bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nivolumab‐induced autoimmune diabetes
Authors: Chan Jenny T. K. , Jones Ellen
Published: March 2017

Background

Advances in research on lung cancer treatment have extended to manipulating the immune system for cancer treatment. A new class of monoclonal antibodies, which inhibit the programmed cell death 1 (PD‐1)/PD‐ligand1 (PD‐L1) immune checkpoint alliance, is being used for treatment in lung cancer, especially in heavily pretreated patients. An example of this class is nivolumab. Here we report an incident of autoimmune diabetes thought to have been induced by nivolumab.

Clinical details

A 78‐year‐old woman with no prior history of diabetes presented to the emergency department (ED) with a 3‐day history of lethargy, anorexia, dyspnoea, polyuria and polydipsia, following her third treatment of nivolumab infusion for her metastatic lung cancer. Her pathology results and clinical symptoms were consistent with a diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Outcomes

The patient's symptoms resolved after interventions of the ED, medical and endocrinology teams. She was eventually discharged from the hospital with insulin for her diabetes. Despite good disease response, the patient declined further nivolumab treatment. Manipulation of the immune checkpoint molecules may disrupt immunologic haemostasis and lead to autoimmune‐like side effects. Similar adverse events have previously been reported with this drug class in the treatment of various cancers.

Conclusion

This case report highlights a probable causal relationship between nivolumab and diabetes. The adverse effects associated with nivolumab may not be fully familiar to all. This case report serves to raise awareness among healthcare professionals about this rare nivolumab‐associated adverse effect.
Brief review of complementary and alternative medicine use among Malaysian women with breast cancer
Authors: Khan Tahir Mehmood , Jacob Sabrina Anne
Published: March 2017

Breast cancer is rated as the most common cancer among women in Malaysia, resulting in 25% of cancer‐related deaths in women. However, effective management has been impeded by the burgeoning use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by these patients. Indeed, women with breast cancer in Malaysia present at a later stage of the disease compared to women from other countries, and a contributing factor has been their preference for CAM treatment prior to seeking conventional therapy. This article explores the impetus behind the use of CAM, and highlights some measures that can be taken to address this issue. Some of the influencing factors noted were patients' lack of knowledge, sociocultural factors, as well as poor communication with healthcare providers. There needs to be a concerted effort by the key players who are either directly or indirectly involved in the care of these patients to address whatever misconceptions they may have that are related to cancer as well as CAM use. Pharmacists especially, as the drug experts, can play a bigger role in educating these patients on the importance of using evidence‐based treatments.
Objective Measurement and Characterization of Sleep Benefit in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Lee Will , Evans Andrew H. , Williams David R.
Published: March 2017

Background

Sleep benefit (SB) in Parkinson's disease refers to improved motor symptoms upon waking despite an entire night without medications. Although it was first proposed 30 years ago, this phenomenon proved difficult to investigate, and its true prevalence and underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Objective

This study aimed to identify and quantify SB through measurement of motor function using a validated smartphone application and to identify disease characteristics that predicted SB.

Methods

Ninety‐two patients recruited from 2 Movement Disorder Services were clinically assessed at home using a validated smartphone application. Each patient was tested in the on‐state, at the end of dose, and on waking (before medications) 3 times. Differences between the 3 states were used to determine the impact of sleep and levodopa on motor function. SB was considered to be a “measurable improvement in parkinsonism from the end of dose.”

Results

The morning waking motor function of 20 patients (22%) improved compared with the end‐of‐dose function, with 9 patients demonstrating superior function compared with their on‐state. No clinical features predicted SB. Although all participants subjectively reported motor fluctuations, only 35 patients (38%) demonstrated an objective improvement with levodopa. Patients who had SB more often demonstrated objective motor fluctuations compared with those who did not (65% vs. 31%; P = 0.008).

Conclusions

SB is a genuine motor phenomenon: 1 in 5 patients have a measurable improvement in motor function on waking. It remains questionable whether this improvement is a direct effect of sleep. Until its underlying mechanism is better understood, it is more appropriate to refer to this phenomenon as simply morning improvement or diurnal fluctuation of motor symptoms.
A mutation creating an upstream initiation codon in theSOX95′UTRcauses acampomelic campomelic dysplasia
Authors: von Bohlen Anna E. , Böhm Johann , Pop Ramona , Johnson Diana S. , Tolmie John , Stücker Ralf , Morris‐Rosendahl Deborah , Scherer Gerd
Published: March 2017

Background

Campomelic dysplasia (CD) is a semilethal developmental disorder caused by mutations in and aroundSOX9.CDis characterized by multiple skeletal malformations including bending (campomelia) of long bones. Surviving patients frequently have the acampomelic form ofCD(ACD).

Methods

This is a single case report on a patient with clinical and radiological features ofACDwho has no mutation in theSOX9protein‐coding sequence nor a translocation with breakpoint in theSOX9regulatory domain. We include functional studies of the novel mutant protein in vitro and in cultured cells.

Results

The patient was found to have a de novo heterozygous mutation c.‐185G>A in theSOX95′UTR. The mutation creates an upstream translation start codon,uAUG, with a much better fit of its flanking sequence to the Kozak consensus than the wild‐typeAUG. By in vitro transcription‐translation and transient transfection intoCOS‐7 cells, we show that theuAUGleads to translation of a short peptide from a reading frame that terminates just after the wild‐typeAUGstart codon. This results in reduced translation of the wild‐type protein, compatible with the milder phenotype of the patient.

Conclusion

Findings support the notion that more mildly affected, survivingCD/ACDpatients carry mutantSOX9alleles with residual expression ofSOX9 wild‐type protein. Although rarely described in human genetic disease and for the first time here forCD, mutations creating upstreamAUGcodons may be more common than generally assumed.
Cry1A(b)16 toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis: Theoretical refinement of three‐dimensional structure and prediction of peptides as molecular markers for detection of genetically modified organisms
Authors: Plácido Alexandra , Coelho Andreia , Abreu Nascimento Lucas , Gomes Vasconcelos Andreanne , Fátima Barroso Maria , Ramos‐Jesus Joilson , Costa Vladimir , das Chagas Alves Lima Francisco , Delerue‐Matos Cristina , Martins Ramos Ricardo , Marani Mariela M. , Roberto de Souza de Almeida Leite José
Published: March 2017

Transgenic maize produced by the insertion of the Cry transgene into its genome became the second most cultivated crop worldwide. Cry gene from Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki expresses protein derivatives of crystalline endotoxins which confer insect resistance onto the maize crop. Mandatory labeling of processed food containing or made by genetically modified organisms is in force in many countries, so, it is very urgent to develop fast and practical methods for GMO identification, for example, biosensors. In the absence of an available empirical structure of Cry1A(b)16 protein, a theoretical model was effectively generated, in this work, by homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulations based on two available homologous protein structures. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to refine the selected model, and an analysis of its global structure was performed. The refined models of Cry1A(b)16 showed a standard fold and structural characteristics similar to those seen in Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A(a) insecticidal toxin and Bacillus thuringiensis serovar kurstaki Cry1A(c) toxin. After in silico analysis of Cry1A(b)16, two immunoreactive candidate peptides were selected and specific polyclonal antibodies were produced resulting in antibody–peptide interaction. Biosensing devices are expected to be developed for detection of the Cry1A(b) protein as a marker of transgenic maize in food. Proteins 2017; 85:1248–1257. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reanalysis of the Much Referenced Ethanol‐trichloromethane Mixture Vapor Pressure Data: A Discussion of the Principal Association Species Present
Authors: Manatt Stanley L.
Published: March 2017

The Scatchard (S) and Raymond (R) 1938 data on the vapor pressure above ethanol (1)‐trichloromethane (2) mixtures at the temperatures of 35, 45 and 55° C are still being used today in discussions of the thermodynamic properties and association species present in 1‐2 mixtures. Here a detailed reanalysis of the originally published SR data has been carried out using the model free Redlich‐Kister excess chemical potential approach as applied by Barker. These results show how small temperature variations drastically affect mixture vapor pressure measurements. A number of weaknesses in SR's original analysis of their data and significant discrepancies between R's thesis results and those in the published SR paper have been uncovered. These discrepancies would impact the conclusions of anyone using SR's results. From the present reanalysis more accurate temperatures dependent Gibbs excess energies, excess entropies, excess enthalpies and activity coefficients have been calculated that could not been obtained from SR data analysis scheme. Based on available experimental and theoretical studies of the 1‐2 system it is argued that the major association species should be the cyclic 111 trimer and that the dimer 22 should be considered. This is counter to a current model for this system.
Making Electrodes Stretchable
Authors: Chen Xiaodong
Published: March 2017

Stretchable electrodes constitute a crucial construction unit for the connection of working circuits of stretchable supercapacitors, batteries, sensors, and other devices. Several key requirements for the manufacture of stretchable electrodes are discussed here, including stretchability, softness, adhesion, surface modification, encapsulation, and biocompatibility. The development of stretchable electrodes is still in progress; in the future it may be possible to endow electronic devices with personifications (e.g., smell, touch, etc.) and will they will be important in the medical field.
Pattern separation in the hippocampus through the eyes of computational modeling
Authors: Chavlis Spyridon , Poirazi Panayiota
Published: March 2017

Pattern separation is a mnemonic process that has been extensively studied over the years. It entails the ability ‐of primarily hippocampal circuits‐ to distinguish between highly similar inputs, via generating different neuronal activity (output) patterns. The dentate gyrus (DG) in particular has long been hypothesized to implement pattern separation by detecting and storing similar inputs as distinct representations. The ways in which these distinct representations can be generated have been explored in a number of theoretical and computational modeling studies. Here, we review two categories of pattern separation models: those that address the phenomenon in an abstract mathematical fashion and those that delve into the underlying biological mechanisms by taking into account the anatomy and/or physiology of hippocampal circuits. We summarize the strategies, findings and limitations of these modeling approaches in the light of new experimental findings and propose a unifying framework whereby different network, cellular and sub‐cellular mechanisms converge to a common goal: controlling sparsity, the key determinant of pattern separation in the DG.
Surgical Management of Iatrogenic Perforation of the Gastrointestinal Tract: 15 Years of Experience in a Single Center
Authors: Holmer Christoph , Mallmann Christoph A. , Musch Marlis A. , Kreis Martin E. , Gröne Jörn
Published: March 2017

Background

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract perforation during endoscopy is a rare but severe complication. The aim of this study was to determine predictors of morbidity and mortality after iatrogenic endoscopic perforation.

Materials and methods

All cases with iatrogenic endoscopic perforation receiving surgery at a tertiary referral center in a 15‐year period (2000–2015) were retrospectively analyzed. Demographics, type of endoscopy, site of perforation, operative procedure, morbidity and mortality were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify parameters predicting survival.

Results

A total of 106.492 endoscopies were performed, and 82 (0.08%) patients were diagnosed with GI perforation. Most perforations (63.4%) occurred in the lower GI tract, compared to 36.6% in the upper GI tract. In 21 cases (25%), perforation was noticed during endoscopy, whereas 61 perforations (75%) were diagnosed during the further clinical course. Operative care was applied within 24 h in 61%. Surgery of perforations was almost completely performed maintaining the intestinal continuity (68%), whereas diversion was performed in 32%. Mortality was associated with age above 70 (OR 4.89, p = 0.027), ASA class > 3 (OR 4.08, p = 0.018), delayed surgery later than 24 h after perforation (OR 5.9, p = 0.015), peritonitis/mediastinitis intraoperatively (OR 4.68, p = 0.031) and severe postoperative complications with a Clavien–Dindo grade ≥III (OR 5.12, p = 0.023).

Conclusion

The prevalence of iatrogenic endoscopic perforation is low, although it is associated with a serious impact on morbidity and mortality. Delayed management worsens prognosis. To achieve successful management of endoscopic perforations, early diagnosis is essential in cases of deviation from the normal post‐interventional course, especially in elderly.
Rapidly directional biotransformation of tauroursodeoxycholic acid through engineered Escherichia coli
Authors: Shi Jie , Wang Jie , Yu Lu , Yang Li , Zhao Shujuan , Wang Zhengtao
Published: March 2017

Bear bile powder is a precious medicinal material. It is characterized by high content of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) at a ratio of 1.0–1.5 to taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA). Here, we reported the biotransformation of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) through Escherichia coli engineered with a two-step mimic biosynthetic pathway of TUDCA from taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA). Two 7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7α-HSDH) and two 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7β-HSDH) genes (named as α1, α2, β1, and β2) were selected and synthesized to create four pathway variants using ePathBrick. All could convert TCDCA to TUDCA and the one harboring α1 and β2 (pα1β2) showed the strongest capability. Utilizing the oxidative and reductive properties of 7α- and 7β-HSDH, an ideal balance between TUDCA and TCDCA was established by optimizing the fermentation conditions. By applying the optimal condition, E. coli containing pα1β2 (BL-pα1β2) produced up to 1.61 ± 0.13 g/L of TUDCA from 3.23 g/L of TCDCA at a ratio of 1.3 to TCDCA. This study provides a potential approach for bear bile substitute production from cheap and readily available chicken bile.
Feeling the pressure: Attitudes about volunteering and their effect on civic and political behaviors
Authors: Bode Leticia
Published: March 2017

This article examines the evolving nature of volunteering among American youth, ages 12 to 17, focusing on emergent pressures to volunteer, as required by high schools or to improve one's employment or education prospects after graduation. Using survey data (N = 736, mean age = 14.78, 75.1% white, 49.1% female), it finds these pressures are prevalent, related to a desire to volunteer, and both of these motivations are positively associated with volunteering. It further concludes that volunteering supplements, rather than replaces or subsumes both online and offline political behaviors among youth. This has important implications for how we understand the role of volunteering in the youngest American age cohorts, and practical implications for educators and civic proponents in terms of determining what actually increases volunteering activity.
The differential impact of oxytocin receptor gene in violence‐exposed boys and girls
Authors: Merrill Livia C. , Jones Christopher W. , Drury Stacy S. , Theall Katherine P.
Published: March 2017

Childhood violence exposure is a prevalent public health problem. Understanding the lasting impact of violence requires an enhanced appreciation for the complex effects of violence across behavioral, physiologic, and molecular outcomes. This subject matched, cross‐sectional study of 80 children explored the impact of violence exposure across behavioral, physiologic, and cellular outcomes. Externalizing behavior, diurnal cortisol rhythm, and telomere length (TL) were examined in a community recruited cohort of Black youth. Given evidence that genetic variation contributes to individual differences in response to the environment, we further tested whether a polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR rs53576) moderated associations between violence and youth outcomes. Exposure to violence was directly associated with increased externalizing behavior, but no direct association of violence was found with cortisol or TL. Oxytocin genotype, however, moderated the association between violence and both cortisol and TL, suggesting that pathways linked to oxytocin may contribute to individual differences in the physiologic and molecular consequences of violence exposure. Sex differences with OXTR in cortisol and TL outcomes were also detected. Taken together, these findings suggest that there are complex pathways through which violence exposure impacts children, and that these pathways differ by both genetic variation and the sex of the child.
Cavernosopatía traumática crónica. Un nuevo síndrome de fibrosis peneana
Authors: Uribe A Juan , Vélez H Alejandro , Zuleta T John , Uribe T Carlos
Published: March 2017

Introdución La llamada genéricamente «enfermedad de Peyronie» es un diagnóstico que explica un porcentaje de ciertos estados de fibrosis peneana grave, pero se queda corta para abarcar la amplia gama de grises de la fibrosis peneana secundaria a microtrauma sexual repetido.

Objectivo Describir un nuevo síndrome por trauma repetido en el pene al que se propone denominar «cavernosopatía traumática crónica» (CTC), con 4 componentes: fibrosis (leve, moderada o grave), disfunción eréctil, curvatura y fugas venosas peneanas.

Materiales y métodos Se realizó un estudio de corte transversal en una base de datos de 128 pacientes que tenían al menos una ecografía de pene con vasoactivo y en los que se había detectado algún grado de fibrosis cavernosa según la clasificación de Levine. Se evaluó la presencia de disfunción eréctil, curvas y fugas venosas según el grado de fibrosis. El estudio contó con la aprobación del Comité de Ética en Investigación.

Resultados Se estudió a 128 pacientes con fibrosis, con 51,3 años de edad promedio (DE = 13). El grado de fibrosis fue leve (Levine 1) en 30 (23,43%), moderado (Levine 2) en 23 (17,96%) y grave (Levine 3) en 75 (58,6%). Se demostró que, a mayor fibrosis, mayor disfunción eréctil, 66,6; 83,6 y 96% para Levine 1, 2 y 3, respectivamente (p ≤ 0,0001). La frecuencia de curvatura secundaria (n = 71) fue de 0; 4,2 y 95,7% para Levine 1, 2 y 3, respectivamente (p ≤ 0,0001). La frecuencia en los 44 pacientes con fugas cavernosas fue de 9; 20,4 y 70,4% (p = 0,0060) y en los 15 de fugas dorsales fue de 80; 13,3 y 6,6% (p < 0,0001) para Levine 1, 2 y 3 respectivamente. El grupo de 79 pacientes (64,03%) con mayor posibilidad de CTC, con presencia de 3 o 4 criterios que incluyeran curvatura secundaria y fuga cavernosa, tuvo un promedio de edad de 59,2 años (DE = 8,7), comparado con 41,7 años (DE = 11,7) en el grupo de menor posibilidad, diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p ≤ 0,0001).

Conclusiones Proponemos que existe un síndrome de microtrauma repetido en el pene, que puede denominarse CTC, análogo a la encefalopatía traumática crónica, con 4 componentes: fibrosis cavernosa, disfunción eréctil, curvatura peneana y fugas venosas. La fibrosis es un continuum que el paciente recorre por fases leves y moderadas, a menudo inapreciables para los clínicos. Las curvaturas secundarias y las fugas cavernosas están relacionadas directamente con el grado de fibrosis y con mayor riesgo de disfunción eréctil. La edad empeora algunos factores de la CTC.
Citizenship in Classical Athens
Authors: Blok Josine
Published: March 2017

What did citizenship really mean in classical Athens? It is conventionally understood as characterised by holding political office. Since only men could do so, only they were considered to be citizens, and the community (polis) has appeared primarily as the scene of men's political actions. However, Athenian law defined citizens not by political office, but by descent. Religion was central to the polis and in this domain, women played prominent public roles. Both men and women were called 'citizens'. On a new reading of the evidence, Josine Blok argues that for the Athenians, their polis was founded on an enduring bond with the gods. Laws anchored the polis' commitments to humans and gods in this bond, transmitted over time to male and female Athenians as equal heirs. All public offices, in various ways and as befitting gender and age, served both the human community and the divine powers protecting Athens.
Family and Gender in Renaissance Italy, 1300–1600
Authors: Kuehn Thomas
Published: March 2017

This book studies family life and gender broadly within Italy, not just one region or city, from the fourteenth through the seventeenth centuries. Paternal control of the household was paramount in Italian life at this time, with control of property and even marital choices and career paths laid out for children and carried out from beyond the grave by means of written testaments. However, the reality was always more complex than a simple reading of local laws and legal doctrines would seem to permit, especially when there were no sons to step forward as heirs. Family disputes provided an opening for legal ambiguities to redirect property and endow women with property and means of control. This book uses the decisions of lawyers and judges to examine family dynamics through the lens of law and legal disputes.
Worlds Fantastic, Worlds Familiar
Authors: Buratti Bonnie J.
Published: March 2017

Join Bonnie J. Buratti, a leading planetary astronomer, on this personal tour of NASA's latest discoveries. Moving through the Solar System from Mercury, Venus, Mars, past comets and asteroids and the moons of the giant planets, to Pluto, and on to exoplanets, she gives vivid descriptions of landforms that are similar to those found on Earth but that are more fantastic. Sulfur-rich volcanoes and lakes on Io, active gullies on Mars, huge ice plumes and tar-like deposits on the moons of Saturn, hydrocarbon rivers and lakes on Titan, and nitrogen glaciers on Pluto are just some of the marvels that await readers. Discover what it is like to be involved in a major scientific enterprise, with all its pitfalls and excitement, from the perspective of a female scientist. This engaging account of modern space exploration is written for non-specialist readers, from students in high school to enthusiasts of all ages.
Financial Crisis, Corporate Governance, and Bank Capital
Authors: Bhagat Sanjai
Published: March 2017

In the aftermath of the 2007–8 crisis, senior policymakers and the media have blamed excessive risk-taking undertaken by bank executives, in response to their compensation incentives, for the crisis. The inevitable follow-up to this was to introduce stronger financial regulation, in the hope that better and more ethical behaviour can be induced. Despite the honourable intentions of regulation, such as the Dodd–Frank Act of 2010, it is clear that many big banks are still deemed too big to fail. This book argues that by restructuring executive incentive programmes to include only restricted stock and restricted stock options with very long vesting periods, and financing banks with considerably more equity, the potential of future financial crises can be minimized. It will be of great value to corporate executives, corporate board members, institutional investors and economic policymakers, as well as graduate and undergraduate students studying finance, economics and law.
Proportionality and Judicial Activism
Authors: Petersen Niels
Published: March 2017

The principle of proportionality is currently one of the most discussed topics in the field of comparative constitutional law. Many critics claim that courts use the proportionality test as an instrument of judicial self-empowerment. Proportionality and Judicial Activism tests this hypothesis empirically; it systematically and comparatively analyses the fundamental rights jurisprudence of the Canadian Supreme Court, the German Federal Constitutional Court and the South African Constitutional Court. The book shows that the proportionality test does give judges a considerable amount of discretion. However, this analytical openness does not necessarily lead to judicial activism. Instead, judges are faced with significant institutional constraints, as a result of which all three examined courts refrain from using proportionality for purposes of judicial activism.
Taxonomic and numerical sufficiency in depth- and salinity-controlled marine paleocommunities
Authors: Zuschin Martin , Nawrot Rafał , Harzhauser Mathias , Mandic Oleg , Tomašových Adam
Published: March 2017

Numerical and taxonomic resolution of compositional data sets affects investigators’ abilities to detect and measure relationships between communities and environmental factors. We test whether varying numerical (untransformed, square-root- and fourth-root-transformed relative abundance and presence–absence data) and taxonomic (species, genera, families) resolutions reveals different insights into early to middle Miocene molluscan communities along bathymetric and salinity gradients. The marine subtidal has a more even species-abundance distribution, a higher number of rare species, and higher species:family and species:genus ratios than the three habitats—marine and estuarine intertidal, estuarine subtidal—with higher fluctuations in salinity and other physical parameters. Taxonomic aggregation and numerical transformation of data result in very different ordinations, although all habitats differ significantly from one another at all taxonomic and numerical levels. Rank correlations between species-level and higher-taxon, among-sample dissimilarities are very high for proportional abundance and decrease strongly with increasing numerical transformation, most notably in the two intertidal habitats. The proportion of variation explained by depth is highest for family-level data, decreases gradually with numerical transformation, and is higher in marine than in estuarine habitats. The proportion of variation explained by salinity is highest for species-level data, increases gradually with numerical transformation, and is higher in subtidal than in intertidal habitats. Therefore, there is no single best numerical and taxonomic resolution for the discrimination of communities along environmental gradients: the “best” resolution depends on the environmental factor considered and the nature of community response to it. Different numerical and taxonomic transformations capture unique aspects of metacommunity assembly along environmental gradients that are not detectable at a single level of resolution. We suggest that simultaneous analyses of community gradients at multiple taxonomic and numerical resolutions provide novel insights into processes responsible for spatial and temporal community stability.
Marine redox evolution in the early Cambrian Yangtze shelf margin area: evidence from trace elements, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes
Authors: WEI GUANG-YI , LING HONG-FEI , LI DA , WEI WEI , WANG DAN , CHEN XI , ZHU XIANG-KUN , ZHANG FEI-FEI , YAN BIN
Published: March 2017

Nitrogen is an essential element for biological activity, and nitrogen isotopic compositions of geological samples record information about both marine biological processes and environmental evolution. However, only a few studies of N isotopes in the early Cambrian have been published. In this study, we analysed nitrogen isotopic compositions, as well as trace elements and sulphur isotopic compositions of cherts, black shales, carbonaceous shales and argillaceous carbonates from the Daotuo drill core in Songtao County, NE Guizhou Province, China, to reconstruct the marine redox environment of both deep and surface seawater in the study area of the Yangtze shelf margin in the early Cambrian. The Mo–U covariation pattern of the studied samples indicates that the Yangtze shelf margin area was weakly restricted and connected to the open ocean through shallow water flows. Mo and U concentrations, δ15Nbulk and δ34Spy values of the studied samples from the Yangtze shelf margin area suggest ferruginous but not sulphidic seawater and low marine sulphate concentration (relatively deep chemocline) in the Cambrian Fortunian and early Stage 2; sulphidic conditions (shallow chemocline and anoxic photic zone) in the upper Cambrian Stage 2 and lower Stage 3; and the depression of sulphidic seawater in the middle and upper Cambrian Stage 3. Furthermore, the decreasing δ15N values indicate shrinking of the marine nitrate reservoir during the middle and upper Stage 3, which reflects a falling oxygenation level in this period. The environmental evolution was probably controlled by the changing biological activity through its feedback on the local marine environment.
Impact of pharyngofixation in cleft palate repair surgery on the development of chronic adhesive otitis media
Authors: Otruba L , Schalek P , Hornáčková Z
Published: March 2017

Background:

A significant percentage of children with cleft palate suffer from otitis media with effusion and its consequences, such as deafness, chronic adhesive otitis and cholesteatoma. This study aimed to determine whether these effects can be minimised by selecting pharyngofixation as the surgical technique for cleft palate correction.

Methods:

A retrospective study was performed of 155 patients (308 ears) who underwent surgery from age 5 months to 8 years and were followed up for 36–84 months.

Results:

In all, 125 ears (41 per cent) had epitympanic retraction, 45 ears (14 per cent) had sinus tympani retraction and 5 patients (3 per cent) had cholesteatoma. Use of the pharyngofixation technique did not significantly correlate with (1) the severity of otological findings or (2) the incidence of retraction pockets in the epitympanum and sinus tympani (p = 0.53).

Conclusion:

Pharyngofixation did not significantly alter the severity of long-term otological findings.
Gravitational instability of rotating magnetized quantum anisotropic plasma
Authors: Argal Shraddha , Tiwari Anita , Prajapati R. P. , Sharma P. K.
Published: March 2017

The present problem deals with the study of gravitational (Jeans) instability of magnetized, rotating, anisotropic plasmas considering quantum effects. The basic equations of the considered system are constructed using combined Chew–Goldberger–Low (CGL) fluid model and quantum magnetohydrodynamic (QMHD) fluid model. A dispersion relation is obtained using the normal mode technique which is discussed for transverse and longitudinal modes of propagation. It is found that a rotating quantum plasma influences the gravitational mode in transverse propagation but not in longitudinal propagation. The presence of rotation decreases the critical wavenumber and it has a stabilizing effect on the Jeans instability criterion of magnetized quantum plasma in transverse propagation. The firehose instability is unaffected due to the presence of uniform rotation and quantum corrections. We observe from the numerical analysis that region of instability and critical Jeans wavenumber are both decreased due to the presence of uniform rotation. The stabilizing influence of uniform rotation is observed for magnetized, rotating, anisotropic plasmas in the presence of quantum correction. In the case of a longitudinal mode of propagation we found the Jeans instability criterion is not affected by rotation. The quantum diffraction term has a stabilizing effect on the growth rate of the Jeans instability when the wave propagates along the direction of the magnetic field.
Virtual reality in the assessment, understanding, and treatment of mental health disorders
Authors: Freeman D. , Reeve S. , Robinson A. , Ehlers A. , Clark D. , Spanlang B. , Slater M.
Published: March 2017

Mental health problems are inseparable from the environment. With virtual reality (VR), computer-generated interactive environments, individuals can repeatedly experience their problematic situations and be taught, via evidence-based psychological treatments, how to overcome difficulties. VR is moving out of specialist laboratories. Our central aim was to describe the potential of VR in mental health, including a consideration of the first 20 years of applications. A systematic review of empirical studies was conducted. In all, 285 studies were identified, with 86 concerning assessment, 45 theory development, and 154 treatment. The main disorders researched were anxiety (n = 192), schizophrenia (n = 44), substance-related disorders (n = 22) and eating disorders (n = 18). There are pioneering early studies, but the methodological quality of studies was generally low. The gaps in meaningful applications to mental health are extensive. The most established finding is that VR exposure-based treatments can reduce anxiety disorders, but there are numerous research and treatment avenues of promise. VR was found to be a much-misused term, often applied to non-interactive and non-immersive technologies. We conclude that VR has the potential to transform the assessment, understanding and treatment of mental health problems. The treatment possibilities will only be realized if – with the user experience at the heart of design – the best immersive VR technology is combined with targeted translational interventions. The capability of VR to simulate reality could greatly increase access to psychological therapies, while treatment outcomes could be enhanced by the technology's ability to create new realities. VR may merit the level of attention given to neuroimaging.
The expressive rationality of inaccurate perceptions
Authors: Kahan Dan M.
Published: March 2017

This commentary uses the dynamic of identity-protective cognition to pose a friendly challenge to Jussim (2012). Like other forms of information processing, this one is too readily characterized as a bias. It is no mistake, however, to view identity-protective cognition as generating inaccurate perceptions. The “bounded rationality” paradigm incorrectly equates rationality with forming accurate beliefs. But so does Jussim's critique.
Accurate perceptions do not need complete information to reflect reality
Authors: Mousavi Shabnam , Funder David C.
Published: March 2017

Social reality of a group emerges from interpersonal perceptions and beliefs put to action under a host of environmental conditions. By extending the study of fast-and-frugal heuristics, we view social perceptions as judgment tools and assert that perceptions are ecologically rational to the degree that they adapt to the social reality. We maintain that the veracity of both stereotypes and base rates, as judgment tools, can be determined solely by accuracy research.
There is more: Intrasexual competitiveness, physical dominance, and intrasexual collaboration
Authors: Buunk Abraham P.
Published: March 2017

It is emphasized that in organizational settings, the responses to same-sex attractive others are enhanced among individuals high in intrasexual competitiveness; that especially attractive rivals who are perceived as unfriendly will induce competition; that among males, physical dominance may induce more competition than physical attractiveness; and that especially males may prefer to associate with attractive same-sex others for intrasexual collaboration.
Mating motives are neither necessary nor sufficient to create the beauty premium
Authors: Hafenbrädl Sebastian , Dana Jason
Published: March 2017

Mating motives lead decision makers to favor attractive people, but this favoritism is not sufficient to create a beauty premium in competitive settings. Further, economic approaches to discrimination, when correctly characterized, could neatly accommodate the experimental and field evidence of a beauty premium. Connecting labor economics and evolutionary psychology is laudable, but mating motives do not explain the beauty premium.
Oxytocin drives prosocial biases in favor of attractive people
Authors: Hurlemann René , Scheele Dirk , Maier Wolfgang , Schultz Johannes
Published: March 2017

Current perspectives on attractiveness-related prosocial biases emphasize the contribution of evolutionarily shaped mating drives. Here, we extend these concepts by highlighting the pivotal role of the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin in augmenting the salience and rewarding value of social stimuli, including the partner's face, thereby fostering social bonding in general and the stability of monogamous pair bonds and offspring care in particular.
Distributed Stochastic Search Algorithm for Multi-ship Encounter Situations
Authors: Kim Donggyun , Hirayama Katsutoshi , Okimoto Tenda
Published: March 2017

Ship collision avoidance involves helping ships find routes that will best enable them to avoid a collision. When more than two ships encounter each other, the procedure becomes more complex since a slight change in course by one ship might affect the future decisions of the other ships. Two distributed algorithms have been developed in response to this problem: Distributed Local Search Algorithm (DLSA) and Distributed Tabu Search Algorithm (DTSA). Their common drawback is that it takes a relatively large number of messages for the ships to coordinate their actions. This could be fatal, especially in cases of emergency, where quick decisions should be made. In this paper, we introduce Distributed Stochastic Search Algorithm (DSSA), which allows each ship to change herintentionin a stochastic manner immediately after receiving all of the intentions from the target ships. We also suggest a new cost function that considers both safety and efficiency in these distributed algorithms. We empirically show that DSSA requires many fewer messages for the benchmarks with four and 12 ships, and works properly for real data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) in the Strait of Dover.
People and nature in the Fuerteventura Biosphere Reserve (Canary Islands): socio-ecological relationships under climate change
Authors: SCHMITZ MARÍA F. , ARNAIZ-SCHMITZ CECILIA , HERRERO-JÁUREGUI CRISTINA , DÍAZ PABLO , MATOS DANIELA G.G. , PINEDA FRANCISCO D.
Published: March 2017

This paper analyses the interdependence between environment and society in terms of socio-ecological webs, in which human and biophysical systems are linked. A quantitative model, based on canonical correlation analysis applied in Fuerteventura Island (Canary Archipelago), detected indicators of human–landscape relationships and predicted potential shifts based on simulated environmental changes. In the last few decades, the landscape of Fuerteventura Island has changed: natural components and cultural agrarian uses have decreased, while the population has increased due to immigration, mainly from mainland Spain and other European countries. The island shows a transition from a coupled local socio-ecosystem to one based on the interaction between environment and coastal tourism that decouples native inhabitants from the landscape and traditional land-use practices. As vulnerability and adaptation to climate change represent critical sets of potential interactions in Canary Islands, a model and a map of the socio-ecological system under four Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios show rural decoupling through ‘deagrarianization’ and ‘deruralization’, as well as stronger links to the tourism system.
Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes among a cohort of HIV-infected women in a large Italian teaching hospital: a 30-year retrospective study
Authors: GRIGNOLO S. , AGNELLO R. , GERBALDO D. , GOTTA C. , ALICINO C. , DEL PUENTE F. , TARAMASSO L. , BRUZZONE B. , GUSTAVINO C. , TRASINO S. , DE MARIA A. , ICARDI G. , VISCOLI C. , DI BIAGIO A.
Published: March 2017

The primary study objective was to investigate three decades from 1985 to 2014 of changes in pregnancies among HIV-infected women. The secondary objective was to assess risk factors associated with preterm delivery and severe small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants in HIV-infected women. A retrospective review of deliveries among pregnant HIV-infected women at the University of Genoa and IRCCS San Martino-IST in Genoa between 1985 and 2014 was performed. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to study the variables associated with neonatal outcomes. Overall, 262 deliveries were included in the study. An increase in median age (26 years in 1985–1994 vs. 34 years in 2005–2014), in the proportion of foreigners (none in 1985–1994 vs. 27/70 (38·6%) in 2005–2014), and a decrease in intravenous drug use (75·2% (91/121) in 1985–1994 vs. 12·9% (9/70) in 2005–2014) among pregnant HIV-infected women was observed. Progressively, HIV infections were diagnosed sooner (prior to pregnancy in 80% (56/70) of women in the last decade). An increase in combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) prescription during pregnancy (50% (27/54) in 1995–2004 vs. 92·2% (59/64) in 2005–2014) and in HIV-RNA <50 copies/ml at delivery (19·2% (5/26) in 1995–2004 vs. 82·3% (53/64) in 2005–2014) was observed. The rate of elective caesarean section from 1985 to 1994 was 9·1%, which increased to 92·3% from 2004 to 2015. Twelve (10·1%) mother-to-child transmissions (MTCT) occurred in the first decade, and six (8·3%) cases occurred in the second decade, the last of which was in 2000. Preterm delivery (<37 weeks gestation) was 5% (6/121) from 1985 to 1994 and increased to 17·1% (12/70) from 2005 to 2014. In univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses, advancing maternal age and previous pregnancies were associated with preterm delivery (odds ratio (OR) 2·7; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1–7·8 and OR 2·6; 95% CI 1·1–6·7, respectively). In the logistic regression analysis, use of heroin or methadone was found to be the only risk factor for severe SGA (OR 3·1; 95% CI 1·4–6·8). In conclusion, significant changes in demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of HIV-infected pregnant women have occurred over the last 30 years. Since 2000, MTCT has decreased to zero. An increased risk of preterm delivery was found to be associated with advancing maternal age and previous pregnancies but not with cART. The use of heroin or methadone has been confirmed as a risk factor associated with severe SGA.
Development and Evaluation of Cognitive Analytic Guided Self-Help (CAT-SH) for Use in IAPT Services
Authors: Meadows Jo , Kellett Stephen
Published: March 2017

Background: There is a lack of treatment plurality at step 2 of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. This project therefore sought to develop and pilot a cognitive analytic informed guided self-help treatment for mild-to-moderate anxiety for delivery by Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs). Method: Medical Research Council treatment development guidelines were used. Phase I included development of the six-session treatment manual using practice guidelines, small-scale modelling (n = 3) and indicated manual iterations. Phase II consisted of a mixed methods case series design (n = 11) to index feasibility, uptake and clinical outcomes. Results: Cognitive analytic guided self-help (CAT-SH) met established quality parameters for guided self-help. A high treatment completion rate was observed, with 10/11 patients who attended the first treatment session subsequently completing full treatment. Six out of ten patients completing full treatment met reliable recovery criteria at follow-up. Effect sizes and recovery rates equate with extant PWP outcome benchmarks. Practitioner feedback indicated that delivery of CAT-SH was feasible. Conclusion: CAT-SH shows promise as a low-intensity treatment for anxiety, and so further, larger and more controlled evaluations are indicated.
Correction: Corrigendum: Wafer-scale two-dimensional semiconductors from printed oxide skin of liquid metals
Authors: Carey Benjamin J. , Ou Jian Zhen , Clark Rhiannon M. , Berean Kyle J. , Zavabeti Ali , Chesman Anthony S. R. , Russo Salvy P. , Lau Desmond W. M. , Xu Zai-Quan , Bao Qiaoliang , Kavehei Omid , Gibson Brant C. , Dickey Michael D. , Kaner Richard B. , Daeneke Torben , Kalantar-Zadeh Kourosh
Published: March 2017

Nature Communications 8: Article number: 14482; published: 17 February 2017; Updated: 22 March 2017 The original version of this Article contained a typographical error in the spelling of the author Omid Kavehei, which was incorrectly given as Omid Kevehei. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Feasibility and applicability of the paper and electronic COPD assessment test (CAT) and the clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ) in primary care: a clinimetric study
Authors: Kocks J. W. H. , Blom C. M. G. , Kasteleyn M. J. , Oosterom W. , Kollen B. J. , Van der Molen T. , Chavannes N. H.
Published: March 2017

Three questionnaires are recommended in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by the global initiative for obstructive lung disease, of which two are the more comprehensive assessments: the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test and the clinical chronic obstructive pulmonary disease questionnaire. Both are carefully designed high-quality questionnaires, but information on the feasibility for routine use is scarce. The aim of this study was to compare the time to complete the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test and the clinical chronic obstructive pulmonary disease questionnaire and the acceptability of the questionnaires. Furthermore, the agreement between electronic and paper versions of the questionnaires was explored. The time to complete the electronic versions of the questionnaires was 99.6 [IQR 74; 157] vs. 97.5 [IQR 68; 136] seconds for clinical clinical chronic obstructive pulmonary disease questionnaire and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test, respectively. The difference in time to complete the questionnaire was not significant. The two questionnaires did not differ in “easiness to complete” or “importance of issues raised in questionnaires”. Electronic vs. paper versions revealed high agreement (ICC CCQ = 0.815 [0.712; 0.883] and ICC CAT = 0.751 [0.608; 0.847]) between the administration methods. Based on this study it can be concluded that both questionnaires are equally suitable for use in routine clinical practice, because they are both quick to complete and have a good acceptability by the patient. Agreement between electronic and paper versions of the questionnaires was high, so use of electronic versions is justified.