bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomarkers for malignant pleural mesothelioma: a meta-analysis
Authors: Gillezeau Christina N , van Gerwen Maaike , Ramos Julio , Liu Bian , Flores Raja , Taioli Emanuela
Published: June 2019

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive cancer, and early detection is associated with better survival. Mesothelin, fibulin-3 and osteopontin have been suggested as screening biomarkers. The study conducted a meta-analysis of the mean differences of mesothelin, osteopontin and fibulin-3 in blood and pleural samples. PubMed searches were conducted for studies that measured levels of mesothelin, osteopontin and fibulin-3 in participants with MPM compared with malignancy, benign lung disease or healthy participants. Thirty-two studies with mesothelin levels, 12 studies with osteopontin levels and 9 studies with fibulin-3 levels were included in the meta-analysis. Statistically significant mean differences were seen between MPM patients and all other comparison groups for mesothelin blood and pleural levels. Statistically significant differences in blood osteopontin levels were seen between participants with benign lung disease and healthy participants compared with participants with MPM, but not when comparing participants with cancer with MPM participants. There were not enough studies that reported osteopontin levels in pleural fluid to complete a meta-analysis. Statistically significant differences were seen in both blood and pleural levels of fibulin-3 in MPM patients compared with all other groups. On the basis of these results, mesothelin and fibulin-3 levels appear to be significantly lower in all control groups compared with those with MPM, making them good candidates for screening biomarkers. Osteopontin may be a useful biomarker for screening healthy individuals or those with benign lung disease but would not be useful for screening patients with malignancies.
Oral Targeted Delivery by Nanoparticles Enhances Efficacy of an Hsp90 Inhibitor by Reducing Systemic Exposure in Murine Models of Colitis and Colitis-Associated Cancer
Authors: Yang Mei , Zhang Fang , Yang Chunhua , Wang Lixin , Sung Junsik , Garg Pallavi , Zhang Mingzhen , Merlin Didier
Published: June 2019

Background and Aims

Heat shock protein 90 [Hsp90]-targeted therapy has been proposed as a promising strategy for the treatment of ulcerative colitis [UC] and colitis-associated cancer [CAC]. Systemic administration of the Hsp90 inhibitor, 17-AAG, was found to be profoundly protective in preclinical mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. However, the therapeutic potential of 17-AAG is limited by potential side effects associated with its systemic exposure and the modest bioavailability afforded by its oral administration.

Methods

To address these issues, we used a versatile single-step surface-functionalizing technique to prepare a 17-AAG oral delivery system using PLGA/PLA-PEG-FA nanoparticles [NP-PEG-FA/17-AAG].

Results

NP-PEG-FA could be efficiently taken up by mouse Colon-26 cells and activated Raw 264.7 cells in vitro and by inflamed mouse colitis tissues in vivo. The therapeutic efficacy of orally administrated NP-PEG-FA/17-AAG was evaluated in in vivo models using dextran sulphate sodium [DSS]-induced UC and azoxymethane [AOM]/DSS-induced CAC, and the results indicated that NP-PEG-FA/17-AAG significantly alleviated the symptoms of UC and CAC. More importantly, our inflamed colitis-targeted 17-AAG nano-formulation reduced systemic exposure and provided a degree of therapeutic response similar to that obtained by systemic administration [intraperitoneal] of 17-AAG, but at a ten-fold lower dose.

Conclusions

We describe a convenient, orally administrated 17-AAG delivery system that exhibits enhanced efficacy in UC and CAC therapy while reducing systemic exposure. This system may represent a promising therapeutic approach for treating UC and CAC.
The Effect of Photoperiods and Light Intensity on Mating Behavior and Reproduction of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)
Authors: Li Xianwei , Jia Xiaoting , Xiang Huiming , Diao Hongliang , Yan Yu , Wang Yi , Ma Ruiyan
Published: June 2019

Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck), is a worldwide pest and is the dominant pest of rosaceous plants in northern China. Little is known, however, about the influence of abiotic factors on the daily life history events of this economically important pest, so here we evaluated the effect of different photoperiods (L:D) (0:24; 2:22; 4:20; 6:18; 8:16; 10:14; 12:12; 14:10; 15:9 [control]; 16:8; 18:6; 20:4; 22:2; and 24:0 h) and light intensities (50, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 lux) on the mating behavior and reproduction of oriental fruit moth. We found that oriental fruit moth adults with an 8, 9, or 10 h scotophase showed considerably more courtship behavior than those in other photoperiod treatments. Meanwhile, male fanning and male ‘crawling in a circle’ behaviors significantly decreased with increasing light intensity. Neither female or male oriental fruit moth longevity nor the egg hatch rate were influenced by photoperiod (P = 0.146; 0.271; 0.107) or light intensity (P = 0.268; 0.08; 0.123). In both photoperiod and light intensity treatments (P < 0.05), the number of eggs laid daily by females was significantly influenced by female age, decreasing with greater age. Female oriental fruit moth lifetime fecundity was influenced by photoperiod, with the 9, 10, 16, 18, and 22 h scotophase periods having higher fecundity than other treatments. Meanwhile, fecundity decreased with increasing light intensity.
Rhythm control for patients with atrial fibrillation complicated with heart failure in the contemporary era of catheter ablation: a stratified pooled analysis of randomized data
Authors: Chen Shaojie , Pürerfellner Helmut , Meyer Christian , Acou Willem-Jan , Schratter Alexandra , Ling Zhiyu , Liu Shaowen , Yin Yuehui , Martinek Martin , Kiuchi Marcio G , Schmidt Boris , Chun K R Julian
Published: June 2019

Aims

The optimal treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) has been a subject of debate for years. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rhythm control strategy in patients with AF complicated with HF regarding hard clinical endpoints.

Methods and results

Up-to-date randomized data comparing rhythm control using antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) vs. rate control (Subset A) or rhythm control using catheter ablation vs. medical therapy (Subset B) in AF and HF patients were pooled. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, re-hospitalization, stroke, and thromboembolic events. A total of 11 studies involving 3598 patients were enrolled (Subset A: 2486; Subset B: 1112). As compared with medical rate control, the AADs rhythm control was associated with similar all-cause mortality [odds ratio (OR): 0.96, P = 0.65], significantly higher rate of re-hospitalization (OR: 1.25, P = 0.01), and similar rate of stroke and thromboembolic events (OR: 0.91, P = 0.76,); however, as compared with medical therapy, catheter ablation rhythm control was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality (OR: 0.51, P = 0.0003), reduced re-hospitalization rate (OR: 0.44, P = 0.003), similar rate of stroke events (OR: 0.59, P = 0.27), greater improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction [weighted mean difference (WMD): 6.8%, P = 0.0004], lower arrhythmia recurrence (29.6% vs. 80.1%, OR: 0.04, P < 0.00001), and greater improvement in quality of life (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score) (WMD: −9.1, P = 0.007).

Conclusion

Catheter ablation as rhythm control strategy substantially improves survival rate, reduces re-hospitalization, increases the maintenance rate of sinus rhythm, contributes to preserve cardiac function, and improves quality of life for AF patients complicated with HF.
General practitioners’ involvement during survivorship care of colon cancer in the Netherlands: primary health care utilization during survivorship care of colon cancer, a prospective multicentre cohort study
Authors: Duineveld Laura A M , Molthof Hanneke , Wieldraaijer Thijs , van de Ven Anthony W H , Busschers Wim B , van Weert Henk C P M , Wind Jan
Published: June 2019

Background

Primary health care use increases when cancer is diagnosed. This increase continues after cancer treatment. More generalist care is suggested to improve survivorship care. It is unknown to what extent cancer-related symptoms are currently presented in primary care in this survivorship phase.

Objective

To analyse primary health care utilization of colon cancer patients during and after treatment with curative intent.

Methods

In a prospective multicentre cohort study among patients with curatively treated colon cancer, we describe the primary health care utilization during the first 5 years of follow-up. Data were collected at general practitioner (GP) practices during 6 months.

Results

Of 183 included participants, 153 (84%) consulted their GP resulting in 606 contacts (mean 3.3, standard deviation 3.01) with on average 0.9 contact for colon-cancer-related (CCR) problems in the 6-month study period. Median time after surgery at inclusion was 7.6 months (range 0–58). Abdominal pain and chemotherapy-related problems were the most frequently reported CCR reasons. Of the CCR contacts, 83% was managed in primary care. As time after surgery passed, the number of CCR contacts declined in patients without chemotherapy and remained constant in patients who received chemotherapy.

Conclusion

Colon cancer survivors contact their GP frequently also for reasons related to cancer. Currently, a formal role for GPs in survivorship care is lacking, but nevertheless GPs provide a substantial amount of care. Working agreements between primary and secondary care are necessary to formalize the GP’s role in order to improve the quality of survivorship care.
Robust growth of archaeal cells lacking a canonical single-stranded DNA-binding protein
Authors: Suzuki Shoji , Kurosawa Norio
Published: June 2019

Canonical single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs) are universally conserved helix-destabilizing proteins that play critical roles in DNA replication, recombination and repair. Many biochemical and genetic studies have demonstrated the importance of functional SSBs for all life forms. Herein, we report successful deletion of the gene encoding the only canonical SSB of the thermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Genomic sequencing of the ssb-deficient strain using illumina sequencing revealed that the canonical ssb gene is completely deleted from the genome of S. acidocaldarius. Phenotypic characterization demonstrated robust growth of the thermophilic archaeal cells lacking a canonical SSB, thereby demonstrating tolerance to the loss of a universal protein that is generally considered to be essential. Therefore, our work provides evidence that canonical SSBs are not essential for all life forms. Furthermore, on the basis of universal distribution and essentiality pattern of canonical SSBs, our findings can provide a conceptual understanding of the characteristics of early life forms before the last universal common ancestor.
Effects of intensified silviculture on timber production and its economic profitability in boreal Norway spruce and Scots pine stands under changing climatic conditions
Authors: Routa J , Kilpeläinen A , Ikonen V -P , Asikainen A , Venäläinen A , Peltola H
Published: June 2019

The aim of this study was to examine how intensified silviculture affects timber production (sawlogs and pulpwood) and its economic profitability (net present value [NPV], with 2 per cent interest rate) based on forest ecosystem model simulations. The study was conducted on Norway spruce and Scots pine stands located on medium-fertile upland forest sites under middle boreal conditions in Finland, under current climate and minor climate change (the RCP2.6 forcing scenario). In intensified silviculture, improved regeneration materials were used, with 10–20 per cent higher growth than the unimproved materials, and/or nitrogen (N) fertilization of 150 kg ha−1, once or twice during a rotation of 50–70 years. Compared to the baseline management regime, the use of improved seedlings, alone or together with N fertilization, increased timber production by up to 26–28 per cent and the NPV by up to 32–60 per cent over rotation lengths of 60–70 years, regardless of tree species (although more in spruce) or climate applied. The use of improved seedlings affected timber yield and NPV more than N fertilization. Minor climate change also increased these outcomes in Scots pine, but not in Norway spruce.
Examining Cumulative Inequality in the Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Body Mass Index From Midlife to Old Age
Authors: Lee Chioun , Park Soojin
Published: June 2019

Objectives

Socioeconomic status (SES) is among the strongest determinants of body mass index (BMI), particularly for women. For older populations, selection bias due to attrition is a large barrier to assessing the accumulation of inequality. Under multiple missing data mechanisms, we investigated the extent to which childhood and midlife SES affects BMI from midlife to old age and gender differences in the association.

Method

Data come from a longitudinal national study of 2,345 U.S. adults aged 40–54 at baseline. We used latent growth models to estimate BMI trajectory over a period of 20 years. We examined results under different missing data patterns and applied methods that account for nonrandom-selection bias.

Results

Compared with individuals who had higher childhood SES, individuals who had lower childhood SES have higher BMI in midlife and experience a faster increase in BMI between midlife and old age. The observed associations remain significant even after controlling for midlife SES. After addressing nonrandom selection, the gap in BMI between high and low childhood SES widens from midlife to old age for women.

Discussion

The findings provide new evidence of cumulative inequality among older adults, documenting increasing BMI inequality from midlife to old age, particularly for women from low-SES families.
A validated collection of mouse monoclonal antibodies to human glycosyltransferases functioning in mucin-type O-glycosylation
Authors: Steentoft Catharina , Yang Zhang , Wang Shengjun , Ju Tongzhong , Vester-Christensen Malene B , Festari María F , King Sarah L , Moremen Kelley , Larsen Ida S B , Goth Christoffer K , Schjoldager Katrine T , Hansen Lars , Bennett Eric P , Mandel Ulla , Narimatsu Yoshiki
Published: June 2019

Complex carbohydrates serve a wide range of biological functions in cells and tissues, and their biosynthesis involves more than 200 distinct glycosyltransferases (GTfs) in human cells. The kinetic properties, cellular expression patterns and subcellular topology of the GTfs direct the glycosylation capacity of a cell. Most GTfs are ER or Golgi resident enzymes, and their specific subcellular localization is believed to be distributed in the secretory pathway according to their sequential role in the glycosylation process, although detailed knowledge for individual enzymes is still highly fragmented. Progress in quantitative transcriptome and proteome analyses has greatly advanced our understanding of the cellular expression of this class of enzymes, but availability of appropriate antibodies for in situ monitoring of expression and subcellular topology have generally been limited. We have previously used catalytically active GTfs produced as recombinant truncated secreted proteins in insect cells for generation of mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to human enzymes primarily involved in mucin-type O-glycosylation. These mAbs can be used to probe subcellular topology of active GTfs in cells and tissues as well as their presence in body fluids. Here, we present several new mAbs to human GTfs and provide a summary of our entire collection of mAbs, available to the community. Moreover, we present validation of specificity for many of our mAbs using human cell lines with CRISPR/Cas9 or zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) knockout and knockin of relevant GTfs.
Cdk5 increases MARK4 activity and augments pathological tau accumulation and toxicity through tau phosphorylation at Ser262
Authors: Saito Taro , Oba Toshiya , Shimizu Sawako , Asada Akiko , Iijima Koichi M , Ando Kanae
Published: June 2019

Hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Microtubule affinity-regulating kinases (MARK) 1–4 and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) are tau kinases under physiological and pathological conditions. However, their functional relationship remains elusive. Here, we report a novel mechanism by which Cdk5 activates MARK4 and augments tau phosphorylation, accumulation and toxicity. MARK4 is highly phosphorylated at multiple sites in the brain and in cultured neurons, and inhibition of Cdk5 activity reduces phosphorylation levels of MARK4. MARK4 is known to be activated by phosphorylation at its activation loop by liver kinase B1 (LKB1). In contrast, Cdk5 increased phosphorylation of MARK4 in the spacer domain, but not in the activation loop, and enhanced its kinase activity, suggesting a novel mechanism by which Cdk5 regulates MARK4 activity. We also demonstrated that co-expression of Cdk5 and MARK4 in mammalian cultured cells significantly increased the levels of tau phosphorylation at both Cdk5 target sites (SP/TP sites) and MARK target sites (Ser262), as well as the levels of total tau. Furthermore, using a Drosophila model of tau toxicity, we demonstrated that Cdk5 promoted tau accumulation and tau-induced neurodegeneration via increasing tau phosphorylation levels at Ser262 by a fly ortholog of MARK, Par-1. This study suggests a novel mechanism by which Cdk5 and MARK4 synergistically increase tau phosphorylation and accumulation, consequently promoting neurodegeneration in disease pathogenesis.
Sublobar resection is associated with decreased survival for patients with early stage large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung
Authors: Lutfi Waseem , Schuchert Matthew J , Dhupar Rajeev , Sarkaria Inderpal , Christie Neil A , Yang Chi-Fu J , Deng John Z , Luketich James D , Okusanya Olugbenga T
Published: June 2019

OBJECTIVES

Sublobar resection (SLR) for early non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) has been shown to have a survival rate similar to that of lobectomy. Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung, although treated like an NSCLC, has a poor prognosis compared to NSCLC. We sought to determine if outcomes are poor in patients with early stage LCNEC treated with SLR versus lobectomy.

METHODS

We searched for patients with pathological stage I LCNEC ≤3 cm within the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2014. Propensity score matching was used to compare the 5-year overall survival rate of patients having SLR (wedge or segmentectomy) to that of patients having a lobectomy. Patients were matched for age, node sampling, comorbidity score, tumour size, insurance status and other factors. Patients who received neoadjuvant therapy were excluded. Kaplan–Meier methods were used for analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 1011 patients met the inclusion criteria: 263 were treated with SLR (223 wedges and 40 segmentectomies) and 748 patients, with lobectomy. Patients who received SLR were older, had more comorbidities and smaller tumours. On unadjusted Kaplan–Meier analysis, patients who had SLR had decreased 5-year overall survival compared to those who had a lobectomy (37.9% vs 56.6%, P < 0.001). Propensity score matching (1:1) across 12 demographic and tumour variables yielded 185 patients per group with 34 segmentectomies and 151 wedge resections in the SLR cohort. On Kaplan–Meier analysis of the matched cohort, patients who had SLR had a worse 5-year overall survival rate compared to those who had a lobectomy (41.5% vs 60.3%; P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

SLR for early stage LCNEC is associated with a lower 5-year overall survival rate compared to lobectomy on unadjusted and propensity matched analyses.
Development and Validation of the Strategy Inventory for Electronic Dictionary Use (S.I.E.D.U.)
Authors: Mavrommatidou Stavroula , Gavriilidou Zoe , Markos Angelos
Published: June 2019

The present paper reports results regarding the development and validation of the S.I.E.D.U., an electronic instrument for assessing users’ skills in electronic dictionary searches. The S.I.Ε.D.U. is a self-report questionnaire with 32 Likert-type items and its content development was based on a review of relevant literature, expert review and pilot testing. The scale’s construct validity is assessed by means of a preliminary exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results suggest a correlated four-factor structure: 1) familiarity with different types of electronic dictionaries and the conditions of their use; 2) strategies for lemmatization and acquaintance with dictionary conventions; 3) navigation skills; and 4) look-up strategies in new electronic environments. Internal consistency reliability of the four subscales is high and test-retest reliability is excellent. Also, the ability of the instrument to discriminate between experts and non-experts in electronic dictionary use is demonstrated. Results are discussed and implications are provided in the context of electronic lexicography.
Testing the Use of a Collocation Retrieval Tool Without Prior Training by Learners of Spanish
Authors: Alonso-Ramos Margarita , García Salido Marcos
Published: June 2019

This experimental study tests the usability of a collocation retrieval tool that combines corpus and dictionary features in order to help learners of Spanish as a Foreign Language to improve their production of collocations. More specifically, the study tests the extent to which such a tool is effective without prior training, and evaluates which of its features might be improved. Two experiments were conducted. The first experiment involved Japanese-L1 learners of Spanish. One subgroup completed a gap-fill test both with and without the collocation tool, while another subgroup used electronic bilingual dictionaries instead of the collocation tool. In a second experiment, we chose a more heterogeneous group of participants with less experience in using lexicographic tools. Results show that learners do not need previous training to benefit from the collocation tool, but also that they do not check corpus examples as often as they might.
Stockpiled Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Vaccines Induce Robust, Nonneutralizing Functional Antibodies Against Antigenically Drifted Fifth-Wave A(H7N9) Viruses
Authors: Zhong Weimin , Levine Min Z
Published: June 2019

Human infections caused by avian influenza A(H7N9) viruses have raised concerns of a pandemic. The capability of the current stockpiled A(H7N9) vaccines to induce cross-protective, nonneutralizing functional antibodies against antigenically drifted A(H7N9) viruses has not been evaluated before. Here we show that vaccination with either MF59- or AS03-adjuvanted inactivated A(H7N9) vaccines elicited robust, cross-reactive antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity–mediating and neuraminidase-inhibiting functional antibodies against the antigenically drifted A(H7N9) viruses that emerged recently during the fifth-wave outbreak in China, including a highly pathogenic A(H7N9) human isolate. Such cross-reactive humoral immunity may provide vital first-line defense against fatal outcomes in case of an A(H7N9) pandemic.
Lived Secularism: Studies in India and Turkey
Authors: Bigelow Anna
Published: June 2019

Places of interreligious encounter provide opportunities to understand secularity as an experience, one that almost necessarily involves the religious other. As the meaning and operations of secularism and its entanglements with the state vary across cultural and legal systems, this is also a fruitful terrain for comparison, particularly regarding states in which the structures of governance are bound up with some form of political secularism. The case studies presented here explore formations of secularism in India and Turkey by paying attention to how the secular works in everyday life through interreligious relations at shared sacred sites. Personal understandings and experiences of multireligious coexistence oftentimes are articulated and performed through arenas of mundane interaction, giving shape and substance to otherwise abstract concepts of pluralism, secularism, and laicism. However, these ways of being secular exist within frames of intensifying religious nationalism in which the secular is being redefined by state actors and political networks to protect and promote the majority’s religious sensibilities. In this shifting landscape, secularism is reworked as a tool of the ruling parties in Turkey and India to further their religio-political agendas. Comparing cases of lived secularism in India and Turkey reveals a constellation of shifting meanings and sensibilities around sharing polities and places with religious others. Whether peacefully shared or contested, monumental or wayside, shared shrines expose the mundane ways in which the secular is a shifting signifier, sometimes evoking a political principle, sometimes an ethical ideal, and sometimes an oppressive, antireligious ideology. This article identifies what is at stake in these various formations and how each perspective on secularism comes with its own set of expectations and dispensations.
Development of a global infectious disease activity database using natural language processing, machine learning, and human expertise
Authors: Feldman Joshua , Thomas-Bachli Andrea , Forsyth Jack , Patel Zaki Hasnain , Khan Kamran
Published: June 2019

Objective

We assessed whether machine learning can be utilized to allow efficient extraction of infectious disease activity information from online media reports.

Materials and Methods

We curated a data set of labeled media reports (n = 8322) indicating which articles contain updates about disease activity. We trained a classifier on this data set. To validate our system, we used a held out test set and compared our articles to the World Health Organization Disease Outbreak News reports.

Results

Our classifier achieved a recall and precision of 88.8% and 86.1%, respectively. The overall surveillance system detected 94% of the outbreaks identified by the WHO covered by online media (89%) and did so 43.4 (IQR: 9.5–61) days earlier on average.

Discussion

We constructed a global real-time disease activity database surveilling 114 illnesses and syndromes. We must further assess our system for bias, representativeness, granularity, and accuracy.

Conclusion

Machine learning, natural language processing, and human expertise can be used to efficiently identify disease activity from digital media reports.
Effects of a novel corn-expressed E. coli phytase on digestibility of calcium and phosphorous, growth performance, and bone ash in young growing pigs1
Authors: Blavi Laia , Muñoz Cristhiam J , Broomhead Jonathan N , Stein Hans H
Published: June 2019

Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that a corn-expressed phytase increases growth performance, bone measurements, and nutrient digestibility by young growing pigs, if added to diets that are deficient in Ca and P. In Exp. 1, 60 pigs (initial BW: 10.78 ± 0.67 kg) were randomly allotted to 6 dietary treatments that included a positive control diet (PC; 0.70% total Ca and 0.60% total P) and a negative control diet (NC; 0.50% total Ca and 0.42% total P). Four additional diets were formulated by supplementing the NC diet with 250, 500, 1,000, or 1,500 phytase units (FTU)/kg. Diets were fed for 28 d and the individual BW of pigs on days 1 and 28 were recorded. Fecal samples were collected from days 25 to 27 to calculate apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of Ca and P. On the last day of the experiment, all pigs were euthanized, and the left femur was removed and analyzed for ash, Ca, and P. Results indicated that growth performance, ATTD of Ca and P, and bone ash measurements were reduced (P < 0.05) in NC fed pigs compared with PC fed pigs. However, growth performance, ATTD of Ca and P, and bone ash measurements were improved (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) by including increasing concentrations of phytase to the NC diet. In Exp. 2, experimental procedures were similar to those used in Exp. 1. Forty-eight pigs (initial BW: 11.15 ± 0.85 kg) were randomly allotted to 6 dietary treatments in a 28-d experiment. Treatments included a PC diet, an NC diet, and 4 diets in which 500 or 1,000 FTU/kg of either the corn-expressed phytase or a commercial microbial phytase were added to the NC diet. Pigs fed the NC diet had reduced (P < 0.01) final BW, ADG, G:F, and bone ash concentrations compared with pigs fed the PC diet. When 500 FTU/kg phytase was fed, no differences were observed in growth performance or bone ash measurements between phytase sources, and there were no differences in growth performance among pigs fed 1,000 FTU/kg of either phytase source or the PC diet. However, regardless of concentration or source of phytase, pigs fed the PC diet had greater (P < 0.001) amount of bone ash, bone Ca, and bone P compared with pigs fed phytase diets. In conclusion, the corn-expressed phytase is effective in improving growth performance, Ca and P digestibility, and bone measurements in pigs fed diets that are deficient in Ca and P.
Distributions and range expansions of rare or invasive species of planktonic calanoid copepods (Copepoda: Calanoida) within lakes and reservoirs in the continental United States
Authors: Beaver John R , Tausz Claudia E , Renicker Thomas R , Ordosch David M
Published: June 2019

A survey of lakes and reservoirs during the spring and summer of 2012 found that five species of calanoid copepods are invasive in the continental United States: Arctodiaptomus dorsalis (Marsh, 1907), Skistodiaptomus pallidus (Herrick, 1879), Eurytemora affinis (Poppe, 1880), Pseudodiaptomus forbesi (Poppe & Richard, 1890), and Sinocalanus doerri (Brehm, 1909). Two species are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Skistodiaptomus carolinensis (Yeatman, 1986) and S. sinuatus (Kincaid, 1953). Sample locations for the five invasive and two rare species are reported and compared to historical distributions. Results corroborate previous reports of range expansion for the five invasive species, indicating that these species have likely become well-established in regions into which they have recently expanded. New localities for the two rare taxa suggest a possible range expansion within the USA.
Profiling Victims of Investment Fraud: Mindsets and Risky Behaviors
Authors: Deliema Marguerite , Shadel Doug , Pak Karla
Published: June 2019

Millions of Americans are targeted by investment scams, resulting in billions of dollars lost each year. Previous research indicates that investment fraud victims are more likely to be male, white, and married, and to have higher socioeconomic status compared to the general US population, but little research examines what behaviors and mindsets differentiate them from other investors. A telephone survey was administered to 214 investment fraud victims and 813 general investors recruited using random digit dialing. Based on the opportunity model of predatory victimization, the aim was to identify differences in investment behaviors and psychological mindsets that may affect exposure to investment scams and make individuals more attractive and susceptible targets. In addition to being older and male, victims were more materialistic than general investors and were more frequent stock traders, and purchased more investments sold through unsolicited calls, emails, television advertisements, or “free lunch” seminars, but were less likely to invest based on a social network member’s recommendation. As more retirees begin to take on managing their retirement assets, many may be tempted by unreasonable investment returns promised by unscrupulous brokers. Findings point to specific areas where investor education is needed to counteract poor investment decision-making and risky mindsets.
Probable Cause: The Influence of Prior Probabilities on Forecasts and Perceptions of Magnitude
Authors: Kupor Daniella , Laurin Kristin
Published: June 2019

Consumers’ judgments of the magnitude of benefit that a product provides increase their likelihood of purchasing it, and their judgments of the magnitude of harm that accrues from purchasing a product decrease their likelihood of purchasing it. When assessing the magnitude of a product’s potential outcome, consumers often encounter information about its probability of occurring. Ten studies demonstrate that this information biases consumers’ product decisions. Consumers both expect and perceive larger-probability outcomes to be larger in magnitude—even when they receive identical and objective information about the outcome’s actual magnitude. This bias emerges because people believe that larger probabilities emanate from more powerful causal antecedents, and in turn expect more powerful antecedents to produce larger outcomes. Moreover, this bias shapes consumers’ product decisions. Of course, it is rational for people to prefer products that promise high-probability benefits and to avoid products that produce high-probability harms. But consumers irrationally overweight this probability information because it distorts their judgments of the magnitude of products’ benefits and harms, and this distortion biases their purchase decisions.
MasterCard II: The Commission Pursues Its Antitrust Enforcement in Cross-Border Payments
Authors: Suurnäkki Sari , Rodríguez-Toquero Aymerich Jaime
Published: June 2019

Case AT.40049 MasterCard II, Commission Decision of 22 January 2019

The European Commission finds that Mastercard’s cross-border acquiring rule limited the possibility for merchants to benefit from cheaper services offered by banks established elsewhere in the Single Market; Mastercard’s cooperation during the antitrust investigation was rewarded with a fine reduction.
Equity and the Paris Agreement: Legal and Philosophical Perspectives
Authors: Lawrence Peter , Reder Michael
Published: June 2019

Equity has both legal and philosophical meanings. The Paris Agreement includes important references to equity, including in relation to the global stocktake. Elaborating equity in relation to the Paris Agreement regime can be done as part of the Paris Agreement; outside the Agreement eg through climate think tanks; or not at all—viz implicitly. These options are assessed in terms of their effectiveness, legitimacy and political feasibility drawing on philosophical concepts of equity. The latter—particularly Aristotle—provides a fresh lens for interpreting understandings of equity that have developed within the Paris regime. Elaborating equity outside the Paris Agreement is the most politically feasible option, while weaker in terms of likely effectiveness. Ultimately, the Paris Agreement regime will only succeed if parties are willing to embrace Aristotle’s concept of equity in the sense of acting morally with a willingness to compromise for the greater good.
From Diagnoses to Ongoing Journey: Parent Experiences Following Congenital Heart Disease Diagnoses
Authors: Williams Tricia S , McDonald Kyla P , Roberts Samantha D , Chau Vann , Seed Mike , Miller Steven P , Sananes Renee
Published: June 2019

Despite improved survival among children with congenital heart disease (CHD), the risk of psychosocial difficulties remains largely unchanged with an increased emphasis of improving support for parents as a mechanism to optimize outcomes.

Objective

Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the current cross-sectional study examined parents' experiences at the time of their child's diagnosis, what they thought helped their child recover, barriers to support, and identified needs for future models of care.

Method

The sample included 26 parents (22 mothers, 3 fathers, and 1 mother/father pair) of children with CHD, ranging in age between 6 months and 4 years with a mean age of 2 years.

Results

Qualitative results were organized around five themes: (a) They (medical team) saved my child's life, (b) My child is going to be okay, (c) Not out of the woods, (d) Optimizing support for my child and myself, and (e) What still gets in the way. Parents uniformly expressed a need for greater mental health support for their children as well as programs to improve parents' skill and confidence, with no difference between age groups (< 2 years and > 2 years of age). Common barriers to service included distance and time off work.

Conclusion

Parents' experiences informed both acute and long term implications following CHD diagnoses, and highlight current gaps in mental health care. Direction for clinical care and improved intervention opportunities are discussed.
Transabdominal preperitoneal repair using barbed sutures for bilateral inguinal hernia in liver cirrhosis with ascites
Authors: Ohuchi Masakazu , Inaki Noriyuki , Nagakari Kunihiko , Kohama Shintaro , Sakamoto Kazuhiro , Ishizaki Yoichi
Published: June 2019

The appropriate surgical treatment for inguinal hernia in patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites remains controversial. A 79-year-old male undergoing treatment for Child–Pugh B hepatitis C-induced liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma complicated with bilateral inguinal hernia underwent transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair. During surgery, barbed sutures were used to facilitate appropriate peritoneal closure. His postoperative course was uneventful. Information on TAPP repair for inguinal hernia in patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites is limited. The International Guidelines for Inguinal Hernia Management recommend Lichtenstein repair for patients with ascites. TAPP repair requires peritonectomy via a posterior endoscopic approach; therefore, proper peritoneal closure is important to prevent the leakage of ascitic fluid. Herein, TAPP repair was safely and successfully completed using barbed sutures to achieve proper and strong peritoneal closure. TAPP repair using barbed sutures can be an effective treatment option for patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites.
Communication of Critical Laboratory Values: Optimization of the Process through Secure Messaging
Authors: Clavijo Alex , Fallaw David , Coule Philip , Singh Gurmukh
Published: June 2019

Background

Timely communication of critical laboratory results is important yet cumbersome.

Objective

To assess the impact of a new technology on the process of reporting critical laboratory results at our 480-bed, adult/children, tertiary-care, medical school–affiliated health center in the southeastern region of the United States.

Methods

We changed the process of reporting critical values by telephone only to reporting via telephone and a secure messaging app. Physician order entry, an online on-call roster for availability, and support from the C-suite (executive branch of the organization) were instrumental in implementation.

Results

Consistently, before our process changes, more than 95% of the critical laboratory results were reported in less than 30 minutes. Use of the app reduced the time taken for reporting results. The need to involve pathology residents and attending physicians in reporting has been eliminated by this process.

Discussion

Secure messaging has facilitated the reporting of critical laboratory values, making it more efficient and providing a reliable record of the process. This process meets or exceeds the standards of the accrediting agencies. The method is suitable for activating rapid-response teams in case of hypercritical values.
On the enlargement of habitable zones around binary stars in hostile environments
Authors: Georgakarakos Nikolaos , Eggl Siegfried
Published: June 2019

We investigate the hypothesis that the size of the habitable zone around hardened binaries in dense star-forming regions increases. Our results indicate that this hypothesis is essentially incorrect. Although certain binary star configurations permit extended habitable zones, such set-ups typically require all orbits in a system to be near-circular. In all other cases, planets can only remain habitable if they display an extraordinarily high climate inertia.
Tidal disruption event rates in galaxy merger remnants
Authors: Pfister Hugo , Bar-Or Ben , Volonteri Marta , Dubois Yohan , Capelo Pedro R
Published: June 2019

The rate of tidal disruption events (TDEs) depends sensitively on the stellar properties of the central galactic regions. Simulations show that galaxy mergers cause gas inflows, triggering nuclear starbursts, increasing the central stellar density. Motivated by these numerical results, and by the observed overrepresentation of post-starburst galaxies among TDE hosts, we study the evolution of the TDE rate in high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of a galaxy merger, in which we capture the evolution of the stellar density around the massive black holes (BHs). We apply analytical estimates of the loss-cone theory, using the stellar density profiles from simulations, to estimate the time evolution of the TDE rate. At the second pericentre, a nuclear starburst enhances the stellar density around the BH in the least massive galaxy, leading to an enhancement of the TDE rate around the secondary BH, although the magnitude and the duration of the increase depend on the stochasticity of star formation on very small scales. The central stellar density around the primary BH remains instead fairly constant, and so is its TDE rate. After the formation of the binary, the stellar density decreases, and so does the TDE rate.
The role of galectin-3 in spermatozoa-zona pellucida binding and its association with fertilization in vitro
Authors: Mei Si , Chen Panyu , Lee Cheuk-Lun , Zhao Weie , Wang Ying , Lam Kevin K W , Ho Pak-Chung , Yeung William S B , Fang Cong , Chiu Philip C N
Published: June 2019

Human spermatozoa can fertilize an oocyte only after post-testicular maturation and capacitation. These processes involve dynamic modification and reorganization of the sperm plasma membrane, which allow them to bind to the zona pellucida (ZP) of the oocyte. Defective sperm-ZP binding is one of the major causes of male subfertility. Galectin-3 is a secretory lectin in human seminal plasma well known for its action on cell adhesion. The aim of this study was to determine the role of galectin-3 in spermatozoa-ZP interaction and its association with fertilization rate in clinical assisted reproduction. Our studies revealed that the acrosomal region of ejaculated and capacitated spermatozoa possess strong galectin-3 immunoreactivity, which is much stronger than that of epididymal spermatozoa. Expression of galectin-3 can also be detected on seminal plasma-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and can be transferred to the sperm surface. Blocking of sperm surface galectin-3 function by antibody or carbohydrate substrate reduced the ZP-binding capacity of spermatozoa. Purified galectin-3 is capable of binding to ZP, indicating that galectin-3 may serve as a cross-linking bridge between ZP glycans and sperm surface glycoproteins. Galectin-3 levels in seminal plasma-derived EVs were positively associated with fertilization rates. These results suggest that galectin-3 in EVs is transferred to the sperm surface during post-testicular maturation and plays a crucial role in spermatozoa-ZP binding after capacitation. Reduced galectin-3 expression in seminal plasma-derived EVs may be a cause behind a low fertilization rate. Further studies with more clinical samples are required to confirm the relationship between galectin-3 levels and IVF outcomes.
A connection between reversible tyrosine phosphorylation and SNARE complex disassembly activity of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor unveiled by the phosphomimetic mutant N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-Y83E
Authors: Ruete María Celeste , Zarelli Valeria Eugenia Paola , Masone Diego , de Paola Matilde , Bustos Diego Martín , Tomes Claudia Nora
Published: June 2019

N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) disassembles fusion-incompetent cis soluble-NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complexes making monomeric SNAREs available for subsequent trans pairing and fusion. In most cells the activity of NSF is constitutive, but in Jurkat cells and sperm it is repressed by tyrosine phosphorylation; the phosphomimetic mutant NSF–Y83E inhibits secretion in the former. The questions addressed here are if and how the NSF mutant influences the configuration of the SNARE complex. Our model is human sperm, where the initiation of exocytosis (acrosome reaction (AR)) de-represses the activity of NSF through protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B)-mediated dephosphorylation. We developed a fluorescence microscopy-based method to show that capacitation increased, and challenging with an AR inducer decreased, the number of cells with tyrosine-phosphorylated PTP1B substrates in the acrosomal domain. Results from bioinformatic and biochemical approaches using purified recombinant proteins revealed that NSF–Y83E bound PTP1B and thereupon inhibited its catalytic activity. Mutant NSF introduced into streptolysin O-permeabilized sperm impaired cis SNARE complex disassembly, blocking the AR; subsequent addition of PTP1B rescued exocytosis. We propose that NSF–Y83E prevents endogenous PTP1B from dephosphorylating sperm NSF, thus maintaining NSF’s activity in a repressed mode and the SNARE complex unable to dissociate. The contribution of this paper to the sperm biology field is the detection of PTP1B substrates, one of them likely being NSF, whose tyrosine phosphorylation status varies during capacitation and the AR. The contribution of this paper to the membrane traffic field is to have generated direct evidence that explains the dominant-negative role of the phosphomimetic mutant NSF–Y83E.
Limits to a classic paradigm: most transcription factors in E. coli regulate genes involved in multiple biological processes
Authors: Ledezma-Tejeida Daniela , Altamirano-Pacheco Luis , Fajardo Vicente , Collado-Vides Julio
Published: June 2019

Transcription factors (TFs) are important drivers of cellular decision-making. When bacteria encounter a change in the environment, TFs alter the expression of a defined set of genes in order to adequately respond. It is commonly assumed that genes regulated by the same TF are involved in the same biological process. Examples of this are methods that rely on coregulation to infer function of not-yet-annotated genes. We have previously shown that only 21% of TFs involved in metabolism regulate functionally homogeneous genes, based on the proximity of the gene products’ catalyzed reactions in the metabolic network. Here, we provide more evidence to support the claim that a 1-TF/1-process relationship is not a general property. We show that the observed functional heterogeneity of regulons is not a result of the quality of the annotation of regulatory interactions, nor the absence of protein–metabolite interactions, and that it is also present when function is defined by Gene Ontology terms. Furthermore, the observed functional heterogeneity is different from the one expected by chance, supporting the notion that it is a biological property. To further explore the relationship between transcriptional regulation and metabolism, we analyzed five other types of regulatory groups and identified complex regulons (i.e. genes regulated by the same combination of TFs) as the most functionally homogeneous, and this is supported by coexpression data. Whether higher levels of related functions exist beyond metabolism and current functional annotations remains an open question.