bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular risk profiling of long‐lived people shows peculiar associations with mortality compared with younger individuals
Authors: Montesanto Alberto , Pellegrino Daniela , Geracitano Silvana , La Russa Daniele , Mari Vincenzo , Garasto Sabrina , Lattanzio Fabrizia , Corsonello Andrea , Passarino Giuseppe
Published: December 2018

Aim

Centenarians represent a biological model of successful aging because they escaped/postponed most invalidating age‐related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether a favorable cardiovascular risk profile increases the survival chances in long‐lived people.

Methods

A total of 355 community‐dwelling nonagenarians and centenarians living in Southern Italy were recruited in the study. Patients were classified as at low and high cardiovascular risk on the basis of serum cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension and smoking status. The relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and 10‐year mortality was investigated by Cox regression analysis. Splines‐based hazard ratio curves were also estimated for total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Results

Low levels of selected cardiovascular risk factors usually associated with lower mortality in adults do not increase survival chances among oldest‐old individuals. In particular, after adjusting for age, sex, and cognitive, functional and nutritional status, serum cholesterol >200 mg/dL increased the survival chances during the follow‐up period (hazard ratio 0.742, 95% CI 0.572–0.963).

Conclusions

The present results showed that in nonagenarians and centenarians, the clinical and prognostic meaning associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors is very different from younger populations. Consequently, considering the increase of this population segment, further studies are required to confirm these results and to translate them into clinical practice/primary care. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 165–170.
Randomized in situ clinical trial evaluating erosion protection efficacy of a 0.454% stannous fluoride dentifrice
Authors: West Nicola X. , He Tao , Hellin Nikki , Claydon Nicholas , Seong Joon , Macdonald Emma , Farrell Svetlana , Eusebio Rachelle , Wilberg Aneta
Published: December 2018

Objectives

To assess the protective effects of a 0.454% stabilized stannous fluoride dentifrice and a marketed triclosan dentifrice against enamel erosion in a 10‐day in situ model.

Methods

This was a double‐blind, randomized, 2‐treatment, 4‐period, crossover in situ trial involving healthy adult participants. Participants were randomized to a treatment sequence involving the following products: a highly bioavailable 0.454% stannous fluoride dentifrice (Procter & Gamble) and a marketed dentifrice control containing 0.24% sodium fluoride and 0.3% triclosan (Colgate‐Palmolive). Each study period took place over 10 days. Participants wore an intra‐oral appliance retaining two polished human enamel samples for 6 hours per day. Two times per day they swished with the assigned dentifrice slurry and four times per day they swished with 250 mL of orange juice (25 mL per minute) over a 10‐minute period. Contact profilometry measurements were made for each sample at baseline and day 10 to determine surface change.

Results

Thirty‐six participants were enrolled and 33 completed the study (mean age = 40.5 years). The stannous fluoride dentifrice demonstrated 93.5% less enamel loss than the NaF/triclosan dentifrice (P < 0.001) at Day 10, with median enamel loss of 0.097 µm and 1.495 µm, respectively. Both products were well tolerated.

Conclusion

The stannous fluoride dentifrice demonstrated significantly greater erosion protection efficacy relative to the NaF/triclosan dentifrice in this randomized in situ clinical trial.
Domestic financial instability and foreign reserves accumulation in China
Authors: Wang Lirong , Hueng Chiayang James
Published: December 2018

Using a time series analysis, this paper argues that domestic financial instability, which increases the potential for resident‐based capital flight from the domestic currency, provides an incentive for China to hold more foreign reserves in the short run. To measure its domestic financial conditions, we construct a monthly Chinese financial stress index, which is used as a proxy for the possibility of capital flight. The empirical results show that this index is a significant determinant of the movements of China's foreign reserves around its trend and that using M2 as a proxy for domestic financial instability as suggested by previous studies is not a valid strategy for China. It is suggested that greater attention should be given to the role of domestic financial conditions in explaining China's short‐run demand for foreign reserves.
Salivary LL‐37 and periodontal health in children exposed to passive smoking
Authors: Karsiyaka Hendek Meltem , Erkmen Almaz Merve , Olgun Ebru , Kisa Ucler
Published: December 2018

Background

Antimicrobial peptides play an important role in the local defence of oral cavity. Cigarette smoke has detrimental effects on immune defence mechanisms. The effect of passive smoking on salivary LL‐37, as an antimicrobial peptide, in children has not yet been reported.

Aim

The aims of this study were to evaluate salivary LL‐37 levels in PS‐exposed and PS‐unexposed children and to investigate the association between salivary LL‐37 levels and periodontal clinical parameters.

Design

Unstimulated salivary samples were collected from 180 children (90 PS‐exposed [38 girls and 52 boys; mean age: 9.36 ± 1.60 years] and 90 PS‐unexposed [43 girls and 47 boys; mean age: 9.02 ± 1.71 years]) in this study. Periodontal clinical parameters, including plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL), were recorded in all children. Salivary cotinine and LL‐37 levels were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

PI and GI values in PS‐exposed children were significantly higher than those in PS‐unexposed children. The mean salivary cotinine concentration was significantly higher in PS‐exposed children than in control subjects. The mean salivary LL‐37 concentration of PS‐exposed children was significantly lower (100.71 ± 72.14 pg/mL) than that of PS‐unexposed children (151.84 ± 107.89 pg/mL).

Conclusion

Passive smoking could suppress salivary LL‐37 concentrations in children.
Electrochemically assisted room‐temperature crack healing of ceramic‐based composites
Authors: Shi Shengfang , Goto Tomoyo , Cho Sunghun , Sekino Tohru
Published: December 2018

We demonstrated for the first time the room‐temperature crack healing in ceramic‐based composites. For this purpose, 20 and 30 vol% of fine titanium metal (Ti) were homogeneously dispersed in electrically insulating alumina (Al2O3) ceramic to obtain composites that exhibited excellent electrical conductivity. Electrochemical anodization at room temperature was used to successfully heal cracks induced in the Al2O3/Ti composites and recover their fracture strength and reliability. The bending strength of as‐prepared, crack‐induced, and electrochemically healed composites was measured to evaluate the crack‐healing ability. Moreover, the effects of the anodization current density, crack size (including length and crack open distance), and the conductivity of the composites on their crack‐healing behavior were investigated and discussed. The results indicate that the bending strength of crack‐induced composites, which was approximately 61% of the crack‐free composite strength, was completely recovered after the crack‐healing procedure at room temperature under appropriate anodization conditions. The titanium oxides obtained after anodization formed bridges that healed the crack; this was considered to be the main strength recovery mechanism. By anodizing Al2O3/Ti composites, we developed a new and convenient approach to heal cracks and recover the fracture strength of cracked ceramics at room temperature.
A positive feedback loop between ZNF205‐AS1 and EGR4 promotes non‐small cell lung cancer growth
Authors: He Susu , Lin Jian , Xu Youzu , Lin Ling , Feng Jiaxi
Published: December 2018

Accumulating evidences revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently implicated in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Herein, we reported the identification of a novel NSCLC‐associated functional lncRNA ZNF205 antisense RNA 1 (ZNF205‐AS1). ZNF205‐AS1 was increased in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and associated with poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Bioinformatics prediction, combined with experimental verification revealed that early growth response 4 (EGR4) directly bound to ZNF205‐AS1 promoter, increased the promoter activity of ZNF205‐AS1, and activated ZNF205‐AS1 transcription. Intriguingly, ZNF205‐AS1 transcript directly interacted with EGR4 mRNA, increased EGR4 mRNA stability, and up‐regulated EGR4 expression via RNA‐RNA interaction. Thus, ZNF205‐AS1 and EGR4 formed a positive feedback loop. Through regulating EGR4, ZNF205‐AS1 activated its own promoter activity. EGR4 was also increased in NSCLC and the expression of ZNF205‐AS1 was significantly positively correlated with EGR4 in NSCLC tissues. Gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function assays demonstrated that both ZNF205‐AS1 and EGR4 promoted NSCLC cell growth in vitro and NSCLC tumour growth in vivo. Concurrently depleting ZNF205‐AS1 and EGR4 more significantly repressed NSCLC tumour growth in vivo. Collectively, our study demonstrated that the positive feedback loop between ZNF205‐AS1 and EGR4 promotes NSCLC growth, and implied that targeting this feedback loop may be promising therapeutic strategy for NSCLC.
Autism's existential crisis: a reflection on Livingston et al. (2018)
Authors: McPartland James C.
Published: December 2018

Livingston and colleagues present an empirical investigation of the compensatory framework describing the autism clinical phenotype as the sum of intrinsic neurocognitive deficits and compensatory mechanisms. This commentary highlights several methodologic features of the study that are pertinent to interpretation and reflects on the reduction of social behavior to cognitive processes. Taken together, the notion of compensation calls into question the validity and utility of the current behavioral diagnosis of autism.
Silver deposition on demineralized dentine surface dosed by silver diammine fluoride with different saliva
Authors: Peng Jing‐Yuan , Tsoi James K. H. , Matinlinna Jukka P. , Botelho Michael G.
Published: December 2018

Aim

Silver diammine fluoride (SDF) is an anticaries agent that binds to tooth tissue. The aim of the present study was investigate the dose‐response effect of SDF on demineralized dentine in basal medium mucin (BMM) saliva substitute and human saliva.

Methods

Dentine discs stored in saliva substitute, BMM, and human unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) were chemically demineralized, and 10 μL of 10 wt%, 24 wt%, or 38 wt% SDF was applied and then stored in its respective saliva (BMM or UWS) for 5 days. Dentine disc samples were digested in 70% HNO3, and silver was quantitatively detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy.

Results

For both the BMM and UWS groups, the presence of silver increased proportionally with increasing concentrations of SDF (P < 0.05). For the 38 wt% SDF application, the mean absorption percentage of silver in dentine was 3.90% for the UWS group and 6.61% for the BMM group. The BMM group was found to yield a significantly higher amount of silver compared to UWS at 10 wt% and 38 wt% SDF application (α = 0.05); 38 wt% SDF interacts more with BMM with higher silver deposition than UWS.

Conclusion

The amount of silver found in dentine was in proportion to the concentration of SDF. Extrapolation of in vitro investigations using artificial saliva for SDF tooth interactions should be interpreted with caution.
Money, Love, and Fragile Reciprocity in Contemporary Havana, Cuba
Authors: Härkönen Heidi
Published: December 2018

Entre Habaneros de bajos recursos, hombres frecuentemente dan dinero y otras formas de ayuda material a las mujeres en las cuales tienen un interés romántico. Para las mujeres esta ayuda significa que el hombre es responsable y las cuida. Los hombres, aúnque a veces compartan esta visión acerca de sus contribuciones materiales, suelen tener opiniones más ambiguas acerca de lo que esta ayuda significa. Estas tensiones reflejan las transformaciones ocurridas en la sociedad cubana desde los años 90 que han afectado, también, el concepto de la reciprocidad en las relaciones más íntimas. De esta forma, mientras el socialismo ha favorecido la igualdad de género, el período post‐soviético ha creado nuevos inequidades y marginalizaciones que amenazan concepciones socialistas de intimidad. Esta situación acentúa los efectos diferenciados por género de las transformaciones económicas en la Cuba contemporánea y su complejo enlace con las aspiraciones de amor de los individuos. [Cuba, genero, reciprocidad, amor, dinero, cuidado, sexualidad, parentesco, economia, post‐socialism, el Caribe]
Recrystallisation behaviour of a fully austenitic Nb‐stabilised stainless steel
Authors: BARCELLINI C. , DUMBILL S. , JIMENEZ‐MELERO E.
Published: December 2018

We have performed an in‐depth characterisation of the microstructure evolution of 20Cr‐25Ni Nb‐stabilised austenitic stainless steel during 1 h isochronal annealing up to 1100°C using scanning electron microscopy. This steel grade is used as cladding material in Advanced Gas‐cooled fission reactors, due to its resistance to thermal creep and oxidation. The initial deformed microstructure undergoes recrystallisation via a strain‐induced boundary migration mechanism, attaining a fully recrystallised microstructure at 850°C. A number of twins are observed in the vicinity of deformation bands prior to the start of recrystallisation. New Nb(C, N) particles form gradually in the microstructure, and the particle dispersion presents a maximum volume fraction of 2.7% at 930°C. At higher temperatures, the smaller particles become unstable and gradually dissolve in the matrix. Consequently, the Zener pinning pressure exerted on the grain boundaries is progressively released, triggering the growth of the austenite grains up to an average size of ∼47 μm at 1100°C. The observed temperature window for recrystallisation and grain growth can be predicted by a unified model based primarily on the migration of high‐ and low‐angle grain boundaries.

Lay Description

Austenitic stainless steel containing high percentage of chromium and nickel is currently used as fuel cladding material in the British Advanced Gas‐cooled Reactors (AGR). This material has been chosen because of its high resistance to thermal creep and corrosion, both enhanced by the presence of a fine dispersion of carbonitrides precipitated during the cladding thermomechanical processing. During the time spent in the reactor core, few fuel cladding elements can become susceptible to local chromium depletion at grain boundaries, which is ascribed to the time evolution of the microstructural damage caused by the neutron bombardment in the reactor core. This depletion might increase the susceptibility of this steel to intergranular corrosion attacks during medium‐to‐long term storage of spent fuel elements in water ponds. The severity of the local chromium depletion depends not only on the irradiation conditions, but also on the grain boundary geometry. We have investigated the recovery, recrystallisation and grain growth of AGR stainless steel during 1 h annealing at selected temperatures relevant for the thermomechanical processing of the steel claddings, focusing on the formation and evolution of grain boundaries and second phases. These two features play a key role in the progression of the neutron damage and the subsequent development of local chromium depletion during reactor service operations. A deep understanding of the mechanisms and conditions behind their formation during the thermomechanical processing of the cladding material and their interaction with each other constitutes the foundation to evaluate, and potentially mitigate, the effect of irradiation on the cladding material.
Stealing Deposits: Deposit Insurance, Risk‐Taking, and the Removal of Market Discipline in Early 20th‐Century Banks
Authors: CALOMIRIS CHARLES W. , JAREMSKI MATTHEW
Published: December 2018

Deposit insurance reduces liquidity risk but can increase insolvency risk by encouraging reckless behavior. Several U.S. states installed deposit insurance laws before the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and those laws applied only to some depository institutions within those states. These experiments present a unique testing ground for investigating the effect of deposit insurance. We show that deposit insurance removed market discipline constraining uninsured banks. Taking advantage of World War I's rise in world agricultural prices, insured banks increased their insolvency risk and competed aggressively for deposits. When prices fell after the war, the insurance systems collapsed and suffered high losses.
Community‐Based Dietician Services for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Friedman Carli , Spassiani Natasha A.
Published: December 2018

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) experience significantly poorer health outcomes and a shorter life expectancy when compared to the general population. People with I/DD are also more likely to become over weight or develop obesity because of poor nutrition and lack of education. Due to the health disparities that people with I/DD experience and the high prevalence of developing obesity it is important that preventive health measures, such as cost‐effective nutrition interventions and services, are readily available. The aim of this study is to explore how Medicaid Home and Community‐Based Services (HCBS) 1915(c) waivers—the largest providers of long‐term services and supports for people with I/DD—across the United States provided dietician services for people with I/DD. This study analyzed fiscal year (FY) 2015 HCBS waivers for people with I/DD from across the United States (n = 111) to determine how dietary services were provided, particularly focusing on service utilization and expenditures, including unduplicated participants, total projected spending, average spending per participant, reimbursement rates, and average annual service provision per participant. Services’ definitions were also analyzed for trends. We found that dietician services were not widely provided in HCBS waivers—less than 1% of the approximately 630,000 people with I/DD supported by HCBS waivers in FY 2015 were projected to receive dietician services. Moreover, despite being useful for health promotion, 0.01% of FY 2015 funding ($26.5 billion) was projected for dietician services. There was also a lack of consistency across states and services. People with I/DD who do not receive support services are less likely to engage in health services or health promotion activities and more likely to develop secondary conditions; for this reason, it is imperative that states utilize HCBS waivers to provide dietician services.
A monoclonal antibody‐based urine Histoplasma antigen enzyme immunoassay (IMMY®) for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis in cats
Authors: Rothenburg Lana , Hanzlicek Andrew S. , Payton Mark E.
Published: December 2018

Background

An in‐house Histoplasma urine antigen test for cats might be desirable in certain situations.

Objective

To validate and compare the diagnostic performance of a monoclonal antibody‐based IMMY urine Histoplasma antigen enzyme immunoassay (IMMY EIA) to the commercially available urine Histoplasma antigen enzyme immunoassay (MiraVista Diagnostics, MV EIA).

Animals

One hundred ninety‐three urine samples from 105 client‐owned and purpose‐bred research cats.

Methods

Cats were classified as Histoplasma positive or negative based on diagnostic investigation. The IMMY EIA and MV EIA were performed on all urine samples. Correlation and agreement between the assays were determined. Diagnostic performance was determined and compared between assays.

Results

The IMMY EIA, with a 0.25 ng/mL diagnostic cutoff, provided a diagnostic sensitivity (DSe), diagnostic specificity (DSp), and diagnostic accuracy (DAc) of 89% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 73%‐97%), 80% (67%‐89%), and 83% (74%‐90%), respectively. The IMMY EIA, with a 1.1 ng/mL diagnostic cutoff, provided a DSe, DSp, and DAc of 77% (95% CI 60%‐90%), 97% (88%‐100%), and 89% (81%‐95%), respectively. The MV EIA provided a DSe, DSp, and DAc of 94% (95% CI 81%‐99%), 97% (89%‐100%), and 96% (90%‐99%), respectively. Moderate overall agreement was found between MV EIA and IMMY EIA using the 0.25 ng/mL cut‐off (к = 0.44; 95% CI 0.31‐0.57) and the 1.1 ng/mL cut‐off (к = 0.43, 95% CI, 0.31‐0.56).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The IMMY EIA might be useful as a diagnostic test for histoplasmosis in cats. Further modifications of the IMMY EIA are required to achieve the diagnostic performance of the MV EIA.
Anatomy, baseline characteristics, and procedural outcome of patent ductus arteriosus in German Shepherd dogs
Authors: Wesselowski Sonya , Saunders Ashley B. , Gordon Sonya G.
Published: December 2018

Background

German Shepherd dogs (GSD) are predisposed to developing patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and are reportedly prone to type III (tubular) PDA anatomy. Dogs with type III anatomy are not considered favorable candidates for device‐based intervention.

Objective

To describe the PDA anatomy, baseline characteristics, and procedural outcome of GSD with PDA.

Animals

Twenty‐eight client‐owned GSD.

Methods

Retrospective review of medical records of 28 GSD diagnosed with PDA that underwent surgical ligation or transcatheter device closure between 2007 and 2017.

Results

German Shepherd dogs with PDA often presented with clinical signs (50%), concurrent congenital heart disease (35.7%), and arrhythmias (29%). Dogs were typically mature at presentation (median age, 12.1 months) and evenly distributed by sex (57% female). The PDA anatomy was classified in 24 of 28 GSD, with type II anatomy being most common (21/24). Three dogs had unusual anatomy (type IV in 1, type V in 2). Median minimal ductal diameter (MDD) in this population was larger than previously reported in a mixed population and ranged between 4.4 and 4.9 mm depending upon imaging modality. Successful closure was achieved using an Amplatz canine duct occluder (ACDO) in 22 dogs or by surgical ligation in 6 dogs. No cases of type III anatomy were confirmed.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The majority of GSD in this population had type II PDA anatomy that was amenable to ACDO deployment. Predisposition for large MDD and occasional, unusual PDA anatomy suggests that transesophageal echocardiography may be beneficial for optimal procedural planning in this breed.
Neural Correlates Associated With Novices Correcting Errors in Electricity and Mechanics
Authors: Nenciovici Lucian , Brault Foisy Lorie‐Marlène , Allaire‐Duquette Geneviève , Potvin Patrice , Riopel Martin , Masson Steve
Published: December 2018

Learning counterintuitive scientific concepts can be difficult for students because they often have misconceptions about natural phenomena that lead them to commit errors. Recent studies showed that students with advanced scientific training recruit brain regions associated with inhibitory control and memory retrieval to avoid committing errors for questions related to counterintuitive scientific concepts. However, the brain mechanisms used by novices in sciences to overcome errors are still unknown. In this study, novices in electricity and mechanics answered a scientific task in an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner before and after having corrected their errors. Results show that rostrofrontal and parietal brain areas were more activated after correcting errors than before. These findings suggest that error‐correction mechanisms of novices, induced by presenting to learners the correct answers at the very beginning of their learning process, are associated with memory retrieval but not inhibitory control.
“A child may be tall but stunted.” Meanings attached to childhood height in Tanzania
Authors: Mchome Zaina , Bailey Ajay , Darak Shrinivas , Haisma Hinke
Published: December 2018

Stunting affects large numbers of under‐fives in Tanzania. But do caretakers of under‐fives recognize height as a marker of child growth? What meanings do they attach to linear growth? An ethnographic study using cultural schemas theory was conducted in a rural community in Southeastern Tanzania to investigate caregivers' conceptualizations of child height in relation to growth and the meanings attached to short stature. Data for the study were collected through 19 focus group discussions, 30 in‐depth interviews, and five key informant interviews with caregivers of under‐fives, including mothers, fathers, elderly women, and community health workers. Principles of grounded theory guided the data management and analysis. Although caregivers could recognize height increments in children and were pleased to see improvements, many held that height is not related to nutrition, health, or overall growth. They referred to short stature as a normal condition that caregivers cannot influence; that is, as a function of God's will and/or heredity. While acknowledging short stature as an indicator of stunting, most participants said it is not reliable. Other signs of childhood stunting cited by caregivers include a mature‐looking face, wrinkled skin, weak or copper‐coloured hair, abnormal shortness and thinness, delayed ability to crawl/stand/walk, stunted IQ, and frequent illness. Culturally, a child could be tall but also stunted. Traditional rather than biomedical care was used to remedy growth problems in children. Public health programmers should seek to understand the local knowledge and schemas of child stature employed by people in their own context before designing and implementing interventions.
Targeting the vascular dysfunction: Potential treatments for preeclampsia
Authors: Marshall Sarah A. , Cox Annie G. , Parry Laura J. , Wallace Euan M.
Published: December 2018

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy‐specific disorder, primarily characterized by new‐onset hypertension in combination with a variety of other maternal or fetal signs. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the disease are still not entirely clear. Systemic maternal vascular dysfunction underlies the clinical features of preeclampsia. It is a result of oxidative stress and the actions of excessive anti‐angiogenic factors, such as soluble fms‐like tyrosine kinase, soluble endoglin, and activin A, released by a dysfunctional placenta. The vascular dysfunction then leads to impaired regulation and secretion of relaxation factors and an increase in sensitivity/production of constrictors. This results in a more constricted vasculature rather than the relaxed vasodilated state associated with normal pregnancy. Currently, the only effective “treatment” for preeclampsia is delivery of the placenta and therefore the baby. Often, this means a preterm delivery to save the life of the mother, with all the attendant risks and burdens associated with fetal prematurity. To lessen this burden, there is a pressing need for more effective treatments that target the maternal vascular dysfunction that underlies the hypertension. This review details the vascular effects of key drugs undergoing clinical assessment as potential treatments for women with preeclampsia.
Transilluminated powered phlebectomy in the treatment of large area venous leg ulcers: A case‐control study with 3 years follow‐up
Authors: Chen Siyu , Zeng Qiu , Fu Qining , Li Fenghe , Zhang Mao , Zhao Yu
Published: December 2018

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy, safety and long‐term outcome of TIPP for the adjunct therapy of superficial venous reflux‐related VLUs.

Methods

A total of 93 consecutive patients (104 legs) with superficial venous insufficiency‐related VLUs who underwent TIPP (53 legs) or conventional phlebectomy (51 legs) between January 2010 and December 2013 were retrospectively studied.

Results

Compared to patients in the conventional phlebectomy group, TIPP patients had larger ulcer areas before surgery (P < 0.005). However, TIPP group required a significantly shorter operation time (P < 0.005), fewer incisions (P < 0.005) but less ulcer healing time (1.25 month vs 2.5 months, P < 0.05). No significant difference in in‐hospital and follow‐up complications was found between the two groups. For long‐term outcome, TIPP group leaded a lower ulcer recurrence rate at 36 months (13.2% vs 29.4%, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

TIPP may be an adjunct surgical method contributes to healing of VLUs, especially for large ulcer areas.
Phenomenology as Soteriology: Husserl and the call for “Erneuerung” in the 1920s
Authors: Buckley Philip
Published: December 2018

Hegel claims famously in his Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion that “Philosophy is itself, worship; it is religion.” In this essay, it is argued that such a claim could also have been uttered by Husserl – with the much expanded sense that authentic philosophy is equivalent to phenomenology. It is especially present in what might be named Husserl’s “proto‐Crisis” texts of the early 1920s. In his call for “renewal” not only of philosophy and science, but culture in general, we see this entanglement of philosophy and religion. In the first part of the essay, it is shown that Husserl’s “critique” of religious tradition is parallel to his critique of the “garbs of ideas” that forms the incomplete “rationality” of the natural sciences. In the second part, attention is given to Husserl’s more positive description of the core rationality that can be found in the religious “lifeworld,” and how this allows him to see phenomenology itself as analogous to religious life. In the conclusion, some of the positive aspects, and also some of the dangers, of Husserl’s analogy between phenomenology and religion are addressed.
A “Manual” for Escaping Our Vicious Cycles: The Political Relevance of Enemy‐Love
Authors: Schlabach Gerald W.
Published: December 2018

In his 2017 World Day of Peace message, Pope Francis made a subtle yet stunning move when he called the Sermon on the Mount the Church’s “manual” for peacemaking at every level. Continuing the “fresh reappraisal” of war that the Second Vatican Council launched, Francis's choice of a term associated with the “Manualist” tradition of natural‐law casuistry signaled the Catholic magisterium’s growing commitment both to rooting its teaching on peace and war in biblical sources instead, and to active nonviolence in pursuit of just peace. Given centuries of dismissal of Jesus’s teaching as irrelevant to real‐world politics by both Catholics and Protestants, reception of Francis’s signal will benefit both from fresh biblical exegesis and new insights into natural law. Informing the biblical side is the groundbreaking work by Glen Stassen on the triadic structure of Jesus’s teachings in Matthew 5‐7, and its practical implications for just peacemaking. Informing the natural‐law side are recent findings from social psychology and neuroanthropology on the role of mimesis in human formation. The two fields join in underscoring the creative power of what Stassen called transforming initiatives for breaking cycles of violence.
A new regulator of seed size control in Arabidopsis identified by a genome‐wide association study
Authors: Ren Diqiu , Wang Xuncheng , Yang Mei , Yang Li , He Guangming , Deng Xing Wang
Published: December 2018

Organ size in plants is controlled by the interaction between genotype and the environment. Seed size, an important agronomic trait, largely determines yield and is an important focus of research. However, the genetic components underpinning natural variation of seed size in undomesticated species remain largely unidentified.

Here we report a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) of seed size in Arabidopsis thaliana, which identified 38 significantly associated loci, including one locus associated with CYCB1;4. Natural variations in CYCB1;4, which encodes a cyclin protein involved in the cell cycle, significantly influence seed size in A. thaliana.

Transgenic plants with enhanced CYCB1;4 expression show normal development, exhibit increased seed size as a result of an accelerated cell cycle progression, and tend to produce higher yields. By contrast, cycb1;4 mutants have smaller seeds, and the effect is especially pronounced in a large‐seed accession. The temporal and spatial expression pattern of CYCB1;4 suggests that this gene may function in both maternal tissues and zygotic tissues to coordinate the final size of seeds.

Taken together, our results provide genetic insights into natural variation in seed size in Arabidopsis. Moreover, CYCB1;4 homologs in other crops could have great potential as targets for efforts aimed at yield improvement.
Pollen tube integrity regulation in flowering plants: insights from molecular assemblies on the pollen tube surface
Authors: Ge Zengxiang , Cheung Alice Y. , Qu Li‐Jia
Published: December 2018

Contents

Summary
687

I.
Introduction
687

II.
Pollen tube membrane‐localized receptors coordinate cell integrity and sperm release
689

III.
RALF peptides mediate autocrine and paracrine signaling
689

IV.
ROS and ion channel signaling mediate intracellular response
690

V.
Involvements from pollen tube cell wall components
690

VI.
Concluding remarks
691

Acknowledgements
692

Author contributions
692

References
692

Unlike in animals, sperm in flowering plants are immotile and they are embraced as passive cargoes by a pollen tube which embarks on a long journey in the pistil to deliver them to the female gametophyte for fertilization. How the pollen tube switches from a rapid polarized growth towards its target to an abrupt disintegration for sperm cell release inside the female gametophyte is puzzling. Recent studies have shown that members of the Catharanthus roseus RLK1‐like (CrRLK1L) receptor kinase family and their ligands, 5‐kDa cysteine‐rich peptide rapid alkalinization factors (RALFs), engage in an intricate balancing act involving autocrine and paracrine signaling to maintain pollen tube growth and induce timely tube rupture at the spatially confined pollen tube–female gametophyte interface. Here, we review recent progress related to pollen tube integrity control, mainly focusing on the molecular understanding of signaling as well as intracellular signaling nodes in Arabidopsis. Some missing links and future perspectives are also discussed.
Lycophyte plastid genomics: extreme variation in GC, gene and intron content and multiple inversions between a direct and inverted orientation of the rRNA repeat
Authors: Mower Jeffrey P. , Ma Peng‐Fei , Grewe Felix , Taylor Alex , Michael Todd P. , VanBuren Robert , Qiu Yin‐Long
Published: December 2018

Lycophytes are a key group for understanding vascular plant evolution. Lycophyte plastomes are highly distinct, indicating a dynamic evolutionary history, but detailed evaluation is hindered by the limited availability of sequences.

Eight diverse plastomes were sequenced to assess variation in structure and functional content across lycophytes.

Lycopodiaceae plastomes have remained largely unchanged compared with the common ancestor of land plants, whereas plastome evolution in Isoetes and especially Selaginella is highly dynamic. Selaginella plastomes have the highest GC content and fewest genes and introns of any photosynthetic land plant. Uniquely, the canonical inverted repeat was converted into a direct repeat (DR) via large‐scale inversion in some Selaginella species. Ancestral reconstruction identified additional putative transitions between an inverted and DR orientation in Selaginella and Isoetes plastomes. A DR orientation does not disrupt the activity of copy‐dependent repair to suppress substitution rates within repeats.

Lycophyte plastomes include the most archaic examples among vascular plants and the most reconfigured among land plants. These evolutionary trends correlate with the mitochondrial genome, suggesting shared underlying mechanisms. Copy‐dependent repair for DR‐localized genes indicates that recombination and gene conversion are not inhibited by the DR orientation. Gene relocation in lycophyte plastomes occurs via overlapping inversions rather than transposase/recombinase‐mediated processes.
How fair versus how long: An integrative theory‐based examination of procedural justice and procedural timeliness
Authors: Outlaw Ryan , Colquitt Jason A. , Baer Michael D. , Sessions Hudson
Published: December 2018

Although studies have linked procedural justice to a range of positive attitudes and behaviors, the focus on justice has neglected other aspects of decision‐making procedures. We explore one of those neglected aspects:procedural timeliness—defined as the degree to which procedures are started and completed within an acceptable time frame. Do employees react to how long a procedure takes, not just how fair it seems to be? To explore that question, we examined the potential effects of procedural timeliness using six theories created to explain the benefits of procedural justice. This integrative theory‐based approach allowed us to explore whether “how long” had unique effects apart from “how fair.” The results of a three‐wave, two‐source field study showed that procedural timeliness had a significant indirect effect on citizenship behavior through many of the theory‐based mechanisms, even when controlling for procedural justice. A laboratory study then replicated those effects while distinguishing procedures that were too fast versus too slow. We discuss the implications of our results for research on fostering citizenship behavior and improving supervisors’ decision‐making procedures.
An Approach for Guiding the Development and Assessing the Interdisciplinarity of New Methodologies for Community Disaster Resilience
Authors: Sutley Elaina J.
Published: December 2018

There are critical and preventable inequalities in disaster impacts and postdisaster recovery. To formulate solutions for minimizing or preventing these unequal impacts, there is a great need for interdisciplinary methodologies that use social factors to set project scopes and drive engineering analyses and designs. At present time, however, limited guidance exists on how to develop and execute interdisciplinary methodologies, especially related to the study of community disaster resilience. This article offers an approach for developing and assessing interdisciplinary research methodologies. The framework incorporates insights from social science into structural engineering for integrated research focused on community disaster resilience. The two examples offered in the article assess the interdisciplinarity of two loss estimation methodologies. The goal of this perspectives article is to facilitate future interdisciplinary community disaster resilience research given its potential for transformative outcomes in terms of encouraging decision making that is driven by the needs of those who are often overlooked in disaster mitigation and recovery policies.
Driverless Technologies and Their Effects on Insurers and the State: An Initial Assessment
Authors: Grace Martin F. , Ping Juliann
Published: December 2018

This article explores the impacts of new auto technologies and their financial effects on insurance markets, a set of complementary services, and state revenues. We use data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the Census Bureau to create a data set that links industry and state finance variables to a set of variables related to driving. Our purpose in this initial assessment is to estimate the sensitivity of these financial variables to different indices of driving including the number of drivers, the number of cars licensed per year, and the number of vehicle miles driven. The resulting estimates are used to create elasticities to show how sensitive each is to changes brought about by the new technologies.
Seeing Like a DSM: Therapeutic Governance, Welfare, and Social Workers
Authors: Shoshana Avihu
Published: December 2018

This article suggests considering the processes affiliated with therapeutic governance through the relationships between social workers and prisoners’ wives. Research findings reveal unique practices of therapeutic governance that in turn maintain the state gazes that help regulate welfare individuals and populations: the invention of psychiatric categories and the conviction that they appear in the hegemonic psychiatric classification manual (DSM); definition of two selected emotions (shame and anger) as critical to therapeutic subjectivity; the internalization of a specific femininity expressed, inter alia, by “therapeutic clothing” and the absence of “grotesque excess,” as an indicator of recovery and normal subjectivity, which in turn increases the chances of receiving financial assistance from the welfare authorities. The discussion section maps out the unique research contributions of the article to the links between welfare, therapy, and surveillance in the everyday life of subaltern populations.
Lessons from extension activity related to cotton rotation impacts on soil—A scientist's perspective
Authors: Knox Oliver G. G. , Osanai Yui , Polain Katherine , Pereg Lily , Nachimuthu Gunasekhar , Wilson Brian , Waters Warwick
Published: December 2018

The role of microbiology in soil carbon and nutrient cycling under cotton systems has been the focus of our recent work; however, reporting is no longer just an exercise in journal publication and reporting to funders. Extension now has to incorporate funders, farmers, students, teachers and the general public. This results in one message being told many times in different ways, but raises questions regarding the best means of delivery, the preferred method of reception and the gathering and interpretation of audience feedback. This paper reviews our efforts to date across three main extension formats: printed material, digital material (including social media) and direct connections. Analyses indicate that no single method satisfies every potential audience and that some audiences want variety in their extension material formats. To meet this requirement, teams need to be familiar with several extension platforms, identify the key people that audiences look to for information so that the message is heard and assistance asked for from extension professionals when needed.
Gene networks orchestrated by MeGI: a single‐factor mechanism underlying sex determination in persimmon
Authors: Yang Ho‐Wen , Akagi Takashi , Kawakatsu Taiji , Tao Ryutaro
Published: December 2018

Separating male and female sex organs is one of the main strategies used to maintain genetic diversity within a species. However, the genetic determinants and their regulatory mechanisms have been identified in only a few species. In dioecious persimmons, the homeodomain transcription factor, MeGI, which is the target of a Y chromosome‐encoded small‐RNA, OGI, can determine floral sexuality. The basic features of this system are conserved in the monoecious hexaploid Oriental persimmon, in which an additional epigenetic regulation of MeGI determines floral sexuality. The downstream regulatory pathways of MeGI remain uncharacterized. In this study, we examined transcriptomic data for male and female flowers from monoecious persimmon cultivars to unveil the gene networks orchestrated by MeGI. A network visualization and cistrome assessment suggested that class‐1 KNOTTED‐like homeobox (KNOX)/ovate family protein (OFP)/growth regulating factors (GRFs) and short vegetative phase (SVP) genes mediate the differences in gynoecium and androecium development between male and female flowers, respectively. The expression of these genes is directly controlled by MeGI. The gene networks also suggested that some cytokinin, auxin, and gibberellin signaling genes function cooperatively in the KNOX/OFP/GRF pathway during gynoecium differentiation. Meanwhile, SVP may repress PI expression in developing androecia. Overall, our results suggest that MeGI evolved the ability to promote gynoecium development and suppress androecium development by regulating KNOX/OFP/GRF and SVP expression levels, respectively. These insights may help to clarify the molecular mechanism underlying the production of unisexual flowers, while also elucidating the physiological background enabling a single‐factor system to establish dioecy in plants.
Hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia as biochemical markers of disease in companion rabbits
Authors: Sharma Diya , Hill Ashley E. , Christopher Mary M.
Published: December 2018

Background

Inflammation has important effects on lipid metabolism, but the relationship between hyperlipidemia, inflammation, and disease remains unknown in rabbits. While rabbits are sensitive to dietary hypercholesterolemia, the etiology of hyperlipidemia when fed non‐atherogenic diets is uncertain.

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the association between hypercholesterolemia and patient characteristics, diseases, and select CBC and biochemistry analytes in rabbits, and to measure plasma lipoprotein lipid fractions in rabbits with inflammatory and other diseases.

Methods

Complete blood count and plasma biochemistry data, including total cholesterol concentrations, were evaluated in 531 companion rabbits. Lipoprotein cholesterol fractions (non‐high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol [non‐HDLc] and high‐density lipoprotein [HDLc]) and triglycerides were measured using a colorimetric enzymatic assay in archived plasma from a subset of 267 rabbits. Rabbits were categorized by age, sex, spay/neuter status, breed, diet status (fed atherogenic dietary components or not), the organ system affected by disease, and the pathologic process.

Results

Cholesterol was associated with fibrinogen (P = 0.01), globulins (P < 0.01), and heterophil (P < 0.01) concentrations. Adjusting for diet, rabbits with severe infection or sepsis (odds ratio [OR] = 13.25, 95% CI = 5.83‐30.12), renal failure (OR = 14.42, 95% CI = 5.69‐36.54), and hepatopathy (OR = 8.55, 95% CI = 3.55‐20.62) had increased risks of hypercholesterolemia. Increased non‐HDLc and triglyceride concentrations were also associated with these three disease states (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Hyperlipidemia is associated with biochemical and CBC markers of inflammation, and with severe infection or sepsis, renal failure, and hepatopathy. Independent of diet, increased cholesterol, non‐HDLc, and triglycerides are indicators of disease in companion rabbits.
Comparison of Physical and Mental Practice on Acquisition of Basketball Free Shot
Authors: Gülbahçe Öner
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this research was to compare mental and physical practice on acquisition of basketball free shot. Forty inexperienced boys were selected randomly by a revised questionnaire of motor imagery-making of Hall and Martin (1997). They were divided into 2 groups; an experimental group and a control one. Group one carried out the whole practice sessions practically. Group two carried out the whole sessions regarding to the mental practice being achieved as internal imagery. The results showed that the mental practices have significant impact on acquisition of basketball free shot.
Irregular Hexagonal Cellular Substrate for Stretchable Electronics
Authors: Zhu Feng , Xiao Hanbin , Li Haibo , Huang Yonggang , Ma Yinji
Published: December 2018

The existing regular hexagonal cellular substrate for stretchable electronics minimizes the disruptions to the natural diffusive or convective flow of bio-fluids. Its anisotropy is insignificant, which is not ideal for mounting on skins that involve directional stretching. This paper proposes an irregular hexagonal cellular substrate with large anisotropy to minimize the constraints on the natural motion of the skin, and establishes an analytic model to study its stress–strain relation under finite stretching.