bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Emergence and Epidemiology of Haff Disease in China
Authors: Chan Thomas
Published: December 2016

Haff disease is a rare syndrome of unexplained myalgia and rhabdomyolysis occurring within 24 h of consumption of certain types of cooked freshwater fish or crustacean. It is caused by a yet unidentified heat-stable toxin. In the present review of published case studies and official press releases, the main objective is to report the emergence and epidemiology of Haff disease in China. Haff disease first occurred in Beijing in 2000 and in Lianzhou and Liannan, Guangdong Province in 2009. Subsequent outbreaks mostly occurred in the Jiangsu Province—Nanjing, Yangzhou, Huai’an, and Yancheng. Isolated outbreaks occurred in other cities since 2010—Shijiazhuang, Yueyang, Shanghai, Wuhu, Baoding, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong (imported cases from Shenzhen). Outbreaks occurred predominately in the summer. Crayfish accounted for almost all the outbreaks. Two large outbreaks occurred in Lianzhou and Liannan in 2009 (n = 54) after eating pomfrets and in Nanjing in 2010 (n = 42) after eating crayfish. Other reports or outbreaks involved only 1–9 subjects (median 2 subjects). Variability in individual susceptibility and attack rates were noted, with many subjects remaining asymptomatic despite sharing the same seafood meal as the index cases. Adults were predominately involved. Symptoms occurred within 3–20 h of seafood ingestion, including myalgia, weakness, and, less frequently, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Myalgia and muscle weakness should normally subside within 2–3 days. Serum creatine phosphokinase became normal within 5–6 days. Abnormal renal function was uncommon. Serious complications (renal failure, multi-organ failure, and prolonged myopathy) and death were rare. In any subjects with unexplained myalgia and rhabdomyolysis, seafood consumption should be included in the history. All suspected cases of Haff disease, including milder presentations, should be reported to public health authorities.
Snake Genome Sequencing: Results and Future Prospects
Authors: Kerkkamp Harald , Kini R. , Pospelov Alexey , Vonk Freek , Henkel Christiaan , Richardson Michael
Published: December 2016

Snake genome sequencing is in its infancy—very much behind the progress made in sequencing the genomes of humans, model organisms and pathogens relevant to biomedical research, and agricultural species. We provide here an overview of some of the snake genome projects in progress, and discuss the biological findings, with special emphasis on toxinology, from the small number of draft snake genomes already published. We discuss the future of snake genomics, pointing out that new sequencing technologies will help overcome the problem of repetitive sequences in assembling snake genomes. Genome sequences are also likely to be valuable in examining the clustering of toxin genes on the chromosomes, in designing recombinant antivenoms and in studying the epigenetic regulation of toxin gene expression.
Experimental Studies on the Lorentz Symmetry in Post-Newtonian Gravity with Pulsars
Authors: Shao Lijing
Published: December 2016

Local Lorentz invariance (LLI) is one of the most important fundamental symmetries in modern physics. While the possibility of LLI violation (LLIv) was studied extensively in flat spacetime, its counterpart in gravitational interaction also deserves significant examination from experiments. In this contribution, I review several recent studies of LLI in post-Newtonian gravity, using powerful tools of pulsar timing. It shows that precision pulsar timing experiments hold a unique position to probe LLIv in post-Newtonian gravity.
Capsule-Targeting Depolymerase, Derived from Klebsiella KP36 Phage, as a Tool for the Development of Anti-Virulent Strategy
Authors: Majkowska-Skrobek Grażyna , Łątka Agnieszka , Berisio Rita , Maciejewska Barbara , Squeglia Flavia , Romano Maria , Lavigne Rob , Struve Carsten , Drulis-Kawa Zuzanna
Published: December 2016

The rise of antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, a leading nosocomial pathogen, prompts the need for alternative therapies. We have identified and characterized a novel depolymerase enzyme encoded by Klebsiella phage KP36 (depoKP36), from the Siphoviridae family. To gain insights into the catalytic and structural features of depoKP36, we have recombinantly produced this protein of 93.4 kDa and showed that it is able to hydrolyze a crude exopolysaccharide of a K. pneumoniae host. Using in vitro and in vivo assays, we found that depoKP36 was also effective against a native capsule of clinical K. pneumoniae strains, representing the K63 type, and significantly inhibited Klebsiella-induced mortality of Galleria mellonella larvae in a time-dependent manner. DepoKP36 did not affect the antibiotic susceptibility of Klebsiella strains. The activity of this enzyme was retained in a broad range of pH values (4.0–7.0) and temperatures (up to 45 °C). Consistently, the circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed a highly stability with melting transition temperature (Tm) = 65 °C. In contrast to other phage tailspike proteins, this enzyme was susceptible to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) denaturation and proteolytic cleavage. The structural studies in solution showed a trimeric arrangement with a high β-sheet content. Our findings identify depoKP36 as a suitable candidate for the development of new treatments for K. pneumoniae infections.
Evaluation of microRNA Expression in Patients with Herpes Zoster
Authors: Li Xihan , Huang Ying , Zhang Yucheng , He Na
Published: December 2016

Reactivated varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which lies latent in the dorsal root ganglions and cranial nerves before its reactivation, is capable of causing herpes zoster (HZ), but the specific mechanism of virus reactivation and latency remains unknown. It was proposed that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in body fluids could potentially indicate infection. However, the connection between herpes zoster and circulating miRNAs has not been demonstrated. In this study, 41 HZ patients without superinfection were selected. The serum miRNA levels were analyzed by TaqMan low density array (TLDA) and confirmed individually by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. Thirty-five age-matched subjects without any infectious diseases or inflammation were selected as controls. The results showed that the serum miRNA expression profiles in 41 HZ patients were different from those of control subjects. Specifically, 18 miRNAs were up-regulated and 126 were down-regulated more than two-fold in HZ patients compared with controls. The subsequent confirmation of these results by qRT-PCR, as well as receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, revealed that six kinds of miRNAs, including miR-190b, miR-571, miR-1276, miR-1303, miR-943, and miR-661, exhibited statistically significant enhanced expression levels (more than four-fold) in HZ patients, compared with those of healthy controls and herpes simplex virus (HSV) patients. Subsequently, it is proposed that these circulating miRNAs are capable of regulating numerous pathways and some may even participate in the inflammatory response or nervous system activity. This study has initially demonstrated that the serum miRNA expression profiles in HZ patients were different from those of uninfected individuals. Additionally, these findings also suggest that six of the altered miRNA could be potentially used as biomarkers to test for latent HZ infection.
Use of Multi-Carbon Sources by Zooplankton in an Oligotrophic Lake in the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Hu En , He Hu , Su Yaling , Jeppesen Erik , Liu Zhengwen
Published: December 2016

We applied natural abundance stable isotope δ13C and radiocarbon ∆14C analyses to investigate trophic linkages between zooplankton and their potential food sources (phytoplankton, submersed plants, and allochthonous organic carbon) in Lake Nam Co, one of the largest oligosaline and oligotrophic lakes in the Tibetan Plateau, in south-west China. The δ13C and ∆14C levels of the calanoid copepod Arctodiaptomus altissimus pectinatus indicate that it uses different carbon sources. Thus, based on a two-isotope mixing model, our results suggested that recently synthesized but 14C-depleted primary producers (phytoplankton and submersed plants) were the most important sources of carbon, together contributing 92.2% of the zooplankton biomass. Allochthonous organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon constituted 4.7% and 3.1% of the carbon in the diet of zooplankton, respectively. Our findings from Lake Nam Co suggest that the carbon in the food webs of lakes located in a glaciated environment originates from various sources of different ages.
Representativeness of Honeypot Trial Participants to Australasian PD Patients
Authors: Zhang Lei , Badve Sunil V. , Pascoe Elaine M. , Beller Elaine , Cass Alan , Clark Carolyn , de Zoysa Janak , Isbel Nicole M. , Liu Xusheng , McTaggart Steven , Morrish Alicia T. , Playford Geoffrey , Scaria Anish , Snelling Paul , Vergara Liza A. , Hawley Carmel M. , Johnson David W. ,   for the HONEYPOT Study Collaborative Group
Published: December 2016

Background

The HONEYPOT trial failed to establish the superiority of exit-site application of Medihoney compared with nasal mupirocin prophylaxis for the prevention of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. This study aimed to assess the representativeness of the patients in the HONEYPOT trial to the Australian and New Zealand PD population.

Methods

This study compared baseline characteristics of the 371 PD patients in the HONEYPOT trial with those of 6,085 PD patients recorded on the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry.

Results

Compared with the PD population, the HONEYPOT sample was older (standardized difference [ d] = 0.19, p = 0.003), more likely to be treated with automated PD ( d = 0.58, p < 0.001), had higher residual renal function ( d = 0.26, p < 0.001) and a higher proportion of participants with end-stage kidney disease due to polycystic kidney disease ( d = 0.17) and lower proportion due to diabetes ( d = -0.17) and glomerulonephritis ( d = -0.18) ( p < 0.001), and lower proportions of indigenous people ( d = -0.17, p < 0.001), current smokers ( d = -0.10, p < 0.001), and people with prior histories of hemodialysis ( d = -0.16, p < 0.001), diabetes mellitus ( d = -0.18, p < 0.001), and coronary artery disease ( d = -0.15, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

HONEYPOT trial participants tended to be healthier than the Australian and New Zealand PD patient population. Although the differences between the groups were generally modest, it is possible that their cumulative effect may have had some impact on external generalizability, which is not an uncommon occurrence in clinical trials.
Evaluation of A 12-Month Pilot of Long-Term and Temporary Assisted Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Bevilacqua Micheli U. , Turnbull Linda , Saunders Sushila , Er Lee , Chiu Helen , Hill Penny , Singh Rajinder S. , Levin Adeera , Copland Michael A. , Jamal Abeed , Brumby Catherine , Dunne Orla , Taylor Paul A.
Published: December 2016

Background

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is challenging for patients with functional limitations, and assisted PD can support these patients, but previous reports of assisted PD have not examined the role of temporary assisted PD and had difficulty identifying adequate comparator cohorts.

Methods

Peritoneal Dialysis Assist (PDA), a 12-month pilot of long-term and temporary assisted PD was completed in multiple PD centers in British Columbia, Canada. Continuous cycler PD (CCPD) patients were identified for PDA by standardized criteria, and service could be long-term or temporary/respite. The PDA program provided daily assistance with cycler dismantle and setup, but patients remained responsible for cycler connections and treatment decisions. Outcomes were compared against both the general CCPD population and patients who met PDA criteria but were not enrolled (PDA-eligible).

Results

Fifty-three PDA patients had an 88% 1-year death- and transplant-censored technique survival that was similar to the general CCPD cohort (84%) and PDA-eligible cohort (86%). The PDA cohort had lower peritonitis rates (0.18 episodes/patient-year vs 0.22 and 0.36, respectively), but higher hospitalization (55% vs 34% and 35%, respectively). Long-term PDA cost approximately CDN$15,000/year in addition to existing dialysis costs. A total of 8/11 respite PDA patients (73%) returned to self-care PD after a median PDA use of 29 days, which costs $1,250/patient.

Conclusions

Peritoneal Dialysis Assist provides effective support to functionally-limited CCPD patients and yields acceptable clinical outcomes. The program costs less than transfer to HD or long-term care, which represents cost minimization for failing self-care PD patients. Respite PDA provides effective temporary support; most patients returned to self-care PD and service was cost-effective compared with alternatives of hospitalization or transfer to HD.
Facile fabrication of luminescent organic dots by thermolysis of citric acid in urea melt, and their use for cell staining and polyelectrolyte microcapsule labelling
Authors: Zholobak Nadezhda M , Popov Anton L , Shcherbakov Alexander B , Popova Nelly R , Guzyk Mykhailo M , Antonovich Valeriy P , Yegorova Alla V , Scrypynets Yuliya V , Leonenko Inna I , Baranchikov Alexander Ye , Ivanov Vladimir K
Published: December 2016

Luminescent organic dots (O-dots) were synthesized via a one-pot, solvent-free thermolysis of citric acid in urea melt. The influence of the ratio of the precursors and the duration of the process on the properties of the O-dots was established and a mechanism of their formation was hypothesized. The multicolour luminescence tunability and toxicity of synthesized O-dots were extensively studied. The possible applications of O-dots for alive/fixed cell staining and labelling of layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte microcapsules were evaluated.
MEASURING STRUCTURAL PARAMETERS THROUGH STACKING GALAXY IMAGES
Authors: Li Yubin , Zheng Xian Zhong , Gu Qiu-Sheng , Wang Yi-Peng , Wen Zhang Zheng , Guo Kexin , An Fang Xia
Published: December 2016

It remains challenging to detect the low surface brightness structures of faint high-z galaxies, which are key to understanding the structural evolution of galaxies. The technique of image stacking allows us to measure the averaged light profile beneath the detection limit and probe the extended structure of a group of galaxies. We carry out simulations to examine the recovery of the averaged surface brightness profile through stacking model Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys images of a set of galaxies as functions of the Sérsic index (n), effective radius (R
e) and axis ratio (AR). The Sérsic profile best fitting the radial profile of the stacked image is taken as the recovered profile, in comparison with the intrinsic mean profile of the model galaxies. Our results show that, in general, the structural parameters of the mean profile can be properly determined through stacking, though systematic biases need to be corrected when spreads of R
e and AR are counted. We find that the Sérsic index is slightly overestimated and R
e is underestimated at

 because the stacked image appears to be more compact due to the presence of inclined galaxies; the spread of R
e biases the stacked profile to have a higher Sérsic index. We stress that the measurements of structural parameters through stacking should take these biases into account. We estimate the biases in the recovered structural parameters from stacks of galaxies when the samples have distributions of

, AR and n seen in local galaxies.
NO THERMAL INVERSION AND A SOLAR WATER ABUNDANCE FOR THE HOT JUPITER HD 209458B FROM HST/WFC3 SPECTROSCOPY
Authors: Line Michael R. , Stevenson Kevin B. , Bean Jacob , Desert Jean-Michel , Fortney Jonathan J. , Kreidberg Laura , Madhusudhan Nikku , Showman Adam P. , Diamond-Lowe Hannah
Published: December 2016

The nature of the thermal structure of hot Jupiter atmospheres is one of the key questions raised by the characterization of transiting exoplanets over the past decade. There have been claims that many hot Jupiters exhibit atmospheric thermal inversions. However, these claims have been based on broadband photometry rather than the unambiguous identification of emission features with spectroscopy, and the chemical species that could cause the thermal inversions by absorbing stellar irradiation at high altitudes have not been identified despite extensive theoretical and observational effort. Here we present high-precision Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 observations of the dayside thermal emission spectrum of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b, which was the first exoplanet suggested to have a thermal inversion. In contrast to previous results for this planet, our observations detect water in absorption at 6.2σ confidence. When combined with Spitzer photometry, the data are indicative of a monotonically decreasing temperature with pressure over the range of 1–0.001 bars at 7.7σ confidence. We test the robustness of our results by exploring a variety of model assumptions, including the temperature profile parameterization, presence of a cloud, and choice of Spitzer data reduction. We also introduce a new analysis method to determine the elemental abundances from the spectrally retrieved mixing ratios with thermochemical self-consistency and find plausible abundances consistent with solar metallicity (0.06–10 × solar) and carbon-to-oxygen ratios less than unity. This work suggests that high-precision spectrophotometric results are required to robustly infer thermal structures and compositions of extrasolar planet atmospheres and to perform comparative exoplanetology.
THE POPULATION OF LONG-PERIOD TRANSITING EXOPLANETS
Authors: Foreman-Mackey Daniel , Morton Timothy D. , Hogg David W. , Agol Eric , Schölkopf Bernhard
Published: December 2016

The Kepler mission has discovered thousands of exoplanets and revolutionized our understanding of their population. This large, homogeneous catalog of discoveries has enabled rigorous studies of the occurrence rate of exoplanets and planetary systems as a function of their physical properties. However, transit surveys such as Kepler are most sensitive to planets with orbital periods much shorter than the orbital periods of Jupiter and Saturn, the most massive planets in our solar system. To address this deficiency, we perform a fully automated search for long-period exoplanets with only one or two transits in the archival Kepler light curves. When applied to the ∼40,000 brightest Sun-like target stars, this search produces 16 long-period exoplanet candidates. Of these candidates, six are novel discoveries and five are in systems with inner short-period transiting planets. Since our method involves no human intervention, we empirically characterize the detection efficiency of our search. Based on these results, we measure the average occurrence rate of exoplanets smaller than Jupiter with orbital periods in the range 2–25 years to be 2.0 ± 0.7 planets per Sun-like star.
PORTRAIT OF A DARK HORSE: A PHOTOMETRIC AND SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE ULTRA-FAINT MILKY WAY SATELLITE PEGASUS III*
Authors: Kim Dongwon , Jerjen Helmut , Geha Marla , Chiti Anirudh , Milone Antonino P. , Costa Gary Da , Mackey Dougal , Frebel Anna , Conn Blair
Published: December 2016

Pegasus III (Peg III) is one of the few known ultra-faint stellar systems in the outer halo of the Milky Way. We present the results from a follow-up campaign with Magellan/IMACS and Keck/DEIMOS. Deep stellar photometry down to

mag at 50% completeness level has allowed accurate measurements of its photometric and structural properties. The color–magnitude diagram of Peg III confirms that the stellar system is well described by an old (≳12 Gyr) and metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≲ −2.0 dex) stellar population at a heliocentric distance of 215 ± 12 kpc. The revised half-light radius

pc, ellipticity

, and total luminosity

are in good agreement with the values quoted in our previous paper. We further report on the spectroscopic identification of seven, possibly eight, member stars of Peg III. The Ca ii triplet lines of the brightest member stars indicate that Peg III contains stars with metallicity as low as [Fe/H] = −2.55 ± 0.15 dex. Peg III has a systemic velocity of −222.9 ± 2.6 km s−1 and a velocity dispersion of

km s−1. The inferred dynamical mass within the half-light radius is

and the mass-to-light ratio

, providing further evidence that Peg III is a dwarf galaxy satellite. We find that Peg III and another distant dwarf satellite Pisces II lie relatively close to each other (

kpc) and share similar radial velocities in the Galactic standard-of-rest frame (

km s−1). This suggests that they may share a common origin.
A GENERALIZED TWO-COMPONENT MODEL OF SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE AND AB INITIO DIFFUSION MEAN-FREE PATHS AND DRIFT LENGTHSCALES OF COSMIC RAYS
Authors: Wiengarten T. , Oughton S. , Engelbrecht N. E. , Fichtner H. , Kleimann J. , Scherer K.
Published: December 2016

We extend a two-component model for the evolution of fluctuations in the solar wind plasma so that it is fully three-dimensional (3D) and also coupled self-consistently to the large-scale magnetohydrodynamic equations describing the background solar wind. The two classes of fluctuations considered are a high-frequency parallel-propagating wave-like piece and a low-frequency quasi-two-dimensional component. For both components, the nonlinear dynamics is dominanted by quasi-perpendicular spectral cascades of energy. Driving of the fluctuations by, for example, velocity shear and pickup ions is included. Numerical solutions to the new model are obtained using the Cronos framework, and validated against previous simpler models. Comparing results from the new model with spacecraft measurements, we find improved agreement relative to earlier models that employ prescribed background solar wind fields. Finally, the new results for the wave-like and quasi-two-dimensional fluctuations are used to calculate ab initio diffusion mean-free paths and drift lengthscales for the transport of cosmic rays in the turbulent solar wind.
THE EVOLUTION OF POST-STARBURST GALAXIES FROM z ∼ 1 TO THE PRESENT
Authors: Pattarakijwanich Petchara , Strauss Michael A. , Ho Shirley , Ross Nicholas P.
Published: December 2016

Post-starburst galaxies are in the transitional stage between blue, star-forming galaxies and red, quiescent galaxies and therefore hold important clues for our understanding of galaxy evolution. In this paper, we systematically searched for and identified a large sample of post-starburst galaxies from the spectroscopic data set of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 9. In total, we found more than 6000 objects with redshifts between z ∼ 0.05 and z ∼ 1.3, making this the largest sample of post-starburst galaxies in the literature. We calculated the luminosity function of the post-starburst galaxies using two uniformly selected subsamples: the SDSS main galaxy sample and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey CMASS sample. The luminosity functions are reasonably fit by half-Gaussian functions. The peak magnitudes shift as a function of redshift from M ∼ −23.5 at z ∼ 0.8 to M ∼ −20.3 at z ∼ 0.1. This is consistent with the downsizing trend, whereby more massive galaxies form earlier than low-mass galaxies. We compared the mass of the post-starburst stellar population found in our sample to the decline of the global star formation rate and found that only a small amount (∼1%) of all star formation quenching in the redshift range z = 0.2–0.7 results in post-starburst galaxies in the luminosity range our sample is sensitive to. Therefore, luminous post-starburst galaxies are not the place where most of the decline in the star formation rate of the universe is happening.
Five-year Efficacy and Safety of Tocilizumab Monotherapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Were Methotrexate- and Biologic-naive or Free of Methotrexate for 6 Months: the AMBITION Study
Authors: Jones Graeme , Wallace Thomas , McIntosh Matthew J. , Brockwell Laura , Gómez-Reino Juan J. , Sebba Anthony
Published: December 2016

Objective.

To report on the 5-year efficacy and safety results of the AMBITION (Actemra versus Methotrexate double-Blind Investigative Trial In mONotherapy) monotherapy study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00109408, NCT00720798).

Methods.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis for whom biologics had not failed or who did not discontinue methotrexate because of lack of efficacy or tolerability were followed up for 5 years to assess the efficacy and serious adverse events (SAE) of tocilizumab (TCZ) monotherapy.

Results.

Longterm efficacy results showed that efficacy was maintained or improved for up to 264 weeks in patients receiving TCZ monotherapy. Serious infection was the most frequent SAE; no new safety signals were reported.

Conclusion.

Longterm monotherapy with TCZ demonstrated continuing efficacy and safety.
Continual Maintenance of Remission Defined by the ACR/EULAR Criteria in Daily Practice Leads to Better Functional Outcomes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Shidara Kumi , Nakajima Ayako , Inoue Eisuke , Hoshi Daisuke , Sugimoto Naoki , Seto Yohei , Tanaka Eiichi , Momohara Shigeki , Taniguchi Atsuo , Yamanaka Hisashi
Published: December 2016

Objective.

To evaluate longterm functional outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on the number of times that the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) or the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) remission criteria were fulfilled.

Methods.

Patients with RA who participated in all 6 data collections in an observational cohort from 2008 to 2010 and who fulfilled the DAS28 remission criteria at baseline were studied. Patients were classified by the number of times they fulfilled the ACR/EULAR [Boolean trial, Boolean practice, Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), or Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI)] or DAS28 remission criteria at each collection. The OR for the Japanese version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (J-HAQ) progression, based on the number of times each set of remission criteria was fulfilled, were calculated by logistic regression.

Results.

A total of 915 patients were studied. The OR (95% CI) for J-HAQ progression were 0.54 (0.33–0.87), 0.55 (0.33–0.92), 0.48 (0.28–0.82), 0.29 (0.16–0.51), 0.24 (0.13–0.47), and 0.07 (0.03–0.15) for those fulfilling the Boolean trial remission from 1 to 6 times. This tendency was also observed for the other 4 criteria. The OR (95% CI) for J-HAQ progression in patients who achieved remission at all 6 data collections were 0.07 (0.03–0.14) for the Boolean practice, 0.10 (0.05–0.20) for the SDAI, and 0.07 (0.04–0.15) for the CDAI, whereas 0.15 (0.08–0.29) for the DAS28.

Conclusion.

Continual fulfillment of any remission criteria was strongly effective in preventing patients from progression of functional disability; however, the ACR/EULAR criteria appear to be preferable.
Thymoquinone disrupts the microtubule dynamics in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Masood Nusrat , Khan Saman , Luqman Suaib , Ahmed Shakil
Published: December 2016

Mad2 deletion strain of Schizosaccharomyces pombe was found to be sensitive to thymoquinone, a signature molecule present in Nigella sativa in a dose-dependent manner. Mad2 protein is an indispensable part of mitotic spindle checkpoint complex and is required for the cell cycle arrest in response to the spindle defects. Although the expression of α tubulin was not affected in thymoquinone treated cells, but the expression of β-tubulin was reduced. Further, the absence of microtubule in thymoquinone treated cells suggests its involvement in tubulin polymerization. Molecular docking studies revealed that thymoquinone specifically binds to β-tubulin near the Taxotere binding site of Tub1 (Tubulin α-β dimer). These studies additionally showed that thymoquinone interacts with the residues present in chain B, which is an inherent part of Mad2 protein of mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC). We concluded that the thymoquinone disrupts the microtubule polymerization that leads to the requirement of spindle checkpoint protein for the cell survival.
A FIELD STUDY SETUP OF FOUR HOMES HAVING NON-VENTILATED AND SEMI-CONDITIONED SEALED ATTICS
Authors: Miller William A. , Boudreaux Philip , Pallin Simon , Biswas Kaushik , Gehl Tony , Atchley Jerry , Karlsson Nicklas , Bednar Dominic , Jackson Roderick , Prevatt David O. , Shah Anshul , Viswanathan Aravind , Talele Mitali
Published: December 2016

INTRODUCTION

The University of Florida (UF) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are evaluating the hygrothermal (heat and moisture flow) performance and durability of sealed attic construction where open cell spray polyurethane foam (ocSPF) insulation is applied directly to the underside of the roof deck. During the 2015–2016 fiscal year and with financial support from the Florida Building Commission (FBC) and the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA), UF and the ORNL Building Technology Research Integration Center (BTRIC) completed Phase I of a study that setup four residential home demonstrations in Florida climate zones CZ-1A and CZ-2A. Field measurements for the homes are listed in Table 1.

The four homes are instrumented for measuring temperature and relative humidity of the indoor living space, the outdoor air and the attic air. In addition, the temperature, relative humidity and moisture content of the roof sheathing are being monitored and recorded by remotely-accessible data acquisition equipment. Air leakage tests on the whole house, on the sealed attic and in the HVAC ducts were conducted on all four homes, Table 1. Digital and infrared images were captured to document the thermal performance of the sealed attics. Field tests commenced on June 1, 2016. Data acquisition will continue for one full year to document heat and moisture flows, which, in turn will be used in a second phase of work to benchmark an analytical tool kit for predicting the heat and moisture flows in Florida's hot and humid climate. The second phase of work is pending approval by the FBC.
CASE STUDY OF THE OPERATIONAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND CARBON EMISSIONS FROM A BUILDING IN NANJING BASED ON A SYSTEM DYNAMICS APPROACH
Authors: Peng Changhai , Yang Jianqiang , Huang Jinfu
Published: December 2016

Buildings are responsible for more than forty percent of global energy consumption and as much as one third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the energy conservation and exhaust reduction of a building can be easily understood by accurately calculating a building's carbon emissions during its operational stage. In the present study, a system dynamics (SD) approach to calculate the energy consumption and carbon emissions from a building during its operational stage is quantitatively developed through a case study on an office building in Nanjing. The obtained results demonstrate that: a) the difference between the results of SD and that of EnergyPlus is so small that a SD approach is acceptable; b) the variation between the real monitored data and that of simulation by SD and EnergyPlus is reasonable; c) the physical meanings of the variables in the SD model are clear; d) the parameters of the SD model and the relationships between the variables can be determined by a qualitative-and-quantitative combined analysis.
REFLECTIONS ON THE INSULATED HOME: THE R-VALUE MYTH
Authors: Donnellon Dan H.
Published: December 2016

INTRODUCTION

The R-value is defined as, “a measure of the resistance of an insulating or building material to heat flow, expressed as R-11, R-20, and so on; the higher the number, the greater the resistance to heat flow (Random House, 2016).” The first thermodynamic principle violated by the R-value is the singular use of the word heat flow. Heat flow, or transfer, occurs in three distinct ways; conduction, convection, and radiation. The R-value test will only measure a bulk insulations resistance to conductive heat transfer. This type of heat flow is almost undetectable in the built environment, regardless of climate or season - resulting in the R-value myth. In winter, the stack effect will cause convective flows through the home as warm air under pressure rises and escapes through the top, requiring an equal amount of cold replacement air to infiltrate at the bottom. On hot sunny days, the exterior of the home absorbs long wave ultra violet (UV) rays from the sun and reemits this radiant heat energy into the residence. The thermodynamics of an occupied structure under varying atmospheric conditions is not well understood, leading to major inefficiencies. The goal of this conceptual study is to reveal the shortcomings of current insulation practices at the residential level, conceptualize a series of related issues for future study and develop a preliminary methodological concept for resolutions to the problems identified. Conclusions indicate that further research needs to be dedicated to replacing the R-value rule with a realistic metric that considers the efficiency, health, and safety of the entire building.
MYOELECTRIC ACTIVATION DIFFERENCES IN TRANSFEMORAL AMPUTEES DURING LOCOMOTOR STATE TRANSITIONS
Authors: Nakamura Bryson H. , Hahn Michael E.
Published: December 2016

Locomotor state transitions are challenging for transfemoral (TF) amputees due to the lack of active knee control even in the current powered prosthetic devices. Myoelectric activation has been used successfully to classify steady-state locomotion states, but classification of transitions between locomotion states remains a challenge, especially for TF amputees. The purpose of this study was to determine if lower-extremity muscle activation differences between pre-transition and transition gait cycles occur in the involved or uninvolved limb of TF amputees during locomotion state transitions. Surface electromyography (EMG) was collected from residual muscles on the involved limb and from the uninvolved limb from five TF amputees as they transitioned between different locomotion states (level ground, ramp ascent/descent, stair ascent/descent). Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to assess differences in activation. When analyzed as a group, the only significant differences were observed in the vastus lateralis of the uninvolved limb. High inter-subject variation reduced the significance of other pattern differences. Further inspection revealed that the individual subjects expressed three different recruitment patterns. These recruitment patterns may indicate compensatory strategies adopted by the subjects over the years since amputation. Furthermore, the separate recruitment patterns suggest the need for individualized locomotion transition classification algorithms rather than a general classification scheme.
Geochemical data of the northern Cache Creek and Stikine terranes and their overlap assemblages, British Columbia and Yukon
Authors: Zagorevski A
Published: December 2016

The Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) program is laying the foundation for sustainable economic development in the North. The Program provides modern public geoscience that will set the stage for long-term decision making related to investment in
responsible resource development. Geoscience knowledge produced by GEM supports evidence-based exploration for new energy and mineral resources and enables northern communities to make informed decisions about their land, economy and society. On-going GEM-Cordillera project is focused on improving
the regional stratigraphy and tectonic models in northern British Columbia and Yukon and producing publically available, regional-scale geoscience knowledge in Canada's North.
The following report presents a compilation of the whole-rock geochemical data collected in the course of regional mapping, re-analysis of archival samples and unpublished archival analyses within the GEM-Cordillera project footprint. The geochemical data presented herein provide assistance in the
regional correlation of units, as well as for determination of the tectonic setting of Phanerozoic volcanic and plutonic rocks. The report is intended to provide users with access to essential geochemical data and analytical background information.
Report of activities for the GEM-2 Boothia Peninsula-Somerset Island project: integrated geoscience of the Northwest Passage
Authors: Sanborn-Barrie M , Ford A , Hillary E M , Tschirhart V
L , Tremblay T , Maharaj J
Published: December 2016

Foreword
The Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) program is laying the foundation for sustainable economic development in the North. The Program provides modern public geoscience that will set the stage for long-term decision making related to investment in responsible resource development. Geoscience
knowledge produced by GEM supports evidence-based exploration for new energy and mineral resources and enables northern communities to make informed decisions about their land, economy and society. Building upon the success of its first five-years, the program has been renewed (GEM-2) until 2020 to
continue producing new, publically available, regional-scale geoscience knowledge in Canada's North.
During the summer 2016, GEM-2 successfully carried out 17 research activities that included geological, geochemical and geophysical surveying. Many of these were undertaken in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, northerners and their institutions, academia and the private
sector. GEM-2 will continue to work with these key collaborators as the program advances.
Disability inclusion in higher education in Uganda: Status and strategies
Authors: Emong Paul , Eron Lawrence
Published: December 2016

Background: Uganda has embraced inclusive education and evidently committed itself to bringing about disability inclusion at every level of education. Both legal and non-legal frameworks have been adopted and arguably are in line with the intent of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on education. The CRPD, in Article 24, requires states to attain a right to education for persons with disabilities without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunities at all levels of education. Objectives: Despite Uganda’s robust disability legal and policy framework on education, there is evidence of exclusion and discrimination of students with disabilities in the higher education institutions. The main objective of this article is to explore the status of disability inclusion in higher education and strategies for its realisation, using evidence from Emong’s study, workshop proceedings where the authors facilitated and additional individual interviews with four students with disabilities by the authors. Results: The results show that there are discrimination and exclusion tendencies in matters related to admissions, access to lectures, assessment and examinations, access to library services, halls of residence and other disability support services. Conclusion: The article recommends that institutional policies and guidelines on support services for students with disabilities and special needs in higher education be developed, data on students with disabilities collected to help planning, collaboration between Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPO’s) strengthened to ensure disability inclusion and the establishment of disability support centres.
What Is Known: Examining the Empirical Literature in Resident Work Hours Using 30 Influential Articles
Authors: Philibert Ingrid
Published: December 2016

Background 

Examining influential, highly cited articles can show the advancement of knowledge about the effect of resident physicians' long work hours, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of work hour limits.

Objective 

A narrative review of 30 articles, selected for their contribution to the literature, explored outcomes of interest in the research on work hours—including patient safety, learning, and resident well-being.

Methods 

Articles were selected from a comprehensive review. Citation volume, quality, and contribution to the evolving thinking on work hours and to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education standards were assessed.

Results 

Duty hour limits are supported by the scientific literature, particularly limits on weekly hours and reducing the frequency of overnight call. The literature shows declining hours and call frequency over 4 decades of study, although the impact on patient safety, learning, and resident well-being is not clear. The review highlighted limitations of the scientific literature on resident hours, including small samples and reduced generalizability for intervention studies, and the inability to rule out confounders in large studies using administrative data. Key areas remain underinvestigated, and accepted methodology is challenged when assessing the impact of interventions on the multiple outcomes of interest.

Conclusions 

The influential literature, while showing the beneficial effect of work hour limits, does not answer all questions of interest in determining optimal limits on resident hours. Future research should use methods that permit a broader, collective examination of the multiple, often competing attributes of the learning environment that collectively promote patient safety and resident learning and well-being.
L'Équilibre de la chute : La Porte de L'Enfer et ses sources
Authors: Turk Boštjan Marko
Published: December 2016

La présente étude se donne pour but de répondre aux questions que soulève l'oeuvre magistrale d'Auguste Rodin, La Porte de l'Enfer. Celle-ci puise dans les sources historiques et littéraires parmi lesquelles il faut mentionner, en premier lieu, la Divine Comédie de Dante. En réalité, en dehors des références que fournit le chantre florentin, l'oeuvre d'Auguste Rodin serait impensable. Rodin lui-même avait une prédilection pour les cathédrales, les édifices qui reconstruisent le sentiment de verticalité en recompensant le porte-à-faux. Celui-ci pris dans le sens analogique fournit une explication à la structure de La Porte, surtout lorsqu'on la compare à capolavoro di Ghiberti La Porta del Paradiso qui est censé servir de modèle à Rodin. La conclusion du présent article serait que La Porte de l'Enfer est impensable en dehors du contexte philosophique du Moyen-Age.
Topicality and conceptual blending in Shakespeare's Henriad - the case of the Earl of Essex
Authors: Mettinger Elke
Published: December 2016

The goal of the following article is to analyse topical allusions to the Earl of Essex in Shakespeare's Henriad in terms of conceptual blending theory in order to shed light on the reception of these plays in the early modern public theatre and to find clues to Shakespeare's intentions.
Heinrich Mann's Small town tyrant : the Grammar School Novel as a German prototype of academic fiction
Authors: Fuchs Dieter
Published: December 2016

This article considers the German Grammar School Novel from the first half of the twentieth century an all but forgotten Germanophone prototype of campus fiction. Whereas the Anglo-American campus novel of the 1970s, 80s and 90s features university professors as future-related agents of Western counterculture and free thought, the Grammar School Novel satirizes the German grammar school teacher known as Gymnasialprofessor as a representative of the past-related order of the autocratic German state apparatus from the beginning of the twentieth century. As Heinrich Mann's 1905 novel Professor Unrat / Small Town Tyrant (the source text of Marlene Dietrich's debut movie The Blue Angel) may be considered a foundational work of the German Grammar School Novel corpus, the main part of the article offers a sample analysis of this text.
A top-down approach of surface carbonyl sulfide exchange by a Mediterranean oak forest ecosystem in southern France
Authors: Belviso Sauveur , Reiter Ilja Marco , Loubet Benjamin , Gros Valérie , Lathière Juliette , Montagne David , Delmotte Marc , Ramonet Michel , Kalogridis Cerise , Lebegue Benjamin , Bonnaire Nicolas , Kazan Victor , Gauquelin Thierry , Fernandez Catherine , Genty Bernard
Published: December 2016

Abstract. The role that soil, foliage, and atmospheric dynamics have on surface carbonyl sulfide (OCS) exchange in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem in southern France (the Oak Observatory at the Observatoire de Haute Provence, O3HP) was investigated in June of 2012 and 2013 with essentially a top-down approach. Atmospheric data suggest that the site is appropriate for estimating gross primary production (GPP) directly from eddy covariance measurements of OCS fluxes, but it is less adequate for scaling net ecosystem exchange (NEE) to GPP from observations of vertical gradients of OCS relative to CO2 during the daytime. Firstly, OCS and carbon dioxide (CO2) diurnal variations and vertical gradients show no net exchange of OCS at night when the carbon fluxes are dominated by ecosystem respiration. This contrasts with other oak woodland ecosystems of a Mediterranean climate, where nocturnal uptake of OCS by soil and/or vegetation has been observed. Since temperature, water, and organic carbon content of soil at the O3HP should favor the uptake of OCS, the lack of nocturnal net uptake would indicate that its gross consumption in soil is compensated for by emission processes that remain to be characterized. Secondly, the uptake of OCS during the photosynthetic period was characterized in two different ways. We measured ozone (O3) deposition velocities and estimated the partitioning of O3 deposition between stomatal and non-stomatal pathways before the start of a joint survey of OCS and O3 surface concentrations. We observed an increasing trend in the relative importance of the stomatal pathway during the morning hours and synchronous steep drops of mixing ratios of OCS (amplitude in the range of 60–100 ppt) and O3 (amplitude in the range of 15–30 ppb) after sunrise and before the break up of the nocturnal boundary layer. The uptake of OCS by plants was also characterized from vertical profiles. However, the time window for calculation of the ecosystem relative uptake (ERU) of OCS, which is a useful tool for partitioning measured NEE, was limited in June 2012 to a few hours after midday. This was due to the disruption of the vertical distribution of OCS by entrainment of OCS rich tropospheric air in the morning and because the vertical gradient of CO2 reverses when it is still light. Moreover, polluted air masses (up to 700 ppt of OCS) produced dramatic variation in atmospheric OCS ∕ CO2 ratios during the daytime in June 2013, further reducing the time window for ERU calculation.