bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inter‐ and intra‐variability of seed germination traits of Carpobrotus edulis N.E.Br. and its hybrid C. affine acinaciformis
Authors: Podda L. , Santo A. , Mattana E. , Mayoral O. , Bacchetta G.
Published: June 2018

Invasions by alien Carpobrotus spp. have been recognised as one of the most severe threats to Mediterranean climate coastal ecosystems, and Carpobrotus is considered one of the most widespread invasive alien genera in the Mediterranean Basin. The aims of this study were to characterise seed germination of both C. edulis and its hybrid C. aff. acinaciformis, in terms of photoperiod, temperature and salinity.

Inter‐ and intra‐specific variability in the responses to photoperiod (12/12 h light and total darkness), constant temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 °C) and an alternating temperature regime (25/10 °C), salt stress (0, 125, 250, 500 mm NaCl) and the recovery of seed germination were evaluated for two seed lots of C. edulis and two of its hybrid C. aff. acinaciformis.

All the tested seed lots achieved higher germination percentages in the light, with respect to total darkness. In relation to temperature, the two C. edulis seed lots did not show a preference, while the two C. aff. acinaciformis seed lots differed in their germination response, one germinating more at the lowest temperatures (5 and 10 °C) and one at the highest (20 and 25 °C). For all seed lots, highest germination occurred without NaCl (0 mm) and germination decreased with increasing salinity. Different germination requirements in a saline substrate were not detected for C. edulis, while they were observed for C. aff. acinaciformis. Marked differences were detected in recovery responses between the two taxa.

C. edulis has the ability to germinate over a wide time window throughout the year. This study identified significant differences in seed production, seed mass, germination requirements (temperature) and salinity tolerance for both C. edulis and C. aff. acinaciformis. Our results indicate the extreme versatility of the hybrid forms to germinate in a wide range of natural conditions and habitats.
The growth and diversity of Latino Protestants in America
Authors: Ramos Aida I. , Martí Gerardo , Mulder Mark T.
Published: June 2018

Latino Protestants in America are growing—fast. More and more Latinos identify as Protestant, Latino Protestant churches are spreading, and Latino Protestant parachurch organizations are broadening their representation and outreach. We synthesize the latest research on Latino Protestants in the United States in relation to history, sociodemographics, conversion, and race/ethnic identity formation. We argue that Latino Protestants are far from monolithic. In fact, Latino Protestant congregation express and experience diversity in their worship, liturgy, theology, identities, and resources. We argue againstethnoracial essentialization, that is, boiling down nuances of Latino Protestant identity in favor of idealized conclusions often in the form of racial/ethnic stereotypes. Recent empirical research does not support often‐cited assessments of Latino Protestants and their churches as “fiestas” with “spicy” worship. Instead, we urge scholars to avoid such front‐loaded, racialized assumptions and exercise their social scientific expertise in using better theory and more careful observation to achieve a more textured understanding of Latino Protestants and their churches.
“Old age is cruel”: The right to die as an ethics for living
Authors: Gandsman Ari
Published: June 2018

In debates over medically assisted dying right to die activists are often accused of embracing an unbridled neoliberal individualistic ethics that devalue life and reject notions of community and care. Through an ethnographic study of activists in North America and Australia, this article aims to complicate this point of view by showing how they are deeply invested in what it means to act morally in the world vis‐à‐vis their relationships with others and how they envisage this issue within an ethics of care. Although activists are often accused by opponents of delegitimising the ageing process and relying on atomised individual values, in depth interviews with right to die activists reveal complex, ambiguous and contradictory reflections on the ageing process as a dominant source of suffering while defending an ethics of care and life. In the end, this article argues that the right to die paradoxically constitutes an ethics for living.
Editors' Introduction: Abstract Concepts: Structure, Processing, and Modeling
Authors: Bolognesi Marianna , Steen Gerard
Published: June 2018

Our ability to deal with abstract concepts is one of the most intriguing faculties of human cognition. Still, we know little about how such concepts are formed, processed, and represented in mind. For example, because abstract concepts do not designate referents that can be experienced through our body, the role of perceptual experiences in shaping their content remains controversial. Current theories suggest a variety of alternative explanations to the question of “how abstract concepts are represented in the human mind.” These views pinpoint specific streams of semantic information that would play a prominent role in shaping the content of abstract concepts, such as situation‐based information (e.g., Barsalou & Wiemer‐Hastings, ), affective information (Kousta, Vigliocco, Vinson, Andrews, & Del Campo, ), and linguistic information (Louwerse, ). Rarely, these theoretical views are directly compared. In this special issue, current views are presented in their most recent and advanced form, and directly compared and discussed in a debate, which is reported at the end of each article. As a result, new exciting questions and challenges arise. These questions and challenges, reported in this introductory article, can arguably pave the way to new empirical studies and theoretical developments on the nature of abstract concepts.
Three genomes differentially contribute to the seedling lateral root number in allohexaploid wheat: evidence from phenotype evolution and gene expression
Authors: Wang Huifang , Hu Zhaorong , Huang Ke , Han Yao , Zhao Aiju , Han Haiming , Song Long , Fan Chaofeng , Li Run , Xin Mingming , Peng Huiru , Yao Yingyin , Sun Qixin , Ni Zhongfu
Published: June 2018

Common wheat is an allohexaploid (BBAADD) that originated from the hybridization and polyploidization of the diploid Aegilops tauschii (DD) with the allotetraploid Triticum turgidum (BBAA). Phenotypic changes often arise with the formation and evolution of allopolyploid wheat, but little is known about the evolution of root traits in different wheat species with varying ploidy levels. Here, we reported that the lateral root number on the primary root (LRNPR) of synthetic and natural allohexaploid wheats (BBAADD) is significantly higher than that of their allotetraploid (BBAA) and diploid (AA and SS) progenitors, but is much lower than that of their diploid (DD) progenitors. The expression of the wheat gene TaLBD16, an ortholog of the Arabidopsis LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES‐DOMAIN16/ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2‐LIKE18 (LBD16), which is involved in lateral root development in Arabidopsis, was positively correlated with the LRNPR in diploid and allopolyploid wheats. In natural and synthetic allohexaploid wheats, the transcript of the TaLBD16 from the D genome (TaLBD16‐D) was relatively more abundant compared with TaLBD16‐A and TaLBD16‐B. Consistent with the observed variation in LRNPR, the divergence in the expression of TaLBD16 homoeologous genes occurred before the formation of polyploidy wheat. Collectively, our observations indicate that the D genome played a crucial role in the increased lateral root number of allohexaploid wheats compared with their allotetraploid progenitors, and that TaLBD16‐D was one of the key genes involved in the formation of lateral root number during wheat evolution.
Bronchoalveolar lavage affects computed tomographic and radiographic characteristics of the lungs in healthy dogs
Authors: Lim Sohee , Sung Suneui , Min Kyungjun , Jung Yechan , Cho Youngkwon , Lee Kichang
Published: June 2018

Bronchoalveolar lavage is a common diagnostic test for dogs with suspected pulmonary disease, however there is no published information on whether this procedure could affect the imaging characteristics of the lungs. Aims of this prospective experimental study were to describe computed tomography (CT) and radiographic features of the lungs after bronchoalveolar lavage in a sample of healthy dogs. Thoracic CT and radiographic images of eight healthy Beagles were acquired at the following time points: before bronchoalveolar lavage, immediately following bronchoalveolar lavage, and at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h following bronchoalveolar lavage. Lung consolidation or interstitial patterns were seen in CT and radiographic images immediately after the procedure. Radiographic lung patterns resolved within 2 h and CT patterns resolved within 24 h. Resolution of the CT pulmonary patterns in the ventral areas of the lungs was delayed compared to the dorsal areas. Mean CT imaging scores differed over time (P < 0.001), while mean radiographic imaging scores did not differ over time. This study suggests that thoracic radiography and CT imaging assessments should precede bronchoalveolar lavage procedures if possible, or be performed at least 24 h afterward.
Porcine IL‐6, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α regulate the expression of pro‐inflammatory‐related genes and tissue factor in human umbilical vein endothelial cells
Authors: Gao Hanchao , Zhang Qing , Chen Jicheng , Cooper David K.C. , Hara Hidetaka , Chen Pengfei , Wei Ling , Zhao Yanli , Xu Jia , Li Zesong , Cai Zhiming , Luan Shaodong , Mou Lisha
Published: June 2018

Whether porcine cytokines are induced after pig‐to‐primate xenotransplantation and activate human cells remains unknown. First, we investigated the regulation of porcine IL‐6, IFN‐γ, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α in xenotransplantation using an in vitro model in which porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) and porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stimulated with human serum. Downstream cytokines/chemokines were monitored. Pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6, IFN‐γ, and IL‐1β) and chemokines (IL‐8, MCP‐1, and CXCL2) were upregulated in the both cell types. TNF‐α was induced 10‐fold in PAECs, but not in PBMCs. Then, we assessed the role of porcine IL‐6, IFN‐γ, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α in xenotransplantation using western blotting and real‐time PCR. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were selected as the target cells. Signaling pathways and downstream genes, such as those related to adhesion, inflammation, and coagulation, and chemokines were investigated. Porcine IL‐1β and TNF‐α significantly activated NF‐κB and P38, and STAT3 was activated by porcine IL‐6 in HUVECs. The adhesion genes (E‐selectin, VCAM‐1, and ICAM‐1), inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α), chemokines (MCP‐1 and IL‐8), and the pro‐coagulation gene (tissue factor) were upregulated by porcine IL‐1β and TNF‐α. Porcine IL‐6 increased the expression of ICAM‐1, IL‐6, MCP‐1, and tissue factor, but decreased IL‐8 expression slightly. Surprisingly, porcine IFN‐γ could not activate STAT1 or regulate the expression of any of the above genes in HUVECs. In conclusion, these findings suggest that porcine IL‐6, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α activate HUVECs and regulate downstream genes expression, which may promote inflammation and coagulation response after xenotransplantation.
Long‐term immunosuppression for CNS mouse xenotransplantation: Effects on nigrostriatal neurodegeneration and neuroprotective carotid body cell therapy
Authors: Villadiego Javier , Romo‐Madero Sonia , García‐Swinburn Roberto , Suárez‐Luna Nela , Bermejo‐Navas Alfonso , Echevarría Miriam , Toledo‐Aral Juan J.
Published: June 2018

Background

The use of long‐term immunosuppressive treatments on neural transplantation has been controversial during the last decades. Although nowadays there is a consensus about the necessity of maintaining a permanent state of immunosuppression to preserve the survival of cerebral grafts, little is known about the effects that chronic immunosuppression produces both on the neurodegenerative process and on transplants function.

Methods

Here, we establish a new immunosuppressive protocol, based on the discontinuous administration of CsA (15 mg/kg; s.c.) and prednisone (20 mg/kg; s.c.), to produce long‐term immunosuppression in mice. Using this treatment, we analyse the effects that long‐term immunosuppression induces in a chronic 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6,‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) model of parkinsonism and on the neuroprotective and neurorestorative anti‐parkinsonian actions exerted by rat carotid body (CB) xenografts.

Results

This protocol preserves the survival of rat CB xenotransplants maintaining the general wellness of the grafted mice. Although permanent immunosuppression does not prevent the MPTP‐induced cell death of nigral neurons and the consequent degeneration of dopaminergic striatal innervation, allowing for its use as Parkinson's disease (PD) model, it reduces the microglial activation and slightly declines the striatal damage. Moreover, we reported that chronic administration of immunosuppressant drugs does not alter the neuroprotective and restorative anti‐parkinsonian actions of rat CB xenografts into parkinsonian mice.

Conclusions

This new immunosuppressive protocol provides a new murine model to assay the long‐term effects of cerebral xenografts and offer a pharmacological alternative to the commonly used genetic immunodeficient mice, allowing the use of genetically modified mice as hosts. In addition, it will permit the experimental analysis of the effects produced by human CB xenografts in the chronic PD murine model, with the final aim of using CB allografts as an option of cell therapy in PD patients.
Baited vaccines: A strategy to mitigate rodent‐borne viral zoonoses in humans
Authors: Mendoza Emelissa J. , Warner Bryce , Kobinger Gary , Ogden Nicholas H. , Safronetz David
Published: June 2018

Rodents serve as the natural reservoir and vector for a variety of pathogens, some of which are responsible for severe and life‐threatening disease in humans. Despite the significant impact in humans many of these viruses, including Old and New World hantaviruses as well as Arenaviruses, most have no specific vaccine or therapeutic to treat or prevent human infection. The recent success of wildlife vaccines to mitigate rabies in animal populations offers interesting insight into the use of similar strategies for other zoonotic agents of human disease. In this review, we discuss the notion of using baited vaccines as a means to interrupt the transmission of viral pathogens between rodent reservoirs and to susceptible human hosts.
Research on Risk Measurement in Financial Market Based on GARCH-VaR and FHS——An Example of Chinese Bond Market
Authors: Chen Shaozhen , Zhang Bangqian , Deng Jinjin
Published: June 2018

Accurately measuring the risk of bond market is very important for improving the risk management level of bond market and maintaining the stability of the financial system. Taking ChinaBond New Composite Wealth (gross) Index as the research object, this paper selects the closing price from January 1, 2002 to March 30, 2018, establishes the GARCH, EGARCH and GJR-GARCH model based on normal distribution and t distribution, and finds out the volatility aggregation and the leverage effect of the bond market. Then, this paper use two methods  to measure the risk of the bond market: first, we estimate the value at risk (VaR) of the bond market by the parameter method, using conditional variance estimated by the GARCH models, and we carry out backtesting analysis and the Kupiec failure rate test on measurement accuracy of VaR. The results show that t distribution hypothesis and elimination of autocorrelation of the yield rate can improve the accuracy and robustness of the estimation of the VaR; second, we simulate the future revenue path of the bond market and compare it with the actual loss, using Filtered Historical Simulation (FHS) based on Bootstrap method. The results show that the bond market has leverage effect. The maximum possible loss under extreme conditions can be far greater than the maximum possible revenue. But the estimated VaR under 95% confidence level can predict future risks very well. Finally, according to the conclusion, this paper puts forward some suggestions for regulators and investors from the perspective of risk management.
Russia-United Kingdom Diplomatic Crisis over Salisbury Nerve Agent Attack: An Analysis
Authors: Chinonso Mark Kingsley
Published: June 2018

Russia-United Kingdom Diplomatic ties have been banter of ally-crises-ally relations and have not fared well since its first diplomatic contact in 1553 during the era of Tsardom of Russia, and currently at its most tensed point occasioned by the alleged poison attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. While it remains unclear which exactly of the Novichok variants were used to poison Skripal and his daughter? The medical effect of the poison is well understood and Britain with their allies points at Russia as the culprit. This single act has turn sour the diplomatic relations of these great powers. However, it raised multiplicity of arguments among scholars and analysts, who try to highlight and analyse views on who seeks to gain from the cold war between the power megalomaniacs. It is on this ground that the paper looks at the diplomatic crisis between Russia and United Kingdom over the attempted poisoning of Skripal and his daughter. The paper employed a combination of Psycho-Cultural Theory of Conflict and Conspiracy theory as it framework, using a qualitative analysis which relies on secondary data as its source of information to explore the problematic. It further examined if there were any similarities between the Salisbury attack and other attacks carried out in United Kingdom. The paper concludes with the implications of the attack, notes that despite Russia-United Kingdom crisis prone diplomatic relation over Salisbury nerve agent attack, they have an obligation to cooperate in the United Nation should an international conflict arise, as they encompass two of the five permanent members in the UN Security Council giving them the power to veto the approval of UN Security Council resolutions should any quick decision be required. Hence, the pronged disagreement is an interruption to the adoption of quick resolutions, particularly with the emergent danger of conflict and crises on the Korean headland and the on-going civil turbulence in Syria. The paper recommends among others; for Putin to take the opportunity of a new term to start afresh and rebuild ties with the United Kingdom, following the full dictates of diplomatic principles.
Effects of living at moderate altitude on pulmonary vascular function and exercise capacity in mice with sickle cell anaemia
Authors: Ferguson Scott K. , Redinius Katherine , Yalamanoglu Ayla , Harral Julie W. , Hyen Baek Jin , Pak David , Loomis Zoe , Hassell Daniel , Eigenberger Paul , Nozik‐Grayck Eva , Nuss Rachelle , Hassell Kathryn , Stenmark Kurt R. , Buehler Paul W. , Irwin David C.
Published: June 2018

Key points

Sickle cell disease (SCD) results in cardiopulmonary dysfunction, which may be exacerbated by prolonged exposure to environmental hypoxia.

It is currently unknown whether exposure to mild and moderate altitude exacerbates SCD associated cardiopulmonary and systemic complications.

Three months of exposure to mild (1609 m) and moderate (2438 m) altitude increased rates of haemolysis and right ventricular systolic pressures in mice with SCD compared to healthy wild‐type cohorts and SCD mice at sea level.

The haemodynamic changes in SCD mice that had lived at mild and moderate altitude were accompanied by changes in the balance between pulmonary vascular endothelial nitric oxide synthase and endothelin receptor expression and impaired exercise tolerance.

These data demonstrate that chronic altitude exposure exacerbates the complications associated with SCD and provides pertinent information for the clinical counselling of SCD patients.

Exposure to high altitude worsens symptoms and crises in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). However, it remains unclear whether prolonged exposure to low barometric pressures exacerbates SCD aetiologies or impairs quality of life. We tested the hypothesis that, relative to wild‐type (WT) mice, Berkley sickle cell mice (BERK‐SS) residing at sea level, mild (1609 m) and moderate (2438 m) altitude would have a higher rate of haemolysis, impaired cardiac function and reduced exercise tolerance, and that the level of altitude would worsen these decrements. Following 3 months of altitude exposure, right ventricular systolic pressure was measured (solid‐state transducer). In addition, the adaptive balance between pulmonary vascular endothelial nitric oxide synthase and endothelin was assessed in lung tissue to determine differences in pulmonary vascular adaptation and the speed/duration relationship (critical speed) was used to evaluate treadmill exercise tolerance. At all altitudes, BERK‐SS mice had a significantly lower percentage haemocrit and higher total bilirubin and free haemoglobin concentration (P < 0.05 for all). right ventricular systolic pressures in BERK‐SS were higher than WT at moderate altitude and also compared to BERK‐SS at sea level (P < 0.05, for both). Critical speed was significantly lower in BERK‐SS at mild and moderate altitude (P < 0.05). BERK‐SS demonstrated exacerbated SCD complications and reduced exercise capacity associated with an increase in altitude. These results suggest that exposure to mild and moderate altitude enhances the progression of SCD in BERK‐SS mice compared to healthy WT cohorts and BERK‐SS mice at sea level and provides crucial information for the clinical counselling of SCD patients.
Fabrication of long range surface plasmon waveguide biosensors in a low-index fluoropolymer
Authors: Ren Pengshuai , Krupin Oleksiy , Berini Pierre , Tait R. Niall
Published: June 2018

The authors report the fabrication of long-range surface plasmon polariton biosensors consisting of thin narrow Au stripes embedded in a low refractive index fluoropolymer with etched fluidic channels. The fabrication process incorporates a sacrificial SiO2 channel etch stop layer to avoid waveguide damage and prevent channel over-etching, and an Al etch mask to minimize thermal cracking of the fluoropolymer during channel etching. Process details are reported along with fabrication results, and the optical and biosensing performance of the fabricated devices are demonstrated. The biosensors were tested for bulk sensitivity and bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein adsorption producing notable changes for solutions with different refractive indices (increment of 2 × 10−3) and a change in insertion loss of 0.1 dB as a monolayer of BSA forms on the device.
CDC’s Active People, Healthy NationSM: Creating an Active America, Together
Authors: Fulton Janet E. , Buchner David M. , Carlson Susan A. , Borbely Deborah , Rose Kenneth M. , O’Connor Ann E. , Gunn Janelle P. , Petersen Ruth
Published: June 2018

Physical activity can reduce the risk of at least 20 chronic diseases and conditions and provide effective treatment for many of these conditions. Yet, physical activity levels of Americans remain low, with only small improvements over 20 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considered what would accelerate progress and, as a result, developed Active People, Healthy NationSM, an aspirational initiative to improve physical activity in 2.5 million high school youth and 25 million adults, doubling the 10-year improvement targets of Healthy People 2020. Active People, Healthy NationSM will implement evidence-based guidance to improve physical activity through 5 action steps centered on core public health functions: (1) program delivery, (2) partnership mobilization, (3) effective communication, (4) cross-sectoral training, and (5) continuous monitoring and evaluation. To achieve wide-scale impact, Active People, Healthy NationSM will need broad engagement from a variety of sectors working together to coordinate activities and initiatives.
Evaluation of the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra Assay for Direct Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Smear-Negative Extrapulmonary Samples
Authors: Perez-Risco Daniel , Rodriguez-Temporal David , Valledor-Sanchez Ivan , Alcaide Fernando
Published: June 2018

The rapid detection of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex (MTUBC) in clinical samples is essential for successful treatment. New techniques such as real-time PCR have been developed in order to facilitate rapid diagnosis, but their sensitivity is low in extrapulmonary specimens, due to the low bacillary load in such samples.
Lowering the Barriers to Routine Whole-Genome Sequencing of Bacteria in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory
Authors: Rhoads Daniel D.
Published: June 2018

Whole-genome sequencing of bacterial isolates is increasingly being used to predict antibacterial susceptibility and resistance. Mason and coauthors describe the phenotypic susceptibility interpretations of more than 1,300
Staphylococcus aureus
isolates tested against a dozen antistaphylococcal agents, and they compared these findings to susceptibility predictions made by analyzing whole-genome sequence data (J Clin Microbiol 56:e01815-17, 2018,
https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01815-17
).
Optimization of Antimicrobial Treatment to Minimize Resistance Selection
Authors: Guardabassi Luca , Apley Mike , Olsen John Elmerdahl , Toutain Pierre-Louis , Weese Scott
Published: June 2018

Optimization of antimicrobial treatment is a cornerstone in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Various national and international authorities and professional veterinary and farming associations have released generic guidelines on prudent antimicrobial use in animals. However, these generic guidelines need to be translated into a set of animal species- and disease-specific practice recommendations. This article focuses on prevention of antimicrobial resistance and its complex relationship with treatment efficacy, highlighting key situations where the current antimicrobial drug products, treatment recommendations, and practices may be insufficient to minimize antimicrobial selection. The authors address this topic using a multidisciplinary approach involving microbiology, pharmacology, clinical medicine, and animal husbandry. In the first part of the article, we define four key targets for implementing the concept of optimal antimicrobial treatment in veterinary practice: (i) reduction of overall antimicrobial consumption, (ii) improved use of diagnostic testing, (iii) prudent use of second-line, critically important antimicrobials, and (iv) optimization of dosage regimens. In the second part, we provided practice recommendations for achieving these four targets, with reference to specific conditions that account for most antimicrobial use in pigs (intestinal and respiratory disease), cattle (respiratory disease and mastitis), dogs and cats (skin, intestinal, genitourinary, and respiratory disease), and horses (upper respiratory disease, neonatal foal care, and surgical infections). Lastly, we present perspectives on the education and research needs for improving antimicrobial use in the future.
A reevaluation of the Burnt Bluff Group (Llandovery, Silurian, Michigan Basin) from subsurface and outcrop data: Development of a time-transgressive depositional model
Authors: Voice P.J. , Harrison W.B. , Grammer G.M.
Published: June 2018

Previous work shows that the Burnt Bluff Group was deposited as a series of shallow- to moderate-water-depth facies in a tropical marine setting in the Michigan Basin during the Llandoverian. New interest in the unit for both hydrocarbon resources (subsurface) and aggregate resources (outcrop) is driving research in this poorly understood unit. New cores, as well as investigation of the outcrop belt in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, allow further elaboration of the depositional model. The traditional interpretation of the Burnt Bluff Group consists, in stratigraphic order, of the open-marine deposits of the Lime Island Formation, the restricted lagoonal–tidal flat Byron Formation, and the open-marine deposits of the Hendricks Formation. The contacts with the underlying Cataract Group and overlying Manistique Group are gradational. Identification and description of facies in both cores and outcrop sections provide new constraints on the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Burnt Bluff Group. New outcrop and core data require the revision of the depositional model for portions of the group because typical Byron-like facies are found interbedded with Hendricks-like facies in both the Byron and Hendricks Formations. Limited age data from published research combined with the new facies model for the Burnt Bluff Group suggest that the unit was deposited as a time-transgressive package on a carbonate ramp during the Llandoverian.
Evaporite facies of the Michigan Basin
Authors: Harrison III William B. , Voice Peter J.
Published: June 2018

The Michigan Basin is one of the world’s important sedimentary basins that contains significant quantities of evaporites. Here, evaporites are found in deposits of Ordovician through Mississippian age rocks; however, most of the thick evaporite accumulations occur in Silurian and Devonian intervals. Halite is most significant in the Silurian Salina Group, with a maximum aggregate thickness of halite exceeding 650 m (2150 ft). During the earliest evaporite deposition in the Salina Group (A-1 Evaporite), sylvite was widely deposited in the north-central portion of the basin within the upper 91.4 m (300 ft) of the formation. Devonian salt is also present in the north-central portion of the basin in the Horner Member of the Lucas Formation, where maximum aggregate net thickness of halite reaches 125 m (410 ft). Recrystallization of much of the halite obscures the primary depositional crystal geometry; however, some well-preserved beds do show crystal growth that is interpreted as bottom-growth chevrons, which likely suggest shallow-water deposition. Throughout the rest of the Michigan Basin, in both space and time, the evaporite phase deposited is CaSO4. In the shallowest portions of the Mississippian Michigan Formation, the sulfate mineral phase is gypsum; everywhere else in the basin, all the evaporitic sulfate deposits are anhydrite. Although the dehydration of the gypsum to anhydrite has slightly altered the original depositional morphology, some primary growth geometry is still evident. Subtidal and sabkha morphologies can be documented in all the anhydrite/gypsum deposits of the Michigan Basin. Based on historic production, evaporite minerals have added an estimated $15.5 billion (in 2013 dollars) to the industrial mineral economy of Michigan since the first commercial development in the 1860s.
Windward vs. leeward variability of faunal distribution in a Silurian (Wenlockian) pinnacle reef complex—Ray Reef, Macomb County, Michigan
Authors: Trout Jennifer L. , Grammer G. Michael , Harrison III William B.
Published: June 2018

Despite extensive research on Silurian (Niagaran–Wenlockian) reefs, most studies concerning faunal abundance and distribution have been qualitative studies with an emphasis on taxonomy, paleoecology, and evolution. This study is the first quantitative study of relative abundance and distribution of fauna throughout a single Wenlockian reef located in the southern trend of the Michigan Basin. Building on an established sequence stratigraphic framework with wind directions surmised from known paleogeographic location, the purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to quantitatively determine the relative abundances of fauna from subsurface cores of Ray Reef and show how they are tied to the established sequence stratigraphic framework; (2) to determine if the probable wind and current directions, along with water depth, influenced the morphology and distribution of fauna on the reef; and (3) to analyze the influence of wind and current on syndepositional marine cementation.

Relative faunal abundance differed among the leeward, windward, and reef crest locations. Overall faunal density was highest in the crest and lowest along the leeward side of the reef complex. Diversity was highest in the crestal portion of the reef complex and in the reef core facies, in general. Changes in faunal morphology and community replacement were seen repeatedly through all cores in association with shallowing-upward conditions, which coincided with third-order stratigraphic and higher-frequency sequence stratigraphic cyclicity. The percentage of syndepositional marine cement was highest on the windward side and lowest on the leeward side. As has been reported in other reef complexes of varying geological ages, results of this study indicate that the core of the Silurian reef was composed mostly of rubble or debris, relative to the smaller proportion of in situ fauna.
Late Mississippian (Chesterian) through early Pennsylvanian (Atokan) strata, Michigan Basin, USA
Authors: Towne Shannon M. , Venable Niah B.H. , Barnes David A.
Published: June 2018

The Carboniferous Michigan Basin is the subject of conflicting interpretations resulting from the lack of detailed stratigraphic analysis of relevant rock units. In this study, an ~610 m (2000 ft) section of recently acquired core material was evaluated on the basis of lithofacies and stacking patterns, stratigraphic contacts, and well-established regional geologic relations of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian strata.

The Bayport formation is composed of seven distinct primary depositional lithofacies reflecting open-marine and shoal-water to restricted peritidal environments, typically capped by an exposure surface. Carbonate-dominated strata of the Bayport formation are interstratified but ultimately transition up section into siliciclastic-dominated strata (previously called the Parma Sandstone) deposited in tidally influenced, estuarine facies. Late Mississippian Bayport strata are sharply overlain by Pennsylvanian-aged siliciclastic lithofacies of the Saginaw Formation. These facies were deposited in a range of terrestrial and marginal-marine environments, from coarse-grained fluvial sandstones at the base (previously known as the Grand River Formation), to the finer-grained channel sandstones and floodplain mudstones of mixed fluvial and estuarine systems in the middle Saginaw Formation. Carbonaceous shales, mudstones, and thin coal intervals characterize the middle to upper Saginaw Formation.

In the southern Michigan Basin, an important unconformity at the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian contact is represented by either an incised valley-fill succession or a prominent paleosol above the Bayport formation at the base of the Absaroka section in the Saginaw Formation. In upthrown areas adjacent to a major wrench fault, the Lucas fault in south-central Michigan, the Bayport formation is transitional upward from an intensely karsted limestone to a red-bed paleosol and then to primarily carbonaceous mudrock of the Saginaw Formation. In downthrown areas adjacent to the fault, the formation contact, and systemic unconformity, is a sandstone-on-sandstone contact. Climate-sensitive strata indicate a significant transition from predominantly arid conditions in the Mississippian Bayport formation to humid climate conditions in the Pennsylvanian Saginaw Formation across the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian systemic boundary. Previously, the Bayport formation was considered Meramecian in age; however, palynologic analyses of samples collected from core within the interval indicate a Chesterian (late Mississippian) age, representing a significant revision of existing Michigan Basin stratigraphy.
The making of evidence-informed health policy in Cambodia: knowledge, institutions and processes
Authors: Liverani Marco , Chheng Kannarath , Parkhurst Justin
Published: June 2018

Introduction

In global health discussions, there have been widespread calls for health policy and programme implementation to be informed by the best available evidence. However, recommendations in the literature on knowledge translation are often decontextualised, with little attention to the local systems of institutions, structures and practices which can direct the production of evidence and shape whether or how it informs health decisions. This article explores these issues in the country setting of Cambodia, where the Ministry of Health has explicitly championed the language of evidence-based approaches to policy and planning.

Methods

Research for this paper combined multiple sources and material, including in-depth interviews with key informants in Phnom Penh and the analysis of documentary material and publications. Data collection and analysis focused on two key domains in evidence advisory systems: domestic capacities to generate health policy-relevant evidence and institutional mechanisms to monitor, evaluate and incorporate evidence in the policy process.

Results

We identified a number of structural arrangements that may increasingly work to facilitate the supply of health-related data and information, and their use to inform policy and planning. However, other trends and features appear to be more problematic, including gaps between research and public health priorities in the country, the fragmented nature of research activities and information systems, the lack of a national policy to support and guide the production and use of evidence for health policy, and challenges to the use of evidence for intersectoral policy-making.

Conclusions

In Cambodia, as in other low/middle-income countries, continued investments to increase the supply and quality of health data and information are needed, but greater attention should be paid to the enabling institutional environment to ensure relevance of health research products and effective knowledge management.
Variation in cost and performance of routine immunisation service delivery in India
Authors: Chatterjee Susmita , Das Palash , Nigam Aditi , Nandi Arindam , Brenzel Logan , Ray Arindam , Haldar Pradeep , Aggarwal Mahesh Kumar , Laxminarayan Ramanan
Published: June 2018

A comprehensive understanding of the costs of routine vaccine delivery is essential for planning, budgeting and sustaining India’s Universal Immunisation Programme. India currently allocates approximately US$25 per child for vaccines and operational costs. This budget is prepared based on historical expenditure data as information on cost is not available. This study estimated the cost of routine immunisation services based on a stratified, random sample of 255 public health facilities from 24 districts across seven states—Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Meghalaya, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The economic cost for the fiscal year 2013–2014 was measured by adapting an internationally accepted approach for the Indian context. Programme costs included the value of personnel, vaccines, transport, maintenance, training, cold chain equipment, building and other recurrent costs. The weighted average national level cost per dose delivered was US$2.29 including vaccine costs, and the cost per child vaccinated with the third dose of diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus (DPT) vaccine (a proxy for full immunisation) was US$31.67 (at 2017 prices). There was wide variation in the weighted average state-level cost per dose delivered inclusive of vaccine costs (US$1.38 to US$2.93) and, for the cost per DTP3 vaccinated child (US$20.08 to US$34.81). Lower costs were incurred by facilities and districts that provided the largest number of doses of vaccine. Out of the total cost, the highest amount (57%) was spent on personnel. This costing study, the most comprehensive conducted to date in India, provides evidence, which should help improve planning and budgeting for the national programme. The budget generally considers financial costs, while this study focused on economic costs. For using this study’s results for planning and budgeting, the collected data can be used to extract the relevant financial costs. Variation in cost per dose and doses administered across facilities, districts and states need to be further investigated to understand the drivers of cost and measure the efficiency of service delivery.
National mixed methods evaluation of the effects of removing legal barriers to full practice authority of Dutch nurse practitioners and physician assistants
Authors: De Bruijn-Geraets Daisy P , van Eijk-Hustings Yvonne J L , Bessems-Beks Monique C M , Essers Brigitte A B , Dirksen Carmen D , Vrijhoef Hubertus Johannes Maria
Published: June 2018

Objective

To evaluate the effects of granting legal full practice authority (FPA) to nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) regarding the performance of specified reserved medical procedures and to support governmental decision-making.

Design

Nationwide mixed methods design with triangulation of quantitative (Pre-post test design) and qualitative data (expert interviews and focus groups).

Methods

Surveys focused on the performance of the procedures (monthly number, authorisation mode, consultations and procedural time) and legal cross-compliance requirements (adherence with protocols, competence). Interviews focused on competence, knowledge, skills, responsibilities, routine behaviour, NP/PA role, acceptance, organisational structure, collaboration, consultation, NP/PA positioning, adherence with protocols and resources. Data collection took place between 2011 and 2015.

Results

Quantitative data included 1251 NPs, 798 PAs and 504 physicians. Besides, expert interviews with 33 healthcare providers and 28 key stakeholders, and 5 focus groups (31 healthcare providers) were held.

After obtaining FPA, the proportion of NPs and PAs performing reserved procedures increased from 77% to 85% and from 86% to 93%, respectively; the proportion of procedures performed on own authority increased from 63% to 76% for NPs and from 67% to 71% for PAs. The mean number of monthly contacts between NPs/PAs and physicians about procedures decreased (from 81 to 49 and from 107 to 54, respectively), as did the mean duration in minutes (from 9.9 to 8.6 and from 8.8 to 7.4, respectively). Utilisation of FPA was dependent on the setting, as scepticism of physicians and medical boards hampered full implementation. Legal cross-compliance requirements were mostly fulfilled.

Conclusions

Informal practice was legalised. The opportunities to independently perform catheterisations, injections, prescribing, punctures and small surgical procedures were highly used. Care processes were organised more efficiently, services were performed by the most appropriate healthcare provider and conditions were met. This led to the recommendation to continue with FPA.
PREHAB study: a protocol for a prospective randomised clinical trial of exercise therapy for people living with frailty having cancer surgery
Authors: McIsaac Daniel I , Saunders Chelsey , Hladkowicz Emily , Bryson Gregory L , Forster Alan J , Gagne Sylvain , Huang Allen , Lalu Manoj , Lavallee Luke T , Moloo Husein , Nantel Julie , Power Barbara , Scheede-Bergdahl Celena , Taljaard Monica , van Walraven Carl , McCartney Colin J L
Published: June 2018

Introduction

Exercise prehabilitation may improve outcomes after surgery. Frailty is a key predictor of adverse postoperative outcomes in older people; the multidimensional nature of frailty makes this a population who may derive substantial benefit from exercise prehabilitation. The objective of this trial is to test the efficacy of exercise prehabilitation to improve postoperative functional outcomes for people living with frailty having cancer surgery with curative intent.

Methods and analysis

We will conduct a single-centre, parallel-arm randomised controlled trial of home-based exercise prehabilitation versus standard care among consenting patients >60 years having elective cancer surgery (intra-abdominal and intrathoracic) and who are frail (Clinical Frailty Scale >4). The intervention consists of>3 weeks of exercise prehabilitation (strength, aerobic and stretching). The primary outcome is the 6 min walk test at the first postoperative clinic visit. Secondary outcomes include the short physical performance battery, health-related quality of life, disability-free survival, complications and health resource utilisation. The primary outcome will be analysed by intention to treat using analysis of covariance. Outcomes up to 1 year after surgery will be ascertained through linkage to administrative data.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval has been granted by our ethics review board (Protocol Approval #2016009–01H). Results will be disseminated through presentation at scientific conferences, through peer-reviewed publication, stakeholder organisations and engagement of social and traditional media.

Trial registration number

NCT02934230; Pre-results.
Evaluation of an incidental cardiac finding in a patient with bronchitis
Authors: Bradley Andrew J , Lewis Jannet F , Choi Andrew D
Published: June 2018

Clinical introduction

A 63-year-old man with HIV presented with 1 month of dyspnoea and productive cough without orthopnoea. He was afebrile with normal blood pressure, borderline tachycardia and mild pulmonary wheezing. He had exertional hypoxia requiring 4 L per minute of oxygen. No murmurs, jugular venous distention or lower extremity oedema was noted. Clinical evaluation included transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), which showed mild left ventricular hypertrophy with normal size and systolic function. The right ventricle was normal. There was mild aortic insufficiency; other valves were normal. An abnormality was incidentally seen at the aortic root.

The patient was treated for bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, while further evaluation of the incidental aortic root finding was performed with transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and cardiac MRI (CMR).

Question

What is the most likely diagnosis for this finding?

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm.

Chronic aortic dissection.

Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) pseudoaneurysm.

Right coronary artery aneurysm.

Aortic root abscess.
Sex ratios at birth among second-generation mothers of South Asian ethnicity in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective population-based cohort study
Authors: Wanigaratne Susitha , Uppal Pamela , Bhangoo Manvir , Januwalla Alia , Singal Deepa , Urquia Marcelo L
Published: June 2018

Background

Son-biased sex ratios at birth (M:F), an extreme manifestation of son preference, are predominately found in East and South Asia. Studies have examined sex ratios among first-generation migrants from these regions, but few have examined second-generation descendants. Our objective was to determine whether son-biased sex ratios persist among second-generation mothers with South Asian ethnicity in Ontario, Canada.

Methodology

A surname algorithm identified a population-based cohort of mothers with South Asian ethnicity who gave birth in Ontario between 1993 and 2014 (n=59 659). Linking to official immigration data identified births to first-generation mothers (ie, immigrants). Births not to immigrants were designated as being to second-generation mothers (ie, born in Canada) (n=10 273). Sex ratios and 95% CI were stratified by the sex of previous live births and by whether it was preceded by ≥1 abortion for both first-generation and second-generation mothers.

Results

Among mothers with two previous daughters and at least one prior abortion since the second birth, both second-generation mothers and first-generation mothers had elevated sex ratios at the third birth (2.80 (95% CI 1.36 to 5.76) and 2.46 (95% CI 1.93 to 3.12), respectively). However, among mothers with no prior abortion, second-generation mothers had a normal sex ratio, while first-generation mothers gave birth to 142 boys for every 100 girls (95% CI 125 to 162 boys for every 100 girls).

Conclusion

Son preference persists among second-generation mothers of South Asian ethnicity. Culturally sensitive and community-driven gender equity interventions are needed.