bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology and whole genome sequencing of an ongoing point-sourceSalmonellaAgona outbreak associated with sushi consumption in western Sydney, Australia 2015
Authors: THOMPSON C. K. , WANG Q. , BAG S. K. , FRANKLIN N. , SHADBOLT C. T. , HOWARD P. , FEARNLEY E. J. , QUINN H. E. , SINTCHENKO V. , HOPE K. G.
Published: May 2017

During May 2015, an increase inSalmonellaAgona cases was reported from western Sydney, Australia. We examine the public health actions used to investigate and control this increase. A descriptive case-series investigation was conducted. Six outbreak cases were identified; all had consumed cooked tuna sushi rolls purchased within a western Sydney shopping complex. Onset of illness for outbreak cases occurred between 7 April and 24 May 2015.Salmonellawas isolated from food samples collected from the implicated premise and a prohibition order issued. No further cases were identified following this action. Whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis was performed on isolates recovered during this investigation, with additionalS.Agona isolates from sporadic-clinical cases and routine food sampling in New South Wales, January to July 2015. Clinical isolates of outbreak cases were indistinguishable from food isolates collected from the implicated sushi outlet. Five additional clinical isolates not originally considered to be linked to the outbreak were genomically similar to outbreak isolates, indicating the point-source contamination may have started before routine surveillance identified an increase. This investigation demonstrated the value of genomics-guided public health action, where near real-time WGS enhanced the resolution of the epidemiological investigation.
Constructing Ebola transmission chains from West Africa and estimating model parameters using internet sources
Authors: PETTEY W. B. P. , CARTER M. E. , TOTH D. J. A , SAMORE M. H. , GUNDLAPALLI A. V.
Published: May 2017

During the recent Ebola crisis in West Africa, individual person-level details of disease onset, transmissions, and outcomes such as survival or death were reported in online news media. We set out to document disease transmission chains for Ebola, with the goal of generating a timely account that could be used for surveillance, mathematical modeling, and public health decision-making. By accessing public web pages only, such as locally produced newspapers and blogs, we created a transmission chain involving two Ebola clusters in West Africa that compared favorably with other published transmission chains, and derived parameters for a mathematical model of Ebola disease transmission that were not statistically different from those derived from published sources. We present a protocol for responsibly gleaning epidemiological facts, transmission model parameters, and useful details from affected communities using mostly indigenously produced sources. After comparing our transmission parameters to published parameters, we discuss additional benefits of our method, such as gaining practical information about the affected community, its infrastructure, politics, and culture. We also briefly compare our method to similar efforts that used mostly non-indigenous online sources to generate epidemiological information.
The passive surveillance of ticks using companion animal electronic health records
Authors: TULLOCH J. S. P. , MCGINLEY L. , SÁNCHEZ-VIZCAÍNO F. , MEDLOCK J. M. , RADFORD A. D.
Published: May 2017

Ticks represent a large global reservoir of zoonotic disease. Current surveillance systems can be time and labour intensive. We propose that the passive surveillance of companion animal electronic health records (EHRs) could provide a novel methodology for describing temporal and spatial tick activity. A total of 16 58 857 EHRs were collected over a 2-year period (31 March 2014 and 29 May 2016) from companion animals attending a large sentinel network of 192 veterinary clinics across Great Britain (the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network – SAVSNET). In total, 2180 EHRs were identified where a tick was recorded on an animal. The relative risk of dogs presenting with a tick compared with cats was 0·73 (95% confidence intervals 0·67–0·80). The highest number of tick records were in the south central regions of England. The presence of ticks showed marked seasonality with summer peaks, and a secondary smaller peak in autumn for cats; ticks were still being found throughout most of Great Britain during the winter. This suggests that passive surveillance of companion animal EHRs can describe tick activity temporally and spatially in a large cohort of veterinary clinics across Great Britain. These results and methodology could help inform veterinary and public health messages as well as increase awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the general population.
Economic burden of diagnosed pertussis among individuals with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the USA: an analysis of administrative claims
Authors: BUCK P. O. , MEYERS J. L. , GORDON L.-D. , PARIKH R. , KUROSKY S. K. , DAVIS K. L.
Published: May 2017

Individuals with chronic respiratory conditions may be at increased risk for pertussis. We conducted a retrospective administrative claims analysis to examine the incidence and economic burden of diagnosed pertussis among adolescents and adults in the USA with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. Patients aged ⩾11 years with diagnosed pertussis and pre-existing COPD (n = 343) or asthma (n = 1041) were matched 1:1 to patients with diagnosed pertussis but without COPD or asthma. Differences in all-cause costs (‘excess’ costs) during the 45-day and 3-month and 6-month periods before and after the pertussis index date were calculated; adjusted excess costs were estimated via multivariate regressions. The incidence of diagnosed pertussis was higher among patients with COPD or asthma than among matched patients. Compared with matched patients, patients with pertussis and pre-existing COPD or asthma accrued greater all-cause adjusted costs across study periods ($3694 and $1193 more, respectively, in the 45-day period; $4173 and $1301 more in the 3-month period; and $6154 and $1639 more in the 6-month period; all P < 0·0001). Patients with pre-existing COPD or asthma experience an increased economic burden after diagnosed pertussis and may especially benefit from targeted tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccination strategies.
Principles of Christian Law
Authors: Hill Mark , Doe Norman
Published: May 2017

A panel of experts has produced a Statement of Principles of Christian Law, drawn from an examination of their internal regulatory instruments. These principles are offered for further examination by comparative scholars of church law, as an expression of shared ecclesiology, and in furtherance of the ecumenical endeavour.
A Church Without Bishops: Governance of the English Catholic Mission, 1594–1685
Authors: Schofield Nicholas
Published: May 2017

The Catholic community in early modern England was not only a persecuted minority but full of factions, each playing off the other, expressing themselves in a war of words, and even, on occasion, canvassing for support in the very establishment that was trying to eliminate them. To a large extent, these tensions were focused around the vexed question of what sort of ecclesiastical government should fill the vacuum left by the Reformation and the extinction of the Marian hierarchy. Various canonical solutions were tried: rule by archpriest, vicar apostolic and chapter of secular clergy. Each of these resulted in ongoing disagreements between secular and regular clergy, between those who viewed the English Catholic community as being in continuity with the pre-Reformation Church and those who thought circumstances required something new and creative. Added to this was a complex web of canonical jurisdictions, often without clear definition, and Rome's reluctance to act decisively and offend the Elizabethan or Stuart regime. This article, originally delivered as the Lyndwood Lecture, outlines the key personalities and events and examines the central issues that were at stake in this ‘church without bishops’.
The English Canon Law Relating to Suicide Victims
Authors: Wright Charlotte L
Published: May 2017

Society has historically viewed suicide with hostility and fear. For centuries this hostility was reflected in the English civil law, which condemned suicide as homicide, and in the Church's position towards suicide victims, which historically considered suicide to be a mortal sin. Under the current canon law, set out in Canon B 38, it is the duty of the minister to bury all parishioners, those who die in the parish, or those entered on the electoral roll of the parish according to the rites of the Church of England, except for (among others) those who ‘being of sound mind have laid violent hands upon themselves’. This canon has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years as society's attitudes towards suicide have become more tolerant. As a result, General Synod recently voted that this canon should be amended. This article explores the development of the law relating to suicide victims in order to understand the Church's current position. It then considers the shortcomings of the current canon law and reviews the position adopted by the Roman Catholic and Methodist churches. Finally, it examines the proposals for changing Canon B 38.
Myocarditis, flail tricuspid valve, and normal rhythm: an exceptional form of neonatal cardiac lupus
Authors: González-López María-Teresa , Pérez-Caballero-Martínez Ramón , Gil-Jaurena Juan-Miguel
Published: May 2017

Neonatal cardiac lupus is a rare, passively acquired autoimmune disease. We report a case of in utero myocarditis, confirmed postnatally, with papillary muscle rupture and severe tricuspid regurgitation after birth in the absence of conduction disturbances. Tricuspid repair was successfully performed with polytetrafluoroethylene neochordae. In this article, we discuss the pathophysiology, medical and surgical management, and implications at follow-up in this unique scenario.
A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Associations Between Reaction Time Intraindividual Variability and Age-Related Cognitive Decline or Impairment, Dementia, and Mortality
Authors: Haynes Becky I. , Bauermeister Sarah , Bunce David
Published: May 2017

Objectives: Intraindividual variability (IIV) in reaction time refers to the trial-to-trial fluctuations in responding across a given cognitive task. Cross-sectional research suggests that IIV increases with normal and neuropathological ageing and it may serve as a marker of neurobiological integrity. This raises the possibility that IIV may also predict future cognitive decline and, indeed, neuropathology. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to address these issues. Methods: A search of electronic databases Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science was completed on May 17, 2016 that identified longitudinal investigations of IIV in middle-aged or older adults. Results: A total of 688 studies were initially identified of which 22 met the inclusion criteria. Nine included longitudinal IIV measures and 17 predicted subsequent outcome (cognitive decline or impairment, dementia, mortality) from baseline IIV. The results suggested IIV increased over time, particularly in participants aged over 75 years. Greater baseline IIV was consistently associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes including cognitive decline or impairment, and mortality. Conclusions: Increased IIV over time is associated with normal ageing. However, further increases in IIV over and above those found in normal ageing may be a risk factor for future cognitive impairment or mortality. Measures of IIV may, therefore, have considerable potential as a supplement to existing clinical assessment to aid identification of individuals at risk of adverse outcomes such as dementia or death. (JINS, 2017, 23, 431–445)
Medicines reablement in intermediate health and social care services
Authors: Gerrish Kate , Laker Sara , Wright Sarah , Stainrod Wendy
Published: May 2017

Aim

To evaluate a medicines reablement initiative involving health and social care, to include consideration of the training package, proportion of patients reabled successfully, and patient and staff perspectives of the service.

Background

Intermediate care services provide short-term intervention to support patients with chronic conditions transition from hospital to community-based services and involves maximising patients’ independence through reablement. The term ‘medicines reablement’ describes the process of rehabilitating patients to be independent with their medication.

Methods

Pharmacy technicians led the medicines reablement initiative. They delivered a competency-based training programme for frontline health and social care staff. They assessed and set goals with patients to facilitate independence in self-administration of their medication. The pharmacy technicians provided on-going support to staff helping patients to reable. They reassessed patients after six weeks to determine if medicines reablement had been successful or whether further input was needed. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with pharmacy technicians, frontline staff, managers, and patients.

Findings

Twenty per cent of patients discharged from hospital to intermediate care were assessed to be suitable for medicines reablement. Of these patients, 44% were successfully reabled and a further 25% benefited from the input of a pharmacy technician. Patients and staff were positive about medicines reablement, emphasising the importance of patients attaining independence for self-administration of medication. Although following training, health and social care staff felt confident in facilitating medicines reablement they valued on-going access to pharmacy technicians for timely support, help with problem solving, and advice throughout the reablement process.

Conclusion

Medicines reablement can lead to patients becoming independent with taking medication and contribute to staff satisfaction. Pharmacy technicians can play an important part in delivering medicines reablement training to frontline staff and overseeing the reablement process. Further research examining medicines reablement is needed to develop a stronger evidence base.
Association between family satisfaction and caregiver burden in cancer patients receiving outreach palliative care at home
Authors: Naoki Yoko , Matsuda Yoshinobu , Maeda Isseki , Kamino Hideka , Kozaki Yoko , Tokoro Akihiro , Maki Norimasa , Takada Minoru
Published: May 2017

Objective:

Little is known about the associations between family satisfaction with end-of-life care and caregiver burden. We conducted a researcher-assisted questionnaire survey to clarify the impact of caregiver burden on family satisfaction and to determine the types of burden that decrease family satisfaction.

Method:

Bereaved family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer who received our outreach palliative care service were retrospectively identified. Family satisfaction with the end-of-life care provided by the palliative care service and caregiver burden were quantified using the Japanese versions of the FAMCARE Scale and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), respectively.

Results:

Our study subjects included 23 family caregivers. The mean scores on the FAMCARE Scale and the ZBI for the total population were 72.8 ± 11.2 and 22.8 ± 17.3, respectively, indicating moderate-to-high satisfaction and low-to-moderate burden. Caregiver burden had a strong negative correlation to family satisfaction with end-of-life care (Spearman's rho [ρ] = −0.560, p = 0.005), which remained after adjustment for potential confounders (standardized beta [β] = −0.563, p = 0.01). Several burden items—including loss of control, personal time, social engagement with others, feeling angry with the patient, feeling that the patient wants more help than he/she needs, and a wish to leave the care to someone else—were associated with decreased satisfaction. The major cause of dissatisfaction for family members included the information provided regarding prognosis, family conferences with medical professionals, and the method of involvement of family members in care decisions.

Significance of results:

Caregiver burden can be a barrier to family satisfaction with end-of-life care at home. A home care model focused on caregiver burden could improve end-of-life experiences for patients and family caregivers.
Representing Canadian justice: legal iconography and symbolism at the Supreme Court of Canada
Authors: DesBaillets David
Published: May 2017

This paper examines the intersection between a distinctly Canadian legal culture and the legal architecture, symbolism and iconography of its Supreme Court building in Ottawa. I begin from the premise originally put forward in Resnik and Curtis’s study of legal architecture. I proceed with an analysis of the Court’s history, aesthetic and decorative elements, geography and design, artistic and legal vision of the architect, and the social, political and historical contexts in which it was created, as well as key legal and constitutional concepts embodied by the Court’s legal architecture and a comparative analysis with another courthouse in Montreal (the Édifice Ernest Cormier). The paper demonstrates that the challenges of creating a courthouse that reflects the legal traditions and evolving social norms as well as the aspirations of a dynamic, democratic and pluralistic society are almost impossible. It remains a problematic question whether the image of justice that the Court evokes to the observer is the most ‘eloquent three dimensional representation of the role the Supreme Court has assumed in the life of the nation’ (Canada and Supreme Court, 2000, p. 207).
Low-profile tunable radiator for small satellite application
Authors: Šaponjić Nevena , Debogović Tomislav , Bongard Frédéric , Robustillo-Bayon Pedro , Vigano Maria Carolina , Krummen Mikael , Landis Jean-Daniel , Sabbadini Marco
Published: May 2017

A tunable radiator for space application has been developed to meet stringent requirements in terms of electrical and environmental specifications but also low mass, simple manufacturing and low cost. The element is based on the folded planar inverted F-antenna, with size of one quarter of wavelength. It is mechanically tunable to adjust input impedance for any various positions on the satellite body and possible obstacles and protrusions. Results in terms of radiation pattern, S parameters, shock and vibration tests are presented. The antenna operates in ultra-high frequency band (400 MHz) in linear polarization. It has been designed to act as the basic element for miniaturized multi-function antenna systems on board of small satellites that can operate in three different radiating modes and in both left and right hand circular polarizations.
A naturalistic longitudinal study of the order of service provision with respect to cocaine use and outcomes in an urban homeless sample
Authors: Ayvaci E. R. , Obiri O. , Pollio D. , North C. S.
Published: May 2017

Aims.

Little is known about outcomes of drug abuse related to attainment of stable housing. This study examined outcomes of cocaine use and service provision in an urban homeless sample.

Methods.

Two-year longitudinal study of systematically selected homeless individuals (N = 255) in St. Louis, Missouri from 1999 to 2001. The sample was interviewed three times annually using a structured diagnostic interview. Urine drug testing was conducted at every interview, and service utilisation data were obtained from the structured interviews and the agency-provided service use data.

Results.

Cocaine use disorder and cocaine use proved to be distinct concepts because they predicted different outcomes across time. Cocaine use predicted subsequent poor housing outcomes, but stable housing had no apparent effect on subsequent use of cocaine. Service use predicted neither subsequent reduced cocaine use nor attainment of stable housing. Services used were appropriate to type of mental health need, but cocaine use may have reduced successful utilisation of appropriate psychiatric services.

Conclusion.

These findings reinforce the concept that homelessness represents a complex phenomenon and consequently, service systems need to address multiple problems. Service approaches are needed that simultaneously address the complex needs of homeless individuals.
Spanish Adaptation of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi)
Authors: Díaz-Morales Juan F. , Randler Christoph
Published: May 2017

The aim of the present study was to conduct the preliminary adaptation of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi) to Spanish population, testing its factor structure and construct validity. Participants were 261 adults (65% women;M= 31.4,SD= 12.01) who filled out measures of Morningness-Eveningness (MESSi and CSM), sleep habits, personality traits, positive and negative affect, and subjective level of alertness during the day. Psychometric results supported a three factorial model with the factors Morning Affect, Eveningness and Distinctness (RMSEA = .072). The factors showed good internal consistence (α = 0.72–0.85). The pattern of correlations between MESSi and the other measures were in the expected direction (low to moderated size effects). Morning Affect was positively predicted by morning chronotype (R2= .64), Eveningness was negatively predicted by age and positively by evening chronotype (R2= .41), and Distinctness was negatively predicted by sex (women reported higher DI than men) and age (R2= .08). This study provides evidence for the factor structure of a new measure of Morningness-Eveningness based on a rigorous psychometric evaluation.
Photographs and Their Many Lives
Authors: Shevchenko Olga
Published: May 2017

“How does meaning get into the image? Where does it end?” asked Roland Barthes in his now-classic essay “Rhetoric of the image.” At first glance, Barthes’s questions might appear nonsensical, but as this discussion around the various uses and misuses of Evgenii Khaldei’s photographs of war-time Budapest demonstrates, the question of meaning and truth in photography is anything but simple. This is because the meaning of a photograph is shaped by a multitude of factors, both internal and external to the image itself, and because the photographic medium, more so than other visual practices, lends itself to expectations of verisimilitude that obscure the complex relationship that photographs have to reality that they purportedly record.
Nabokov’sThe Gift, Dostoevskii, and the Tradition of Narratorial Ambiguity
Authors: Blackwell Stephen
Published: May 2017

Sometimes, we don’t know what a thing is. Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, the protagonist of Vladimir Nabokov’s novelThe Gift, in Chapter Two describes some witch doctors collecting “Chinese rhubarb, whose root bears an extraordinary resemblance to a caterpillar, right down to its prolegs and spiracles—while I, in the meantime, found under a stone the caterpillar of an unknown moth, which represented not in a general way but with absolute concreteness a copy of that root, so that it was not quite clear which was impersonating which—or why.” How to tell original from copy? Which is the source and which the subsidiary? This uncertainty makes an excellent figure for the complexities inThe Gift, with its elusive, shifting narrative voice. Does Fyodor, from a variety of proximities and distances, control that voice? Or is there a superior “authorial” figure nestled between Fyodor and the ultimate author, Nabokov himself? This play with the relationship between narrative form and knowledge connects Nabokov tightly with Dostoevskii’s early experiment in epistemological fiction,The Double.
Critical Review
Authors: Mickiewicz Ellen
Published: May 2017

In two important books, Runet (the Russian internet) is the central character, an essential component of the politics of commerce, economic policy, and strategic thinking. The first, written by an American specialist on information policy and the interaction between society and technology, looks back to the Soviet era, at the prescience and then failure of top Soviet scientists to introduce the networked society ahead of their American counterparts. The second is a collaborative work of Russian social scientists with an extensive agenda to identify, using discourse analysis, the principal political groups posting in “communities” of the like-minded in “VKontakte,” a large heterogeneous social media site combining personal interactions and extensive blogs within self-organized “communities.” The second half of this book differs substantially: Lev Gudkov, senior analyst at the Levada Center in Moscow, looks at the country as a whole through a different lens—a large number of national surveys gathered over the course of the Center’s activity. The first book chronicles the ambitious proposal by leading scientists to network the whole country in the service of the Soviet Union’s ideologically-based command economy. The second reveals a country riven by multiple, mutually incompatible ideologies espousing “anti” or negative platforms with little ideological heft until Vladimir Putin’s campaign to arouse a nationalist or, as the book puts it, an “imperialist syndrome” with the “return” of Crimea.
On the Uses of Russian Statistics: A Response to Alessandro Stanziani’s “European Statistics, Russian Numbers and Social Dynamics, 1861–1914”
Authors: Avrekh Mikhail
Published: May 2017

The central argument of Alessandro Stanziani’s article “European Statistics, Russian Numbers and Social Dynamics, 1861–1914”—that statistical data is socially constructed, and that the ways in which it is socially constructed should be an object of historical inquiry—helps to answer the question of why an archival researcher with literary inclinations should take note of the mass of statistical material produced throughout the nineteenth century and especially in its final decades. Statistical reports were regularly published in overtly literary publications such as Faddei Bulgarin’sNorthern Bee(Северная пчела) from the 1820s onward. Vissarion Belinskii, one of the preeminent Russian literary critics of the 1830s–1840s, reviewed statistical works alongside literary fiction, poetry, and theater. In a review of a theory of statistics, he weighed in on the importance of the discipline and its place among other sciences
Photographs as Historic Documents: An Examination of Two of Evgenii Khaldei’s Budapest Photos
Authors: Pastor Peter
Published: May 2017

In a recent letter to the editor of Slavic Review, I took issue with the identification and interpretation of two photographs that appeared in an article titled “Heroes, Victims, Role Models: Representing the Child Soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising.” The scenes were mistakenly identified as taking place in wartime Warsaw. While various perspectives may be taken on how one uses and interprets photographs in other disciplines, as an historian, I believe it to be essential that a strict review of the photographs’ origin be examined since they may force us to come to different conclusions about the reality of historical events, and possibly perpetrators of crimes. The crux of my argument follows.
Between Affect and Authenticity: Disobedient Photographs
Authors: Stańczyk Ewa
Published: May 2017

I would like to begin this essay by thanking Peter Pastor for his careful reading of my article “Heroes, Victims, Role Models: Representing the Child Soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising” which looked at the cultural portrayals of the anti-Nazi revolt and focused, particularly, on contemporary narratives surrounding the underage soldier. By spotting my misreading of the Budapest images, he opened up an important discussion on the afterlife of archival photographs, their (mis)uses, re- and misinterpretations, and crucially, their longevity and continued relevance. I believe it is a timely debate and, as the other essays in this forum show, a debate that is relevant to artists, writers, historians and cultural studies scholars, among others.
Peanut Response to Pyraflufen-ethyl Applied Postemergence
Authors: Manuchehri Misha R. , Dotray Peter A. , Grichar W. James , Baughman Todd A.
Published: May 2017

Field studies were conducted in various peanut production regions of Texas and Oklahoma during the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons to determine peanut response to single and sequential postemergence applications of pyraflufen-ethyl at the labelled use rate (3.6 g ai ha−1). Pyraflufen-ethyl injured peanut in all single and two-application treatments. Injury consisted of white spots on leaves up to 14 d after treatment and became small necrotic spots on older leaf tissue. No injury was apparent on any new growth. Injury did not translate into yield loss in three of five locations; however, yield reductions (approximately 26%) were observed in two of five locations. Peanut grade was not affected by pyraflufen-ethyl applications.
Non-Compaction Kardiomyopathie
Authors: Erhart Ladina , Niemann Markus , Stämpfli Simon F. , Tanner Felix C.
Published: May 2017

Zusammenfassung. Die linksventrikuläre Non-Compaction Kardiomyopathie (LVNC) weist phänotypische Veränderungen im linken Ventrikel auf, welche durch eine dünne, äußere, kompakte und eine dicke, innere, nicht-kompakte Herzmuskelschicht charakterisiert sind; die letztere besteht aus vielen tiefen Rezessus, die sich zwischen einem Geflecht von Trabekeln befinden. Aufgrund zunehmender Aufmerksamkeit für das Krankheitsbild, sensitiverer bildgebender Verfahren und vermehrt durchgeführter systematischer Familienscreenings hat die Patientenzahl mit der Diagnose LVNC in letzter Zeit zugenommen. Patienten mit einer LVNC können wegen Herzinsuffizienz, ventrikulären Arrhythmien oder thromboembolischen Ereignissen symptomatisch werden. Das Alter bei Erstmanifestation sowie der Verlauf sind sehr variabel, und es ist noch weitgehend unbekannt, wovon diese individuellen Unterschiede bestimmt werden. Das EKG kann Blockbilder, Hypertrophiezeichen oder Repolarisationstörungen aufweisen; für die LVNC spezifische EKG-Veränderungen existieren aber nicht. Die Diagnose wird mittels Echokardiographie gestellt, kann jedoch auch im MRI erfolgen; mit beiden Methoden muss die pathologische nicht-kompakte Herzmuskelschicht nachgewiesen werden. Die Therapie besteht in der Behandlung der Herzinsuffizienz sowie Prävention und/oder Behandlung von Arrhythmien und Thromboembolien; eine spezifische Therapie der LVNC existiert bisher nicht. Asymptomatische Individuen haben eine sehr gute Prognose, während die Morbidität und Mortalität von symptomatischen Patienten mit derjenigen einer dilatativen Kardiomyopathie vergleichbar ist.
Scientists’ Freedom to Work Entails Responsibilities to Society
Authors: Landau Elizabeth
Published: May 2017

The AGU Board of Directors approves a rights and responsibilities of scientists position statement.
Developmental activities of the complement pathway in migrating neurons
Authors: Gorelik Anna , Sapir Tamar , Haffner-Krausz Rebecca , Olender Tsviya , Woodruff Trent M. , Reiner Orly
Published: May 2017

In recent years the notion that malfunctioning of the immune system may result in developmental brain diseases has emerged. However, the role of immune molecules in the developing brain has not been well explored. The complement pathway converges to cleave C3. Here we show that key proteins in the lectin arm of this pathway, MASP1, MASP2 and C3, are expressed in the developing cortex and that neuronal migration is impaired in knockout and knockdown mice. Molecular mimics of C3 cleavage products rescue the migration defects that have been seen following knockdown of C3 or Masp2. Pharmacological activation of the downstream receptors rescue Masp2 and C3 knockdown as well as C3 knockout. Therefore, we propose that the complement pathway is functionally important in migrating neurons of the developing cortex.
De novo evolved interference competition promotes the spread of biofilm defectors
Authors: Martin Marivic , Dragoš Anna , Hölscher Theresa , Maróti Gergely , Bálint Balázs , Westermann Martin , Kovács Ákos T.
Published: May 2017

Biofilms are social entities where bacteria live in tightly packed agglomerations, surrounded by self-secreted exopolymers. Since production of exopolymers is costly and potentially exploitable by non-producers, mechanisms that prevent invasion of non-producing mutants are hypothesized. Here we study long-term dynamics and evolution in Bacillus subtilis biofilm populations consisting of wild-type (WT) matrix producers and mutant non-producers. We show that non-producers initially fail to incorporate into biofilms formed by the WT cells, resulting in 100-fold lower final frequency compared to the WT. However, this is modulated in a long-term scenario, as non-producers evolve the ability to better incorporate into biofilms, thereby slightly decreasing the productivity of the whole population. Detailed molecular analysis reveals that the unexpected shift in the initially stable biofilm is coupled with newly evolved phage-mediated interference competition. Our work therefore demonstrates how collective behaviour can be disrupted as a result of rapid adaptation through mobile genetic elements.
The physiological and molecular response of Aurelia sp.1 under hypoxia
Authors: Wang Guoshan , Zhen Yu , Yu Zhigang , Shi Yan , Zhao Qing , Wang Jianyan , Mi Tiezhu
Published: May 2017

Few studies have been published on the mechanisms of hypoxia response and tolerance in jellyfish, especially with respect to the regulatory mechanism at the molecular level. In this study, Aurelia sp.1, which is frequently found in Chinese coastal waters, was cultivated in a hypoxic system to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying its hypoxic response by studying the physiological activity, gene expression and metabolite contents in the prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD)-hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) oxygen-sensing system. Physiological activity; the expression of PHD, HIF, ALDO (fructose-bisphosphate aldolase), PDK (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase), and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) genes; and the lactic acid content in medusae were significantly affected by hypoxia. The up-regulation of ALDO, PDK and LDH, which was directly or indirectly induced by HIF, mediated the transition from aerobic respiration to anaerobic glycolysis in the medusae. In polyps, there was a slight increase in the expression of HIF, PHD and ALDO, no obvious change in that of PDK and a slight decrease in that of LDH throughout the experiment; however, these changes were insufficient to induce the shift. This study provides a scientific basis for elucidating the regulatory mechanism underlying the PHD-HIF oxygen-sensing system in Aurelia sp.1.
Quality of analgesia in physician-operated telemedical prehospital emergency care is comparable to physician-based prehospital care - a retrospective longitudinal study
Authors: Lenssen Niklas , Krockauer Andreas , Beckers Stefan K. , Rossaint Rolf , Hirsch Frederik , Brokmann Jörg C. , Bergrath Sebastian
Published: May 2017

Acute pain is a common reason for summoning emergency medical services (EMS). Yet in several countries the law restricts opioid-based analgesia administration to physicians. Telemedical support of paramedics is a novel approach to enable timely treatment under the guidance of a physician. In this retrospective observational study, conducted in the EMS of Aachen, Germany, the analgesic quality and occurrence of adverse events were compared between telemedically-supported paramedics (July-December, 2014) and a historical control group (conventional on-scene EMS physicians; January-March, 2014). Inclusion criteria: pain (initial numerical rating scale (NRS) ≥5) and/or performed analgesia. Telemedically-assisted analgesia was performed in 149 patients; conventional analgesia in 199 control cases. Teleconsultation vs. control: Initial NRS scores were 8.0 ± 1.5 and 8.1 ± 1.7. Complete NRS documentation was carried out in 140/149 vs. 130/199 cases, p < 0.0001. NRS scores were reduced by 4.94 ± 2.01 and 4.84 ± 2.28 (p = 0.5379), leading to mean NRS scores at emergency room arrival of 3.1 ± 1.7 vs. 3.3 ± 1.9 (p = 0.5229). No severe adverse events occurred in either group. Clinically relevant pain reduction was achieved in both groups. Thus, the concept of remote physician-based telemedically-delegated analgesia by paramedics is effective compared to analgesia by on-scene EMS physicians and safe.
Ecotypic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity combine to enhance the invasiveness of the most widespread daisy in Chile, Leontodon saxatilis
Authors: Martín-Forés Irene , Avilés Marta , Acosta-Gallo Belén , Breed Martin F. , del Pozo Alejandro , de Miguel José M. , Sánchez-Jardón Laura , Castro Isabel , Ovalle Carlos , Casado Miguel A.
Published: May 2017

Dispersal and reproductive traits of successful plant invaders are expected to undergo strong selection during biological invasions. Numerous Asteraceae are invasive and display dimorphic fruits within a single flower head, resulting in differential dispersal pathways - wind-dispersed fruits vs. non-dispersing fruits. We explored ecotypic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity of seed output and fruit dimorphisms in exotic Chilean and native Spanish populations ofLeontodon saxatilissubsp.rothii. We collected flower heads from populations in Spain and Chile along a rainfall gradient. Seeds from all populations were planted in reciprocal transplant trials in Spain and Chile to explore their performance in the native and invasive range. We scored plant biomass, reproductive investment and fruit dimorphism. We observed strong plasticity, where plants grown in the invasive range had much greater biomass, flower head size and seed output, with a higher proportion of wind-dispersed fruits, than those grown in the native range. We also observed a significant ecotype effect, where the exotic populations displayed higher proportions of wind-dispersed fruits than native populations. Together, these patterns reflect a combination of phenotypic plasticity and ecotypic differentiation, indicating thatLeontodon saxatilishas probably increased propagule pressure and dispersal distances in its invasive range to enhance its invasiveness.
Teosinte in Europe – Searching for the Origin of a Novel Weed
Authors: Trtikova Miluse , Lohn Andre , Binimelis Rosa , Chapela Ignacio , Oehen Bernadette , Zemp Niklaus , Widmer Alex , Hilbeck Angelika
Published: May 2017

A novel weed has recently emerged, causing serious agronomic damage in one of the most important maize-growing regions of Western Europe, the Northern Provinces of Spain. The weed has morphological similarities to a wild relative of maize and has generally been referred to as teosinte. However, the identity, origin or genetic composition of ‘Spanish teosinte’ was unknown. Here, we present a genome-wide analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for Spanish teosinte, sympatric populations of cultivated maize and samples of reference teosinte taxa. Our data are complemented with previously published SNP datasets of cultivated maize and two Mexican teosinte subspecies. Our analyses reveal that Spanish teosinte does not group with any of the currently recognized teosinte taxa. Based on Bayesian clustering analysis and hybridization simulations, we infer that Spanish teosinte is of admixed origin, most likely involvingZea maysssp.mexicanaas one parental taxon, and an unidentified cultivated maize variety as the other. Analyses of plants grown from seeds collected in Spanish maize fields and experimental crosses under controlled conditions reveal that hybridization does occur between Spanish teosinte and cultivated maize in Spain, and that current hybridization is asymmetric, favouring the introgression of Spanish teosinte into cultivated maize, rather than vice versa.
Inferring the evolutionary mechanism of the chloroplast genome size by comparing whole-chloroplast genome sequences in seed plants
Authors: Xiao-Ming Zheng , Junrui Wang , Li Feng , Sha Liu , Hongbo Pang , Lan Qi , Jing Li , Yan Sun , Weihua Qiao , Lifang Zhang , Yunlian Cheng , Qingwen Yang
Published: May 2017

The chloroplast genome originated from photosynthetic organisms and has retained the core genes that mainly encode components of photosynthesis. However, the causes of variations in chloroplast genome size in seed plants have only been thoroughly analyzed within small subsets of spermatophytes. In this study, we conducted the first comparative analysis on a large scale to examine the relationship between sequence characteristics and genome size in 272 seed plants based on cross-species and phylogenetic signal analysis. Our results showed that inverted repeat regions, large or small single copies, intergenic regions, and gene number can be attributed to the variations in chloroplast genome size among closely related species. However, chloroplast gene length underwent evolution affecting chloroplast genome size in seed plants irrespective of whether phylogenetic information was incorporated. Among chloroplast genes, atpA, accD and ycf1 account for 13% of the variation in genome size, and the average Ka/Ks values of homologous pairs of the three genes are larger than 1. The relationship between chloroplast genome size and gene length might be affected by selection during the evolution of spermatophytes. The variation in chloroplast genome size may influence energy generation and ecological strategy in seed plants.
Metabolic Radiomics for Pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT to Characterize Locally Advanced Breast Cancer: Histopathologic Characteristics, Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, and Prognosis
Authors: Ha Seunggyun , Park Sohyun , Bang Ji-In , Kim Eun-Kyu , Lee Ho-Young
Published: May 2017

Radiomics has been spotlighted as imaging biomarker for estimation of intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) which is regarded as the main reason for resistance to tumor treatment. Although a number of studies has shown clinical evidences that separate measurement of metabolic ITH by texture features (TFs) on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) has prognostic ability in various tumors, there has been no consensus regarding the best parameter representing ITH. Besides, it is yet uncertain that TFs are useful for estimation of histopathologic markers, prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), or prognostic ability in breast cancer. To depart from the traditional approach, we evaluated the clinical usefulness of integrated metabolic radiomics using unsupervised clustering with 109 TFs measured from pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT scans of 73 patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) underwent NAC before surgery. Our study shows that metabolic radiomics patterns of LABC are associated with Ki67 expression, achievement of pathologic complete response after NAC, and risk of recurrence. Integrated metabolic radiomics has potential for clinically relevant pretreatment biomarker with predictive and prognostic ability for personalized management in LABC.
Super-light Cu@Ni nanowires/graphene oxide composites for significantly enhanced microwave absorption performance
Authors: Wang Xiaoxia , Zhang Baoqin , Zhang Wei , Yu Mingxun , Cui Liang , Cao Xueying , Liu Jingquan
Published: May 2017

Graphene oxide (GO) was rarely used as microwave absorption (MA) material due to its lower dielectric loss compared with reduced GO (RGO). However, the characteristics of low conductivity, light weight, and large surface area were beneficial to the impedance matching for absorbers already containing highly conductive metal materials. Cu@Ni nanowires are promising MA materials due to the desired dielectric loss from copper and excellent magnetic loss from nickel. However, the high density was an impediment to its further application. Combining Cu@Ni nanowires with GO should be an effective solution to decrease the absorber’s density and improve its MA properties. Herein, we demonstrated that Cu@Ni nanowires/GO composites exhibited enhanced MA capacities compared with Cu@Ni nanowires or GO alone, and the minimum reflection loss reached −42.8 dB at 16.9 GHz with a thickness of 2.1 mm. The enhanced MA performance mainly originated from good impedance matching, as a result of the addition of low conductivity of GO. To confirm this point, the MA performance of Cu@Ni nanowires/RGO was studied, and unsurprisingly, weak MA performance was obtained. Our work provides a new strategy to decrease the density, broaden the frequency band and tune MA performance of composites.
Entropy Evolution in Consensus Networks
Authors: Fu Shuangshuang , Shi Guodong , Petersen Ian R. , James Matthew R.
Published: May 2017

We investigate the evolution of the network entropy for consensus dynamics in classical and quantum networks. We show that in the classical case, the network differential entropy is monotonically non-increasing if the node initial values are continuous random variables. While for quantum consensus dynamics, the network’s von Neumann entropy is in contrast non-decreasing. In light of this inconsistency, we compare several distributed algorithms with random or deterministic coefficients for classical or quantum networks, and show that quantum algorithms with deterministic coefficients are physically related to classical algorithms with random coefficients.
Coupling of equatorial Atlantic surface stratification to glacial shifts in the tropical rainbelt
Authors: Portilho-Ramos R. C. , Chiessi C. M. , Zhang Y. , Mulitza S. , Kucera M. , Siccha M. , Prange M. , Paul A.
Published: May 2017

The modern state of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation promotes a northerly maximum of tropical rainfall associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). For continental regions, abrupt millennial–scale meridional shifts of this rainbelt are well documented, but the behavior of its oceanic counterpart is unclear due the lack of a robust proxy and high temporal resolution records. Here we show that the Atlantic ITCZ leaves a distinct signature in planktonic foraminifera assemblages. We applied this proxy to investigate the history of the Atlantic ITCZ for the last 30,000 years based on two high temporal resolution records from the western Atlantic Ocean. Our reconstruction indicates that the shallowest mixed layer associated with the Atlantic ITCZ unambiguously shifted meridionally in response to changes in the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning with a southward displacement during Heinrich Stadials 2–1 and the Younger Dryas. We conclude that the Atlantic ITCZ was located at ca. 1°S (ca. 5° to the south of its modern annual mean position) during Heinrich Stadial 1. This supports a previous hypothesis, which postulates a southern hemisphere position of the oceanic ITCZ during climatic states with substantially reduced or absent cross-equatorial oceanic meridional heat transport.
Multifaceted catalytic hydrogenation of amides via diverse activation of a sterically confined bipyridine–ruthenium framework
Authors: Miura Takashi , Naruto Masayuki , Toda Katsuaki , Shimomura Taiki , Saito Susumu
Published: May 2017

Amides are ubiquitous and abundant in nature and our society, but are very stable and reluctant to salt-free, catalytic chemical transformations. Through the activation of a “sterically confined bipyridine–ruthenium (Ru) framework (molecularly well-designed site to confine adsorbed H2 in)” of a precatalyst, catalytic hydrogenation of formamides through polyamide is achieved under a wide range of reaction conditions. Both C=O bond and C–N bond cleavage of a lactam became also possible using a single precatalyst. That is, catalyst diversity is induced by activation and stepwise multiple hydrogenation of a single precatalyst when the conditions are varied. The versatile catalysts have different structures and different resting states for multifaceted amide hydrogenation, but the common structure produced upon reaction with H2, which catalyzes hydrogenation, seems to be “H–Ru–N–H.”