bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Configurations of Autonomy and Relatedness in a Multiethnic U.S. Sample of Parent–Adolescent Dyads
Authors: Tran Steve P. , Raffaelli Marcela
Published: June 2019

Configurations of autonomy and relatedness were explored in 232 adolescent–parent dyads. Youth (58% female) were 13–18 years old and ethnically diverse (38% Latino American, 32% European American, 30% African American). Cluster analysis was used to identify three distinct groups based on youth and parent reports of parental autonomy support and family relatedness. The three clusters differed on key demographics (e.g., parent education and income, immigrant background, ethnicity) and theoretically relevant indicators of family and individual functioning (e.g., parent and youth reports of decision making and family obligations; youth‐reported attachment and minor delinquency). Findings provide empirical support for theoretical models of autonomy–relatedness (e.g.,Journal of Cross‐Cultural Psychology, 36, 2005, 403) and contribute to understanding of how autonomy and relatedness intersect to influence adolescent and family adaptation.
Career‐Related Parental Processes and Career Adaptability and Ambivalence Among Chinese Adolescents: A Person‐Centered Approach
Authors: Zhou Nan , Cao Hongjian , Nie Yangang , Li Xiaomin , Yu Shulin , Liang Yue , Deng Linyuan , Buehler Cheryl , Zang Ning , Sun Ruixi , Fang Xiaoyi
Published: June 2019

Using latent profile analyses and based on two‐wave data from 5,388 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.79, SD = 0.66; 51.99% females), this study examined the variety of ways in which adolescents’ perceived career‐related parental processes (i.e., parental expectations, support, interference, barriers to engagement, and parent–child congruence) may be configured within families and how such configurations may be associated with adolescents’ career adaptability and ambivalence one year later. Three meaningful profiles were identified: the “Supportive but not Intrusive” (SNI) profile, the “Unsupportive but not Permissive” (UNP) profile, and the “Ambivalent and Controlling” (AC) profile. Adolescents in the UNP profile reported higher levels of career ambivalence and lower levels of career adaptability than did those in either the SNI or the AC profiles. Implications for career development among Chinese adolescents were discussed.
The association between baby care books that promote strict care routines and infant feeding, night‐time care, and maternal–infant interactions
Authors: Harries Victoria , Brown Amy
Published: June 2019

Baby care books that promote strict infant care routines are popular, but little research has considered their impact upon maternal infant care behaviours. We explored whether mothers who have read these books guide their infant care behaviours based on their concepts and how this is associated with infant feeding, night‐time care, and response to infant's needs. Three hundred and fifty‐four U.K. mothers with a baby aged 0–12 months completed an online questionnaire exploring use of baby care books, motivations for use, whether guidance was followed, and infant care behaviours. Mothers who read the books were drawn to them for information about how to settle their infant, infant sleep, and infant feeding behaviour. Those who read the books were less likely to breastfeed, feed responsively, have their infant sleep in the same room, cuddle their infant to sleep, or respond promptly to infant cries. Although the causality between reading these books and care cannot be determined through this study design, and is likely bidirectional with some reading the books to confirm existing preferences, around 25–40% of mothers noted the information determined their care decisions. Regardless of specific causal pathways, there is an association between these books and behaviours that go against infant feeding and responsive care recommendations. Understanding what drives mothers to follow these books and increasing support for new mothers in these areas is important. The findings will be important for those supporting mothers in the perinatal period in starting conversations around responsive infant care.
Body pedagogics: embodied learning for the health professions
Authors: Kelly Martina , Ellaway Rachel , Scherpbier Albert , King Nigel , Dornan Tim
Published: June 2019

Medicine as Embodied Practice

Bodily dysfunctions bring patients to their doctors and even diseases of the mind can originate in patients’ bodies. Doctors respond by using their own bodies – hands, eyes, ears and sometimes noses – to make diagnoses and treat diseases. Yet, despite the embodied nature of practice, medicine typically treats the body as an object, paying scant attention to the subjective embodied experiences of patients and doctors. Much health professions education (HPE) reflects this, prioritising cognition over learners’ sense of embodiment. Hence there is a gap between the embodied realities of practice and the disembodied nature of medical education. This article introduces readers to ‘body pedagogics’ as a framework that can help to re‐establish embodiment as a central principle of HPE.

Body Pedagogics

This embodiment theory, drawn from sociology, anthropology and phenomenology, has informed such disparate fields as glassblowing education and military training. Body pedagogics emphasises learning as a physically embodied process. It illustrates how multisensory experience causes embodied changes that become an automatic part of physician expertise. We introduce core body pedagogic concepts using physical examination as an example, examining the bodily means of HPE, students’ bodily experiences and the resulting bodily changes.

Implications

Body pedagogics can help us to focus attention on embodiment as a central principle of HPE that transcends the discipline‐specific teaching of clinical skills. Moreover, it provides a set of conceptual foundations for an interdisciplinary practice within HPE with implications for instructional design. Body pedagogics can also help us to make strange the habits and disregarded aspects of embodied learning and in so doing help us to consider embodiment more critically and directly in practice and education, and in the ways we research them.
Evolutionary associations between polyploidy, clonal reproduction, and perenniality in the angiosperms
Authors: Van Drunen Wendy E. , Husband Brian C.
Published: June 2019

Clonal reproduction is thought to facilitate polyploid establishment in the angiosperms, but the evolutionary relationship between polyploidy and clonality has not been thoroughly tested. A perennial life history may confer many of the same advantages, and the relative importance of clonality versus perenniality is unknown.

We used phylogenetic comparative analyses of 1751 species to examine associations between polyploidy, clonality, and life history. We test hypotheses of co‐evolution by determining the sequence of trait development.

Polyploidy is associated with both clonality and perenniality across species, and analyses show that clonality can be an important predictor of polyploidy beyond perenniality. Tests of directionality on our full dataset suggest that polyploidy is more likely to promote clonality or perenniality than vice versa, although there are significant differences in patterns of co‐evolution among major angiosperm groups.

Our results suggest that polyploidy and clonal reproduction are evolutionarily associated across the angiosperms, even when perenniality is considered, but we find little evidence at the whole‐angiosperm level for the hypothesis that clonality promotes polyploidy. However, variation among different clades indicates that polyploidy and clonality are interacting in diverse ways, likely to be due to the variable roles of clonality in their evolutionary histories.
Investment, Tobin's Q, and Cash Flow Across Time and Frequencies
Authors: Verona Fabio
Published: June 2019

The investment literature has long acknowledged the time‐ and frequency‐varying dynamics of the relationship between investment, Tobin's Q and cash flow. In this paper, we use continuous wavelet tools to estimate and assess the relationship between these variables simultaneously at different frequencies and over time. We find that (i) Q and cash flow are complementary sources of information for investment, the former being more important for firms’ investment decisions in the medium‐to‐long run and the latter at business cycles frequencies; and (ii) investment‐Q sensitivity declines over time at all frequencies, while investment–cash flow sensitivity declines at business cycles frequencies but remains largely stable over the medium‐to‐long run.
Context‐dependent induction of allelopathy in plants under competition
Authors: Uesugi Akane , Johnson Robert , Kessler André
Published: June 2019

Some plants use allelopathy to compete against neighbouring plants, and the ability to induce allelopathic compound production in response to competition is hypothesized to be adaptive, as plants can save costs of metabolite production in the absence of competitors. However, whether plants induce allelopathy has rarely been explored so far.

We studied the inducibility of polyacetylenes – putative allelopathic compounds in Solidago altissima – in response to competition. Polyacetylenes were found in natural soil surrounding S. altissima patches within the range of concentration known to inhibit competitor growth. Individual S. altissima plants with higher polyacetylene concentration in roots suppressed the growth of the competitor plants more, suggesting that root polyacetylene levels proximate plants’ allelopathic capacity. Competition induced polyacetylenes in a context‐dependent manner: Whereas introduced Japanese and Australian populations of S. altissima had higher constitutive concentration of polyacetylenes than the native North American populations, inducibility was observed only in Australian plants, where the population is still at an early stage of invasion. Also, induction became more prominent under nutrient depletion, where enhanced allelopathy may be particularly beneficial for suppressing a competitor's exploitative capacity. Finally, we found weak evidence for a tradeoff between constitutive and induced polyacetylenes.

The observed patterns suggest that allelopathic plants could respond to competition by inducing allelochemical production, but the benefit of such plasticity may vary across time and space. Shifts in competitor communities in introduced range over time may shape plant's plastic responses to competition, while variation in resource availability may alter competitive environment to influence the degree to which plants induce allelopathy.
African wheat germplasm – a valuable resource for resistance to rust diseases
Authors: Kankwatsa P. , Park R. F. , Singh D.
Published: June 2019

Known and unknown genes conferring seedling and adult plant resistance (APR) to leaf rust, stem rust and stripe rust were detected either singly or in combination in a set of 136 African wheat genotypes using multi‐pathotype tests with characterized Australian Puccinia triticina (Pt), P. graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) and P. striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) pathotypes. Lines Beladi 132, IYN 68/9.44, Kenya Kifaru and Kenya Mbweha were postulated to carry resistance against multiple pathotypes of Pt, Pgt and Pst, whereas IAR/W/163‐3, Grano Di Moggio Tipo 44 and Trigo 48 had resistance against all pathotypes tested in the current study. Field evaluation with the three rust pathogens detected low to high APR in more than 50% of lines, and while most tested positive with markers linked to known APR genes (csLV34, csLV46G22, TM10KASPAR, csGS, Cfb5006 and csSr2), many carried unidentified and useful resistance to all three rusts. Genetic analysis of F3 mapping populations based on seven genotypes showed either monogenic or digenic inheritance of APR to leaf rust, stem rust and stripe rust. The lines postulated to carry effective uncharacterized seedling genes and APR genes are of great potential value in diversifying resistance to help achieve durable control of all three rust diseases of wheat.
Global environmental regulation of offshore energy production: Searching for legal standards in ocean governance
Authors: Giannopoulos Nikolaos
Published: June 2019

The international environmental regulation of all types of energy generation activities at sea is first and foremost anchored to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). However, both at the global and regional levels, UNCLOS is complemented by an array of evolving environmental agreements. These normative developments can put flesh on the bare bones of the general (due diligence) obligation of States to protect the marine environment with regard to offshore energy activities. Parallel to binding obligations under environmental agreements, there are a variety of non‐binding instruments, which can also play a key role in enriching the content of prevention obligations. Depending on their source, their form and the procedure by which they are adopted, these non‐binding pronouncements may become legally relevant as interpretative guidance or standard of proof that a State has exercised due diligence. In this context, the article posits that synergies among environmental instruments and the interaction of non‐binding instruments with binding rules of international law can fill the current legal gaps and strengthen the international legal standards for the regulation of this environmentally sensitive sector.
Effect of age on the cardiovascular remodelling induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia as a murine model of sleep apnoea
Authors: Castro‐Grattoni Anabel L. , Suarez‐Giron Monique , Benitez Ivan , Torres Marta , Almendros Isaac , Farre Ramon , Montserrat Josep M. , Dalmases Mireia , Gozal David , Sánchez‐de‐la‐Torre Manuel ,   on behalf of the Spanish Sleep Network
Published: June 2019

Background and objective

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) is a major determinant of the cardiovascular morbidity associated with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and the magnitude of CIH impact may be influenced by ageing. Here, we assessed the role of ageing in the early cardiovascular structural remodelling induced by severe CIH in a murine model of OSA.

Methods

Cardiovascular remodelling was assessed in young (2 months old, n = 20) and aged (18 months old, n = 20) C57BL/6 female mice exposed to CIH (20% O2 for 40 s, 5% O2 for 20 s) or normoxia (room air) for 8 weeks (6 h/day).

Results

Early vascular remodelling was observed in young mice exposed to CIH as illustrated by intima‐media thickening (mean change: 4.6 ± 2.6 μm; P = 0.02), elastin fibre disorganization (mean change: 9.2 ± 4.5%; P = 0.02) and fragmentation (mean change: 2.5 ± 0.8%; P = 0.03), and collagen (mean change: 3.2 ± 0.6%; P = 0.001) and mucopolysaccharide accumulation (mean change: 2.4 ± 0.8%; P = 0.01). In contrast, vascular remodelling was not apparent in aged mice exposed to CIH. Furthermore, left ventricular perivascular fibrosis (mean change: 0.71 ± 0.1; P < 0.001) and hypertrophy (mean change: 0.17 ± 0.1; P = 0.038) were increased by CIH exposure in young mice, but not in aged mice. Principal component analysis identified similar cardiovascular alterations among the young mice exposed to CIH and both older mouse groups, suggesting that CIH induces premature cardiovascular senescence.

Conclusion

Cardiovascular remodelling induced by severe CIH is affected by the age at which CIH onset occurs, suggesting that the deleterious cardiovascular effects associated with CIH may be more pronounced in younger populations, and such changes resemble chronological age‐related declines in cardiovascular structural integrity.
Contract Farming in Mozambique: Implications for Gender Inequalities Within and Across Rural Households
Authors: Navarra Cecilia
Published: June 2019

This paper analyses the implications of contract farming for gender inequalities in rural Mozambique. Contract farming is often considered one of the major tools of agribusiness development. It broadly includes those arrangements under which producers commit to providing cash crop to a buyer firm. This paper exploits a panel dataset (2002–2005) collected by the Mozambican Ministry of Agriculture among a nationally representative sample of rural households to explore contracts’ implications for gender equality both across and within households. We look at both the participation of female‐headed households in contracts and the impact of establishing a contract on a set of intra‐household women empowerment indicators. Concerning the first, our results confirm a (small though significant) effect of selection out of contracts of households where a woman is the household’s head. With regard to the second, we expect contrasting effects to be at work: on the one hand, increased income may relax budget constraints improving women’s living conditions, and on the other, we may expect a shift in favour of men of the control over the household’s assets. We find different results according to the indicator used; after controlling for selection bias, we find no effect on control over land but a negative effect on women’s access to extension services.
The apoplastic antioxidant system and altered cell wall dynamics influence mesophyll conductance and the rate of photosynthesis
Authors: Clemente‐Moreno María José , Gago Jorge , Díaz‐Vivancos Pedro , Bernal Agustina , Miedes Eva , Bresta Panagiota , Liakopoulos Georgios , Fernie Alisdair R. , Hernández José Antonio , Flexas Jaume
Published: June 2019

Mesophyll conductance (gm), the diffusion of CO2 from substomatal cavities to the carboxylation sites in the chloroplasts, is a highly complex trait driving photosynthesis (net CO2 assimilation, AN). However, little is known concerning the mechanisms by which it is dynamically regulated. The apoplast is considered as a ‘key information bridge’ between the environment and cells. Interestingly, most of the environmental constraints affecting gm also cause apoplastic responses, cell wall (CW) alterations and metabolic rearrangements. Since CW thickness is a key determinant of gm, we hypothesize that other changes in this cellular compartiment should also influence gm. We study the relationship between the antioxidant apoplastic system and CW metabolism and the gm responses in tobacco plants (Nicotiana sylvestris L.) under two abiotic stresses (drought and salinity), combining in vivo gas‐exchange measurements with analyses of antioxidant activities, CW composition and primary metabolism. Stress treatments imposed substantial reductions in AN (58–54%) and gm (59%), accompanied by a strong antioxidant enzymatic response at the apoplastic and symplastic levels. Interestingly, apoplastic but not symplastic peroxidases were positively related to gm. Leaf anatomy remained mostly stable; however, the stress treatments significantly affected the CW composition, specifically pectins, which showed significant relationships with AN and gm. The treatments additionally promoted a differential primary metabolic response, and specific CW‐related metabolites including galactose, glucosamine and hydroxycinnamate showed exclusive relationships with gm independent of the stress. These results suggest that gm responses can be attributed to specific changes in the apoplastic antioxidant system and CW metabolism, opening up more possibilities for improving photosynthesis using breeding/biotechnological strategies.
Deciphering S‐methylcysteine biosynthesis in common bean by isotopic tracking with mass spectrometry
Authors: Joshi Jaya , Renaud Justin B. , Sumarah Mark W. , Marsolais Frédéric
Published: June 2019

The suboptimal content of sulfur‐containing amino acids methionine and cysteine prevents common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) from being an excellent source of protein. Nutritional improvements to this significant crop require a better understanding of the biosynthesis of sulfur‐containing compounds including the nonproteogenic amino acid S‐methylcysteine and the dipeptide γ‐glutamyl‐S‐methylcysteine, which accumulate in seed. In this study, seeds were incubated with isotopically labelled serine, cysteine or methionine and analyzed by reverse phase chromatography−high resolution mass spectrometry to track stable isotopes as they progressed through the sulfur metabolome. We determined that serine and methionine are the sole precursors of free S‐methylcysteine in developing seeds, indicating that this compound is likely to be synthesized through the condensation of O‐acetylserine and methanethiol. BSAS4;1, a cytosolic β‐substituted alanine synthase preferentially expressed in developing seeds, catalyzed the formation of S‐methylcysteine in vitro. A higher flux of labelled serine or cysteine was observed in a sequential pathway involving γ‐glutamyl‐cysteine, homoglutathione and S‐methylhomoglutathione, a likely precursor to γ‐glutamyl‐S‐methylcysteine. Preferential incorporation of serine over cysteine supports a subcellular compartmentation of this pathway, likely to be in the chloroplast. The origin of the methyl group in S‐methylhomoglutathione was traced to methionine. There was substantial incorporation of carbons from methionine into the β‐alanine portion of homoglutathione and S‐methylhomoglutathione, suggesting the breakdown of methionine by methionine γ‐lyase and conversion of α‐ketobutyrate to β‐alanine via propanoate metabolism. These findings delineate the biosynthetic pathways of the sulfur metabolome of common bean and provide an insight that will aid future efforts to improve nutritional quality.
Magic mirror in my hand … How trade mirror statistics can help us detect illegal financial flows
Authors: Gara Mario , Giammatteo Michele , Tosti Enrico
Published: June 2019

Misreporting tricks of different sorts applied to the transfer of goods between different countries are typically exploited by criminals worldwide for money laundering ends. The main international anti‐money laundering organisations started paying attention to this phenomenon, dubbed “trade‐based money laundering” (TBML), a long time ago, but the failure to develop appropriate analytical tools has reportedly dogged preventive actions. Nonetheless, literature has widely advocated the possibility that the analysis of inconsistencies in mirrored bilateral trade data could provide some help. By building on previous contributions in the field, this work sets up a model factoring in the main structural determinants of discrepancies between mirrored data concerning Italy's 2010 to 2013 external trade at a highly detailed (6‐digit) level of goods classification for each partner country. Point estimates of freight costs are used to net each observation of the corresponding cif/fob discrepancy. The regression estimates are then deployed in order to compute TBML risk indicators at a country/4‐digit product level. Based on the indicators, rankings of countries and product lines can be compiled, which may be used for a risk‐driven search of potential illegal commercial transactions.
Integrating a remote microphone with hearing-aid processing
Authors: Kates James M. , Arehart Kathryn H. , Harvey Lewis O.
Published: June 2019

A remote microphone (RM) links a talker's microphone to a listener's hearing aids (HAs). The RM improves intelligibility in noise and reverberation, but the binaural cues necessary for externalization are lost. Augmenting the RM signal with synthesized binaural cues and early reflections enhances externalization, but interactions of the RM signal with the HA processing could reduce its effectiveness. These potential interactions were evaluated using RM plus HA processing in a realistic listening simulation. The HA input was the RM alone, the augmented RM signal, the acoustic inputs at the HA microphones, including reverberation measured using a dummy head, or a mixture of the augmented RM and acoustic input signals. The HA simulation implemented linear amplification or independent dynamic-range compression at the two ears and incorporated the acoustic effects of vented earmolds. Hearing-impaired listeners scored sentence stimuli for intelligibility and rated clarity, overall quality, externalization, and apparent source width. Using the RM improved intelligibility but reduced the spatial impression. Increasing the vent diameter reduced clarity and increased the spatial impression. Listener ratings reflect a trade-off between the attributes of clarity and overall quality and the attributes of externalization and source width that can be explained using the interaural cross correlation.
Transmission beam pattern and dynamics of a spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
Authors: Smith Adam B. , Pacini Aude F. , Nachtigall Paul E. , Laule Gail E. , Aragones Lemnuel V. , Magno Carlo , Suarez Leo J. A.
Published: June 2019

Toothed whales possess a sophisticated biosonar system by which ultrasonic clicks are projected in a highly directional transmission beam. Beam directivity is an important biosonar characteristic that reduces acoustic clutter and increases the acoustic detection range. This study measured click characteristics and the transmission beam pattern from a small odontocete, the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostis). A formerly stranded individual was rehabilitated and trained to station underwater in front of a 16-element hydrophone array. On-axis clicks showed a mean duration of 20.1 μs, with mean peak and centroid frequencies of 58 and 64 kHz [standard deviation (s.d.) ±30 and ±12 kHz], respectively. Clicks were projected in an oval, vertically compressed beam, with mean vertical and horizontal beamwidths of 14.5° (s.d. ± 3.9) and 16.3° (s.d. ± 4.6), respectively. Directivity indices ranged from 14.9 to 27.4 dB, with a mean of 21.7 dB, although this likely represents a broader beam than what is normally produced by wild individuals. A click subset with characteristics more similar to those described for wild individuals exhibited a mean directivity index of 23.3 dB. Although one of the broadest transmission beams described for a dolphin, it is similar to other small bodied odontocetes.
Contribution of frequency bands to the loudness of broadband sounds: Tonal and noise stimuli
Authors: Jesteadt Walt , Wróblewski Marcin , High Robin
Published: June 2019

Contributions of individual frequency bands to judgments of total loudness can be assessed by varying the level of each band independently from one presentation to the next and determining the relation between the change in level of each band and the loudness judgment. In a previous study, measures of perceptual weight obtained in this way for noise stimuli consisting of 15 bands showed greater weight associated with the highest and lowest bands than loudness models would predict. This was true even for noise with the long-term average speech spectrum, where the highest band contained little energy. One explanation is that listeners were basing decisions on some attribute other than loudness. The current study replicated earlier results for noise stimuli and included conditions using 15 tones located at the center frequencies of the noise bands. Although the two types of stimuli sound very different, the patterns of perceptual weight were nearly identical, suggesting that both sets of results are based on loudness judgments and that the edge bands play an important role in those judgments. The importance of the highest band was confirmed in a loudness-matching task involving all combinations of noise and tonal stimuli.
Position of an acoustic window in a beluga whale: Computation based on auditory evoked potential latencies
Authors: Popov V. V. , Supin A. Ya. , Nechaev D. I. , Lemazina A. A. , Sysueva E. V.
Published: June 2019

In a beluga whale, the positions of sound receiving areas on the head surface were determined by comparing the acoustic delays from different sound source positions. For this investigation, auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in response to short tone pips were recorded. Latencies of the first AEP wave that presumably reflected the activity of the auditory nerve were measured at different sound source azimuths. For AEPs of equal amplitudes, the difference in AEP latencies was attributed to the difference in the acoustic delays. These delay differences were used to compute the azimuths of sound receiving points. Measurements were conducted at frequencies from 22.5 to 90 kHz in half-octave steps. At all stimulus frequencies, the receiving points were located 24–38 cm caudal of the melon tip, which is near a proximal part of the lower jaw. Thus, the results indicated the latero-mandibular acoustic window. Possible causes for not finding a lateral or ventro-mandibular window are discussed.
Reciprocal regulation of TORC signaling and tRNA modifications by Elongator enforces nutrient-dependent cell fate
Authors: Candiracci Julie , Migeot Valerie , Chionh Yok-Hian , Bauer Fanelie , Brochier Thomas , Russell Brandon , Shiozaki Kazuhiro , Dedon Peter , Hermand Damien
Published: June 2019

A feedback control is operating between TOR complex (TORC) signaling and tRNA modification by Elongator to enforce cell fate.
Epithelial-type systemic breast carcinoma cells with a restricted mesenchymal transition are a major source of metastasis
Authors: Liu Xiao , Li Junjian , Cadilha Bruno Loureiro , Markota Anamarija , Voigt Cornelia , Huang Zhe , Lin Peter P. , Wang Daisy D. , Dai Juncheng , Kranz Gisela , Krandick Anna , Libl Darko , Zitzelsberger Horst , Zagorski Isabella , Braselmann Herbert , Pan Min , Zhu Sibo , Huang Yuanchi , Niedermeyer Sebastian , Reichel Christoph A. , Uhl Bernd , Briukhovetska Daria , Suárez Javier , Kobold Sebastian , Gires Olivier , Wang Hongxia
Published: June 2019

Association of epithelial-mesenchymal transition with the metastatic potential of disseminated cells in breast cancer was studied.
Simulating the sensitivity of evapotranspiration and streamflow to large-scale groundwater depletion
Authors: Condon Laura E. , Maxwell Reed M.
Published: June 2019

Groundwater declines caused by pumping over the 20th century decrease streamflow and plant water availability.
Acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas over the past 40 years
Authors: Maurer J. M. , Schaefer J. M. , Rupper S. , Corley A.
Published: June 2019

Glacier ice loss rates across the Himalayas have doubled over the past four decades, consistent with regional atmospheric warming.
AFM-STED correlative nanoscopy reveals a dark side in fluorescence microscopy imaging
Authors: Cosentino Michela , Canale Claudio , Bianchini Paolo , Diaspro Alberto
Published: June 2019

Unpredicted selectivity in the aggregation of partially labeled peptides is revealed by AFM-STED nanoscopy.
Draft Genome Sequences of Five Environmental Bacterial Isolates That Degrade Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic
Authors: León-Zayas Rosa , Roberts Cameron , Vague Morgan , Mellies Jay L.
Published: June 2019

Here, we report the annotated draft genome sequences of three
Pseudomonas
spp. and two
Bacillus
spp. that, as consortia, degrade polyethylene terephthalate plastic. Improved microbial degradation of plastic waste could help reduce the billions of metric tons of these materials that currently exist in our environment.
Uterine torsion with necrosis of bilateral adnexa in a postmenopausal woman
Authors: Chua Katherine Jane , Patel Ricky , Eana Armina , Varughese Joyce
Published: June 2019

Uterine torsion is an uncommon entity that is defined as a rotation of greater than 45° around the longitudinal axis of the uterus. Although cases of uterine torsion among pregnant patients have been mentioned in the literature, torsion of a non-gravid uterus is a rare occurrence. A 73-year-old nulliparous woman with a known fibroid uterus underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with frozen section of a 17–18 cm pelvic mass seen on CT imaging. The source of the pelvic mass was unclear on imaging, and benign and malignant possibilities were discussed. During the procedure, necrosis of the uterine fundus and bilateral adnexa were seen due to the fundus being torsed with the uterine fibroid being the pivot point. Uterine torsion, though rare, can be the cause of acute pelvic pain in a postmenopausal woman.
Complete evagination of a patent vitellointestinal duct and adjacent ileal limbs from an omphalocele sac: an extreme presentation
Authors: Sim Sarah Kher-ru , Rai Rambha , Jacobsen Anette Sundfor
Published: June 2019

Vitellointestinal duct (VID) anomalies have been described extensively in the literature. However, an everted VID with prolapse of ileum arising from an omphalocele is rare, and its appearance at birth can be alarming and can present a diagnostic challenge. We describe a baby born to a teenage diabetic mother who was noted to have a strange exophytic mass arising from the abdominal wall. Antenatal scans had revealed multiple other malformations but not an omphalocele. He was operated on early, and the diagnosis of a patent VID with prolapse of the ileum arising from an omphalocele was only confirmed intraoperatively. The duct was resected, the ileum closed primarily and primary closure of the abdominal wall was performed without tension. He recovered well postoperatively. A brief review of similar cases is included.
Age, sex and ethnic differentials in the prevalence and control of epilepsy among Sri Lankan children: a population-based study
Authors: Wanigasinghe Jithangi , Arambepola Carukshi , Murugupillai Roshini , Chang Thashi
Published: June 2019

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of childhood epilepsy in Sri Lanka by different age groups (0–5, 6–10 and 11–16 years), sex and ethnicity, and to describe the types and outcomes of epilepsy.

Design and patients

A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in the district considered to be ethnically most balanced in Sri Lanka. A door-to-door survey was performed in the 0–5 year age group (60 geographically defined areas as clusters; 19 children per cluster), and a school-based survey in the 6–16 year age group (150 classes as clusters; 25 children per cluster). The screened children with epilepsy were reviewed individually for confirmation of the diagnosis of epilepsy, typing of the underlying epilepsy syndrome and assessment of control. The same group of children were re-evaluated 1 year later to reconfirm the syndromic diagnosis and to assess the stability of control of epilepsy.

Results

The overall prevalence of childhood epilepsy was 5.7 per 10 000 children aged 0–16 years (95% CI: 38 to 87). It was higher with younger ages (73.4 per 10 000 children aged 0–5 years; 55.1 per 10 000 children aged 6–10 years and 50.4 per 10 000 children aged 11–16 years). A male dominance was noted in both age groups. In each age group, the prevalence was highest in children of Sinhalese ethnicity. Symptomatic focal epilepsy was the single most common group of epilepsy in both age groups. Majority of children remained well controlled on medications.

Conclusion

The findings indicate a relatively high burden of epilepsy among children in Sri Lanka, however, these were comparable to the burden of disease reported from other countries in the region.
Intramuscular versus oral diclofenac for acute pain in adults with acute musculoskeletal injuries presenting to the ED setting: a prospective, double-blind, double-dummy, randomised controlled trial
Authors: Qureshi Isma , Pathan Sameer A , Qureshi Raheel Sharfeen , Thomas Stephen H
Published: June 2019

Objective

The current study aimed to ascertain differences in early postmedication pain reduction in participants presenting with acute musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) to the ED receiving intramuscular (IM) versus per oral (PO) diclofenac.

Methods

This was a prospective, double-blinded, randomised controlled trial conducted between January and June 2018 at the ED of Hamad General Hospital in Doha, Qatar. Adults (18–65 years of age) presenting to the ED within 24 hours of an acute MSI, who had a triage pain score measured using numerical rating scale of at least five or above were enrolled in this trial. Participants randomised to either IM (75 mg) with oral placebo, or oral (100 mg) diclofenac group with IM placebo using a computer-generated randomised concealed list in blocks of six and eight. The primary objective was to compare the proportion of IM versus PO participants attaining a 50% reduction in pain score at 30 min from t0.

Results

300 participants were enrolled (150 in the IM diclofenac group and 150 in the PO diclofenac group) in the trial. The primary outcome was achieved in 99.3 (95% CI 96.3 to 100) in the IM group and 86.7 (95% CI 80.2 to 91.7) in PO group. There was an absolute risk difference of 12.7%. This corresponds to a number needed to treat of 8 cases (95% CI 6 to 14) receiving IM rather than the PO diclofenac in order to achieve one additional case of 50% pain reduction within 30 min of drug administration. There were no adverse events experienced in any treatment groups.

Conclusion

IM diclofenac injection provides rapid analgesia over PO administration of diclofenac. However, given the preparation needed for an IM injection, oral administration may be preferable when and if clinical circumstances allow a choice in non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration route.
Genome-wide association study identifies seven novel loci associating with circulating cytokines and cell adhesion molecules in Finns
Authors: Sliz Eeva , Kalaoja Marita , Ahola-Olli Ari , Raitakari Olli , Perola Markus , Salomaa Veikko , Lehtimäki Terho , Karhu Toni , Viinamäki Heimo , Salmi Marko , Santalahti Kristiina , Jalkanen Sirpa , Jokelainen Jari , Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi Sirkka , Männikkö Minna , Herzig Karl-Heinz , Järvelin Marjo-Riitta , Sebert Sylvain , Kettunen Johannes
Published: June 2019

Background

Inflammatory processes contribute to the pathophysiology of multiple chronic conditions. Genetic factors play a crucial role in modulating the inflammatory load, but the exact mechanisms are incompletely understood.

Objective

To assess genetic determinants of 16 circulating cytokines and cell adhesion molecules (inflammatory phenotypes) in Finns.

Methods

Genome-wide associations of the inflammatory phenotypes were studied in Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (N=5284). A subsequent meta-analysis was completed for 10 phenotypes available in a previous genome-wide association study, adding up to 13 577 individuals in the study. Complementary association tests were performed to study the effect of the ABO blood types on soluble adhesion molecule levels.

Results

We identified seven novel and six previously reported genetic associations (p<3.1×10−9). Three loci were associated with soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) level, one of which was theABOlocus that has been previously associated with soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) levels. Our findings suggest that the blood type B associates primarily with sVCAM-1 level, while the A1 subtype shows a robust effect on sE-selectin and sICAM-1 levels. The genotypes in theABOlocus associating with higher soluble adhesion molecule levels tend to associate with lower circulating cholesterol levels and lower cardiovascular disease risk.

Conclusion

The present results extend the knowledge about genetic factors contributing to the inflammatory load. Our findings suggest that two distinct mechanisms contribute to the soluble adhesion molecule levels in theABOlocus and that elevated soluble adhesion molecule levels per se may not increase risk for cardiovascular disease.
Genetic T-type calcium channelopathies
Authors: Weiss Norbert , Zamponi Gerald W
Published: June 2019

T-type channels are low-voltage-activated calcium channels that contribute to a variety of cellular and physiological functions, including neuronal excitability, hormone and neurotransmitter release as well as developmental aspects. Several human conditions including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, motor neuron disorders and aldosteronism have been traced to variations in genes encoding T-type channels. In this short review, we present the genetics of T-type channels with an emphasis on structure-function relationships and associated channelopathies.
Corrective biology: psychosomatics in and as neuropsychoanalysis
Authors: Callard Felicity , Papoulias Constantina (Stan)
Published: June 2019

This article analyses how and with what consequences body–mind relations (the sphere of the psychosomatic) are being modelled in the 21st century through considering the interdiscipline of neuropsychoanalysis. The promise of the term psychosomatic lies in its efforts to rework standard, bifurcated models of mind and body: somatic acts are simultaneously psychic acts. But neuropsychoanalysis, as it brings the neurosciences and psychoanalysis together to model an embodied ‘MindBrain’, ends up evacuating another potent characteristic found in much of the psychosomatic tradition—its refusal to adjudicate, a priori, what counts as the adaptive or well-regulated subject. The psychosomatic problem in psychoanalysis profoundly disturbs everyday models of functionality, adaptation and agency, by positing the psyche as an ‘other’ of the physiological within the physiological. By contrast, neuropsychoanalysis ends up parsing too easily the healthy from the pathological body, such that it is only the latter that is subject to forces that work against self-preservation and self-regulation. In so doing, neuropsychoanalysis recasts the radical problematic that the psychosomatic installed for psychoanalysis in the direction of a corrective biology. This corrective biology is given form in two ways: (1) through translating the Freudian drive—that unruly and foundational concept which addresses the difficult articulation of soma and psyche—into a series of Basic Emotion Systems modelled by the affective neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp and (2) through resituating and quarantining the troubling, non-adaptive aspects of the Freudian psyche within the domain of addiction. That easy separation between the healthy and the pathological is all too often found in current descriptions of healthcare and patient encounters. The article refuses it and calls for the revivification of other ways of thinking about how human subjects—psychosomatic organisms—find ways to live, and to die.
Zircon U–Pb chronology, geochemistry, and petrogenesis of the high Nb–Ta alkaline rhyolites at the Tuohe Tree Farm, northern Volcanic Belt, Great Xing’an Range, China
Authors: Sun Guosheng , Zhao Tianxue , Jin Ruixiang , Wang Qinghai
Published: June 2019

We studied newly found high Nb–Ta alkaline rhyolites in the northern volcanic belt of the Great Xing’an Range, China. The LA–ICP–MS U–Pb weighted mean age is 114.07 ± 0.55 Ma, indicating that the rocks formed during the late Early Cretaceous and were the product of the late eruption of a Mesozoic volcano. The major element contents are characterized by high Si, rich K, low Fe, and poor Ca and Mg. In the total alkaline–silicon diagram, the sample points are in the alkaline rhyolite region. Meanwhile, rare earth elements show obvious Ce/Ce* positive anomalies and Eu/Eu* negative anomalies. In addition, trace elements are characterized by high Nb, Ta, and Yb, and low Sr. The two-stage Nd isotopic model age T2DM of the depleted mantle is between 799–813 Ma, indicating that the diagenetic material originated from the depleted mantle or partial melting of newly formed young crustal materials. The source rocks melted at a relative shallow depth (<30 km), under lower pressure (<0.5 Gpa) and high oxygen fugacity; moreover, the residues in the source region were Ca-rich mafic plagioclase + amphibole + orthopyroxene. In the Nb–Y–3Ga and Nb–Y–Ce diagrams, the sample points are in the A1 type region. It can be concluded that the mantle-derived basaltic magma underplated and supplied the heat sources for partial melting of the metamorphic crustal rocks in an intraplate extensional tectonic environment related to a rift, mantle plume, and hot spot.
Biochar and high-carbon wood ash effects on soil and vegetation in a boreal clearcut
Authors: Bieser Jillian M.H. , Thomas Sean C.
Published: June 2019

Additions of fire residues in the form of charcoal and wood ash may better emulate natural disturbance processes in managed boreal forests. We examined the effects of a poplar (Populus) wood biochar and a high-carbon wood ash on soil and vegetation in a 3-year experiment in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Both soil amendments increased soil pH and soil Ca levels; high-carbon wood ash also increased soil Cu, Zn, B, S, and Pb. Amendments had large effects on plant community composition, favoring a subset of ruderal species including raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) and goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.). The addition of high-carbon wood ash resulted in declines in growth of planted white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss); a path analysis suggests that this was due to the effects of toxic elements rather than the indirect effects of competition. We conclude that high-carbon wood ash, while qualifying as a type of biochar and having some beneficial effects on soil properties, can enhance toxic metals in boreal forest soils, with negative consequences to early tree growth. Differences in plant species responses to biochars and the potential for toxicity effects and indirect effects mediated by plant competition will require screening and field trials of potential biochars prior to their use in operational forestry and forest restoration.
Multiple performance characteristics optimization in end milling of thin-walled parts using desirability function
Authors: Cica Djordje , Borojevic Stevo , Jotic Goran , Sredanovic Branislav , Tesic Sasa
Published: June 2019

With the development of high-performance CNC machine tools, milling has been established as one of the main means of machining thin-walled parts. Thus, the selection of process parameters for milling operations is an important issue in end milling of thin-walled parts to assure product quality and increase productivity. The current study explores three machining parameters, namely wall thickness, feed, and machining strategies, that influence dimensional and form errors, surface roughness, and machining time milling of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy thin-walled parts. The effects of machining parameters on each of the response variables were analyzed using graphs of the main effects and three-dimensional surface plots. Analysis of the results show that the most influential factor for wall thickness deviation, dimensions deviation, perpendicularity deviation, flatness deviation, surface roughness of inner walls, surface roughness of outer walls, and surface roughness of reference plane was machining strategy, while feed is the most influential parameter affecting the machined time, followed by the machining strategy. The desirability concept has been used for simultaneous optimization in terms of machining parameters of the thin-walled parts machining process. Finally, a confirmation test with the optimal parameter settings was carried out to validate the results.
Variable Substitution Method for Solving Single-Variable Term Fuzzy Relation Geometric Programming Problem and Its Application
Authors: Yang Xiao-Peng , Zhou Xue-Gang , Cao Bing-Yuan , Hong Ying-Han
Published: June 2019

As an extension of the fuzzy relation linear programming, geometric programming with single-variable term subject to max–min fuzzy relation equations is a nonlinear and non-convex problem. To deal with this problem, we develop the variable substitution method to find out all of the optimal solutions (if not unique). The variable substitution method is carried out by the resolution procedures with an illustrative example. In addition, the proposed method is applied to the optimization management in laboratory Peer-to-Peer network system.