bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemotherapy for dogs with lymph node metastasis from histiocytic sarcomas
Authors: Moore AS , Taylor DP , Reppas G , Frimberger AE
Published: January 2017

Background

Histiocytic sarcomas (HS) frequently metastasise, most commonly to visceral sites, but also to regional lymph nodes. Nodal metastases are associated with a poorer prognosis. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate prognostic factors, including the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy, on survival in dogs with nodal, but not systemic, metastases from HS.

Methods

Retrospective case series of 12 dogs with histologically diagnosed HS metastatic to lymph nodes treated with surgery with and without adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results

All dogs had histological evidence of metastasis to lymph nodes, with no clinical evidence for metastasis to viscera. Eight dogs that received chemotherapy had a median estimated survival of 219 days (range 77–1638 days); 1‐ and 2‐year estimated survival rates were 37.7%. Median survival time for 4 dogs with nodal metastases that did not receive chemotherapy was 57 days (range 39–136 days) with none alive 1 year after surgery

Conclusion

Survival for dogs with only regional nodal metastases from HS appeared to be improved by adjuvant chemotherapy.
Clinical management ofBrucella suisinfection in dogs and implications for public health
Authors: James DR , Golovsky G , Thornton JM , Goodchild L , Havlicek M , Martin P , Krockenberger MB , Marriott DJE , Ahuja V , Malik R , Mor SM
Published: January 2017

Background

Brucellosis caused byBrucella suisis a notifiable disease that has recently emerged in dogs in New South Wales (NSW). Given the potential for zoonotic transmission, euthanasia of affected dogs is recommended, but this action is not mandatory. We report the clinical management of three dogs that underwent treatment at their owners’ request.

Case reports

A 14‐month‐old spayed female crossbreed originally obtained from an urban animal shelter underwent extensive investigations in 2011–12 for lameness and back pain, culminating in decompressive laminectomy. Diagnosis of multifocal discospondylitis and spinal empyema was made, withB. suiscultured from surgical biopsy specimens. The dog responded to long‐term treatment using rifampicin and doxycycline. A second case ofB. suisinfection was diagnosed in January 2016 in a 3‐year‐old crossbreed pig‐hunting dog with unilateral testicular enlargement. Following serological diagnosis the dog was given preliminary therapy using rifampicin and doxycycline, the affected testis was resected and the patient given a further month of combination therapy. In March 2016 a 7‐year‐old crossbreed pig‐hunting dog with brucellosis was handled similarly, although both testes were removed.

Conclusion

Brucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of back pain, discospondylitis, lameness, abortion, prostatic abscessation and testicular/epididymal enlargement in dogs, especially if there is exposure to feral pigs or consumption of uncooked feral pig meat. Euthanasia is the only guarantee of reducing the public health risk to zero. However, where treatment is desired by the owner, combination therapy using rifampicin and doxycycline appears to be effective, when combined with surgical resection of infected tissues. Further monitoring of dogs during and after treatment is required to document cure.
Post‐viraemic detection of bovine ephemeral fever virus by use of autogenous lymphoid tissue‐derived bovine primary cell cultures
Authors: Barigye R , Davis S , Hunt R , Hunt N , Walsh S , Elliott N , Dyrting K , Weir R , Melville LF
Published: January 2017

Background

The potential tissue replication sites and specific cell types that support in vivo virus survival beyond the acute phase of bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) infection have not been fully defined in cattle. To clarify the knowledge gap, tissue specimens were tested after collection from an adult steer necropsied 1 week after acute BEF.

Case report

Significant necropsy findings included fibrinoproliferative synovitis in the stifle joints and fibrin clot‐laden fluid in serous body cavities. Moderate numbers of infiltrating neutrophils were demonstrated in sections of the prefemoral lymph nodes and haemal node, and lymphoid hyperplasia in the spleen, haemal node and prefemoral lymph nodes. Viral RNA was detected by qRT‐PCR in fresh spleen, haemal node, prefemoral lymph node, synovial fluid and in several spleen‐derived cell cultures. BEFV was isolated from autogenously derived splenic primary cell cultures 6 days after cessation of viraemia, and characteristic bullet‐shaped virions were confirmed by electron microscopy of an ultrathin haemal node section. In sections of the spleen, haemal node and other tissues, immunohistochemistry demonstrated BEFV antigens that were intracellularly associated with probable histiocytic cells.

Conclusion

BEFV has preferential tropism for bovine lymphoid tissues and the spleen and haemal node may be potential sites for post‐viraemic virus replication.
848. PLATYSTELE MISERA
Authors: Dodsworth Steven
Published: January 2017

Platystele misera (Lindl.) Garay is illustrated as the first of two species of Platystele Schltr., a genus of tiny Pleurothallid orchids from South and Central America. The ecology and distribution of Platystele are discussed, accompanied by brief notes on the cultivation of this species.
UNRAVELLING THE ENIGMA OF BACKHOUSE'SWISTERIA: A TWISTED TALE OF TWO TWINERS
Authors: Compton James A.
Published: January 2017

In this paper the plant described by James Backhouse in Australia and sent by him to England as a species ofWisteriaNutt. is revealed to be a member of the Australasian genusCalleryaEndl. The plant named in memory of Backhouse, however, is shown to be a dark flowered cultivar of the North AmericanWisteria frutescens(L.) Poir. described asW. frutescensvar.backhousianaAndré.
Neonicotinoids override a parasite exposure impact on hibernation success of a key bumblebee pollinator
Authors: FAUSER ALINE , SANDROCK CHRISTOPH , NEUMANN PETER , SADD BEN M.
Published: January 2017

1. Seasonal adaptations enabling the bridging of periodic challenging abiotic conditions are taxonomically widespread. However, sensitivity to other environmental stresses can be heightened during these periods.

2. Several temperate insects with over‐wintering strategies play key ecosystem and economic roles, including wild bee pollinators. For example, hibernation survival in temperate bumblebees is crucial, as only new queens of future social colonies over‐winter. These bees are also faced with other abiotic and biotic stressors, some of which have been linked to recent pollinator declines, such as exposure to pesticides and parasites.

3. Using a fully crossed experiment, the influence of dietary exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides (thiamethoxam and clothianidin) and/or the prevalent bumblebee parasite Crithidia bombi on hibernation survival and hibernation weight change of Bombus terrestris bumblebee queens was investigated.

4. Both neonicotinoid and C. bombi exposures reduced hibernation success individually, but no additive or synergistic effects between the stressors were found. Further, effects were asynchronous, with early neonicotinoid effects on hibernation mortality overriding later parasite effects under combined exposures. Neonicotinoid exposure also increased hibernation weight loss of surviving queens.

5. Diapause periods, employed by numerous temperate organisms, are likely to be especially vulnerable to environmental stresses, besides the seasonal challenge for which these periods are an adaptation. Thus, diapause requires inclusion during the consideration of the impacts of such stresses. Accordingly, it is demonstrated here that naturally relevant exposures of pesticides and parasites have important detrimental effects on bumblebees during a critical hibernation period, with potential consequences for populations of these key wild pollinators.
Examination of cultural competence in service providers in an early intervention programme for psychosis in Montreal, Quebec: Perspectives of service users and treatment providers
Authors: Venkataraman Shruthi , Jordan Gerald , Pope Megan A , Iyer Srividya N
Published: January 2017

Aim

To better understand cultural competence in early intervention for psychosis, we compared service users’ and service providers’ perceptions of the importance of providers being culturally competent and attentive to aspects of culture.

Methods

At a Canadian early intervention programme, a validated scale was adapted to assess service user (N = 51) and provider (N = 30) perceptions of service providers’ cultural competence and the importance accorded thereto.

Results

Analyses of variance revealed that the importance of service providers being culturally competent was rated highest by service providers, followed by visible minority service users, followed by white service users. Providers rated themselves as being more interested in knowing about service users’ culture than service users perceived them to be.

Conclusions

Service users accorded less import to service providers’ cultural competence than providers themselves, owing possibly to varied socialization. A mismatch in users’ and providers’ views on providers’ efforts to know their users’ cultures may influence mental healthcare outcomes.
Reality of nerve sparing and surgical margins in surgeons’ early experience with robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy in Japan
Authors: Tatsugami Katsunori , Yoshioka Kunihiko , Shiroki Ryoichi , Eto Masatoshi , Yoshino Yasushi , Tozawa Keiichi , Fukasawa Satoshi , Fujisawa Masato , Takenaka Atsushi , Nasu Yasutomo , Kashiwagi Akira , Gotoh Momokazu , Terachi Toshiro ,   the Japanese Society of Endourology
Published: January 2017

Objective

To analyze nerve sparing performance at an early stage of robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy, and the correlation between the surgeons’ experience and the risk of a positive surgical margin in patients treated with robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy.

Methods

Patients’ records from January 2009 to March 2013 were retrospectively reviewed, and 3469 patients with localized prostate cancer were identified at 45 institutions. Individual surgeon's experience with nerve sparing was recorded as the number of nerve sparing cases among total robot‐assisted radical prostatectomies beginning with the first case during which nerve sparing was carried out. Patients were selected by propensity score matching for nerve sparing, and predictive factors of positive surgical margins were analyzed in patients with and without positive surgical margins.

Results

A total of 152 surgeons were studied, and the median number of robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy cases for all surgeons was 21 (range 1–511). In all, 54 surgeons (35.5%) undertook nerve sparing during their first robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy case. For 2388 patients selected with (1194) and without (1194) nerve sparing, predictive factors for positive surgical margin were high initial prostate‐specific antigen level (P < 0.0001), high biopsy Gleason score (P = 0.0379), presence of neoadjuvant hormone therapy (P = 0.0002) and surgeon's experience with >100 cases (P = 0.0058). Thus, nerve sparing was not associated with positive surgical margins.

Conclusion

The surgeon's experience influences the occurrence of positive surgical margins, although a considerable number of surgeons carried out nerve sparing during their early robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy cases. Surgeons should consider their own experience and prostate cancer characteristics before carrying out a nerve sparing robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy.
The Impact of Electronic Payments for Vulnerable Consumers: Evidence from Social Security
Authors: Anderson Drew M. , Strand Alexander , Collins J. Michael
Published: January 2017

Vulnerable consumers may face barriers to using electronic payments, especially consumers in “unbanked” households where no member has an account to receive payments. In March 2013, the US Social Security Administration transitioned exclusively to electronic payments, representing a large shift in payment mode mandated at the federal level. This study identifies the size and characteristics of the population impacted by this shift, by linking administrative data on Social Security payments to a nationally representative survey on the use of bank accounts and financial services. We find that the majority of unbanked Social Security recipients took up electronic payments well before the March 2013 deadline. The mandate does not appear to have increased the use of bank accounts. Instead, recipients used electronic payment cards. However, the transition to electronic payments was slowest among the most financially vulnerable households, suggesting a focus on these households as payment methods continue to develop.
‘Unladylike Commotion’: Early feminism and nursing's role in gender/trans dialogue
Authors: Fowler Marsha D.
Published: January 2017

From nursing's history comes the impetus and grounding for our current voice in gender/trans dialogue. Modern nursing struggled its way into being against restrictive, unjust, and oppressive social structures. Many of the obstructions and constraints that nurses and nursing leaders faced were shared by the general populace of women, and yet nurses were different from other women. Nurses worked outside the home, caring for strangers, including unrelated men, in a period when women were otherwise confined to the home. Nurses fought for women's suffrage, for child labor laws, for the welfare of factory workers, for garment workers, for unionization, for vaccination, for housing reform, for the humane treatment of mentally ill persons, for access to birth control, for the amelioration of a panoramic terrain of terrible social injustices, and for the control of nursing education, registration, and practice. For 150 years, nursing has been intrinsically, practically, and politically feminist. The hard‐fought gains would eventually position nursing in tension with emerging trans issues. And yet, its history is exactly what situates nursing for fruitful participation in the developing trans discourse and to address issues of transinvisibility and unjust social and health structures that impede dignified and respectful health care.
The Need for Power and the Power of Need: An Ecological Approach for Political Psychology
Authors: Bou Zeineddine Fouad , Pratto Felicia
Published: January 2017

We argue that political psychology would benefit from an ecological approach to complement other approaches. After detailing what adopting an ecological approach would entail, we provide examples of how this can enrich political psychological questions. We exemplify this by using the notion of repeated assemblies (Caporael, ) to illustrate several political psychological problem‐concepts. We then detail an ecological approach to understanding political psychology through the ecological and dynamic features of two organizing principles, human power and need, called power basis theory (Pratto, ). This provides a means to understand the behavior of individuals and collectives, as well as a means to understand how political ecologies at any level serve or fail to serve ecologies at either level. We suggest that ecological theories such as power basis enable political psychology to ask ambitious and novel questions that complement the state of the field today.
The Principle‐Implementation Gap in Attitudes Towards Racial Equality (and How to Close It)
Authors: Dixon John , Durrheim Kevin , Thomae Manuela
Published: January 2017

Research on attitudes towards racial equality has identified an apparent paradox, sometimes described as the “Principle‐Implementation Gap.” White Americans accept equality as an ideal yet reject interventions designed to achieve that ideal. In this article, we provide a critical review of empirical and theoretical work in the field and outline some directions for future research. Drawing on a program of research conducted in post‐apartheid South Africa, we argue for the value of: (1) widening the field beyond its traditional focus on White policy attitudes in the United States; (2) developing relational models that encompass more fully the perspectives of historically disadvantaged as well as historically advantaged communities; (3) making greater use of methods that elucidate how ordinary people themselves construct the meaning of the Principle‐Implementation Gap and how this informs, and indeed justifies and normalizes, associated patterns of behavior; and (4) prioritizing the difficult question of how to promote social change in societies where most citizens embrace equality as a noble end but often reject the means through which it might be accomplished. With regards to the latter—and given the ascendancy of prejudice‐based explanations of the Principle‐Implementation Gap—the article evaluates in particular some strengths and limitations of a prejudice‐reduction model of social change.
Maternal Preeclampsia and Odds of Childhood Cancers in Offspring: A California Statewide Case–Control Study
Authors: Xu Xiaoqing , Ritz Beate , Cockburn Myles , Lombardi Christina , Heck Julia E.
Published: January 2017

Background

Preeclampsia is a major cause of adverse effects on fetal health. We examined associations between fetal exposure to preeclampsia and subsequent odds of childhood cancers.

Methods

We obtained childhood cancer cases (n = 13 669) diagnosed at 5 years old or younger between 1988 and 2012 from the California Cancer Registry and linked them to birth certificates. Controls (n = 271 383) were randomly selected from all California births and frequency matched to cases by birth year. We obtained data regarding preeclampsia during pregnancy, labour, and delivery from the medical worksheet of the electronic birth record. We used unconditional logistic regression models with stabilised inverse probability weights to estimate the effect of preeclampsia on each subtype of childhood cancer, taking into account potential confounding by pregnancy characteristics. Marginal structural models were fitted to assess the controlled direct effects of preeclampsia, independent of preterm delivery and NICU admission.

Results

Although a null association was observed for all cancer subtypes combined (odds ratio (OR) 1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9, 1.2), preeclampsia was found to be associated with increased odds of two histological subtypes of germ cell tumours: seminomas (OR 8.6, 95% CI 1.9, 38.4) and teratoma (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.7, 5.4), but not yolk sac tumours in children. Odds remained elevated after adjusting for preterm delivery and NICU admission. Increases in odds were also observed for hepatoblastoma, however this association was attenuated in marginal structural models after accounting for NICU admission.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that maternal preeclampsia is associated with higher odds of some rare childhood cancers and may shed light on new aetiological factors for these cancers.
Uncovered interest parity in Central and Eastern Europe: Expectations and structural breaks
Authors: Cuestas Juan Carlos , Filipozzi Fabio , Staehr Karsten
Published: January 2017

This paper examines the empirical validity of the hypothesis of uncovered interest parity (UIP) using data from five Central and Eastern European countries with floating exchange rates for the period 2003 to 2014. The analysis includes forward‐looking as well as static expectations and allows for different types of structural break. The variable depicting the deviation from strict UIP is stationary when expectations are forward looking, suggesting that it is not possible to reject the UIP hypothesis with a constant risk premium. The deviation from strict UIP is however typically not stationary when expectations are static, even when structural breaks are incorporated, leading to the rejection of the UIP hypothesis with a constant risk premium. The results underscore the central role of expectations for the UIP hypothesis.
‘There's something in their eyes’ – Child Health Services nurses’ experiences of identifying signs of postpartum depression in non‐Swedish‐speaking immigrant mothers
Authors: Skoog Malin , Hallström Inger , Berggren Vanja
Published: January 2017

Background

Due to the current world situation, Sweden has one of the highest asylum applications within the European Union. Immigrant mothers, specifically those who have immigrated during the last ten years and do not speak the language of the new country, are found to be at particular risk of being effected by postpartum depression.

Aim

In this study, we elucidate Swedish Child Health Services nurses’ experiences of identifying signs of postpartum depression in non‐Swedish‐speaking immigrant mothers.

Methods

Latent content analysis was used when analysing data material from 13 research interviews.

Results

Being able to interpret a non‐Swedish‐speaking immigrant mother's mood required establishing and constant deepening of a transcultural caring relationship, the use of cultural knowledge to perceive signs of postpartum depression from observations and interactions and to rely on intuition.

Conclusion

There are both challenges and key factors for success in interpreting the mood of non‐Swedish‐speaking immigrant mothers.

Implications

This study provides information to healthcare professionals about challenges with adapting the screening with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to immigrant mothers not speaking the language of residence. Tacit knowledge and cultural competence among healthcare personnel are invaluable assets when interpreting mental health in this vulnerable group of mothers.
Patients’ experiences of their everyday life 14 months after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy – a qualitative follow‐up study
Authors: Leo Swenne Christine , Jangland Eva , Arakelian Erebouni
Published: January 2017

Background

Patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy have a long recovery process.

Aim

To describe patients’ experiences of their everyday lives after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Method

A follow‐up study with a qualitative, descriptive design. Data were collected by individual, in‐depth telephone interviews with 16 patients who had been treated for peritoneal carcinomatosis 14 months earlier at a university hospital in Sweden. The interviews were performed between May and June 2013 and analysed using systematic text condensation.

Results

Five themes were identified: (i) finding one's new self and relating to the new situation; (ii) the disease making its presence felt through bodily complications or mental fatigue; (iii) worrying about the return of the disease and passing it on to one's children; (iv) experiencing difficulties contacting various care facilities, not having a clear plan for ongoing rehabilitation; and (v) the need for online support through the Internet and counselling for both patients and their family members.

Conclusions

Despite bodily complications, mental fatigue and worries about the return of the disease, the patient's everyday life was focused on finding his/her new self and adapting to the new circumstances. Difficulties in contacting care facilities and the lack of an ongoing medical and nursing rehabilitation plan called for a need for network support for patients and their families.

Clinical relevance

After advanced surgery, patients require a continuous medical and nursing rehabilitation plan, and a platform of support such as meetings via social media and Internet which would connect former patients and their families with future patients and their family members. A contact nurse with specific expertise should design an individual rehabilitation plan and continuously identify the individual needs for long‐term support.
Consociationalism and Identity in Ethnically Divided Societies: Northern Ireland and Malaysia
Authors: Jarrett Henry
Published: January 2017

This article tests the hypothesis that ethnic identities in divided societies lose their significance after the implementation of consociational power‐sharing arrangements. It analyses and compares the cases of Northern Ireland and Malaysia, as both have a substantially different experience of liberal consociationalism. In Northern Ireland, power sharing is strictly enforced through the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of 1998, whilst in Malaysia it is exercised more informally within the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has governed the state since independence in 1957. Malaysia, therefore, has a considerably longer history of consociationalism than Northern Ireland. It is thought that if a mitigation of the salience of ethnic identities is taking place, ethnic political parties would become less prevalent. This article argues that these parties remain highly significant and, therefore, a shared identity is not being realized in either case. This conclusion does not, however, demonstrate a shortcoming of consociational theory but instead shows that managing conflict in divided societies is not the same as removing it altogether.
Broad‐spectrum health improvements with one year of soccer training in inactive mildly hypertensive middle‐aged women
Authors: Krustrup P. , Skoradal M.‐B. , Randers M. B. , Weihe P. , Uth J. , Mortensen J. , Mohr M.
Published: January 2017

The study tested the hypothesis that long‐term soccer training has positive impact on cardiovascular profile, body composition, bone health, and physical capacity in inactive, pre‐menopausal women with mild hypertension. The study applied a randomized controlled design in which physically inactive middle‐aged women were separated into a soccer training group (n=19; SOC) and a control group (n=12; CON). SOC performed 128±29 (±SD) one‐h small‐sided soccer training sessions over one year. Blood pressure, body composition, blood lipid profile, and fitness level were determined pre‐ and post‐intervention. Over one year, mean arterial pressure decreased more in SOC than in CON (−5±7 vs +4±5 mmHg; P<.05). Total‐body fat mass decreased more (P<.05) in SOC than in CON (−2.5±2.5 vs +0.6±3.2 kg; P<.05), while the change scores for lean body mass were not significantly different in SOC (2.6±2.7 kg) compared to CON (1.1±1.9 kg, P=.09). Over one year, change scores in whole‐body bone mineral density (0.004±0.032 vs −0.019±0.026 g·cm2) as well as bone mineral content (30±70 vs −39±113 g) were positive in SOC compared to CON (P<.05). Post‐intervention plasma triglycerides decreased more (−0.1±0.7 vs +0.2±0.2 mmol·L−1) and HDL cholesterol increased more (0.2±0.7 vs −0.2±0.2 mmol·L−1) in SOC than in CON (P<.05). Yo‐Yo intermittent endurance level 1 (122±105 vs 2±21%) and 20‐m sprint performance (6±6 vs −1±2%) increased more (P<.05) in SOC than in CON. In conclusion, long‐term soccer training resulted in broad‐spectrum improvements in the health profile of untrained, pre‐menopausal women with mild hypertension, including cardiovascular, metabolic, and musculo‐skeletal benefits.
Effects of reduced‐volume of sprint interval training and the time course of physiological and performance adaptations
Authors: Yamagishi T. , Babraj J.
Published: January 2017

This study sought to determine the time course of training adaptations to two different sprint interval training programmes with the same sprint: rest ratio (1:8) but different sprint duration. Nine participants (M: 7; F: 2) were assigned to 15‐second training group (15TG) consisting of 4‐6 × 15‐second sprints interspersed with 2‐minute recovery, whereas eight participants (M: 5; F: 3) were assigned to 30‐second training group (30TG) consisting of 4‐6 × 30 second sprints interspersed with 4‐minute recovery. Both groups performed their respective training twice per week over 9 weeks and changes in peak oxygen uptake () and time to exhaustion (TTE) were assessed every 3 weeks. Additional eight healthy active adults (M: 6; F: 2) completed the performance assessments 9 weeks apart without performing training (control group, CON). Following 9 weeks of training, both groups improved (15TG: 12.1%; 30TG: 12.8%, P<.05) and TTE (15TG: 16.2%; 30TG: 12.8%, P<.01) to a similar extent. However, while both groups showed the greatest gains in at 3 weeks (15TG: 16.6%; 30TG: 17.0%, P<.001), those in TTE were greatest at 9 weeks. CON did not change any of performance variables following 9 weeks. This study demonstrated that while the changes in cardiorespiratory function plateau within several weeks with sprint interval training, endurance capacity (TTE) is more sensitive to such training over a longer time frame in moderately‐trained individuals. Furthermore, a 50% reduction in sprint duration does not diminish overall training adaptations over 9 weeks.
Porosity predicted from ultrasound backscatter using multivariate analysis can improve accuracy of cortical bone thickness assessment
Authors: Eneh Chibuzor T. M. , Afara Isaac O. , Malo Markus K. H. , Jurvelin Jukka S. , Töyräs Juha
Published: January 2017

A rapidly growing area of interest in quantitative ultrasound assessment of bone is to determine cortical bone porosity from ultrasound backscatter. Current backscatter analyses are based on numerical simulations, while there are no published reports of successful experimental measurements. In this study, multivariate analysis is applied to ultrasound reflections and backscatter to predict cortical bone porosity. The porosity is then applied to estimate cortical bone radial speed of sound (SOS) and thickness using ultrasound backscatter signals obtained at 2.25 and 5 MHz center frequencies from cortical bone samples (n = 43) extracted from femoral diaphyses. The study shows that the partial least squares regression technique could be employed to successfully predict (R2 = 0.71–0.73) cortical porosity. It is found that this multivariate approach can reduce uncertainty in pulse-echo assessment of cortical bone thickness from 0.220 to 0.045 mm when porosity based radial SOS was applied, instead of a constant value from literature. Upon further validation, accurate estimation of cortical bone porosity and thickness may be applied as a financially viable option for fracture risk assessment of individuals.
Exploiting a geometrically sampled grid in the steered response power algorithm for localization improvement
Authors: Salvati D. , Drioli C. , Foresti G. L.
Published: January 2017

The steered response power phase transform (SRP-PHAT) is a beamformer method very attractive in acoustic localization applications due to its robustness in reverberant environments. This paper presents a spatial grid design procedure, called the geometrically sampled grid (GSG), which aims at computing the spatial grid by taking into account the discrete sampling of time difference of arrival (TDOA) functions and the desired spatial resolution. A SRP-PHAT localization algorithm based on the GSG method is also introduced. The proposed method exploits the intersections of the discrete hyperboloids representing the TDOA information domain of the sensor array, and projects the whole TDOA information on the space search grid. The GSG method thus allows one to design the sampled spatial grid which represents the best search grid for a given sensor array, it allows one to perform a sensitivity analysis of the array and to characterize its spatial localization accuracy, and it may assist the system designer in the reconfiguration of the array. Experimental results using both simulated data and real recordings show that the localization accuracy is substantially improved both for high and for low spatial resolution, and that it is closely related to the proposed power response sensitivity measure.
Knitting and weaving artificial muscles
Authors: Maziz Ali , Concas Alessandro , Khaldi Alexandre , Stålhand Jonas , Persson Nils-Krister , Jager Edwin W. H.
Published: January 2017

Textile artificial muscles were developed using weaving to increase the force and knitting to amplify the strain.
Webinar | What automation can do for you: The benefits and pitfalls of automating your microscopy research
Authors: de Hoop Meltsje , Donoughe Seth , Boyden Ed
Published: January 2017

In the life sciences, experimental reproducibility and repeatability are essential for ensuring that the results obtained are real and trustworthy. This often involves running an experiment multiple times under identical conditions. When repeating experiments, variation introduced through human error, environmental changes, or technical fluctuations can negatively impact the data and cause the generation of spurious results. For example, when imaging cells, slight shifts in temperature, CO
2
levels, or light conditions can dramatically affect the data. The automation of methodologies, in concert with the ability to run multiple experiments in parallel, can go a long way to solving this problem. During this webinar we will provide examples of how automation of imaging methods can save time and money, making your work easier and more efficient and enabling the generation of more reliable data.

View the Webinar
Challenges in researching terrorism from the field
Authors: Atran Scott , Axelrod Robert , Davis Richard , Fischhoff Baruch
Published: January 2017

Research must focus on how youth are engaged
Cracking the problem of ice nucleation
Authors: Murray Benjamin J.
Published: January 2017

Electron microscope data explain why feldspars are key to nucleating ice particles in clouds
Looking inward at gender issues
Authors: Berg Jeremy
Published: January 2017

Optimizing participation of different groups in science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) fields requires a better understanding of how any disparities arise. With regard to gender disparities, several aspects have been analyzed—from looking at degrees awarded in STEM fields to career progression to grant support. Scholarly publishing is not immune to gender imbalance in authorship. We sought to learn how
Science
is doing on this front.
Prevalence of Fusobacterium necrophorum in Children Presenting with Pharyngitis
Authors: Van Tam T. , Cox Laura M. , Cox Mike E. , Dien Bard Jennifer
Published: January 2017

Fusobacterium necrophorum
, an obligate anaerobic bacterium, was recently reported to be an important cause of bacterial pharyngitis with a prevalence as high as that of group A
Streptococcus
(GAS) in adolescents and young adults. Importantly,
F. necrophorum
is the primary causative agent of the life-threatening Lemierre's syndrome, and screening of pharyngeal samples may be warranted for its early detection and prevention. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalences of
F. necrophorum
and groups A and C/G streptococci as agents of bacterial pharyngitis in children. Pharyngeal samples (
n
= 300) were collected from pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department with signs and symptoms of pharyngitis. Overall, 10 (3.3%), 79 (26.3%), and 4 (1.3%) patients were PCR positive for
F. necrophorum
, GAS, and group C/G streptococci, respectively. The prevalence of
F. necrophorum
was significantly higher in patients between the ages of 14 and 20 years at 13.5% than in patients aged 14 years and younger (1.9%,
P
< 0.001). All positive patients presented with signs and symptoms similar to GAS pharyngitis. Our data demonstrated a potential role for
F. necrophorum
as a pathogen of pharyngitis among young adults, but suggests that the prevalence of
F. necrophorum
is low in preadolescent patients.
Multicenter Evaluation of the Portrait Staph ID/R Blood Culture Panel for Rapid Identification of Staphylococci and Detection of the
mecA
Gene
Authors: Denys Gerald A. , Collazo-Velez Vanessa , Young Stephen , Daly Judy A. , Couturier Marc Roger , Faron Matthew L. , Buchan Blake W. , Ledeboer Nathan
Published: January 2017

Bloodstream infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and are associated with increased health care costs. We evaluated the Portrait Staph ID/R blood culture panel (BCP) multiplex PCR assay (Great Basin Scientific, Salt Lake City, UT) for the rapid and simultaneous identification (ID) of
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Staphylococcus lugdunensis
, and
Staphylococcus
species to the genus level and the detection of the
mecA
gene directly from a positive blood culture bottle. A total of 765 Bactec bottles demonstrating Gram-positive cocci in singles or clusters were tested during the prospective trial at 3 clinical sites. The Portrait Staph ID/R BCP results were compared with results from conventional biochemical and cefoxitin disk methods performed at an independent laboratory. Discordant ID and
mecA
results were resolved by
rpoB
gene sequencing and
mecA
gene sequencing, respectively. A total of 658
Staphylococcus
species isolates (
S. aureus
, 211 isolates;
S. lugdunensis
, 3 isolates; and
Staphylococcus
spp., 444 isolates) were recovered from monomicrobial and 33 polymicrobial blood cultures. After discrepant analysis, the overall ratios of Portrait Staph ID/R BCP positive percent agreement and negative percent agreement were 99.4%/99.9% for
Staphylococcus
ID and 99.7%/99.2% for
mecA
detection.
Rapid Identification of Clinically Relevant Members of the Genus Exophiala by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry and Description of Two Novel Species, Exophiala campbellii and Exophiala lavatrina
Authors: Borman Andrew M. , Fraser Mark , Szekely Adrien , Larcombe Daniel E. , Johnson Elizabeth M.
Published: January 2017

Exophiala
is a ubiquitous pleomorphic genus comprising at least 40 species, many of which have been associated with superficial, visceral, or systemic infections in humans, other mammals, or cold-blooded animals. In this study, we investigated the potential of matrix-assisted laser desorption–ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for the identification of
Exophiala
species. A total of 89 isolates (including 50 human and 4 animal clinical isolates) stored in the National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi were identified by PCR amplification and sequencing of internal transcribed spacer region 1. Eighty-three of the isolates corresponded to 16 known species within
Exophiala/Rhinocladiella
. The remaining six isolates are shown by phylogenetic analyses based on four loci to represent two novel
Exophiala
species. Four isolates from domestic bathrooms which form a sister species with
Exophiala lecanii-corni
are described here as
Exophiala lavatrina
sp. nov. The remaining two isolates, both from subcutaneous infections, are distantly related to
Exophiala oligosperma
and are described here as
Exophiala campbellii
sp. nov. The triazoles and terbinafine exhibited low MICs against all
Exophiala
isolates
in vitro
. MALDI-TOF MS successfully distinguished all 18 species and identified all isolates after appropriate reference spectra were created and added to commercial databases. Intraspecific mean log scores ranged from 1.786 to 2.584 and were consistently significantly higher than interspecific scores (1.193 to 1.624), with the exception of
E. lecanii-corni
and
E. lavatrina
, for which there was considerable log score overlap. In summary, MALDI-TOF MS allows the rapid and accurate identification of a wide range of clinically relevant
Exophiala
species.
Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Induced Recruitment of Inflammatory Mononuclear Cells Leads to Inflammation and Altered Brain Development in Murine Cytomegalovirus-Infected Newborn Mice
Authors: Seleme Maria C. , Kosmac Kate , Jonjic Stipan , Britt William J.
Published: January 2017

Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a significant cause of abnormal neurodevelopment and long-term neurological sequelae in infants and children. Resident cell populations of the developing brain have been suggested to be more susceptible to virus-induced cytopathology, a pathway thought to contribute to the clinical outcomes following intrauterine HCMV infection. However, recent findings in a newborn mouse model of the infection in the developing brain have indicated that elevated levels of proinflammatory mediators leading to mononuclear cell activation and recruitment could underlie the abnormal neurodevelopment. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-neutralizing antibodies decreased the frequency of CD45+Ly6ChiCD11b+CCR2+activated myeloid mononuclear cells (MMCs) and the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the blood and the brains of murine CMV-infected mice. This treatment also normalized neurodevelopment in infected mice without significantly impacting the level of virus replication. These results indicate that TNF-α is a major component of the inflammatory response associated with altered neurodevelopment that follows murine CMV infection of the developing brain and that a subset of peripheral blood myeloid mononuclear cells represent a key effector cell population in this model of virus-induced inflammatory disease of the developing brain.

IMPORTANCECongenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is the most common viral infection of the developing human fetus and can result in neurodevelopmental sequelae. Mechanisms of disease leading to neurodevelopmental deficits in infected infants remain undefined, but postulated pathways include loss of neuronal progenitor cells, damage to the developing vascular system of the brain, and altered cellular positioning. Direct virus-mediated cytopathic effects cannot explain the phenotypes of brain damage in most infected infants. Using a mouse model that recapitulates characteristics of the brain infection described in human infants, we have shown that TNF-α plays a key role in brain inflammation, including recruitment of inflammatory mononuclear cells. Neutralization of TNF-α normalized neurodevelopmental abnormalities in infected mice, providing evidence that virus-induced inflammation is a major component of disease in the developing brain. These results suggest that interventions limiting inflammation associated with the infection could potentially improve the neurologic outcome of infants infectedin uterowith HCMV.
BCA2/Rabring7 Interferes with HIV-1 Proviral Transcription by Enhancing the SUMOylation of IκBα
Authors: Colomer-Lluch Marta , Serra-Moreno Ruth
Published: January 2017

BCA2/Rabring7 is a BST2 cofactor that promotes the lysosomal degradation of trapped HIV-1 virions but also functions as a BST2-independent anti-HIV factor by targeting Gag for lysosomal degradation. Since many antiviral factors regulate the NF-κB innate signaling pathway, we investigated whether BCA2 is also connected to this proinflammatory cascade. Here, we show for the first time thatBCA2is induced by NF-κB-activating proinflammatory cytokines and that upregulation of BCA2 provides regulatory negative feedback on NF-κB. Specifically, BCA2 serves as an E3 SUMO ligase in the SUMOylation of IκBα, which in turn enhances the sequestration of NF-κB components in the cytoplasm. Since HIV-1 utilizes NF-κB to promote proviral transcription, the BCA2-mediated inhibition of NF-κB significantly decreases the transcriptional activity of HIV-1 (up to 4.4-fold in CD4+T cells). Therefore, our findings indicate that BCA2 poses an additional barrier to HIV-1 infection: not only does BCA2 prevent assembly and release of nascent virions, it also significantly restricts HIV-1 transcription by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway.

IMPORTANCEUnderstanding the interactions between HIV-1 and its host cells is highly relevant to the design of new drugs aimed at eliminating HIV-1 from infected individuals. We have previously shown that BCA2, a cofactor of BST2 in the restriction of HIV-1, also prevents virion assembly in a BST2-independent manner. In this study, we found that BCA2 negatively regulates the NF-κB pathway—a signaling cascade necessary for HIV-1 replication and infectivity—which in turn detrimentally affects proviral transcription and virus propagation. Thus, our results indicate that, besides its previously described functions as an antiviral factor, BCA2 poses an additional barrier to HIV-1 replication at the transcriptional level.
Lack of ADCC Breadth of Human Nonneutralizing Anti-HIV-1 Antibodies
Authors: Bruel Timothée , Guivel-Benhassine Florence , Lorin Valérie , Lortat-Jacob Hugues , Baleux Françoise , Bourdic Katia , Noël Nicolas , Lambotte Olivier , Mouquet Hugo , Schwartz Olivier
Published: January 2017

Anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nonneutralizing antibodies (nnAbs) capable of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) have been identified as a protective immune correlate in the RV144 vaccine efficacy trial. Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) also mediate ADCC in cell culture and rely on their Fc region for optimal efficacy in animal models. Here, we selected 9 monoclonal nnAbs and 5 potent bNAbs targeting various epitopes and conformations of the gp120/41 complex and analyzed the potency of the two types of antibodies to bind and eliminate HIV-1-infected cells in culture. Regardless of their neutralizing activity, most of the selected antibodies recognized and killed cells infected with two laboratory-adapted HIV-1 strains. Some nnAbs also bound bystander cells that may have captured viral proteins. However, in contrast to the bNAbs, the nnAbs bound poorly to reactivated infected cells from 8 HIV-positive individuals and did not mediate effective ADCC against these cells. The nnAbs also inefficiently recognize cells infected with 8 different transmitted-founder (T/F) isolates. The addition of a synthetic CD4 mimetic enhanced the binding and killing efficacy of some of the nnAbs in an epitope-dependent manner without reaching the levels achieved by the most potent bNAbs. Overall, our data reveal important qualitative and quantitative differences between nnAbs and bNAbs in their ADCC capacity and strongly suggest that the breadth of recognition of HIV-1 by nnAbs is narrow.

IMPORTANCEMost of the anti-HIV antibodies generated by infected individuals do not display potent neutralizing activities. These nonneutralizing antibodies (nnAbs) with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) have been identified as a protective immune correlate in the RV144 vaccine efficacy trial. However, in primate models, the nnAbs do not protect against simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) acquisition. Thus, the role of nnAbs with ADCC activity in protection from infection remains debatable. In contrast, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) neutralize a large array of viral strains and mediate ADCC in cell culture. We analyzed the capacities of 9 nnAbs and 5 bNAbs to eliminate infected cells. We selected 18 HIV-1 strains, including virus reactivated from the reservoir of HIV-positive individuals and transmitted-founder isolates. We report that the nnAbs bind poorly to cells infected with primary HIV-1 strains and do not mediate potent ADCC. Overall, our data show that the breadth of recognition of HIV-1 by nnAbs is narrow.