muanjai Pornpimol , Mickevicius Mantas , Sniečkus Audrius , Sipavičienė Saulė , Satkunskiene Danguole , Kamandulis Sigitas , Jones David A.
Published: January 2020

New Finding

What is the central question of this study?

Does low frequency muscle fatigue indicate a failure of excitation–contraction coupling after eccentric exercise, or is it simply due to a change in muscle length?

What is the main finding and its importance?

The low to high frequency muscle fatigue ratio was relatively insensitive to changes in muscle length, and any changes in length following eccentric exercise were far too small to account for the high degree of low frequency fatigue. The results strengthen the suggestion that the early loss of force following eccentric exercise is due to a deficit of excitation–contraction coupling.

Development of long lasting fatigue (low frequency fatigue; LFF), assessed as the ratio of forces at 20 and 100 Hz stimulation, suggests the early phase of muscle damage caused by eccentric exercise is due to a deficit of excitation–contraction coupling. However, this could be caused by a change of muscle length. Eleven men (21.3 ± 2.0 years) performed 200 maximum eccentric knee extensions (30–110 deg flexion). Force generated by 20 and 100 Hz stimulation and maximum isometric force (MIF) were determined at knee angles 50, 70 and 90 deg before and immediately after the exercise. Vastus lateralis fascicle length (FL) was measured by ultrasound of resting and contracting muscle. Peak MIF (829 ± 119 N) was at 70 deg knee flexion, falling to 486 ± 180 N (P < 0.001) after exercise, but with no change in optimum angle. FLs at rest were unaffected by eccentric exercise, but during contraction they were on average 8.8% (95% CI: 4.1, 13.5%, P = 0.002) longer after exercise. Before exercise, the 20/100 ratio increased with muscle length, from 0.69 ± 0.09 at 50 deg, 0.72 ± 0.05 at 70 deg and 0.80 ± 0.08 at knee angle 90 deg (P < 0.001). After eccentric exercise the 20/100 ratio was reduced to 0.29 ± 0.08 at 50 deg, 0.27 ± 0.04 at 70 deg and 0.34 ± 0.04 at 90 deg (P < 0.001). The 20/100 ratio was relatively insensitive to changes in muscle length and the decrease following eccentric exercise was far greater than might be caused by any changes in muscle length after eccentric exercise. The results show that LFF following eccentric exercise is not due to change in muscle length and strengthen the suggestion that it represents a deficit in excitation–contraction coupling.
To crash on the bus (or sit on needles and pins)? – buses and subways in teenage everyday geographies
Authors: Lagerqvist Maja
Published: January 2020

When young people travel, they are often very dependent on public transport or parents. This study uses interviews with 16–19 years old teenagers in Stockholm to investigate their everyday experiences of public transit. The paper explores the experiences of buses and subways, here conceptualized as mobile places, to understand how they shape teenagers’ daily life. Understanding teenagers’ experiences of public transportation is part of understanding their everyday life, struggles, and possibilities to be mobile and participate in society. It is also a step towards ensuring that they find public transportation inclusive, safe, and worth traveling with today and in the future. Conceptually, the analysis focuses on how these mobile places are experienced as providing weights or reliefs to the everyday and if, how and when they may be places of interaction or retreat, addressing two needs in teenagers’ personal being and development. The study shows how various experiences of traveling with buses and subways shape how the teenagers feel, and how they make strategic choices in relation to this. A quite manifold, varying, and complex picture of public transportation arises, with stories of wellbeing, comfort, discomfort, and exclusion, and with sharp differences between girls and boys, and between buses and subways. These nuances are essential in planning and evaluation of transport systems in regard to how, when, where, or for whom public transport can be a part of social sustainability, as public policies often assume.
Temporal injustice and asylum reception centres in Norway: towards a critical geographies of architecture in the institution
Authors: Thorshaug Ragne Øwre , Brun Cathrine
Published: January 2020

A temporal injustice is inherently built into the asylum-seeking system. Asylum seekers lack control over their biographical and their everyday time. In Norway, most asylum seekers live in reception centres while their applications are processed. This article develops a conceptual framework for understanding the asylum centre by drawing on geographical literature on architecture and contributions from migration studies on temporality. It analyses the ways in which the reception centre becomes a focal point in the asylum seekers’ lives and how people’s lived experiences, the asylum institution and the materiality of the buildings housing the centres come together in the particular temporalities produced by the asylum-seeking process. People’s agentic capacities within institutional and material structures are conceptualised as ‘orientations’. The paper analyses the lived experience of residents in three different reception centres in Norway. The temporal frames operating in the reception centres are expressions of power that produce blurred, uncertain and clashing temporalities. In this context, the reception centre operates as a material disorientation device where institutional durability, temporary dwelling and decaying as well as sub-standard materialities are significant aspects of the asylum seekers’ experience. However, some residents are able to re-orient their perspective and find ways of coping with the uncertainty and waiting. These strategies are identified as ‘reorientations’ to show how the governance and the inhabitation in the centres come together and how people engage with the reception centre through stubborn everyday strategies of inhabiting the centre. In conclusion, the paper reflects on the limited possibility that improving the material conditions may have for a better experience of the asylum-seeking process: it is the interaction between the material, the institution and the lived experience that creates the temporal injustice.
Inspiratory Muscle Training in Rehabilitation of Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Ahmadnezhad Leila , Yalfani Ali , Gholami Borujeni Behnam
Published: January 2020

Context: People with chronic low back pain (CLBP) suffer from weaknesses in their core muscle activity and dysfunctional breathing. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) was recently developed to treat this condition. Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of IMT on core muscle activity, pulmonary parameters, and pain intensity in athletes with CLBP. Design: This study was designed as a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Setting: Clinical rehabilitation laboratory. Participants: A total of 23 male and 24 female athletes with CLBP were randomly divided into the experimental and control groups. Main Outcome Measures: The experimental group performed IMT for 8 weeks, 7 days per week and twice daily, using POWERbreathe KH1, beginning at 50% of maximum inspiratory pressure with a progressively increasing training load. The surface electromyography muscle activity of the erector spinae, multifidus, transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis, respiratory function and Visual Analogue Scale score were also measured before and after the intervention in both groups. The repeated-measures analysis of variance and 1-way analysis of covariance were further used to compare the intragroup and intergroup results following the intervention. Results: The findings of the study revealed that multifidus and transverse abdominis activity, as well as respiratory function, increased significantly in the IMT group (P < .05). Moreover, a descending trend was observed in the Visual Analogue Scale score in the experimental group (P < .05). Conclusion: The results showed that IMT can improve respiratory function, increase core muscle activity, and, consequently, reduce pain intensity in athletes with CLBP.
Effect of Abdominal Electrical Muscle Stimulation Training With and Without Superimposed Voluntary Muscular Contraction on Lumbopelvic Control
Authors: Hwang Ui-Jae , Jung Sung-Hoon , Kim Hyun-A , Kim Jun-Hee , Kwon Oh-Yun
Published: January 2020

Context: Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) was designed for artificial muscle activation or superimposed training. Objectives: To compare the effects of 8 weeks of superimposed technique (ST; application of electrical stimulation during a voluntary muscle action) and EMS on the cross-sectional area of the rectus abdominis, lateral abdominal wall, and on lumbopelvic control. Setting: University research laboratory. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Participants: Fifty healthy subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to either the ST or EMS group. Intervention: The participants engaged with the electrical stimulation techniques (ST or EMS) for 8 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: In all participants, the cross-sectional area of the rectus abdominis and lateral abdominal wall was measured by magnetic resonance imaging and lumbopelvic control, quantified using the single-leg and double-leg lowering tests. Results: There were no significant differences in the cross-sectional area of the rectus abdominis (right: P = .70, left: P = .99) or lateral abdominal wall (right: P = .07, left: P = .69) between groups. There was a significant difference between groups in the double-leg lowering test (P = .03), but not in the single-leg lowering test (P = .88). There were significant differences between the preintervention and postintervention in the single-leg (P < .001) and double-leg lowering tests (P < .001). Conclusions: ST could improve lumbopelvic control in the context of athletic training and fitness.
Mechanism-of-Action Classification of Antibiotics by Global Transcriptome Profiling
Authors: O’Rourke Aubrie , Beyhan Sinem , Choi Yongwook , Morales Pavel , Chan Agnes P. , Espinoza Josh L. , Dupont Chris L. , Meyer Kirsten J. , Spoering Amy , Lewis Kim , Nierman William C. , Nelson Karen E.
Published: January 2020

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an ever-growing public health problem worldwide. The low rate of antibiotic discovery coupled with the rapid spread of drug-resistant bacterial pathogens is causing a global health crisis. To facilitate the drug discovery processes, we present a large-scale study of reference antibiotic challenge bacterial transcriptome profiles, which included 37 antibiotics across 6 mechanisms of actions (MOAs) and provide an economical approach to aid in antimicrobial dereplication in the discovery process.
Iron Sequestrant DIBI, a Potential Alternative for Nares Decolonization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Is Anti-infective and Inhibitory for Mupirocin-Resistant Isolates
Authors: Allan David S. , Parquet Maria del Carmen , Savage Kimberley A. , Holbein Bruce E.
Published: January 2020

Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) opportunistic infections are a major health burden. Decolonization of hospitalized patients with mupirocin (MUP) has reduced the incidence of infection but has led to MUP resistance. DIBI is a developmental-stage anti-infective agent that sequesters bacterial iron and bolsters innate host iron-withdrawal defenses. Clinical isolates possessing low, high, or no MUP resistance all had similarly high susceptibilities to DIBI.
Cutaneous Immunoprofiles of Three Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Cases
Authors: Jia Na , Liu Hong-Bo , Zheng Yuan-Chun , Shi Wen-Qiang , Wei Ran , Chu Yan-Li , Ning Nian-Zhi , Jiang Bao-Gui , Jiang Rui-Ruo , Li Tao , Huo Qiu-Bo , Bian Cai , Liu Xiong , Sun Yi , Li Lian-Feng , Wang Qian , Wei Wei , Wang Ya-Wei , Jongejan Frans , Jiang Jia-Fu , Song Ju-Liang , Wang Hui , Cao Wu-Chun
Published: January 2020

Spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) can cause mild to fatal illness. The early interaction between the host and rickettsia in skin is largely unknown, and the pathogenesis of severe rickettsiosis remains an important topic. A surveillance of SFGR infection by PCR of blood and skin biopsy specimens followed by sequencing and immunohistochemical (IHC) detection was performed on patients with a recent tick bite between 2013 and 2016. Humoral and cutaneous immunoprofiles were evaluated in different SFGR cases by serum cytokine and chemokine detection, skin IHC staining, and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq).
PARP1 Enhances Influenza A Virus Propagation by Facilitating Degradation of Host Type I Interferon Receptor
Authors: Xia Chuan , Wolf Jennifer J. , Sun Chuankai , Xu Mengqiong , Studstill Caleb J. , Chen Jun , Ngo Hanh , Zhu Hua , Hahm Bumsuk
Published: January 2020

Influenza A virus (IAV) infections cause seasonal and pandemic influenza outbreaks, which pose a devastating global health concern. Despite the availability of antivirals against influenza, new IAV strains continue to persist by overcoming the therapeutics. Therefore, much emphasis in the field is placed on identifying new therapeutic targets that can more effectively control influenza. IAV utilizes several tactics to evade host innate immunity, which include the evasion of antiviral type I interferon (IFN) responses. Degradation of type I IFN receptor (IFNAR) is one known method of subversion, but the molecular mechanism for IFNAR downregulation during IAV infection remains unclear. Here, we have found that a host protein, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), facilitates IFNAR degradation and accelerates IAV replication. The findings reveal a novel cellular target for the potential development of antivirals against influenza, as well as expand our base of knowledge regarding interactions between influenza and the host innate immunity.
Manganese Uptake, Mediated by SloABC and MntH, Is Essential for the Fitness of Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Kajfasz Jessica K. , Katrak Callahan , Ganguly Tridib , Vargas Jonathan , Wright Logan , Peters Zachary T. , Spatafora Grace A. , Abranches Jacqueline , Lemos José A.
Published: January 2020

As transition biometals such as manganese (Mn) are essential for all forms of life, the ability to scavenge biometals in the metal-restricted host environment is an important trait of successful cariogenic pathobionts. Here, we showed that the caries pathogen
Streptococcus mutans
utilizes two Mn transport systems, namely, SloABC and MntH, to acquire Mn from the environment and that the ability to maintain the cellular levels of Mn is important for the manifestation of characteristics that associate
S. mutans
with dental caries. Our results indicate that the development of strategies to deprive
S. mutans
of Mn hold promise in the combat against this important bacterial pathogen.
Magnesium Links Starvation-Mediated Antibiotic Persistence to ATP
Authors: Xu Tao , Wang Xuyang , Meng Lu , Zhu Mengqi , Wu Jing , Xu Yuanyuan , Zhang Ying , Zhang Wenhong
Published: January 2020

Various genes have been identified to be involved in bacterial persister formation regardless of the presence or absence of persister genes. Despite recent discoveries of the roles of ATP and membrane potential in persister formation, the key element that triggers change of ATP or membrane potential remains elusive. Our work demonstrates that Mg
2+
instead of other ions or nutrient components is the key element for persistence by inducing a decrease of cytoplasmic ATP, which subsequently induces persister formation. In addition, we observed tight regulation of genes for Mg
2+
transport in different growth phases in
S. aureus
. These findings indicate that despite being a key nutrient, Mg
2+
also served as a key signal in persister formation during growth.
mSphere of Influence: Decoding Transcriptional Regulatory Networks To Illuminate the Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenicity
Authors: Znaidi Sadri
Published: January 2020

Sadri Znaidi works in the field of molecular mycology with a focus on functional genomics in
Candida albicans
. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the paper “An iron homeostasis regulatory circuit with reciprocal roles in
Candida albicans
commensalism and pathogenesis” by Chen et al. (C. Chen, K. Pande, S. D. French, B. B. Tuch, and S. M.
Influence of Plasmodium falciparum Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase 5 (PfCDPK5) on the Late Schizont Stage Phosphoproteome
Authors: Blomqvist Karin , Helmel Michaela , Wang Chengqi , Absalon Sabrina , Labunska Tetanya , Rudlaff Rachel M. , Adapa Swamy , Jiang Rays , Steen Hanno , Dvorin Jeffrey D.
Published: January 2020

The malaria parasite
Plasmodium falciparum
is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The
P. falciparum
parasite proliferates inside red blood cells during the blood stage of infection, and egress from the red blood cell is critical for parasite survival.
P. falciparum
calcium-dependent protein kinase 5 (PfCDPK5) is essential for egress; parasites deficient in PfCDPK5 remain trapped inside their host cells. We have used a label-free quantitative mass spectrometry approach to identify the phosphoproteome of schizont-stage parasites just prior to egress and identify 50 proteins that display a significant reduction in phosphorylation in PfCDPK5-deficient parasites. We show that a member of the Apicomplexan-specific transport protein family, PfNPT1 is a potential substrate of PfCDPK5 and is localized to the parasite plasma membrane.
P. falciparum
egress requires several proteins not present in human cells, thus making this pathway an ideal target for new therapeutics.
mSphere of Influence: Intermetal Competition during Manganese Toxicity
Authors: Martin Julia E.
Published: January 2020

Julia E. Martin works in the field of metals in biology, with a focus on manganese (Mn) homeostasis in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper entitled “Role of the manganese efflux system
mntE
for signalling and pathogenesis in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
” (J. W. Rosch, G. Gao, G. Ridout, Y.-D. Wang, and E. I.
Dramatic weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon in northern China during the transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age
Authors: Lan Jianghu , Xu Hai , Lang Yunchao , Yu Keke , Zhou Peng , Kang Shugang , Zhou Kangen , Wang Xulong , Wang Tianli , Cheng Peng , Yan Dongna , Yu Shiyong , Che Ping , Ye Yuanda , Tan Liangcheng
Published: January 2020

Changes in the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) are critical for regulating the regional hydrology, ecology, and human civilization, especially in the vicinity of the summer monsoon limit (SML). However, the detailed spatial variations of the SML in mainland China over the past 2000 years are uncertain due to the lack of high-resolution paleoclimate archives. As a result, the accurate location of the SML during the transition from the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) to the Little Ice Age (LIA), as well as its impacts on ecology and society, are poorly understood. Here, we report a potential location of the SML during the late Holocene by combining data from a lake sedimentary record and a compilation of paleoclimate records from arid northern China. We find that EASM intensity was strong during the MWP and that the SML in arid northern China was roughly located along the Yinshan Mountains, Yabulai Mountains, and north of Lake Qinghai. EASM intensity dramatically weakened during the MWP-LIA transition, and the SML retreated southeastward significantly, which may have primarily but nonlinearly been a response to the reduction in solar irradiance and its associated changes in atmospheric circulation (e.g., El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Siberian High) and could have had profound impacts on hydrology, ecology, and human civilization across northern monsoonal Asia.
Diachronous Tibetan Plateau landscape evolution derived from lava field geomorphology
Authors: Law Robert , Allen Mark B.
Published: January 2020

Evolution of the Tibetan Plateau is important for understanding continental tectonics because of the plateau’s exceptional elevation (∼5 km above sea level) and crustal thickness (∼70 km). Patterns of long-term landscape evolution can constrain tectonic processes, but have been hard to quantify, in contrast to established data sets for strain, exhumation, and paleo-elevation. This study analyzes the relief of the bases and tops of 17 Cenozoic lava fields on the central and northern Tibetan Plateau. Analyzed fields have typical lateral dimensions of tens of kilometers, and so have an appropriate scale for interpreting tectonic geomorphology. Fourteen of the fields have not been deformed since eruption. One field is cut by normal faults; two others are gently folded, with limb dips <6°. Relief of the bases and tops of the fields is comparable to that of modern, internally drained parts of the plateau, and distinctly lower than that of externally drained regions. The lavas preserve a record of underlying low-relief bedrock landscapes at the time they were erupted, which have undergone little change since. There is an overlap in each area between younger published low-temperature thermochronology ages and the age of the oldest eruption in each area, here interpreted as the transition between the end of significant (>3 km) exhumation and plateau landscape development. This diachronous process took place between ∼32.5°N and ∼36.5°N and between ca. 40 Ma and ca. 10 Ma, advancing northwards at a long-term rate of ∼15 km/m.y. Results are consistent with incremental northward growth of the plateau, rather than a stepwise evolution or synchronous uplift.