bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Degradation of the extracellular matrix is part of the pathology of ulcerative colitis”
Authors: Kirov Stefan , Sasson Ariella , Zhang Clarence , Chasalow Scott , Dongre Ashok , Steen Hanno , Stensballe Allan , Andersen Vibeke , Birkelund Svend , Bennike Tue Bjerg
Published: September 2018

The scientific value of re-analyzing existing datasets is often proportional to the complexity of the data. Proteomics data are inherently complex and can be analyzed at many levels, including proteins, peptides, and post-translational modifications to verify and/or develop new hypotheses. In this paper, we present our re-analysis of a previously published study comparing colon biopsy samples from ulcerative colitis (UC) patients to non-affected controls. In addition to confirming and reinforcing the original finding of upregulation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), we report novel findings, including that Extracellular Matrix (ECM) degradation and neutrophil maturation are involved in the pathology of UC. The pharmaceutically most relevant differential protein expressions were confirmed using immunohistochemistry as an orthogonal method. As part of this study, we also compared proteomics data to previously published mRNA expression data. These comparisons indicated compensatory regulation at transcription levels of the ECM proteins we identified and open possible new venues for drug discovery.
Automated high-throughput high-content autophagy and mitophagy analysis platform
Authors: Arias-Fuenzalida Jonathan , Jarazo Javier , Walter Jonas , Gomez-Giro Gemma , Forster Julia I. , Antony Paul M.A. , Krueger Rejko , Schwamborn Jens C.
Published: September 2018

Autophagy and mitophagy play a central role in cellular homeostasis. In pathological conditions, the flow of autophagy and mitophagy can be affected at multiple and distinct steps of the pathways. Unfortunately, the level of detail of current state of the art analyses does not allow detection or dissection of pathway intermediates. Moreover, is conducted in low-throughput manner on bulk cell populations. Defining autophagy and mitophagy pathway intermediates in a high-throughput manner is technologically challenging, and has not been addressed so far. Here, we overcome those limitations and developed a novel high-throughput phenotyping platform with automated high-content image analysis to assess autophagy and mitophagy pathway intermediates.
Nuclear envelope budding is a response to cellular stress
Authors: Panagaki Dimitra , Croft Jacob T. , Keuenhof Katharina , Larsson-Berglund Lisa , Andersson Stefanie , Kohler Verena , Büttner Sabrina , Tamás Markus J. , Nyström Thomas , Neutze Richard , Höög Johanna L.
Published: September 2018

Nuclear envelope budding (NEB) is a recently discovered alternative pathway for nucleocytoplasmic communication distinct from the movement of material through the nuclear pore complex. Through quantitative electron microscopy and tomography, we demonstrate how NEB is evolutionarily conserved from early protists to human cells. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, NEB events occur with higher frequency during heat shock, upon exposure to arsenite or hydrogen peroxide, and when the proteasome is inhibited. Yeast cells treated with azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, a proline analogue that induces protein misfolding, display the most dramatic increase in NEB, suggesting a causal link to protein quality control. This link was further supported by both localization of ubiquitin and Hsp104 to protein aggregates and NEB events, and the evolution of these structures during heat shock. We hypothesize that NEB is part of normal cellular physiology in a vast range of species and that in S. cerevisiae NEB comprises a stress response aiding the transport of protein aggregates across the nuclear envelope.

Significance Statement

A defining feature of eukaryotes is the nuclear envelope, a double lipid bilayer that serves to isolate and protect the cells genetic material. Transport of large molecules over this barrier is believed to occur almost exclusively via the nuclear pores. However, herpes virions and mega ribonucleoproteins (megaRNPs) use an alternative means of transport – via nuclear envelope budding (NEB). Here, we show NEB is a ubiquitous eukaryotic phenomenon and increases when exposed to various forms of cellular stress. NEB frequency was maximal when the cell was challenged with a drug that induces protein misfolding, indicating this transport pathway plays a role in protein quality control. These results imply that NEB is an underappreciated yet potentiallyfundamental means of nuclear transport.
Evaluation of management of snake bites in a teaching hospital in Northern Ghana- a retrospective descriptive study
Authors: Yakubu Abdul-Subulr , Abdul-Mumin Alhassan , Rivera Odalys
Published: September 2018

BACKGROUND

Snakebite is a public health problem afflicting mainly rural farmers. We seek to examine the profile and management of snakebite cases presenting to the Tamale Teaching Hospital of Ghana over a 30-month period.

METHODS

One hundred and ninety-two cases of snakebites presenting to the Tamale Teaching Hospital over a 30-month period from January 2016 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Information about the clinical manifestation of the snakebites, treatment instituted as well as the outcome was extracted from patient folders for the analysis.

RESULTS

Out of the 192 cases of snakebite, 131 (68.2%) occurred in males. The mean age of the victims was 26.5 years. The major patterns of envenomation were coagulopathy (84.9%) and local swelling/pain (82.8%). The causative snake species was identified in only 11.5% of cases, all of which were vipers. Antivenom was administered in 94.8% of the victims and the average amount administered was 84.64 milliliters (approximately 8 vials). Reaction to antivenoms was observed in 13.5% of cases, comprising mostly minor reactions. Antibiotics were utilized in 99.5% of cases with more than half receiving more than one type of antibiotic. Steroids use was common (62%) whilst 22.9% received antifibrinolytics despite the absence of evidence supporting their use in snakebite.

CONCLUSION

Snakebite is an occupational health hazard of mainly rural farmers. The unwarranted use of non-beneficial medications is still rife. In addition to ensuring the continuous availability of effective antivenoms, there is the need for the development and adherence to protocols that take into consideration the prevailing local conditions.

AUTHOR SUMMARY

Snakebite affects mainly rural farmers and is a disease of poverty. Unreliable epidemiological data in developing countries like Ghana makes ascertaining the true extent of snakebite difficult. We have examined the presentation and clinical management of snakebite cases presenting to the Tamale Teaching Hospital of Ghana which serves a mainly rural population. The Carpet Viper, which produces a syndrome of local swelling and bleeding, is implicated in most snakebites in this region. A variety of non-evidenced-based interventions are employed by medical personnel in managing snakebite victims underscoring the need to have written contextually appropriate protocols for snakebite management. Public education is also needed to minimize the delays in seeking healthcare following a snakebite whilst efforts at ensuring the continuous availability of effective antivenoms must be intensified.
Stacking faults in β-Ga2O3 crystals observed by X-ray topography
Authors: Yamaguchi Hirotaka , Kuramata Akito
Published: September 2018

Planar defects in (\overline{2}01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 wafers were studied using X-ray topography. These planar defects were rectangular with dimensions of 50–150 µm, and the X-ray topography analysis revealed that they were stacking faults (SFs) enclosed by a single partial dislocation loop on the (\overline{2}01) plane. The SF formation was found to be supported by a unique structural feature of the (\overline{2}01) plane as a slip plane; the (\overline{2}01) plane consists of close-packed octahedral Ga and O layers, allowing slips to form SFs. Vacancy arrays along the b axis in the octahedral Ga layer reduce the self-energy of the edge component in the partial dislocation extending along the b axis. It is speculated that the SFs occur during the crystal growth process for unknown reasons and then recover owing to elastic instability after initially increasing in size as crystal growth proceeds. Based on this analysis, a structural model for the SFs is proposed.
What economics education is missing: the real world
Authors: Pühringer Stephan , Bäuerle Lukas
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The global financial crisis led to increasing distrust in economic research and the economics profession, in the process of which the current state of economics and economic education in particular were heavily criticized. Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to conduct a study with undergraduate students of economics in order to capture their view of economic education.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on the documentary method, a qualitative empirical method, which combines maximum openness with regard to the collection of empirical material coupled with maximum rigor in analysis.

Findings

The empirical findings show that students enter economics curricula with epistemic, practical or moral/political motivations for understanding and dealing with real-world problems but end up remarkably disappointed after going through the mathematical and methods-orientated introductory courses. The findings further indicate that students develop strategies to cope with their disappointment – all of them relating to their original motivation. The theoretical contextualization of the empirical findings is based on the psychological concept of cognitive dissonance.

Social implications

A socially and politically responsible economic education, however, should provide students guidance in understanding current and prospective economic challenges, thereby enabling them to become informed and engaged citizens. Therefore, it is essential that the students’ criticism of the current state of economic education be taken seriously and BA programs reformed accordingly.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in the application of a qualitative methodology and explicit focus on the student perspective on economics education. The study provides empirical evidence for a lack of real-world orientation in economics education.
The seasonality of gold prices in China does the risk‐aversion level matter?
Authors: Hoang Thi Hong Van , Zhu Zhenzhen , Xiao Bing , Wong Wing‐Keung
Published: September 2018

This article aims to investigate the seasonality of gold prices at the Shanghai Gold Exchange over the 2002–2016 period. Our contributions rely in the distinction between risk‐averse and risk‐seeking investors regarding their investment strategies. The results show the existence of positive Monday and January effects. However, the Monday effect is more suitable to risk‐seeking investors while the January effect is more suitable to risk‐averse investors in bearish periods only. A robustness check shows that the Monday effect does not hold on gold futures prices. These results indicate the importance to consider the risk‐aversion level of investors in seasonal investment strategies.
Production system innovation to ensure raw milk safety in small holder economies: the case of dairy complex in China
Authors: Yu Hailong , Wang H. Holly , Li Binglong
Published: September 2018

Food safety becomes an important issue in fast developing economies when a large growing market is supplied by many small producers through a prolonged supply chain. China is facing such a serious problem with its growing dairy market seeing serious food safety scandals. In this article, we examine a new organizational structure recently promoted by Chinese government, dairy complex, and its effects on farmers’ behaviors related to safe production and the effectiveness of such behavior on the raw milk safety, using a joint production function under risk theoretical framework. Results show that farmers’ production practices such as basic production environment and hygienic condition, disease prevention, and source and use of feed all contribute to the food safety of raw milk. Complex is an important factor contributing to farmers’ adoption of such safety production practices, together with the supervision by government, production scale, contracts with processors, and price of raw milk. We, thus, found that dairy complex as an organization structure can influence the safety of raw milk indirectly through its impacts on farmers’ production behaviors. Another important finding is that unsafe milk is a result of uncertainty when less strict production practice is used by risk lover producers, and the complexes work well for such farmers by pushing them to take more conservative safety measurements. This innovative production system can be a good measure for developing economies with similar small producer problems.
Self‐Control, Plan Quality, and Digital Delivery of Action Planning for Condom and Contraceptive Pill Use of 14–24‐Year‐Olds: Findings from a Clinic‐Based Online Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Brown Katherine E. , Beasley Kerrie , Das Satyajit
Published: September 2018

Background

Inconsistent use of the contraceptive pill and condoms contributes significantly to poor sexual health outcomes for young people. There is evidence that action planning interventions may improve pill and condom use, but this approach is not systematically used in sexual healthcare. This study is the first to assess acceptability and feasibility of evaluating a digital intervention to support action plan formation for three sexual health behaviours with clinic attendees. It also considered the role of trait self‐control and whether the intervention supported production of quality plans.

Methods

Eighty‐eight integrated sexual health clinic attendees aged 14–24 years (M = 20.27 years) were recruited to a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT). Of these, 67 also completed three‐month follow‐up. Measures included self‐reported contraceptive or condom “mishaps”, theory of planned behaviour variables, and a measure of self‐control.

Results

Descriptive analyses supported study acceptability and feasibility. The intervention supported pill and condom users to produce quality plans, though potential improvements were identified. Bivariate correlations suggested that high levels of trait self‐control may negatively influence plan quality. Data suggest that the intervention may reduce pill or condom “mishaps”.

Conclusions

A future full RCT is likely feasible and brief digital action planning interventions may usefully be incorporated within sexual healthcare.
Relationship between parent involvement and academic achievement through metacognitive strategies: A multiple multilevel mediation analysis
Authors: Veas Alejandro , Castejón Juan‐Luis , Miñano Pablo , Gilar‐Corbí Raquel
Published: September 2018

Background

Different studies reveal an association between parent involvement, metacognition, and academic achievement; however, the majority analyse the developmental process of acquisition in experimental or quasi‐experimental designs with students enrolled in child education. Adolescence is an important stage in personal and academic development. Given the complexity of learning, and according to the metacognitive and affective model of self‐regulated learning (Efklides, 2011, Educational Psychologist, 46, 6), different types of metacognitive processes are relevant for the optimal development of individuals in academic contexts. At the same time, individuals need stimuli from the environment, based on observation of their own and other's behaviour, as well as through communication and interaction with others.

Aim

The present study examined the relations among parent involvement, metacognitive strategies, and academic achievement to investigate the mediational role of metacognition in the relation between parent involvement and academic achievement.

Sample

The participants were 1,398 high school students from Spain (47% female, M = 12. 5 years).

Method

Multiple multilevel mediation analyses with Monte Carlo confidence intervals were used for measuring within‐subjects effects at the student level and between‐subjects effects at the class level. Parent involvement (perception of support, organization, and interest in the educational process; expectations; school relationship; time of support with homework) and metacognition were measured by questionnaires, whereas academic achievement was assessed using the end‐of‐term grades obtained by students for nine subjects.

Results

First, there was a significant direct effect of most parent involvement constructs on the mediational and dependent variables at both the within and between levels. Expectations had the highest predictive power on academic achievement. On the other hand, metacognitive strategies were an important mediator for all parent involvement constructs at both levels of analysis.

Conclusions

These results highlight the importance of metacognition during early adolescence and suggest that parent involvement is crucial for the future development of educational models.
CD13 expression in B cell malignancies is a hallmark of plasmacytic differentiation
Authors: Raimbault Anna , Machherndl‐Spandl Sigrid , Itzykson Raphaël , Clauser Sylvain , Chapuis Nicolas , Mathis Stéphanie , Lauf Jeroen , Alary Anne‐Sophie , Burroni Barbara , Kosmider Olivier , Fontenay Michaela , Béné Marie C. , Durrieu Françoise , Bettelheim Peter , Bardet Valérie
Published: September 2018

The diagnosis of Waldenström Macroglobulinaemia (WM)/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) remains one of exclusion because other B‐cell lymphoproliferative disorders (B‐LPD), such as marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), can fulfil similar criteria, including MYD88 L265P mutation. It has been suggested that expression of the myeloid marker CD13 (also termed ANPEP) is more frequent in LPL than in other B‐LPD and has also been described on normal and malignant plasma cells. Here, CD13 expression was tested in a cohort of 1037 B‐LPD patients from 3 centres by flow cytometry. The percentage of CD13‐expressing cells was found to be variable among B‐LPD but significantly higher in WM/LPL (median 31% vs. 0% in non‐WM/LPL, P < 0·001). In multivariate linear regression, CD13 expression remained significantly associated with a diagnosis of WM/LPL (P < 0·001). A cut‐off value of 2% of CD19+ cells co‐expressing CD13 yielded the best diagnostic performance for WM/LPL assertion. This was further improved by association with the presence or absence of IgM paraprotein. Finally, given that previously published transcriptomic data revealed no difference in CD13 (also termed ANPEP) mRNA between normal and pathological B‐cells, the hypothesis of some post‐transcriptional regulation must be favoured. These results suggest that testing for CD13 expression in routine flow cytometry panels could help to discriminate WM/LPL from other B‐LPD.
A secondary task is not always costly: Context‐based guidance of visual search survives interference from a demanding working memory task
Authors: Annac Efsun , Zang Xuelian , Müller Hermann J. , Geyer Thomas
Published: September 2018

Repeatedly encountering a visual search display with the target located at a fixed position relative to the distractors facilitates target detection, relative to novel displays – which is attributed to search guidance by (acquired) long‐term memory (LTM) of the distractor ‘context’ of the target. Previous research has shown that this ‘contextual cueing’ effect is severely impeded during learning when participants have to perform a demanding spatial working memory (WM) task concurrently with the search task, though it does become manifest when the WM task is removed. This has led to the proposal that search guidance by LT context memories critically depends on spatial WM to become ‘expressed’ in behaviour. On this background, this study, of two experiments, asked: (1) Would contextual cueing eventually emerge under dual‐task learning conditions if the practice on the task(s) is extended beyond the short training implemented in previous studies? and given sufficient practice, (2) Would performing the search under dual‐task conditions actually lead to an increased cueing effect compared to performing the visual search task alone? The answer is affirmative to both questions. In particular, Experiment 1 showed that a robust contextual cueing effect emerges within 360–720 dual‐task trials as compared to some 240 single‐task trials. Further, Experiment 2 showed that when dual‐ and single‐task conditions are performed in alternating trials blocks, the cueing effect for the very same set of repeated displays is significantly larger in dual‐task blocks than in single‐task blocks. This pattern of effects suggests that dual‐task practice eventually leads to direct, or ‘automatic’, guidance of visual search by learnt spatial LTM representations, bypassing WM processes. These processes are normally engaged in single‐task performance might actually interfere with direct LTM‐based search guidance.
Positive reactions to gold sodium thiosulfate in patch test panels (TRUE Test) in Japan: A multicentre study
Authors: Suzuki Kayoko , Yagami Akiko , Ito Akiko , Kato Atsuko , Miyazawa Hitoshi , Kanto Hiromi , Matsunaga Kayoko
Published: September 2018

Background

The proportion of positive test results with gold sodium thiosulfate included in a patch test panel (P‐GST) had been found to be greater than that with gold sodium thiosulfate 0.5% pet. by allergEAZE (A‐GST).

Objectives

To compare positive reactions to P‐GST and A‐GST, and to evaluate late reactions after the day (D) 7 reading.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed of 588 patients at participating departments (119 males; 469 females) who were patch tested with P‐GST and A‐GST in May 2015 to March 2016.

Results

Positive test reactions to P‐GST and A‐GST were observed in 15% and 6% of patients, respectively. Three patients reported a positive reaction occurring after the D7 reading.

Conclusions

Gold sodium thiosulfate often gives a positive reaction after 2 to 3 weeks, and, in such cases, the positive reaction may be sustained, so it is recommended to assess the reaction for up to 1 month after application.
Human papillomavirus infection and colorectal cancer in the Chinese population: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang X.‐h. , Wang W. , Wang Y.‐q. , Jia D.‐f. , Zhu L.
Published: September 2018

Aim

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been reported in colorectal cancer in many studies. We conducted a meta‐analysis to assess the association between HPV infection and colorectal cancer/adenomas in the Chinese population.

Method

Relevant studies up to January 2018 were searched in PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and the Wanfang database. We used a random effects model to determine the prevalence of HPV and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The I2 statistic and P‐value from the Cochrane Q‐test were used to describe the heterogeneity.

Results

Ten case–control studies involving 766 colorectal cancer patients and 470 controls were included in the meta‐analysis. Among the colorectal cancer patients, the pooled prevalence was 0.45 (95% CI 0.36–0.53). The pooled estimate for OR was 10.78 (95% CI 4.22, 27.53). Among the 193 patients with colorectal adenoma, the pooled prevalence and OR were 0.31 (95% CI 0.24–0.37) and 2.03 (95% CI 0.79, 5.26), respectively. The prevalence of HPV 16 and HPV 18 among HPV‐positive cancers ranged from 57.9% to 100% and 0% to 39.7%, respectively.

Conclusion

The results indicated that HPV infection, especially HPV 16 and HPV 18, is associated with colorectal cancer in the Chinese population.
Accounting for differences in costs among sampling locations in optimal stratification
Authors: Brus D. J. , Yang L. , Zhu A. X.
Published: September 2018

In areas with marked differences in accessibility, the cost efficiency of design‐based sampling strategies for estimating the population mean or total can be increased by accounting for these differences in the selection of the sampling locations. This can be achieved by stratified random sampling. The question then is how to construct the strata. Existing optimal stratification methods such as cum stratification assume a constant cost among the sampling units, and therefore can be suboptimal when this assumption is violated. A simulated annealing algorithm is proposed for simultaneous optimization of the stratum breaks and the sample size under optimal allocation of the sample size, given a chosen maximum for the expected total costs. The proposed stratification method is tested in a study area of 5900 km2 in Anhui province, China. Optimal stratum breaks were computed for estimating the population mean of the soil organic matter content (SOM). Predictions of SOM from a multiple linear regression model were used as a stratification variable. The optimal stratum breaks differed markedly from the cum breaks. The variance of the estimated mean of SOM using the optimal stratification was about 8 to 29% smaller than with the cum stratification, depending on the number of strata. This large gain in precision can be explained by the moderately strong correlation of the point‐wise costs and the stratification variable. Smaller gains are expected when this correlation is weaker or the variation in costs among the units are smaller. The proposed algorithm can also be used when no ancillary variable related to the variable of interest is available, accounting for differences in costs among the sampling units only. An R script with functions is provided as supporting information.

Highlights

A method is proposed to compute optimal strata that accounts for differences in costs among sampling locations

Simulated annealing is used to optimize stratum breaks and total sample size under a total costs constraint

The variance of estimated mean of SOM with proposed method was 8 to 29% smaller than with cum method

Proposed algorithm can also be used when no stratification variable is available (optimal costs stratification)
THE IMAGE IN CELAN'S POETICS
Authors: Koch Julian Johannes Immanuel
Published: September 2018

This article explores Paul Celan's poetics of the image. Beginning with a close analysis of his text ‘Edgar Jené. Der Traum vom Traume’, the article seeks to demonstrate that Celan's conception of the image is informed by a long theological and philosophical tradition of thinking about the image as constituted by ‘Urbild’ and ‘Abbild’. The article then traces attenuated elements of this discourse, as reformed by Celan's translation of the painter Jean Bazaine's writing on painting, and his own readings of Edmund Husserl's phenomenology, in his later poetological writings on the image surrounding his ‘Meridian’ speech.
‘OB MÄDCHEN ODER HUNDE’: WOMEN AND ANIMALS IN KAREN DUVE'S REGENROMAN
Authors: Richards Anna
Published: September 2018

Karen Duve's Regenroman is read here as a fictional exploration of the intersection between animal studies and feminism. As feminism has challenged the polarity male/female, in this novel Duve undermines the traditional dualism human/animal by endowing human characters with ‘animal’ attributes and vice versa. The narrative voice inhabits several different perspectives, including that of animal characters. The novel illustrates the ways in which women and animals are both victimised under a patriarchy which constructs masculinity against a female or animal ‘other’, and the affinity between them which is a result. Male characters abuse and kill women and animals for sexual gratification, for food, or to exercise power, in almost parodic displays of masculinity. I argue that, although Duve links feminism with animal rights, fiction allows her to imagine individual experiences and to avoid ‘instrumentalising’ one cause in the interest of the other.
Niche theory and its relation to morphology and phenotype in geographic space: a case study in woodpeckers (Picidae)
Authors: Cooper Jacob C.
Published: September 2018

Ecogeographic analyses have recovered common environmental trends with respect to morphology; however discrepancies among trends exist. Hypothesized reasons for these divergences vary, but most relate a taxon's morphology to its ecological niche. Morphology is known to diverge when species co‐occur with competitors or predators and when species occur across different habitats and environments. A less understood divergence from ecogeographic trends is niche fixation, wherein species become locked into particular niches due to their community interactions or foraging ecology. A form of niche fixation has been hypothesized in the theory of interspecies social dominance mimicry (ISDM), in which mimics maintain relatively constant size ratios with models to perpetuate their mimicry. If true, mimics should display variation and trends in tandem with their models. Here, I use mass as a proxy for body size and examine ecogeographic trends in two sets of woodpeckers (Picidae): a Nearctic group which has been reported to interact via ISDM, and a Neotropical group which, based on similar appearances and overlapping distributions, is a potential ISDM system. I found ecogeographic trends suggestive of differential evolutionary responses, and I found evidence against niche fixation in the Nearctic clade. The Neotropic clade showed limited evidence for tandem size evolution between models and mimics, but inconsistencies in the size ratios between mimic and model populations. Here, I discuss the implications of observing divergent ecogeographic trends within mimicry systems, with specific emphasis on how environment, ecology, and community interactions guide evolution.
On the Comparison of Interval Forecasts
Authors: Askanazi Ross , Diebold Francis X. , Schorfheide Frank , Shin Minchul
Published: September 2018

We explore interval forecast comparison when the nominal confidence level is specified, but the quantiles on which intervals are based are not specified. It turns out that the problem is difficult, and perhaps unsolvable. We first consider a situation where intervals meet the Christoffersen conditions (in particular, where they are correctly calibrated), in which case the common prescription, which we rationalize and explore, is to prefer the interval of shortest length. We then allow for mis‐calibrated intervals, in which case there is a calibration‐length tradeoff. We propose two natural conditions that interval forecast loss functions should meet in such environments, and we show that a variety of popular approaches to interval forecast comparison fail them. Our negative results strengthen the case for abandoning interval forecasts in favor of density forecasts: Density forecasts not only provide richer information, but also can be readily compared using known proper scoring rules like the log predictive score, whereas interval forecasts cannot.
HBV seroprevalence after 25 years of universal mass vaccination and management of non‐responders to the anti‐Hepatitis B vaccine: An Italian study among medical students
Authors: Bianchi Francesco P. , Gallone Maria S. , Gallone Maria F. , Larocca Angela M. V. , Vimercati Luigi , Quarto Michele , Tafuri Silvio
Published: September 2018

According to international guidelines, healthcare workers and medical students immunized against HBV are periodically tested for anti‐HBs IgG. Subjects who show an anti‐HBs titre <10 mUI/mL must receive additional vaccine doses to induce a measurable antibody response. This study aimed to evaluate the long‐time immunogenicity of anti‐hepatitis B vaccination in a sample of medical students and residents of the University of Bari who attended the Hygiene Department for biological risk assessment (April 2014‐June 2017). The strategy for the management of nonresponder subjects was evaluated. A total of 3676 students and residents were invited for testing according to a standardized protocol. Anti‐HBs IgG was tested for in 3140 (85.4%) subjects: 1174/3140 (37.7%) subjects were negative. 14.6% (128/808) of subjects who received the vaccine during their 12th year of life and 45.8% (1056/2305) of subjects immunized during the first year of life (P < 0.0001) were negative. 1005/1174 (85.6%) seronegative subjects received a booster dose, and 903/1005 (89.9%) were tested for anti‐HBs 1 month after the booster dose: 82/903 (9.1%) subjects were still negative. Of these, 56/82 (68.3%) received 2 additional doses of vaccine and 52/56 (92.9%) were tested 1 month after the third dose: 50/52 subjects (96.2%) developed a positive titre. In conclusion, several medical students, immunized at birth or at young age against HBV, did not develop protective titres against the virus. Our management strategy (booster retest; for negative subjects, 2 doses and retest) seems consistent with the purpose of evidencing immunological memory.
Development and future deployment of a 5 years allograft survival model for kidney transplantation
Authors: DuBay Derek A , Su Zemin , Morinelli Thomas A , Baliga Prabhakar , Rohan Vinayak , Bian John , Northrup David , Pilch Nicole , Rao Vinaya , Srinivas Titte R , Mauldin Patrick D , Taber David J
Published: September 2018

Aim

Identifying kidney transplant patients at highest risk for graft loss prior to loss may allow for effective interventions to improve 5 years survival.

Methods

We performed a 10 years retrospective cohort study of adult kidney transplant recipients (n = 1747). We acquired data from electronic health records, United Network of Organ Sharing, social determinants of health, natural language processing data extraction, and real‐time capture of dynamically evolving clinical data obtained within 1 year of transplant; from which we developed a 5 years graft survival model.

Results

Total of 1439 met eligibility; 265 (18.4%) of them experienced graft loss by 5 years. Graft loss patients were characterized by: older age, being African–American, diabetic, unemployed, smokers, having marginal donor kidneys and cardiovascular comorbidities. Predictive dynamic variables included: low mean blood pressure, higher pulse pressures, higher heart rate, anaemia, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate peak, increased tacrolimus variability, rejection and readmissions. This Big Data analysis generated a 5 years graft loss model with an 82% predictive capacity, versus 66% using baseline United Network of Organ Sharing data alone.

Conclusion

Our analysis yielded a 5 years graft loss model demonstrating superior predictive capacity compared with United Network of Organ Sharing data alone, allowing post‐transplant individualized risk‐assessed care prior to transitioning back to community care.
Spectrum of chronic kidney disease in China: A national study based on hospitalized patients from 2010 to 2015
Authors: Huang Yu‐Ming , Xu Damin , Long Jianyan , Shi Ying , Zhang Luxia , Wang Haibo , Levin Adeera , Zhao Ming‐Hui
Published: September 2018

Aim

To investigate the spectrum of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in China.

Methods

We used a large national in‐patient database covering 878 class three hospitals and involving 64.7 million adult patients in China from 2010 to 2015. The class 3 hospital in China is ranked as the top tier of medical system in China with at least 500 beds and the accreditation from health authorities. The specific causes of CKD were extracted from the International Classification of Diseases‐10 codes of discharge diagnoses.

Results

A total of 4.5% of hospitalized patients (1.8 million) were identified as CKD, with an increased percentage from 2010 (3.7%) to 2015 (4.7%). Increasing trends of diabetic kidney disease and hypertensive nephropathy were observed from 2010 to 2015 (19.5% vs 24.3% and 11.5% vs 15.9%, respectively), especially for urban residents from north China. The proportion of obstructive nephropathy also increased gradually (10.3% in 2010 vs 15.6% in 2015) and constituted another important cause of CKD for patients, especially for those from south China and rural residents.

Conclusion

The spectrum of CKD is changing in China, with variations over time and geographic regions, which has implication regarding developing the prevention strategy of CKD.
Periodontal complications with obesity
Authors: Suvan Jean E. , Finer Nicholas , D'Aiuto Francesco
Published: September 2018

The purpose of this paper was to identify and summarize current evidence describing periodontal complications associated with obesity. Electronic searches supplemented with manual searches were carried out to identify relevant systematic reviews. Identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion of studies were performed independently by two reviewers. A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) was used to assess the quality and risk of bias of the included reviews. From 430 titles and abstracts screened, 14 systematic reviews were considered as eligible for inclusion in this meta‐review. Eight reviews reported on cross‐sectional studies investigating the association of obesity and periodontal diseases, 4 included longitudinal studies, 5 addressed response to periodontal therapy, 5 reported on studies investigating biomarkers, and only 2 were related to pediatric population samples. Systematic review summaries in the various study design domains (cross‐sectional, longitudinal and experimental) report that obese individuals are more likely to have periodontal diseases, with more severe periodontal conditions, than nonobese individuals, with cross‐sectional evidence congruent with longitudinal studies showing that obesity or weight gain increases the risk of periodontitis onset and progression. Published research on the effect of obesity on responses to periodontal therapy, or systemic or local biomarkers of inflammation, is variable and therefore inconclusive based on the evidence currently available, which suggests that overweight/obesity contributes to periodontal complications independently of other risk factors, such as age, gender, smoking, or ethnicity. This evidence supports the need for risk assessments for individual patients to facilitate personalized approaches in order to prevent and treat periodontal diseases.
Importing exporters and exporting importers: A study of the decision of Chinese firms to engage in international trade
Authors: Elliott Robert J.R. , Horsewood Nicholas J. , Zhang Liyun
Published: September 2018

This paper examines the complex and interdependent relationship between importing and exporting for a panel of Chinese manufacturing firms. We estimate the decision to import and export simultaneously within a dynamic random‐effects bivariate probit framework addressing the endogenous initial conditions problem. Results show that decisions to export and import are simultaneously determined and that sunk‐entry costs play a significant role in a firm's decision to enter international markets. Costs are larger for exporting. We also find a substitution effect between the two decisions. The substitutability between exporting and importing is greater for financially constrained private firms.
Seasonal adjustment subject to accounting constraints
Authors: McElroy Tucker
Published: September 2018

The indirect seasonal adjustment obtained by aggregating component seasonal adjustments may be inadequate, whereas the direct adjustment of the aggregate can typically be ensured to be adequate by adjusting the statistical model. Reconciliation techniques can be used to allocate the discrepancies between the direct and indirect adjustments of the aggregate unto the various component series, essentially enforcing that the indirect procedure yields the same outcome as the adequate direct procedure. This paper proposes utilizing adequacy of the component seasonal adjustments—given the modifications entailed by reconciliation—as an additional constraint to the accounting problem. We focus on seasonal adjustments arising from X‐13ARIMA‐SEATS and apply this constrained reconciliation procedure to copper imports, a component of gross domestic product.
A measuring instrument for the auditory perception of rooms: The Room Acoustical Quality Inventory (RAQI)
Authors: Weinzierl Stefan , Lepa Steffen , Ackermann David
Published: September 2018

With the Room Acoustical Quality Inventory (RAQI), a measuring instrument for the perceptual space of performance venues for music and speech has been developed. First, a focus group with room acoustical experts determined relevant aspects of room acoustical impression in the form of a comprehensive list of 50 uni- and bipolar items in different categories. Then, n = 190 subjects rated their acoustical impression of 35 binaurally simulated rooms from 2 listening positions, with symphonic orchestra, solo trumpet, and dramatic speech as audio content. Subsequent explorative and confirmative factor analyses of the questionnaire data resulted in three possible solutions with four, six, and nine factors of room acoustical impression. The factor solutions, as well as the related RAQI items, were tested in terms of reliability, validity, and several types of measurement invariance, and were cross-validated by a follow-up experiment with a subsample of 46% of the original participants, which provided re-test reliabilities and stability coefficients for all RAQI constructs. The resulting psychometrically evaluated measurement instrument can be used for room quality assessment, acoustical planning, and the further development of room acoustical parameters in order to predict primary acoustical qualities of venues for music and speech.
Acoustic inversion for Monin-Obukhov similarity parameters from wind noise in a convective boundary layer
Authors: Hart Carl R. , Nykaza Edward T. , White Michael J.
Published: September 2018

The prediction accuracy of outdoor sound is in large part limited by uncertainties in the state of the atmosphere. These uncertainties can potentially be reduced by inferring scaling parameters of the atmospheric surface layer from wind noise. Screened microphones sense wind noise as a result of mean atmospheric flow, turbulent eddy interaction with the windscreen, and pressure fluctuations within the turbulent flow. Under conditions of terrain homogeneity and atmospheric quasi-steadiness, the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) states that only a handful of parameters governs the dynamics of the atmospheric surface layer. This study explores the relationships of atmospheric similarity parameters to the acoustic spectrum of wind noise in a convective boundary layer. Ambient noise data collected in a high desert during a 2007 long-range sound propagation experiment are analyzed for the purposes of establishing a nondimensional empirical relationship between the acoustic power spectrum and MOST parameters. Furthermore, this paper examines the consequences of inferring surface-layer scaling parameters with different parameter priors. This study shows that, for minimizing the variance in the inversion, the most important parameter to constrain is the Obukhov length.
Population Pharmacokinetics of Tafenoquine, a Novel Antimalarial
Authors: Thakkar Nilay , Green Justin A. , Koh Gavin C. K. W. , Duparc Stephan , Tenero David , Goyal Navin
Published: September 2018

Tafenoquine is a novel 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial drug recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the radical cure of acutePlasmodium vivaxmalaria, which is the first new treatment in almost 60 years.
𝔥-Relative cohomology on S1|1 and deformations
Authors: Faidi Thamer
Published: September 2018

Over the [Formula: see text]-dimensional supercircle [Formula: see text], we investigate the first [Formula: see text]-relative cohomology space associated with the embedding of the Lie superalgebra [Formula: see text] of contact vector fields in the Lie superalgebra [Formula: see text] of superpseudodifferential operators with smooth coefficients, where [Formula: see text] is the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebra. Likewise, we study the same problem for the affine Lie superalgebra [Formula: see text] instead of [Formula: see text]. We classify [Formula: see text]-trivial deformations of the standard embedding of the Lie superalgebra [Formula: see text] into the Lie superalgebra [Formula: see text]. This approach leads to the deformations of the central charge induced on [Formula: see text] by the canonical central extension of [Formula: see text].
Geography and Routing in the Internet
Authors: Nur Abdullah Yasin , Tozal Mehmet Engin
Published: September 2018

The Internet is a network of networks consisting of tens of thousands of Autonomous Systems (ASes). These ASes connect to each other in different forms to enable the “global” Internet communication. In this study, we investigate the geographical characteristics of the visible Internet as well as examine the relation between geography and intra-AS and inter-AS routing policies. We show that the ingress-to-egress subpaths have lower circuitousness compared to the end-to-end paths. Our findings not only demonstrate the efficient backbone infrastructures and routing schemes deployed by ASes but also show the consequences of economical incentives on the adoption of inter-AS paths. We present and examine the existence of a strong correlation between the geographical distance and round trip delay time as well as the lack of a correlation between the geographical distance and hop length in the Internet. We investigate the relation between the geographical distance and intra-AS routing policies by employing cross-AS (X-AS) Internet topology maps. Our results show that more than two thirds of the intra-AS subpaths are congruent with the shortest geographical distance whether or not geographical distance is employed as a custom parameter in routing decisions. Our results provide new insights into the relations between geography and Internet routing, which allow the network researchers and practitioners to improve their networking infrastructures, reevaluate their routing policies, deploy geography-aware network overlays, and develop more realistic network simulation processes.
Looking for hypergiants in peeringDB
Authors: Böttger Timm , Cuadrado Felix , Uhlig Steve
Published: September 2018

Hypergiants, such as Google or Netflix, are important organisations in the Internet ecosystem, due to their sheer impact in terms of traffic volume exchanged. However, beyond naming specific instances, the research community still lacks a sufficiently crisp understanding of them. In this paper we analyse PeeringDB data and identify features that differentiate hypergiants from the other organisations. To this end, we first characterise the organisations present in PeeringDB, allowing us to identify discriminating properties of these organisations. We then use these properties to separate the data in two clusters, differentiating hypergiants from other organisations. We conclude this paper by investigating how hypergiants and other organisations exploit the IXP ecosystem to reach the global IPv4 space.