bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The dynamics of dissent: when actions are louder than words
Authors: Stimmer Anette , Wisken Lea
Published: March 2019

A profusion of international norms influences state behaviour. Ambiguities and tensions in the normative framework can give rise to contestation. While research on norm contestation has focused on open debates about norms, we identify a second type of norm contestation where norms are contested through particular forms of implementation. We therefore distinguish between contestation through words and actions, that is, discursive and behavioural contestation. Discursive contestation involves debates about the meaning and/or (relative) importance of norms. Behavioural contestation, by contrast, eschews such debates. Instead, different norm understandings become apparent in the different ways in which actors shape the implementation of norms. Despite being a potentially powerful mechanism of challenging and changing norms, behavioural contestation has fallen outside the purview of the literature in part because it frequently remains below the radar. The two forms of contestation overlap when the practices of behavioural contestation are brought to the attention of and discussed by the international community. Thus, discursive and behavioural contestation are not mutually exclusive but can happen at the same time, sequentially or independently of each other. This introduction to a special section of the May 2019 issue of International Affairs, on ‘The dynamics of dissent’, develops the concept of behavioural contestation and outlines triggers and effects of this hitherto under-researched expression of dissent.
The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptom Inventory: A Patient-report Scale for Research and Clinical Application
Authors: Sexton Kathryn A , Walker John R , Targownik Laura E , Graff Lesley A , Haviva Clove , Beatie Brooke E , Petty Sarah K , Bernstein Matthew T , Singh Harminder , Miller Norine , Bernstein Charles N
Published: March 2019

Objectives

Existing measures of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms are not well suited to self-report, inadequate in measurement properties, insufficiently specific, or burdensome for brief or repeated administration. We aimed to develop a patient-reported outcome measure to assess a broader range of IBD symptoms.

Methods

The IBD Symptoms Inventory (IBDSI) was developed by adapting symptom items from existing clinician-rated or diary-format inventories; after factor analysis, 38 items were retained on 5 subscales: bowel symptoms, abdominal discomfort, fatigue, bowel complications, and systemic complications. Participants completed the IBDSI and other self-report measures during a clinic visit. A nurse administered the Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) for Crohn’s disease (CD) or the Powell-Tuck Index (PTI) for ulcerative colitis (UC), and a gastroenterologist completed a global assessment of disease severity (PGA).

Results

The 267 participants with CD (n = 142) or UC (n = 125), ages 18 to 81 (M = 43.4, SD = 14.6) were 58.1% female, with a mean disease duration of 13.9 (SD = 10.5) years. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the 5 subscales. The total scale and subscales showed good reliability and significant correlations with self-report symptom and IBD quality of life measures, the HBI, PTI, and PGA.

Conclusions

The IBDSI showed strong measurement properties: a supported factor structure, very good internal consistency, convergent validity, and excellent sensitivity and specificity to clinician-rated active disease. Self-report HBI and PTI items, when extracted from this measure, produced scores comparable to clinician-administered versions. The 38-item IBDSI, or 26-item short form, can be used as a brief survey of common IBD symptoms in clinic or research settings.
Microbiota Metabolite Butyrate Differentially Regulates Th1 and Th17 Cells’ Differentiation and Function in Induction of Colitis
Authors: Chen Liang , Sun Mingming , Wu Wei , Yang Wenjing , Huang Xiangsheng , Xiao Yi , Ma Chunyan , Xu Leiqi , Yao Suxia , Liu Zhanju , Cong Yingzi
Published: March 2019

Background

How the gut microbiota regulates intestinal homeostasis is not completely clear. Gut microbiota metabolite short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have been reported to regulate T-cell differentiation. However, the mechanisms underlying SCFA regulation of T-cell differentiation and function remain to be investigated.

Methods

CBir1, an immunodominant microbiota antigen, transgenic T cells were treated with butyrate under various T-cell polarization conditions to investigate butyrate regulation of T-cell differentiation and the mechanism involved. Transfer of butyrate-treated CBir T cells into Rag1-/- mice was performed to study the in vivo role of such T cells in inducing colitis.

Results

Although butyrate promoted Th1 cell development by promoting IFN-γ and T-bet expression, it inhibited Th17 cell development by suppressing IL-17, Rorα, and Rorγt expression. Interestingly, butyrate upregulated IL-10 production in T cells both under Th1 and Th17 cell conditions. Furthermore, butyrate induced T-cell B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp1) expression, and deficiency of Blimp1 in T cells impaired the butyrate upregulation of IL-10 production, indicating that butyrate promotes T-cell IL-10 production at least partially through Blimp1. Rag1-/- mice transferred with butyrate-treated T cells demonstrated less severe colitis, compared with transfer of untreated T cells, and administration of anti-IL-10R antibody exacerbated colitis development in Rag-/- mice that had received butyrate-treated T cells. Mechanistically, the effects of butyrate on the development of Th1 cells was through inhibition of histone deacetylase but was independent of GPR43.

Conclusions

These data indicate that butyrate controls the capacity of T cells in the induction of colitis by differentially regulating Th1 and Th17 cell differentiation and promoting IL-10 production, providing insights into butyrate as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Mortality After First Hospital Admission for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Registry Linkage Study
Authors: Opstelten Jorrit L , Vaartjes Ilonca , Bots Michiel L , Oldenburg Bas
Published: March 2019

Background

The goal of this study was to determine long-term mortality and causes of death in patients after hospitalization for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods

A cohort of patients admitted to the hospital because of IBD for the first time between 1998 and 2010 was identified by linkage of nationwide Dutch registries. Mortality risks and causes of death in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were compared with a large random sample of individuals from the general population. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

In total, 23,003 patients (56.1% women; mean age, 44.8 years) were hospitalized for IBD. Patients admitted for IBD had a higher risk of death than those from the general population. Adjusted HRs for 5-year all-cause mortality were 2.42 (95% CI, 1.15–5.12) and 1.45 (95% CI, 1.26–1.66) in men and women hospitalized for CD, respectively. Corresponding HRs for UC were 1.59 (95% CI, 1.39–1.83) and 1.13 (95% CI, 0.98–1.31). Mortality among patients after hospitalization for IBD decreased between 1998–2004 and 2005–2010. Patients admitted for UC had a higher risk of all-cause mortality than those admitted for CD. Inflammatory bowel disease patients died more often from (colorectal) cancer and gastrointestinal disease and less often from cardiovascular disease relative to the general population.

Conclusions

Mortality of patients after hospitalization for IBD has decreased over time. Causes of death in CD and UC patients differ from those in the general population.
Uncoupled isotonic regression via minimum Wasserstein deconvolution
Authors: Rigollet Philippe , Weed Jonathan
Published: March 2019

Isotonic regression is a standard problem in shape-constrained estimation where the goal is to estimate an unknown non-decreasing regression function $f$ from independent pairs $(x_i, y_i)$ where ${\mathbb{E}}[y_i]=f(x_i), i=1, \ldots n$. While this problem is well understood both statistically and computationally, much less is known about its uncoupled counterpart, where one is given only the unordered sets $\{x_1, \ldots , x_n\}$ and $\{y_1, \ldots , y_n\}$. In this work, we leverage tools from optimal transport theory to derive minimax rates under weak moments conditions on $y_i$ and to give an efficient algorithm achieving optimal rates. Both upper and lower bounds employ moment-matching arguments that are also pertinent to learning mixtures of distributions and deconvolution.
A mathematical model of viral oncology as an immuno-oncology instigator
Authors: Cassidy Tyler , Humphries Antony R
Published: March 2019

We develop and analyse a mathematical model of tumour–immune interaction that explicitly incorporates heterogeneity in tumour cell cycle duration by using a distributed delay differential equation. We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for local stability of the cancer-free equilibrium in which the amount of tumour–immune interaction completely characterizes disease progression. Consistent with the immunoediting hypothesis, we show that decreasing tumour–immune interaction leads to tumour expansion. Finally, by simulating the mathematical model, we show that the strength of tumour–immune interaction determines the long-term success or failure of viral therapy.
Fast algorithms for Jacobi expansions via nonoscillatory phase functions
Authors: Bremer James , Yang Haizhao
Published: March 2019

We describe a suite of fast algorithms for evaluating Jacobi polynomials, applying the corresponding discrete Sturm–Liouville eigentransforms and calculating Gauss–Jacobi quadrature rules. Our approach, which applies in the case in which both of the parameters $\alpha $ and $\beta $ in Jacobi’s differential equation are of magnitude less than $1/2$, is based on the well-known fact that in this regime Jacobi’s differential equation admits a nonoscillatory phase function that can be loosely approximated via an affine function over much of its domain. We illustrate this with several numerical experiments, the source code for which is publicly available.
The Anomaly Flow over Riemann Surfaces
Authors: Fei Teng , Huang Zhijie , Picard Sebastien
Published: March 2019

We initiate the study of a new nonlinear parabolic equation on a Riemann surface. The evolution equation arises as a reduction of the Anomaly flow on a fibration. We obtain a criterion for long-time existence for this flow, and give a range of initial data where a singularity forms in finite time, as well as a range of initial data where the solution exists for all time. A geometric interpretation of these results is given in terms of the Anomaly flow on a Calabi–Yau three-fold.
Ethnically Biased? Experimental Evidence from Kenya
Authors: Berge Lars Ivar Oppedal , Bjorvatn Kjetil , Galle Simon , Miguel Edward , Posner Daniel N , Tungodden Bertil , Zhang Kelly
Published: March 2019

Ethnicity has been shown to shape political, social, and economic behavior in Africa, but the underlying mechanisms remain contested. We utilize lab experiments to isolate one mechanism—an individual's bias in favor of coethnics and against non-coethnics—that has been central in both theory and in the conventional wisdom about the impact of ethnicity. We employ an unusually rich research design involving a large sample of 1300 participants from Nairobi, Kenya; the collection of multiple rounds of experimental data with varying proximity to national elections; within-lab priming conditions; both standard and novel experimental measures of coethnic bias; and an implicit association test (IAT). We find very little evidence of an ethnic bias in the behavioral games, which runs against the common presumption of extensive coethnic bias among ordinary Africans and suggests that mechanisms other than a coethnic bias in preferences must account for the associations we see in the region between ethnicity and political, social, and economic outcomes.
Methionine-Homocysteine Pathway in African-American Prostate Cancer
Authors: Gohlke Jie H , Lloyd Stacy M , Basu Sumanta , Putluri Vasanta , Vareed Shaiju K , Rasaily Uttam , Piyarathna Danthasinghe Waduge Badrajee , Fuentes Hunter , Rajendiran Thekkelnaycke M , Dorsey Tiffany H , Ambati Chandrashekar R , Sonavane Rajni , Karanam Balasubramanyam , Bhowmik Salil Kumar , Kittles Rick , Ambs Stefan , Mims Martha Pritchett , Ittmann Michael , Jones Jeffrey A , Palapattu Ganesh , Putluri Nagireddy , Michailidis George , Sreekumar Arun
Published: March 2019

African American (AA) men have a 60% higher incidence and two times greater risk of dying of prostate cancer (PCa) than European American men, yet there is limited insight into the molecular mechanisms driving this difference. To our knowledge, metabolic alterations, a cancer-associated hallmark, have not been reported in AA PCa, despite their importance in tumor biology. Therefore, we measured 190 metabolites across ancestry-verified AA PCa/benign adjacent tissue pairs (n = 33 each) and identified alterations in the methionine-homocysteine pathway utilizing two-sided statistical tests for all comparisons. Consistent with this finding, methionine and homocysteine were elevated in plasma from AA PCa patients using case-control (AA PCa vs AA control, methionine: P = .0007 and homocysteine: P < .0001), biopsy cohorts (AA biopsy positive vs AA biopsy negative, methionine: P = .0002 and homocysteine: P < .0001), and race assignments based on either self-report (AA PCa vs European American PCa, methionine: P = .001, homocysteine: P < .0001) or West African ancestry (upper tertile vs middle tertile, homocysteine: P < .0001; upper tertile vs low tertile, homocysteine: P = .002). These findings demonstrate reprogrammed metabolism in AA PCa patients and provide a potential biological basis for PCa disparities.
Circulating Tumor Cells in Early Breast Cancer
Authors: Thery Laura , Meddis Alessandra , Cabel Luc , Proudhon Charlotte , Latouche Aurelien , Pierga Jean-Yves , Bidard Francois-Clement
Published: March 2019

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are particularly rare in non-metastatic breast cancer, and the clinical validity of CTC detection in that clinical setting was initially not well recognized. A cytological CTC detection device (CellSearch) fulfilling the CLIA requirements for analytical validity was subsequently developed and, in 2008, we reported the first study (REMAGUS02) showing that distant metastasis-free survival was shorter in early breast cancer patients with one or more CTCs. In the past 10 years, other clinical studies and meta-analyses have established CTC detection as a level-of-evidence 1 prognostic biomarker for local relapses, distant relapses, and overall survival. This review summarizes available data on CTC detection and the promises of this proliferation- and subtype-independent metastasis-associated biomarker in early breast cancer patients.
Listening, Touching, Meaning: On Translating Musical Experience, Answering the Call of Art, and Aesthetic Subjectivity in Baudelaire and Proust
Authors: Acquisto Joseph
Published: March 2019

This essay examines the way Baudelaire and Proust respond to music in terms of trying to account for being ‘touched’ or ‘struck’ by it. I contrast dramatic music, as it figures in Baudelaire’s writing on Wagner, with the newly emergent notion of ‘absolute music’, as it manifests itself in the fictitious chamber music of Vinteuil in Proust’s novel. The essay thereby demonstrates how emptying music of referential meaning allows writers to fill up that blank space with a verbal reply to the call of music, which itself becomes an act of aesthetic creation. Such an approach to listening, which emerged in the nineteenth century, still resonates with contemporary accounts by scholars working between musicology and literary studies, and shapes their account of aesthetic subjectivity.
Signature of the first galaxies in JWST deep field observations
Authors: Jeon Myoungwon , Bromm Volker
Published: March 2019

We examine the assembly process and the observability of a first galaxy ($M_{\rm vir}\approx 10^9{\, \rm M_\odot }$ at z ≈ 8) with cosmological zoom-in, hydrodynamic simulations, including the radiative, mechanical, and chemical feedback exerted by the first generations of stars. To assess the detectability of such dwarf systems with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (jwst), we construct the spectral energy distribution for the simulated galaxy in a post-processing fashion. We find that while the non-ionizing UV continuum emitted by the simulated galaxy is expected to be below the jwst detection limit, the galaxy might be detectable using its nebular emission, specifically in the H α recombination line. This requires that the galaxy experiences an active starburst with a star formation rate of $\dot{M}_{\ast }\gtrsim 0.1 {\, \rm M_\odot }\rm{\,yr}^{-1}$ at z ≈ 9. Due to the bursty nature of star formation in the first galaxies, the time interval for strong nebular emission is short, less than 2–3 Myr. The probability of capturing such primordial dwarf galaxies during the observable part of their duty cycle is thus low, resulting in number densities of the order of one source in a single pointing with MIRI onboard the jwst, for very deep exposures. Gravitational lensing, however, will boost their observability beyond this conservative baseline. The first sources of light will thus come firmly within our reach.
Microsurgical Clipping of Anterior Choroidal Artery Aneurysms: A Systematic Approach to Reducing Ischemic Complications in an Experience with 146 Patients
Authors: Winkler Ethan A , Lu Alex , Burkhardt Jan-Karl , Rutledge W Caleb , Yue John K , Birk Harjus S , Alotaibi Naif , Choudhri Omar , Lawton Michael T
Published: March 2019

BACKGROUND

Aneurysms of the anterior choroidal artery (AChA) have been associated with high treatment-associated morbidity due to ischemic complications.

OBJECTIVE

To report a large clinical experience of microsurgically treated AChA aneurysms and describe a systematic approach to reduce ischemic complications.

METHODS

One hundred forty-six patients with AChA aneurysms were retrospectively reviewed from a prospectively maintained database. Clinical characteristics, surgical techniques, clinical outcomes, arterial infarction, and use of intraoperative adjuncts (ie, ultrasonography, indocyanine green videoangiography, and neuromonitoring) were analyzed.

RESULTS

In total, one hundred forty-three aneurysms (97.9%) were clipped. Temporary clipping was utilized in 47 cases (32.2%) with mean occlusion time of 5.6 min. Arterial infarction occurred in 12 patients (8.2%). In clipped aneurysms, 90.5% were completely obliterated, 8.8% had minimal residual (<5% of original), and 0.7% were incompletely occluded (>5% of original). Mortality (2.7%) was limited to patients with high-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage. Indocyanine green videoangiography and neuromonitoring altered operative technique in ∼20% of cases. Multivariate logistic regression identified intraoperative rupture as the sole predictor for arterial infarction.

CONCLUSION

Open microsurgical clipping remains a safe, effective treatment for AChA aneurysms. Microsurgical technique is paramount in preserving AChA patency and reducing ischemic complications. Despite increasing reliance on qualitative measures of AChA blood flow (videoangiography and ultrasonography) and neurophysiological monitoring, these technologies aid us infrequently. However, these adjuncts provide important safety checks for AChA patency. Temporary clipping must be used judiciously to lower the risk of intraoperative rupture while limiting possible ischemia in the AChA territory.
A Modern Pain Neuroscience Approach in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Clinical Perspective
Authors: Goudman Lisa , Huysmans Eva , Ickmans Kelly , Nijs Jo , Moens Maarten , Putman Koen , Buyl Ronald , Louw Adriaan , Logghe Tine , Coppieters Iris
Published: March 2019

Around 20% of patients undergoing surgery for lumbar radiculopathy develop chronic pain after surgery, leading to high socioeconomic burden. Current perioperative interventions, including education and rehabilitation, are not always effective in preventing prolonged or chronic postoperative pain and disability. Here, a shift in educational intervention from a biomedical towards a biopsychosocial approach for people scheduled for lumbar surgery is proposed. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) is a biopsychosocial approach that aims to decrease the threat value of pain by reconceptualizing pain and increasing the patient's knowledge about pain. This paper provides a clinical perspective for the provision of perioperative PNE, specifically developed for patients undergoing surgery for lumbar radiculopathy. Besides the general goals of PNE, perioperative PNE aims to prepare the patient for postsurgical pain and how to cope with it.
Does Frequency Modulation of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Affect Habituation and Mechanical Hypoalgesia? A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Crossover Trial
Authors: Avendaño-Coy Juan , Bravo-Esteban Elisabeth , Ferri-Morales Asunción , Martínez-de la Cruz Rubén , Gómez-Soriano Julio
Published: March 2019

Background

Devices for applying transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) use numerous frequency modulation patterns for decreasing habituation to currents. However, there is no evidence supporting the use of an optimal pattern instead of the others, or even modulated frequencies instead of a fixed frequency.

Objective

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of 3 TENS patterns (fixed frequency, random modulation, and 6-second–6-second [6s-6s] modulation) on habituation, to examine the subjective perception of habituation and comfort, and to determine their effects on the mechanical pain threshold (MPT).

Design

This study was a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover trial.

Setting

The study took place in a university research laboratory under attenuated noise conditions at a regulated temperature of 22°C to 26°C.

Participants

Thirty-nine volunteers who were healthy participated in this trial.

Intervention

The participants received 4 different TENS interventions (fixed frequency, random modulation, 6s-6s modulation, and sham) in random order, with a 24-hour washout period, on the radial nerve.

Measurements

The main outcome—habituation—was quantified by the increase in current density and the number of times the intensity had to be increased during the session. Secondary outcome variables were subjective perception of habituation and comfort and MPT.

Results

Random modulation reduced the number of times the intensity had to be increased because of habituation compared with no modulation (1.6 times; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.7–2.6) and 6s-6s modulation (0.8 times; 95% CI = 0.01–1.6). No differences were observed between interventions in terms of an increase in current density, self-perceived habituation, or self-perceived comfort. MPT increased during the intervention in the random-modulation group (4.4 N; 95% CI = 1.8–7.0) and the no-modulation group (5.9 N; 95% CI = 1.9–10.0); there were no significant changes in the other 2 groups.

Limitations

The success of masking or blinding procedures of the participants was not assessed.

Conclusions

Randomly modulated frequencies caused less habituation than nonmodulated frequencies or 6s-6s modulation. Further research on more prolonged (hours-long) interventions in participants with pain is required.
Immune Activation and Microbial Translocation Markers in HIV-Exposed Uninfected Malawian Infants in the First Year of Life
Authors: Baroncelli Silvia , Galluzzo Clementina Maria , Liotta Giuseppe , Andreotti Mauro , Mancinelli Sandro , Mphwere Robert , Bokola Enok , Amici Roberta , Marazzi Maria Cristina , Palombi Leonardo , Palmisano Lucia , Giuliano Marina
Published: March 2019

Background

HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants show a high rate of morbidity. We aimed to investigate on biomarkers of immune activation/microbial translocation in HEU infants, evaluating the impact that infections/malnutrition can have on biomarker levels during the first year of life.

Methods

Clinical data of 72 Malawian infants were recorded monthly and correlated with levels of soluble CD14 (sCD14), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), analyzed longitudinally.

Results

Levels of sCD14 and LBP showed a significant age-related increase. Higher levels of LBP (19.4 vs. 15.2 μg/ml) were associated with stunting, affecting 30% of the infants. The association remained statistically significant after adjusting for cytomegalovirus acquisition, malaria and respiratory infections (p = 0.031). I-FABP levels were significantly increased in infants experiencing gastrointestinal infections (1442.8 vs. 860.0 pg/ml, p = 0.018).

Conclusion

We provide evidence that stunting is associated with an enhanced inflammatory response to microbial products in HEU children, suggesting that malnutrition status should be taken into consideration to better understand the alteration of the immune profile of HEU infants living in poor socioeconomic settings.
Orange Cane Blotch of Commercial Blackberry in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Browne Frances B. , Brannen Phillip M. , Scherm Harald , Brewer Marin T. , Wilde Susan B. , Richardson Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2019

Orange cane blotch affects commercial blackberry production in the southeastern United States, mainly in the Coastal Plain region. The causal agent is a slow-growing parasitic alga, Cephaleuros virescens, which has a wide host range. Disease development is linked to the biennial growth pattern of blackberry, whereby symptoms appear in the early fall and algal lesions expand throughout the winter, spring, and early summer of the following year. Preliminary phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA sequences suggests that blackberry isolates from different geographical locations cluster together and are genetically similar to each other and yet differ from isolates of C. virescens obtained from commercial blueberry.
The predictive value of synovial glucose level in septic arthritis
Authors: Kinugasa Maki , Kobayashi Daisuke , Satsuma Shinichi , Sakata Ryosuke , Shinada Yoshiyuki , Kuroda Ryosuke
Published: March 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of the joint fluid glucose level to detect septic arthritis. Thirty joints in 30 patients with suspected septic arthritis were evaluated. When glucose level was less than 40 mg/dl, we performed arthrotomy. Eleven patients had joint fluid glucose levels less than 40 mg/dl. All 11 (100%) had positive joint fluid cultures. Conversely, 19 patients had synovial glucose levels of at least 40 mg/dl. Six (31.6%) of these had positive joint fluid cultures. The remaining 13 were diagnosed with transient synovitis. Patients with joint fluid glucose levels less than 40 mg/dl should be suspected septic arthritis.
Establishing rates of carbon sequestration in mangroves from an earthquake uplift event
Authors: Salmo Severino G. , Malapit Vanessa , Garcia Maria Carmela A. , Pagkalinawan Homer M.
Published: March 2019

We assessed the carbon stocks (CS) in mangroves that developed after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Silonay, Oriental Mindoro, south Luzon, The Philippines in November 1994. The earthquake resulted in a 50 cm uplift of sediment that provided new habitat within the upper intertidal zone which mangroves colonized (from less than 2 ha pre-earthquake to the current 45 ha, 23 years post-earthquake). The site provided an opportunity for a novel assessment of the rate of carbon sequestration in recently established mangroves. The carbon stock was measured in above-ground, below-ground and sediment compartments over a seaward to landward transect. Results showed a mean carbon stock of 549 ± 30 Mg C ha
−1
(of which 13% was from the above-ground biomass, 5% from the below-ground biomass and 82% from the sediments). There was high carbon sequestration at a 40 cm depth that can be inferred attributable to the developed mangroves. The calculated rate of C sequestration (over 23 years post-earthquake) was 10.2 ± 0.7 Mg C ha
−1
yr
−1
and is comparable to rates reported from mangroves recovering from forest clearing. The rates we present here from newly developed mangroves contributes to calibrating estimates of total CS from restored mangroves (of different developmental stages) and in mangroves that are affected by disturbances.
Plasma-sensitiveEscherichia colimutants reveal plasma resistance mechanisms
Authors: Krewing Marco , Jarzina Fabian , Dirks Tim , Schubert Britta , Benedikt Jan , Lackmann Jan-Wilm , Bandow Julia E.
Published: March 2019

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas are investigated as augmenting therapy to combat bacterial infections. The strong antibacterial effects of plasmas are attributed to the complex mixture of reactive species, (V)UV radiation and electric fields. The experience with antibiotics is that upon their introduction as medicines, resistance occurs in pathogens and spreads. To assess the possibility of bacterial resistance developing against plasma, we investigated intrinsic protective mechanisms that allowEscherichia colito survive plasma stress. We performed a genome-wide screening of single-gene knockout mutants ofE. coliand identified 87 mutants that are hypersensitive to the effluent of a microscale atmospheric pressure plasma jet. For selected genes (cysB,mntH,repandiscS) we showed in complementation studies that plasma resistance can be restored and increased above wild-type levels upon over-expression. To identify plasma-derived components that the 87 genes confer resistance against, mutants were tested for hypersensitivity against individual stressors (hydrogen peroxide, superoxide, hydroxyl radicals, ozone, HOCl, peroxynitrite, NO•, nitrite, nitrate, HNO3, acid stress, diamide, heat stress and detergents). k-means++ clustering revealed that most genes protect from hydrogen peroxide, superoxide and/or nitric oxide. In conclusion, individual bacterial genes confer resistance against plasma providing insights into the antibacterial mechanisms of plasma.
Locus of control is associated with tobacco and alcohol consumption in young adults of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
Authors: Lassi G. , Taylor A. E. , Mahedy L. , Heron J. , Eisen T. , Munafò M. R.
Published: March 2019

Individuals appraise events as a consequence of their own actions (i.e. internal locus of control, LoC) or as the outcome of chance or others' will (i.e. external LoC). We hypothesized that having a more external LoC would be associated with higher risk of tobacco and alcohol use. Few studies have examined this association using large prospective data. We evaluated within the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) the associations between LoC at 16 and tobacco and alcohol consumption at 17 and 21 years using logistic regression. A more external LoC at age 16 (N= 4656) was associated with higher odds of being a weekly smoker at age 17 (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.10–1.25) and 21 (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07–1.21) and with dependence measured using the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence at age 17 (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.05–1.51) and 21 (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.05–1.49). Individuals with external LoC at age 16 were more likely to be hazardous drinkers according to the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test at age 17 (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.04–1.15) but not at 21 (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.96–1.06). Having a more external LoC at age 16 is associated with increased tobacco consumption at age 17 and 21 and alcohol consumption at 17 years. LoC may represent an intervention target for preventing substance use and dependence.
Humans store about 1.5 megabytes of information during language acquisition
Authors: Mollica Francis , Piantadosi Steven T.
Published: March 2019

We introduce theory-neutral estimates of the amount of information learners possess about how language works. We provide estimates at several levels of linguistic analysis: phonemes, wordforms, lexical semantics, word frequency and syntax. Our best guess is that the average English-speaking adult has learned 12.5 million bits of information, the majority of which is lexical semantics. Interestingly, very little of this information is syntactic, even in our upper bound analyses. Generally, our results suggest that learners possess remarkable inferential mechanisms capable of extracting, on average, nearly 2000 bits of information about how language workseach dayfor 18 years.
Functional tests of the competitive exclusion hypothesis for multituberculate extinction
Authors: Adams Neil F. , Rayfield Emily J. , Cox Philip G. , Cobb Samuel N. , Corfe Ian J.
Published: March 2019

Multituberculate mammals thrived during the Mesozoic, but their diversity declined from the mid-late Paleocene onwards, becoming extinct in the late Eocene. The radiation of superficially similar, eutherian rodents has been linked to multituberculate extinction through competitive exclusion. However, characteristics providing rodents with a supposed competitive advantage are currently unknown and comparative functional tests between the two groups are lacking. Here, a multifaceted approach to craniomandibular biomechanics was taken to test the hypothesis that superior skull function made rodents more effective competitors. Digital models of the skulls of four extant rodents and the Upper Cretaceous multituberculateKryptobaatarwere constructed and used (i) in finite-element analysis to study feeding-induced stresses, (ii) to calculate metrics of bite force production and (iii) to determine mechanical resistances to bending and torsional forces. Rodents exhibit higher craniomandibular stresses and lower resistances to bending and torsion than the multituberculate, apparently refuting the competitive exclusion hypothesis. However, rodents optimize bite force production at the expense of higher skull stress and we argue that this is likely to have been more functionally and selectively important. Our results therefore provide the first functional lines of evidence for potential reasons behind the decline of multituberculates in the changing environments of the Paleogene.
Consortia of anti-nematode fungi and bacteria in the rhizosphere of soybean plants attacked by root-knot nematodes
Authors: Toju Hirokazu , Tanaka Yu
Published: March 2019

Cyst and root-knot nematodes are major risk factors of agroecosystem management, often causing devastating impacts on crop production. The use of microbes that parasitize or prey on nematodes has been considered as a promising approach for suppressing phytopathogenic nematode populations. However, effects and persistence of those biological control agents often vary substantially depending on regions, soil characteristics and agricultural practices: more insights into microbial community processes are required to develop reproducible control of nematode populations. By performing high-throughput sequencing profiling of bacteria and fungi, we examined how root and soil microbiomes differ between benign and nematode-infected plant individuals in a soybean field in Japan. Results indicated that various taxonomic groups of bacteria and fungi occurred preferentially on the soybean individuals infected by root-knot nematodes or those uninfected by nematodes. Based on a network analysis of potential microbe–microbe associations, we further found that several fungal taxa potentially preying on nematodes (
Dactylellina
(Orbiliales),
Rhizophydium
(Rhizophydiales),
Clonostachys
(Hypocreales),
Pochonia
(Hypocreales) and
Purpureocillium
(Hypocreales)) co-occurred in the soybean rhizosphere at a small spatial scale. This study suggests how ‘consortia’ of anti-nematode microbes can derive from indigenous (resident) microbiomes, providing basic information for managing anti-nematode microbial communities in agroecosystems.
Adsorption and corrosion inhibition behaviour of new theophylline–triazole-based derivatives for steel in acidic medium
Authors: Espinoza-Vázquez Araceli , Rodríguez-Gómez Francisco Javier , Martínez-Cruz Ivonne Karina , Ángeles-Beltrán Deyanira , Negrón-Silva Guillermo E. , Palomar-Pardavé Manuel , Romero Leticia Lomas , Pérez-Martínez Diego , Navarrete-López Alejandra M.
Published: March 2019

The design and synthesis of a series of theophylline derivatives containing 1,2,3-triazole moieties are presented. The corrosion inhibition activities of these new triazole–theophylline compounds were evaluated by studying the corrosion of API 5 L X52 steel in 1 M HCl medium. The results showed that an increase in the concentration of the theophylline–triazole derivatives also increases the charge transference resistance (
R
ct
) value, enhancing inhibition efficiency and decreasing the corrosion process. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy under static conditions studies revealed that the best inhibition efficiencies (approx. 90%) at 50 ppm are presented by the all-substituted compounds. According to the Langmuir isotherm, the compounds
4
and
5
analysed exhibit physisorption–chemisorption process, with exception of the hydrogen
3
, bromo
6
and iodo
7
substituted compounds, which exhibit chemisorption process. The corrosion when submerging a steel bar in 1 M HCl was studied using SEM-EDS. This experiment showed that the corrosion process decreases considerably in the presence of 50 ppm of the organic inhibitors. Finally, the theoretical study showed a correlation between E
HOMO
, hardness (
η
), electrophilicity (W), atomic charge and the inhibition efficiency in which the iodo
7
substituted compound presents the best inhibitor behaviour.
On moment of velocity for signal analysis
Authors: Dorraki M. , Fouladzadeh A. , Allison A. , Davis B. R. , Abbott D.
Published: March 2019

The instantaneous frequency (IF) of a signal is a well-defined quantity that is widely used for analysing non-stationary signals. However, often in practice, IF as a function of time can possess large spikes and negative values. Moreover, IF is very sensitive to noise, limiting its range of practical application. Due to these deficiencies, we introduce the concept of moment of velocity (MoV) for signal analysis. As a case study, we compare the performance of MoV to a standard Hilbert transform-based approach for R-wave identification in human electrocardiogram signals, demonstrating that our approach is more robust to noise. We examine characteristic heartbeats obtained from the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. A detection error rate of 0.07%, a positive predictive value of 99.97%, and a sensitivity of 99.95% are achieved against analysis results from the database.
Akaganeite nanorices deposited muscovite mica surfaces as sunlight active green photocatalyst
Authors: Senthilnathan Anoja , Dissanayake D. M. S. N. , Chandrakumara G. T. D. , Mantilaka M. M. M. G. P. G. , Rajapakse R. M. G. , Pitawala H. M. T. G. A. , Nalin de Silva K. M.
Published: March 2019

Thin films of akaganeite [FeO(OH)] nanorices deposited muscovite mica (ANPM) surfaces are synthesized using the facile urea assisted controlled self-assembly technique. The synthesized materials are characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The prepared nanorices on mica surfaces show average particle length and width of 200 and 50 nm, respectively. Synthesized material acts as an efficient photocatalyst under UV and sunlight conditions as demonstrated by the degradation of standard methylene blue (MB) solution. The MB degradation efficiencies of the catalyst under exposure to 180 min sunlight and UV are 89% and 87.5%, respectively, which shows that the catalyst is more highly active under sunlight than under UV light. Therefore, the synthesized material is a potential green photocatalyst in efficient treatment of industrial dye effluents under direct sunlight.
Comparison of flavour fingerprint, electronic nose and multivariate analysis for discrimination of extra virgin olive oils
Authors: Zhou Qi , Liu Shaomin , Liu Ye , Song Huanlu
Published: March 2019

Flavour is a special way to discriminate extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from other aroma plant oils. In this study, different ratios (5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, 70 and 100%) of peanut oil (PO), corn oil (CO) and sunflower seed oil (SO) were discriminated from raw EVOO using flavour fingerprint, electronic nose and multivariate analysis. Fifteen different samples of EVOO were selected to establish the flavour fingerprint based on eight common peaks in solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry corresponding to 4-methyl-2-pentanol, (
E
)-2-hexenal, 1-tridecene, hexyl acetate, (
Z
)-3-hexenyl acetate, (
E
)-2-heptenal, nonanal and α-farnesene. Partial least square discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) was used to differentiate EVOOs and mixed oils containing more than 20% of PO, CO and SO. Furthermore, better discrimination efficiency was observed in PLS-DA than PCA (70% of CO and SO), which was equivalent to the correlation coefficient method of the fingerprint (20% of PO, CO and SO). The electronic nose was able to differentiate oil samples from samples containing 5% mixture. The discrimination method was selected based on the actual requirements of quality control.
Ultra-bright emission from Sr doped TiO
2
nanoparticles through r-GO conjugation
Authors: Mandal Sanhita , Jain Neha , Pandey Mukesh Kumar , Sreejakumari S. S. , Shukla Prashant , Chanda Anupama , Som Sudipta , Das Subrata , Singh Jai
Published: March 2019

Graphene and semiconductor nanocomposite garnered much interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology. In this research, TiO
2
, TiO
2
: Sr and TiO
2
: Sr/r-GO (reduced graphene oxide) nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized via a wet chemical synthesis method. The microscopic studies confirmed the formation of graphene sheets which looked like a paper which could easily wrap over the bacterial surface killing them. The optical band gap of these nanocomposites is determined by UV–visible absorption spectra which inferred that optical band gap decreases with Sr
2+
incorporation and r-GO attachment. Furthermore, photoluminescence (PL) study revealed that the intensity of emission is prominent for TiO
2
: Sr/r-GO. The enhancement in PL intensity with r-GO is due to creation of more oxygen vacancies and defects which generally capture the photoinduced carriers inhibiting recombination rate of free carriers promoting the photocatalytic reactions.
Linking dynamical complexities from activation signals to transcription responses
Authors: Lin Genghong , Jiao Feng , Sun Qiwen , Tang Moxun , Yu Jianshe , Zhou Zhan
Published: March 2019

The transcription of inducible genes involves signalling pathways that induce DNA binding of the downstream transcription factors to form functional promoter states. How the transcription dynamics is linked to the temporal variations of activation signals is far from being fully understood. In this work, we develop a mathematical model with multiple promoter states to address this question. Each promoter state has its own activation and inactivation rates and is selected randomly with a probability that may change in time. Under the activation of constant signals, our analysis shows that if only the activation rates differ among the promoter states, then the mean transcription level
m
(
t
) displays only a monotone or monophasic growth pattern. In a sharp contrast, if the inactivation rates change with the promoter states, then
m
(
t
) may display multiphasic growth patterns. Upon the activation of signals that oscillate periodically,
m
(
t
) also oscillates later, almost periodically at the same frequency, but the magnitude decreases with frequency and is almost completely attenuated at high frequencies. This gives a surprising indication that multiple promoter states could filter out the signal oscillation and the noise in the random promoter state selection, as observed in the transcription of a gene activated by p53 in breast carcinoma cells. Our approach may help develop a theoretical framework to integrate coherently the genetic circuit with the promoter states to elucidate the linkage from the activation signal to the temporal profile of transcription outputs.
Gravito-inertial ambiguity resolved through head stabilization
Authors: Farkhatdinov Ildar , Michalska Hannah , Berthoz Alain , Hayward Vincent
Published: March 2019

It has been frequently observed that humans and animals spontaneously stabilize their heads with respect to the gravitational vertical during body movements even in the absence of vision. The interpretations of this intriguing behaviour have so far not included the need, for survival, to robustly estimate verticality. Here we use a mechanistic model of the head/otolith organ to analyse the possibility for this system to render verticality ‘observable’, a fundamental prerequisite to the determination of the angular position and acceleration of the head from idiothetic, inertial measurements. The intrinsically nonlinear head-vestibular dynamics is shown to generally lack observability unless the head is stabilized in orientation by feedback. Thus, our study supports the hypothesis that a central function of the physiologically costly head stabilization strategy is to enable an organism to estimate the gravitational vertical and head acceleration during locomotion. Moreover, our result exhibits a rare peculiarity of certain nonlinear systems to fortuitously alter their observability properties when feedback is applied.
The competitive advantage of institutional reward
Authors: Dong Yali , Sasaki Tatsuya , Zhang Boyu
Published: March 2019

Sustaining cooperation among unrelated individuals is a fundamental challenge in biology and the social sciences. In human society, this problem can be solved by establishing incentive institutions that reward cooperators and punish free-riders. Most of the previous studies have focused on which incentives promote cooperation best. However, a higher cooperation level does not always imply higher group fitness, and only incentives that lead to higher fitness can survive in social evolution. In this paper, we compare the efficiencies of three types of institutional incentives, namely, reward, punishment, and a mixture of reward and punishment, by analysing the group fitness at the stable equilibria of evolutionary dynamics. We find that the optimal institutional incentive is sensitive to decision errors. When there is no error, a mixture of reward and punishment can lead to high levels of cooperation and fitness. However, for intermediate and large errors, reward performs best, and one should avoid punishment. The failure of punishment is caused by two reasons. First, punishment cannot maintain a high cooperation level. Second, punishing defectors almost always reduces the group fitness. Our findings highlight the role of reward in human cooperation. In an uncertain world, the institutional reward is not only effective but also efficient.
Dwarfs in disguise: multiple spinal abscesses and spondylodiscitis caused by an Enterococcus faecium small-colony variant
Authors: Höring Steffen , Sobotta Katharina , Schneider Sylke , Löffler Bettina , Rödel Jürgen
Published: March 2019

Small-colony variants are slow-growing subpopulations of bacteria known to be involved in latent or recurrent infections, especially in deep-seated foci. Their atypical growth in small colonies can hamper prompt and correct identification in clinical specimens. Here, we present the first case of multiple spinal abscesses and spondylodiscitis associated with an

Enterococcus faecium

small-colony-variant in an immunocompetent patient. This case demonstrates the diagnostic challenges when encountering this phenotype in the diagnostic laboratory.