bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial ecology of loggerhead turtles: Insights from stable isotope markers and satellite telemetry
Authors: Haywood Julia C. , Fuller Wayne J. , Godley Brendan J. , Margaritoulis Dimitris , Shutler Jamie D. , Snape Robin TE. , Widdicombe Stephen , Zbinden Judith A. , Broderick Annette C.
Published: January 2020

Aim

Using a combination of satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis (SIA), our aim was to identify foraging grounds of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) at important rookeries in the Mediterranean, examine foraging ground fidelity, and across 25 years determine the proportion of nesting females recruiting from each foraging region to a major rookery in Cyprus.

Location

Mediterranean Sea.

Methods

Between 1993 and 2018, we investigated the spatial ecology of loggerhead turtles from rookeries in Cyprus and Greece using satellite telemetry (n = 55 adults) and SIA of three elements (n = 296).

Results

Satellite telemetry from both rookeries revealed the main foraging areas as the Adriatic region (Cyprus: 4% of individuals, Greece: 55%), Tunisian Plateau (Cyprus: 16%, Greece: 40%) and the eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus: 80%, Greece: 5%). Combining satellite telemetry and SIA allowed 64% of all nesting females to be assigned to; the Adriatic region (Cyprus: 2%, Greece: 38.5%), Tunisian Plateau (Cyprus: 47%, Greece: 38.5%) and the eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus: 51%, Greece: 23%), which are markedly different to proportions obtained using satellite telemetry. The proportion of the Cyprus nesting cohort using each foraging region did not change significantly, with the exception that individuals foraging in the Adriatic region are only present in the Cyprus nesting population from 2012. Repeat satellite tracking (n = 3) and temporal consistency in isotope ratios (n = 36) of Cyprus females, strongly suggest foraging ground fidelity over multiple decades.

Main conclusions

This study demonstrates the advantages of combining satellite telemetry and SIA to investigate spatial ecology at a population level. The importance of the Tunisian Plateau for foraging is demonstrated. This study indicates that females generally show high fidelity to foraging grounds and shows a potential recent shift to foraging in the Adriatic region for Cyprus females, while the importance of other regions persists across decades, thus providing baselines to develop and assess conservation strategies.
Effects of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 in IBS patients
Authors: Bonfrate Leonilde , Di Palo Domenica M. , Celano Giuseppe , Albert Adelin , Vitellio Paola , De Angelis Maria , Gobbetti Marco , Portincasa Piero
Published: January 2020

Background

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder, which still lacks effective therapy. We aimed to investigate the effects of a novel formulation of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 with vitamin B6 (LBB) on symptoms, intestinal permeability, cultivable bacteria and metabolome in IBS subjects.

Materials and methods

Twenty‐five IBS patients (Rome IV criteria) (M:F = 8:17; age 48 years ± 11 SD) were randomized to treatment (LBB) or placebo (one month each) in a crossover randomized double‐blind controlled trial. Symptoms, intestinal habits, disease severity, intestinal permeability and intestinal microbiota were analysed at 0, 30, 45 and 60 days.

Results

Percentage decrease from baseline of abdominal pain (−48.8% vs −3.5%), bloating (−36.35% vs +7.35%) and severity of disease (−30.1% vs −0.4%) was significantly (P < .0001) greater with LBB than placebo, respectively. In IBS‐D patients, the improvement from baseline of Bristol score was more consistent with LBB (from 6 ± 0.4 to 4.3 ± 1.1, P < .00001) than placebo (from 6.2 ± 0.7 to 5.3 ± 1.1, P = .04). In IBS‐C patients, Bristol score tended to improve from baseline after LBB (2.6 ± 1.1 vs 3.2 ± 0.5, P = .06). LBB significantly improved the percentage of sucralose recovery (colonic permeability) (1.86 ± 0.1 vs 1.1 ± 0.2, P = .01). During treatment, presumptive lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, relative abundance of propanoic, butanoic, pentanoic acids and hydrocarbons increased, while phenol decreased.

Conclusions

The novel formulation of B. longum BB536 and L. rhamnosus HN001 with B6 vitamin improves symptoms and severity of disease, restores intestinal permeability and gut microbiota in IBS patients.
A “hair‐raising” history of alopecia areata
Authors: Broadley David , McElwee Kevin J.
Published: January 2020

A 3500‐year‐old papyrus from ancient Egypt provides a list of treatments for many diseases including “bite hair loss,” most likely alopecia areata (AA). The treatment of AA remained largely unchanged for over 1500 years. In 30 CE, Celsus described AA presenting as scalp alopecia in spots or the “windings of a snake” and suggested treatment with caustic compounds and scarification. The first “modern” description of AA came in 1813, though treatment still largely employed caustic agents. From the mid‐19th century onwards, various hypotheses of AA development were put forward including infectious microbes (1843), nerve defects (1858), physical trauma and psychological stress (1881), focal inflammation (1891), diseased teeth (1902), toxins (1912) and endocrine disorders (1913). The 1950s brought new treatment developments with the first use of corticosteroid compounds (1952), and the first suggestion that AA was an autoimmune disease (1958). Research progressively shifted towards identifying hair follicle‐specific autoantibodies (1995). The potential role of lymphocytes in AA was made implicit with immunohistological studies (1980s). However, studies confirming their functional role were not published until the development of rodent models (1990s). Genetic studies, particularly genome‐wide association studies, have now come to the forefront and open up a new era of AA investigation (2000s). Today, AA research is actively focused on genetics, the microbiome, dietary modulators, the role of atopy, immune cell types in AA pathogenesis, primary antigenic targets, mechanisms by which immune cells influence hair growth, and of course the development of new treatments based on these discoveries.
Global cognition predicts the incidence of poor physical performance among older adults: A cross‐national study
Authors: Dansereau Alexandra , Hunter Susan W , Gomez Fernando , Guralnik Jack M , DePaul Vincent G , Auais Mohammad
Published: January 2020

Aim

The relationship between physical performance and cognition is well established. However, findings on the relationship between global cognition and the incidence of functional disability has been inconsistent. Using data from the International Mobility in Aging Study, we investigated the relationship between baseline cognitive function and the incidence of poor physical performance 2 years later.

Methods

A total of 1071 community‐dwelling participants (aged 64–75 years) from four sites in Canada and Latin America, with a Short Physical Performance Battery score ≥9 at baseline (good performance) were included. We carried out two sets of analyses, measuring cognition with either the Leganés Cognitive Test or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. We used three logistic regression models, controlling for either no confounders, sociodemographic confounders or sociodemographic and health confounders. The full model was also stratified by site. A score <9 on the Short Physical Performance Battery indicated poor physical performance.

Results

In the fully adjusted model, each 1‐point increase in the baseline Leganés Cognitive Test score (range 0–32) was associated with a 10% decrease in the odds of incidence of poor physical performance at the 2‐year follow‐up (P = 0.019). Likewise, each 1‐point increase in the baseline Montreal Cognitive Assessment score (range 0–30) was associated with a 16% decrease in the odds of developing poor physical performance (P = 0.005). When stratified by site, the results were significant at the Latin American sites (P = 0.02), but not at the Canadian sites (P = 0.08).

Conclusions

Poor baseline cognition is associated with the incidence of poor physical performance in community‐dwelling older adults. To prevent physical disability, interventions addressing both cognitive and physical performance are required. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; ••: ••–••.
IMMIGRANT WAGE GROWTH IN THE UNITED STATES: THE ROLE OF OCCUPATIONAL UPGRADING
Authors: Lessem Rebecca , Sanders Carl
Published: January 2020

Immigrants to the United States routinely take jobs below their skill qualifications because of barriers to entering occupations. We use a structural model of immigrant job choice to quantify the benefits of potential policies to promote entry into suitable occupations. We estimate the model using longitudinal labor market data on immigrants to the United States. Our counterfactual results show that eliminating barriers to occupational entry would lead to only a small earnings increase for the average immigrant in our sample, but a substantial earnings increase for the most highly skilled immigrants.
Epigenetic silencing of LncRNA ANRIL enhances liver fibrosis and HSC activation through activating AMPK pathway
Authors: Yang Jing‐Jing , Yang Yang , Zhang Chong , Li Jun , Yang Yan
Published: January 2020

Long non‐coding RNAs (LncRNAs) and DNA methylation are important epigenetic mark play a key role in liver fibrosis. Currently, how DNA methylation and LncRNAs control the hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and fibrosis has not yet been fully characterized. Here, we explored the role of antisense non‐coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) and DNA methylation in HSC activation and fibrosis. The expression levels of DNA methyltransferases 3A (DNMT3A), ANRIL, α‐Smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), Type I collagen (Col1A1), adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) and p‐AMPK in rat and human liver fibrosis were detected by immunohistochemistry, qRT‐PCR and Western blotting. Liver tissue histomorphology was examined by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Sirius red and Masson staining. HSC was transfected with DNMT3A‐siRNA, over‐expressing ANRIL and down‐regulating ANRIL. Moreover, cell proliferation ability was examined by CCK‐8, MTT and cell cycle assay. Here, our study demonstrated that ANRIL was significantly decreased in activated HSC and liver fibrosis tissues, while Col1A1, α‐SMA and DNMT3A were significantly increased in activated HSC and liver fibrosis tissues. Further, we found that down‐regulating DNMT3A expression leads to inhibition of HSC activation. Reduction in DNMT3A elevated ANRIL expression in activated HSC. Furthermore, we performed the over expression ANRIL suppresses HSC activation and AMPK signalling pathways. In sum, our study found that epigenetic DNMT3A silencing of ANRIL enhances liver fibrosis and HSC activation through activating AMPK pathway. Targeting epigenetic modulators DNMT3A and ANRIL, and offer a novel approach for liver fibrosis therapy.
Evidence for rapid downward fecundity selection in an ectoparasite (Philornis downsi) with earlier host mortality in Darwin’s finches
Authors: Common Lauren K. , O’Connor Jody A. , Dudaniec Rachael Y. , Peters Katharina J. , Kleindorfer Sonia
Published: January 2020

Fecundity selection is a critical component of fitness and a major driver of adaptive evolution. Trade‐offs between parasite mortality and host resources are likely to impose a selection pressure on parasite fecundity, but this is little studied in natural systems. The ‘fecundity advantage hypothesis’ predicts female‐biased sexual size dimorphism whereby larger females produce more offspring. Parasitic insects are useful for exploring the interplay between host resource availability and parasite fecundity, because female body size is a reliable proxy for fecundity in insects. Here we explore temporal changes in body size in the myiasis‐causing parasite Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) on the Galápagos Islands under conditions of earlier in‐nest host mortality. We aim to investigate the effects of decreasing host resources on parasite body size and fecundity. Across a 12‐year period, we observed a mean of c. 17% P. downsi mortality in host nests with 55 ± 6.2% host mortality and a trend of c. 66% higher host mortality throughout the study period. Using specimens from 116 Darwin's finch nests (Passeriformes: Thraupidae) and 114 traps, we found that over time, P. downsi pupae mass decreased by c. 32%, and male (c. 6%) and female adult size (c. 11%) decreased. Notably, females had c. 26% smaller abdomens in later years, and female abdomen size was correlated with number of eggs. Our findings imply natural selection for faster P. downsi pupation and consequently smaller body size and lower parasite fecundity in this newly evolving host–parasite system.
Intrinsic post‐ejaculation sperm ageing does not affect offspring fitness in Atlantic salmon
Authors: Hotzy Cosima , Xuhui Bao , Larva Tuuli , Immler Simone
Published: January 2020

Post‐meiotic sperm ageing, both before ejaculation and after ejaculation, has been shown to negatively affect offspring fitness by lowering the rate of embryonic development, reducing embryonic viability and decreasing offspring condition. These negative effects are thought to be caused by intrinsic factors such as oxidative stress and ATP depletion or extrinsic factors such as temperature and osmosis. Effects of post‐ejaculation sperm ageing on offspring fitness have so far almost exclusively been tested in internal fertilizers. Here, we tested whether intrinsic post‐ejaculation sperm ageing affects offspring performance in an external fertilizer, the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. We performed in vitro fertilizations with a split‐clutch design where sperm were subjected to four post‐ejaculation ageing treatments. We varied the duration between sperm activation and fertilization while minimizing extrinsic stress factors and tested how this affected offspring fitness. We found no evidence for an effect of our treatments on embryo survival, hatching time, larval standard length, early larval survival or larval growth rate, indicating that intrinsic post‐ejaculation sperm ageing may not occur in Atlantic salmon. One reason may be the short life span of salmon sperm after ejaculation. Whether our findings are true in other external fertilizers with extended sperm activity remains to be tested.
The Impact of Psychological Status, Social Well‐Being, and Physical Function on Healthcare Utilization
Authors: Resnick Barbara , Boltz Marie
Published: January 2020

This editorial comments on the articles by Cheng et al. and Straatmann et al. in this issue.
Heat island effects in urban life cycle assessment: Novel insights to include the effects of the urban heat island and UHI‐mitigation measures in LCA for effective policy making
Authors: Susca Tiziana , Pomponi Francesco
Published: January 2020

Urbanization often entails a surge in urban temperature compared to the rural surroundings: the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Such a temperature increase triggers the formation of pollutants worsening the urban air quality. Jointly, bad air quality and UHI affect ecosystems and human health. To alleviate the impacts on the population and the environment, it is crucial to design effective UHI‐mitigation measures. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an assessment tool able to capture the complexity of urban settlements and quantify their impact. Yet, as currently implemented, LCA neglects the interactions between the built environment and the local climate, omitting the resulting impacts. This study reviews the existing literature, showing the lack of studies that organically include interactions between the built environment and local climate in LCA. This forms the basis to identify the unsuitability of the current LCA framework for comprehensively capturing the impact of urban settlements. To overcome this limitation, this research offers a pathway to expand the LCA methodology, indicating the necessity to (a) couple the LCA methodology with climate models or physical relations that quantify the interactions between the local climate and the built environment; (b) include novel impact categories in LCA to address such interactions; and (c) use existing or ad hoc developed characterization factors to assess the impacts related to the UHI effect. The LCA community can build on the frame of reference offered by this research to overcome the current limitations of LCA and enable its use for a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of UHI and its mitigation measures.
Oxytocin receptor signalling modulates novelty recognition but not social preference in zebrafish
Authors: Ribeiro Diogo , Nunes Ana Rita , Gliksberg Michael , Anbalagan Savani , Levkowitz Gil , Oliveira Rui F.
Published: January 2020

Sociality is a complex phenomenon that involves the individual´s motivation to approach their conspecifics, along with social cognitive functions that enable individuals to interact and survive. The nonapeptide oxytocin (OXT) is known to regulate sociality in many species. However, the role of OXT in specific aspects of sociality is still not well understood. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of the OXT receptor (OXTR) signalling in two different aspects of zebrafish social behaviour: social preference, by measuring their motivation to approach a shoal of conspecifics, and social recognition, by measuring their ability to discriminate between a novel and familiar fish, using a mutant zebrafish lacking a functional OXTR. Although oxtr mutant zebrafish displayed normal attraction to a shoal of conspecifics, they exhibited reduced social recognition. We further investigated whether this effect would be social‐domain specific by replacing conspecific fish by objects. Although no differences were observed in object approach, oxtr mutant fish also exhibited impaired object recognition. Our findings suggest that OXTR signalling regulates a more general memory recognition of familiar vs novel entities, not only in social but also in a non‐social domain, in zebrafish.
The relationship between facet tropism and cervical disc herniation
Authors: Huang Xuecheng , Ye Linqiang , Liu Xiang , Weng Rui , Tan Jinchuan , Xie Pusheng , Yang Yang , Liang Lichang , Huang Wenhua , Jiang Xiaobing
Published: January 2020

Many studies have demonstrated the association between facet tropism and disc herniation in the lumbar spine. Some of them found that lumbar disc herniation was on the side of the more sagittal facet joint interface. However, little is understood about the association of facet tropism with disc herniation in the cervical spine. As the relationship between the facet orientation and the side of cervical disc herniation (CDH) is unclear, the purpose of this study is to investigate that relationship. Ninety‐six patients with single‐level CDH (C4‐C5, C5‐C6 or C6‐C7) were included in the CDH group of this study. Another 50 age‐matched and gender‐matched healthy participants who accepted physical examinations were enrolled as the control group. The cervical facet angles of two sides were measured using axial computed tomography (CT). The intersection angle of the midsagittal line of the vertebra to the facet line represents the facet angle. Facet tropism was defined as the angular difference of 7º between the left and the right sides. Facet tropism angle was recorded as the absolute value of the difference of facet angles between two sides. There were 20 herniations at C4–C5 level, 50 herniations at C5–C6 level and 26 herniations at C6‐C7 level. The present study showed that more cases in the CDH group had facet tropism than did those in the control group at C4‐C5, C5‐C6 and C6‐C7 level (p = .021, p = .001, p = .015, respectively). The facet tropism angles in the CDH group were significantly bigger than those in the control group at C4‐C5, C5‐C6 and C6‐C7 level (p = .001, p = .002, p = .028, respectively). In the CDH group, the facet angles on the herniated side were found to be significantly bigger than those on the healthy side at C4‐C5, C5‐C6 and C6‐C7 level (p = .000, p = .000, p = .037, respectively). The findings of this present study suggest that facet tropism is associated with the disc herniation in the cervical spine. We also found that cervical disc herniates towards the side of the bigger facet angle with respect to the sagittal plane. There is a need for future studies to verify the biomechanical impact of facet tropism on CDH.
Correlation between serum IL 37 levels with keloid severity
Authors: Khattab Fathia M. , Samir Mai A.
Published: January 2020

Background

Keloids are dermal fibroproliferative disorders that characterized by over deposition of components of the extracellular matrix. Interleukin 37 (IL‐37) is known by its ability to inhibit the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts by inhibiting extracellular matrix production induced by transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β). Thus, Il‐37 is suggested to be used as an early preventive treatment for keloids.

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between serum levels of IL37 level and the keloid severity.

Patients/Methods

This is a cross‐sectional analytic study involving thirty‐two patients diagnosed clinically as having Keloid. An assessment of keloid severity was conducted by using Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). Blood samples were collected from every patient to measure and assess the serum levels of IL37.

Results

A negative correlation was found between IL37 level and the keloid severity (P = .0001; r = −.737). Also, there was a nonsignificant correlation between IL37 levels in patient with keloid and age, gender, duration of lesions, and family history.

Conclusion

Lower level of plasma IL 37 could be an indicator of the severity of Keloids.
Reconstructed uterine length is critical for the prevention of cervical stenosis following abdominal trachelectomy in cervical cancer patients
Authors: Nakajima Takahiro , Kasuga Akiko , Hara‐Yamashita Aki , Ikeda Yuji , Asai‐Sato Mikiko , Nakao Takehiro , Hayashi Chuyu , Takeya Chiaki , Adachi Katsuyuki , Tsuruga Tetsushi , Matsumoto Yoko , Arimoto Takahide , Nagamatsu Takeshi , Oda Katsutoshi , Komatsu Atsushi , Chishima Fumihisa , Osuga Yutaka , Fujii Tomoyuki , Kawana Kei
Published: January 2020

Aim

Although the procedure of abdominal trachelectomy has been remarkably improved, preventing subsequent cervical stenosis remains challenging. In this study, we analyzed the clinicopathological risk factors for cervical stenosis to explore the appropriate surgical procedures for the prevention of cervical stenosis following trachelectomy.

Methods

Thirty‐two patients who underwent abdominal extended and radical trachelectomy were assessed retrospectively (median follow‐up period = 33 months). To evaluate the risk factors, the clinicopathological factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. The reconstructed uterine length (UtL), that is, the length between the vaginal end of the neo‐cervix and the uterine fundus, was measured by transvaginal ultrasound after surgery. The cut‐off value for the UtL was assessed by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results

Cervical stenosis of any grade was observed in 12 patients (grade 1 = 9, grade 3b = 3). Among the various clinicopathological factors, the UtL and cervical length (CL) were significantly related to cervical stenosis following trachelectomy. The multivariate analysis revealed that the UtL, but not CL, is an independent risk factor for stenosis. The ROC curve analysis revealed that stenosis was significantly more likely to occur in patients with a UtL shorter than 53 mm (area under the ROC curve = 0.902). UtL in the patients who became pregnant was longer than that in the patients who did not. No evidence of recurrent cancer was observed during the follow‐up period.

Conclusion

Our proposed method may provide a functional reconstructed uterus with preserving fertility by remaining UtL more than 53 mm.
Clinical outcomes of hysteroscopy‐assisted transvaginal repair of cesarean scar defect
Authors: Zhou Dan , Wu Fengli , Zhang Qiao , Cui Ying , Huang Shuai , Lv Qiubo
Published: January 2020

Aim

This study was conducted to evaluate comparative clinical outcomes of hysteroscopy‐assisted transvaginal repair in the treatment of cesarean scar defect (CSD) in patients desirous of conceiving again.

Methods

We retrospectively enrolled 63 patients with CSD who were treated at Beijing Hospital between January 2014 and January 2016. Patients were divided into the hysteroscopic electrocauterization group (electrocauterization group, n = 28) and hysteroscopy‐assisted transvaginal repair group (transvaginal group, n = 35). Perioperative parameters including operation time, intraoperative blood loss, time to passage of flatus, hospitalization duration, duration of postoperative vaginal bleeding, pre‐ and postoperative myometrial thickness, rate of full‐term births and surgical complications were compared between the two groups.

Results

At the 6‐month follow‐up, myometrial thickness was significantly greater in the transvaginal group (9.8 ± 1.0 mm) compared to the electrocauterization group (3.3 ± 0.7 mm, P < 0.05). One patient in the transvaginal group required intraoperative conversion to laparotomy because of surgical complications. The transvaginal group had a significantly higher rate of full‐term live birth compared to the electrocauterization group (92% vs 46%, P < 0.05). There were no significant between‐group differences in the other pre‐, intra‐, and postoperative parameters. The maximum postoperative diameter of the CSD in the transvaginal and electrocauterization groups was 1.6 ± 0.8 and 17 ± 2.0 mm, respectively.

Conclusion

Compared to hysteroscopic electrocauterization, hysteroscopy‐assisted transvaginal repair of CSD was associated with better clinical outcomes and higher rate of full‐term live births.
The association between heart diseases and suicide: a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Petersen B. D. , Stenager E. , Mogensen C. B. , Erlangsen A.
Published: January 2020

Objective

To assess the association between specific heart diseases and suicide.

Design

Nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Participants

A total of 7 298 002 individuals (3 640 632 males and 3 657 370 females) aged ≥15 years and living in Denmark during 1980–2016.

Main outcome measures

Incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals. In multivariate analysis, we adjust for sex, period, age group, living status, income level, Charlson Comorbidity Index, psychiatric disorders prior to heart disease and self‐harm prior to heart disease.

Results

Excess suicide rate ratios were found for following disorders: heart failure (IRR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.38–1.58); cardiomyopathy (IRR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.16–1.70); acute myocardial infarction (IRR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.21–1.36); cardiac arrest with successful resuscitation (IRR: 4.75; 95% CI: 3.57–6.33); atrial fibrillation and flutter (IRR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.32–1.52); angina pectoris (IRR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.12–1.26); and ventricular tachycardia (IRR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.20–1.94). A higher rate of suicide was noted during the first 6 months after the diagnosis of heart failure (IRR: 2.38; 95% CI: 2.04–2.79); acute myocardial infarction (IRR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.89–2.66); atrial fibrillation and flutter (IRR: 2.70; 95% CI: 2.30–3.18); and angina pectoris (IRR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.53–2.19) when compared to later.

Conclusion

Several specific disorders were found to be associated with elevated rates of suicide. Additionally, we found temporal associations with higher suicide rates in the first time after diagnosis. Our results underscore the importance of being attentive towards psychological distress in individuals with heart disease.
Railways and manufacturing productivity in Italy after unification
Authors: Pontarollo Nicola , Ricciuti Roberto
Published: January 2020

This paper contributes to the debate on the effects of transport infrastructure endowment on productivity by adding a historical perspective. This allows us to address the issue in a proving ground where the effects of the existing stock of infrastructure are negligible. At the time of unification, the Kingdom of Italy initiated a large infrastructure project to build railways. We find that railways had a positive effect on manufacturing productivity over the period 1871–1911. Railways also had strong spillover effects in neighboring provinces so that provinces that started with a higher endowment of railways benefited more than those who were newly endowed.
Application of scientific measures to demonstrate the relaxing properties of Peony fragrance in hair care products
Authors: Painchault Typhanie , Perrin Lucie , Loijens Leanne W. S. , van der Linden Xandra , Theuws Hans M. M. , Zimmerman Patrick H.
Published: January 2020

Relaxation response is impacted by physiological and psychological considerations. This study investigates the effect of a fragrance on the relaxation response triggered by a shampoo and a serum product. Two research cells were executed in identical hotel room facilities involving female shampoo or serum users. A control sample was evaluated to provide a neutral baseline against which the test samples could be compared. A concentrated fragrance was evaluated after the test samples. Nonverbal tools were chosen to measure relaxation covering physiology (heart rate, inter beat interval [IBI] variation, blood pressure [BP], and electrodermal activity [EDA]), mental and physical tasks (reaction time and handgrip strength), and behavior measures (posture and posturer switches). Results indicated that the physiology measures were most useful in demonstrating a relaxing effect of the fragrance in the shampoo and serum products. For example, the application of the shampoo caused an increase in IBI variation, a decrease in EDA and the concentrated shampoo fragrance caused a decrease heart rate. Serum application caused a decrease in BP and a decrease in heart rate. This study enabled to claim about emotional benefits of the scent of the hair care products with strong scientific evidence to support it.

Practical Applications

This study demonstrated how nonverbal methods could be successfully applied to evaluate consumer response to a product based on its fragrance. The research presented adds to the growing knowledge in the use of physiological, psychological, and behavioral measures to establish consumer responses that can be linked to a desired claim, such as relaxation properties. Additionally, the methodology proposed provides an accepted approach to validate a perception claim in a highly regulated cosmetics industry.
Prospective clinical trial of masitinib mesylate treatment for advanced stage III and IV canine malignant melanoma
Authors: Giuliano A. , Dobson J.
Published: January 2020

Objective

To investigate efficacy of masitinib mesylate for the treatment of advanced malignant melanoma in dogs.

Materials and Methods

Prospective clinical trial on 17 dogs with stage III and IV malignant melanoma (two digital, one anal and 14 oral mucosal). Only dogs with advanced gross disease for which the owner declined conventional treatment or dogs with progressive tumour despite conventional treatment were included.

Results

There was a partial response in two dogs, stable disease in seven and tumour progression in eight dogs. Median survival time for all 17 dogs was 119 days (range 21–255). Masitinib was generally well‐tolerated but grade 2 anaemia, grade 1 neutropenia, grade 1 diarrhoea and grade 2 anorexia were observed in one dog each.

Clinical Significance

There was only mild effectiveness in end‐stage disease, indicating that masitinib mesylate is not an appropriate sole‐agent option for treatment of advanced malignant melanoma in dogs.
The effects of polydisperse crowders on the compaction of theEscherichia colinucleoid
Authors: Yang Da , Männik Jaana , Retterer Scott T. , Männik Jaan
Published: January 2020

DNA binding proteins, supercoiling, macromolecular crowders, and transient DNA attachments to the cell membrane have all been implicated in the organization of the bacterial chromosome. However, it is unclear what role these factors play in compacting the bacterial DNA into a distinct organelle‐like entity, the nucleoid. By analyzing the effects of osmotic shock and mechanical squeezing onEscherichia coli, we show that macromolecular crowders play a dominant role in the compaction of the DNA into the nucleoid. We find that a 30% increase in the crowder concentration from physiological levels leads to a three‐fold decrease in the nucleoid's volume. The compaction is anisotropic, being higher along the long axes of the cell at low crowding levels. At higher crowding levels, the nucleoid becomes spherical, and its compressibility decreases significantly. Furthermore, we find that the compressibility of the nucleoid is not significantly affected by cell growth rates and by prior treatment with rifampicin. The latter results point out that in addition to poly ribosomes, soluble cytoplasmic proteins have a significant contribution in determining the size of the nucleoid. The contribution of poly ribosomes dominates at faster and soluble proteins at slower growth rates.
Between health and death: The intense emotional pain experienced by transplant nurses
Authors: Tarabeih Mahdi , Bokek‐Cohen Ya'arit
Published: January 2020

While extensive scholarship has been dedicated to the emotional experiences of transplant patients, little is known about the emotional experiences of transplant co‐ordinators. Semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews conducted with ten transplant co‐ordinators who have worked for more than 20 years in this job. The transplant co‐ordinators spoke of negative feelings and moral distress with regard to futile care of deceased donor family members as well as of living donors. Transplant co‐ordinators experience intense negative feelings, emotional pain, and moral distress on a daily basis. Transplant co‐ordinators play a pivotal role in the process of obtaining consent for live or dead donation of organ; however, their well‐being and job satisfaction are impaired by contradictions between their moral values and the tasks they are instructed to perform. The study exposes the silent emotional suffering of transplant co‐ordinators; main findings show that the transplant co‐ordinators are torn between contradictory expectations and a gap between values and praxis. It is recommended to offer them training and support for the sake of their retention.
Clinical features and disturbances of gastrointestinal transit in patients with rapid gastric emptying
Authors: Kuwelker Saatchi , Muthyala Anjani , O’Connor Michael , Bharucha Adil E.
Published: January 2020

Aims

Some patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms have rapid gastric emptying (GE). We aimed to compare patients with normal and rapid GE and to identify phenotypes among patients with rapid GE.

Methods

Among 2798 patients who underwent GE scintigraphy, we compared patients with normal and rapid GE and separately, patients with rapid GE at 1 hour (GE1), 2 hours (GE2), or both (GE12).

Results

In 2798 patients, GE was normal (74%), delayed (18%), or rapid (8%). Among 211 patients with rapid GE, patterns were rapid GE1 (48%), 2 hours (17%), or 1 and 2 hours (35%); 42 (20%) had diseases that explain rapid GE. A combination of upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms (54%) was more common that isolated upper (17%) or lower (28%) gastrointestinal symptoms (P < .001). Constipation was more prevalent in patients with rapid GE 2 (72%) than rapid GE 1 (47%) or rapid GE12 hours (67%) (P < .05). Among 179 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, 15% had rapid GE, which was not associated with the DM phenotype. By multivariable analysis, insulin therapy (odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15‐0.88), and weight loss (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.01‐0.78) were associated with a lower risk of rapid than normal GE in DM.

Conclusions

Eight percent of patients undergoing scintigraphy had rapid GE, which is most frequently associated with upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms; constipation is common. Insulin therapy and weight loss were associated with a lower risk of rapid than normal GE in DM patients.
Inter‐ and intraspecific trait variation shape multidimensional trait overlap between two plant invaders and the invaded communities
Authors: Helsen Kenny , Van Cleemput Elisa , Bassi Leonardo , Graae Bente J. , Somers Ben , Blonder Benjamin , Honnay Olivier
Published: January 2020

Invader success and ecosystem impact are both expected to be largely driven by the functional trait distinctiveness of the resident species relative to the invaded communities. To understand the importance of trait distinctiveness for plant invasions, and the native community's trait response to the invasion, it is key to measure multiple traits simultaneously, and to incorporate intraspecific trait variation. Here we explored multidimensional patterns of inter‐ and intraspecific trait variation during the invasion of two functionally contrasting species. We constructed multidimensional trait hypervolumes for the invaders, their invaded communities, and uninvaded reference communities. The functional distinctiveness hypothesis predicts that invaders will occupy a mostly unique part of the trait hypervolume and that invasion will shift the trait composition of the native community to minimize trait overlap with the invader.Impatiens glanduliferawas characterized by acquisitive traits, whileRosa rugosahad more resource conservative traits, reflecting their respective invaded habitats. Both invaders showed relatively little hypervolume overlap with the uninvaded communities, although this overlap was higher forR. rugosa(31.9%) than forI. glandulifera(14.3%). Both invaders affected community traits, mainly due to intraspecific trait changes of the resident species. As expected, invasion byR. rugosareduced trait overlap between invader and community to 18.3%. Invasion byI. glandulifera, however, resulted in an increased trait overlap to 26.7%. In both cases the community traits shifted towards a more resource acquisitive strategy following invasion, irrespective of the invader's trait composition. This suggests that invasion‐driven community‐level intraspecific trait shifts are likely caused by increased competition for light under the invader, rather than by niche overlap. These, at first sight contradictory, results demonstrate the need for better trait‐based invasion and community ecology theory. Our results furthermore show that invaders can shift the trait occupancy of resident communities.
Antibiotic resistance in microorganisms isolated in a bull semen stud
Authors: Goularte Karina L. , Voloski Flávia L. S. , Redú Josiara F. M. , Ferreira Carlos E. R. , Vieira Arnaldo D. , Duval Eduarda H. , Mondadori Rafael G. , Lucia Thomaz
Published: January 2020

Many microorganisms from various sources may be present in ejaculates of bulls. This study identified and isolated bacteria from bull sperm samples in a commercial stud and evaluated their resistance to antibiotics. The number of colony‐forming units was determined in semen samples collected at distinct steps during freezing and thawing. The minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration were determined for four antibiotics commonly used in commercial studs. A total of 135 microorganisms from 25 genera were isolated. After a sensitivity test, all evaluated microorganisms (n = 55) were resistant to penicillin and most of them were resistant to tylosin and lincomycin (n = 54). Resistance to all tested antibiotics was observed in 22% of all isolates, whereas only 3.9% of the isolates were inhibited by the tested antibiotics at the concentrations recommended by the international legislation. As the isolated microorganisms presented high resistance to frequently used antibiotics, sensitivity tests should be periodically conducted in commercial bull semen studs to prevent the use of contaminated semen in artificial insemination.
How Poor Were Quebec and Canada During the 1840s?
Authors: Geloso Vincent , Macera Gonzalo
Published: January 2020

This article uses the censuses of 1842 of Canada East (modern‐day Quebec) and Canada West (modern‐day Ontario) to help explain the historical differences in living standards between Canada and the United States. The wage and price data contained in the censuses suggest a gap of 42 percent between Canada East and Canada West. We argue that Canada East was substantially poorer than the rest of Canada and, as it represented such a large proportion of the total population of the initial four Canadian provinces (over 35 percent), that relative poverty weighed heavily in determining the extent of differences in living standards between Canada and the United States. These findings change the perspective on the roots of the differences between the two countries. We propose that any research agenda trying to explain those differences should focus heavily on Quebec.
Overexpression of the persimmon abscisic acid β‐glucosidase gene (DkBG1) alters fruit ripening in transgenic tomato
Authors: Liang Bin , Zheng Yu , Wang Juan , Zhang Wenbo , Fu Ying , Kai Wenbin , Xu Yandan , Yuan Bing , Li Qian , Leng Ping
Published: January 2020

β‐Glucosidases (BG) are present in many plant tissues. Among these, abscisic acid (ABA) β‐glucosidases are thought to take part in the adjustment of cellular ABA levels, however the role of ABA‐BG in fruits is still unclear. In this study, through RNA‐seq analysis of persimmon fruit, 10 full‐length DkBG genes were isolated and were all found to be expressed. In particular, DkBG1 was highly expressed in persimmon fruits with a maximum expression 95 days after full bloom (DAFD). We verified that, in vitro, DkBG1 protein can hydrolyze ABA‐glucose ester (ABA‐GE) to release free ABA. Compared with wild‐type, tomato plants that overexpressed DkBG1 significantly upregulated the expression of ABA receptor PYL3/7 genes and showed typical symptoms of ABA hypersensitivity in fruits. DkBG1 overexpression (DkBG1‐OE) accelerated fruit ripening onset by 3–4 days by increasing ABA levels at the pre‐breaker stage and induced early ethylene release compared with wild‐type fruits. DkBG1‐OE altered the expression of ripening regulator NON‐RIPENING (NOR) and its target genes; this in turn altered fruit quality traits such as coloration. Our results demonstrated that DkBG1 plays an important role in fruit ripening and quality by adjusting ABA levels via hydrolysis of ABA‐GE.
Successful Internet Entrepreneurs: The Case of China
Authors: Zouria Ayoub , Udanoh Michael Uche
Published: January 2020

Internet is without any doubt playing a significant role in businesses as well as peoples’ lives. Many individuals nowadays choose to use the internet while undertaking different tasks. Internet is the product of the ever-advancing technology which has resulted to means of interconnecting various computers.This article focuses on the significance of internet and how it helped many entrepreneurs become successful. It sheds light on the case of the Chinese entrepreneurs that have seen their businesses booming thanks to the use of websites which are products of internet to compete and market their products across the world.
Co-Simulation of Multibody Systems With Contact Using Reduced Interface Models
Authors: Peiret Albert , González Francisco , Kövecses József , Teichmann Marek
Published: January 2020

Co-simulation techniques enable the coupling of physically diverse subsystems in an efficient and modular way. Communication between subsystems takes place at discrete-time instants and is limited to a given set of coupling variables, while the internals of each subsystem remain undisclosed and are generally not accessible to the rest of the simulation environment. In noniterative co-simulation schemes, commonly used in real-time applications, this may lead to the instability of the numerical integration. The stability of the integration in these cases can be enhanced using interface models, i.e., reduced representations of one or more subsystems that provide physically meaningful input values to the other subsystems between communication points. This work describes such an interface model that can be used to represent nonsmooth mechanical systems subjected to unilateral contact and friction. The dynamics of the system is initially formulated as a mixed linear complementarity problem (MLCP), from which the effective mass and force terms of the interface model are derived. These terms account for contact detachment and stick–slip transitions, and can also include constraint regularization in case of redundancy in the system. The performance of the proposed model is shown in several challenging examples of noniterative multirate co-simulation schemes of a mechanical system with hydraulic components, which feature faster dynamics than the multibody subsystem. Using an interface model improves simulation stability and allows for larger integration step-sizes, thus resulting in a more efficient simulation.
Numerical Analysis of Temperature Uniformity of Liquid Cooling Based Battery Module With Incremental Heat Transfer Area
Authors: Tang Zhiguo , Gao Qin , Li Jie , Cheng Jianping
Published: January 2020

Battery thermal management (BTM) has an important significance for electronic vehicles to keep them operating in a reasonable temperature range and reduce local temperature differences. In this study, a novel structure of liquid cooling-based lithium-ion battery module with a variable contact area of heat-conductive blocks is proposed. Three-dimensional transient simulations are carried out to investigate the thermal performance of the proposed structure. The effects of block height, height gradient, and inlet velocity are discussed. The results indicate that simply increasing the height of heat-conductive blocks could have a negative effect on cooling performance and that a variable heat transfer area could efficiently improve the temperature uniformity of the battery module. In addition, the thermal performance of the proposed battery module is sensitive to inlet velocity, but the positive effect can be decreased when the velocity is adequately increased. The temperature difference (ΔT) of the battery module with a variable contact area can achieve below 4 °C, and its reduced percentage can be 47.7% compared with that of the module with a consistent contact area when the inlet velocity is 0.2 m/s.
Impact of Partial Slip on Magneto-Ferrofluids Mixed Convection Flow in Enclosure
Authors: Chamkha Ali J. , Rashad A. M. , Alsabery A. I. , Abdelrahman Z. M. A. , Nabwey Hossam A.
Published: January 2020

Magneto-ferrofluid mixed convection flow inside a lid-driven square cavity with partial slip is investigated numerically using the finite volume method. The vertical walls of the enclosure are heated partially by a constant temperature, while the horizontal moving walls are kept adiabatic. The square enclosure is filled with a mixture of kerosene–cobalt ferrofluids. The numerical computations are obtained for various parameters of the heat source length, position of the heat source, Hartmann number, Richardson number, fraction ferromagnetic particles, and constant movement parameter. It is shown that the transfer rate is clearly affected by the augmentation of the ferromagnetic particles volume fraction under the influence of a relative magnetic field and by the opposite-direction horizontal walls movement.