bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On active synchronization of fractional-order Bloch chaotic system and its practical application in secure image transmission
Authors: Tirandaz Hamed , Karami-Mollaee Ali
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel and secure image transmission based on the unpredictable behavior of the chaotic systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed approach includes two main contributions: synchronization scheme and transmission scheme. The synchronization scheme benefits the advantage of the fractional-order active synchronization method. A new control law is derived to asymptotically synchronize the underlined fractional-order Bloch chaotic system. The validity of the proposed synchronization scheme is proved by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Then, a novel image transmission scheme is designed to transfer image data via chaotic signals, which modulates the encrypted data in the sender signals and demodulates it at the receiver side.

Findings

Numerical simulations are provided to show the validity and effectiveness of the proposed image transmission system. Furthermore, the performance of the image transmission system is evaluated using some illustrative examples and their corresponding statistical tests. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison with other proposed methods in this subject.

Originality/value

A new chaos-based image transmission system is developed based on the synchronization of Bloch chaotic system. The introduced transmission system is interesting and could be applicable to any kind of secure image/video transmission.
Causes of government construction projects failure in an emerging economy
Authors: Damoah Isaac Sakyi , Kumi Desmond Kwadjo
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that cause government construction projects failure in a developing economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used the sequential data collection approach through an in-depth semi-structured interview (16 participants) and questionnaire survey (230 participants) to solicit their perceptions from project management practitioners (PMP), contractors and client (government officials) about the factors that lead to Ghanaian Government construction projects. The relative importance index was used to determine the relative importance of the factors identified. This was followed by Spearman rank correlation coefficient and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance to measure the degree of agreement among the participants on their perceptions.

Findings

In total, 34 factors were identified as the main factors that lead into Ghanaian Government construction projects failure. The top ten most important factors that cause Ghanaian Government construction projects failure are: political interferences, delays in payment, partisan politics, bureaucracy, corruption, poor supervision, lack of commitment by project leaders, poor planning, starting more projects than the government can fund and change in government. The failure factors were grouped into four main themes and found that the most important failure factors are leadership. This is followed by management and administrative practices, resources and external forces, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to only the public sector, and therefore the findings may not be applicable in the private sector.

Practical implications

Policy makers and construction PMP would be able to use the findings as a guide during the implementation of government projects in order to reduce and/or avoid government construction projects failure.

Originality/value

Construction projects failure in developing countries is high. Accordingly, the extant literature has been devoted to identifying the factors that lead to failure; however, they have mainly been discussed from a generic point of view or individual case studies. Researches that focus exclusively on government construction projects in developing countries are rare despite the dynamics in which these projects are implemented. This research extends the construction project management literature by focussing on government construction projects in a developing economy, where there are weak public institutional systems coupled with partisanship politics and bad cultural orientation towards government sector work inherited from a colonial rule.
Exploring the therapeutic potential of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia in rat experimental models
Authors: Abbas Munawar , Saeed Farhan , Arshad Muhammad Umair , Nadeem Muhammad Tahir , Bader-Ul-Ain Huma , Hassan Zohaib , Suleria Hafiz Ansar Rasul
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia, i.e. decrease in platelet count.

Design/methodology/approach

Male Sprague Dawley rats were used to evaluate therapeutic potential of apple extracts. Diets enriched with apple fruit and seed’s ethanolic extract were provided to normal and KBrO3-induced thrombocytopenic rats for 60 days. KBrO3 was administered at level of 85 mg/Kg of body weight of rats to intentionally decrease the platelet count. Platelet count and other hematological parameters were monitored at monthly intervals to evaluate therapeutic effect of apple extracts against thrombocytopenia.

Findings

The results of current research portrayed that both apple seed and fruit extracts enriched diets increased the platelet count significantly (p < 0.05) in thrombocytopenic rats. It was observed that apple fruit extract-enriched diet (AFE) raised the platelet count to 14.72 and 33.07 per cent in normal and thrombocytopenic rats, respectively. Apple seed extract-enriched diet (ASE) raised the platelet count to 11.08 and 32.90 per cent in normal and thrombocytopenic rats, respectively. Other hematological parameters including white blood cells, red blood cells and hemoglobin were also significantly increased.

Originality/value

Thrombocytopenia is uprising problem in developing world including India and Pakistan accompanied by different diseases especially dengue and related complications. Because of questioning on therapies against thrombocytopenia, research on diet-based therapies, as a substitute to synthetic one, is increasing. Diet rich in antioxidant compounds including apple fruit and seeds are the limelight of manuscript.
Myopia and saliency in renewable resource management
Authors: Gregg Daniel , Rolfe John
Published: April 2018

An important challenge in managing renewable resources is to understand why owners and managers sometimes make decisions that deplete resources and future earnings, such as when graziers allow pastures and land condition to be degraded. In this paper, we test two potential reasons for unsustainable management practices, myopia and salience, with each explaining why resource managers may exhibit impatience in harvest decisions. Myopia is associated with decision makers placing lower weight on future outcomes than would be implied by their pure time preference. Salience is associated with overweighting of consumption ‘now’, implying inconsistency in time preferences. To test for these effects on renewable resource management, an incentivised, dynamic field experiment was carried out with rangeland grazing enterprise owners in north‐eastern Australia that related management choices with uncertain rainfall events to both profits and land condition over time. Results demonstrate that respondents exhibiting myopia/salience in their choices tended to achieve lower cumulative scores in the experiment, as well as lower land conditions on their properties as measured with remote sensing data. Our results explain why there may be persistent optimisation failures by resource owners that reduce both profits and environmental outcomes.
Post‐War Recovery and the Role of Markets: Policy Insights from Six Years of Research
Authors: Mallett Richard , Pain Adam
Published: April 2018

Markets and private sector development are considered central to the recovery of economies and people's livelihoods after conflict. But the specific ways in which they shape this process, and the question of how governments and development partners might best support market resuscitation, are patchily evidenced and poorly understood. The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium was established in 2011 as a cross‐country research programme tasked with asking and answering questions about state‐building, service delivery and livelihoods in conflict‐affected situations. As part of its broad agenda of livelihoods research from 2011 to 2017, the Consortium undertook a specific investigation of the role that markets, and people's engagement with them, play in processes of post‐conflict livelihood recovery, ultimately with a view to informing policies and programmes that are fit for purpose. This Policy Insights paper summarises the main findings and policy recommendations emerging from a synthesis of the Consortium's market studies, drawing also on key evidence and insights from the wider literature.
Generalization and representativeness of phase III immune checkpoint blockade trials in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Yoo Shin Hye , Keam Bhumsuk , Kim Miso , Kim Tae Min , Kim Dong‐Wan , Heo Dae Seog
Published: April 2018

Background

Strict eligibility criteria for patient enrollment in phase III trials raise questions regarding generalization to ineligible patients. We evaluated whether pivotal phase III trials of immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) represent the overall population of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods

We reviewed the inclusion and exclusion criteria of three phase III trials (CheckMate057, CheckMate017, and KEYNOTE‐010). Stage IIIB or IV NSCLC patients diagnosed from 2011 to 2013 at Seoul National University Hospital (cohort 1) were reviewed. We also analyzed the criteria in 53 patients with NSCLC who were treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab as routine practice (cohort 2).

Results

Among the 715 patients in cohort 1, 499 (69.9%) were ineligible for the three trials. Reasons for ineligibility included: no prior platinum doublet treatment (23.6%), lack of tissue availability (22.7%), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status > 1 (14.1%), steroid use (18.2%), active cerebral nervous system metastasis (8.3%), hepatitis B/hepatitis C/human immunodeficiency virus (8.0%), and no measurable lesion (7.3%). EGFR mutations were more common in the ineligible group. In cohort 2, 67.9% of patients were classified as ineligible. Treatment outcomes of ICB in cohort 2 appeared inferior to those in the three pivotal trials, with a response rate of 11.3% and median progression‐free survival of 1.67 months.

Conclusion

Only 30% of NSCLC patients were eligible for ICB phase III trials. The actual efficacy in the 70% of ineligible patients is unknown. These findings suggest a huge gap between practice‐changing phase III trials and the overall population of NSCLC patients.
Structural characteristics, above‐ground biomass and productivity of mangrove forest situated in areas with different levels of pollution in the Niger Delta, Nigeria
Authors: Numbere Aroloye O. , Camilo Gerardo R.
Published: April 2018

Productivity is a major driver of carbon sequestration in mangrove ecosystems worldwide. It is hypothesized that hydrocarbon pollution can accelerate litter fall and increase productivity through detoxification. We studied structural characteristics, above ground biomass (AGB) and productivity of mangroves in higher and lower polluted locations in the Niger River Delta, Nigeria. We established four 400 m2 plots in a random block design to test the effects of pollution on mangrove productivity. A total of 1,089 mangrove tree structural characteristics and importance values (IV) were estimated. For productivity, ten litter traps (0.1521 m2) were established within each plot, and emptied monthly for three years, June 2010 – June 2013. Total productivity was significantly different between treatments (F1, 1378 = 9.673, p < .001), with highly polluted having higher total productivity. Flowers (F1, 1378 = 9.673, p < .001) and fruits (F1, 1378 = 9.673, p < .001) productivity varied between treatments too, again with the highly polluted being significantly greater. Our results indicate that pollution increased litter fall, and thus altered productivity in the Niger Delta mangrove. To the best of our understanding, this is the first time productivity has been reported in the primary literature for the Niger Delta mangrove ecosystem.
Clinical Obesity Services in Public Hospitals in Australia: a position statement based on expert consensus
Authors: Atlantis E. , Kormas N. , Samaras K. , Fahey P. , Sumithran P. , Glastras S. , Wittert G. , Fusco K. , Bishay R. , Markovic T. , Ding L. , Williams K. , Caterson I. , Chikani V. , Dugdale P. , Dixon J.
Published: April 2018

We aimed to describe the current state of specialist obesity services for adults with clinically severe obesity in public hospitals in Australia, and to analyse the gap in resources based on expert consensus. We conducted two surveys to collect information about current and required specialist obesity services and resources using open‐ended questionnaires. Organizational level data were sought from clinician expert representatives of specialist obesity services across Australia in 2017. Fifteen of 16 representatives of current services in New South Wales (n = 8), Queensland (n = 1), Victoria (n = 2), South Australia (n = 3), and the Australian Capital Territory (n = 1) provided data. The composition of services varied substantially between hospitals, and patient access to services and effective treatments were limited by strict entry criteria (e.g. body mass index 40 kg/m2 or higher with specific complication/s), prolonged wait times, geographical location (major cities only) and out‐of‐pocket costs. Of these services, 47% had a multidisciplinary team (MDT), 53% had an exercise physiologist/physiotherapist, 53% had a bariatric surgeon and 33% had pharmacotherapy resources. Key gaps included staffing components of the MDT (psychologist, exercise physiologist/physiotherapist) and access to publicly funded weight loss pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery. There was consensus on the need for significant improvements in staff, physical infrastructure, access to services, education/training in obesity medicine and targeted research funding. Based on the small number of existing, often under‐resourced specialist obesity services that are located only in a few major cities, the vast majority of Australians with clinically severe obesity cannot access the specialist evidence based treatments needed.
Community Conservation and the (Mis)appropriation of Taboo
Authors: Osterhoudt Sarah R.
Published: April 2018

Community conservation initiatives have long struggled to forge productive relationships with the people living in and around protected areas. Currently, there is enthusiasm among conservation researchers and practitioners regarding local cultural taboos, which often appear to conserve species and landscapes of ecological importance. However, in incorporating local taboos into conservation programmes, there is the risk that these culturally sophisticated institutions are used in a highly reductionist manner. Drawing from ethnographic work in Madagascar, this article highlights how the simplification of cultural taboos can exasperate already fraught relationships between communities and conservation organizations, and undermine the very environmental outcomes that groups seek to promote. This reductionist approach can also lead to the harmful appropriation of local meanings and resources. Overall, while working with local taboos may potentially offer an alternative to neoliberal models of conservation, scholars and practitioners should recognize the dynamic and interconnectedprocessesconnected with taboos, instead of regarding them as static and interchangeableproducts.
Root herbivore performance suppressed when feeding on a jasmonate‐induced pasture grass
Authors: Johnson Scott N. , Glauser Gaëtan , Hiltpold Ivan , Moore Ben D. , Ryalls James M.W.
Published: April 2018

1. Plants defend themselves from insect herbivore attack using a range of physical and chemical defences which are in many cases regulated by phytohormones such as jasmonates. While much more is known about how jasmonates regulate defence against above‐ground herbivores (e.g. herbivores of leaves), there is increasing interest in how they influence below‐ground defences.

2. For the Poaceae, most below‐ground studies focus on highly domesticated cereals. Here it is demonstrated how exogenous application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) to the leaf blades of a non‐domesticated pasture grass (Microlaena stipoides) caused a more than two‐fold decrease in relative growth rate (RGR) of a root‐feeding chafer (Dermolepida albohirtum). MeJA treatment did not affect root consumption rates, but substantially reduced the efficiency of conversion of ingested food to body mass.

3. Non‐targeted metabolomics identified significant changes in the metabolome of MeJA‐induced plants, with three compounds (a galactolipid, a trihydroxy fatty acid and a lysophospholipid) found to be correlated with herbivore RGR, although their roles in herbivore defence remain uncertain.

4. This study suggests that an important Australian pasture grass can become better defended against root herbivores via enhanced jasmonate activity.
Organic matter coatings of soil minerals affect adsorptive interactions with phenolic and amino acids
Authors: Gao J. , Jansen B. , Cerli C. , Helmus R. , Mikutta R. , Dultz S. , Guggenberger G. , Vogel C. , Kalbitz K.
Published: April 2018

Phenolic (PAs) and amino acids (AAs) contribute potentially to the stabilization of organic matter (OM) in soil by forming mineral–organic associations (MOAs). However, little is known about how natural OM coating affects the adsorption of these compounds and their mutual interaction upon adsorption. Therefore, batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study how coatings of minerals with dissolved organic matter (DOM) obtained from forest leaf litter (L‐DOM) and from the O horizon (O‐DOM) affect the adsorption of phenolic acids (salicylic, syringic, ferulic and vanillic acid) and amino acids (lysine, glutamic acid, leucine and phenylalanine) at pH 6. Moreover, the adsorption of PAs on OM‐coated minerals was tested after preconditioning by AAs and vice versa. Adsorption of DOM depended on the mineral (goethite ≫ kaolinite > montmorillonite) and sources of DOM (O‐DOM > L‐DOM for goethite). Coatings of all minerals with both DOM sources reduced the adsorption of PAs and the acidic glutamic acid but enhanced that of the basic lysine. The adsorption of PAs decreased with increasing OM coating of the minerals. Strong bonds between AAs and OM‐coated minerals generally enhanced adsorption of PAs with preconditioning by AAs. This indirectly indicates a multilayer model of MOA. Adsorption of AAs, however, was rarely influenced by preconditioning with PAs. Competition between AAs and PAs generally suppressed the adsorption of AAs on coated minerals, whereas the PAs were hardly affected. These results emphasize that the amount and composition of OM coating must be considered when studying the adsorption of PAs and AAs in soil.

Highlights

Adsorption of DOM on minerals followed the order: goethite ≫ kaolinite > montmorillonite.

Adsorption of O‐DOM (O horizon) on goethite was larger than that of L‐DOM (leaf litter).

Coatings of DOM reduced adsorption of PAs and acidic AAs and enhanced that of basic AAs.

The amount and composition of OM coating affected the adsorption of PAs and AAs.
Automated acoustic monitoring of endangered common spadefoot toad populations reveals patterns of vocal activity
Authors: Dutilleux Guillaume , Curé Charlotte
Published: April 2018

In the context of global amphibian decline, monitoring and restoration programmes are important. Acoustic monitoring is a possible approach for underwater vocalising species like the rapidly declining European common spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus). In this study, our aim was to design a dedicated software detector to be used in combination with programmable audio recorders to process the large amount of data generated by long‐term acoustic monitoring and to use it for investigating the seasonal and circadian patterns of P. fuscus vocal activity.

The software detector targets advertisement calls of the species. Based on acoustic analysis of that call, we developed a detector that utilises both frequency and time features of the calls. Data collected during three breeding seasons in four known or potential P. fuscus breeding sites of north‐eastern France were used to build a ground truth in order to test the performance of the detector. Then, we used the detector for analysing four acoustic monitoring campaigns conducted in two different sites over two breeding seasons to gain insight into the seasonal and circadian patterns of vocal activity of this species.

Evaluation of the P. fuscus call detector against a ground truth returned false‐positive rates below 1.5% and true‐positive rates ranging from 53% to 73%. These figures are compatible with long‐term monitoring of the presence of the species. Running the software detector on standard hardware, the computation time for post‐processing the 360 hr of a typical 3‐month monitoring campaign was less than 1 day.

The seasonal pattern of P. fuscus underwater vocal activity is more complex than previously recognised. Over the whole ostensible 3‐month breeding season, the actual time window for vocalising and breeding can last from a few days up to several weeks and may be split into clearly distinct episodes. When vocalisations occurred at both night‐ and daytime, the circadian vocal activity of P. fuscus occasionally proceeded uninterrupted for 24 hr but usually a several hour lull occurred immediately prior to sunset. When vocalisations occurred at both night‐ and daytime, the vocal activity pattern followed a bimodal distribution with a nocturnal highest peak of activity and a second peak occurring in the morning.

Our results demonstrate that it is feasible to monitor presence of P. fuscus in north‐eastern France using a dedicated software detector combined with programmable audio recorders. Based on the outcomes of the detector applied to long‐term audio data sets, we reveal temporal patterns of the vocal activity of the species and subsequently provide recommendations for attended and unattended acoustic monitoring.
Mechanisms preventing a decrease in phytoplankton biomass after phosphorus reductions in a German drinking water reservoir—results from more than 50 years of observation
Authors: Wentzky Valerie Carolin , Tittel Jörg , Jäger Christoph Gerald , Rinke Karsten
Published: April 2018

To counteract the severe consequences of eutrophication on water quality and ecosystem health, nutrient inputs have been reduced in many lakes and reservoirs during the last decades. Contrary to expectations, in some lakes phytoplankton biomass did not decrease in response to oligotrophication (nutrient reduction). The underlying mechanisms preventing a decrease in biomass in these lakes are the subject of ongoing discussion.

We used a hitherto unpublished long‐term data set ranging from 1961 until 2016 from a German drinking water reservoir (Rappbode Reservoir) to investigate the underlying mechanisms preventing a decrease in biomass. Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the Rappbode Reservoir dropped abruptly in 1990 from 0.163 to 0.027 mg/L within three consecutive years, as a result of banning phosphate‐containing detergents. Despite substantial reductions in TP, total annual phytoplankton biomass did not decline in the long‐run, and therefore, the yield of total phytoplankton biomass per unit phosphorus largely increased.

Regression analysis revealed a positive association between the yield and potentially phagotrophic mixotrophs (R2 = .465, p < .001). We infer that by ingesting bacteria, mixotrophic species were capable of exploiting additional P sources that are not accessible to obligate autotrophic phytoplankton, eventually preventing a decrease in algal biomass after TP reductions.

Long‐term epilimnetic phosphorus concentrations during the winter mixing period decreased to a greater degree than summer phosphorus concentrations. Apparently, TP losses over the season were less intense. Spring diatom biomass also markedly decreased after oligotrophication. In fact, spring diatom biomass was positively related to the TP loss over the season suggesting diatoms play an important role in P reduction. However, this intraannual P processing was not the primary factor when focusing on the average yearly yield, which remained to be fully explained by mixotrophs.

Our study demonstrates this ecosystem's ability to compensate for changes in resource availability through changes in phytoplankton community composition and functional strategies. We conclude that an increase in mixotrophy and the ability to make bacterial phosphorus available for phytoplankters were the main factors that allowed the phytoplankton community of the Rappbode Reservoir to adapt to lower nutrient levels without a loss in total biomass.
Spatial patterns in the global distributions of savanna and forest
Authors: Aleman Julie C. , Staver A. Carla
Published: April 2018

Aim

The global distribution of biomes is not solely determined by climate. Top‐down processes, most notably fire, may substantially expand savannas into potentially forested areas. Here, we address an overlooked aspect of the existing literature: spatial patterns in savanna and forest distributions and the transitions between them, and whether current transitions could plausibly reproduce current distributions.

Location

Tropical Africa and South America.

Time period

2000–2012.

Major taxa studied

Biomes.

Methods

Using remotely sensed tree cover and rainfall, we examined the distributions of savanna and forest and of transitions between the two. We examined forest gain directly, but because forest loss mostly reflects direct anthropogenic deforestation, we instead examined the proportion of forests experiencing one or more fires as an indirect proxy for potential conversion of forest into savanna. The effects of biome transitions on biome movements and distributions at continental scale were evaluated using a cellular automata model via simulation using observed decadal rates of transitions.

Results

Although open‐ and closed‐canopy systems were both common at intermediate rainfall, they were strongly spatially segregated. So too were forest fires, which occurred mostly near their boundary with savannas, while forest encroachment of savanna was widespread. Simulations showed that observed transitions could not have produced current biome distributions.

Main conclusions

Biome distributions in the tropics are not exclusively determined by climate (especially at intermediate rainfall), but are nonetheless strongly spatially structured. Current transitions between savanna and forest could not have reproduced their current distributions, suggesting that, historically, the spatial structure of transitions was probably different than it is today. While forest sub‐canopy fires are still spatially structured, forest encroachment of savannas may be much more widespread than it was in the past.
Medical comorbidities in patients with lichen planopilaris, a retrospective case–control study
Authors: Fertig Raymond M. , Hu Shasa , Maddy Austin J. , Balaban Alexandra , Aleid Nouf , Aldahan Adam , Tosti Antonella
Published: April 2018

Background

Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a rare inflammatory lymphocyte‐mediated disease of the scalp considered to have an autoimmune pathogenesis.

Objectives

To identify the prevalence of medical comorbidities in patients with classic LPP (CLPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA).

Methods

The medical records of 206 LPP patients and 323 control patients were retrospectively reviewed for existing comorbidities. The control group consisted of 257 patients with androgenetic alopecia (ICD 9 = 704.0 or ICD 10 = L64.9) and 66 patients with actinic keratosis (ICD 9 = 702.0 or ICD 10 = L57.0).

Results

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was found in 4.37% of all patients with LPP (including CLPP and the FFA subtype) and in 0.31% of controls. Female patients with the FFA subtype were more likely to have SLE than controls (OR 31.034, 95% CI 2.405–400.382, P = 0.0085).

Limitations

This study is limited in that it is a retrospective chart review.

Conclusion

Female patients with FFA are significantly more likely to have SLE. Patients with LPP (including CLPP and the FFA subtype) are less likely to have diabetes. Patients with CLPP excluding FFA are less likely to have hypertension, heart disease, and hypothyroidism.
Bullous pemphigoid induced by dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors. Eight cases with clinical and immunological characterization
Authors: García‐Díez Irene , Ivars‐Lleó Marta , López‐Aventín Daniel , Ishii Norito , Hashimoto Takashi , Iranzo Pilar , Pujol Ramon M. , España Agustín , Herrero‐Gonzalez Josep E.
Published: April 2018

Background

Dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors have increasingly been identified as causative agents of bullous pemphigoid. The clinical and immunological characteristics of this pemphigoid variant are still unclear. The objective of our study was to analyze the clinical and immunological features of patients with pemphigoid induced by DPP‐4 inhibitors.

Methods

All patients diagnosed with DPP‐4 inhibitor‐associated bullous pemphigoid at dermatology departments in three Spanish centers during the period 2013 to 2015 were included. ELISA assays for the NC16A domain of BP180 and BP230 were performed. Immunoblot studies using epidermal/dermal extracts and the C‐terminal, NC16A and LAD‐1 regions of BP180 were also carried out.

Results

A total of eight patients were identified (5 treated with vildagliptin, 2 with linagliptin, and one with sitagliptin). Of these, four presented the classical inflammatory phenotype of bullous pemphigoid and four a noninflammatory phenotype. The ELISA for BP180 (NC16A domain) was positive in six patients at diagnosis. Most patients reacted to more than one BP180 antigenic site (LAD‐1 and/or C‐terminal domain) on the immunoblot. Two patients showed no reaction against the NC16A domain of BP180 on either the ELISA or immunoblot but recognized either LAD‐1 or both LAD‐1 and the C‐terminal domain. Only one of the NC16A‐negative patients had a noninflammatory subtype of bullous pemphigoid.

Conclusions

Patients with DPP‐4 inhibitor‐induced BP may present either an inflammatory or a noninflammatory phenotype of BP. IgG response against other BP180 regions different from the NC16A domain, such as LAD‐1 and the C‐terminal domain, could be pathogenically relevant to the onset of DPP‐4 inhibitor‐induced BP.
Atopic labial pigmentation: a new diagnostic feature in Asian patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Kang In‐Hye , Jeong Ki‐Heon , Lee Mu‐Hyoung , Shin Min‐Kyung
Published: April 2018

Background

Pigmented lesions on the lips can be caused by physiological or pathological factors, along with exogenous or endogenous factors. Many patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and labial pigmentation are seen in clinical practice. The aim of our study was to further explore the association of labial pigmentation and AD.

Methods

We performed a retrospective chart review of patients who visited the Department of Dermatology at Kyung Hee Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, from January 1 to December 31, 2016. The study consisted of 178 patients with AD and a control group of 178 age‐ and sex‐matched patients without AD.

Results

The patients with AD had both a significantly higher prevalence of labial pigmented lesions and a significantly higher number of labial pigmented lesions than was observed in the control group. Moreover, the pigmented lesions were found mainly in the middle section of the upper lip and showed multifocal distribution. The patients with AD and labial pigmentation were significantly younger at the onset of AD, showed a greater association with allergic disorder, and had a higher immunoglobulin E (IgE) level than patients without labial pigmentation.

Conclusion

Our findings strongly suggest that labial pigmentation occurs in patients with AD. Although labial pigmentation was not present in all patients with AD, this might be a particularly helpful diagnostic feature of AD in Asian patients.
An aseptically processed, acellular, reticular, allogenic human dermis improves healing in diabetic foot ulcers: A prospective, randomised, controlled, multicentre follow‐up trial
Authors: Zelen Charles M , Orgill Dennis P , Serena Thomas E , Galiano Robert E , Carter Marissa J , DiDomenico Lawrence A , Keller Jennifer , Kaufman Jarrod P , Li William W
Published: April 2018

Aseptically processed human reticular acellular dermal matrix (HR‐ADM) has been previously shown to improve wound closure in 40 diabetic patients with non‐healing foot ulcers. The study was extended to 40 additional patients (80 in total) to validate and extend the original findings. The entire cohort of 80 patients underwent appropriate offloading and standard of care (SOC) during a 2‐week screening period and, after meeting eligibility criteria, were randomised to receive weekly applications of HR‐ADM plus SOC or SOC alone for up to 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the proportion of wounds closed at 6 weeks. Sixty‐eight percent (27/40) in the HR‐ADM group were completely healed at 6 weeks compared with 15% (6/40) in the SOC group. The proportions of wounds healed at 12 weeks were 80% (34/40) and 30% (12/40), respectively. The mean time to heal within 12 weeks was 38 days for the HR‐ADM group and 72 days for the SOC group. There was no incidence of increased adverse or serious adverse events between groups or any graft‐related adverse events. The mean and median HR‐ADM product costs at 12 weeks were $1200 and $680, respectively. HR‐ADM is clinically superior to SOC, is cost effective relative to other comparable treatment modalities, and is an efficacious treatment for chronic non‐healing diabetic foot ulcers.
Parametric investigations on the saturation intensity of Coumarin 102 for stimulated emission depletion application
Authors: QIN H.‐Y. , ZHAO W.‐X. , ZHAO W. , ZHANG C. , FENG X.‐Q. , LIU S.‐P. , WANG K.‐G.
Published: April 2018

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy performed using continuous‐wave (CW) lasers has been investigated and developed by Willig et al. (Nature Methods, 2007, 4(11):915) for nearly a decade. Kuang et al. (Review of Scientific Instruments, 2010, 81:053709) developed the CW STED microscopy technique with 405 nm excitation and 532 nm depletion beams. In their research, Coumarin 102 dye was adopted and was found to be depletable. In this study, a parametric investigation of the depletion of Coumarin 102 dye is carried out experimentally. The influence of the excitation and depletion beam intensities and dye concentrations on the depletion efficiency are studied in detail. The results indicate the following: (1) The highest depletion occurs for the 100 μM Coumarin 102 solution, with a 1.4 μW excitation beam and a 115.3 mW depletion beam. (2) The minimum saturation intensity () of STED, that is 13 MW cm–2, is observed when the Coumarin 102 solution concentration is 10 μM. (3) values calculated directly from the depletion power derived with the cross‐sectional area due to the full‐width‐at‐half‐maximum (FWHM) of the depletion beam show poor accuracy, where may be overestimated. Thus, a correction factor for the cross‐sectional area is proposed. We also find that is not exactly constant for a fixed excitation beam power and dye concentration. This trend indicates that the conventional suppression function derived from picosecond STED may cause errors in evaluating the depletion process in CW STED microscopy.
Intellectual and cognitive profiles in patients affected by schizophrenia
Authors: Bechi Margherita , Spangaro Marco , Agostoni Giulia , Bosinelli Francesca , Buonocore Mariachiara , Bianchi Laura , Cocchi Federica , Guglielmino Carmelo , Bosia Marta , Cavallaro Roberto
Published: April 2018

Intellectual abilities display high heterogeneity in patients with schizophrenia that might depend on the interaction among neurodevelopmental processes, environmental factors and neurocognitive decline. This study aimed to disentangle the interplay between intellectual level, cognitive status and each cognitive domain, with a focus on speed‐related abilities, also including pre‐morbid factors. In details, by means of cluster analysis, we identified both in global sample of 452 patients affected by schizophrenia and in a subsample with high pre‐morbid functioning, different profiles based on current intellectual level and global cognitive status, analysing the distribution of deficits in each cognitive domains between groups. Then, through regression models, we analysed the contribution of speed‐related domains and global cognitive profile to each other cognitive function. Considering the whole sample, results highlight three groups (high, medium and low cognitive level), while among patients with high pre‐morbid level, the heterogeneity was best captured by two groups (high and medium level). Still, within each group, a small to high percentage of patients achieved normal score in neurocognitive abilities depending on the cluster they belong to. Speed of processing and psychomotor coordination resulted impaired in all clusters, even in patients with high pre‐morbid functioning. The regression analyses revealed significant effects of both cognitive profile and speed‐dependent domains on the other cognitive abilities. This study confirms, in a large sample, previous data about the heterogeneity of intellectual and neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia and highlights the main role of speed‐dependent neurocognitive functioning, also as an important target of rehabilitation.
Early intervention in scar management and cutaneous burns with autologous platelet‐rich plasma
Authors: Ruiz Aura , Cuestas Daniel , Garcıa Paula , Quintero Jose , Forero Yency , Galvis Ingrid , Velasquez Oscar
Published: April 2018

Burn management options are controversial and a multiple‐handled issue. However, platelet‐rich plasma is gaining interest in several medical fields. Dermatologist worldwide are already publishing some reports about its benefits and personal experiences in their practices. A 40‐year‐old female with a second‐degree burn by VASER‐type liposculpture was treated with platelet‐rich plasma and followed up for 10 months. After treatment, she showed rapid improvement with an adequate cicatrization results. Some studies suggest that the use of platelet‐rich plasma which contains cytokines and growth factors that participate in cellular repair and cellular differentiation, thus improving healing time and re‐epithelization. We present the case of a patient with a second‐degree burn that rapidly improved with autologous platelet‐rich plasma.
A study of clinicopathologic factors as indicators for early prediction of suboptimal debulking surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer
Authors: Son Joo‐Hyuk , Chang Kyoungjin , Kong Tae‐Wook , Paek Jiheum , Chang Suk‐Joon , Ryu Hee‐Sug
Published: April 2018

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate early clinicopathologic factors predicting gross residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Methods

We analyzed clinicopathologic data of 68 patients with ovarian cancer who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery (NAC‐IDS) between March 2006 and December 2016. All the patients received three cycles of NAC followed IDS. We evaluated all possible clinicopathologic characteristics, including reduction rates of serum CA‐125 after each NAC and seven initial abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) findings related to disease severity.

Results

After IDS, no gross residual disease was found in 46 (67.6%) patients and 22 (33.4%) patients had gross residual disease. Multivariate analysis identified that reduction rate of CA‐125 after 2nd NAC, body mass index (BMI) and small bowel lesion in the initial CT findings were significantly associated with gross residual disease after IDS (P = 0.005, 0.030, 0.001, respectively). The optimal cutoff value predicting gross residual disease were less than 50% of CA‐125 reduction rate after 2nd NAC and low BMI (<23 kg/m2). The combined receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of these factors showed good performance for predicting gross residual disease after IDS (area under the curve = 0.845).

Conclusion

A model using small bowel mesentery involvement on CT, BMI (<23 kg/m2) and less than 50% reduction of the initial CA‐125 level after the 2nd NAC is highly predictive of gross residual disease after IDS in advanced ovarian cancer patients. These results may be helpful in further treatment planning and patients counseling.
The STOP‐BANG questionnaire shows an insufficient specificity for detecting obstructive sleep apnea in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Abumuamar Asmaa M. , Dorian Paul , Newman David , Shapiro Colin M.
Published: April 2018

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder associated with significant cardiovascular comorbidities, including cardiac arrhythmia. The STOP‐BANG questionnaire is an eight‐item self‐report questionnaire designed to screen patients for OSA and was validated in preoperative surgical patients. The STOP items are snoring, daytime tiredness, observed apneas and high blood pressure. The BANG items are body mass index >35 kg/m2, age >50 years, neck circumference >40 cm and male gender. We aimed to determine the screening properties of the STOP‐BANG questionnaire in patients with arrhythmia. Non‐selected consecutive patients were recruited from arrhythmia clinics. Patients with previously diagnosed and/or treated OSA were excluded. The STOP‐BANG questionnaire was self‐administered. Patients underwent two consecutive nights of home sleep recording. OSA was defined as an apnea‐hypopnea index score of ≥5/hr of sleep. The screening properties of the STOP‐BANG questionnaire were analysed compared with the objective diagnosis of OSA by ambulatory testing. Ninety‐five patients were included in the final analysis. Eighty‐five percent were found to have OSA. The STOP‐BANG score of ≥3 was 89% sensitive and 36% specific for diagnosis of OSA. The STOP‐BANG questionnaire had fair performance, as indicated by an area under the curve of 0.74 (p = .004). In conclusion, the STOP‐BANG questionnaire is sensitive; however, it has a low specificity with a high false positive rate. Given that a large number of atrial fibrillation patients need testing for OSA, we recommend the use of a level II sleep study regardless of the results of the screening questionnaire. This approach accurately identifies OSA and may limit the cost of unnecessary level‐I sleep studies.
Virtue Epistemology, Enhancement, and Control
Authors: Carter J. Adam
Published: April 2018

An interesting aspect of Ernest Sosa's () recent thinking is that enhanced performances (for example, the performance of an athlete under the influence of a performance‐enhancing drug) fall short of aptness, and this is because such enhanced performances do not issue from genuine competences on the part of the agent. This paper explores in some detail the implications of such thinking in Sosa's wider virtue epistemology, with a focus on cases of cognitive enhancement. A certain puzzle is then highlighted, and the solution proposed draws both from the recent moral responsibility literature on guidance control (e.g., Fischer and Ravizza 1998; Fischer ) and from work on cognitive integration in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science (e.g., Clark and Chalmers ; Clark 2008; Pritchard ; Palermos ; and Carter ).
Biodiversity conservation and armed conflict: a warfare ecology perspective
Authors: Hanson Thor
Published: April 2018

The activities involved in preparing for, executing, and recovering from armed conflict are globally pervasive and consequential, with significant impacts on natural systems. Effects on biodiversity are predominantly negative, produced by direct and indirect battlefield impacts, as well as the general breakdown of social, economic, and governance systems during wartime. Certain conservation opportunities do occur, however, particularly on lands set aside for training exercises, buffer zones, and peace parks. Here, the relationship between armed conflict and biodiversity is reviewed using the temporal framework of warfare ecology, which defines warfare as an ongoing process of three overlapping stages: preparations, war (armed conflict), and postwar activities. Several themes emerge from recent studies, including a heightened awareness of biodiversity conservation on military lands, the potential for scientific and conservation engagement to mitigate negative biodiversity impacts in war zones, and the importance of the postwar period for incorporating biodiversity priorities into reconstruction and recovery efforts. Research limitations and knowledge gaps are also discussed.
Ecological niche and phylogeny explain distribution of seed mass in the central European flora
Authors: Vandelook Filip , Janssens Steven B. , Matthies Diethart
Published: April 2018

Seed size is a crucial life‐history trait determining the amount of reserves that are available to establishing seedlings. The most frequently observed patterns in seed size distribution are a higher frequency of large‐seeded species in shaded habitats and a positive correlation of seed size with plant size. We analysed to what extent realised niche dimensions, as expressed by Ellenberg indicator values and plant functional traits such as plant height and life form, explained seed mass variation in the central European flora. By including information on phylogenetic relatedness of the species, not only contemporary ecology but also the evolutionary history of plant species could be taken into account. Seed mass evolution was slow and was best explained by selection‐inertia models with multiple adaptive peaks as a function of either habitat or life form. The highest seed mass optima were observed in the deciduous forest and saltwater and seashore habitats, and in phanerophytes in case of models with optima as a function of life form. The analyses showed that Ellenberg values were more important than habitat and life form in explaining seed mass distribution in the central European flora. The often observed relation between shade and large seeds was also evident in our study, but we found an equally important relation between large seeds and drought and a positive relation between seed mass and salinity. Our results indicate that not only plant size and competition for light but a complex set of factors influence the ecology of seed size, and that a more precise delineation of species’ niches improves the understanding of seed size evolution.
Mycophenolate mofetil to treat mid‐dermal elastolysis
Authors: Smithson Sarah L. , Orchard David , Scardamaglia Laura
Published: April 2018

Mid‐dermal elastolysis is an acquired skin condition affecting the elastin fibers of the dermis, resulting in laxity of the skin. We report a case of mid‐dermal elastolysis for which novel treatment with mycophenolate mofetil was successful.