bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Practical Grid‐Based Alternative Method to Advective Particle Tracking
Authors: Sbai M.A.
Published: February 2018

Advective particle tracking is a conventional groundwater modeling technique that is widely used as a screening tool but lacks robustness as a reliable method for general applications. In this work, we investigate the suitability of industry‐standard, finite‐difference, grid‐based methods as an alternative to the conventional particle‐tracking approach. The presented method is classified as a particular case of the more general forward‐ or backward‐in‐time advective‐dispersive probabilistic transport approaches. The proposed method is used as a powerful screening tool to accurately delineate and visualize capture zones around abstraction wells or outflow boundaries, the swept zones formed by injection wells or inflow boundaries, and the partitions associated with injection‐pumping well doublets or inflowing‐outflowing boundary pairs. Moreover, we show that the forward or backward travel times and residence time distributions are robustly simulated and visualized on the computational grid with little computational effort. Two examples are given to illustrate the key advantages of this method in groundwater applications. The first example considers a synthetic pump‐and‐treat remediation system in an irregularly layered aquifer. The second example involves four doublet wells operating for heat extraction in the Dogger geothermal reservoir in the Paris Basin, a leading European scale project. The presented approach is far more comprehensive as a screening tool than the conventional method, providing a natural intermediate step before processing the more general time‐dependent advective‐dispersive simulations.
Embedding multinational firms in regional business systems: neoliberal and social‐democratic models in Spain
Authors: Gonzalez Menendez María C. , Balbona David Luque , Pruneda Gabriel , Almond Phil
Published: February 2018

The paper analyses how regional actors have mobilised to attract and retain foreign direct investment in two Spanish regions with different political approaches to the management of economic issues, including industrial relations. These regions are Madrid, the main pole of attraction of foreign direct investment in Spain, and Asturias, with a large tradition of heavy industry and a greater dependence on a small number of large employers. It finds the regions have adapted to international competition in substantially different manners and considers the alternative reasons why this might be the case, highlighting the role of organised labour both in the inward investment regimes themselves, and in shaping the nature of the different compromises they involve.
Excess pneumonia and influenza hospitalizations associated with influenza epidemics in Portugal from season 1998/1999 to 2014/2015
Authors: Rodrigues Emanuel , Machado Ausenda , Silva Susana , Nunes Baltazar
Published: February 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to estimate excess pneumonia and influenza (P&I) hospitalizations during influenza epidemics and measure their correlation with influenza vaccine coverage in the 65 and more years old, according to the type/subtype of influenza virus.

Methods

The study period comprised week 40/1998‐40/2015. Age‐specific weekly P&I hospitalizations (ICD‐9: 480‐487) as main diagnosis were extracted from the National Hospital Discharge database. Age‐specific baseline hospitalization rates were estimated by autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model without time periods with excess hospitalizations. Excess hospitalizations were calculated by subtracting expected hospitalization rates from the observed during influenza epidemic periods. Correlation between excess P&I hospitalizations and influenza vaccine coverage in the elderly was measured with Pearson correlation coefficient.

Results

The average excess P&I hospitalizations/season was 19.4/105 (range 0‐46.1/105), and higher excess was observed in young children with <2 years (79.8/105) and ≥65 years (68.3/105). In epidemics with A(H3) dominant, the highest excess hospitalizations were observed among 65 and over. Seasons which influenza B or A(H1)pdm09 dominance the highest excess was observed in children with <2 years. High negative correlation was estimated between excess hospitalizations associated with A(H3) circulation and vaccine coverage in the elderly (r = −.653; 95% CI: −0.950 to −0.137).

Conclusion

Over 80% of the influenza epidemics were associated with excess hospitalizations. However, excess P&I hospitalizations pattern differed from age group and circulating virus. This ecologic approach also identified a reduction in excess P&I associated with A(H3) circulation with increasing vaccine coverage in the elderly.
Proximate mechanisms of the differences in reproductive success of males bearing different alleles of Pgdh – a gene involved in a sexual conflict in bulb mite
Authors: Skwierzyńska Anna M. , Plesnar‐Bielak Agata
Published: February 2018

Enzyme polymorphism in phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (Pgdh) is a striking example of single gene polymorphism involved in sexual conflict in bulb mite Rhizoglyphus robini. Males homozygous for the S Pgdh allele were shown to achieve higher reproductive success than FF homozygous males, while negatively influencing fecundity of their female partners. Here, we investigate proximate mechanisms responsible for the increased reproductive success of SS males and find that the S allele is associated with shorter time until copulation, higher copulation frequency and increased sperm production. We also show that Pgdh alleles are probably codominant, with SS males gaining the highest reproductive success, FF males – the lowest – and FS‐heterozygous males taking an intermediate position in all fitness parameters differentiating males of different genotypes. Additionally, we confirm the negative effect that S‐bearing males impose on the fecundity of females they mate with, showing a clear pattern of interlocus sexual conflict. We discuss that this effect is probably associated with increased copulation frequency. Whereas, contrary to what we have predicted, the S allele does not cause increased general male mobility, we speculate that the S allele‐bearing males are more efficient in forcing copulation and/or detecting females.
Prevalence and Preventability of Drug‐Related Hospital Readmissions: A Systematic Review
Authors: El Morabet Najla , Uitvlugt Elien B. , van den Bemt Bart J.F. , van den Bemt Patricia M.L.A. , Janssen Marjo J.A. , Karapinar‐Çarkit Fatma
Published: February 2018

Objectives

To summarize the evidence on the prevalence and preventability of drug‐related hospital readmissions.

Design

A systematic review was performed of studies that examined drug‐related hospital readmissions. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception through August 2016. Reference lists and a citation analysis on Web of Science and Scopus were also consulted. Two reviewers extracted study data with dual assessment of risk of bias. Prevalence and preventability of readmission due to drugs were calculated. Data were qualitatively summarized according to outcome.

Results

Nineteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Nine measured readmissions due to drug‐related problems, seven due to adverse drug reactions, two due to adverse drug events, and one due to drug‐drug interactions. Rates of readmissions due to drugs varied from 3% to 64% (median 21%, interquartile range (IQR) 14–23%). Readmissions were deemed preventable in 5% to 87% of cases (median 69%, IQR 19–84%). Evidence regarding the risk factors for drug‐related readmissions and drugs causing these readmissions was inconsistent.

Conclusion

Although studies show high variability in prevalence and preventability of drug‐related hospital readmissions, readmissions due to drugs seem to occur often, especially in older adults. Further research is needed to specify the causes of preventable readmissions and implement effective interventions to reduce medication‐related hospital admissions.
Dietary patterns and risk of ulcerative colitis: a case–control study
Authors: Rashvand S. , Behrooz M. , Samsamikor M. , Jacobson K. , Hekmatdoost A.
Published: February 2018

Background

Recent evidence indicates a role for dietary factors in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between dietary patterns and UC risk.

Methods

Sixty‐two newly diagnosed cases of UC and 124 healthy age and sex‐matched controls were studied. Data on diet was measured using a validated country‐specific food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to define major dietary patterns based on 28 food groups and nutrient content.

Results

After adjustment for confounding factors, subjects who were in the highest tertile of the healthy dietary pattern had a 79% lower risk of UC (odds ratio = 0.21, 95% confidence interval = 0.07–0.59, P = 0.003), whereas the consumption of an unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with a significantly increased risk of UC (odds ratio = 3.39, 95% 95% confidence interval = 1.16–9.90, P = 0.027).

Conclusions

The findings of the present study suggest that dietary patterns are associated with UC risk.
The Power of Chineseness: Flexible Taiwanese Identities amidst Times of Change in Asia and Latin America
Authors: Pinheiro‐Machado Rosana
Published: February 2018

Nos anos 1970, os laços diplomáticos entre o Paraguai e Taiwan, bem como o boom industrial deste último, incentivaram a migração comercial de taiwaneses para Ciudad del Este—fronteira com Foz do Iguaçu, Brasil. Porém, as reformas econômicas da China reduziram os custos de produção taiwanesa, fazendo com que suas fábricas se alocassem no continente. Tal mudança na política global de valor afetou significativamente a comunidade migrante. Esse fato foi intesificado por uma crise econômica que afetou a fronteira no século XXI. Com base em uma pesquisa etnográfica, eu analiso como identidades flexíveis respondem a essas distintas fases de acumulação flexível. No contexto de transformação econômica, de abundacia ao colapso, a chinesidade se constituia um rescurso movél que, ao mesmo tempo que dava sentido a uma vida desterritorializada, conferia poder e supremacia cultural que culminava em desigualdade e conflito. [Brasil, China, diaspora chinesa, Chineseness, identidade flexível, Paraguai, Taiwan]
Comparison of three treatment strategies for patients with triple‐vessel coronary disease and left ventricular dysfunction
Authors: Jiang Lin , Xu Lianjun , Song Lei , Gao Zhan , Tian Jian , Sun Kai , Yu Hongwei , Xu Bo , Song Lei , Yuan Jinqing
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Current guidelines recommend coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for patients with multivessel coronary disease and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. However, some patients undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or solely medical therapy (MT) in actual practice. The comparison of long‐term outcomes of these three treatment strategies in real world is unclear.

Methods

A total of 699 consecutive patients in a single centre from 2004 to 2011 who had TVD and LV ejection fraction ≤40%, no prior PCI or CABG and had completed a median 6.2‐year follow‐up were evaluated. The primary endpoint was all‐cause death. The secondary endpoints included cardiac death, major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE; composite of all‐cause death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, or stroke), and the individual components of the composite endpoint.

Results

One hundred forty‐two patients (20.3%) underwent PCI, 201 (28.8%) underwent CABG while 356 (50.9%) received MT alone. MT alone was associated with the worst survival (P < 0.001). Compared with PCI, CABG was associated with a similar risk of all‐cause death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52‐1.41; P = 0.54) but lower risks of cardiac death (HR, 0.47; 95%CI, 0.25‐0.91; P = 0.03), repeat revascularization (HR, 0.29; 95%CI, 0.10‐0.85; P = 0.02), and MACCE (HR, 0.63; 95%CI, 0.43‐0.93; P = 0.02).

Conclusions

For patients with TVD and LV dysfunction, both CABG and PCI were associated with a lower risk of mortality compared with MT alone. Compared with PCI, CABG has a lower risk of cardiac death, repeat revascularization, and MACCE.
Dyadic Neural Similarity During Stress in Mother–Child Dyads
Authors: Lee Tae‐Ho , Qu Yang , Telzer Eva H.
Published: February 2018

Shared psychological processes between individuals occur most between a mother and her child because the mother–child bond is one of the closest forms of human attachment, in which a mother and her child are essentially wired to connect. We recruited mother–child pairs (Ndyad = 19; adolescent: Mage = 13.74, 11 males; mothers: Mage = 44.26), who each completed an fMRI scan. We examined dyadic neural representational similarity as adolescents completed a stress task and mothers observed their child's performance during the same task. On average, mothers and their children did not show similar neural patterns during stress. However, neural similarity varied depending on family connectedness, such that only dyads reporting high family connectedness showed similar neural profiles. Importantly, increased neural similarity was associated with reduced stress in youth, suggesting that shared neural profiles in mother–child dyads enhance adolescents’ psychological well‐being.
Within‐subjects verbal lie detection measures: A comparison between total detail and proportion of complications
Authors: Vrij Aldert , Leal Sharon , Jupe Louise , Harvey Adam
Published: February 2018

Background

We examined whether the verbal cue, proportion of complications, was a more diagnostic cue to deceit than the amount of information provided (e.g., total number of details).

Method

In the experiment, 53 participants were interviewed. Truth tellers (n = 27) discussed a trip they had made during the last twelve months; liars (n = 26) fabricated a story about such a trip. The interview consisted of an initial recall followed by a model statement (a detailed account of an experience unrelated to the topic of investigation) followed by a post‐model statement recall. The key dependent variables were the amount of information provided and the proportion of all statements that were complications.

Results

The proportion of complications was significantly higher amongst truth tellers than amongst liars, but only in the post‐model statement recall. The amount of information provided did not discriminate truth tellers from liars in either the initial or post‐model statement recall.

Conclusion

The proportion of complications is a more diagnostic cue to deceit than the amount of information provided as it takes the differential verbal strategies of truth tellers and liars into account.
Breathing synchrony in franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) and Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in Southern Brazil
Authors: Actis Pamela Soledad , Danilewicz Daniel , Cremer Marta J. , Bortolotto Guilherme A.
Published: February 2018

Synchronous breathing may be a useful proxy for studying other, and perhaps more complex, aspects of cetacean behavior. Here we describe a study conducted in Babitonga Bay, southern Brazil, where we investigated the synchrony of breathing in two small populations of franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) and Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis). The bay is affected by different sources of anthropogenic disturbances, such as boat activity and point‐source pollution. We assumed breathing synchrony to be the inverse of the time between breathing surfacing displays of dolphins within a swimming pair, which we refer to as lag. The relationship between lag and anthropogenic and animal‐related variables was evaluated with generalized additive models. For franciscana dolphins, breathing synchrony was only positively related to the proximity between animals. Breathing synchrony in Guiana dolphins was positively related to both the proximity between animals and to group size, and varied significantly depending on the research boat used. Proximal characteristics (i.e., of individuals or of the group) of these dolphin species seem to be more related to the synchronization in breathing than are the environmental variables assessed here. Results presented expand the current knowledge of these two dolphin species and provide general insights into the breathing synchrony for cetaceans.
Clicks of dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima)
Authors: Merkens Karlina , Mann David , Janik Vincent M. , Claridge Diane , Hill Marie , Oleson Erin
Published: February 2018

The two species of the genusKogiaare widely distributed throughout the world's temperate and tropical oceans, but because they are small and highly cryptic, they are difficult to monitor. The acoustic signals ofK. brevicepshave been described previously, but the signals ofK. simahave remained unknown. Here we present three recordings ofK. sima, two from free‐ranging animals and one from a captive setting, representing both the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The acoustic signals ofK. simaare very similar to the signals ofK. brevicepsand other species that have narrow‐band, high‐frequency (NBHF) clicks. Free‐rangingK. simaproduce “usual” clicks that have mean peak and centroid frequencies of 127–129 kHz, mean −3 dB bandwidth of 10 kHz, mean −10 dB bandwidth of 16–17 kHz, and mean interclick interval of 110–164 ms. AlthoughK. simaclicks cannot yet be distinguished from those ofK. brevicepsor other NBHF clicking species, our detailed description of this species' signals reveals the similarities between the twoKogiaspecies, and thus allows for passive acoustic monitoring of the genusKogiain regions where other NBHF species are not present.
Asymptotic Properties and Information Criteria for Misspecified Generalized Linear Mixed Models
Authors: Yu Dalei , Zhang Xinyu , Yau Kelvin K. W.
Published: February 2018

The problem of misspecification poses challenges in model selection. The paper studies the asymptotic properties of estimators for generalized linear mixed models with misspecification under the framework of conditional Kullback–Leibler divergence. A conditional generalized information criterion is introduced, and a model selection procedure is proposed by minimizing the criterion. We prove that the model selection procedure proposed is asymptotically loss efficient when all the candidate models are misspecified. The model selection consistency of the model selection procedure is also established when the true data-generating procedure lies within the set of candidate models. Simulation experiments confirm the effectiveness of the method proposed. The use of the criterion for model selection is illustrated through an analysis of the European Currency Opinion Survey data.
Error Bounds for the Large‐Argument Asymptotic Expansions of the Lommel and Allied Functions
Authors: Nemes Gergő
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we reconsider the large‐z asymptotic expansion of the Lommel function and its derivative. New representations for the remainder terms of the asymptotic expansions are found and used to obtain sharp and realistic error bounds. We also give re‐expansions for these remainder terms and provide their error estimates. Applications to the asymptotic expansions of the Anger–Weber‐type functions, the Scorer functions, the Struve functions, and their derivatives are provided. The sharpness of our error bounds is discussed in detail, and numerical examples are given.
Diversity of teiid lizards from Gran Chaco and Western Cerrado (Squamata: Teiidae)
Authors: Arias Federico José , Recoder Renato , Álvarez Blanca Beatriz , Ethcepare Eduardo , Quipildor Matias , Lobo Fernando , Rodrigues Miguel Trefaut
Published: February 2018

The Gran Chaco dry forest ecoregion corresponds to the southern portion of the South America diagonal belt of open formations, being one of the most threatened subtropical woodland savannas in the world. The area is still poorly known biologically and has been suffering with impressively high forest cover loss in the last 10 years. Integrating morphological and molecular data, we detected and describe a cryptic new species of lizard genusAmeivulaendemic from the eastern part of this ecoregion, the called Humid Chaco.Ameivula apipensissp nov. is characterised by a whitish brown vertebral stripe in adults and juveniles, a lateral field without ocelli and with overlapping spot, presence of an interfrontoparietal scale in 46.2% of the specimens, 12–17 femoral pores, an hemipenis without lateral sac, five xiphisternal ribs, and by a combination of meristic features as confirmed by discriminant analysis. The new species was recovered sister to a clade from Western Cerrado in our analysis, the first phylogenetic hypothesis for theAmeivulaandGlaucomastixgenera based on 1977 base pairs of three mitochondrial (12S, 16S and cyt‐b) and one nuclear (c‐mos) genes, including all the recognised species at the moment. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference recovered the monophyly ofAmeivulaandGlaucomastixwith strong support. Reinforcing previous studies, our results suggest the presence of additional cryptic species inAmeivulafrom the Western Cerrado.
The Effects of Fiscal Policy Shocks in Morocco: An SVAR Approach
Authors: Tahri Firdawss , Karim Mohamed
Published: February 2018

Interest in assessing the effects of fiscal policy shocks on macroeconomic variables, especially on GDP, has surged in recent years, since it was expected to reestablish the economic balance after the recent recession. The majority of empirical studies estimate the impact of fiscal policy on economic activity using vector autoregressive (VAR) models. This paper analyzes the effect of fiscal shocks on economic activity by applying the structural VAR methodology proposed by Blanchard and Perotty (2002) to Moroccan data. The empirical findings are consistent with other studies related to emerging economies. This assessment reveals a positive impact of expansionary fiscal policy on economic activity. However, the fiscal multipliers are found to be very small, meaning that the economic activity is not significantly influenced by fiscal policy shocks.
How Do Elementary Students in Turkey and the Czech Republic Perceive the Game Concept? A Phenomenographic Study With Draw and Write Technique
Authors: Dogan Pınar Karacan , Tingaz Emre Ozan , Hazar Muhsin , Zvonar Martin
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this study is to compare the perception concerning game concept of 4th grade students in Turkey and the Czech Republic. 19 fourth grade elementary students in the Czech Republic and 40 fourth grade elementary students in Turkey were selected by criterion and convenience sampling. They responded to a specific question "What is the meaning of game for you?" effectively through writing and drawing. Phenomenographic analysis was used to analyze the data. As a result, it is detected that fourth grade elementary students in Turkey and the Czech Republic perceive the game concept as real games more than digital games. Although the two groups have different cultural characteristics they drew and wrote the same games in some main categories. In addition, students in Turkey drew and wrote digital games less frequently than the students in the Czech Republic.
Reduced twinning and surface roughness of Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on sapphire substrates
Authors: Levy Ido , Garcia Thor Axtmann , Shafique Sharmin , Tamargo Maria C.
Published: February 2018

The authors investigate the structural properties of Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 topological insulator layers grown on sapphire (0001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy, using various pregrowth optimization methods. Samples of Bi2Se3 grown on sapphire with a particular combination of pregrowth surface treatment steps showed evidence of greatly reduced twinning and significantly reduced surface roughness. Evidence of twinning, and its suppression by the appropriate choice of pregrowth steps, is obtained from x-ray diffraction Φ-scan measurements as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. Improved surface roughness is also evident from the AFM images. Growth of Bi2Te3 on sapphire exhibited similar reduced twinning by the application of the pregrowth surface preparation steps, although the surface roughness was significantly greater than that of Bi2Se3. Additional improvements in surface roughness of the Bi2Te3 were achieved by growing the Bi2Te3 on a Bi2Se3 buffer layer.
The Global Virome Project
Authors: Carroll Dennis , Daszak Peter , Wolfe Nathan D. , Gao George F. , Morel Carlos M. , Morzaria Subhash , Pablos-Méndez Ariel , Tomori Oyewale , Mazet Jonna A. K.
Published: February 2018

Expanded viral discovery can improve mitigation
Boron compounds tackle dinitrogen
Authors: Broere Daniël L. J. , Holland Patrick L.
Published: February 2018

A borylene compound can match transition metals by activating the strong N
2
bond
Reason (and science) for hope
Enlightenment Now
: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
Steven Pinker
Viking, 2018. 576 pp.
Authors: Shermer Michael
Published: February 2018

An optimistic treatise celebrates the enlightened thinking that has made us happier, healthier, and safer than ever
Prediction of Fluoroquinolone Susceptibility Directly from Whole-Genome Sequence Data by Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry To Identify Mutant Genotypes
Authors: Wan Nur Ismah Wan Ahmad Kamil , Takebayashi Yuiko , Findlay Jacqueline , Heesom Kate J. , Jiménez-Castellanos Juan-Carlos , Zhang Jay , Graham Lee , Bowker Karen , Williams O. Martin , MacGowan Alasdair P. , Avison Matthew B.
Published: February 2018

Fluoroquinolone resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is multifactorial, involving target site mutations, reductions in fluoroquinolone entry due to reduced porin production, increased fluoroquinolone efflux, enzymes that modify fluoroquinolones, and Qnr, a DNA mimic that protects the drug target from fluoroquinolone binding. Here we report a comprehensive analysis, using transformation and
in vitro
mutant selection, of the relative importance of each of these mechanisms for fluoroquinolone nonsusceptibility using
Klebsiella pneumoniae
as a model system. Our improved biological understanding was then used to generate 47 rules that can predict fluoroquinolone susceptibility in
K. pneumoniae
clinical isolates. Key to the success of this predictive process was the use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to measure the abundance of proteins in extracts of cultured bacteria, identifying which sequence variants seen in the whole-genome sequence data were functionally important in the context of fluoroquinolone susceptibility.
Impact of Homologous Resistance Mutations from Pathogenic Yeast on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Lanosterol 14α-Demethylase
Authors: Sagatova Alia A. , Keniya Mikhail V. , Tyndall Joel D. A. , Monk Brian C.
Published: February 2018

Fungal infections frequently affect immunodeficient individuals and are estimated to kill 1.35 million people per annum. Azole antifungals target the membrane-bound cytochrome P450 monooxygenase lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51; Erg11p). Mutations in CYP51 can render the widely used triazole drugs less effective. The
Candida albicans
CYP51 mutation G464S and the double mutation Y132F G464S (Y140F and G464S by
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
numbering) as well as the CYP51A G54E/R/W mutations of
Aspergillus fumigatus
(G73E/R/W by
S. cerevisiae
numbering) have been reproduced in a recombinant C-terminal hexahistidine-tagged version of
S. cerevisiae
CYP51 (ScErg11p6×His). Phenotypes and X-ray crystal structures were determined for the mutant enzymes. Liquid microdilution assays showed that the G464S mutation in ScErg11p6×His conferred no difference in the susceptibility of yeast to triazole drugs but in combination with the Y140F mutation gave a 4-fold reduction in susceptibility to the short-tailed triazole fluconazole. The ScErg11p6×His Y140F G464S mutant was unstable during purification and was not crystallized. The ScErg11p6×His G73E/R/W mutations conferred increased susceptibly to all triazoles tested in liquid microdilution assays. High-resolution X-ray crystal structures reveal two different conformations of the ligand itraconazole, including a previously unseen conformation, as well as interactions between the tail of this triazole and the E/W73 residue. This study shows that
S. cerevisiae
CYP51 adequately represents some but not all mutations in CYP51s of pathogenic fungi. Insight into the molecular mechanisms of resistance mutations in CYP51 will assist the development of inhibitors that will overcome antifungal resistance.
Assessment of choroidal blood flow using laser speckle flowgraphy
Authors: Calzetti Giacomo , Fondi Klemens , Bata Ahmed M , Luft Nikolaus , Wozniak Piotr A , Witkowska Katarzyna J , Bolz Matthias , Popa-Cherecheanu Alina , Werkmeister René M , Schmidl Doreen , Garhöfer Gerhard , Schmetterer Leopold
Published: February 2018

Background/aims

There is considerable interest in novel techniques to quantify choroidal blood flow (CBF) in humans. In the present study, we investigated a novel technique to measure CBF based on laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in healthy subjects.

Methods

This study included 31 eyes of 31 healthy, non-smoking subjects aged between 19 and 74 years. A commercial LSFG instrument was used to measure choroidal vessel diameter (CVD) and relative flow volume (RFV) in choroidal vessels that were identified on fundus photos, an approach that was used previously only for retinal vessels. The reproducibility and the effect of isometric exercise on these parameters were investigated. The latter was compared with measurement of subfoveal CBF using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF).

Results

Intraclass correlation coefficients for CVD and RFV were higher than 0.8 indicating excellent reproducibility. During isometric exercise, we observed an increase in ocular perfusion pressure of approximately 60% (P<0.001). The increase in RFV and CBF was lower, but also highly significant versus baseline (at minute 6 of isometric exercise: RFV 10.5%±4.2%, CBF 8.3%±3.6%; P<0.001 each) indicating choroidal autoregulation.

Conclusion

LSFG may be a novel approach to study blood flow in choroidal vessels. Data are reproducible and show good agreement with LDF data.

Trial registration number

NCT02102880, Results.
Is smoking a risk factor for tinnitus? A systematic review, meta-analysis and estimation of the population attributable risk in Germany
Authors: Veile Annette , Zimmermann Heiko , Lorenz Eva , Becher Heiko
Published: February 2018

Objective

To assess the epidemiological association of smoking status and tinnitus with a systematic review and meta-analysis and to estimate the population attributable risk in Germany.

Data sources

A systematic literature search in PubMed and ISI-Web of Science Core Collection resulted in 1026 articles that were indexed until 15 September 2015. Additionally, proceedings of the international tinnitus seminars and reference lists of relevant articles were screened.

Study selection

Two reviewers searched independently for epidemiological studies. Tinnitus as a manifestation of tumours, vascular malformations, specific syndromes or as a consequence of surgical and medical treatment was not considered. Moreover, studies conducted among patients of ear, nose and throat clinics were excluded.

Data extraction

If only raw data were provided, effect sizes were calculated. Further unpublished data were received by corresponding authors.

Data synthesis

Data of 20 studies were pooled. Current smoking (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.35), former smoking (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.26) and ever smoking (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.30) were significantly associated with tinnitus. Moreover, sensitivity analyses for severe tinnitus (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.58) and for studies of superior quality (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.29) showed increased risks. According to this, the population attributable risk estimate in Germany is 3.5%.

Conclusion

There is sufficient evidence that smoking is associated with tinnitus. As the review mainly consists of cross-sectional studies, the observed correlation does not give evidence of a causal relationship. Due to the impact of various confounders, further research is needed to provide more evidence on the strength of association and causal relationships.
Protocol for a longitudinal twin birth cohort study to unravel the complex interplay between early-life environmental and genetic risk factors in health and disease: the Chongqing Longitudinal Twin Study (LoTiS)
Authors: Tong Chao , Wen Li , Xia Yinyin , Leong Pamela , Wang Lan , Fan Xin , Han Ting-li , Craig Jeffrey M , Baker Philip , Saffery Richard , Qi Hongbo
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) now represent the major burden of adverse health in most countries. It is clear that much of the risk of such conditions begins very early in life, potentially in utero. Given their complex aetiology, an understanding of the origins of NCD requires an in-depth analysis of the interplay between genetic variation and environment, preferably over time. For decades, twin studies have played a key role in understanding such traits. Their strength lies in the ability to disentangle genetic and environmental factors that contribute to a phenotype. This is done by comparing genetically identical monozygotic (MZ) with dizygotic twins, who share on average 50% of genetic variation, or by comparing MZ twins within a pair. This study aims to determine the relative contributions of genes and environment to early-onset intermediate phenotypes related to later adult onset disease (such as growth and neurodevelopment) and to identify specific biomarkers and time points for emergence of phenotypes from infancy, largely independent of underlying genetic factors.

Methods/design

The Chongqing Longitudinal Twin Study (LoTiS) will recruit 300 women pregnant with twins, enriched for MZ pregnancies, with follow-up to 3 years of age. Data collection will be undertaken at key time points in gestation (×3), at delivery and postnatally (×9). Maternal and infant biospecimens including blood, urine, hair, nails and buccal swabs along with measures such as fetal scans and body measurements will be collected. Additional information from questionnaires and medical records includes pregnancy, diet, sociodemographics, maternal stress, and infant growth and neurodevelopment.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Chongqing Medical University (record no: 201530) and has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registry no: ChiCTR-OOC-16008203). Results of the recruitment and all subsequent analyses will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR-OOC-16008203; Results.
Usefulness of positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with valve-tube graft infection
Authors: García-Arribas Daniel , Vilacosta Isidre , Ortega Candil Aida , Rodríguez Rey Cristina , Olmos Carmen , Pérez Castejón María Jesús , Vivas David , Pérez-García Carlos Nicolás , Carnero-Alcázar Manuel , Fernández-Pérez Cristina , Maroto Luis , Carreras José Luis
Published: February 2018

Objective

Infection of valved aortic grafts is a rare entity whose diagnosis remains challenging. Positron emission tomography (PET)/CT has become a criterion for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) in prosthetic valves, but its role on ascending aortic graft infections remains unclear. This study aims to assess the diagnostic value of PET/CT in patients with valved aortic graft infection.

Methods

12 episodes with a valved aortic graft who had undergone a PET/CT due to suspicion of IE were prospectively included (group I) and compared with five controls free of infection who underwent PET/CT for other reasons (group II). Pathological uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and its pattern at the prosthetic valve and aortic graft were studied.

Results

Diagnosis of IE was confirmed in 9 out of 12 episodes of group I. 18F-FDG uptake was detectable in eight out of nine cases with a final diagnosis of IE. The most repeated pattern of uptake was homogeneous around the valve and heterogeneous around the tube. There was one false-negative study. Of the three patients in which IE was ruled out, there were two false positives and one true negative. In group II, there were three patients with a positive PET/CT study, two of them had active aortitis and the third was considered false positive.

Conclusions

18F-FDG PET/CT shows high sensitivity in the detection of infected aortic grafts. Thus, this technique should be considered in the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspicion of aortic graft infection. However, further validation of this approach is needed.
Physician global assessments for disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis are all over the map!
Authors: Turk Matthew , Pope Janet E
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Physician global assessments of disease activity (medical doctor (MD) globals) are important outcomes. MD globals may vary based on their age, gender, practice setting and experience (number of patients seen per year and years in practice).

Methods

We determined the variability of MD globals, surveying rheumatologists from the Canadian Rheumatology Association using rheumatoid arthiritis (RA) cases rated by MD for disease activity from 0 to 10. Cases were developed to span the spectrum of disease activity. Kappa, intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficients and linear mixed models were used.

Results

109 responded to the survey (approximately 30% response). The range of MD globals for the same scenario was as high as 7.6 out of 10, indicating vast discrepancies between physicians. Some scenarios outlined changes in individual patients; however, physicians surveyed were often in disagreement as to how much the patient recovered or worsened but the direction was the same (ie, if better all agreed). When physician-related factors were analysed separately, MD global scores were significantly influenced by age and experience (ranked by a physician, number of patients seen per year and years in clinical practice) in linear mixed models. Multivariate analysis revealed borderline significance for two age categories (56–65 years, P=0.049; over 65 years, P=0.058) and those who have seen 600–800 patients per year (P=0.056).

Conclusions

This emphasises the need to establish evaluation criteria in RA for disease. Perhaps, a catalogue of patient scenarios that range from 0 to 10 could be developed, standardised and agreed on to decrease the wide variability of ranking by rheumatologists.
Vertical migration patterns of the different larval instars of Chaoborus flavicans and the influence of dissolved oxygen concentrations
Authors: Weisser Manuel , Hofmann Hilmar , Fernández Jorge Encinas , Peeters Frank
Published: February 2018

Here we investigate the diel vertical migration (DVM) of the different larval stages of Chaoborus flavicans between spring and summer in two different lakes and three different years. Specific attention is given to the influence of the vertical distribution of dissolved oxygen (DO) on the DVM of the different larval instars. To our knowledge, this study is the first that combines continuous observations of DVM of C. flavicans with continuous measurements of DO distributions over several months, allowing the assessment of changes in DVM due to the development of hyperoxic conditions in the deep water of lakes. With ontogenetic development, C. flavicans larvae increase their sensitivity to changes in light intensity and their tolerance to low oxygen conditions. Our results suggest that the physiological changes of C. flavicans larvae are adaptations to seasonal changes in DO, improving migration abilities to enable utilization of hypoxic and anoxic waters to avoid predation. Interannual change in the abundance and vertical distribution of phytoplankton affecting DO concentrations was sufficient to alter DVM patterns of C. flavicans larvae between years.
Fragmentation alters home range and movements of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporusarenicolus)
Authors: Young Megan E. , Ryberg Wade A. , Fitzgerald Lee A. , Hibbitts Toby J.
Published: February 2018

Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of biodiversity loss and among reptiles has been attributed as a cause of species decline. The negative effect of habitat fragmentation has also been shown to be worse for species that are habitat specialists. The Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus Degenhardt and Jones, 1972) is a species that specializes on the shinnery oak (Quercus havardii Rydb.) sand-dune landform of the Mescalero–Monahans Sandhills ecosystem in western Texas and eastern New Mexico, USA. This landform has been fragmented by roads and well pads used for the extraction of oil and gas resources. The effects of fragmentation on the home range and movements of this species can lead to the effective isolation of populations and increased risk of localized extirpations. We showed that home-range size was larger in an unfragmented area and that the mean distance of movements was greater. We also observed that roads in the fragmented areas restricted movements of S. arenicolus. We concluded that roads can be barriers to movements even though only narrow strips of habitat are altered.
Influence of Cholecystokinin-8 on Compound Nerve Action Potentials from Ventral Gastric Vagus in Rats
Authors: Mirza Khalid B. , Alenda Andrea , Eftekhar Amir , Grossman Nir , Nikolic Konstantin , Bloom Stephen R. , Toumazou Christofer
Published: February 2018

Objective: Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) has shown great promise as a potential therapy for a number of conditions, such as epilepsy, depression and for Neurometabolic Therapies, especially for treating obesity. The objective of this study was to characterize the left ventral subdiaphragmatic gastric trunk of vagus nerve (SubDiaGVN) and to analyze the influence of intravenous injection of gut hormone cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) on compound nerve action potential (CNAP) observed on the same branch, with the aim of understanding the impact of hormones on VNS and incorporating the methods and results into closed loop implant design. Methods: The cervical region of the left vagus nerve (CerVN) of male Wistar rats was stimulated with electric current and the elicited CNAPs were recorded on the SubDiaGVN under four different conditions: Control (no injection), Saline, CCK1 (100[Formula: see text]pmol/kg) and CCK2 (1000[Formula: see text]pmol/kg) injections. Results: We identified the presence of A[Formula: see text], B, C1, C2, C3 and C4 fibers with their respective velocity ranges. Intravenous administration of CCK in vivo results in selective, statistically significant reduction of CNAP components originating from A and B fibers, but with no discernible effect on the C fibers in [Formula: see text] animals. The affected CNAP components exhibit statistically significant ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) higher normalized stimulation thresholds. Conclusion: This approach of characterizing the vagus nerve can be used in closed loop systems to determine when to initiate VNS and also to tune the stimulation dose, which is patient-specific and changes over time.
Efficient Embedded Decoding of Neural Network Language Models in a Machine Translation System
Authors: Zamora-Martinez Francisco , Castro-Bleda Maria Jose
Published: February 2018

Neural Network Language Models (NNLMs) are a successful approach to Natural Language Processing tasks, such as Machine Translation. We introduce in this work a Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) system which fully integrates NNLMs in the decoding stage, breaking the traditional approach based on [Formula: see text]-best list rescoring. The neural net models (both language models (LMs) and translation models) are fully coupled in the decoding stage, allowing to more strongly influence the translation quality. Computational issues were solved by using a novel idea based on memorization and smoothing of the softmax constants to avoid their computation, which introduces a trade-off between LM quality and computational cost. These ideas were studied in a machine translation task with different combinations of neural networks used both as translation models and as target LMs, comparing phrase-based and [Formula: see text]-gram-based systems, showing that the integrated approach seems more promising for [Formula: see text]-gram-based systems, even with nonfull-quality NNLMs.
Bisectors determining unique pairs of points in the bidisk
Authors: Charette Virginie , Drumm Todd A. , Kim Youngju
Published: February 2018

Bisectors are equidistant hypersurfaces between two points and are basic objects in a metric geometry. They play an important part in understanding the action of subgroups of isometries on a metric space. In many metric geometries (spherical, Euclidean, hyperbolic, complex hyperbolic, to name a few) bisectors do not uniquely determine a pair of points, in the following sense: completely different sets of points share a common bisector. The above examples of this non-uniqueness are all rank [Formula: see text] symmetric spaces. However, generically, bisectors in the usual [Formula: see text] metric are such for a unique pair of points in the rank [Formula: see text] geometry [Formula: see text]. This result indicates the striking assertion that non-uniqueness of bisectors holds for “most” geometries.
Contact structures on AR-singularity links
Authors: Karakurt Çağrı , Öztürk Ferı̇t
Published: February 2018

An isolated complex surface singularity induces a canonical contact structure on its link. In this paper, we initiate the study of the existence problem of Stein cobordisms between these contact structures depending on the properties of singularities. As a first step, we construct an explicit Stein cobordism from any contact 3-manifold to the canonical contact structure of a proper almost rational singularity introduced by Némethi. We also show that the construction cannot always work in the reverse direction: in fact, the U-filtration depth of contact Ozsváth–Szabó invariant obstructs the existence of a Stein cobordism from a proper almost rational singularity to a rational one. Along the way, we detect the contact Ozsváth–Szabó invariants of those contact structures fillable by an AR plumbing graph, generalizing an earlier work of the first author.
A Lagrangian model for the age of tracer in surface water
Authors: Ding Yu , Liu Haifei , Yi Yujun
Published: February 2018

The age of tracer is a spatio-temporal scale, indicating the transition time of solute particles, which is helpful to monitor and manage the pollutant leakage accidents. In this study, an effective Lagrangian model for the age of tracer is developed based on the lattice Boltzmann method in [Formula: see text]5 lattices. A tracer age problem in an asymmetrical circular reservoir is then employed as a benchmark test to verify this method. Then it is applied to computing the age of tracers under two different reservoir operation schemes in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the drinking water source for the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project.
Gibbs measures with memory of length 2 on an arbitrary-order Cayley tree
Authors: Akın Hasan
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we consider the Ising-Vanniminus model on an arbitrary-order Cayley tree. We generalize the results conjectured by Akın [Chinese J. Phys. 54(4), 635–649 (2016) and Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 31(13), 1750093 (2017)] for an arbitrary-order Cayley tree. We establish the existence and a full classification of translation-invariant Gibbs measures (TIGMs) with a memory of length 2 associated with the model on arbitrary-order Cayley tree. We construct the recurrence equations corresponding to the generalized ANNNI model. We satisfy the Kolmogorov consistency condition. We propose a rigorous measure-theoretical approach to investigate the Gibbs measures with a memory of length 2 for the model. We explain if the number of branches of the tree does not change the number of Gibbs measures. Also, we try to determine when the phase transition does occur.