bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ovine fetuses from slaughterhouses: a useful source for neural cell primary cultures
Authors: Farina Vittorio , Gadau Sergio Domenico , Lepore Gianluca , Carcupino Marcella , Zedda Marco
Published: October 2019

A lot of evidence demonstrates that sheep could represent an experimental model to set up medical procedures in a view of their application on humans. Sheep are chosen as model for human biomechanical studies because their skeleton has some similarities with humans. Sheep are gyrencephalic so the cerebral cortex can show valuable signposts to identify particular cortical regions, unlike rats that are lissencephalic animals. The aim of this work was to set up sheep primary cultures from ovine fetuses at different ages, from pregnant uteri retrieved at local abattoirs. Cell characterization demonstrated that one cell population was immunopositive to GFAP and identifiable as astrocytes, whereas a second cell type was III β-tubulin-positive, and hence classified as neurons. A 60 day old fetus is suitable to obtain neurons, whereas in a 90 day old fetus the cell culture is predominantly characterized by glial cells. The procedure here proposed is inexpensive. Indeed, the fetuses casually found during sheep slaughtering have no cost, unlike the classical experimental animals, such as mice, rats, rabbits, that require very high economical efforts. Finally, our protocol fully eliminates the need of animal killing, being living animals replaced by a validated in vitro model in agreement with the 3Rs statement.
How to better conserve with genetic data: origin and population structure of Brazilian locally adapted hair sheep (Ovis aries) breeds
Authors: Paim Tiago do Prado , Paiva Samuel Rezende , Martins de Toledo Natália , Yamaghishi Michel Beleza , Carneiro Paulo Luiz Souza , Facó Olivardo , Mello de Araújo Adriana , Azevedo Hymerson Costa , Caetano Alexandre Rodrigues , McManus Concepta
Published: October 2019

Brazilian hair sheep constitute a genetic diversity hotspot of sheep breeds. These locally adapted genetic resources developed in harsh environments of the Brazilian Northwest (semi-arid) and maintained important traits for this region, such as parasite resistance, heat tolerance and high pelt quality. Genotypes (50K SNP chip) from seven Brazilian sheep breeds (5 hair and 2 coarse wool types) and 87 worldwide breeds were used to verify population structure, admixture and genetic diversity, using PCA and ADMIXTURE analyses. We constructed a phylogenetic tree and evaluated migration events between genetic groups using TREEMIX software. Brazilian Somali, a fat-tailed breed, was the unique breed with high relationship with East African breeds and formed a distinct cluster from other Brazilian breeds. This breed seems to contribute to formation of Santa Inês, Morada Nova and Brazilian Fat-tail breeds. Brazilian Blackbelly had a clear relationship with Barbados Blackbelly, which appeared as another group. Other Brazilian breeds seem to form a further genetic group with some recent admixtures. Morada Nova remained as a separate group, not showing a strong relationship with European or African breeds, only revealing a migration event from Sidaoun, an Algerian hair breed. Brazilian Fat-tail and Morada Nova share a common ancestor, but the first received introgressions from Brazilian Somali and Afrikaner breeds, explaining the fat-tail phenotype. Santa Inês received strong contribution from Bergamasca and had an admixed origin with recent introgressions from other breeds, mainly from Suffolk animals. In conclusion, Brazilian Somali and Brazilian Fat-tail are the most endangered sheep genetic resources in Brazil.
Learning Your Heart Actions From Pulse: ECG Waveform Reconstruction From PPG
Authors: Zhu Qiang , Tian Xin , Wong Chau-Wai , Wu Min
Published: October 2019

This paper studies the relation between electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) and infers the waveform of ECG via the PPG signals that can be obtained from affordable wearable Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices for mobile health. In order to address this inverse problem, a transform is proposed to map the discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients of each PPG cycle to those of the corresponding ECG cycle based on our proposed cardiovascular signal model. The proposed method is evaluated with different morphologies of the PPG and ECG signals on three benchmark datasets with a variety of combinations of age, weight, and health conditions using different training setups. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve a high prediction accuracy greater than 0.92 in averaged correlation for each dataset when the model is trained subject-wise. With a signal processing and learning system that is designed synergistically, we are able to reconstruct ECG signals by exploiting the relation of these two types of cardiovascular measurement. The reconstruction capability of the proposed method can enable low-cost ECG screening from affordable wearable IoT devices for continuous and long-term monitoring. This work may open up a new research direction to transfer the understanding of the clinical ECG knowledge base to build a knowledge base for PPG and data from wearable devices.
Information Enhanced Model Selection for Gaussian Graphical Model with Application to Metabolomic Data
Authors: Zhou Jie , Hoen Anne G. , McRitchie Susan , Pathmasiri Wimal , Viles Weston D. , Nguyen Quang P. , Madan Juliette C. , Dade Erika , Karagas Margaret R. , Gui Jiang
Published: October 2019

In light of the low signal-to-noise nature of many large biological data sets, we propose a novel method to learn the structure of association networks using Gaussian graphical models combined with prior knowledge. Our strategy includes two parts. In the first part, we propose a model selection criterion called structural Bayesian information criterion (SBIC), in which the prior structure is modeled and incorporated into Bayesian information criterion (BIC). It is shown that the popular extended BIC (EBIC) is a special case of SBIC. In the second part, we propose a two-step algorithm to construct the candidate model pool. The algorithm is data-driven and the prior structure is embedded into the candidate model automatically. Theoretical investigation shows that under some mild conditions SBIC is a consistent model selection criterion for high-dimensional Gaussian graphical model. Simulation studies validate the superiority of the proposed algorithm over the existing ones and show the robustness to the model misspecification. Application to relative concentration data from infant feces collected from subjects enrolled in a large molecular epidemiological cohort study validates that metabolic pathway involvement is a statistically significant factor for the conditional dependence between metabolites. Furthermore, new relationships among metabolites are discovered which can not be identified by the conventional methods of pathway analysis. Some of them have been widely recognized in biological literature.
Area and Geometry Dependence of Cell Migration in Asymmetric Two-State Micropatterns
Authors: Fink Alexandra , Brückner David B. , Schreiber Christoph , Röttgermann Peter J. F. , Broedersz Chase P. , Rädler Joachim O.
Published: October 2019

Micro-structured surfaces provide a unique framework to probe cell migration and cytoskeletal dynamics in a standardized manner. Here, we report on the steady-state occupancy probability of cells in asymmetric two-state microstructures that consist of two fibronectin-coated adhesion sites connected by a thin guidance cue. In these dumbbell-like structures, cells transition between the two sites in a repeated and stochastic manner and average dwell times in the respective microenvironments are determined from the cell trajectories. We study the dynamics of human breast carcinoma cells (MDA-MB-231) in these microstructures as a function of area, shape and orientation of the adhesion sites. On square adhesive sites with different areas, we find that the occupancy probability ratio is directly proportional to the ratio of corresponding adhesion site areas. Sites of equal area but different shape lead to equal occupancy, if shapes are isotropic, e.g. squared or circular. In contrast, an asymmetry in the occupancy is induced by anisotropic shapes like rhombi, triangles or rectangles that enable motion in the direction perpendicular to the transition axis. Analysis of the 2D motion of cells between two rectangles with orthogonal orientation suggests that cellular transition rates depend on the cell polarisation induced by anisotropic micropatterns. Taken together, our results illustrate how two-state-micropatterns provide a dynamic migration assay with distinct dwell times and relative cell occupancy as readouts, which may potentially be useful to probe cell-microenvironment interactions.
Hearing impairment is associated with enhanced neural tracking of the speech envelope
Authors: Decruy Lien , Vanthornhout Jonas , Francart Tom
Published: October 2019

Elevated hearing thresholds in hearing impaired adults are usually compensated by providing amplification through a hearing aid. In spite of restoring hearing sensitivity, difficulties with understanding speech in noisy environments often remain. One main reason is that sensorineural hearing loss not only causes loss of audibility but also other deficits, including peripheral distortion but also central temporal processing deficits. To investigate the neural consequences of hearing impairment in the brain underlying speech-in-noise difficulties, we compared EEG responses to natural speech of 14 hearing impaired adults with those of 14 age-matched normal-hearing adults. We measured neural envelope tracking to sentences and a story masked by different levels of a stationary noise or competing talker. Despite their sensorineural hearing loss, hearing impaired adults showed higher neural envelope tracking of the target than the competing talker, similar to their normal-hearing peers. Furthermore, hearing impairment was related to an additional increase in neural envelope tracking of the target talker, suggesting that hearing impaired adults may have an enhanced sensitivity to envelope modulations or require a larger differential tracking of target versus competing talker to neurally segregate speech from noise. Lastly, both normal-hearing and hearing impaired participants showed an increase in neural envelope tracking with increasing speech understanding. Hence, our results open avenues towards new clinical applications, such as neuro-steered prostheses as well as objective and automatic measurements of speech understanding performance.

Highlights

Adults with hearing impairment can neurally segregate speech from background noise

Hearing loss is related to enhanced neural envelope tracking of the target talker

Neural envelope tracking has potential to objectively measure speech understanding
Inception Capsule Network for Retinal Blood Vessel Segmentation and Centerline Extraction
Authors: Kromm C. , Rohr K.
Published: October 2019

Automatic segmentation and centerline extraction of retinal blood vessels from fundus image data is crucial for early detection of retinal diseases. We have developed a novel deep learning method for segmentation and centerline extraction of retinal blood vessels which is based on the Capsule network in combination with the Inception architecture. Compared to state-of-the-art deep convolutional neural networks, our method has much fewer parameters due to its shallow architecture and generalizes well without using data augmentation. We performed a quantitative evaluation using the DRIVE dataset for both vessel segmentation and centerline extraction. Our method achieved state-of-the-art performance for vessel segmentation and outperformed existing methods for centerline extraction.
Large-scale simulation of biomembranes: bringing realistic kinetics to coarse-grained models
Authors: Sadeghi Mohsen , Noé Frank
Published: October 2019

Biomembranes are two-dimensional assemblies of phospholipids that are only a few nanometres thick, but form micrometer-sized structures vital to cellular function. Explicit modelling of biologically relevant membrane systems is computationally expensive, especially when the large number of solvent particles and slow membrane kinetics are taken into account. While highly coarse-grained solvent-free models are available to study equilibrium behaviour of membranes, their efficiency comes at the cost of sacrificing realistic kinetics, and thereby the ability to predict pathways and mechanisms of membrane processes. Here, we present a framework for integrating coarse-grained membrane models with anisotropic stochastic dynamics and continuum-based hydrodynamics, allowing us to simulate large biomembrane systems with realistic kinetics at low computational cost. This paves the way for whole-cell simulations that still include nanometer/nanosecond spatiotemporal resolutions. As a demonstration, we obtain and verify fluctuation spectrum of a full-sized human red blood cell in a 150-milliseconds-long single trajectory. We show how the kinetic effects of different cytoplasmic viscosities can be studied with such a simulation, with predictions that agree with single-cell experimental observations.
Loss of Dnmt3a dependent methylation in inhibitory neurons impairs neural function through a mechanism that impacts Rett syndrome
Authors: Lavery Laura A. , Ure Kerstin , Wan Ying-Wooi , Luo Chongyuan , Trostle Alexander J. , Wang Wei , Lopez Joanna , Lucero Jacinta , Durham Mark A. , Castanon Rosa , Nery Joseph R. , Liu Zhandong , Goodell Margaret A. , Ecker Joseph R. , Behrens M. Margarita , Zoghbi Huda Y.
Published: October 2019

Methylated cytosine is an effector of epigenetic gene regulation. In the mammalian brain, the DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt3a, is the sole “writer” of atypical non-CpG methylation (mCH), and methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is the only known “reader” for mCH. We set out to determine if MeCP2 is the sole reader for Dnmt3a dependent methylation by comparing mice lacking either Dnmt3a or MeCP2 in GABAergic inhibitory neurons. Loss of either the writer or the reader causes overlapping and distinct features from the behavioral to the molecular level. Loss of Dnmt3a results in global loss of mCH and a small subset of mCG sites resulting in more widespread transcriptional alterations and severe neurological dysfunction than seen upon MeCP2 loss. These data indicate that MeCP2 is responsible for reading part of the Dnmt3a dependent methylation in the brain. Importantly, the impact of MeCP2 on genes differentially expressed in both cKO models shows a strong dependence on mCH, but not Dnmt3a dependent mCG, consistent with mCH playing a central role in the pathogenesis of Rett Syndrome.
Spatially mapped single-cell chromatin accessibility
Authors: Thornton Casey A. , Mulqueen Ryan M. , Nishida Andrew , Torkenczy Kristof A. , Lowenstein Eve G. , Fields Andrew J. , Steemers Frank J. , Zhang Wenri , McConnell Heather L. , Woltjer Randy L. , Mishra Anusha , Wright Kevin M. , Adey Andrew C.
Published: October 2019

High-throughput single-cell epigenomic assays can resolve the heterogeneity of cell types and states in complex tissues, however, spatial orientation within the network of interconnected cells is lost. Here, we present a novel method for highly scalable, spatially resolved, single-cell profiling of chromatin states. We use high-density multiregional sampling to perform single-cell combinatorial indexing on Microbiopsies Assigned to Positions for the Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin (sciMAP-ATAC) to produce single-cell data of an equivalent quality to non-spatially resolved single-cell ATAC-seq, where each cell is localized to a three-dimensional position within the tissue. A typical experiment comprises between 96 and 384 spatially mapped tissue positions, each producing 10s to over 100 individual single-cell ATAC-seq profiles, and a typical resolution of 214 cubic microns; with the ability to tune the resolution and cell throughput to suit each target application. We apply sciMAP-ATAC to the adult mouse primary somatosensory cortex, where we profile cortical lamination and demonstrate the ability to analyze data from a single tissue position or compare a single cell type in adjacent positions. We also profile the human primary visual cortex, where we produce spatial trajectories through the cortex. Finally, we characterize the spatially progressive nature of cerebral ischemic infarct in the mouse brain using a model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. We leverage the spatial information to identify novel and known transcription factor activities that vary by proximity to the ischemic infarction core with cell type specificity.
The cryo-EM structure of human CST reveals a two-megadalton decameric assembly bound to telomeric DNA
Authors: Lim Ci Ji , Barbour Alexandra T. , Zaug Arthur J. , McKay Allison E. , Wuttke Deborah S. , Cech Thomas R.
Published: October 2019

The single-stranded DNA-binding CTC1-STN1-TEN1 (CST) complex is essential for telomere maintenance and genome-wide replication recovery, processes that are critical for genome stability. Here, we report the 2.95 Å cryo-EM structure of human CST bound to telomeric single-stranded DNA, which unexpectedly assembles as a decameric supercomplex. The atomic model of the 134 kDa CTC1, built almost entirely de novo, reveals the overall architecture of CST and the DNA-binding anchor site. In situ arrangements of STN1 and TEN1 are revealed, with STN1 interacting with CTC1 at two separated sites, allowing allosteric mediation of CST decameric assembly. Surprisingly, CTC1 lacks the anticipated structural homology to yeast Cdc13 but instead shares similarity with a form of Replication Protein A. The atomic-resolution model of human CST provides crucial mechanistic understanding of CST mutations associated with human diseases. Moreover, the decameric form of CST suggests the intriguing possibility of ssDNA architectural organization similar to what the nucleosome provides for dsDNA.

One Sentence Summary

Human telomeric single-stranded DNA triggers the assembly of a decameric protein supercomplex solved by cryo-EM.
Patched regulates lipid homeostasis by controlling cellular cholesterol levels
Authors: Cadena del Castillo Carla E. , Hannich J. Thomas , Kaech Andres , Chiyoda Hirohisa , Fukuyama Masamitsu , Færgeman Nils J. , Riezman Howard , Spang Anne
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is essential during development and in organ physiology. In the canonical pathway, Hh binding to Patched (PTCH) relieves the inhibition of Smoothened (SMO). Yet, PTCH may also perform SMO-independent functions. While the PTCH homolog PTC-3 is essential inC. elegans, worms lack SMO, providing an excellent model to probe non-canonical PTCH function. Here, we show that PTC-3 is a cholesterol transporter.ptc-3(RNAi)leads to accumulation of intracellular cholesterol and defects in ER structure and lipid droplet formation. These phenotypes were accompanied by a reduction in acyl chain (FA) length and desaturation.ptc-3(RNAi)-induced lethality, fat storage and ER morphology defects were rescued by reducing dietary cholesterol. We provide evidence that cholesterol accumulation modulates the function of nuclear hormone receptors such as of the PPARαhomolog NHR-49 and NHR-181, and affects FA composition. Our data uncover a novel role for PTCH in organelle structure maintenance and fat metabolism.
The response of remittances inflows to asymmetric oil price shocks in Egypt
Authors: Zahran Mohamed Samir Abdalla
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse the dynamic relationship between remittances inflows of Egyptians working abroad and asymmetric oil price shocks.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a vector autoregressive (VAR) model to explain the impulse response functions (IRFs) and the forecast error variance decomposition (FEVD). The rationale behind using these tools is its ability to examine the dynamic effects of our variables of interest.

Findings

The impulse response functions confirmed that remittance inflows have various responses to asymmetric oil price shocks. For instance, inflowing remittances increase in response to positive oil price shocks, while it decreases in response to negative oil price shocks. Also, the results indicate that the responses are significant in the short and medium-run and insignificant in the long run. The magnitude of these responses reaches its peak or trough in the third year. Further, the variance decomposition reveals that oil price decreases are more influential than oil price increases.

Originality/value

This means that remittances inflows in Egypt are pro-cyclical with oil price shocks. That explained by the fact that more than one-half of those remittances sent from GCC countries where real economic growth is very pro-cyclical with the oil prices. This empirical assessment will help policymakers to determine the behaviour of remittances and highlights the impact of different kinds of oil prices shocks on remittances. Unlike the little existing literature, this study is the first study applied the VAR model using a novel dataset spanning 1960-2016.
When Does the Board Blame the CEO for Poor Firm Performance? Extreme Resource Reallocation and the Board's Industry and CEO Experience
Authors: Louca Christodoulos , Petrou Andreas P. , Procopiou Andreas
Published: October 2019

This study sheds light on our understanding of when boards dismiss the CEO by considering the inherent conflict created by the board's advisory role when the firm underperforms. Using a sample of US firms listed in Standard & Poor's ExecuComp for the period 2000–2012 we find that, when a firm underperforms, extreme resource reallocation increases the likelihood of CEO dismissal. This relationship is positively moderated by the board's industry and CEO experience. The study contributes to the literature on corporate governance by identifying the conditions that trigger dismissal of the CEO in light of boards’ motive to protect their reputation.
Antimicrobial sulphonamide azo dyes
Authors: Gaffer Hatem E.
Published: October 2019

Sulphonamide motifs are widely found in many drug candidates with relevant biological activity. Moreover, sulphonamide azo dyes are interesting candidates for synthetic chemists because such dyes provide access to a broad range of functional group transformations. Therefore, many synthetic procedures for the preparation of sulphonamide azo dyes have been developed in recent decades, and the search for rapid and efficient protocols is ongoing. The current article aims to review recent trends in the synthesis of sulphonamide azo dyes and their applications as high‐performance colorants with antimicrobial activity. For convenience, the diverse uses of sulphonamide azo dyes are discussed from the perspective of the application type rather than the structural class.
The influence of ultraviolet radiation on the optical properties of glass fibre reinforcements for polyurethane matrix composites
Authors: Sedlacik Michal , Osicka Josef , Pavlinek Vladimir , Fojtl Ladislav
Published: October 2019

Polyurethanes represent one of the most frequently used polymeric matrixes in composites. Although there have been many studies focused on the weather resistance of polyurethanes, this important property is unheeded during the reinforcing phase. In this article, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the changes in optical properties of commercially available glass fibre reinforcements containing various polymeric binders used as compatibilising agents for the polymeric matrix in the final composite products were studied. The standardised experiments were performed using accelerated ageing equipment, q‐lab ultraviolet tester, in dry mode. Chemical modification of the binder in the form of polyesters or silanes by UV irradiation was studied using Fourier Transform–infrared spectroscopy. Changes in the optical properties caused by the degradation processes of polymeric components due to UV irradiation were evaluated based on colour changes in the examined samples using the yellowness index; statistical evaluation of the data obtained was conducted with an Anderson–Darling test of normality and an ANOVA test. It was demonstrated that both the amount of the binder and the glass fibre reinforcement's construction play a more important role than the chemical structure of the binder.
UNHCR’s evolving discourse on returning refugee vulnerability in Afghanistan: The law of diminishing returns
Authors: Willner‐Reid Matthew
Published: October 2019

Motivation

The competitive nature of the aid world means agencies often struggle to convince donors of the merits of investing in the sectors in which they work. This context, unsurprisingly, influences the process of their situational and needs analysis, which donors in turn rely on heavily to inform their own programming. An inherent risk is that the groups who receive the most support may not necessarily be the most vulnerable but rather those whose interests are championed by the most powerful actors.

Purpose

This article explores the contradiction between the roles of aid actors as providers of specialist knowledge, and promoters of particular beneficiaries. Specifically, it analyses the evolution of UNHCR’s discourse regarding the needs of returning refugees in Afghanistan over the period 2001–2015.

Methods

An interdisciplinary mixed‐methods approach is employed, consisting of over 70 interviews, analysis of around 3,000 Afghanistan‐focused contemporary media articles and UNHCR documents, and limited quantitative data analysis.

Findings

The study finds that, as the relative needs of returnees diminished in comparison to the wider Afghan population, UNHCR’s official pronouncements conversely portrayed these needs as increasing as a way to focus donor attention on an area that would otherwise receive a diminished level of support.

Policy implications

These findings have important implications for policy‐makers both in Afghanistan and more generally. They show the need to go beyond aid agencies’ public pronouncements and critically examine in depth the sources of data on which they are based.
Enantiomers of fuscumol acetate comprise the aggregation‐sex pheromone of the South American cerambycid beetle Psapharochrus maculatissimus, and likely pheromones of the cerambycids Eupromerella plaumanni and Hylettus seniculus
Authors: Silva Weliton D. , Zou Yunfan , Hanks Lawrence M. , Bento José Maurício S. , Millar Jocelyn G.
Published: October 2019

There is increasing evidence that pheromone chemistry within the large coleopteran family Cerambycidae is often highly conserved, with numerous related species sharing the same pheromone components. As a result, traps containing these components can attract multiple cerambycid species simultaneously. In the present study, we exploited this concept in the identification of the male‐produced aggregation‐sex pheromone of the South American species Psapharochrus maculatissimus (Bates) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, subfamily Lamiinae, tribe Acanthoderini). Initially, live adults of both sexes were caught using a trap baited with a lure containing a blend of known cerambycid pheromone components. Headspace volatiles were collected from live beetles and analyzed by coupled gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. Males of P. maculatissimus sex‐specifically produced a 1:38 blend of (R)‐fuscumol acetate ([2R,5E]‐6,10‐dimethylundeca‐5,9‐dien‐2‐yl acetate) and (S)‐fuscumol acetate, which were both components of the pheromone lures to which they had been attracted. In more focused field trials, traps baited with the (S)‐enantiomer, or a blend approximating the natural 1:38 ratio of (R)‐ to (S)‐enantiomers, attracted adults of both sexes in approximately equal numbers. During bioassays, adults of the lamiine species Eupromerella plaumanni (Fuchs) (tribe Acanthoderini) and Hylettus seniculus (Germar) (Acanthocinini) also were attracted, but to different lures, with E. plaumanni being attracted to the racemic mixture of the two enantiomers of fuscumol acetate, whereas H. seniculus was attracted specifically to (R)‐fuscumol acetate. Our results suggest that differences between these sympatric species in the stereochemistry of fuscumol acetate impart species‐specificity to pheromone communication channels, similar to what has been found recently with lamiine species from other continents.
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome and prostate cancer: study of immune cells and cytokines
Authors: Liu Yuqian , Mikrani Reyaj , Xie Dianyou , Wazir Junaid , Shrestha Sajan , Ullah Rahat , Baig Mirza Muhammad Faran Ashraf , Ahmed Abrar , Srivastava Prateek Kumar , Thapa Kedar Bahadur , Zhou Xiaohui
Published: October 2019

Prostate cancer and prostatitis are both significant health concerns. A large number of studies have established that the occurrence of the two is closely related. However, the most common prostatitis, type III chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndromes (CP/CPPS), is reported to not correlate with the occurrence of prostate cancer. Although the etiology of CP/CPPS is unknown, it may be related to the autoimmune mechanism favored by most studies. Manipulating the immune system and targeting tumor microenvironment are promising new methods for the treatment of prostate cancer. Therefore, this review focuses on the immune cells and cytokines of CP/CPPS and prostate cancer from the perspective of biological immunology and immune microenvironment. We discuss T‐regulatory (Treg) and T helper 17 (Th17) cells dysfunction, the abnormal regulation of T helper 1(Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cells, macrophages, and their related cytokines as key activators in CP/CPPS. In addition, we discuss the roles of Treg and Th17 cells, Th1 and Th2 cells, and related cytokines in modulating prostate cancer progression. This review highlights the concept that immune cells and cytokines provide a research strategy for the etiology of CP/CPPS and offer potentially promising targets for the treatment of prostate cancer.
The future of bioenergy
Authors: Reid Walter V. , Ali Mariam K. , Field Christopher B.
Published: October 2019

Energy from biomass plays a large and growing role in the global energy system. Energy from biomass can make significant contributions to reducing carbon emissions, especially from difficult‐to‐decarbonize sectors like aviation, heavy transport, and manufacturing. But land‐intensive bioenergy often entails substantial carbon emissions from land‐use change as well as production, harvesting, and transportation. In addition, land‐intensive bioenergy scales only with the utilization of vast amounts of land, a resource that is fundamentally limited in supply. Because of the land constraint, the intrinsically low yields of energy per unit of land area, and rapid technological progress in competing technologies, land intensive bioenergy makes the most sense as a transitional element of the global energy mix, playing an important role over the next few decades and then fading, probably after mid‐century. Managing an effective trajectory for land‐intensive bioenergy will require an unusual mix of policies and incentives that encourage appropriate utilization in the short term but minimize lock‐in in the longer term.
A multi‐phase study for the development of a self‐efficacy measuring scale for ostomy care nursing management
Authors: Dellafiore Federica , Pittella Francesco , Arrigoni Cristina , Baroni Irene , Conte Gianluca , Di Pasquale Cristina , Casole Lorenzo , Villa Giulia , Caruso Rosario
Published: October 2019

Aim

To develop and psychometrically test a self‐efficacy scale for ostomy care nursing management.

Design

This study adopted a multi‐method and multi‐phase design.

Method

Phase 1 of the study was comprised of the developmental tasks, where items were generated based on the emergent themes from literature. The items were then discussed with a panel of experts. Phase 2 focused on the validation process of the scale, where its content validity, construct and concurrent validity, and its internal consistency were assessed. The validation process was conducted between January 2018 ‐ January 2019.

Results

The final version of the self‐efficacy scale in ostomy care nursing management encompasses 24 items in three domains, namely the clinical assessment domain, the education and relationship domain, and the teamwork domain. The scale showed the evidence of face and content validity, adequate construct and concurrent validity, and adequate internal consistency.

Conclusion

The developed scale can be used in clinical and educational research.

Impact

This study presents the development and validation of the first valid and reliable self‐reporting measurement for nurses’ self‐efficacy in ostomy care nursing management. Self‐efficacy ostomy care nursing management encompasses 24 items and three domains, which are clinical assessment, education and relationship, and teamwork. This research will have an impact on nursing education, as it addresses the need for a specific self‐efficacy assessment of ostomy care nursing management. Self‐efficacy ostomy care nursing management will have an impact on nurses and patients, as it can be used to improve nurses’ self‐efficacy and clinical outcomes for patients in ostomy care.
Annual Research Review: Universal and targeted strategies for assigning interventions to achieve population impact
Authors: Dodge Kenneth A.
Published: October 2019

This article proposes that universal and targeted preventive interventions should be compared and evaluated in terms of their benefit–cost ratio in achieving population‐wide impact on mental disorders and related outcomes. Universal approaches attempt to affect every individual in a population, whereas targeted approaches select candidates for intervention based on screening of demographic or behavioral characteristics. Unique assets and challenges of each approach in achieving population impact in a cost‐efficient way are discussed, along with spillover effects, sensitivity and specificity, developmental processes, timing of intervention, and the relation between severity of risk and plasticity. A general targeted‐efficiency framework is proposed as a heuristic to evaluate the collective merits of universal and targeted approaches in specific cases. A tiered approach that combines universal and targeted identification strategies is proposed, and examples are described. Issues for high‐priority research are identified.
Role of Post‐Acute Care in Readmissions for Preexisting Healthcare‐Associated Infections
Authors: Hoffman Geoffrey J. , Min Lillian C. , Liu Haiyin , Marciniak Dan J. , Mody Lona
Published: October 2019

OBJECTIVES

Although preventable, healthcare‐associated infections (HAIs) are commonly observed in post‐acute care settings for at‐risk older adults and are a leading cause of hospital readmissions. However, whether HAIs resulting in avoidable readmissions for preexisting HAIs (the same HAI as at the index admission) are more common for patients discharged to post‐acute care as opposed to home is unknown. We examined the risk of preexisting HAI readmissions according to patient discharge disposition and comorbidity level.

DESIGN

We used 2013‐2014 national hospital discharge data to estimate the likelihood of readmissions for preexisting HAIs according to patients' discharge disposition and whether the likelihood varies according to patient comorbidity level, across four common types of HAIs (not including respiratory infections).

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 702 304 hospital discharges for Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older.

MEASUREMENTS

Our outcome was a 30‐day preexisting, or “linked,” HAI readmission (readmission involving the same HAI diagnosis as at the index admission). Patient discharge disposition was skilled nursing facility (SNF), home health care, and home care without home health care (“home”).

RESULTS

Of 702 304 index admissions involving HAI treatment, 353 073 (50%) were discharged to a SNF, 179 490 (26%) to home health care, and 169 872 (24%) to home. Overall, 17 523 (2.5%) of preexisting HAIs resulted in linked HAI readmissions, which were more common for Clostridioides difficile infections (4.0%) and urinary tract infections (2.4%) than surgical site infections (1.1%; P < .001). Being discharged to a SNF compared to home or to home health care was associated with a 1.15 percentage point (95% confidence interval = −1.29 to −1.00), or 38%, lower risk of a linked HAI readmission. This risk difference was observed to increase with greater patient comorbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

SNF discharges were associated with fewer avoidable readmissions for preexisting HAIs compared with home discharges. Further research to identify modifiable mechanisms that improve posthospital infection care at home is needed. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:370–378, 2020
The Biogeographic Importance of Buoyancy in Macroalgae: A Case Study of the Southern Bull‐Kelp Genus Durvillaea (Phaeophyceae), Including Descriptions of Two New Species1
Authors: Fraser Ceridwen I. , Velásquez Marcel , Nelson Wendy A. , Macaya Erasmo C. , Hay Cameron H.
Published: October 2019

Long‐distance dispersal plays a key role in evolution, facilitating allopatric divergence, range expansions, and species movement in response to environmental change. Even species that seem poorly suited to dispersal can sometimes travel long distances, for example via hitchhiking with other, more intrinsically dispersive species. In marine macroalgae, buoyancy can enable adults—and diverse hitchhikers—to drift long distances, but the evolution and role of this trait are poorly understood. The southern bull‐kelp genus Durvillaea includes several non‐buoyant and buoyant species, including some that have only recently been recognized. In revising the genus, we not only provide updated identification tools and describe two new species (D. incurvata comb. nov. from Chile and D. fenestrata sp. nov. from the Antipodes Islands), but also carry out biogeographic analyses to determine the evolutionary history of buoyancy in the genus. Although the ancestral state was resolved as non‐buoyant, the distribution of species suggests that this trait has been both gained and lost, possibly more than once. We conclude that although buoyancy is a trait that can be useful for dispersal (creating evolutionary pressure for its gain), there is also evolutionary pressure for its loss as it restricts species to narrow environmental ranges (i.e., shallow depths).
Convergent evolution of the UbiA prenyltransferase family underlies the independent acquisition of furanocoumarins in plants
Authors: Munakata Ryosuke , Kitajima Sakihito , Nuttens Andréïna , Tatsumi Kanade , Takemura Tomoya , Ichino Takuji , Galati Gianni , Vautrin Sonia , Bergès Hélène , Grosjean Jérémy , Bourgaud Frédéric , Sugiyama Akifumi , Hehn Alain , Yazaki Kazufumi
Published: October 2019

Furanocoumarins (FCs) are plant‐specialized metabolites with potent allelochemical properties. The distribution of FCs is scattered with a chemotaxonomical tendency towards four distant families with highly similar FC pathways. The mechanism by which this pathway emerged and spread in plants has not been elucidated.

Furanocoumarin biosynthesis was investigated in Ficus carica (fig, Moraceae), focusing on the first committed reaction catalysed by an umbelliferone dimethylallyltransferase (UDT). Comparative RNA‐seq analysis among latexes of different fig organs led to the identification of a UDT. The phylogenetic relationship of this UDT to previously reported Apiaceae UDTs was evaluated.

The expression pattern of F. carica prenyltransferase 1 (FcPT1) was related to the FC contents in different latexes. Enzymatic characterization demonstrated that one of the main functions of FcPT1 is UDT activity. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that FcPT1 and Apiaceae UDTs are derived from distinct ancestors, although they both belong to the UbiA superfamily. These findings are supported by significant differences in the related gene structures.

This report describes the identification of FcPT1 involved in FC biosynthesis in fig and provides new insights into multiple origins of the FC pathway and, more broadly, into the adaptation of plants to their environments.
The effect of anthropogenic and environmental factors in coupled human‐natural systems: Evidence from Lake Zürich
Authors: Baggio Michele , Chavas Jean‐Paul , Di Falco Salvatore , Hertig Andreas , Pomati Francesco
Published: October 2019

Exploiting a rich data set including both individual fishing activities and ecology, we study how eutrophication and climate warming influence plankton biodiversity in Lake Zürich and the consequent effects on fishers’ behavior and fishery yield. Our analysis indicates that changes in the fishery of Lake Zürich were driven by complex dynamic interactions between fishing efforts, environmental conditions, and lake ecosystem ecology. Results show that nutrient levels and climate warming have both direct and indirect dynamic and nonlinear effects on both fishers’ behavior and lake productivity. Ecological factors such as plankton abundance and diversity affect the dynamics of the fish population, which, in turn, influences fishing effort. The analysis highlights the importance and the interdependence of ecological‐human linkages in aquatic ecosystems.

Recommendations for Resource Managers

This model estimates and simulates the effects of temperature and nutrients on the ecology and the management of a commercial lake fishery.

Natural and anthropogenic factors have both direct and indirect effects on fishing intensity and the dynamics of lake productivity.

In the long term, increasing phosphorus has negative impacts on the plankton of the lake; higher nitrogen has a positive impact on zoo‐abundance, but a negative impact on zoo‐richness; higher temperatures have positive effects on phytoplankton.

Considerable heterogeneity exists in both in lake ecology at different habitats (top vs. bottom of the lake) and behavioral response (pelagic nets vs. demersal nets) to environmental fluctuations.
The neural substrates responsible for how trait anxiety affects delay discounting: Right hippocampal and cerebellar connectivity with bistable right inferior parietal lobule
Authors: Zhang Rong , Chen Zhiyi , Liu Peiwei , Feng Tingyong
Published: October 2019

Delay discounting, an indicator of impulsivity, refers to the extent of devaluing future rewards. Studies have found that individuals with trait anxiety generally depreciate the later larger rewards, showing steeper delay discounting rates. However, little is known about the neural substrates responsible for how trait anxiety affects individuals' delay discounting. To address this question, we employed the voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) and resting‐state functional connectivity (RSFC) methods to explore the neural substrates of trait anxiety responsible for delay discounting. Behavioral results showed that trait anxiety was significantly positively correlated with delay discounting rates. The VBM analysis revealed that gray matter volumes of the right hippocampus (RHPC) and right cerebellum (RCere) were significantly positively correlated with trait anxiety. Moreover, the RSFC results showed that bistable right inferior parietal lobule (RIPL) connectivity with the RHPC and RCere were all inversely associated with trait anxiety. More importantly, mediation analysis indicated that trait anxiety played a completely mediating role in the relation between functional connectivity of RHPC‐RIPL and RCere‐RIPL and delay discounting. These results suggested that bistable RIPL connectivity with RHPC and RCere could be neural substrates underlying the effect of trait anxiety on delay discounting. On the whole, the current study yields insights into how trait anxiety affects delay discounting and provides a novel account from a neural basis perspective.
Aggression in toddlerhood: The roles of parental beliefs, parenting behavior and precursors of theory of mind
Authors: van Adrichem Dide S. , Huijbregts Stephan C. J. , van der Heijden Kristiaan B. , van Goozen Stephanie H. M. , Swaab Hanna
Published: October 2019

Parental beliefs, parenting behavior, and precursors of theory of mind have been related uniquely to each other and to early aggression, but have not yet been studied simultaneously. The present study combined these risk factors in the prediction of aggression during toddlerhood using a sample of 152 mother–child dyads. At 20 months, mothers' parental beliefs (parental self‐efficacy and perceived parental impact) were examined with the Parental Cognitions and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale. Maternal parenting behavior (sensitivity, intrusiveness, and successful positive engagement) was observed during free play and teaching tasks, and children's precursors of theory of mind were assessed using a visual perspectives task and an imitation task. At 30 months, child aggression was examined using the Child Behavior Checklist. A regression analysis indicated that lower parental self‐efficacy and lower imitation skills predicted more aggressive behavior. When estimating the indirect effects using bootstrapping, a final model was found indicating that lower perceived parental impact was related to less successful positive engagement, which, in turn, was associated with children's poorer imitation abilities which predicted more aggressive behavior. It can be concluded that aggression during toddlerhood is predicted significantly by interrelated parental beliefs, parenting behavior, and children's early social cognitive abilities.
Transfer of Hexon‐ and Penton‐selected adenovirus‐specific T cells for refractory adenovirus infection after haploidentical stem cell transplantation
Authors: Schultze‐Florey Rebecca E. , Tischer‐Zimmermann Sabine , Heuft Hans‐Gert , Priesner Christoph , Lamottke Britta , Heim Albert , Sauer Martin , Sykora Karl‐Walter , Blasczyk Rainer , Eiz‐Vesper Britta , Maecker‐Kolhoff Britta
Published: October 2019

Adenovirus (HAdV) infections confer a high risk of morbidity and mortality for immunocompromised patients after stem cell transplantation (SCT). Treatment with standard antiviral drugs is of limited efficacy and associated with a high rate of adverse effects. HAdV‐specific T cells are crucial for sustained viral elimination and the efficacy of adoptive T‐cell therapy with donor‐derived HAdV‐specific T cells has been reported by several investigators. Here, we report our experience with the transfer of HAdV‐specific T cells specific for penton, which was recently identified as an immunodominant target of T cells, and hexon in a 14‐year‐old boy after T‐cell‐depleted haploidentical SCT for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). He developed severe HAdV‐associated enteritis complicated by acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD). The patient received ten infusions of allogeneic HAdV‐specific T cells manufactured from the haploidentical stem cell donor using the CliniMacs Interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) cytokine capture and immunomagnetic selection. Initially, T cells were generated against the immunodominant target hexon and in subsequent transfers dual antigen‐specific T cells against hexon and penton were applied. T‐cell transfers were scheduled individually tailored to current immunosuppressive treatment. Each transfer was followed by reduction of HAdV load in peripheral blood and clinical improvement. Importantly, T‐cell responses to both penton and hexon pools emerged in patient blood after repetitive transfers. Unfortunately, the patient experienced bacterial sepsis, and in this context, severe GvHD requiring intensive immunosuppression followed by secondary progression of HAdV infection. The patient succumbed to multiorgan failure 283 days after SCT. This case demonstrates the feasibility of HAdV‐specific T‐cell transfer even in the presence of immunosuppressive treatment. Targeting of multiple immunodominant viral proteins may prove valuable in patients with complicated HAdV infections.