bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The genetic background modulates the intensity of Rpv3‐dependent downy mildew resistance in grapevine
Authors: Foria Serena , Magris Gabriele , Morgante Michele , Di Gaspero Gabriele
Published: February 2018

Grape varieties with resistance to downy mildew (DM) carry alien chromosome segments in Vitis vinifera backgrounds. We previously showed that the largest descent group shares a non‐vinifera haplotype at the locus Rpv3. Here, we performed a common garden experiment with 76 varieties to evaluate the level of field resistance across four years. All varieties exhibited effector‐triggered immunity (ETI)‐associated necrosis. On a scale of 1–9, the median OIV452 value for foliar resistance was 7.1 in the resistant lineage vs. 3.2 in vinifera controls. Genotype, year and their interaction significantly affected the level of resistance. Some resistant genotypes showed high mean values of OIV452 and low variance among years. Other resistant genotypes showed lower mean OIV452 and higher variance. They were capable of activating ETI, but the intensity was inadequate to restrict pathogen growth under highly conducive conditions. Rpv3‐dependent responses were stronger in highly native genetic backgrounds and tended to attenuate in late backcross generations. Genetic backgrounds donated by European winegrapes of the convarietas occidentalis provided on average higher levels of Rpv3 resistance than backgrounds of orientalis table grapes.
Anaplastic variant of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma with hallmark cell appearance: Two cases highlighting a broad diversity in the diagnostics
Authors: Sakakibara Ayako , Kohno Kei , Kuroda Naoto , Yorita Kenji , Megahed Nirmeen A. , Eladl Ahmed E. , Daroontum Teerada , Ishikawa Eri , Suzuki Yuka , Shimada Satoko , Nakaguro Masato , Shimoyama Yoshie , Satou Akira , Kato Seiichi , Yatabe Yasushi , Asano Naoko , Nakamura Shigeo
Published: February 2018

The anaplastic variant of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (A‐DLBCL) is morphologically defined but remains an enigmatic disease in its clinicopathologic distinctiveness. Here, we report two cases involving Japanese women aged 59 years, both with A‐DLBCL with the hallmark cell appearance and both indistinguishable from common and giant cell‐rich patterns, respectively, of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)‐positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Case 1 was immunohistochemically positive for CD20, CD79a and OCT‐2 but not for the other pan–B‐cell markers, CD30 and ALK. Case 2 showed CD20 and CD30 positivity for 50% and 20% of tumor cells in addition to strong expression of p53 and MYC. Both were positive for fascin without Epstein–Barr virus association. Our cases provide additional support for the earlier reports that A‐DLBCL exhibits clinicopathologic features distinct from ordinal diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and documented its broader morphologic diversity than previously recognized. They also shed light on the unique feature of absent expression of pan–B‐cell markers except for CD20 and CD79a, suggesting that A‐DLBCL may biologically mimic a gray zone or intermediate lymphoma between DLBCL and classic Hodgkin lymphoma.
Do current quality measures truly reflect the quality of dialysis?
Authors: Gupta Nupur , Wish Jay B.
Published: February 2018

The US End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program, which came into existence in 1973, was initially envisioned to provide needed financial coverage for about 50 000 patients through Medicare. Over the past 45 years the evolution of the ESRD program has been quite different, and it now serves over one half million dialysis and transplant patients. The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008 Section 153(c) requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop and implement quality measures for dialysis patients as part of the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) beginning in payment year (PY) 2012. The annual ESRD Prospective Payment System (PPS) rulemaking process allows CMS to create ESRD QIP rules that specify the measures, scoring methods, and payment reduction ranges applicable to the respective PY. CMS assesses each facility's performance and calculates a score for each measure, according to the method detailed for that PY. Scores for each measure are combined to create the Total Performance Score (TPS) for each facility. If a facility's TPS does not meet or exceed the performance standards established during the earlier comparison period, the facility will incur a payment reduction of up to 2% for the entire PY. The QIP program has evolved over the several years since its inception. There have been deletions and additions of various measures. CMS uses additional measures in its Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) website which is available to the public and forms the basis of the 5‐star rating system for dialysis facilities. The evidence underlying inclusion many of these measures in the QIP and DFC remains an area of debate. In this review, we discuss the evolution of these measures and their appropriateness. We recommend that some of the current QIP and DFC measures should not be used for public reporting and/or payment as unintended consequences may occur. Nonetheless, all the current QIP and DFC measures and others are suitable for internal quality review.
Does parental mental health moderate the effect of a telephone and internet‐assisted remote parent training for disruptive 4‐year‐old children?
Authors: Fossum Sturla , Cunningham Charles , Ristkari Terja , McGrath Patrick J. , Hinkka‐Yli‐Salomäki Susanna , Sourander Andre
Published: February 2018

This study explores the moderators affecting the success of an Internet‐based and telephone assisted remote parent training intervention and compares them to an educational control group. We prospectively identified 464 parents who reported at a health check that their 4‐year‐old children showed elevated levels of externalizing behavior. The moderators explored included parental attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and parental distress. The dependent variables were child externalization scores and self‐reported parenting skills. The measures were completed at baseline, six and 12‐months follow‐up. The 232 families randomized to active treatment received 11 Internet‐based training sessions with weekly phone calls from a coach. The other 232 families had access to a website that provided general positive parenting advice and one 45‐minute phone‐call from a coach. Using hierarchical linear models, we explored if the parental ADHD or parental distress modified the treatment effects on child externalizing behavior or parenting skills. The results showed that none of the independent variables moderated intervention effects on child externalizing behavior or parenting skills. The lack of significant moderator effects could have been due to the treatment's personalization, the format's flexibility and adaptability to when and how the parents wanted to complete the sessions or the relatively low levels of ADHD and parental distress among the participants.
Approaching The Double‐Nominal Construction In Mandarin Chinese Through The Semantic‐Cognitive Interaction
Authors: Sun Kun
Published: February 2018

The double‐nominal construction (DNC), also called ‘topic construction’, is a common occurrence in Chinese and other East Asian languages. It is characterized by two initial NPs which appear before the predicate verb. The construction has mostly been analyzed using the syntactic angle singly approach. The topic (the initial nominal phrase, abbreviated as NP1) needs to syntactically establish some connection with the comment (the rest of the construction) but this has, unfortunately, not been the case due to numerous counterexamples. This construction is so complex that other factors have to be taken into account. This paper addresses the major concern about the problem of the two Initial NPs’ transposition in various DNCs, an area that does not appear to have previously been sufficiently explored. Compared with other languages, the transposition of two initial NPs in DNC is unique to Chinese. The transposition with two initial NPs in each type of DNC performs quite differently, so we should make finer classification for DNC reasonably. In order to propose reasonable classification of DNC, we need to clarify the relationship between NP1 and the rest of the construction. Meanwhile, in order to tackle the problem of the two NPs’ transposition in a special type of DNC called dangling topic construction, we propose a more reasonable and precise interpretation of the relationship between topic and comment in this construction using the event‐based model and the event integration. This study shows how, depending on the syntactic‐semantic behavior of NP1, Chinese DNCs can be classified into three types. Finally, based on the three types of DNC proposed, a semantic‐cognitive interaction helps to explain and resolve the problem of NPs’ transposition for each type. This study, therefore, provides a unified and more developed account of Chinese DNC. Consequently, a semantic‐cognitive approach is likely to shed more light on the notion of topic construction and help understand how Chinese native speakers comprehend its structure and construct the meaning.
O– product transfusion, inventory management, and utilization during shortage: the OPTIMUS study
Authors: Dunbar Nancy M. , Yazer Mark H. ,   the OPTIMUS Study Investigators on behalf of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND

Despite conservation strategies, shortages of O– red blood cells (RBCs) occur. The goal of this study was to determine how utilization of O– RBCs can be reduced using age‐ and location‐based O+ substitution for routine transfusions in O– patients during O– shortages.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Recipient age and ABO and D group were obtained for allogeneic RBC transfusions during the 2016 calendar year from 31 participating centers. ABO and D group of each RBC unit was compared to that of the recipient to determine the number of O– RBC units transfused to all patients, the number of RBC units transfused to O– patients, and the number of O– RBC units transfused to O– patients. O– RBC transfusions to O– patients were further analyzed by patient age and location.

RESULTS

The fraction of all transfused RBCs that were O– at the participating centers ranged from 3.0% to 13.9%. The percentage of O– RBCs transfused to O– patients ranged from 36.6% to 93.7%. Hospitals differed in the frequency of issuing O– RBCs for O– patient transfusions (55.9%‐100%). Relative to current issuing practice, overall use of O– RBCs could have been reduced by 44.5% if O+ units had been given to all O– patients at least 50 years old, 9.9% for all O– patients at least 80 years old, or 8.7% for all O– critical care patients at least 50 years old.

CONCLUSION

During O– shortages, O+ switching rules based on the recipient's age and hospital location can be applied for routine transfusions to ensure the availability of O– RBC units for O– females of childbearing age.
Swedish Business Leaders Prospecting Sustainability – Finding the Future with Purpose, Systems Approach, Empathy & Transformation
Authors: Hallin Johanna , Mantel Nathalie Ahlstedt
Published: February 2018

In this report, we are continuing the discussion on the conclusions from the article “The Inter Business Index: Developing a Tool for Measurement and Comparability of Holistic Sustainability in Businesses” that was published in May 2017 by Hallin et al (2017) and claim that there is need for a new perspective that bring sustainability to a new level – that might be more successful at solving our shared global problems. In an attempt to understand business sustainability and its journey from early day CSR initiatives – towards being a central part of business strategy, we have looked at the structures and strategies companies use to understand sustainability, via reporting and profitable models. To deeper understand the importance of leadership and mindset in regard to sustainability, we have examined how the Inter Business Principles of purpose, empathy, system approach and transformation applies to the sustainability challenges leaders are facing today. Through dialogue with business leaders in Sweden and literature on business sustainability, we have identified leadership and investors as keys for corporate sustainability to take its next step.
Rate modulation detection thresholds for cochlear implant users
Authors: Brochier Tim , McKay Colette , McDermott Hugh
Published: February 2018

The perception of temporal amplitude modulations is critical for speech understanding by cochlear implant (CI) users. The present study compared the ability of CI users to detect sinusoidal modulations of the electrical stimulation rate and current level, at different presentation levels (80% and 40% of the dynamic range) and modulation frequencies (10 and 100 Hz). Rate modulation detection thresholds (RMDTs) and amplitude modulation detection thresholds (AMDTs) were measured and compared to assess whether there was a perceptual advantage to either modulation method. Both RMDTs and AMDTs improved with increasing presentation level and decreasing modulation frequency. RMDTs and AMDTs were correlated, indicating that a common processing mechanism may underlie the perception of rate modulation and amplitude modulation, or that some subject-dependent factors affect both types of modulation detection.
Correlation of the Aptian Naskapi Member of the Scotian Basin and its regional implications
Authors: Chavez Isabel , Piper David J.W. , Pe-Piper Georgia
Published: February 2018

The Naskapi Member of the Logan Canyon Formation, a 150 m thick shale-dominated unit, lies in between sand-dominated units of Upper Missisauga Formation below and the Cree Member above. The great decrease in sediment supply has been suggested as due to tectonic and (or) eustatic sea-level changes. Wireline logs and recent biostratigraphy of 30 wells from the Scotian Shelf and Georges Bank, mudstone geochemistry from the Naskapi and Cree Members, and modal composition and chemical variation of detrital heavy minerals in sandstones were examined to better understand the deposition of the Naskapi Member and its regional implications. Minor sandy intervals at the base of the Naskapi Member were correlated based on gamma and sonic log signatures from the type section in the Cree E-35 well to progressively more distant wells, on the assumption that the sands represent periods of lowered eustatic sea level. Correlation was confirmed by the distribution of highstand black shales in washed cuttings and biostratigraphic markers identified in some wells. The geochemistry of mudstones from the Naskapi Member resembles mudstones sourced from the Meguma Terrane, except for a higher abundance of elements likely reworked in smaller amounts from the Upper Missisauga Formation. Based on the correlation and geochemistry of mudstones and detrital minerals, we suggest the diversion of Sable River through the Gulf of St. Lawrence to either the Orphan Basin or towards western Canada was responsible for the decrease of sediment supply in the Scotian Basin during the deposition of the Naskapi Member shales.
Decoherence decay time and thermal distributions for quadratic quantum Lagrangians
Authors: Musavi Zahra
Published: February 2018

Quantum propagator for a general quadratic Lagrangian is obtained using position and momentum operators in Heisenberg picture and properties of propagators. For a quantum system governed by a general quadratic Lagrangian containing external forces, decoherence decay time, thermal distribution functions, and thermal Wigner function are obtained in high temperature and weak coupling regime.
Randomness in modified general relativity theory: The stochastic f(R) gravity model
Authors: Shushi Tomer
Published: February 2018

We consider a stochastic modification of the f(R) gravity models, and provide its important properties, including the gravity field equations for the model. We show a prediction in which particles are localized by a system of random gravitational potentials. As an important special case, we investigate a gravity model in the presence of a small stochastic space–time perturbation and provide its gravity field equations. Using the proposed model we examine the stochastic quantum mechanics interpretation, and obtain a novel Schrödinger equation with gravitational potential that is based on diffusion in a gravitational field. Furthermore, we provide a new interpretation to the wavefunction collapse. It seems that the stochastic f(R) gravity model causes decoherence of the spatial superposition state of particles.
Multi-Stability, Limit Cycles, and Period-Doubling Bifurcation with Reaction Systems
Authors: Azimi Sepinoud , Panchal Charmi , Mizera Andrzej , Petre Ion
Published: February 2018

Quantitative models may exhibit sophisticated behaviour that includes having multiple steady states, bistability, limit cycles, and period-doubling bifurcation. Such behaviour is typically driven by the numerical dynamics of the model, where the values of various numerical parameters play the crucial role. We introduce in this paper natural correspondents of these concepts to reaction systems modelling, a framework based on elementary set theoretical, forbidding/enforcing-based mechanisms. We construct several reaction systems models exhibiting these properties.
Shifting in optoelectronic properties from pure K2O and Rb2O compounds to their V- and Cr-doped alloys
Authors: Monir Mohammed El Amine , Ullah Hayat , Baltach Hadj , Mouchaal Younes , Merabiha Omar , Bahnes Aicha , Rached Djamel
Published: February 2018

First principle calculations within the density functional theory (DFT) have been used in this approach to study the electronic and optical properties of vanadium (V) and chromium (Cr) doped K2O and Rb2O compounds. Based on the structure properties reported in our previous work, the study of electronic and optoelectronic properties of V- and Cr-doped K2O and Rb2O alloys have been vastly investigated. K2O and Rb2O are found to be semiconductors while their V- and Cr-alloys are metallic in nature. The optical functions like complex dielectric constant, complex index of refraction, absorption coefficient, and reflectivity of these alloys are computed and compared with those of pure K2O and Rb2O compounds. It has been shown that due to TM-doping (TM = V and Cr transition metals), many distinguished peaks appeared in the lower energy part (infrared) of the spectrum. The negative value of [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) in this energy range confirmed the metallic behavior of these alloys. Furthermore, the frequency-dependent optical conductivity is also predicted in the entire spectrum, where it increases with increasing photon energy for all the studied alloys. The significant results of [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) predict that all these compounds are useful in different optoelectronic applications in a wide part of the spectrum (between 13 eV and 27 eV).
Categorical Morita equivalence and monoidal Morita equivalence of semisimple Hopf algebras of dimension pqr
Authors: Yu Zhiqiang
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we describe the Galois objects for semisimple Hopf algebras of dimension [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] are distinct primes. We show that each of these Hopf algebras has only one trivial Galois object, so that they are pairwise twist inequivalent; equivalently, they are not monoidally Morita equivalent to each other. Moreover, we determine the categorical and monoidal Morita equivalence classes of these Hopf algebras.
Study of the algebra of smooth integro-differential operators with applications
Authors: Haghany A. , Kassaian Adel
Published: February 2018

We study the algebra of integro-differential operators with smooth coefficients and kernels on a subspace of [Formula: see text]. We find a normal form for elements of this algebra and determine its unit group. The formulation of inverses gives explicit solutions of inhomogeneous linear Volterra integro-differential equations and Volterra integral equations of first kind with smooth kernels.
Noncommutative frames
Authors: Cvetko-Vah Karin
Published: February 2018

We explore algebraic properties of noncommutative frames. The concept of noncommutative frame is due to Le Bruyn, who introduced it in connection with noncommutative covers of the Connes–Consani arithmetic site.
Graded integral domains in which each nonzero homogeneous t-ideal is divisorial
Authors: Chang Gyu Whan , Hamdi Haleh , Sahandi Parviz
Published: February 2018

Let [Formula: see text] be a nonzero commutative cancellative monoid (written additively), [Formula: see text] be a [Formula: see text]-graded integral domain with [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we study graded integral domains in which each nonzero homogeneous [Formula: see text]-ideal (respectively, homogeneous [Formula: see text]-ideal) is divisorial. Among other things, we show that if [Formula: see text] is integrally closed, then [Formula: see text] is a P[Formula: see text]MD in which each nonzero homogeneous [Formula: see text]-ideal is divisorial if and only if each nonzero ideal of [Formula: see text] is divisorial, if and only if each nonzero homogeneous [Formula: see text]-ideal of [Formula: see text] is divisorial.
Prime uniserial modules and rings
Authors: Behboodi M. , Fazelpour Z.
Published: February 2018

We define prime uniserial modules as a generalization of uniserial modules. We say that an [Formula: see text]-module [Formula: see text] is prime uniserial ([Formula: see text]-uniserial) if its prime submodules are linearly ordered by inclusion, and we say that [Formula: see text] is prime serial ([Formula: see text]-serial) if it is a direct sum of [Formula: see text]-uniserial modules. The goal of this paper is to study [Formula: see text]-serial modules over commutative rings. First, we study the structure [Formula: see text]-serial modules over almost perfect domains and then we determine the structure of [Formula: see text]-serial modules over Dedekind domains. Moreover, we discuss the following natural questions: “Which rings have the property that every module is [Formula: see text]-serial?” and “Which rings have the property that every finitely generated module is [Formula: see text]-serial?”.
Primitive characters of maximal subgroups of M-groups
Authors: Zheng Huijuan , Chang Huimin , Jin Ping
Published: February 2018

Let [Formula: see text] be a maximal subgroup of an [Formula: see text]-group [Formula: see text] with odd index and let [Formula: see text] be primitive. Lewis proved in this situation that [Formula: see text] divides [Formula: see text], and Isaacs and Wilde further refined this result by showing that either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we present an independent and simpler proof for these remarkable results and thereby obtain more detailed information regarding the structure of the group [Formula: see text] and the primitive character [Formula: see text]. In particular, [Formula: see text] is strongly irreducible in the sense of Brauer.
A Simple Explicit–Implicit Time-Marching Technique for Wave Propagation Analysis
Authors: Soares Delfim
Published: February 2018

A new explicit–implicit time integration technique is proposed here for wave propagation analysis. In the present formulation, the time integrators of the model are selected at the element level, allowing each element to be considered as explicit or implicit. In the implicit elements, controllable algorithm dissipation is provided, enabling an [Formula: see text]-stable formulation. In the explicit elements, null amplitude decay is considered, enabling maximal critical time-step values. The new methodology renders a very simple and effective time-marching algorithm. Here, just displacement–velocity relations are considered, and no computation of accelerations is required. Moreover, explicit/implicit analyses can be carried out just by the tuning of local effective matrices, inputting or not stiffness matrices into their computations. At the end of the paper, numerical results are presented, illustrating the performance and potentialities of the new method.
Common Weak Linear Copositive Lyapunov Functions for Positive Switched Linear Systems
Authors: Sun Yuangong , Wu Zhaorong , Meng Fanwei
Published: February 2018

Lyapunov functions play a key role in the stability analysis of complex systems. In this paper, we study the existence of a class of common weak linear copositive Lyapunov functions (CWCLFs) for positive switched linear systems (PSLSs) which generalize the conventional common linear copositive Lyapunov functions (CLCLFs) and can be used as handy tool to deal with the stability of PSLSs not covered by CLCLFs. We not only establish necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of CWCLFs but also clearly describe the algebraic structure of all CWCLFs. Numerical examples are also given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Electrospun 4th-Generation Solid Dispersions of Poorly Water-Soluble Drug Utilizing Two Different Processes
Authors: Zhang Zhu , Li Wenbing , Wang Guanghua , Qu Yang-Lu , Yu Deng-Guang
Published: February 2018

Different from traditional solid dispersion (SD) for improving the dissolution rates of poorly water-soluble drugs, the upgraded 4th SD was developed to furnish a drug sustained-release profile. In this work, two different kinds of 4th SDs were fabricated using two electrospinning processes. One is a ternary SD (nanofibers F2) that consisted of ethyl cellulose (EC), polyethylene glycol 1000 (PEG), and tamoxifen citrate (TAM) from a modified coaxial process, and the other is a binary SD (nanofibers F1) which is comprised of EC and TAM from a single-fluid blending process. Scanning electronic microscopic observations demonstrated that F2 (330±50 nm) showed a better quality than F1 (870±230 nm) in terms of size and size distribution although both of them had a smooth surface morphology and a cross section. X-ray diffraction patterns verified that both SDs were amorphous nanocomposites owing to the favorable secondary interactions among these components, as suggested from the results of FTIR. In vitro dissolution experiments indicated that F2 could furnish an improved drug sustained-release characteristics compared to F1, exhausting all the contained TAM and having weaker leveling-off late release. The molecular behaviors of drug sustained-release from the binary 4th SD were suggested. The protocols reported here paved an alternative way for developing novel functional nanomaterials for effective delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs.
Inhibition of RAD51 by siRNA and Resveratrol Sensitizes Cancer Stem Cells Derived from HeLa Cell Cultures to Apoptosis
Authors: Ruíz Graciela , Valencia-González Heriberto A. , León-Galicia Ismael , García-Villa Enrique , García-Carrancá Alejandro , Gariglio Patricio
Published: February 2018

Cervical cancer is the second most frequent tumor type in women worldwide with cases developing clinical recurrence, metastasis, and chemoresistance. The cancer stem cells (CSC) may be implicated in tumor resistance to therapy. RESveratrol (RES), a natural compound, is an antioxidant with multiple beneficial activities. We previously determined that the expression of RAD51 is decreased by RES. The aim of our study was to examine molecular mechanism by which CSC from HeLa cultures exhibit chemoresistance. We hypothesized CSC repair more efficiently DNA breaks and that RAD51 plays an important role in this mechanism. We found that CSC, derived from cervical cancer cell lines, overexpress RAD51 and are less sensitive to Etoposide (VP16). We inhibited RAD51 in CSC-enriched cultures using RES or siRNA against RAD51 messenger RNA and observed a decrease in cell viability and induction of apoptosis when treated simultaneously with VP16. In addition, we found that inhibition of RAD51 expression using RES also sensitizes CSC to VP16 treatment. Our results suggest that resveratrol is effective to sensitize cervical CSC because of RAD51 inhibition, targeting high RAD51 expressing CD49f-positive cells, which supports the possible therapeutic application of RES as a novel agent to treat cancer.
Gut Microbial Changes, Interactions, and Their Implications on Human Lifecycle: An Ageing Perspective
Authors: Vemuri Ravichandra , Gundamaraju Rohit , Shastri Madhur D. , Shukla Shakti Dhar , Kalpurath Krishnakumar , Ball Madeleine , Tristram Stephen , Shankar Esaki M. , Ahuja Kiran , Eri Rajaraman
Published: February 2018

Gut microbiota is established during birth and evolves with age, mostly maintaining the commensal relationship with the host. A growing body of clinical evidence suggests an intricate relationship between the gut microbiota and the immune system. With ageing, the gut microbiota develops significant imbalances in the major phyla such as the anaerobic Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes as well as a diverse range of facultative organisms, resulting in impaired immune responses. Antimicrobial therapy is commonly used for the treatment of infections; however, this may also result in the loss of normal gut flora. Advanced age, antibiotic use, underlying diseases, infections, hormonal differences, circadian rhythm, and malnutrition, either alone or in combination, contribute to the problem. This nonbeneficial gastrointestinal modulation may be reversed by judicious and controlled use of antibiotics and the appropriate use of prebiotics and probiotics. In certain persistent, recurrent settings, the option of faecal microbiota transplantation can be explored. The aim of the current review is to focus on the establishment and alteration of gut microbiota, with ageing. The review also discusses the potential role of gut microbiota in regulating the immune system, together with its function in healthy and diseased state.
Regeneration of Tracheal Tissue in Partial Defects Using Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa
Authors: Bergonse Neto Nelson , Jorge Lianna Ferrari , Francisco Julio C. , Erbano Bruna Olandoski , Barboza Barbara Evelin Gonçalves , da Silva Larissa Luvison Gomes , Olandoski Marcia , de Carvalho Katherine Athayde Teixeira , Moreira Luiz Felipe Pinho , Faria Neto Jose Rocha , Abdelwahid Eltyeb , Guarita-Souza Luiz Cesar
Published: February 2018

Background. Surgical correction of tracheal defects is a complex procedure when the gold standard treatment with primary end-to-end anastomosis is not possible. An alternative treatment may be the use of porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS). It has been used as graft material for bioengineering applications and to promote tissue regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SIS grafts improved tracheal tissue regeneration in a rabbit model of experimental tracheostomy. Methods. Sixteen rabbits were randomized into two groups. Animals in the control group underwent only surgical tracheostomy, while animals in the SIS group underwent surgical tracheostomy with an SIS graft covering the defect. We examined tissues at the site of tracheostomy 60 days after surgery using histological analysis with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and analyzed the perimeter and area of the defect with Image-Pro® PLUS 4.5 (Media Cybernetics). Results. The average perimeter and area of the defects were smaller by 15.3% (p=0.034) and 21.8% (p=0.151), respectively, in the SIS group than in the control group. Histological analysis revealed immature cartilage, pseudostratified ciliated epithelium, and connective tissue in 54.5% (p=0.018) of the SIS group, while no cartilaginous regeneration was observed in the control group. Conclusions. Although tracheal SIS engraftment could not prevent stenosis in a rabbit model of tracheal injury, it produced some remarkable changes, efficiently facilitating neovascularization, reepithelialization, and neoformation of immature cartilage.
Research on a 3D Predator‐Prey Evolutionary System in Real Estate Market
Authors: Yang Yujing , Tang Wenzhe
Published: February 2018

This paper establishes a model on the upstream and downstream relationship among private enterprises, provincial and local officials, and the central government in the real estate market using the population ecology theory of mutual relations among individual species from the perspective of business ecosystem. A dynamic model is introduced and the complex dynamical behaviors of such a predator‐prey model are investigated by means of numerical simulation. The local stability conditions and complex dynamics are investigated, and the existence of chaos is discussed in the sense of Marotto theorem; bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponents, sensitivity analysis for initial values, and time history figure of the system are mapped out and discussed. This shows that there are two routes to complicated dynamics, one of which is the cascade of flip bifurcations resulting in periodic cycles (and chaos), and the other one is Neimark‐Sacker bifurcation which produces attractive invariant closed curves. We arrive at conclusions that the phenomenon of chaos is harmful to private enterprises, and unstable behavior is often unfavorable. Thus, linear feedback control is applied to drive the model to a stable state when the system exhibits chaotic behaviors, achieving the goal of eliminating the negative effects to a large extent.
The Dynamic Cross‐Correlations between Mass Media News, New Media News, and Stock Returns
Authors: Zhang Zuochao , Zhang Yongjie , Shen Dehua , Zhang Wei
Published: February 2018

We investigate the dynamic cross‐correlations between mass media news, new media news, and stock returns for the SSE 50 Index in Chinese stock market by employing the MF‐DCCA method. The empirical results show that (1) there exist power‐law cross‐correlations between two types of news as well as between news and its corresponding SSE 50 Index return; (2) the cross‐correlations between mass media news and SSE 50 Index returns show larger multifractality and more complicated structures; (3) mass media news and new media news have both complementary and competitive relationships; (4) with the rolling window analysis, we further find that there is a general increasing trend for the cross‐correlations between the two types of news as well as the cross‐correlations between news and returns and this trend becomes more persistent over time.
Particle Directional Conveyance under Longitudinal Vibration by considering the Trough Surface Texture: Numerical Simulation Based on the Discrete Element Method
Authors: Chen Huazhi , Jiang Shengyuan , Liu Rongkai , Zhang Weiwei
Published: February 2018

Particles can move directionally in a trough with finlike asperities under longitudinal vibrations. Here, we present an analysis of the particle conveyance mechanism and the influence of the asperity shape on the particle conveyance capacity by employing a numerical simulation based on the discrete element method (DEM). A dynamic‐static matching method is proposed to characterize the three microcontact parameters in the simulation: the restitution coefficient, static friction coefficient, and rolling friction coefficient. The simulation shows that the asymmetric force induced by the finlike asperities and its cumulative effect over time lead to the particle directional conveyance. The conveyance velocity increases with increasing vibration time and is related to the median coordination number. The asperity height and slope inclination angles determine the trough shape and distance between two asperities directly. An undersized or oversized distance reduces the steady conveyance velocity. We find the optimal distance to be between one and two particle diameters.
Functions and Signaling Pathways of Amino Acids in Intestinal Inflammation
Authors: He Fang , Wu Chenlu , Li Pan , Li Nengzhang , Zhang Dong , Zhu Quoqiang , Ren Wenkai , Peng Yuanyi
Published: February 2018

Intestine is always exposed to external environment and intestinal microorganism; thus it is more sensitive to dysfunction and dysbiosis, leading to intestinal inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and diarrhea. An increasing number of studies indicate that dietary amino acids play significant roles in preventing and treating intestinal inflammation. The review aims to summarize the functions and signaling mechanisms of amino acids in intestinal inflammation. Amino acids, including essential amino acids (EAAs), conditionally essential amino acids (CEAAs), and nonessential amino acids (NEAAs), improve the functions of intestinal barrier and expressions of anti-inflammatory cytokines and tight junction proteins but decrease oxidative stress and the apoptosis of enterocytes as well as the expressions of proinflammatory cytokines in the intestinal inflammation. The functions of amino acids are associated with various signaling pathways, including mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2), general controlled nonrepressed kinase 2 (GCN2), and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).
Piper-PCA-Fisher Recognition Model of Water Inrush Source: A Case Study of the Jiaozuo Mining Area
Authors: Huang Pinghua , Wang Xinyi
Published: February 2018

Source discrimination of mine water plays an important role in guiding mine water prevention in mine water management. To accurately determine water inrush source from a mine in the Jiaozuo mining area, a Piper trilinear diagram based on hydrochemical experimental data of stratified underground water in the area was utilized to determine typical water samples. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction of conventional hydrochemical variables, after which mutually independent variables were extracted. The Piper-PCA-Fisher water inrush source recognition model was established by combining the Piper trilinear diagram and Fisher discrimination theory. Screened typical samples were used to conduct back-discriminate verification of the model. Results showed that 28 typical water samples in different aquifers were determined through the Piper trilinear diagram as a water sample set for training. Before PCA was carried out, the first five factors covered 98.92% of the information quantity of the original data and could effectively represent the data information of the original samples. During the one-by-one rediscrimination process of 28 groups of training samples using the Piper-PCA-Fisher water inrush source model, 100% correct discrimination rate was achieved. During the prediction and discrimination process of 13 samples, one water sample was misdiscriminated; hence, the correct prediscrimination rate was 92.3%. Compared with the traditional Fisher water source recognition model, the Piper-PCA-Fisher water source recognition model established in this study had higher accuracy in both rediscrimination and prediscrimination processes. Thus it had a strong ability to discriminate water inrush sources.
Post-Transcriptional Control of Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Regulates Osteosarcoma Cell Death
Authors: Zhao Yue , Xu Kaicheng , Liu Peng
Published: February 2018

Background/Aims: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in the tumorigenesis of osteosarcoma (OS). However, the effects of miR-1248 on chemo-resistant potential of OS have not been studied. Here, we addressed this question. Methods: The levels of miR-1248 and apoptotic protein angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1) in OS specimens were examined by RT-qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. The relationship between miR-1248 and AGTR1 was determined by analysis of Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficients. The patient survival was determined with Kaplan-Meier curves. Bioinformatics analyses were done to predict microRNAs (miRNAs) that target AGTR1. The functional binding of miRNAs to AGTR1 mRNA was examined by a dual luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability was determined by an CCK-8 assay. Apoptosis was determined by a fluorescence-based apoptosis assay. Results: The levels of miR-1248 were significantly elevated while the levels of AGTR1 were significantly decreased in OS specimens than in paired adjacent normal tissue. The levels of miR-1248 were negatively correlated to the levels of AGTR1. Moreover, the patients with high miR-1248 levels had poorer survival than those with low MiR-1248 levels, and the patients with low AGTR1 levels had poorer survival than those with high AGTR1 levels. MiR-1248 inhibited protein translation of AGTR1, through binding to the 3’-UTR of the AGTR1 mRNA. The AGTR1-mediated cell apoptosis was suppressed by overexpressing miR-1248, and was augmented by depleting miR-1248. Conclusion: Increased miR-1248 expression in OS may inhibit AGTR1-mediated cancer cell death in chemotherapy. The outcome of chemotherapy may be improved by the suppression of miR-1248 in OS cells.
Imagery of German as a foreign language learners and the disciplinary knowledge
Authors: Arantes Poliana Coeli Costa
Published: February 2018

The aim of this article is to analyse the construction of learners’ discoursive images by mapping the summaries presented in textbooks of German as a Foreign Language (ALE). Therefore, we aim to investigate how these constructions anticipate the kind of insertion that this learner would have / could occupy in this community of production / circulation of texts in the target language. Seen in these terms, the theoretical framework is constructed from the articulation between the polyphonic perspective of language (BAKHTIN, 2011), the notion of discursive practices (FOUCAULT, 2004, MAINGUENEAU, 2008), the disciplining of knowledge (FOUCAULT, 2002) and the relevance of such articulation for a critique of Applied Linguistics from Rocha and Daher (2015). Through the analysis of German as a foreign language textbooks, we observe the construction of a learner image that seems to draw him/her out of situations of interaction, considering him/her as a spectator, who will be responsible for repeating sentences and structures determined by an artificial simulation of communicative situations, rather than allowing him/her spaces of interaction and insertion in these situations. In addition, the materials communicate an image of a learner-consumer-tourist, interested in learning German to make trips, a reality that is distant from the majority of Brazilian learners.
The other in Leyla, by Feridun Zaimoglu
Authors: Mathias Dionei
Published: February 2018

Feridun Zaimoglu is one of the most important writers in German language to introduce the history and the experiences of immigrants and their forefathers in their literary texts. The novel Leyla, published in 2006, is a paradigmatic example, since its fictional universe presents a temporal configuration that precedes the arrival of the Turkish immigrant in Germany. This article aims to discuss the novel in two aspects: the genesis of a voice in spaces with power imbalance and, on the other side, the genesis of an image of the other in the characters’ personal universe.
Pollination ecology of Merremia tridentata (L.) Hallier f. (Convolvulaceae)
Authors: Lakshminarayana G. , Raju A.J. Solomon
Published: February 2018

Merremia tridentata is a twining and prostrate herb.  The flowers are campanulate, bisexual, weakly protandrous, self-compatible and facultative autogamous.  The forager guilds indicate that thripsophily, melittophily and psychophily are functional pollination syndromes.  Ballistichory, anemochory and hydrochory are the seed dispersal modes.  Seeds germinate as soon as they reach the ground if the soil has sufficient moisture or else they remain dormant and germinate during the rainy season.  Such seed dispersal modes and flexible germination responses enable the plant to invade and colonize new areas.  Further, the plant with perennial woody root stock stays alive during the dry season, sprouts back to life during the rainy season to re-start its life cycle.  The dual modes of regeneration enable the plant to form extensive herbaceous cover and bind the soil effectively.  Therefore, the plant is an important soil binder and useful at controlling soil erosion.
Desmin Phosphorylation Triggers Preamyloid Oligomers Formation and Myocyte Dysfunction in Acquired Heart Failure
Authors: Rainer Peter P. , Dong Peihong , Sorge Matteo , Fert-Bober Justyna , Holewinski Ronald J. , Wang Yuchuan , Foss Catherine A. , An Steven S. , Baracca Alessandra , Solaini Giancarlo , Glabe Charles G. , Pomper Martin G. , Van Eyk Jennifer E. , Tomaselli Gordon F. , Paolocci Nazareno , Agnetti Giulio
Published: February 2018

Rationale:

Disrupted proteostasis is one major pathological trait that heart failure (HF) shares with other organ proteinopathies, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases. Yet, differently from the latter, whether and how cardiac preamyloid oligomers (PAOs) develop in acquired forms of HF is unclear.

Objective:

We previously reported a rise in monophosphorylated, aggregate-prone desmin in canine and human HF. We now tested whether monophosphorylated desmin acts as the seed nucleating PAOs formation and determined whether positron emission tomography is able to detect myocardial PAOs in nongenetic HF.

Methods and Results:

Here, we first show that toxic cardiac PAOs accumulate in the myocardium of mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction and that PAOs comigrate with the cytoskeletal protein desmin in this well-established model of acquired HF. We confirm this evidence in cardiac extracts from human ischemic and nonischemic HF. We also demonstrate that Ser31 phosphorylated desmin aggregates extensively in cultured cardiomyocytes. Lastly, we were able to detect the in vivo accumulation of cardiac PAOs using positron emission tomography for the first time in acquired HF.

Conclusions:

Ser31 phosphorylated desmin is a likely candidate seed for the nucleation process leading to cardiac PAOs deposition. Desmin post-translational processing and misfolding constitute a new, attractive avenue for the diagnosis and treatment of the cardiac accumulation of toxic PAOs that can now be measured by positron emission tomography in acquired HF.
The Wallflower Order and Social Reproduction: Gender, Work, and Feminist Dance
Authors: Mckeon Olive
Published: February 2018

Emerging out of the women’s liberation movements of the 1970s, a group of dancers founded the Wallflower Order Dance Collective (1975–1984), one of the first explicitly feminist dance groups in the US. It’s clear from looking at the networks of support set up for creating their work, their collective process, and their eventual split, that the Wallflower Order embodies the contradictions of social reproduction.
Erykah Badu’s Ambulatory Acts
Authors: Brown Kimberly Juanita
Published: February 2018

When black women enter public space acts of retrieval and reproduction are possible. R&B singer and performer Erykah Badu took as her public space Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Texas. In her “Window Seat” music video Badu follows the route of JFK’s motorcade, bridging together history and geography while also making visible black women’s ambulatory actions.
Generational Schism, Fannie Lou Hamer, and the Future of Protest
Authors: McGinley Paige A.
Published: February 2018

A couple of days after the 2016 election, poet Treasure Shields Redmond responded to a prompt asking about “the future of protest” by channeling a figure from protests past. In so doing she challenged the prevailing models of the relationship between Black Lives Matter activists and their generational elders.
Street Theatre East of Eden: The 10th International Street Theatre Festival in Mariwan, Iran
Authors: Paterson Doug
Published: February 2018

The 10th International Street Theatre Festival in Mariwan, Iran, featured performances by both local and international companies, along with workshops on Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed.