bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural basis for recognition of RALF peptides by LRX proteins during pollen tube growth
Authors: Moussu Steven , Broyart Caroline , Santos-Fernandez Gorka , Augustin Sebastian , Wehrle Sarah , Grossniklaus Ueli , Santiago Julia
Published: March 2020

Plant reproduction relies on the highly regulated growth of the pollen tube for sperm delivery. This process is controlled by secreted RALF signaling peptides, which have previously been shown to be perceived by
Catharanthus roseus
RLK1-like (
Cr
RLK1Ls) membrane receptor-kinases/LORELEI-like GLYCOLPHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL (GPI)-ANCHORED PROTEINS (LLG) complexes, or by leucine-rich repeat (LRR) extensin proteins (LRXs). Here, we demonstrate that RALF peptides fold into bioactive, disulfide bond-stabilized proteins that bind the LRR domain of LRX proteins with low nanomolar affinity. Crystal structures of LRX2–RALF4 and LRX8–RALF4 complexes at 3.2- and 3.9-Å resolution, respectively, reveal a dimeric arrangement of LRX proteins, with each monomer binding one folded RALF peptide. Structure-based mutations targeting the LRX–RALF4 complex interface, or the RALF4 fold, reduce RALF4 binding to LRX8 in vitro and RALF4 function in growing pollen tubes. Mutants targeting the disulfide-bond stabilized LRX dimer interface fail to rescue
lrx
infertility phenotypes. Quantitative biochemical assays reveal that RALF4 binds LLGs and LRX cell-wall modules with drastically different binding affinities, and with distinct and mutually exclusive binding modes. Our biochemical, structural, and genetic analyses reveal a complex signaling network by which RALF ligands instruct different signaling proteins using distinct targeting mechanisms.
The roles of L1 Spanish versus L2 Spanish in L3 Portuguese morphosyntactic development
Authors: Cabrelli Jennifer , Iverson Michael , Giancaspro David , González Becky
Published: March 2020

This study explores the rate of L3 development among learners that transfer their L1 versus L2, via examination of differential object marking (DOM) by English/Spanish bilingual learners of L3 Brazilian Portuguese (BP). At the L3 initial stages, L1 English/L2 Spanish and L1 Spanish/L1 English speakers transfer non-facilitative DOM from Spanish (Giancaspro et al., 2015). We compare these groups with advanced L3 BP learners to test the hypothesis that L2 transfer is overcome faster than L1 transfer. Data from advanced L3 BP groups show that the L1 Spanish group patterns with both initial stages Spanish groups. However, the L2 Spanish group patterns with BP controls, suggesting that the L2 Spanish group has overcome non-facilitative transfer, while the L1 Spanish group has not.
The Lexical Aspect Hypothesis
Authors: Martins Custodio , Pinharanda-Nunes Mário
Published: March 2020

This chapter investigates the acquisition of tense and aspect by Chinese learners of Portuguese as an L2 from a variationist perspective (Bayley, 2013). Difficulties in acquiring the aspectual contrasts set by the Perfect Preterit and Imperfect Preterit tenses in Romance languages have been widely documented (Blyth, 2005; Giacalone-Ramat, 2002; Kihlstedt, 2002; Martins, 2008). This study investigates the role of  for the marking of Perfect and Imperfect Preterit following the tenets of the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (LAH). It intends to design a different look into the LAH, as it considers other variables in interaction. Results show that lexical aspect plays a significant role in the learners’ use of inflectional morphology for both verb tenses, showing the dynamics of the interlanguage continuum.
How learners of Portuguese as an additional language talk about their experience from a cognitive perspective
Authors: Corrêa Ferreira Luciane , de Almeida Oliveira Desirée
Published: March 2020

This study aims to investigate how international students at a Brazilian university conceptualize their experience of learning Portuguese as an Additional Language (PAL). In the light of Cognitive Linguistics and at an interface with Applied Linguistics, we identify, analyze, and interpret metaphors and metonymies (Cameron, 2003, 2010; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) that emerge from a focus group discussion of learners of PAL about their experiences. Therefore, we investigate what the PAL learning process is like from an emic perspective. Building on previous work by Ferreira (2014), Gomes Jr. (2015), and Oliveira and Ferreira (2016), results point to the use of conceptual metaphors such as language is a container, culture is a parent, and language is a commodity.
Implementing the concept of ‘pedagogic mediation’ with the use of language corpora for the teaching of Portuguese as an L2 or L3
Authors: Fleck Jonathan , Salaberry M. Rafael , Scutti Santos Hélade
Published: March 2020

Despite the salient benefits of using language corpora to guide and promote second language acquisition, it is not a straightforward proposition to develop a pedagogical approach based on the use of a language corpus. In the present chapter, we address the implementation of Flowerdew’s concept of “pedagogic mediation” through the use of a guided-induction, corpus-based approach to the teaching of Portuguese as a third language to speakers of Spanish and English. We use a contrastive approach and focus on linguistic properties that are systematically different in Portuguese and Spanish and that could potentially be subject to negative crosslinguistic influence.
Leveraging Spanish knowledge and cognitive aptitude in Portuguese learning
Authors: Bonilla Carrie L. , Golonka Ewa , Pandža Nick B. , Linck Jared A. , Michael Erica B. , Clark Martyn , Lancaster Alia , Richardson Dorna
Published: March 2020

This chapter describes a study investigating the question of whether and to what extent the presence of the donor language (L2; Spanish) and the first language (L1; English) in a reading comprehension task facilitates or impedes lexical learning in a related language (L3; Portuguese). The study also addresses the role of the learner’s cognitive aptitude (as measured by the High-level Language Aptitude Battery, Hi-LAB; Doughty et al., 2010; Linck et al., 2013). We discuss the results in light of the importance of perceived similarities and differences between related languages in multilingual learning, as well as the importance of understanding the ways in which learners with different levels of cognitive aptitude may be differentially able to leverage existing linguistic knowledge.
Autonomous Portuguese L3 learning through an adaptive platform
Authors: Linck Jared A. , Clark Martyn , Bonilla Carrie L. , Golonka Ewa , Doughty Catherine J. , Mecham TaraLee , Burns William
Published: March 2020

Despite increasing need for on-demand, autonomous language learning, difficult technical issues render this approach insufficient without a human in the loop (e.g., blended learning). In this chapter, we discuss how recent advances in human language technology (HLT), cognitive science, and second language acquisition (SLA) combined can address seemingly intractable problems (e.g., intelligent feedback on error). We introduce an HLT-enabled adaptive language learning platform and examine the results from a pilot study in which English native speakers highly proficient in Spanish as a second language used the platform to learn Portuguese as a third language. Such “conversion” training from Spanish to Portuguese provides an ideal testbed for these innovative HLT and SLA ideas.
Auditory verbs in the Spanish language
Authors: Fernández Jaén Jorge
Published: March 2020

The present paper has as its aim to offer an analysis
about the most important auditory verbs in the Spanish language from a
historical and cognitive-functional approach. Evidence will be offered that
the patterns for semantic development and syntactic functioning shown by
auditory verbs are iconically motivated by the physiological particularities
of the human ear. It will also be demonstrated, following the hypothesis
about classical Greek and Hebrew proposed by Sweetser (1990) and Viejo Sánchez (2004), that the abstract meaning of
obedecer [to obey] developed by the Spanish verb
escuchar [to listen] finds its cultural motivation in
certain recurrent contexts coming from religious language. In short, this
research work not only provides new evidence supporting the hypothesis of
language corporeization but also supplies data confirming that linguistic
change processes are connected to cultural and anthropological aspects.
The future tense in Spanish
Authors: López García Ángel
Published: March 2020

Linguistic theories emphasize either the inner point of
view that explains linguistic phenomena starting from universal structures
of the human mind, or the outer point of view that relies on the structure
of communication. Enaction is a cognitive approach that locates halfway
between formal and functional linguistics. This paper shows how the
principles of perceptual interchange can help to explain the evolution and
the main uses of the Spanish future tense. The current paradigm consists of
four forms, voy a amar, amaré, amaría, amare, respectively
temporal, modal, past, and rhetoric. Since none of them proceeds from the
classic Latin future amabo, it is concluded that they
originate in the adjustment of neural networks to the requirements of
communication.
Form and meaning in the development of verbal polysemy
Authors: Melis Chantal
Published: March 2020

The question of how form and meaning interact in
processes of change is of particular significance to historical linguists.
Most commonly, innovations in meaning are assumed to lead the way, with
changes at the formal level following as a consequence. By contrast, the
possibility of a formal change being responsible for the emergence of a new
meaning is seldom envisaged. The present paper explores these issues in
relation to the polysemous Spanish motion verb alcanzar ‘to
reach’, which in the course of time developed the new senses ‘to understand’
and ‘to be sufficient’. The diachronic analysis of the two developments
brings into view a meaning-to-form change in the first case but suggests a
form-to-meaning path in the second case.
In substance, they came from above
Authors: Pons Rodríguez Lola
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a study on discourse particles in
the history of the Spanish language. The research focuses on explaining the
socio-cultural context which led to the appearance of some particles by
means other than those contemplated in the theory of grammaticalization. By
monitoring the history of the discourse particle en
sustancia we explain how many of the changes undergone in the
Spanish language in the plane of textual construction came from above, were
taken directly from the medieval Latin of books and inserted into
communicative distance texts, subsequently spreading to become standard.
Grammaticalization of en vías de
Authors: Provencio Garrigós Herminia
Published: March 2020

The aim sought with this research is to show the process of
grammaticalization experienced by the prepositional locution en vías
de, originated in the prepositional phrase en vía
de. The study was carried out through work with diachronic and
synchronic corpora which provides evidence that the history of the
linguistic change occurred in en vías de has a
multidimensional nature, since semantic-pragmatic, morphological, syntactic
and textual factors linked by the concepts of ‘process,’ ‘progression,’ and
‘development’ interact in it. The analysis shows that four aspects impact
directly on the linguistic innovation of en vías de:
semantic change, which revolves around the prototypical and marginal
meanings of the Latin noun vĭa; the diachronic diffusion of
the prepositional locution and the contexts that it selects between the 14th
and 21st centuries, which favor the routinization of prototypical
collocational structures; the degree of morphological, syntactic and
lexical-diatopical fixation; and finally, the texts where the prepositional
locution originated and became widespread and the topics they deal with.
Coupling between phase transitions and glassy magnetic behaviour in Heusler alloy Ni50Mn34In8Ga8
Authors: Zhang Le , Lou Xiaojie , Zhou Chao , Yang Sen , Ren Xiaobing , Wang Danyang , Carpenter Michael A
Published: March 2020

The transition sequence in the Heusler alloy Ni50Mn34In8Ga8 has been determined from measurements of elasticity, heat flow and magnetism to be paramagnetic austenite → paramagnetic martensite → ferromagnetic martensite at ∼335 and ∼260 K, respectively, during cooling. The overall pattern of elastic stiffening/softening and acoustic loss is typical of a system with bilinear coupling between symmetry breaking strain and the driving structural/electronic order parameter, and a temperature interval below the transition point in which ferroelastic twin walls remain mobile under the influence of external stress. Divergence between zero-field-cooling and field-cooling determinations of DC magnetisation below ∼220 K indicates that a frustrated magnetic glass develops in the ferromagnetic martensite. An AC magnetic anomaly which shows Vogel–Fulcher dynamics in the vicinity of ∼160 K is evidence of a further glassy freezing process. This coincides with an acoustic loss peak and slight elastic stiffening that is typical of the outcome of freezing of ferroelastic twin walls. The results suggest that local strain variations associated with the ferroelastic twin walls couple with local moments to induce glassy magnetic behaviour.
Facile fabrication and electrochemical oxidation of activated carbon microtube bundles for advanced all-solid-state supercapacitors
Authors: Bao Jinpeng , Lu Haiyan , Pei Dongyu , Liang Chen , Chen Yang
Published: March 2020

The energy density of carbon microtube bundles (CMTBs) is usually low and the preparation process is complex. After carbonization, washing and activation, the prepared metaplexis shell-based carbon microtube bundles (MS-CMTBs) not only have an open structure, but also a rich porous structure on the tube wall. The pulsed electrooxidation technology can promote the formation of functional groups on the tube wall and further enhance the energy density of the material. After assembling the electrooxidized material into an all-solid-state supercapacitor, the capacitor has a capacity of 15.1 Wh kg−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and a capacity retention rate of 95.9% after 10 000 cycles at 10 A g−1, indicating that these functional groups are relatively stable. The result shows that the MS-CMTBs before pulsed electrooxidation are more suitable as positive electrode materials, while the electrooxidized material can be either a positive or negative electrode material. This work provides an idea for the design and development of electrode materials in high-performance all-solid-state supercapacitors.
Electromechanically active polymer actuators based on biofriendly choline ionic liquids
Authors: Elhi Fred , Priks Hans , Rinne Pille , Kaldalu Niilo , Žusinaite Eva , Johanson Urmas , Aabloo Alvo , Tamm Tarmo , Põhako-Esko Kaija
Published: March 2020

Smart and soft electroactive polymer actuators have many beneficial properties, making them attractive for biomimetic and biomedical applications. However, the selection of components to fabricate biofriendly composites has been limited. Although biofriendly options for electrodes and membranes are available, the conventional ionic liquids (ILs) often used as the electrolytes in the actuators have been considered toxic in varying degrees. Here we present a smart electroactive composite with carefully designed and selected components that have shown low toxicity and a biofriendly nature. In the present study, polypyrrole-PVdF trilayer actuators using six different choline ILs were prepared and characterized. Choline ILs have shown promise in applications where low environmental and biological impact is critical. Despite this, the anions in ILs have a strong impact on toxicity. To evaluate how the anions effect the bioactivity of the ILs used to prepare the actuators, the ILs were tested on different microbial cultures (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1) and HeLa cells. All of the selected choline ILs showed minimal toxic effects even at high concentrations. Electro-chemo-mechanical characterization of the actuators indicated that polypyrrole-PVdF actuators with choline ILs are viable candidates for soft robotic applications. From the tested ILs, choline acetate showed the highest strain difference and outperformed the reference system containing an imidazolium-based IL.
A facile approach to fabricate two-way shape memory polyurethane with large reversible strain and high shape stability
Authors: Wang Tianjiao , Liu Yayun , Zhao Jun , Zhang Hui , Zhang Zhong
Published: March 2020

Because of their unique properties, shape memory polymers (SMPs) have the potential to be used in various fields and are becoming one of the most desired shape memory materials. At present, it is generally complicated to prepare the two-way shape memory polymers (2W-SMPs) with both large reversible strain and high shape stability, which has hindered the real applications. By elaborately selecting poly(ε-caprolactone) diols (PCL-2OH) and poly(ε-caprolactone) triols (PCL-3OH) as prepolymers, a facile one-step method is employed to prepare two-way shape memory polyurethane (2W-SMPU). For this kind of SMPU, the reversible strain is found to be closely related to both the mass ratio of PCL-2OH to PCL-3OH and the initial applied stress. In this work, the smart devices of temperature-controlled lamp and gripper based on 2W-SMPU are designed and fabricated to show its two-way shape memory effect (2W-SME). The results show that its largest reversible strain can be as high as 21.3%. Moreover, it can lift up 150 times of its own weight and keep an almost constant reversible strain under a temperature-induced actuation within 50 consecutive cycles. Such 2W-SMPU materials could have lots of real applications.
Squeezing-enhanced quantum key distribution over atmospheric channels
Authors: Derkach Ivan , Usenko Vladyslav C , Filip Radim
Published: March 2020

We propose the Gaussian continuous-variable quantum key distribution using squeezed states in the composite channels including atmospheric propagation with transmittance fluctuations. We show that adjustments of signal modulation and use of optimal feasible squeezing can be sufficient to significantly overcome the coherent-state protocol and drastically improve the performance of quantum key distribution in atmospheric channels, also in the presence of additional attenuating and noisy channels. Furthermore, we consider examples of atmospheric links of different lengths, and show that optimization of both squeezing and modulation is crucial for reduction of protocol downtime and increase of secure atmospheric channel distance. Our results demonstrate unexpected advantage of fragile squeezed states of light in the free-space quantum key distribution applicable in daylight and stable against atmospheric turbulence.
Capillary assembly of colloidal particles on patterned surfaces
Authors: Zhou Mo , Liu Yanan , Zhang Peixin , Miao Yuting , Luo Hao , Jing Guangyin
Published: March 2020

Capillary attraction at the meniscus between tiny objects plays a crucial role in self-assembly processes. The shape of the meniscus governed by the Laplace equation devotes to a long-range attraction distinct to the DLVO defined forces. Rather than considering trapped particles on ideal smooth surfaces, we use patterned substrates with ordered nano-arrays for theoretical modeling toward the capillary assembly. The vertical elevation of particles is found to change the shape of the meniscus between particles, therefore the interaction energy and capillary force. A minimal model is developed to determine the capillary force between particles and thus the motility of particles, therefore the criterion of the crystallization of colloidal particles. It turns out that the formation of a colloidal crystal or amorphous medium depends on the optimization between the scaled particle separation by its size and the geometrical design of the supporting nano-arrays. Finally, we experimentally confirmed the capillary assembly from colloidal suspensions, by playing the control parameters defined in our theoretical model, with a nice agreement. This model system can mimic the practical applications of nano-structure fabrication on versatile real surfaces for functionality purposes.
Links between green space and public health: a bibliometric review of global research trends and future prospects from 1901 to 2019
Authors: Zhang Jinguang , Yu Zhaowu , Zhao Bing , Sun Ranhao , Vejre Henrik
Published: March 2020

Considerable specific cross-sectional and review studies have linked exposure to green spaces to improving public health, but there is no bibliometric review attempting to systemically and retrospectively analyze these existing articles. Here we aim to uncover global research status, trends, and future prospects in green spaces and health (G-H) research then propose a framework for the underlying mechanisms and pathways that link green space to public health. We obtained 18 961 G-H research publications from the core Web of Science collection from 1901 to 2019, analyzing the characteristics of publication outputs, key scientific disciplines, and differences in performance between countries and institutions. Besides, content analysis was conducted to analyze the keywords, including keyword co-occurrence analysis and keyword clustering analysis. We found: (1) a steady quantitative increase in publications, active journals, and involved countries and institutions since the 1990s; (2) a signiﬁcant increase and changes in G-H related interdisciplinary categories, with environment-related disciplines becoming the mainstream; (3) research focus and trends that were identified based on the analysis of high-frequency co-occurring keywords; (4) three main knowledge domains, namely, green spaces and physical health, mental health, and ecosystem health, that were identified and visualized based on keyword clustering analysis; (5) a framework of underlying mechanisms and pathways linking green space to public health that is proposed based on visualization of the three main knowledge domains. We suggest that the main challenge of G-H research is to further clarify in-depth the underlying mechanisms and pathways from multiple perspectives, including multiple nations, disciplines, and study designs. The lack of co-occurring keywords and clustering information related to social well-being suggests that research related to ‘social health’ is lacking. Based on a clear understanding of the quantity, quality, and characteristics of green space for public health, a health-based environmental plan should be proposed in the future.
Effects of hydrostatic pressure on an L1 and L3 cavity of a photonic slab
Authors: Segovia-Chaves Francis , Vinck-Posada Herbert
Published: March 2020

In this work, we used the guided-mode expansion method to calculate the photonic band dispersion in two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs. The photonic lattice is hexagonal, composed of air holes with a circular cross-section. The slab is made of a semiconductor material (GaAs) with a dielectric function dependent on pressure and temperature. By maintaining the constant temperature, we found a shift in the photonic band dispersion towards regions of larger frequencies when the hydrostatic pressure increased. Moreover, we consider the effects of pressure on defective modes in cavities L1 and L3. The results reveal that by increasing the pressure, the position of the defective modes manages to tune for the photonic gap. Additionally, we found a decrease in the Q-factor for the L1 cavity when the pressure increases. However, for the L3 cavity, the Q-factor exhibits a non-monotonous behavior by increasing the pressure.
Dynamic statistical model for predicting the risk of death among older Chinese people, using longitudinal repeated measures of the frailty index: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Chen Qi , Tang Bihan , Zhai Yinghong , Chen Yuqi , Jin Zhichao , Han Hedong , Gao Yongqing , Wu Cheng , Chen Tao , He Jia
Published: March 2020

Background

Frailty is a common characteristic of older people with the ageing process. We aimed to develop and validate a dynamic statistical prediction model to calculate the risk of death in people aged ≥65 years, using a longitudinal frailty index (FI).

Methods

One training dataset and three validation datasets from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) were used in our study. The training dataset and validation datasets 1 to 3 included data from 9,748, 7,459, 9,093 and 6,368 individuals, respectively. We used 35 health deficits to construct the FI and a longitudinal FI based on repeated measurement of FI at every wave of the CLHLS. A joint model was used to build a dynamic prediction model considering both baseline covariates and the longitudinal FI. Areas under time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) and calibration curves were employed to assess the predictive performance of the model.

Results

A linear mixed-effects model used time, sex, residence (city, town, or rural), living alone, smoking and alcohol consumption to calculate a subject-specific longitudinal FI. The dynamic prediction model was built using the longitudinal FI, age, residence, sex and an FI–age interaction term. The AUCs ranged from 0.64 to 0.84, and both the AUCs and the calibration curves showed good predictive ability.

Conclusions

We developed a dynamic prediction model that was able to update predictions of the risk of death as updated measurements of FI became available. This model could be used to estimate the risk of death in individuals aged >65 years.
Comprehensive geriatric assessment in the emergency department
Authors: Harding Siobhan
Published: March 2020

Completing comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGA) for frail patients admitted to acute hospitals has well-established benefits and is advocated by national guidelines. There is high-quality evidence demonstrating an association between inpatient CGAs and the patient being alive and community-dwelling at 12-month follow-up. However, less well-known is the effectiveness of CGAs conducted within the emergency department (ED), with the primary purpose of facilitating admission avoidance, on reducing 30-day reattendance or readmission. This commentary provides an overview of five studies that measure the impact of conducting an ED-CGA on subsequent secondary care attendance. Two randomised-controlled trials, one case-matched cohort study and two quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention studies were reviewed.

The studies reported variable success in preventing subsequent secondary care use. No studies meeting the criteria had been conducted within the UK, affecting generalisability of the findings.

There is no clear evidence that conducting a CGA within ED reduced reattendances or admissions 30 days post-discharge. The existing evidence base is methodologically and clinically heterogeneous and is vulnerable to multiple sources of bias. Further research is needed to understand whether screening to identify target populations or whether increased intensity of interventions delivered improves outcomes. ED-CGA may not have a beneficial effect on cost improvement or service delivery metrics, but it may have positive outcomes that are of high importance to the patients. This warrants further study.
Is the Brain an Early or Late Component of Essential Hypertension?
Authors: Jennings John Richard , Muldoon Matthew F , Sved Alan F
Published: March 2020

The brain’s relationship to essential hypertension is primarily understood to be that of an end-organ, damaged late in life by stroke or dementia. Emerging evidence, however, shows that heightened blood pressure (BP) early in life and prior to traditionally defined hypertension, relates to altered brain structure, cerebrovascular function, and cognitive processing. Deficits in cognitive function, cerebral blood flow responsivity, volumes of brain areas, and white matter integrity all relate to increased but prehypertensive levels of BP. Such relationships may be observed as early as childhood. In this review, we consider the basis of these relationships by examining the emergence of putative causative factors for hypertension that would impact or involve brain function/structure, e.g., sympathetic nervous system activation and related endocrine and inflammatory activation. Currently, however, available evidence is not sufficient to fully explain the specific pattern of brain deficits related to heightened BP. Despite this uncertainty, the evidence reviewed suggests the value that early intervention may have, not only for reducing BP, but also for maintaining brain function.
Blood Pressure and Renal Progression in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Yun Donghwan , Choi Yunhee , Lee Seung-Pyo , Park Kyung Woo , Koo Bon-Kwon , Kim Hyo-Soo , Kim Dong Ki , Joo Kwon Wook , Kim Yon Su , Han Seung Seok
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

High blood pressure (BP) may impair renal function following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the predictability of renal progression based on admission and discharge BP and BP threshold values remains unclear.

METHODS

A total of 8,176 adult patients who underwent PCI at Seoul National University Hospital from 2006 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Renal progression was defined as a doubling of serum creatinine levels, ≥50% decrease of the estimated glomerular filtration rate, or development of end-stage renal disease. The risk of renal progression according to admission BP (any time) and discharge BP (8:00–10:00 am) was evaluated by multivariable Cox and additive generalized models with penalized splines.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 7 years (maximum: 13 years), 9.3% of patients (n = 758) reached renal progression. BP between admission and discharge showed a low correlation, and all BP parameters showed a nonlinear relationship with renal progression. Systolic BP at discharge (SBPd) was selected as the best predictor of renal progression because the delta for the Akaike information criterion from the baseline model to the model with BP parameters was the lowest. The risk of renal progression started to increase at SBPd ≥ 125 mm Hg. This increasing risk of renal progression with SBPd ≥ 125 mm Hg remained significant, despite adjusting for the competing risk of all-cause death.

CONCLUSIONS

High SBPd is associated with renal progression following PCI, particularly when it is ≥125 mm Hg. This can be used as a risk classification and potential target of renoprotective therapies.
Estimating diversity in networked ecological communities
Authors: Willis Amy D , Martin Bryan D
Published: March 2020

Comparing ecological communities across environmental gradients can be challenging, especially when the number of different taxonomic groups in the communities is large. In this setting, community-level summaries called diversity indices are widely used to detect changes in the community ecology. However, estimation of diversity indices has received relatively little attention from the statistical community. The most common estimates of diversity are the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters of a multinomial model, even though the multinomial model implies strict assumptions about the sampling mechanism. In particular, the multinomial model prohibits ecological networks, where taxa positively and negatively co-occur. In this article, we leverage models from the compositional data literature that explicitly account for co-occurrence networks and use them to estimate diversity. Instead of proposing new diversity indices, we estimate popular diversity indices under these models. While the methodology is general, we illustrate the approach for the estimation of the Shannon, Simpson, Bray–Curtis, and Euclidean diversity indices. We contrast our method to multinomial, low-rank, and nonparametric methods for estimating diversity indices. Under simulation, we find that the greatest gains of the method are in strongly networked communities with many taxa. Therefore, to illustrate the method, we analyze the microbiome of seafloor basalts based on a 16S amplicon sequencing dataset with 1425 taxa and 12 communities.
Young People Transitioning from Out-of-Home Care: What are the Lessons from Extended Care Programmes in the USA and England for Australia?
Authors: Mendes Philip , Rogers Justin
Published: March 2020

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care (generally called care leavers) are recognised globally as a vulnerable group. In the last eighteen months, four Australian jurisdictions have extended state care till twenty-one years in an attempt to advance the life opportunities of this cohort. These initiatives are strongly influenced by extended care programmes in the USA and England, which have reported improved outcomes for care leavers. This article interrogates formal public evaluations of these extended care programmes with a particular focus on their eligibility criteria that have determined which groups of care leavers are included or alternatively excluded and the identified strengths and limitations of the programmes. Additionally, we consider cross-cultural differences in leaving care populations and variations within the broader social policy context of these jurisdictions, which may also impact on the effectiveness of policy transfer. Some conclusions are drawn about key factors that may enhance the success of extended care programmes.
Things Fall Apart: the British Health Crisis 2010–2020
Authors: Hiam Lucinda , Dorling Danny , McKee Martin
Published: March 2020

Background

A very large number of studies have reported a stalling of health improvements in the UK since 2010.

Sources of data

Almost all relevant data are produced by the Office for National Statistics and other national statistical agencies.

Areas of agreement

There has been a dramatic slowdown in life expectancy and diverging trends in infant mortality in the UK as a whole and England and Wales, respectively.

Areas of controversy

Many commentators are loath to describe the falls in life expectancy as actual falls or to ascribe blame to the political situation in the UK.

Growing points

Health trends in the UK are worrying and raise important questions about government policies.

Areas timely for developing research

These findings point to a need for greater investment in research on the political determinants of health, on the timely detection and interpretation of evidence of worsening health, and on how political and policy processes respond to such findings.
Cortical Response to Fat Taste
Authors: Andersen Camilla Arndal , Nielsen Line , Møller Stine , Kidmose Preben
Published: March 2020

We sense fat by its texture and smell, but it is still unknown whether we also taste fat despite evidence of both candidate receptors and distinct fat taste sensations. One major reason fat is still not recognized as a basic taste quality is that we first need to demonstrate its underlying neural activity. To investigate such neural fat taste activation, we recorded evoked responses to commercial cow milk products with 0.1%, 4%, and 38 % fat via high-density electroencephalography (EEG) from 24 human participants. The experimental design ensured that the products would only be discriminable via their potential fat taste; all stimuli were carefully controlled for differences in viscosity, lubrication, odor, temperature, and confounding tastes (sweetness, acidity, and “off-taste”) and were delivered directly onto the tongue using a set of computer-controlled syringe pumps. Advanced topographical pattern analysis revealed different neural activation to the milk products 85–134 ms after stimulus onset, which, as expected, best discriminated the two milk fat extremes (0.1% and 38% fat). Notably, this time period has previously been shown to also encode basic taste qualities, such as sweet or salty. By adding to the evidence of cortical fat taste processing in response to staple food, our finding not only substantiates that we taste fat but also highlights its potential relevance during our everyday lives with possible large-scale impacts on motivational eating behavior to explain overconsumption of energy-dense foods.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Vaginal Discharge Syndromes in Community Practice Settings
Authors: Hillier Sharon L , Austin Michele , Macio Ingrid , Meyn Leslie A , Badway David , Beigi Richard
Published: March 2020

Background

Although vaginal symptoms are common, diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is not standardized. Diagnostic approaches and appropriateness of treatment were evaluated for women with symptoms of vaginitis who were seeking care at community practice sites.

Methods

Three hundred three symptomatic women, across 8 University of Pittsburgh Medical Center–affiliated clinics, were evaluated per standard office-based practice. Four of 5 vaginal swabs (1 cryopreserved) were collected for a US Food and Drug Administration–authorized nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for vaginitis/vaginosis diagnosis; Nugent scoring (BV); yeast culture (VVC); and a second NAAT (for TV). Two hundred ninety women had evaluable samples. Medical record extraction facilitated verification of treatments prescribed within 7 days of the index visit and return visit frequency within 90 days.

Results

Women had a mean age of 29.4 ± 6.5 years, 90% were not pregnant, 79% were of white race, and 38% reported vaginitis treatment within the past month. Point-of-care tests, including vaginal pH (15%), potassium hydroxide/whiff (21%), and wet mount microscopy (17%), were rarely performed. Of the 170 women having a laboratory-diagnosed cause of vaginitis, 81 (47%) received 1 or more inappropriate prescriptions. Of the 120 women without BV, TV, or VVC, 41 (34%) were prescribed antibiotics and/or antifungals. Among women without infectious vaginitis, return visits for vaginitis symptoms were more common among women treated empirically compared to those not receiving treatment (9/41 vs 5/79, P = .02).

Conclusions

Within a community practice setting, 42% of women having vaginitis symptoms received inappropriate treatment. Women without infections who received empiric treatment were more likely have recurrent visits within 90 days.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT03151928.
Clinical Features of 69 Cases With Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Wuhan, China
Authors: Wang Zhongliang , Yang Bohan , Li Qianwen , Wen Lu , Zhang Ruiguang
Published: March 2020

Background

From December 2019 to February 2020, 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a serious outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China. Related clinical features are needed.

Methods

We reviewed 69 patients who were hospitalized in Union hospital in Wuhan between 16 January and 29 January 2020. All patients were confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, and the final date of follow-up was 4 February 2020.

Results

The median age of 69 enrolled patients was 42.0 years (interquartile range 35.0–62.0), and 32 patients (46%) were men. The most common symptoms were fever (60 [87%]), cough (38 [55%]), and fatigue (29 [42%]). Most patients received antiviral therapy (66 [98.5%] of 67 patients) and antibiotic therapy (66 [98.5%] of 67 patients). As of 4 February 2020, 18 (26.9%) of 67 patients had been discharged, and 5 patients had died, with a mortality rate of 7.5%. According to the lowest SpO2 during admission, cases were divided into the SpO2 ≥ 90% group (n = 55) and the SpO2 < 90% group (n = 14). All 5 deaths occurred in the SpO2 < 90% group. Compared with SpO2 ≥ 90% group, patients of the SpO2 < 90% group were older and showed more comorbidities and higher plasma levels of interleukin (IL) 6, IL10, lactate dehydrogenase, and C reactive protein. Arbidol treatment showed tendency to improve the discharging rate and decrease the mortality rate.

Conclusions

COVID-19 appears to show frequent fever, dry cough, and increase of inflammatory cytokines, and induced a mortality rate of 7.5%. Older patients or those with underlying comorbidities are at higher risk of death.
Cohort Changes in the Level and Dispersion of Gender Ideology after German Reunification: Results from a Natural Experiment
Authors: Ebner Christian , Kühhirt Michael , Lersch Philipp
Published: March 2020

Modernization theorists’ ‘rising tide hypothesis’ predicted the continuous spread of egalitarian gender ideologies across the globe. We revisit this assumption by studying reunified Germany, a country that did not follow a strict modernization pathway. The socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) actively fostered female employment and systematically promoted egalitarian ideologies before reunification with West Germany and the resulting incorporation into a conservative welfare state and market economy. Based on nationally representative, pooled cross-sectional data from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS) from 1991 to 2016, we apply variance function regression to examine the impact of German reunification—akin to a natural experiment—on the average levels and dispersion of gender ideology. The results show: (i) East German cohorts socialized after reunification hold less egalitarian ideologies than cohorts socialized in the GDR, disrupting the rising tide. (ii) East German cohorts hold more egalitarian ideologies than West German cohorts, but the East-West gap is less pronounced for post-reunification cohorts. (iii) Cohorts in East Germany show higher conformity with gender ideology than their counterparts in West Germany; yet conformity did not change after reunification. (iv) Younger cohorts in West Germany show higher conformity with gender ideology than older cohorts.
Does the Firm Make the Difference? The Influence of Organizational Family-Friendly Arrangements on the Duration of Employment Interruptions after Childbirth
Authors: Bächmann Ann-Christin , Frodermann Corinna , Müller Dana
Published: March 2020

Despite the increase in dual-earner couples in Germany over recent decades, starting a family still often leads to a (re-)traditionalization of the division of labour in partnerships, with considerable gender differences in working hours and family obligations remaining. Consequently, after a child is born especially women face the challenge of reconciling career and family. Against this backdrop, a growing proportion of firms has started to create family-friendly working conditions to relieve the burden on their (female) employees. In the course of doing so, firms have also increasingly invested in organizational family-friendly arrangements in recent years. In this article, we analyse the effects of these arrangements on employees’ behaviour by using German-linked employer–employee data. We ask how specific organizational family-friendly measures affect a crucial point in women’s careers: the employment interruption after childbirth. Based on time-specific piecewise constant models, our results reveal that organizational family-friendly measures positively influence women’s return to the labour market after childbirth and thus result in benefits for both firms and employees. Furthermore, we find that the effects of the measures are determined by the structural context and are not time constant but vary according to the age of the child.
Infective endocarditis in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices: a nationwide study
Authors: Mateos Gaitán Roberto , Boix-Palop Lucía , Muñoz García Patricia , Mestres Carlos A , Marín Arriaza Mercedes , Pedraz Prieto Álvaro , de Alarcón Gonzalez Arístides , Gutiérrez Carretero Encarnación , Hernández Meneses Marta , Goenaga Sánchez Miguel Ángel , Cobo Belaustegui Manuel , Oteo Revuelta José Antonio , Gainzarain Arana Juan Carlos , García Vázquez Elisa , Martínez-Sellés Manuel
Published: March 2020

Aims

Patients with infective endocarditis (IE) frequently have cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Here, we aim to define the clinical profile and prognostic factors of IE in these patients.

Methods and results

Infective endocarditis cases were prospectively identified in the Spanish National Endocarditis Registry. From 3996 IE, 708 (17.7%) had a CIED and 424 CIED-related IE (lead vegetation). Patients with a CIED were older (68 ± 11 vs. 73 ± 8 years); had more comorbidities {pulmonary disease [176 (24.8%) vs. 545 (16.7%)], renal disease [239 (33.8%) vs. 740 (22.7%)], diabetes [248 (35.0%) vs. 867 (26.6%)], and heart failure [348 (49.2%) vs. 978 (29.9%)]}; and fewer complications {intracardiac destruction [106 (15%) vs. 1077 (33.1%)], heart failure [215 (30.3%) vs. 1340 (41.1%)], embolism [107 (15.1%) vs. 714 (21.9%)], and neurological involvement [77 (10.8%) vs. 702 (21.5%)]} (all P-values <0.001) in comparison to subjects without a CIED. In-hospital mortality was similar in patients with and without CIED [171 (24.2%) vs. 881 (27.0%), P = 0.82]. In subjects with a CIED, CIED-related IE was independently associated with in-hospital survival: odds ratio (OR) 0.4 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3–0.7, P = 0.001]. Surgery was independently associated with in-hospital survival in CIED-related IE: OR 0.4 (95% CI 0.2–0.7, P = 0.004); but not in subjects with valve IE and no CIED lead involvement: OR 0.9 (95% CI 0.5–1.7, P = 0.77).

Conclusion

Over a sixth of IE patients have a CIED. This group of patients is older, with more comorbidities and fewer IE-related complications in comparison to subjects without a CIED. In-hospital mortality was similar in patients with and without a CIED.
Genetic analysis and pathogenicity of different sequence types of Streptococcus suis isolated from pigs in southern China
Authors: Peng Ling , Lin Mengting , Huang Zishu , Guo Sitao , Sun Hao , Yang Xufu
Published: March 2020

In this study, 52 Streptococcus suis isolates from pigs in southern China were divided into four known sequence types (STs) and six new STs, using multilocus sequence typing. Ten representative isolates were selected from 10 STs for the analysis of whole genome sequences. Virulence was assessed in 10 isolates, which were classified into three pathogenic groups. The prevalence of virulence-associated factors in the moderately pathogenic group was higher than that in the highly pathogenic group. The isolates from ST1 complex and serotype 2 were allocated to the moderately pathogenic group, while the isolates from the highly pathogenic group belonged to the non-ST1 complex and non-serotype 2. Three clusters were obtained based on multilocus sequence typing sequences: cluster III isolates from the nasal cavity of healthy pigs were classified into the highly pathogenic group and showed many peculiarities compared with cluster I and II isolates in virulence genotypes, genetic typing and pathogenesis, indicating a potential independent evolutionary line. Our results suggest that S. suis infections in China are becoming more complicated with constantly mutating isolates, which makes it difficult to distinguish their virulence by recognized typing methods. Thus, increased investigation and monitoring of these infections should be a priority for the swine industry in China.