bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decision Support Frameworks and Tools for Conservation
Authors: Schwartz Mark W. , Cook Carly N. , Pressey Robert L. , Pullin Andrew S. , Runge Michael C. , Salafsky Nick , Sutherland William J. , Williamson Matthew A.
Published: June 2017

The practice of conservation occurs within complex socioecological systems fraught with challenges that require transparent, defensible, and often socially engaged project planning and management. Planning and decision support frameworks are designed to help conservation practitioners increase planning rigor, project accountability, stakeholder participation, transparency in decisions, and learning. We describe and contrast five common frameworks within the context of six fundamental questions (why, who, what, where, when, how) at each of three planning stages of adaptive management (project scoping, operational planning, learning). We demonstrate that decision support frameworks provide varied and extensive tools for conservation planning and management. However, using any framework in isolation risks diminishing potential benefits since no one framework covers the full spectrum of potential conservation planning and decision challenges. We describe two case studies that have effectively deployed tools from across conservation frameworks to improve conservation actions and outcomes. Attention to the critical questions for conservation project planning should allow practitioners to operate within any framework and adapt tools to suit their specific management context. We call on conservation researchers and practitioners to regularly use decision support tools as standard practice for framing both practice and research.
Long‐term impact of childhood selective dorsal rhizotomy on pain, fatigue, and function: a case–control study
Authors: Daunter Alecia K , Kratz Anna L , Hurvitz Edward A
Published: June 2017

Aim

Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a surgical treatment for spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Studies suggest long‐lasting effects of SDR on spasticity; long‐term effects on symptoms and function are not clear. This study tested whether adults with CP (average 22y after SDR) report less pain, fatigue, and functional decline than a retrospectively assessed non‐surgical comparison group.

Method

This was a case–control study. Eighty‐eight adults with CP (mean age 27y; SDR=38 male/female/missing=20/16/2; non‐surgical [comparison]=50, male/female=19/31) recruited from a tertiary care center and the community completed a battery of self‐reported outcome measures. Regression models were used to test whether SDR status predicted pain, fatigue, functional change, and hours of assistance (controlling for Gross Motor Function Classification System level).

Results

SDR status did not significantly predict pain interference (p=0.965), pain intensity (p=0.512), or fatigue (p=0.404). SDR related to lower decline in gross motor functioning (p=0.010) and approximately 6 fewer hours of daily assistance than for those in the comparison group (p=0.001).

Interpretation

Adults with CP who had SDR in childhood reported less gross motor decline and fewer daily assistance needs than non‐surgically treated peers, suggesting the functional impact of SDR persists long after surgery.
Bacterial colonization of resin composite cements: influence of material composition and surface roughness
Authors: Glauser Stephanie , Astasov‐Frauenhoffer Monika , Müller Johannes A. , Fischer Jens , Waltimo Tuomas , Rohr Nadja
Published: June 2017

So‐called secondary caries may develop in the cement gap between the tooth and the bonded restoration. Cement materials with a low susceptibility to biofilm formation are therefore desirable. In the present study, the adhesion of Strepococcus mutans onto three adhesive (Multilink Automix, RelyX Ultimate, and Panavia V5) and three self‐adhesive (Multilink Speed Cem, RelyX Unicem 2 Automix, and Panavia SA plus) resin composite cements was evaluated. Previous studies have failed to evaluate concomitantly the effect of both the composition of the cements and their surface roughness on biofilm formation. The presence of S. mutans on cement surfaces with differing degrees of roughness was therefore recorded using fluorescence microscopy and crystal violet staining, and the composition of the cements was analyzed using energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy mapping. Biofilm formation on resin composite cements was found to be higher on rougher surfaces, implying that adequate polishing of the cement gap is essential. The use of copper‐containing cements (Multilink Automix, Panavia V5, and Panavia SA plus) significantly reduced biofilm formation.
Acute‐Onset Severe Occipital Neuralgia Associated With High Cervical Lesion in Patients With Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Hayashi Yuichi , Koumura Akihiro , Yamada Megumi , Kimura Akio , Shibata Toshirou , Inuzuka Takashi
Published: June 2017

Objective

To address occipital neuralgia in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Background

NMOSD is an inflammatory demyelinating disease that commonly presents with pain; however, headache symptoms have received little attention.

Methods

We presented three cases of NMOSD in which the patients experienced acute‐onset, severe, and steroid‐responsive occipital neuralgia. All patients provided consent to use their demographic and imaging data retrospectively.

Results

In all three cases, MRI revealed a new high‐intensity area in the cervical cord at the C1‐C3 level of the spine, which was diminished in two of the three cases after corticosteroid pulse therapy.

Conclusion

Our cases support the recognition of NMOSD as a cause of secondary headache. As patients with NMOSD experience severe occipital neuralgia, a relapse should be considered and a cervical MRI should be performed.
Does peripheral dislodgement contribute to heterozygote deficiencies in blue mussels?
Authors: Daniels Eleanor Q. , Litvaitis Marian K.
Published: June 2017

Differential loss of heterozygous individuals that move to the periphery of mussel aggregations, where they are at greater risk for dislodgement, has been proposed as an explanation for observed heterozygote deficiencies in blue mussels. To test the dislodgement hypothesis, correlations between heterozygosity and mussel motility, as well as characteristics of byssogenesis and byssal thread attachment strengths, were determined in a wild and a farmed population of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from New Hampshire, USA. Although both populations exhibited a heterozygote deficit as measured by three microsatellite loci, no relationship was found between heterozygosity and increased motility in either population. Similarly, no relationship was found between heterozygosity and byssogenesis or attachment strength. Hence, differential dislodgement is highly unlikely as a possible contributor to the loss of heterozygous individuals.
Oncogene and growth factor expression in ovarian cancer
Authors: Kommoss Friedrich , Bauknecht Thomas , Birmelin Gerlinde , Kohler Manuela , Tesch Hans , Pfleiderer Albrecht
Published: June 2017

The varying tumorbiological behavior of ovarian carcinomas probably influences both their operability and response to chemotherapy, which are the most relevant prognostic factors. The phenotype of different ovarian carcinomas is obviously associated with an activation of the EGF/TGF‐α signal pathway, including c‐myc and c‐jun expression. Analysis of EGF‐R, TGF‐α, c‐myc and c‐jun expression in 33 stage III/1V, and 2 stage I/II ovarian carcinomas with biochemical, molecular‐chemical and immunohistochemical methods showed a correlation between the mRNA and protein levels of EGF‐R and TGF‐α for tumors with low or high expressing rates. However, the concentration of measurable free EGF‐Rs seems to depend on the amount of TGF‐α expression by the tumors. The EGF‐R binding ligand TGF‐α is produced by epithelial tumor cells; stromal cells are usually TGF‐α‐negative, as shown by immunohistochemistry. High expression rates of EGF‐R, TGF‐α and c‐myc were detected in 6, 7, and 10 out of 35 ovarian carcinomas, respectively. C‐jun mRNA was detected in 18/19 cases studied. Non‐malignant tissues originating from myometrium or ovary expressed no (or only small amounts of) EGF‐R or TGF‐α mRNA, whereas a high c‐myc expression was found in 1/7 normal myometria, and in 2/5 normal ovaries. There was no strong correlation between EGF‐R/ TGF‐α and c‐myc/c‐jun expression. While an enhanced expression of EGF‐R, TGF‐α or c‐myc was found in 11/15 of ovarian carcinomas responding to chemotherapy, and in 3/11 carcinomas with tumor progression, 4/4 tumors exhibiting a ‘no change’ behavior were EGF‐R and TGF‐α mRNA negative. One of the latter 4 tumors was c‐myc positive, however.
Taxation of a digital monopoly platform
Authors: Bourreau Marc , Caillaud Bernard , De Nijs Romain
Published: June 2017

This paper investigates the impact on fiscal revenues of taxing a two‐sided monopolistic platform offering personalized services to users and targeted advertising to sellers, based on the collection of users' personal data. We show that the introduction of a small tax on data collection, which has been proposed in the French context by Collin and Colin, fails to increase fiscal revenues if the value‐added tax (VAT) rate is high enough, due to a tax base interdependence effect between the two taxes. Under a supermodularity condition on the platform's profit function as a function of its prices, this result generalizes to any per‐unit tax. However, in some cases, an ad valorem tax on subscriptions or on advertising may raise fiscal revenues, irrespective of the VAT rate, as well as welfare.
Potential risk of HBV reactivation in patients with resolved HBV infection undergoing direct‐acting antiviral treatment for HCV
Authors: Ogawa Eiichi , Furusyo Norihiro , Murata Masayuki , Toyoda Kazuhiro , Hayashi Takeo , Ura Kazuya
Published: June 2017

Background & Aims

Despite a known risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation during direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐HBV coinfection, it remains unclear whether patients with past HBV infection are at risk for reactivation. This study evaluated the risk of HBV reactivation during treatment with sofosbuvir (SOF)‐based regimens, focusing on patients with resolved HBV infection.

Methods

This study analyzes the data of 183 consecutive patients treated with SOF‐based regimens. From these patients, 63 with resolved HBV infection (negative for hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] and undetectable HBV DNA but positive for hepatitis B core antibody) were eligible for this study. HBV reactivation was defined as a quantifiable HBV DNA level >20 IU/mL.

Results

Among the patients antibody to HBsAg (anti‐HBs) positive (10‐500 mIU/mL) (n = 30), the titre of anti‐HBs was significantly decreased with time, as shown by the results of repeated‐measures analysis of variance (P = .0029). Overall, four patients (6.3%) with resolved HBV infection came to have detectable HBV DNA during treatment, including one who had HBV reactivation at week 4 (HBV DNA 80 IU/mL). However, none developed hepatic failure. Among four patients who had detectable HBV DNA during treatment, all were negative or had very low‐titre (<20 mIU/mL) anti‐HBs at baseline.

Conclusions

The titre of anti‐HBs was significantly decreased from the early stage of DAA treatment. Chronic hepatitis C patients with resolved HBV infection and negative or very low‐titre anti‐HBs at baseline are at risk for having detectable HBV DNA transiently during treatment.
Use of infant formula in the ELFE study: The association with social and health‐related factors
Authors: de Lauzon‐Guillain Blandine , Davisse‐Paturet Camille , Lioret Sandrine , Ksiazek Eléa , Bois Corinne , Dufourg Marie‐Noëlle , Bournez Marie , Nicklaus Sophie , Wagner Sandra , Charles Marie Aline
Published: June 2017

Breastfeeding is recommended until 6 months of age, but a wide range of infant formula is available for nonbreastfed or partially breastfed infants. Our aim was to describe infant formula selection and to examine social‐ and health‐related factors associated with this selection. Analyses were based on 13,291 infants from the French national birth cohort Etude Longitudinale Française depuis l'Enfance. Infant diet was assessed at Month 2 by phone interview and monthly from Months 3 to 10 via internet/paper questionnaires. Infant formulas were categorized in 6 groups: extensively or partially hydrolysed, regular with or without prebiotics/probiotics, and thickened with or without prebiotics/probiotics. Associations between type of infant formula used at 2 months and family or infant characteristics were assessed by multinomial logistic regressions. At Month 2, 58.1% of formula‐fed infants were fed with formula enriched in prebiotics/probiotics, 31.5% with thickened formula, and 1.4% with extensively hydrolysed formula. The proportion of formula‐fed infants increased regularly, but the type of infant formula used was fairly stable between 2 and 10 months. At Month 2, extensively hydrolysed formulas were more likely to be used in infants with diarrhoea or regurgitation problems. Partially hydrolysed formulas were more often used in families with high income, with a history of allergy, or with infants with regurgitation issues. Thickened formulas were used more with boys, preterm infants, infants with regurgitation issues, or in cases of early maternal return to work. The main factors related to the selection of infant formula were family and infant health‐related ones.
The enacted unconscious: a neuropsychological model of unconscious processes
Authors: Ginot Efrat
Published: June 2017

Integrating neuropsychology with psychoanalytic thinking and experience, this paper offers a new view of the unconscious that veers away from more traditional conceptualizations. Rather, it emphasizes the ever‐present influence of ongoing unconscious processes on much of our behaviors and mental states. Importantly, this new understanding is based on the functional unity of the brain/mind.
Treatment for Thoracic Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament with Posterior Circumferential Decompression
Authors: Xu Zhao‐wan , Hu Yong‐cheng , Sun Chui‐guo , Shang Xiao‐peng , Lun Deng‐xing , Li Feng , Ji Xu‐bin , Liu Da‐yong , Chen Nai‐wang , Zhuang Qing‐shan
Published: June 2017

Objective

To report the results of the posterior approach for thoracic ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (TOPLL) by using a special “L” osteotome.

Methods

The present study enrolled 16 consecutive patients (9 men and 7 women) between May 2009 and September 2013. All patients underwent a posterior circumferential decompression osteotomy and segmental instrumentation with interbody fusion. The mean age at surgery was 57.3 years (range, 37–68 years). Patients’ data, clinical manifestation, blood loss, length of surgery, complications, visual analog scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA), and Frankel grading system before and after surgery were collected and evaluated, retrospectively.

Results

The average follow‐up period was 30 ± 19 months (range, 12–50 months). All patients were successfully treated with posterior compression and segmental instrumentation with interbody fusion. The average operation time was 261.6 ± 51.3 min (range, 190–310 min). The mean blood loss was 980.3 ± 370.5 mL (range, 600–2100 mL). All patients had subjective improvement of motor power and gait. Average preoperative and postoperativeJOAscores were 4.2 ± 1.7 and 7.8 ± 2.5 points, respectively. Differences in the overallJOA scores showed significant postoperative improvement. At the last follow‐up, all patients improved either by one or two Frankel grades. There was a significant difference between preoperativeVASscores and those 3 months after surgery (P< 0.05). No significant difference was observed between the 3‐month and 12‐month results (P >0.05). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage occurred in 3 patients. Acute neurological deterioration was encountered postoperatively in 1 patient.

Conclusion

Treatment with posterior transpedicular osteotomy and circumferential decompression was found to be safe, effective, reliable, and technically feasible, and keeping the thoracic cavity intact avoids many shortcomings of anterior surgery and results in a satisfactory spinal decompression.
Pacifica Views and Radical Pacifism
Authors: Kovac Jeffrey
Published: June 2017

Pacifica Views was a four‐page publication initially written and edited by conscientious objectors at the Glendora, California, Civilian Public Service (CPS) camp. During its four years of existence (1943–1947), Pacifica Views provided a lively forum for discussion among radical pacifists. This article provides a brief history of Pacifica Views, sketches of the principal contributors, and a discussion of the major issues discussed in its pages. Finally, it offers an assessment of the long‐term impact of Pacifica Views on peace and social justice movements in the United States.
“The New Beachhead Is in Secondary Education”: Campaigns Against Junior ROTC in Baltimore
Authors: Kershner Seth
Published: June 2017

Peace historians have long neglected the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), a high school military training program that celebrated its centennial in 2016. This article thus fills a gap in the literature on resistance to militarism by investigating a series of anti‐JROTC campaigns in the city of Baltimore, beginning in 1979. Drawing from archives, oral histories, and the mainstream and activist press, this article argues that activists ultimately failed to prevent the JROTC from being established there because their antimilitarist, ideological messages did not connect with pragmatically minded school board members. The article also demonstrates that a poor economy and a changing public mood created challenges for those who wanted to demilitarize public schools. Although the JROTC ultimately established a beachhead in Baltimore, the struggles of these activists—led by Frances Donelan of the American Friends Service Committee—were an important phase in the history of the post‐Vietnam peace movement.
The rice cities of the Khmer Rouge: an urban political ecology of rural mass violence
Authors: Rice Stian , Tyner James
Published: June 2017

Over the last 20 years, urban political ecology has made substantial contributions to the study of urban ‘socionatures’, part of the field's aim of applying political ecology to urban space. At the same time, urban political ecology has been limited by a perspective that tends to confine urbanisation to urban spatial forms; a conflation of process and site. The city is seen to be made by and for urban metabolism, disconnected from both rural and global socionatures. This paper offers a small, empirical corrective, based on a case study of Cambodian re‐urbanisation under the Khmer Rouge. The Cambodian genocide began with the capture of the capital, Phnom Penh, by Khmer Rouge forces in April 1975. According to the standard narrative, the subsequent destruction of urban infrastructure and forced evacuation of residents is a historical case of ‘urbicide’ and reflects a broader interpretation of the Khmer Rouge as ideologically ‘anti‐urban’. Using documentary evidence, this paper reconstructs the functional role of Cambodia's network of cities under the Khmer Rouge. Contrary to the narrative, we find that cities were not destroyed. Rather, urban sociospatial practices, forms and rural–urban relations were reorganised to support the demands of rice production for foreign exchange and facilitate the administration of violence. This pragmatic reconstruction challenges claims of urbicide and contradicts the narrative of ‘dead cities’ and ‘ghost towns’. Most importantly, it challenges urban political ecology's city‐centrism: the processes that reanimated Cambodia's cities were the same ones that transformed rural space and motivated the evacuation of cities in the first place. Cambodian re‐urbanisation accompanied re‐ruralisation, a dialectic propelled by the transition to state capitalism. In this light, we encourage an urban political ecology that looks beyond the city's cadastral limits and engages those political ecologies within which the urban is situated.
Lector e interpretación bíblica: límites y estrategias
Authors: Barrios Tao Hernando , Mazo Jorge Esteban
Published: June 2017

Autor, texto y lector son categorías todavía desarticuladas en los actuales estudios bíblicos. La exégesis se encuentra en la hora del lector y tiende a fortalecer la articulación entre comprensión y explicación del texto. El artículo se orienta a la consideración del papel del lector en la interpretación bíblica y se focaliza en las estrategias utilizadas por el autor con su texto, para involucrar al lector en el mundo del relato. Texto y autor se erigen al mismo tiempo como límites del rol del lector en la interpretación del texto.
¿Qué son los principios de la doctrina social de la Iglesia?
Authors: Letelier Widow Gonzalo
Published: June 2017

El Compendio de la doctrina social de la Iglesia y los documentos pontificios posteriores han identificado y desarrollado ampliamente cuatro “principios de la doctrina social de la Iglesia”: la dignidad de la persona humana, el bien común, la subsidiariedad y la solidaridad. Se trata de conceptos muy diversos, cada uno con su tradición particular, que no siempre es claro cómo deben entenderse. El objetivo de este escrito es profundizar, a partir de los textos magisteriales, en los diversos sentidos de la expresión, distinguiendo de qué modo lo es cada uno de ellos, y dedicando particular atención al modo como la dignidad humana puede ser considerada un principio social.
La raíz ontológica de la crisis ambiental. El magisterio de su santidad Bartolomé
Authors: Cárdenas Támara Felipe
Published: June 2017

Con base en el pensamiento ambiental del Patriarca de Constantinopla, se estudia la importancia de considerar la crisis y problemática ambiental a la luz de una conceptualización que destaque la significación del argumento ontológico como categoría de sentido clave para el pensamiento ambiental. El Patriarca ha desarrollado una rica argumentación ambiental relacionada con los fundamentos teológicos, espirituales y religiosos del cristianismo. Se destaca como resultado de la investigación la rica argumentación ambiental y los sentidos profundos que proporciona la teología ortodoxa en la compresión de las causas y soluciones de la problemática ambiental contemporánea.
Effects of Reeling on Pipe Structural Performance—Part I: Experiments
Authors: Kyriakides Stelios
Published: June 2017

The winding and unwinding of a pipeline in the reeling installation process involve repeated excursions into the plastic range of the material, which induce ovality, elongation, and changes to the mechanical properties. The reeling/unreeling process involves some back tension required to safeguard the pipe from local buckling. This study examines the effects of winding/unwinding a pipe on a reel at different values of tension on the induced ovality and elongation and the resulting degradation in collapse pressure. In Part I, a model testing facility is used to simulate the reeling/unreeling process in the presence of tension. The combination of reel and tube diameters used induces a bending strain of 1.89%. A set of experiments involving three reeling/unreeling cycles at different levels of tension is performed on tubes with diameter-to-thickness ratios (D/t) of 20 and 15.5 in which the progressive changes in cross-sectional geometry and elongation are recorded. Both ovalization and elongation are shown to increase significantly as the back tension increases. A second set of experiments on the same two tube D/ts is performed in which following a reeling/unreeling cycle at a chosen level of tension, the tubes are collapsed under external pressure. The collapse pressure is shown to decrease significantly with tension, which is primarily caused by the reeling/unreeling-induced ovality. Part II presents models for simulating reeling and the induced structural degradation. The experimental results in Part I are used to evaluate the performance of the models.
Effects of Reeling on Pipe Structural Performance—Part II: Analysis
Authors: Liu Yafei , Kyriakides Stelios , Dyau Jyan-Ywan
Published: June 2017

Part II presents two modeling schemes for simulating the reeling/unreeling of a pipeline, with the aim of establishing the degrading effect of the process on the structural performance of the pipeline. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model of the winding/unwinding of a long section of pipeline onto a rigid reel is presented first. The second model applies the curvature/tension loading history experienced at a point to a section of pipe in contact with a rigid surface of variable curvature. Both models use nonlinear kinematic hardening plasticity to model the loading/reverse loading of the material. The 3D model first demonstrates how the interaction of the problem nonlinearities influences the evolution of deformation and load parameters during reeling/unreeling. The two models are subsequently used to simulate the three-reeling/unreeling cycle experiments under different levels of back tension in Part I. The ovality-tension and axial elongation-tension results are reproduced by both models with accuracy for the first cycle, adequately for the second cycle, and are overpredicted for the third cycle. The two models are also used to simulate the reeling/unreeling followed by collapse of the tubes under external pressure experiments. Both models reproduce the measured ovality-tension results and the corresponding collapse pressures accurately. Since the two-dimensional (2D) model is computationally much more efficient, it is an attractive tool for estimating the effect of reeling on collapse pressure. Questions that require exact tracking of the winding/unwinding history and the interaction of the pipe with the reel are best answered using the 3D model.
Contact Mechanics of a Thin, Tensioned, Translating Tape With a Grooved Roller
Authors: Kaşıkcı Tuğçe , Weng Ming-Chih , Nayak Ash , Goker Turguy , Müftü Sinan
Published: June 2017

Traction between a thin tensioned tape and a grooved roller could be significantly affected by lubrication effects that stem from the air entrainment into the tape–roller interface. An experimental and theoretical investigation was carried out to investigate the tape contact with a grooved roller. The tape-to-roller spacing was measured in a modified tape drive at various operational speed and tension values. The experiments showed that increasing tape tension and tape speed causes the tape-to-land spacing to increase. This unusual result is shown to be due to the tape bending laterally into the grooves. The effects of air entrainment on tape deflection and contact with a land is modeled by using shell theory, air lubrication, and contact mechanics. A relatively wide range of design parameters (groove width, land width) and device parameters (velocity and tension) were simulated to characterize the traction of a thin tape over a grooved roller. It was shown that air lubrication effects reduce the contact force; however, the underlying effects of tape mechanics are not entirely eliminated. This work shows that in order to characterize the mechanics of thin tape over grooved rollers, the tape deflection in the lateral direction should be included in the analysis.
Development of a Flow Evolution Network Model for the Stress–Strain Behavior of Poly(L-lactide)
Authors: Dreher Maureen L. , Nagaraja Srinidhi , Bergstrom Jorgen , Hayman Danika
Published: June 2017

Computational modeling is critical to medical device development and has grown in its utility for predicting device performance. Additionally, there is an increasing trend to use absorbable polymers for the manufacturing of medical devices. However, computational modeling of absorbable devices is hampered by a lack of appropriate constitutive models that capture their viscoelasticity and postyield behavior. The objective of this study was to develop a constitutive model that incorporated viscoplasticity for a common medical absorbable polymer. Microtensile bars of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) were studied experimentally to evaluate their monotonic, cyclic, unloading, and relaxation behavior as well as rate dependencies under physiological conditions. The data were then fit to a viscoplastic flow evolution network (FEN) constitutive model. PLLA exhibited rate-dependent stress–strain behavior with significant postyield softening and stress relaxation. The FEN model was able to capture these relevant mechanical behaviors well with high accuracy. In addition, the suitability of the FEN model for predicting the stress–strain behavior of PLLA medical devices was investigated using finite element (FE) simulations of nonstandard geometries. The nonstandard geometries chosen were representative of generic PLLA cardiovascular stent subunits. These finite element simulations demonstrated that modeling PLLA using the FEN constitutive relationship accurately reproduced the specimen’s force–displacement curve, and therefore, is a suitable relationship to use when simulating stress distribution in PLLA medical devices. This study demonstrates the utility of an advanced constitutive model that incorporates viscoplasticity for simulating PLLA mechanical behavior.
Regulatory Framework for the Decommissioning of Indonesian Nuclear Facilities
Authors: Utami Sri Budi , Putero Susetyo Hario
Published: June 2017

The decommissioning of nuclear facilities in Indonesia are mainly based on Nuclear Energy Act of 1997 on, Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN) Chairman Regulation (BCR) No. 4 of 2009, and Government Regulation (GR) No. 2 of 2014 that cover general provisions and licensing requirements of decommissioning and the detailed requirements and guidelines for preparing the decommissioning plan and licensee applications. BCR No. 4 of 2009 was developed based on the adoption and adaption from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safety Guide, WS-G-2.1. Currently, one of three research reactors, Training Research Isotopes General Atomics (TRIGA) research reactor 2 MW (the oldest which went critical at 250 kW in 1964, and was operated at maximum in 1971, and was upgraded to 2 MW in 2000), has operated for 45 y, but there is no decision for decommissioning this reactor yet. Indonesia has experience in decommissioning of the phosphoric acid purification facility of the Gresik petrochemical plant. Some aspects of decommissioning, which have been successfully addressed to date, are: regulation, communication, and decommissioning team. Development of human resources, technological capability, and information flow from more advanced countries are an important factor for the future of the nuclear facility decommissioning plan in Indonesia. Some regulations have still not anticipated all the regulatory challenges that might be encountered in the near future. More regulations and guidance are needed to be established by BAPETEN in order to complete the current regulations so that problems can all be anticipated.
Improvements to ultrasonic beamformer design and implementation derived from the task-based analytical framework
Authors: Nguyen Nghia Q. , Prager Richard W. , Insana Michael F.
Published: June 2017

The task-based framework, previously developed for beamformer comparison [Nguyen, Prager, and Insana, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 140, 1048–1059 (2016)], is extended to design a new beamformer with potential applications in breast cancer diagnosis. The beamformer is based on a better approximation of the Bayesian strategy. It is a combination of the Wiener-filtered beamformer and an iterative process that adapts the generated image to specific features of the object. Through numerical studies, the new method is shown to outperform other beamformers drawn from the framework, but at an increase in computational cost. It requires a preprocessing step where the scattering field is segmented into regions with distinct statistical properties. Segmentation errors become a major limitation to the beamformer performance. All the beamformers under investigation are tested using data obtained from an instrumented ultrasound machine. They are implemented using a new time delay calculation, recently developed in the pixel-based beamforming studies presented here, which helps to overcome the challenge posed by the shift-variant nature of the imaging system. The efficacy of each beamformer is evaluated based on the quality of generated images in the context of the task-based framework. The in vitro results confirm the conclusions drawn from the simulations.
Model-based estimation of the frequency tuning of the inner-hair-cell stereocilia from neural tuning curves
Authors: Altoè Alessandro , Pulkki Ville , Verhulst Sarah
Published: June 2017

This study proposes that the frequency tuning of the inner-hair-cell (IHC) stereocilia in the intact organ of Corti can be derived from the responses of the auditory fibers (AFs) using computational tools. The frequency-dependent relationship between the AF threshold and the amplitude of the stereocilia vibration is estimated using a model of the IHC-mediated mechanical to neural transduction. Depending on the response properties of the considered AF, the amplitude of stereocilia deflection required to drive the simulated AF above threshold is 1.4 to 9.2 dB smaller at low frequencies (≤500 Hz) than at high frequencies (≥4 kHz). The estimated frequency-dependent relationship between ciliary deflection and neural threshold is employed to derive constant-stereocilia-deflection contours from previously published AF recordings from the chinchilla cochlea. This analysis shows that the transduction process partially accounts for the observed differences between the tuning of the basilar membrane and that of the AFs.
“Pathotyping” Multiplex PCR Assay for Haemophilus parasuis: a Tool for Prediction of Virulence
Authors: Howell Kate J. , Weinert Lucy A. , Peters Sarah E. , Wang Jinhong , Hernandez-Garcia Juan , Chaudhuri Roy R. , Luan Shi-Lu , Angen Øystein , Aragon Virginia , Williamson Susanna M. , Langford Paul R. , Rycroft Andrew N. , Wren Brendan W. , Maskell Duncan J. , Tucker Alexander W.
Published: June 2017

Haemophilus parasuis
is a diverse bacterial species that is found in the upper respiratory tracts of pigs and can also cause Glässer's disease and pneumonia. A previous pangenome study of
H. parasuis
identified 48 genes that were associated with clinical disease. Here, we describe the development of a generalized linear model (termed a pathotyping model) to predict the potential virulence of isolates of
H. parasuis
based on a subset of 10 genes from the pangenome. A multiplex PCR (mPCR) was constructed based on these genes, the results of which were entered into the pathotyping model to yield a prediction of virulence. This new diagnostic mPCR was tested on 143 field isolates of
H. parasuis
that had previously been whole-genome sequenced and a further 84 isolates from the United Kingdom from cases of
H. parasuis-
related disease in pigs collected between 2013 and 2014. The combination of the mPCR and the pathotyping model predicted the virulence of an isolate with 78% accuracy for the original isolate collection and 90% for the additional isolate collection, providing an overall accuracy of 83% (81% sensitivity and 93% specificity) compared with that of the “current standard” of detailed clinical metadata. This new pathotyping assay has the potential to aid surveillance and disease control in addition to serotyping data.
Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 5 Contributes to H3N2 Influenza Virus Infection in Human Lungs
Authors: Magnen Mélia , Gueugnon Fabien , Guillon Antoine , Baranek Thomas , Thibault Virginie C. , Petit-Courty Agnès , de Veer Simon J. , Harris Jonathan , Humbles Alison A. , Si-Tahar Mustapha , Courty Yves
Published: June 2017

Hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus must be activated by proteolysis before the virus can become infectious. Previous studies indicated that HA cleavage is driven by membrane-bound or extracellular serine proteases in the respiratory tract. However, there is still uncertainty as to which proteases are critical for activating HAs of seasonal influenza A viruses (IAVs) in humans. This study focuses on human KLK1 and KLK5, 2 of the 15 serine proteases known as the kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs). We find that their mRNA expression in primary human bronchial cells is stimulated by IAV infection. Both enzymes cleaved recombinant HA from several strains of the H1 and/or H3 virus subtype
in vitro
, but only KLK5 promoted the infectivity of A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Scotland/20/74 (H3N2) virions in MDCK cells. We assessed the ability of treated viruses to initiate influenza in mice. The nasal instillation of only the KLK5-treated virus resulted in weight loss and lethal outcomes. The secretion of this protease in the human lower respiratory tract is enhanced during influenza. Moreover, we show that pretreatment of airway secretions with a KLK5-selective inhibitor significantly reduced the activation of influenza A/Scotland/20/74 virions, providing further evidence of its importance. Differently, increased KLK1 secretion appeared to be associated with the recruitment of inflammatory cells in human airways regardless of the origin of inflammation. Thus, our findings point to the involvement of KLK5 in the proteolytic activation and spread of seasonal influenza viruses in humans.

IMPORTANCE
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) cause acute infection of the respiratory tract that affects millions of people during seasonal outbreaks every year. Cleavage of the hemagglutinin precursor by host proteases is a critical step in the life cycle of these viruses. Consequently, host proteases that activate HA can be considered promising targets for the development of new antivirals. However, the specific proteases that activate seasonal influenza viruses, especially H3N2 viruses, in the human respiratory tract have remain undefined despite many years of work. Here we demonstrate that the secreted, extracellular protease KLK5 (kallikrein-related peptidase 5) is efficient in promoting the infectivity of H3N2 IAV
in vitro
and
in vivo
. Furthermore, we found that its secretion was selectively enhanced in the human lower respiratory tract during a seasonal outbreak dominated by an H3N2 virus. Collectively, our data support the clinical relevance of this protease in human influenza pathogenesis.
Microtubule Regulation and Function during Virus Infection
Authors: Naghavi Mojgan H. , Walsh Derek
Published: June 2017

Microtubules (MTs) form a rapidly adaptable network of filaments that radiate throughout the cell. These dynamic arrays facilitate a wide range of cellular processes, including the capture, transport, and spatial organization of cargos and organelles, as well as changes in cell shape, polarity, and motility. Nucleating from MT-organizing centers, including but by no means limited to the centrosome, MTs undergo rapid transitions through phases of growth, pause, and catastrophe, continuously exploring and adapting to the intracellular environment. Subsets of MTs can become stabilized in response to environmental cues, acquiring distinguishing posttranslational modifications and performing discrete functions as specialized tracks for cargo trafficking. The dynamic behavior and organization of the MT array is regulated by MT-associated proteins (MAPs), which include a subset of highly specialized plus-end-tracking proteins (+TIPs) that respond to signaling cues to alter MT behavior. As pathogenic cargos, viruses require MTs to transport to and from their intracellular sites of replication. While interactions with and functions for MT motor proteins are well characterized and extensively reviewed for many viruses, this review focuses on MT filaments themselves. Changes in the spatial organization and dynamics of the MT array, mediated by virus- or host-induced changes to MT regulatory proteins, not only play a central role in the intracellular transport of virus particles but also regulate a wider range of processes critical to the outcome of infection.
The Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Inhibits Expression of SUMO/Sentrin-Specific Peptidase 6 To Facilitate Establishment of Latency
Authors: Lin Xiaoxi , Sun Rui , Zhang Fang , Gao Yuan , Bin Lianghua , Lan Ke
Published: June 2017

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), which belongs to the
Gammaherpesviridae
, typically displays two different phases in its life cycle, the latent phase and the lytic phase. Latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA), the primary viral product during latency, has been reported to bind to a series of cellular gene promoters to modulate gene transcription. To systemically elucidate the cellular genes regulated by LANA, we identified genome-wide LANA binding sites by chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with sequencing (ChIP-seq). We stratified ChIP-seq data and found that LANA might be involved in the macromolecule catabolic process. Specifically, we found and verified that LANA could directly bind to the promoter of the SUMO/sentrin-specific peptidase 6 (SENP6) gene
in vivo
and
in vitro
. LANA could repress
SENP6
promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner in a reporter gene assay. LANA expression was sufficient to inhibit endogenous SENP6 expression at both the RNA and protein levels. Moreover, SENP6 overexpression in KSHV-infected cells reduced LANA at the protein level. Mechanistically, we found that SENP6 could interact with LANA and reduce the formation of sumoylated LANA, which relies on the desumoylation ability of SENP6. During
de novo
infection, SENP6 overexpression would decrease the abundance of LANA and enhance viral gene expression, which would hamper the establishment of latency. Taken together, these data suggest that KSHV-encoded LANA could inhibit SENP6 expression to regulate the abundance of itself, which may play an important role in controlling the establishment of latency.

IMPORTANCE
LANA, as a key latent protein produced by KSHV, is responsible for episome persistence and regulates viral reactivation. In the present study, our results demonstrated that LANA could bind to the promoter region of the
SENP6
gene and inhibit SENP6 expression while the regulated SENP6 could in turn modulate the abundance of LANA through desumoylation. This delicate regulation may provide important insights to explain the abundance of LANA during KSHV latency.
Vaccination against Salmonella Infection: the Mucosal Way
Authors: Gayet Rémi , Bioley Gilles , Rochereau Nicolas , Paul Stéphane , Corthésy Blaise
Published: June 2017

Salmonella entericasubspeciesentericaincludes several serovars infecting both humans and other animals and leading to typhoid fever or gastroenteritis. The high prevalence of associated morbidity and mortality, together with an increased emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, is a current global health issue that has prompted the development of vaccination strategies that confer protection against most serovars. Currently available systemic vaccine approaches have major limitations, including a reduced effectiveness in young children and a lack of cross-protection among different strains. Having studied host-pathogen interactions, microbiologists and immunologists argue in favor of topical gastrointestinal administration for improvement in vaccine efficacy. Here, recent advances in this field are summarized, including mechanisms of bacterial uptake at the intestinal epithelium, the assessment of protective host immunity, and improved animal models that closely mimic infection in humans. The pros and cons of existing vaccines are presented, along with recent progress made with novel formulations. Finally, new candidate antigens and their relevance in the refined design of anti-Salmonellavaccines are discussed, along with antigen vectorization strategies such as nanoparticles or secretory immunoglobulins, with a focus on potentiating mucosal vaccine efficacy.
The Physiology of Phagocytosis in the Context of Mitochondrial Origin
Authors: Martin William F. , Tielens Aloysius G. M. , Mentel Marek , Garg Sriram G. , Gould Sven B.
Published: June 2017

How mitochondria came to reside within the cytosol of their host has been debated for 50 years. Though current data indicate that the last eukaryote common ancestor possessed mitochondria and was a complex cell, whether mitochondria or complexity came first in eukaryotic evolution is still discussed. In autogenous models (complexity first), the origin of phagocytosis poses the limiting step at eukaryote origin, with mitochondria coming late as an undigested growth substrate. In symbiosis-based models (mitochondria first), the host was an archaeon, and the origin of mitochondria was the limiting step at eukaryote origin, with mitochondria providing bacterial genes, ATP synthesis on internalized bioenergetic membranes, and mitochondrion-derived vesicles as the seed of the eukaryote endomembrane system. Metagenomic studies are uncovering new host-related archaeal lineages that are reported as complex or phagocytosing, although images of such cells are lacking. Here we review the physiology and components of phagocytosis in eukaryotes, critically inspecting the concept of a phagotrophic host. From ATP supply and demand, a mitochondrion-lacking phagotrophic archaeal fermenter would have to ingest about 34 times its body weight in prokaryotic prey to obtain enough ATP to support one cell division. It would lack chemiosmotic ATP synthesis at the plasma membrane, because phagocytosis and chemiosmosis in the same membrane are incompatible. It would have lived from amino acid fermentations, because prokaryotes are mainly protein. Its ATP yield would have been impaired relative to typical archaeal amino acid fermentations, which involve chemiosmosis. In contrast, phagocytosis would have had great physiological benefit for a mitochondrion-bearing cell.
Retrospective Surveillance of Wastewater To Examine Seasonal Dynamics of Enterovirus Infections
Authors: Brinkman Nichole E. , Fout G. Shay , Keely Scott P.
Published: June 2017

Enterovirus infections are often not tracked or reported to health officials. This makes it hard to know how many people in a community are infected with these viruses at any given time. Here, we explored enterovirus in municipal wastewater to look at this issue. We show that enteroviruses are present year-round in municipal wastewater at levels of up to 800,000 genomic copies per liter. We estimate that, on average, 2.8% of the people contributing to the wastewater shed enterovirus daily. Sequence analysis of the viral capsid protein 4 gene shows that 8 enterovirus types are key drivers of seasonal trends. Populations ofEnterovirus Amembers peak in the spring, whileEnterovirus Btypes are most prevalent during the summer and fall months andEnterovirus Cmembers influence the winter months.Enterovirus Dwas observed sporadically and did not influence seasonal trends.
Marjolin’s squamous cell carcinoma of the hallux following recurrent ingrown toenail infections
Authors: Abdul Wahid , O'Neill Barry James , Perera Anthony
Published: June 2017

Marjolin’s squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) affecting the toe is rare. Due to resemblance with benign conditions it can often result in misdiagnosis. We report a case of Marjolin’s SCC affecting the proximal hallux in a patient with recurrent ingrown toenail infections. A 58-year-old woman with a background of wedge resections for ingrown toenail and distal phalanx amputation for osteomyelitis presented with pain and hyperkeratotic raised ulcer around the proximal phalanx. MRI scan revealed soft tissue mass infiltrating the proximal phalanx with biopsies confirming a SCC. The patient underwent first ray amputation and made a good clinical recovery and remains disease free. Due to clinical similarities with benign conditions, awareness of Marjolin’s SCC as a potential diagnosis when treating patients with recurrent ingrown toenail is imperative. We recommend patients with recurrent ingrown toenail or ulceration with a background of chronic infection have biopsies performed to exclude potential malignancy.