bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
miRNA‐23a/27a attenuates muscle atrophy and renal fibrosis through muscle‐kidney crosstalk
Authors: Zhang Aiqing , Li Min , Wang Bin , Klein Janet D. , Price S. Russ , Wang Xiaonan H.
Published: March 2018

Background

The treatment of muscle wasting is accompanied by benefits in other organs, possibly resulting from muscle–organ crosstalk. However, how the muscle communicates with these organs is less understood. Two microRNAs (miRs), miR‐23a and miR‐27a, are located together in a gene cluster and regulate proteins that are involved in the atrophy process. MiR‐23a/27a has been shown to reduce muscle wasting and act as an anti‐fibrotic agent. We hypothesized that intramuscular injection of miR‐23a/27a would counteract both muscle wasting and renal fibrosis lesions in a streptozotocin‐induced diabetic model.

Methods

We generated an adeno‐associated virus (AAV) that overexpresses the miR‐23a∼27a∼24‐2 precursor RNA and injected it into the tibialis anterior muscle of streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice. Muscle cross‐section area (immunohistology plus software measurement) and muscle function (grip strength) were used to evaluate muscle atrophy. Fibrosis‐related proteins were measured by western blot to monitor renal damage. In some cases, AAV‐GFP was used to mimic the miR movement in vivo, allowing us to track organ redistribution by using the Xtreme Imaging System.

Results

The injection of AAV‐miR‐23a/27a increased the levels of miR‐23a and miR‐27a as well as increased phosphorylated Akt, attenuated the levels of FoxO1 and PTEN proteins, and reduced the abundance of TRIM63/MuRF1 and FBXO32/atrogin‐1 in skeletal muscles. It also decreased myostatin mRNA and protein levels as well as the levels of phosphorylated pSMAD2/3. Provision of miR‐23a/27a attenuates the diabetes‐induced reduction of muscle cross‐sectional area and muscle function. Curiously, the serum BUN of diabetic animals was reduced in mice undergoing the miR‐23a/27a intervention. Renal fibrosis, evaluated by Masson trichromatic staining, was also decreased as were kidney levels of phosphorylated SMAD2/3, alpha smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, and collagen. In diabetic mice injected intramuscularly with AAV‐GFP, GFP fluorescence levels in the kidneys showed linear correlation with the levels in injected muscle when examined by linear regression. Following intramuscular injection of AAV‐miR‐23a∼27a∼24‐2, the levels of miR‐23a and miR‐27a in serum exosomes and kidney were significantly increased compared with samples from control virus‐injected mice; however, no viral DNA was detected in the kidney.

Conclusions

We conclude that overexpression of miR‐23a/27a in muscle prevents diabetes‐induced muscle cachexia and attenuates renal fibrosis lesions via muscle–kidney crosstalk. Further, this crosstalk involves movement of miR potentially through muscle originated exosomes and serum distribution without movement of AAV. These results could provide new approaches for developing therapeutic strategies for diabetic nephropathy with muscle wasting.
Relationship between fetal peak systolic velocity in Middle cerebral artery and umbilical blood gas values and hemoglobin levels in diabetic pregnant women
Authors: Kutuk Mehmet S. , Dolanbay Mehmet , Gokmen Karasu Ayse F. , Ozgun Mahmut T.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

To assess the relationship between peak systolic velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCA‐PSV) and fetal hypoxia in diabetic pregnant women requiring insulin therapy.

Methods

The data of diabetic pregnant women using insulin who were followed in our departments were reviewed retrospectively. The relationships between MCA‐PSV and umbilical cord pO2, pCO2, base deficit, hemoglobin, and birth weight were analyzed.

Results

A total of 120 cases were included in the final analysis. The median (Q1‐ Q3) gestational age at Doppler evaluation was 37 weeks 3 days (37–38 weeks and 2 days), and the mean ± SD gestational age at delivery was 38 weeks 4 days ± 3days. The mean ± SD hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level was 5.7% ± 1.0% and, median (Q1–Q3) daily total insulin dose was 25 U (10U–48U). There was no statistically significant correlation between MCA–PSV and pH, PO2, PCO2, base deficit, Hb, and birth weight (Spearman correlation, r:–.001[P = .99], r:–.011[P = .90], r:–.052 [P = .51], r: .049[P = .59], r: .049 [P = .59], r: .030 [P = .75], respectively). Using binary logistic regression analysis, no independent factor for the prediction of fetal acidosis (venous pH < 7.23), and metabolic acidosis (base deficit >6.3 mmol/L) was detected.

Conclusion

MCA–PSV is not a good indicator of fetal polycythemia or chronic hypoxia in fetuses of diabetic pregnant women. Fetal well‐being should be monitored with other tools in these circumstances.
A simple, fast, and accurate thermodynamic‐based approach for transfer and prediction of gas chromatography retention times between columns and instruments Part III: Retention time prediction on target column
Authors: Hou Siyuan , Stevenson Keisean A. J. M. , Harynuk James J.
Published: March 2018

This is the third part of a three‐part series of papers. In Part I, we presented a method for determining the actual effective geometry of a reference column as well as the thermodynamic‐based parameters of a set of probe compounds in an in‐house mixture. Part II introduced an approach for estimating the actual effective geometry of a target column by collecting retention data of the same mixture of probe compounds on the target column and using their thermodynamic parameters, acquired on the reference column, as a bridge between both systems. Part III, presented here, demonstrates the retention time transfer and prediction from the reference column to the target column using experimental data for a separate mixture of compounds. To predict the retention time of a new compound, we first estimate its thermodynamic‐based parameters on the reference column (using geometric parameters determined previously). The compound's retention time on a second column (of previously determined geometry) is then predicted. The models and the associated optimization algorithms were tested using simulated and experimental data. The accuracy of predicted retention times shows that the proposed approach is simple, fast, and accurate for retention time transfer and prediction between gas chromatography columns.
EPR‐based oximetric imaging: a combination of single point‐based spatial encoding and T1 weighting
Authors: Matsumoto Ken‐ichiro , Kishimoto Shun , Devasahayam Nallathamby , Chandramouli Gadisetti V. R. , Ogawa Yukihiro , Matsumoto Shingo , Krishna Murali C. , Subramanian Sankaran
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Spin‐lattice relaxation rate (R1)‐based time‐domain EPR oximetry is reported for in vivo applications using a paramagnetic probe, a trityl‐based Oxo71.

Methods

The R1 dependence of the trityl probe Oxo71 on partial oxygen pressure (pO2) was assessed using single‐point imaging mode of spatial encoding combined with rapid repetition, similar to T1‐weighted MRI, for which R1 was determined from 22 repetition times ranging from 2.1 to 40.0 μs at 300 MHz. The pO2 maps of a phantom with 3 tubes containing 2 mM Oxo71 solutions equilibrated at 0%, 2%, and 5% oxygen were determined by R1 and apparent spin–spin relaxation rate (
) simultaneously.

Results

The pO2 maps derived from R1 and
agreed with the known pO2 levels in the tubes of Oxo71. However, the histograms of pO2 revealed that R1 offers better pO2 resolution than
in low pO2 regions. The SDs of pixels at 2% pO2 (15.2 mmHg) were about 5 times lower in R1‐based estimation than
‐based estimation (mean ± SD: 13.9 ± 1.77 mmHg and 18.3 ± 8.70 mmHg, respectively). The in vivo pO2 map obtained from R1‐based assessment displayed a homogeneous profile in low pO2 regions in tumor xenografts, consistent with previous reports on
‐based oximetric imaging. The scan time to obtain the R1 map can be significantly reduced using 3 repetition times ranging from 4.0 to 12.0 μs.

Conclusion

Using the single‐point imaging modality, R1‐based oximetry imaging with useful spatial and oxygen resolutions for small animals was demonstrated.
Transient dynamic response of multilayered saturated media subjected to impulsive loadings
Authors: Ai Zhi Yong , Li Yang , Mu Jin Jing , Li Hai Tao
Published: March 2018

This paper presents a stable and efficient method for calculating the transient solution of layered saturated media subjected to impulsive loadings by means of the analytical layer element method. Starting with the field equations based on Biot's linear theory for porous, fluid‐saturated media, and the seepage continuity equation, an analytical layer element for a single layer is established by applying Laplace‐Hankel integral transform. The global stiffness matrix in the transform domain for a layered saturated half‐space subjected to a transient circular patch loading is obtained by assembling the layer elements of each layer. The displacements in the time domain are derived by Laplace‐Hankel inverse transform of the global stiffness matrix. Numerical examples are conducted to verify the accuracy of the method and to demonstrate the influences of type of transient loading, buried depth of loading, permeability, and stratification of materials on the transient response of the multilayered saturated poroelastic media.
Enhanced collective detection for GNSS weak signals acquisition in Rayleigh channel
Authors: Siham Dehouche , Mhamed Hamadouche
Published: March 2018

Global navigation satellite system applications based on high sensitivity and weak‐signal acquisition is a difficult task and has become an important research area. Algorithms and techniques are proposed, principally those associated to cases of limited global navigation satellite system signal availability. Collective detection is a new technique that seems to offer better solutions in a such situation. This paper presents a performance analysis of GPS L1 noncoherent acquisition via collective detection based on the systematic and efficient collective acquisition algorithm in the Rayleigh fading channel, firstly in the case of a fixed threshold detection and secondly in the case of adaptive threshold detection based on a constant false alarm rate. To compare these methods with traditional acquisition schemes, we develop detection and false alarm probability analytic expressions.
Motor insurance claim modelling with factor collapsing and Bayesian model averaging
Authors: Hu Sen , O'Hagan Adrian , Murphy Thomas Brendan
Published: March 2018

While generalized linear models have become the insurance industry's standard approach for claim modelling, the approach of utilizing a single best model on which predictions are based ignores model selection uncertainty. An additional feature of insurance claim data sets is the common presence of categorical variables, within which the number of levels is high, and not all levels may be statistically significant. In such cases, some subsets of the levels may be merged to give a smaller overall number of levels for improved model parsimony and interpretability. Hence, clustering of the levels poses an additional model uncertainty issue. A method is proposed for assessing the optimal manner of collapsing factors with many levels into factors with smaller numbers of levels, and Bayesian model averaging is used to blend model predictions from all reasonable models to account for selection uncertainty. This method will be computationally intensive when the number of factors being collapsed or the number of levels within factors increases. Hence, a stochastic approach is used to quickly identify the best collapsing cases across the model space. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The influence of expanded perlite aggregate on compressive strength, linear autogenous shrinkage, restrained shrinkage, heat of hydration of cement‐based materials
Authors: Polat Rıza , Demirboğa Ramazan , Karagöl Fatma
Published: March 2018

This paper investigates the effects of expanded perlite aggregate (EPA) on the properties of mortar and concrete. A volume of 10, 20, and 30% EPA were used instead of 0–2 mm fine aggregate. Water/binder ratio of 0.30 was constant for all the mortar and concrete mixtures. The compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and linear autogenous shrinkage tests were performed on both mortar and concrete mixtures. Furthermore, the heat of hydration test was only made for mortar mixtures and restrained shrinkage test was only employed to measure cracking time and strain for concrete mixtures. For both mortar and concrete mixtures, the experiments show that the compressive strength, UPV, and linear autogenous shrinkage were generally decreased with increasing the amount of EPA according to control sample, while the heat of hydration is generally increased. However, the reduction ratios in the compressive strength of mortar and concrete samples gradually decreased with increasing the curing time. In addition, the increases in the heat of hydration for EPA10, EPA20, and EPA30 were 5, 7, and 8%, compared with the control.
Global Warming of Salmon and Trout Rivers in the Northwestern U.S.: Road to Ruin or Path Through Purgatory?
Authors: Isaak Daniel J. , Luce Charles H. , Horan Dona L. , Chandler Gwynne L. , Wollrab Sherry P. , Nagel David E.
Published: March 2018

Large rivers constitute small portions of drainage networks but provide important migratory habitats and fisheries for salmon and trout when and where temperatures are sufficiently cold. Management and conservation of coldwater fishes in the current era of rapid climate change require knowing how riverine thermal environments are evolving and the potential for detrimental biological impacts. Robust estimates of warming rates, however, are lacking due to limited long‐term temperature monitoring, so we compiled the best available multidecadal records and estimated trends at 391 sites in the 56,500‐km river network of the northwestern USA. Warming trends were prevalent during summer and early fall months in recent 20‐ and 40‐year periods (0.18–0.35°C per decade during 1996–2015 and 0.14–0.27°C per decade during 1976–2015), paralleled air temperature trends, and were mediated by discharge trends at regional and local levels. To illustrate the biological consequences of warming later in this century, trend estimates were used to inform selection of river temperature scenarios and assess changes in thermal exposure of adult Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka migrating to four population areas as well as thermal habitat shifts for resident Brown Trout Salmo trutta and Rainbow Trout O. mykiss populations throughout the region. Future warming of 1–3°C would increase Sockeye Salmon exposure by 5–16% (3–143 degree‐days) and reduce thermally suitable riverine trout habitats by 8–31% while causing their upstream shift. Effects of those changes on population persistence and fisheries are likely to be context dependent, and strategic habitat restoration or adaptation strategies could ameliorate some biological impairments, but effectiveness will be tempered by the size of rivers, high costs, and pervasiveness of thermal effects. Most salmon and trout rivers will continue to provide suitable habitats for the foreseeable future, but it also appears inevitable that some river reaches will gradually become too warm to provide traditional habitats.
Holographic studies of Einsteinian cubic gravity
Authors: Bueno Pablo , Cano Pablo A. , Ruipérez Alejandro
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Einsteinian cubic gravity provides a holographic toy model of a nonsupersymmetric CFT in three dimensions, analogous to the one defined by Quasi-topological gravity in four. The theory admits explicit non-hairy AdS4 black holes and allows for numerous exact calculations, fully nonperturbative in the new coupling. We identify several entries of the AdS/CFT dictionary for this theory, and study its thermodynamic phase space, finding interesting new phenomena. We also analyze the dependence of Rényi entropies for disk regions on universal quantities characterizing the CFT. In addition, we show that η/s is given by a non-analytic function of the ECG coupling, and that the existence of positive-energy black holes strictly forbids violations of the KSS bound. Along the way, we introduce a new method for evaluating Euclidean on-shell actions for general higher-order gravities possessing second-order linearized equations on AdS(d+1). Our generalized action involves the very same Gibbons-Hawking boundary term and counterterms valid for Einstein gravity, which now appear weighted by the universal charge a
* controlling the entanglement entropy across a spherical region in the CFT dual to the corresponding higher-order theory.
N = 2 dilaton Weyl multiplet in 4D supergravity
Authors: Butter Daniel , Hegde Subramanya , Lodato Ivano , Sahoo Bindusar
Published: March 2018

Abstract

We construct the dilaton Weyl multiplet for N = 2 conformal supergravity in four dimensions. Beginning from an on-shell vector multiplet coupled to the standard Weyl multiplet, the equations of motion can be used to eliminate the supergravity auxiliary fields, following a similar pattern as in five and six dimensions. The resulting 24+24 component multiplet includes two gauge vectors and a gauge two-form and provides a variant formulation of N = 2 conformal supergravity. We also show how this dilaton Weyl multiplet is contained in the minimal 32+32 Poincaré supergravity multiplet introduced by Müller [1] in superspace.
Wilson loops and its correlators with chiral operators in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2, 4 SCFT at large N
Authors: Sysoeva E.
Published: March 2018

Abstract

In this paper we compute the vacuum expectation value of the Wilson loop and its correlators with chiral primary operators in

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2, 4 superconformal U(N ) gauge theories at large N . After localization these quantities can be computed in terms of a deformed U(N ) matrix model. The Wilson loops we deal with are in the fundamental and symmetric representations.
Redox cofactor engineering in industrial microorganisms: strategies, recent applications and future directions
Authors: Liu Jiaheng , Li Huiling , Zhao Guangrong , Caiyin Qinggele , Qiao Jianjun
Published: March 2018

NAD and NADP, a pivotal class of cofactors, which function as essential electron donors or acceptors in all biological organisms, drive considerable catabolic and anabolic reactions. Furthermore, they play critical roles in maintaining intracellular redox homeostasis. However, many metabolic engineering efforts in industrial microorganisms towards modification or introduction of metabolic pathways, especially those involving consumption, generation or transformation of NAD/NADP, often induce fluctuations in redox state, which dramatically impede cellular metabolism, resulting in decreased growth performance and biosynthetic capacity. Here, we comprehensively review the cofactor engineering strategies for solving the problematic redox imbalance in metabolism modification, as well as their features, suitabilities and recent applications. Some representative examples of in vitro biocatalysis are also described. In addition, we briefly discuss how tools and methods from the field of synthetic biology can be applied for cofactor engineering. Finally, future directions and challenges for development of cofactor redox engineering are presented.
Virtual reality‐based cognitive‐motor training for middle‐aged adults at high Alzheimer's disease risk: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Doniger Glen M. , Beeri Michal Schnaider , Bahar‐Fuchs Alex , Gottlieb Amihai , Tkachov Anastasia , Kenan Hagar , Livny Abigail , Bahat Yotam , Sharon Hadar , Ben‐Gal Oran , Cohen Maya , Zeilig Gabi , Plotnik Meir
Published: March 2018

Introduction

Ubiquity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) coupled with relatively ineffectual pharmacologic treatments has spurred interest in nonpharmacologic lifestyle interventions for prevention or risk reduction. However, evidence of neuroplasticity notwithstanding, there are few scientifically rigorous, ecologically relevant brain training studies focused on building cognitive reserve in middle age to protect against cognitive decline. This pilot study will examine the ability of virtual reality (VR) cognitive training to improve cognition and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in middle‐aged individuals at high AD risk due to parental history.

Methods

The design is an assessor‐blind, parallel group, randomized controlled trial of VR cognitive‐motor training in middle‐aged adults with AD family history. The experimental group will be trained with adaptive “real‐world” VR tasks targeting sustained and selective attention, working memory, covert rule deduction, and planning, while walking on a treadmill. One active control group will perform the VR tasks without treadmill walking; another will walk on a treadmill while watching scientific documentaries (nonspecific cognitive stimulation). A passive (waitlist) control group will not receive training. Training sessions will be 45 minutes, twice/week for 12 weeks. Primary outcomes are global cognition and CBF (from arterial spin labeling [ASL]) at baseline, immediately after training (training gain), and 3 months post‐training (maintenance gain). We aim to recruit 125 participants, including 20 passive controls and 35 in the other groups.

Discussion

Current pharmacologic therapies are for symptomatic AD patients, whereas nonpharmacologic training is administrable before symptom onset. Emerging evidence suggests that cognitive training improves cognitive function. However, a more ecologically valid cognitive‐motor VR setting that better mimics complex daily activities may augment transfer of trained skills. VR training has benefited clinical cohorts, but benefit in asymptomatic high‐risk individuals is unknown. If effective, this trial may help define a prophylactic regimen for AD, adaptable for home‐based application in high‐risk individuals.
Latency on a Stewart platform using washout filter
Authors: Lemes R.C. , Souza M. Moreira , Belo E.M. , Bidinotto J.H.
Published: March 2018

The aim of this work is to investigate and quantify the latency on a Stewart Platform caused exclusively by a Classic washout filter. This washout filter is intended to recreate the sensations of motion caused by changes of translational and rotational acceleration that an aircraft can provide, due to changes in attitudes caused by external factors, and those caused by the pilot’s command. The input signal was generated by a FlightGear Simulator in order to obtain the specific forces and angular velocities of a Boeing 747 during a take-off procedure. These signals are then filtered by a washout filter and sent to the inverse kinematics of the movable platform, which will transform the aircraft motion sensations in platforms actuator position, thereby causing a certain signal delay. Experiments were performed in a Stewart Platform to obtain the latency caused by the mathematical modelling of the entire washout filter system. This latency are then compared to the latency caused by the control and dynamics of the platform’s actuators. Results indicate that the washout filter is the most responsible for the latency of the specific force signals to be reproduced by the platform in this experiment, and that the natural frequency and damping coefficient values must be properly estimated in order to optimise the total latency.
Gathering the margins: the London College of Communication Library Zine Collection
Authors: Collingwood Ruth , Kassir Leila
Published: March 2018

The London College of Communication (LCC) Zine Collection was founded in July 2009 and now contains more than 4,000 zines. It is the most heavily used special collection at LCC Library. This article outlines the history and development of the collection, its uses in teaching, learning and research, and its value for widening access to, and representing diversity in an academic library environment.
Use of a Single Xpert MTB/RIF Assay to Determine the Duration of Airborne Isolation in Hospitalized Patients With Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: Poonawala Husain , Leekha Surbhi , Medina-Moreno Sandra , Filippell Mala , Johnson J. Kristie , Redfield Robert R. , Saharia Kapil K.
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND

Hospitalized patients with suspected tuberculosis (TB) are placed in airborne isolation until 3 sputum smear samples are negative for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). The Xpert MTB/RIF assay (“Xpert”) nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) to identifyMycobacterium tuberculosisDNA and resistance to rifampicin is superior to AFB sputum smear microscopy for the diagnosis of TB.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the performance of a single Xpert to AFB smear microscopy for time to airborne infection isolation (AII) discontinuation.

METHODS

Consecutive patients over 17 years of age in AII for suspected pulmonary TB between October 1, 2014, and March 31, 2016, with leftover respiratory AFB samples were enrolled in this study. A single Xpert was performed on the first available sample. Demographic, clinical, and microbiological data were recorded for each patient. We compared the duration of AII using a single Xpert to AFB smear microscopy under multiple theoretical scenarios using Kaplan-Meier cumulative incidence curves and the log-rank test.

RESULTS

In total, 131 samples were included in our performance analysis of the Xpert, and 114 samples were included in our AII analysis. Overall, 81 patients (65%) were immunosuppressed, of whom 46 (37%) were positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The sensitivity and specificity of Xpert for diagnosis ofM. tuberculosisinfection were 67% and 100%, respectively. Xpert was negative in all cases of nontuberculous mycobacteria. Use of a single Xpert reduced AII duration from a median of 67 hours per patient to 42 hours with usual reporting, to 26 hours with direct communication, and to 12 hours with immediate testing.

CONCLUSIONS

A single negative Xpert result can reduce AII duration compared to the AFB smear microscopy technique under multiple theoretical scenarios.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2018;39:590–595
Triadic resonances in the wide-gap spherical Couette system
Authors: Barik A. , Triana S. A. , Hoff M. , Wicht J.
Published: March 2018

The spherical Couette system, consisting of a viscous fluid between two differentially rotating concentric spheres, is studied using numerical simulations and compared with experiments performed at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany. We concentrate on the case where the outer boundary rotates fast enough for the Coriolis force to play an important role in the force balance, and the inner boundary rotates slower or in the opposite direction as compared to the outer boundary. As the magnitude of differential rotation is increased, the system is found to transition through three distinct hydrodynamic regimes. The first regime consists of the emergence of the first non-axisymmetric instability. Thereafter one finds the onset of ‘fast’ equatorially antisymmetric inertial modes, with pairs of inertial modes forming triadic resonances with the first instability. A further increase in the magnitude of differential rotation leads to the flow transitioning to turbulence. Using an artificial excitation, we study how the background flow modifies the inertial mode frequency and structure, thereby causing departures from the eigenmodes of a full sphere and a spherical shell. We investigate triadic resonances of pairs of inertial modes with the fundamental instability. We explore possible onset mechanisms through numerical experiments.
Assessment of thyroid function in children, adults and pregnant and lactating women after long-term salt iodisation measurements
Authors: Su Xiaohui , Li Mu , Liu Lixiang , Shen Hongmei , Kelly Patrick J. , Wang Yanling , Chen Zhihui , Wang Jinbiao , Li Weidong , Chen Huixin , Xiao Bangzhong , Han Yunfeng , Liu Shoujun , Liu Peng
Published: March 2018

Universal salt iodisation (USI) has been successfully implemented in China for more than 15 years. Recent evidence suggests that the definition of ‘adequate iodine’ (100–199 µg/l) be revised to ‘sufficient iodine’ (100–299 µg/l) based on the median urinary iodine concentration (MUI) in school-age children. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in populations after long-term salt iodisation and examine whether the definition of adequate iodine can be broadened to sufficient iodine based on the thyroid function in four population groups. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in six provinces in the northern, central and southern regions of China. Four population groups consisting of 657 children, 755 adults, 347 pregnant women and 348 lactating women were recruited. Three spot urinary samples were collected over a 10-d period and blood samples were collected on the 1st day. In the study, among the adults, pregnant women and lactating women, the prevalence rates of elevated thyroglobulin antibody and thyroid microsomal antibody levels were 12·4, 8·5 and 7·8 %, and 12·1, 9·1 and 9·1 %, respectively. Abnormally high thyroid dysfunction prevalence was not observed after more than 15 years of USI in China because the thyroid dysfunction rates were all <5 %. The recommended range should be cautiously broadened from adequate iodine to sufficient iodine according to the MUI of school-age children considering the high levels of hormones and antibodies in the other populations. Adults, particularly pregnant women positive for thyroid antibodies, should be closely monitored.
“The Shari‘a must go”: Seduction, Moral Injury, and Religious Freedom in Egypt's Liberal Age
Authors: Culang Jeffrey
Published: March 2018

Since the 2011 uprising in Egypt, the Egyptian state has increasingly used the charge of contempt of religion (izdira’ al-din) to regulate speech. This charge, though sometimes assumed to be a medieval holdover, is part of a modern genealogy of the politics of religious freedom. This article examines how religious freedom accumulated meaning in Egypt after World War I, when it became an international legal standard. Protestant missionaries in Egypt advocated religious freedom as the right to proselytize and the right of Egyptians to convert. For many Egyptians, by contrast, it came to mean the right to protect one's religion from perceived missionary attacks (ta‘n). Using British state archival records, missionary sources, and Egyptian parliamentary transcripts and periodicals, this article traces the formation of this paradox in public discourse and law. Drawing on theorizations of seduction and moral injury, I show how Egyptians articulated notions of religious freedom centered around feelings of moral injury and through a local ethical vernacular that, though embedded within the Islamic tradition, was broadly shared. The Egyptian state gradually incorporated these sensibilities into its expanding modern legal system as part of maintaining a majority-defined public order, transforming offense to religion from a moral issue into a punishable crime. Forged through a contingent process involving missionaries, local communities, and the Egyptian state under the shadow of colonial rule, religious freedom has exacerbated rather than resolved religious divides in Egypt, and has helped to define and delimit the country's political, moral, and religious imaginaries.
Product Market Characteristics and the Choice between IPOs and Acquisitions
Authors: Chemmanur Thomas J. , He Jie , He Shan , Nandy Debarshi
Published: March 2018

Using unique U.S. Census data sets, we analyze how entrepreneurial firms’ product market characteristics affect their choice between going public, being acquired, or remaining private. Size, total factor productivity (TFP), sales growth, capital expenditure, market share, access to private funding, and human capital intensiveness significantly increase a private firm’s likelihood of an initial public offering (IPO) relative to an acquisition. Firms in industries with less information asymmetry and higher stock liquidity are more likely to choose an IPO over an acquisition. While TFP peaks around either form of exit, the rate of increase in TFP prior to acquisitions and the subsequent decrease is smaller than that around IPOs.
Harnessing the Persuasive Power of Narrative: Science, Storytelling, and Movie Censorship, 1930–1968
Authors: Kirby David A.
Published: March 2018

Argument

As the deficit model's failure leaves scientists searching for more effective communicative approaches, science communication scholars have begun promoting narrative as a potent persuasive tool. Narratives can help the public make choices by setting out a scientific issue's contexts, establishing the stakes involved, and offering potential solutions. However, employing narrative for persuasion risks embracing the same top-down communication approach underlying deficit model thinking. This essay explores the parallels between movie censorship and the current use of narrative to influence public opinion by examining how the Hays Office and the Catholic Legion of Decency responded to science in movies. I argue that deploying narratives solely as public relations exercises demonstrates the same mistrust of audiences that provided the foundation of movie censorship. But the history of movie censorship reveals the dangers of using narrative to remove the public's agency and to coerce them towards a preferred position rather than fostering their ability to come to their own conclusions.
Configuring Epistemic Authority: The Significance of Film Style in Documentaries about Science
Authors: Mellor Felicity
Published: March 2018

Argument

Among the many limitations of the deficit model of science communication is its inability to account for the qualities of communication products that arise from creative decisions about form and style. This paper examines two documentaries about the nature of time – Patricio Guzmán'sNostalgia for the Lightand the first episode of the BBC'sWonders of the Universeseries – in order to consider how film style inflects science with different meanings. The analysis pays particular attention to the ways in which authority is assigned between film author, narrator, and depicted subjects and the degree to which different film styles promote epistemological certainty or hesitancy.
The Shifting Aesthetics of Expertise in the Sharing Economy of Scientific Medicine
Authors: Ostherr Kirsten
Published: March 2018

Argument

The deficit model of science communication assumes that the creation and dissemination of knowledge is limited to researchers with formal credentials. Recent challenges to this model have emerged among “e-patients” who develop extensive online activist communities, demand access to their own health data, conduct crowd-sourced experiments, and “hack” health problems that traditional medical experts have failed to solve. This article explores the aesthetics of medical media that enact the transition from a deficit model to a patient-driven model of visual representation and health communication. I present a framework for understanding the role of film and video in patient movements by analyzing the historical transition from researchers filming patients as nameless, voiceless human research subjects to patients recording their own health narratives through activist cinematography. By comparing several approaches to patient-centered video, I argue that imperfect production aesthetics play a critically important role in establishing the credibility of health communications.
A robust version of Freiman's 3k–4 Theorem and applications
Authors: SHAO XUANCHENG , XU WENQIANG
Published: March 2018

We prove a robust version of Freiman's 3k – 4 theorem on the restricted sumset A+ΓB, which applies when the doubling constant is at most (3+$\sqrt{5}$)/2 in general and at most 3 in the special case when A = −B. As applications, we derive robust results with other types of assumptions on popular sums, and structure theorems for sets satisfying almost equalities in discrete and continuous versions of the Riesz–Sobolev inequality.
How Do Central Control Mechanisms Impact Local Water Governance in China? The Case of Yunnan Province
Authors: Habich-Sobiegalla Sabrina
Published: March 2018

Despite being known as “Asia's water tower,” Yunnan frequently experiences severe droughts which put pressure on local communities and state actors alike. This article examines the institutional arrangements that guide water governance strategies employed by local cadres in Yunnan province, showing how central control mechanisms in the Chinese administrative system undermine effective water governance at the local level. Findings obtained from field research in two counties in Yunnan with different levels of economic development and water resource access show that current institutional arrangements – including those regulating local cadre performance and the procedures to apply for project funding from higher-level governments – hinder the efficient use of infrastructure investment. Instead, provincial and prefectural water bureau officials use their authority to channel funding to those regions with an already positive track record of project applications.
Extensive hepatitis A outbreak in an urban childcare facility in Ireland, associated with considerable adult morbidity
Authors: O'Connor L. , McGovern E. , O'Meara M. , Dean J. , Ward M. , O'Connor M.
Published: March 2018

Hepatitis A infection results in a spectrum of illness from asymptomatic disease to severe fulminant hepatitis. Since 2000, <50 cases have been reported annually in Ireland. We report on an outbreak of hepatitis A associated with a childcare facility(CCF) in 2015 in Ireland. Between January and July 2015, 12 outbreak-associated symptomatic hepatitis A cases were identified, including one delayed, retrospective diagnosis. Seven (58%) cases were adults, eight (67%) were male, six of the adults required hospitalisation. All 12 cases were confirmed on serology and the four cases that were genotyped were identical on phylogenetic analysis. Potential environmental exposures and hygiene practices at the CCF were investigated. Outbreak control measures included the provision of: hepatitis A information, infection prevention advice, hepatitis A vaccination to 554 CCF contacts, and voluntary closure of the CCF for deep-cleaning and staff education. From a healthcare perspective1, outbreak control costs were in excess of €45 000. This outbreak illustrates the considerable adult morbidity that can occur in hepatitis A outbreaks, highlights the challenges in controlling a large CCF-associated outbreak and the importance of early recognition by clinicians of hepatitis A.
Properties of the chemostat model with aggregated biomass
Authors: RAPAPORT ALAIN
Published: March 2018

We revisit the well-known chemostat model, considering that bacteria can be attached together in aggregates or flocs. We distinguish explicitly free and attached compartments in the model and give sufficient conditions for coexistence of these two forms. We then study the case of fast attachment and detachment and show how it is related to density-dependent growth functions. Finally, we give some insights concerning the cases of multi-specific flocs and different removal rates.
NOMENCLATURE AND TYPIFICATION OF VARIOUS MYRTACEAE OCCURRING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Authors: Parnell J. , Soh W. K.
Published: March 2018

The nomenclature of a number of taxa that occur in Southeast Asia in Baeckea, Decaspermum, Leptospermum, Melaleuca, Psidium, Rhodamnia, Rhodomyrtus and Tristaniopsis is discussed: eight lectotypes are designated, six taxa are shown to have been previously lectotypified under Article 9.9 with second-stage lectotypification being deemed unnecessary for two of them, and comments are made on two species that we cannot yet typify.
JOBS BEFORE COLLEGE COMPLETION AND CAREER BUILDING OF YOUNG WORKERS THROUGH JOB SWITCHING
Authors: Mukoyama Toshihiko , Zhang Gang
Published: March 2018

We analyze job switching and wage growth of young workers, separately considering the jobs experienced by workers before and after college completion. These two groups of jobs consist of very different occupational compositions. Workers with many jobs before college completion (JBCC) and with little or no job experiences before college completion have similar subsequent wage paths. These facts can be interpreted that JBCC contribute less to career building compared to the ones after college completion. If we disregard all JBCC, the number of jobs that are experienced by workers before age 35 are about three jobs fewer than the total number of jobs.
Changes in the nutritional quality of fast-food items marketed at restaurants, 2010v.2013
Authors: Soo Jackie , Harris Jennifer L , Davison Kirsten K , Williams David R , Roberto Christina A
Published: March 2018

Objective

To examine the nutritional quality of menu items promoted in four (US) fast-food restaurant chains (McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell) in 2010 and 2013.

Design

Menu items pictured on signs and menu boards were recorded at 400 fast-food restaurants across the USA. The Nutrient Profile Index (NPI) was used to calculate overall nutrition scores for items (higher scores indicate greater nutritional quality) and was dichotomized to denote healthierv.less healthy items. Changes over time in NPI scores and energy of promoted foods and beverages were analysed using linear regression.

Setting

Four hundred fast-food restaurants (McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell; 100 locations per chain).

Subjects

NPI of fast-food items marketed at fast-food restaurants.

Results

Promoted foods and beverages on general menu boards and signs remained below the ‘healthier’ cut-off at both time points. On general menu boards, pictured items became modestly healthier from 2010 to 2013, increasing (mean (se)) by 3·08 (0·16) NPI score points (P<0·001) and decreasing (mean (se)) by 130 (15) kJ (31·1 (3·65) kcal;P<0·001). This pattern was evident in all chains except Taco Bell, where pictured items increased in energy. Foods and beverages pictured on the kids’ section showed the greatest nutritional improvements. Although promoted foods on general menu boards and signs improved in nutritional quality, beverages remained the same or became worse.

Conclusions

Foods, and to a lesser extent, beverages, promoted on menu boards and signs in fast-food restaurants showed limited improvements in nutritional quality in 2013v.2010.
Roboter-assistierte Neurorehabilitation
Authors: Stoller Oliver , Zutter Daniel
Published: March 2018

Zusammenfassung. Roboter-assistierte Geräte sind ein wichtiges Hilfsmittel in der Neurorehabilitation. Der Einsatz wird jedoch kontrovers diskutiert. Die Kritiker halten den Nutzen dieser Therapiegeräte für nicht evidenzbasiert und den Einsatz für zu teuer, wobei die Befürworter vom grossen Nutzen der Robotik bei richtiger Anwendung überzeugt sind. Diese Technologien haben zum Ziel, das Training für Patienten und Therapeuten zu unterstützen, motivierend zu gestalten und auf möglichst hohem Wiederholungsniveau durchzuführen und damit die Prognose insgesamt zu verbessern. Der technologische Fortschritt hat in den letzten Jahren diverse Roboter-basierte Therapiesysteme für die Neurorehabilitation hervorgebracht. Dieser Artikel beschreibt die Herausforderungen und Chancen in der klinischen Integration von Roboter-assistierter Rehabilitationstechnologie.
Neurorehabilitation bei Kopfschmerzen
Authors: Sandor Peter S. , Sauter Martina , Benz Thomas , Riederer Franz , Gantenbein Andreas R.
Published: March 2018

Zusammenfassung. Medikamentenübergebrauchskopfschmerzen gehen häufig mit einer beträchtlichen Einschränkung und einem Partizipationsverlust im Leben der Patientinnen und Patienten einher. Nicht selten sind sowohl Berufs- als auch Privatleben kritisch kompromittiert. Komorbiditäten, Substanzabhängigkeit über die Schmerzmittel hinaus und ungünstige Kontextfaktoren beeinflussen die Therapierbarkeit. Die Therapie besteht aus einem Entzug akut wirksamer Schmerzmittel sowie einer anschliessenden Behandlung mit dem Ziel einer Stabilisierung. Diese reicht vom ambulanten Setting in der Sprechstunde bis hin zum stationären Entzug mit anschliessender stationärer kopfschmerzspezifischer Neurorehabilitation. Neurobiologische Erkenntnisse, insbesondere aus modernen bildgebenden Studien, helfen, das Krankheitsbild besser zu verstehen und Behandlungsansätze zu stratifizieren. Weitere klinische und pathophysiologische Studien sind notwendig.
Potential Uses of Vinegar as a Medicine and Related in vivo Mechanisms
Authors: Ali Zeshan , Wang Zhenbin , Amir Rai Muhammad , Younas Shoaib , Wali Asif , Adowa Nana , Ayim Ishmael
Published: March 2018

While the use of vinegar to fi ght against infections and other crucial conditions dates back to Hippocrates, recent research has found that vinegar consumption has a positive effect on biomarkers for diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases. Different types of vinegar have been used in the world during different time periods. Vinegar is produced by a fermentation process. Foods with a high content of carbohydrates are a good source of vinegar. Review of the results of different studies performed on vinegar components reveals that the daily use of these components has a healthy impact on the physiological and chemical structure of the human body. During the era of Hippocrates, people used vinegar as a medicine to treat wounds, which means that vinegar is one of the ancient foods used as folk medicine. The purpose of the current review paper is to provide a detailed summary of the outcome of previous studies emphasizing the role of vinegar in treatment of different diseases both in acute and chronic conditions, its in vivo mechanism and the active role of different bacteria.
A database linking Chinese patents to China’s census firms
Authors: He Zi-Lin , Tong Tony W. , Zhang Yuchen , He Wenlong
Published: March 2018

To meet researchers’ increasing interest in the fast growing innovation activities taking place in China, we match patents filed with China’s State Intellectual Property Office to firms covered in China’s Census. China has experienced a strong growth in patent filings over the past two decades, and has since 2011 become the world’s top patent filing country. China’s Census database covers about one million unique manufacturing firms from 1998–2009, representing the broad Chinese economy. We design data parsing and pre-processing routines to clean and stem firm and assignee names, create a matching algorithm that fits with our data and maintains a balance between matching accuracy and workload of manual check, and implement a systematic manual check process to filter out false positives generated from computerized matching. Our project generates 1,113,588 matches for the Census firms, among which 849,647 patents are uniquely matched. By creating the patent-firm linked dataset, we hope to reduce duplicative effort and encourage more research to better understand China’s fast changing innovation landscape.
Nonstoichiometric oxygen in Mn–Ga–O spinels: reduction features of the oxides and their catalytic activity
Authors: Bulavchenko O. A. , Venediktova O. S. , Afonasenko T. N. , Tsyrul'nikov P. G. , Saraev A. A. , Kaichev V. V. , Tsybulya S. V.
Published: March 2018

The hydrogen reduction of Mn1.7Ga1.3O4+δ proceeds in two steps. In the first step, excess oxygen is removed, Mn1.7Ga1.3O4+δ → Mn1.7Ga1.3O4. In the second step, Mn3+ cations are reduced to Mn2+ in the spinel structure and formation of MnO, Mn1.7Ga1.3O4 → Mn2Ga1O4 + MnO.
Tropisetron modulates peripheral and central serotonin/insulin levels via insulin and nuclear factor kappa B/receptor for advanced glycation end products signalling to regulate type-2 diabetes in rats
Authors: Mohamed Reem Ali , Galal Omneya , Mohammed Ahmed Refaat , El-Abhar Hanan Salah
Published: March 2018

Schematic illustration of tropisetron's (5-HT3 antagonist) modulation of the insulin and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways both peripherally and centrally in type 2 diabetes.
Influence of annealing at intermediate temperature on oxygen transport kinetics of Pr2NiO4+δ
Authors: Saher Saim , Song Jia , Vibhu Vaibhav , Nicollet Clément , Flura Aurélien , Bassat Jean-Marc , Bouwmeester Henny J. M.
Published: March 2018

Decomposition of the layered Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) phase Pr2NiO4+δ into higher order phases during long-term annealing dramatically enhances oxygen transport.