bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of tapioca starch-chitosan-palm olein composite edible film on the quality of milk candy during storage
Authors: Pratama Y , Hintono A , Rizqiati H
Published: October 2019

Edible film usage has been growing to replace the non-environmental friendly plastic packaging. It can be applied as primary packaging in confectionary/candy products. The current study objective was to evaluate the quality changes of milk candy product which was wrapped using tapioca starch (TS) – chitosan (CH) – palm olein (PO) composite edible film as its primary packaging. Milk candy was produced from the caramelization of UHT bovine milk, sugar and margarine mixture. Various TS-CH-PO composite film solutions were prepared with different CH concentrations i.e. 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.0% and 1.2% (w/v). The solutions were homogenized and dry casted on a teflon-coated pan, resulting in edible film. Milk candy wrapped in edible film and control were stored at ambient temperature and analyzed periodically for its quality changes. Data were collected from 3 repetitions and presented as a descriptive analysis. The resulted edible films had thickness of 0.036-0.053 mm and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 0.038-0.042 g/hr. After 22 storage days, weight loss of control sample was 1.87% while the best treatment observed from 0.8% CH with 0.98% loss. The moisture content decrease for control and best treatment were 4.1% and 1.4%, respectively. Milk candy hardness showed an initial sharp increase followed by steady decrease pattern. The highest hardness value after 22 days storage amongst the treated samples was 3553 N from 0.8% CH concentration. The increase in total plate count of control was 2.25 logs CFU/g while the best treated sample showed an increase of 0.67 logs CFU/g after 8 days of storage. TS-CH-PO composite edible film has shown the ability to retard the negative quality changes of milk candy during storage.
Effect of α-Amylase and Glucoamylase Enzymes on Chemical Qualities of Vinegar from Banana Peel
Authors: Juniawati  , Widaningrum  , Usmiati S , Sandrasari D A
Published: October 2019

The rate of banana consumption in Indonesia is reported to be increased. Abundant banana peels causes environmental problem. Peels of banana still have the potential to be utilized in the making of vinegar. Banana peels have high contents of fiber and carbohydrate, however breakage of polysaccharide bonds with enzyme is necessary. The α-amylase and glucoamylase are suitable enzymes to optimally break the polysaccharide bonds. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of α-amylase and glucoamylase on chemical qualities of banana-peel vinegar. The experimental design used was a Block Randomized Design with two factors and three replications. The ‘A’ factor was concentration of α-amylase at three levels (0.05%; 0.1%; 0.15%). The ‘B’ factor was concentration of glucoamylase at two levels (0.1%; 0.15%). Observation parameters included reducing-sugar, concentration of alcohol and acetic acid, and pH values. The high level of acetic acid was obtained from A2B1 (0.10% α-amylase; 0.10% glucoamylase) with an average value of 4.05% and pH of 3.52 on day-30 of fermentation period. An average value of reducing-sugar level on day-1 was 0.55% (g/ml) accompanied by alcohol content reduction of 0.386%. The best quality of banana-peel vinegar was resulted from the A2B1 treatment (0.10% α-amylase, 0.10% glucoamylase). Good quality vinegar was characterized by its aqueous liquid form, acetic acid odor with level at least 4%, residual alcohol at maximum level of 10%. The study has implications for the utilization of banana peel waste as natural preservatives.
Effect of Preservatives and Pasteurization Time on Physicochemical Characteristics of Ground Red Chili
Authors: Sunarmani  , Setyadjit  , Kamsiati E
Published: October 2019

Red chili (Capsicum annum) is one of many kinds of vegetables produced in Indonesia. Red chili has high moisture content so it is easy to be rotten and decay. Red chili can be processed to be preserved-ground chili to maintain its shelf life and ease of use. The objective of this research was to understand the physicochemical character of ground red chilli, when during the production was used preservatives and pasteurization. The design of this research was completely randomized design with three treatments including a control. The treatment was preservative types (5% salt; 5% salt + 0.05% potassium sorbate and control), while pasteurization were 20 and 30 minutes. Parameters observed were moisture content, ash content, Total Soluble Solid (TSS), pH, water activity, chroma, dietary fiber, fat, protein, vitamin C and crude fiber. The results showed that the type of preservative had significantly effect on moisture, ash, dietary fiber, crude fiber, fat, protein, vitamin C content, TPT, pH and Aw. The moisture, dietary fiber, crude fiber and protein content, Aw, pH were decreased with the using of preservatives. Vitamin C, TPT, ash and protein content increase with the use of preservatives. Pasteurization time significantly effects on the decrease of dietary and crude fiber, The best ground chilli is obtained from a combination of 5% salt and 20 minute pasteurization that has characteristics 68.46% moisture content, 5,79% ash content, 2.13% fat content, 2.78% protein content, 171.83 ppm vitamin C, crude fiber 12.51%, 2.62% dietary fiber, 20.57° Brix TSS, 4.61 pH, and 0.92 Aw..
Drying Characteristic of Blanched Purple-Fleshed Sweet Potato Under Microwave Vacuum Drying
Authors: Marzuki S U , Fardenan D , Nguyen L T
Published: October 2019

The commercial microwave oven was modified in order to make a lab scale microwave vacuum dryer. The dryer was used to investigate drying characteristic of purple-fleshed sweet potato slices. Two levels of power and two kinds of blanched pre-treatment was applied to the tuber slices. The experimental results showed that the lab scale microwave vacuum dryer was successfully made from the commercial microwave oven. The drying time under microwave vacuum drying was done in the very short amount of time, e.g 7 minutes to reach approximately 7.5% of moisture content in dry basis. Two drying phases were found in the drying curve which was the constant drying rate and falling drying rate. The best model for explaining the dying characteristic of the tuber slices was the Page model with R square (R2) value more than 0.995. Highest effective diffusivity (3.83E-07 m2/s) was obtained at 800 W with steam blanching pre-treatment. Steam blanching pre-treatment resulted in a more similar color of the dried slices compared to the fresh color of the tuber slices. Combination of the microwave vacuum drying and steam blanching pre-treatment resulted in the very fast drying process and better color retention compared to the combination of the microwave vacuum drying with hot water blanching.
Application of Calcium Hydroxide Concentration and Immersion Duration Towards Tomato Sweets Quality
Authors: Trisnawati W , Aurum F S , Sugianyar M
Published: October 2019

Tomatoes flesh texture is tender, l eading to mussy texture when cooked and immersed in sugar solution during the sweets processing. Therefore, this research used calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) to aid the proper texture formation of tomatoes sweets during processing. The aim of this research was to observe the proper concentration of Ca(OH)2 and duration of immersion according to the quality and sensorial properties of tomatoes sweets. The experimental design used was Completely Randomized Design with two factors, i.e. Ca(OH)2 concentrations (5, 10, and 15 % (w/v)) and immersion duration (2, 6, 12, and 24 hours). Each treatment was done in three replications. Moisture content, vitamin C, total acid, texture and sensorial parameter test was evaluated. The research results showed significant difference between the Ca(OH)2 and immersion duration treatments. Moisture content and texture score increased along with the addition of Ca(OH)2 concentration and immersion duration, but it had negative correlation with vitamin C and total acid content. The tomatoes sweets treated with 15% Ca(OH)2 and immersion duration of 2 hours was the most preferred by panelists. The best treatment of tomatoes sweets from the sensory perspective contained 46.64% moisture content, 52.99 mg/100g vitamin C, 1.26% total acid, and 2.3 kg/cm2 texture score.
Evaluation of Corn Grit Quality from Farmer-Scale Trial Production
Authors: Hidayah N , Adiandri R S , Rahayu E , Nugraha S
Published: October 2019

Corn grit is one of the corn products can be used as staple food for rice substitution in order to support food diversification program. This research conducted to identify the quality of corn products produced from the production trial at farmer level. Corn grit production trial was conducted at corn centre production area in Kupang-East Nusa Tenggara. The research was conducted in three stages: 1) milling process of corn, 2) corn grit processing, and 3) Identification of corn product quality, including aflatoxin content, moisture content, ash content, fat content, protein, carbohydrate, dietary fibre and organoleptic properties. Two types of corn used in this research were white and yellow corn. Corn grit processing was conducted to produce 3 types of corn grit that were original corn grit, parboiled corn grit and premium corn grit.The results showed that yellow corn had higher yield and milling capacity than white corn that was 86.44% and 19.43 kg grit/hour corn. Measurement of quality corn grit products showed that the parboiled corn had the highest total aflatoxin content of 17.08 ppb in white corn and 20.95 ppb for yellow corn, although the value was still below the safe threshold for consumption. Parboiled corn grit also showed the highest of carbohydrate content, protein content and total energy of 82.87%, 8.83% and 386.49 kcal on white corn; and 85.42%, 8.74% and 392.82 kcal on yellow corn. However, based on the preference test for colour parameters, flavour, aroma and overall appearance showed no significant difference between treatments.
Xylan Production from Corn Cobs for Isolation of Xylanase-Producing Bacteria
Authors: Sasmitaloka K S , Arif A B , Juniawati  , Winarti C , Hayuningtyas M , Ratnaningsih  , Richana N
Published: October 2019

Xylan can be enzymatically degraded to establish environmentally tolerable and eco- friendly processes for the production of alcohol and others. It can be produced from agro- industrial wastes which is rich in lignocellulosic content, like corn cobs. However, there is still problem with the purity. This study investigated production of xylan from corn cobs for isolation of xylanase-producing bacteria. Raw material used in this study was corn cobs. The experiment was set up in complete randomized design with treatments of water soaking ratio (1:1, 1:2, and 1:3) and soaking repetitions (1, 2, and 3), in three replications. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that between water soaking ratio and soaking repetitions have significantly different of their physicochemical characteristics (p<0.05). The best water soaking ratio and soaking repetitions was 1:2 for three soaking, with NaCl content of 0.17%, yield of 6.66%, and water content of 5.62%. Xylan produced from the best treatments used for isolation of xylanase- producing bacteria. Xylan with concentration of 1% can be used for isolation of xylanase- producing bacteria from specimens of mixture of decayed wood and sand, with potential index of 0.71, enzyme activity of 140.85 U/ml, specific enzyme activity of 319.788 U/mg protein and namely Bacillus pumilus B21.
The Successes and Failures of Economic Reform in Nigeria’s Post-Military Political Settlement
Authors: Usman Zainab
Published: October 2019

There are limitations in the explanatory power of prevailing theories on the political economy of Africa’s growth without industrialization that emphasize the resource-curse, ethnicity, neopatrimonialism, and the developmental state. This article uses a political settlements approach to explain the institutional underpinnings of Nigeria’s economic transition. It shows how external constraints on ruling elites interact with the distribution of power and institutions to stimulate episodic reforms in an ‘intermediate’ Nigerian state. Rather than a ‘developmental’ state presiding over industrial upgrading or a ‘predatory’ state operating solely on neopatrimonial basis, this intermediate state presides over selective reforms and bursts of economic growth and diversification. Thus, specific constraints in Nigeria’s post-military political settlement from 1999 generated the initial impetus for successful telecoms liberalization, while inhibiting growth in the oil sector. This article contributes to advancing the political settlements framework in applying it to resource-rich countries, by outlining the four dimensions of the distribution of power and the constraints for institutional persistence or change, and their varying economic implications. It also reclaims the concept of ‘elite bargains’ as a defining feature of the horizontal distribution of power and demonstrates its centrality to the durability or fragility of institutions, especially at critical junctures of resource booms and busts.
Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal are diverse and pervasive
Authors: Schupp Eugene W , Zwolak Rafal , Jones Landon R , Snell Rebecca S , Beckman Noelle G , Aslan Clare , Cavazos Brittany R , Effiom Edu , Fricke Evan C , Montaño-Centellas Flavia , Poulsen John , Razafindratsima Onja H , Sandor Manette E , Shea Katriona
Published: October 2019

There is growing realization that intraspecific variation in seed dispersal can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. However, we do not have a good understanding of the drivers or causes of intraspecific variation in dispersal, how strong an effect these drivers have, and how widespread they are across dispersal modes. As a first step to developing a better understanding, we present a broad, but not exhaustive, review of what is known about the drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal, and what remains uncertain. We start by decomposing ‘drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal’ into intrinsic drivers (i.e. variation in traits of individual plants) and extrinsic drivers (i.e. variation in ecological context). For intrinsic traits, we further decompose intraspecific variation into variation among individuals and variation of trait values within individuals. We then review our understanding of the major intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal, with an emphasis on variation among individuals. Crop size is the best-supported and best-understood intrinsic driver of variation across dispersal modes; overall, more seeds are dispersed as more seeds are produced, even in cases where per seed dispersal rates decline. Fruit/seed size is the second most widely studied intrinsic driver, and is also relevant to a broad range of seed dispersal modes. Remaining intrinsic drivers are poorly understood, and range from effects that are probably widespread, such as plant height, to drivers that are most likely sporadic, such as fruit or seed colour polymorphism. Primary extrinsic drivers of variation in seed dispersal include local environmental conditions and habitat structure. Finally, we present a selection of outstanding questions as a starting point to advance our understanding of individual variation in seed dispersal.
Literature Review: Psychological Resilience Factors in People with Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Ovaska-Stafford Noora , Maltby John , Dale Maria
Published: October 2019

Background

Psychological distress is frequently observed in neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) having a significant impact on function, quality of life (QOL), caregiver burden, and illness cost. As higher psychological resilience can protect against negative outcomes and aid in the successful adjustment to illness, identifying resilience factors is important. Understanding what enhances or lowers psychological resilience allows us to offer support/interventions to people with NDDs and their carers starting early in the disease process.

Objective

To investigate factors associated with psychological resilience in NDDs by completing a systematic review of relevant studies.

Method

Five electronic databases were searched for studies relating to psychological resilience in NDDs. Eighteen articles were reviewed using a narrative synthesis approach.

Results

Studies with varied aims and methodologies were found. The identified factors were categorized into core, internal, and external resilience. Regarding core factors contradicting evidence was found about the relationship between resilience and physical function. Fatigue, however, appears to be associated with less resilience. A limited number of studies focused on pain and demographics. Of internal resilience factors, studies found positive associations between higher resilience and improved mental health, even over time. Resilience appears to correlate positively with various psychological and QOL factors. Importantly, external resilience factors (e.g., social connectedness and intervention) were discovered to be linked to resilience. The evidence for resilience-enhancing intervention suggests that resilience can be modified.

Conclusion

Various factors were identified to be associated with psychological resilience in NDDs. As resilience appears to be modifiable, it is important to focus on resilience-enhancing interventions for people with NDDs.
Teaching yourself about structural racism will improve your machine learning
Authors: Robinson Whitney R , Renson Audrey , Naimi Ashley I
Published: October 2019

In this commentary, we put forth the following argument: Anyone conducting machine learning in a health-related domain should educate themselves about structural racism. We argue that structural racism is a critical body of knowledge needed for generalizability in almost all domains of health research.
Ending the Epidemic in America Will Not Happen if the Status Quo Continues: Modeled Projections for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Incidence in 6 US Cities
Authors: Nosyk Bohdan , Zang Xiao , Krebs Emanuel , Min Jeong Eun , Behrends Czarina N , Del Rio Carlos , Dombrowski Julia C , Feaster Daniel J , Golden Matthew , Marshall Brandon D L , Mehta Shruti H , Metsch Lisa R , Schackman Bruce R , Shoptaw Steven , Strathdee Steffanie A
Published: October 2019

We estimated 10-year (2020–2030) trajectories for human immunodeficiency virus incidence in 6 US cities. Estimated incidence will only decrease in 2 of 6 cities, with the overall population-weighted incidence decreasing 3.1% (95% credible interval [CrI], ˗1.0% to 8.5%) by 2025, and 4.3% (95% CrI, ˗2.6% to 12.7%) by 2030 across cities. Targeted, context-specific combination implementation strategies will be necessary to meet the newly established national targets.
Antibiotic Prescribing Before and After the Diagnosis of Comorbidity: A Cohort Study Using Primary Care Electronic Health Records
Authors: Rockenschaub Patrick , Hayward Andrew , Shallcross Laura
Published: October 2019

Background

Comorbidities such as diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increase patients’ susceptibility to infections, but it is unclear how the onset of comorbidity impacts antibiotic use. We estimated rates of antibiotic use before and after diagnosis of comorbidity in primary care to identify opportunities for antibiotic stewardship.

Methods

We analyzed UK primary care records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Adults registered between 2008–2015 without prior comorbidity diagnoses were eligible for inclusion. Monthly adjusted rates of antibiotic prescribing were estimated for patients with new-onset stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, asthma, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, or COPD in the 12 months before and after diagnosis and for controls without comorbidity.

Results

106 540/1 071 943 (9.9%) eligible patients were diagnosed with comorbidity. Antibiotic prescribing rates increased 1.9- to 2.3-fold in the 4–9 months preceding diagnosis of asthma, heart failure, and COPD before declining to stable levels within 2 months after diagnosis. A less marked trend was seen for diabetes (rate ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.48–1.61). Prescribing rates for patients with vascular conditions increased immediately before diagnosis and remained 30%–39% higher than baseline afterwards. Rates of prescribing to controls increased by 17%–28% in the months just before and after consultation.

Conclusions

Antibiotic prescribing increased rapidly before diagnosis of conditions that present with respiratory symptoms (COPD, heart failure, asthma) and declined afterward. Onset of respiratory symptoms may be misdiagnosed as infection. Earlier diagnosis of these comorbidities could reduce avoidable antibiotic prescribing.
Trafficking: A Development Approach
Authors: Kotiswaran Prabha
Published: October 2019

Trafficking is considered to be an urgent problem of global proportions warranting a robust transnational legal response. Almost twenty years since the adoption of the Palermo Protocol on Trafficking, scholars, activists and governments alike have debated criminal law, human rights and labour law approaches to the problem. With the incorporation of trafficking in the Sustainable Development Goals, this article goes beyond these conventional approaches to argue for a development approach to trafficking. It suggests that SDG 8 cannot be achieved by rehashing older debates on development in the key of trafficking. Instead, we must account for the expanding welfare functions of the postcolonial developmental state, reimagine labour laws from the vantage point of the informal economy and protect and enforce indigenous responses to extreme exploitation rather than exacerbate the negative externalities of a carceral approach in developing world contexts where the criminal justice system is built on a colonial edifice.
WS-BD-Based Two-Level Match: Interesting Sequential Patterns and Bayesian Fuzzy Clustering for Predicting the Web Pages from Weblogs
Authors: Prakash Pg Om , Jaya A
Published: October 2019

The rapid increase in information and technology has led to the increased amount of web pages, which raises the complexity in sticking to relevant web pages, and the visitor suffers due to wastage of time resulting in lack of satisfaction. This paper proposes a web page prediction method using a weighed support and Bhattacharya distance-based (WS-BD) two-level match. The major aim of the proposed method is to attain customer satisfaction. Initially, interesting sequential patterns are obtained using the weighed support that filters the sequential patterns obtained using a PrefixSpan algorithm based on the frequency, duration and recurrence of the web pages. Interesting sequential patterns are clustered using the proposed dice similarity-based Bayesian fuzzy clustering, and the web page is predicted using the two-level match based on Bhattacharya distance. The experimentation is performed using the CTI and MSNBC data which proves the effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed method shows 9.59, 21.22 and 10.17% improvement than the existing FCM-KNN in terms of precision, recall and F measure for the CTI dataset. Also, the proposed method shows 2.58, 22.17 and 7.83% improvement than the existing FCM-KNN in terms of precision, recall and F measure for the MSNBC dataset.
A Discussion of Vintage Optimization Models in Forest Economics
Authors: Piazza Adriana
Published: October 2019

Optimal forest harvesting is a problem that dates back many centuries. Modern forest-management needs models taking into account the relatively long rotation, the multiaged structure, the age-dependent timber content of trees, and the multiple services forests provide. Approaches to characterize the optimal management policy range from models that represent the forest by a unique state variable that can usually be solved analytically (i.e., models that consider forests composed by a unique even-aged stand or allow a uneven aged forest but only consider its total biomass), to much more sophisticated linear and integer programming harvest scheduling models. In this survey, we focus on dynamic optimization problems where the forest is represented with an age-class structure. These models present richer dynamics than one-variable models while preserving their analytic tractability to some extent.
O-glycosylation on cerebrospinal fluid and plasma apolipoprotein E differs in the lipid-binding domain
Authors: Flowers Sarah A , Grant Oliver C , Woods Robert J , Rebeck G William
Published: October 2019

The O-glycoprotein apolipoprotein E (APOE), the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, associates with lipoproteins. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) APOE binds only high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), while plasma APOE attaches to lipoproteins of diverse sizes with binding fine-tuned by the C-terminal loop. To better understand the O-glycosylation on this critical molecule and differences across tissues, we analyzed the O-glycosylation on APOE isolated from the plasma and CSF of aged individuals. Detailed LC-MS/MS analyses allowed the identification of the glycosite and the attached glycan and site occupancy for all detectable glycosites on APOE and further three-dimensional modeling of physiological glycoforms of APOE. APOE is O-glycosylated at several sites: Thr8, Thr18, Thr194, Ser197, Thr289, Ser290 and Ser296. Plasma APOE held more abundant (20.5%) N-terminal (Thr8) sialylated core 1 (Neu5Acα2–3Galβ1–3GalNAcα1-) glycosylation compared to CSF APOE (0.1%). APOE was hinge domain glycosylated (Thr194 and Ser197) in both CSF (27.3%) and plasma (10.3%). CSF APOE held almost 10-fold more abundant C-terminal (Thr289, Ser290 and Ser296) glycosylation (36.8% of CSF peptide283–299 was glycosylated, 3.8% of plasma peptide283–299), with sialylated and disialylated (Neu5Acα2–3Galβ1–3(Neu5Acα2–6) GalNAcα1-) core 1 structures. Modeling suggested that C-terminal glycosylation, particularly the branched disialylated structure, could interact across domains including the receptor-binding domain. These data, although limited by sample size, suggest that there are tissue-specific APOE glycoforms. Sialylated glycans, previously shown to improve HDL binding, are more abundant on the lipid-binding domain of CSF APOE and reduced in plasma APOE. This indicates that APOE glycosylation may be implicated in lipoprotein-binding flexibility.
Factors influencing the scale-up of public health interventions in low- and middle-income countries: a qualitative systematic literature review
Authors: Bulthuis Susan E , Kok Maryse C , Raven Joanna , Dieleman Marjolein A
Published: October 2019

To achieve universal health coverage, the scale-up of high impact public health interventions is essential. However, scale-up is challenging and often not successful. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to provide insights into the factors influencing the scale-up of public health interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Two databases were searched for studies with a qualitative research component. The GRADE-CERQual approach was applied to assess the confidence in the evidence for each key review finding. A multi-level perspective on transition was applied to ensure a focus on vertical scale-up for sustainability. According to this theory, changes in the way of organizing (structure), doing (practice) and thinking (culture) need to take place to ensure the scale-up of an intervention. Among the most prominent factors influencing scale-up through changes in structure was the availability of financial, human and material resources. Inadequate supply chains were often barriers to scale-up. Advocacy activities positively influenced scale-up, and changes in the policy environment hindered or facilitated scale-up. The most outstanding factors influencing scale-up through changes in practice were the availability of a strategic plan for scale-up and the way in which training and supervision was conducted. Furthermore, collaborations such as community participation and partnerships facilitated scale-up, as well as the availability of research and monitoring and evaluation data. Factors influencing scale-up through a change in culture were less prominent in the literature. While some studies articulated the acceptability of the intervention in a given sociocultural environment, more emphasis was placed on the importance of stakeholders feeling a need for a specific intervention to facilitate its scale-up. All identified factors should be taken into account when scaling up public health interventions in LMICs. The different factors are strongly interlinked, and most of them are related to one crucial first step: the development of a scale-up strategy before scaling up.
Exploring targeted preventive health checks in a socially disadvantaged neighborhood in Denmark
Authors: Møller Anne , Merrild Camilla Hoffmann
Published: October 2019

Recently studies have focused on how health promotion interventions sometimes sideline issues of social context, framing health as a matter of individual choice and, by implication, a personal responsibility. Part of this criticism is that health promotion interventions often do not draw on situated understandings of the contextual aspects of health and illness practices. Theoretically, this study departs in practice theory and contemporary public heath discussions on targeted health promotion. Based on semi-structured interviews with 18 people living in a social housing association we explored the significance of participating in a preventive health check and how participation configured into everyday life. All participants in our study had been identified with a ‘risk’ health profile. Overall, we found that they were well aware of their health risks and challenges, and that they reflected a great deal on how their health status was intrinsically linked with their lifestyle and health practices, such as lack of exercise or smoking. The health checks were, however, not able to support or improve their general health, and did not seem to address the challenges the participants seemed to struggle with in life. By way of conclusion, we suggest that we implement a more practice-oriented form of public health that focus on the ‘lives’ that people live, and the problems that they face. Moreover, attention should be paid to how and to whom health promotion initiatives are offered, in order to ensure the relevance of targeted interventions.
Curcumin dietary supplementation ameliorates disease phenotype in an animal model of Huntington’s disease.
Authors: Elifani F , Amico E , Pepe G , Capocci L , Castaldo S , Rosa P , Montano E , Pollice A , Madonna M , Filosa S , Calogero A , Maglione V , Crispi S , Di Pardo A
Published: October 2019

Huntington’s disease (HD) has traditionally been described as a disorder purely of the brain, however evidence indicates that peripheral abnormalities are also commonly seen. Among others, severe unintended body weight loss represents a prevalent and often debilitating feature of HD pathology, with no therapies available. It correlates with disease progression and significantly affects the quality of life of HD patients.

Curcumin, a naturally occurring polyphenol with multiple therapeutic properties, has been validated to exert important beneficial effects under health conditions as well as in different pathological settings, including neurodegenerative and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

Here, we investigated the potential therapeutic action that curcumin-supplemented diet may exert on central and peripheral dysfunctions in R6/2 mice, a well-characterized HD animal model which recapitulates some features of human pathology.

Maintenance of normal motor function, protection from neuropathology and from GI dysfunction, preservation of GI emptying, and conserved intestinal contractility, proved the beneficial role of life-long dietary curcumin in HD and corroborated the potential of the compound to be exploited to alleviate very debilitating symptoms associated with the disease.
Homeomorphisms of S1 and Factorization
Authors: Dalthorp Mark , Pickrell Doug
Published: October 2019

For each $n>0$ there is a one complex parameter family of homeomorphisms of the circle consisting of linear fractional transformations “conjugated by $z \to z^n$”. We show that these families are free of relations, which determines the structure of “the group of homeomorphisms of finite type”. We next consider factorization for more robust groups of homeomorphisms. We refer to this as root subgroup factorization (because the factors correspond to root subgroups). We are especially interested in how root subgroup factorization is related to triangular factorization (i.e., conformal welding) and correspondences between smoothness properties of the homeomorphisms and decay properties of the root subgroup parameters. This leads to interesting comparisons with Fourier series and the theory of Verblunsky coefficients.
Antibacterial properties and in vivo efficacy of a novel nitrofuran, IITR06144, against MDR pathogens
Authors: Bhando Timsy , Bhattacharyya Tapas , Gaurav Amit , Akhter Jawed , Saini Mahak , Gupta Vivek Kumar , Srivastava Santosh Kumar , Sen Himanshu , Navani Naveen K , Gupta Varsha , Biswas Debasis , Chaudhry Rama , Pathania Ranjana
Published: October 2019

Objectives

The emergence of MDR Gram-negative pathogens and increasing prevalence of chronic infections presents an unmet need for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological properties of a small molecule, IITR06144, identified in a phenotypic screen against the Gram-negative model organism Escherichia coli.

Methods

A small-molecule library of 10 956 compounds was screened for growth inhibition against E. coli ATCC 25922 at concentration 50 μM. MICs of lead compounds were determined by the broth microdilution method. Time–kill kinetics, anti-persister activity, spontaneous frequency of resistance, biofilm inhibition and disruption were assessed by standard protocols. Resistant mutants were generated by serial passaging followed by WGS. In vitro toxicity studies were carried out via the MTT assay. In vivo toxicity and efficacy in a mouse model were also evaluated.

Results

IITR06144 was identified as the most promising candidate amongst 29 other potential antibacterial leads, exhibiting the lowest MIC, 0.5 mg/L. IITR06144 belongs to the nitrofuran class and exhibited broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against most MDR bacteria, including the ‘priority pathogen’, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. IITR06144 retained its potency against nitrofurantoin-resistant clinical isolates. It displayed anti-persister, anti-biofilm activity and lack of spontaneous resistance development. IITR06144 demonstrated a large therapeutic index with no associated in vitro and in vivo toxicity.

Conclusions

In the light of excellent in vitro properties displayed by IITR06144 coupled with its considerable in vivo efficacy, further evaluation of IITR06144 as a therapeutic lead against antibiotic-resistant infections is warranted.
Tigecycline-non-susceptible hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in Taiwan
Authors: Cheng Yi-Hsiang , Huang Tzu-Wen , Juan Chih-Han , Chou Sheng-Hua , Tseng Yao-Yi , Chen Ting-Wen , Yang Tsuey-Ching , Lin Yi-Tsung
Published: October 2019

Objectives

Emergent antimicrobial-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) is an important public health issue. We aimed to investigate resistance mechanisms and hypervirulent traits among tigecycline-non-susceptible (TNS) K. pneumoniae clinical strains, focusing on one hvKp strain with in vivo evolution of tigecycline resistance.

Methods

TNS K. pneumoniae strains causing invasive diseases in a medical centre in Taiwan between July 2015 and April 2018 were collected. Resistance mechanisms were determined and hvKp strains were defined as rmpA/rmpA2-carrying strains. Isogenic strains with and without tigecycline resistance were subjected to WGS and in vivo virulence testing. Further, site-directed mutagenesis was used to confirm the resistance mechanism.

Results

In total, 31 TNS K. pneumoniae strains were isolated, including six hypervirulent strains. Tigecycline resistance mechanisms were mostly caused by overexpression of AcrAB and OqxAB together with up-regulation of RamA or RarA, respectively. One TNS hypervirulent strain (KP1692; MIC=6 mg/L) derived from its tigecycline-susceptible counterpart (KP1677; MIC=0.75 mg/L) showed acrAB overexpression. WGS revealed four genetic variations between KP1677 and KP1692. In addition, using site-directed mutagenesis, we confirmed that a 1 bp insertion in the ramA upstream region (RamR-binding site), leading to ramA and acrAB overexpression in KP1692, was responsible for tigecycline resistance. The in vivo virulence experiment showed that the TNS hvKp strain KP1692 still retained its high virulence compared with KP1677.

Conclusions

hvKp strains accounted for 19.4% among TNS strains. We identified alterations in the ramA upstream region as a mechanism of in vivo tigecycline resistance development in an hvKp strain.
Mining Twitter to assess the determinants of health behavior toward human papillomavirus vaccination in the United States
Authors: Zhang Hansi , Wheldon Christopher , Dunn Adam G , Tao Cui , Huo Jinhai , Zhang Rui , Prosperi Mattia , Guo Yi , Bian Jiang
Published: October 2019

Objectives

The study sought to test the feasibility of using Twitter data to assess determinants of consumers’ health behavior toward human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination informed by the Integrated Behavior Model (IBM).

Materials and Methods

We used 3 Twitter datasets spanning from 2014 to 2018. We preprocessed and geocoded the tweets, and then built a rule-based model that classified each tweet into either promotional information or consumers’ discussions. We applied topic modeling to discover major themes and subsequently explored the associations between the topics learned from consumers’ discussions and the responses of HPV-related questions in the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).

Results

We collected 2 846 495 tweets and analyzed 335 681 geocoded tweets. Through topic modeling, we identified 122 high-quality topics. The most discussed consumer topic is “cervical cancer screening”; while in promotional tweets, the most popular topic is to increase awareness of “HPV causes cancer.” A total of 87 of the 122 topics are correlated between promotional information and consumers’ discussions. Guided by IBM, we examined the alignment between our Twitter findings and the results obtained from HINTS. Thirty-five topics can be mapped to HINTS questions by keywords, 112 topics can be mapped to IBM constructs, and 45 topics have statistically significant correlations with HINTS responses in terms of geographic distributions.

Conclusions

Mining Twitter to assess consumers’ health behaviors can not only obtain results comparable to surveys, but also yield additional insights via a theory-driven approach. Limitations exist; nevertheless, these encouraging results impel us to develop innovative ways of leveraging social media in the changing health communication landscape.
Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Communique: After-Hours Endoscopy Cart
Authors: Rai Mandip , Cooper Mary , Shulman Scott , Kottachchi Dan , Nelles Sandra , Macmillan Mark , Heitman Steven , Barkun Alan , Tse Frances , Hookey Lawrence
Published: October 2019

Background

Endoscopic procedures performed after-hours often require therapeutic interventions that are technically demanding for the endoscopist. The aim of this position paper is to provide guidance on the minimum standard of equipment that should be available on a mobile endoscopy cart for provision of a safe and effective after-hours emergency endoscopy service. The guidance is based on consensus among academic and community gastroenterologists in Canada.

Methods

A modified Delphi process was used to establish consensus among 9 participants. A list of statements was prepared by an expert panel of endoscopists. The statements were divided into three broad sections for what should be on an after-hours endoscopy cart including medications, nonendoscopic tools and therapeutic/diagnostic equipment. Consensus for being on the endoscopy cart was achieved when 75% or more of voting members indicated ‘agree’.

Results

For nonendoscopic tools, there was agreement for having sterile saline, sterile water, endoscope lubricant, various syringes, bite blocks (paediatric and adult size), a water pump with foot peddle, formalin jars for biopsy specimens, digital photo and printing capability and an overtube. For medications, there was agreement for having hyoscine butylbromide and epinephrine on the cart. For therapeutic/diagnostic tools, there was agreement for having biopsy forceps (standard and jumbo), polypectomy snares, sclerotherapy needles and agent (for a variceal bleed), band ligation kit, multipolar electrocautery probes, heater probe catheter, endoscopic clips, hemostatic powder and retrieval devices.

Interpretation

This position paper provides guidance on the minimum standard of items that should be on an after-hours endoscopy cart. Standardization of equipment may help improve safety and quality of after-hours endoscopic procedures.
The Many-Faced Consumer: Consumption Consequences of Balancing Multiple Identities
Authors: Saint Clair Julian K , Forehand Mark R
Published: October 2019

Cues in the environment can prime consumer identities, increasing adoption of behaviors consistent with the primed identity and avoidance of behaviors consistent with alternate (nonprimed) identities. Although alternate-identity avoidance is common, three studies show that priming an identity (e.g., student) can also encourage consumers to approach alternate identities (e.g., friend). When two identities are relatively easy to balance (e.g., sufficient time for both student- and friend-related activities), participants approach alternate identities that are associated with the primed identity following a cognitive process of spreading activation. However, when identities are difficult to balance, participants approach alternate identities that are dissociated from the primed identity. We argue that this reversal occurs owing to a switch from a cognitive process to a motivational process akin to that seen in multiple-goal management. Under the motivational process, priming a focal identity inhibits (activates) associated (dissociated) identities because the two are seen as (non-)substitutable with each other. The motivational process under high balance difficulty relaxes when participants can self-affirm, causing response to instead mimic the cognitive process. The resulting integrative framework introduces identity-balance difficulty and its interaction with association into identity research, uniquely highlighting the importance of multiple-identity management with implications for research and practice.
‘A collection of mere travesties of time-honoured originals’
Authors: Anguix Laia
Published: October 2019

In 1909 the city of Newcastle was offered the bequest of J.A.D. Shipley. Containing 2,500 paintings attributed to masters such as Rembrandt and Raphael, and linked to a sum of £30,000 for museum accommodation, it caused a media stir. C. B. Stevenson, curator of the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, reported that the collection contained many ‘feeble imitations . . . unworthy of the names attached to them.’1 Nevertheless, he recommended its acceptance, because of the benefit it would confer on the Laing. But Newcastle council rejected Stevenson’s advice, favouring external reports to support its verdict, which was based on financial concerns and on the negative responses of prominent citizens. The Laing’s appeals were disregarded and Gateshead obtained the bequest, leading to the creation of the town’s first public art gallery, the Shipley Art Gallery, in 1917. The Shipley case is here discussed as an example of misunderstanding between cultural institutions and political structures, and of the power of local elites to raise questions regarding authorship and authenticity.
Heterozygosity–Fitness Correlations Reveal Inbreeding Depression in Neonatal Body Size in a Critically Endangered Rock Iguana
Authors: Moss Jeanette B , Gerber Glenn P , Welch Mark E
Published: October 2019

Inbreeding depression, though challenging to identify in nature, may play an important role in regulating the dynamics of small and isolated populations. Conversely, greater expression of genetic load can enhance opportunities for natural selection. Conditional expression concentrates these opportunities for selection and may lead to failure of detection. This study investigates the possibility for age-dependent expression of inbreeding depression in a critically endangered population of rock iguanas, Cyclura nubila caymanensis. We employ heterozygote-fitness correlations to examine the contributions of individual genetic factors to body size, a fitness-related trait. Nonsignificant reductions in homozygosity (up to 7%) were detected between neonates and individuals surviving past their first year, which may reflect natural absorption of inbreeding effects by this small, fecund population. The majority of variation in neonate body size was attributed to maternal or environmental effects (i.e., clutch identity and incubation length); however, heterozygosity across 22 microsatellite loci also contributed significantly and positively to model predictions. Conversely, effects of heterozygosity on fitness were not detectable when adults were examined, suggesting that inbreeding depression in body size may be age dependent in this taxon. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of taking holistic, cross-generational approaches to genetic monitoring of endangered populations.
Concurrent Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescriptions Among Older Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
Authors: Check Devon K , Winn Aaron N , Fergestrom Nicole , Reeder-Hayes Katherine E , Neuner Joan M , Roberts Andrew W
Published: October 2019

Guidelines recommend using caution in co-prescribing opioids with benzodiazepines, yet, in practice, the extent of concurrent prescribing is poorly understood. Notably, no population-based studies, to our knowledge, have investigated concurrent prescribing among patients with cancer. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database linked with Medicare claims (2012–2016) for women diagnosed with breast cancer. We used modified Poisson regression to examine predictors of any concurrent prescriptions in the year post-diagnosis and Poisson regression to examine predictors of the number of overlapping days. We found that 13.0% of the 19 267 women in our sample had concurrent prescriptions. Women who underwent more extensive treatment and those with previous use of opioids or benzodiazepines were at increased risk for concurrent prescriptions (adjusted risk ratio of previous benzodiazepine use vs no previous use = 15.05, 95% confidence interval = 13.19 to 17.19). Among women with concurrent prescriptions, overlap was most pronounced among low-income, rural, and Hispanic women (adjusted incidence rate ratio of Hispanic vs non-Hispanic white = 1.25, 95% confidence interval = 1.20 to 1.30). Our results highlight opportunities to reduce patients’ unnecessary exposure to this combination.