bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review article: new treatments in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Townsend S. A. , Newsome P. N.
Published: July 2017

Background

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease is the fastest growing cause of liver disease in the Western world, yet there is no approved pharmacotherapy. While lifestyle modifications remain the mainstay of treatment, only a proportion of individuals are able to make or sustain them, and so more treatment options are required.

Aim

To review the potential benefit of drugs used in clinical practice, those entering phase II trials, and compounds being investigated in pre‐clinical studies.

Methods

A literature search was performed using PubMed to identify relevant studies; linked references were also reviewed.

Results

Vitamin E and pioglitazone have shown efficacy in non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but long‐term safety concerns, specifically bladder cancer and osteoporosis with pioglitazone, have limited their use. GLP‐1 analogues and SGLT‐2 inhibitors are currently approved for use in diabetes, have shown early efficacy in NASH and also have beneficial cardiovascular effects. Peroxisome proliferator‐activator receptors and FXR agonists have potent effects on lipogenesis, inflammation and fibrosis, respectively, with their efficacy and safety being currently tested in phase 3. As inflammation and apoptosis are key features of NASH agents modulating these pathways are of interest; CCR2/5 antagonists downregulate inflammatory pathways and reduce fibrosis with caspase and apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 inhibitors reducing apoptosis and fibrosis.

Conclusions

Rising demand and an improved understanding of NASH pathophysiology has led to a surge in development of new therapies. Tailoring pharmacotherapy to the dominant pathogenic pathway in a given patient along with use of combination therapy is likely to represent the future direction in treatment of patients with NASH.
Well‐leg compartment syndrome after laparoscopic low anterior resection for lower rectal cancer in the lithotomy position: A case report
Authors: Nishino Masaya , Okano Miho , Kawada Junji , Kim Yongkook , Yamada Mami , Tsujinaka Toshimasa
Published: July 2017

A 64‐year‐old man underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection for lower rectal cancer. Because he was overweight (BMI, 28.1 kg/m2) with rich visceral fat and a narrow pelvic cavity, the operation was technically difficult and the operation time was 686 min. Postoperatively, the patient immediately complained of pain and swelling of the left lower limb. Laboratory examination showed that serum creatinine kinase was markedly increased and urine myoglobin was positive on postoperative day 1. He was diagnosed with well‐leg compartment syndrome and was transported to the trauma and critical care center for emergency fasciotomy. After initial treatment, he was transferred to our hospital on postoperative day 7. He completely recovered after 2 months. Although well‐leg compartment syndrome is rare, it is necessary to consider it as a potential complication when performing a long colorectal cancer surgery with the patient in the lithotomy position, particularly when laparoscopic surgery is planned.
Improving effect of dietary soybean phospholipids supplement on hepatic and serum indexes relevant to fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome in laying hens
Authors: Yang Fei , Ruan Jiming , Wang Tiancheng , Luo Junrong , Cao Huabin , Song Yalu , Huang Jianzhen , Hu Guoliang
Published: July 2017

In order to investigate the effect of dietary soybean phospholipid supplement on hepatic and serum indexes relevant to fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in layers, 135 300‐day‐old Hyline Brown layers were randomly divided into three groups (control, pathology and prevention), and each group had 45 layers with three replicates. Birds in the three groups were respectively fed the control diet, high‐energy low‐protein diet and high‐energy high‐protein diet affixed with 3% soybean phospholipid instead of maize. Results showed in the 30th day, birds’ livers in the pathology group became yellowish, enlarged in size and had hemorrhagic spots, while the prevention and control groups’ layers did not have such pathological changes. Contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein – cholesterol, non‐esterified fatty acid and malondialdehyde in serum or liver homogenate in prevention and control groups were remarkably lower than those in the pathology group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), as with the activities of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase and glutamic‐pyruvic transaminase (P < 0.01); high‐density lipoprotein – cholesterol value was strikingly higher than that of the pathology group (P < 0.01). It is suggested dietary soybean phospholipids supplement may effectively improve hepatic and blood indexes relevant to FLHS, which provides a new point for preventing FLHS occurrence rate in laying flocks and treating human non‐alcohol fatty liver disease.
Circulating tumor DNA functions as an alternative for tissue to overcome tumor heterogeneity in advanced gastric cancer
Authors: Gao Jing , Wang Haixing , Zang Wanchun , Li Beifang , Rao Guanhua , Li Lei , Yu Yang , Li Zhongwu , Dong Bin , Lu Zhihao , Jiang Zhi , Shen Lin
Published: July 2017

Overcoming tumor heterogeneity is a major challenge for personalized treatment of gastric cancer, especially for human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2 targeted therapy. Analysis of circulating tumor DNA allows a more comprehensive analysis of tumor heterogeneity than traditional biopsies in lung cancer and breast cancer, but little is known in gastric cancer. We assessed mutation profiles of ctDNA and primary tumors from 30 patients with advanced gastric cancer, then performed a comprehensive analysis of tumor mutations by multiple biopsies from five patients, and finally analyzed the concordance of HER2 amplification in ctDNA and paired tumor tissues in 70 patients. By comparing with a single tumor sample, ctDNA displayed a low concordance of mutation profile, only approximately 50% (138/275) somatic mutations were found in paired tissue samples, however, when compared with multiple biopsies, most DNA mutations in ctDNA were also shown in paired tumor tissues. ctDNA had a high concordance (91.4%, Kappa index = 0.784, P < 0.001) of HER2 amplification with tumor tissues, suggesting it might be an alternative for tissue. It implied that ctDNA‐based assessment could partially overcome the tumor heterogeneity, and might serve as a potential surrogate for HER2 analysis in gastric cancer.
Exploring approaches to child welfare in contexts of domestic violence and abuse: Family group conferences
Authors: Rogers Michaela , Parkinson Kate
Published: July 2017

This article sets out to explore service provision for families affected by domestic violence and abuse. For most families where there are child protection concerns, there are possibilities for intervention from child welfare agencies and domestic abuse services, but these have been criticised as having distinct and disconnected practice cultures and orientation. Recognising this divergence, in this paper, we advocate for safeguarding children affected by domestic violence and abuse using the family group conference (FGC) model. This offers possibilities for a coherent response that integrates both child‐ and women‐centred concerns in a holistic approach to family safety and well‐being. Furthermore, it is well documented that safeguarding work involves professionally‐led decision‐making that is pre‐occupied with the management of risk. FGCs, however, promote a partnership approach that engages families in a more democratic decision‐making process. As such, FGCs offer families the opportunity to develop their own safety and support plans for the protection and care of children recognising the family's inherent strengths.
Bi‐Layer textures: a Model for Synthesis and Deformation of Composite Textures
Authors: Guingo Geoffrey , Sauvage Basile , Dischler Jean‐Michel , Cani Marie‐Paule
Published: July 2017

We propose a bi‐layer representation for textures which is suitable for on‐the‐fly synthesis of unbounded textures from an input exemplar. The goal is to improve the variety of outputs while preserving plausible small‐scale details. The insight is that many natural textures can be decomposed into a series of fine scale Gaussian patterns which have to be faithfully reproduced, and some non‐homogeneous, larger scale structure which can be deformed to add variety. Our key contribution is a novel, bi‐layer representation for such textures. It includes a model for spatially‐varying Gaussian noise, together with a mechanism enabling synchronization with a structure layer. We propose an automatic method to instantiate our bi‐layer model from an input exemplar. At the synthesis stage, the two layers are generated independently, synchronized and added, preserving the consistency of details even when the structure layer has been deformed to increase variety. We show on a variety of complex, real textures, that our method reduces repetition artifacts while preserving a coherent appearance.
Bayesian Collaborative Denoising for Monte Carlo Rendering
Authors: Boughida Malik , Boubekeur Tamy
Published: July 2017

The stochastic nature of Monte Carlo rendering algorithms inherently produces noisy images. Essentially, three approaches have been developed to solve this issue: improving the ray‐tracing strategies to reduce pixel variance, providing adaptive sampling by increasing the number of rays in regions needing so, and filtering the noisy image as a post‐process. Although the algorithms from the latter category introduce bias, they remain highly attractive as they quickly improve the visual quality of the images, are compatible with all sorts of rendering effects, have a low computational cost and, for some of them, avoid deep modifications of the rendering engine. In this paper, we build upon recent advances in both non‐local and collaborative filtering methods to propose a new efficient denoising operator for Monte Carlo rendering. Starting from the local statistics which emanate from the pixels sample distribution, we enrich the image with local covariance measures and introduce a nonlocal bayesian filter which is specifically designed to address the noise stemming from Monte Carlo rendering. The resulting algorithm only requires the rendering engine to provide for each pixel a histogram and a covariance matrix of its color samples. Compared to state‐of‐the‐art sample‐based methods, we obtain improved denoising results, especially in dark areas, with a large increase in speed and more robustness with respect to the main parameter of the algorithm. We provide a detailed mathematical exposition of our bayesian approach, discuss extensions to multiscale execution, adaptive sampling and animated scenes, and experimentally validate it on a collection of scenes.
Multiple Axis‐Aligned Filters for Rendering of Combined Distribution Effects
Authors: Wu Lifan , Yan Ling‐Qi , Kuznetsov Alexandr , Ramamoorthi Ravi
Published: July 2017

Distribution effects such as diffuse global illumination, soft shadows and depth of field, are most accurately rendered using Monte Carlo ray or path tracing. However, physically accurate algorithms can take hours to converge to a noise‐free image. A recent body of work has begun to bridge this gap, showing that both individual and multiple effects can be achieved accurately and efficiently. These methods use sparse sampling, GPU raytracers, and adaptive filtering for reconstruction. They are based on a Fourier analysis, which models distribution effects as a wedge in the frequency domain. The wedge can be approximated as a single large axis‐aligned filter, which is fast but retains a large area outside the wedge, and therefore requires a higher sampling rate; or a tighter sheared filter, which is slow to compute. The state‐of‐the‐art fast sheared filtering method combines low sampling rate and efficient filtering, but has been demonstrated for individual distribution effects only, and is limited by high‐dimensional data storage and processing.

We present a novel filter for efficient rendering of combined effects, involving soft shadows and depth of field, with global (diffuse indirect) illumination. We approximate the wedge spectrum with multiple axis‐aligned filters, marrying the speed of axis‐aligned filtering with an even more accurate (compact and tighter) representation than sheared filtering. We demonstrate rendering of single effects at comparable sampling and frame‐rates to fast sheared filtering. Our main practical contribution is in rendering multiple distribution effects, which have not even been demonstrated accurately with sheared filtering. For this case, we present an average speedup of 6× compared with previous axis‐aligned filtering methods.
Fast Hardware Construction and Refitting of Quantized Bounding Volume Hierarchies
Authors: Viitanen T. , Koskela M. , Jääskeläinen P. , Immonen K. , Takala J.
Published: July 2017

There is recent interest in GPU architectures designed to accelerate ray tracing, especially on mobile systems with limited memory bandwidth. A promising recent approach is to store and traverse Bounding Volume Hierarchies (BVHs), used to accelerate ray tracing, in low arithmetic precision. However, so far there is no research on refitting or construction of such compressed BVHs, which is necessary for any scenes with dynamic content. We find that in a hardware‐accelerated tree update, significant memory traffic and runtime savings are available from streaming, bottom‐up compression. Novel algorithmic techniques of modulo encoding and treelet‐based compression are proposed to reduce backtracking inherent in bottom‐up compression. Together, these techniques reduce backtracking to a small fraction. Compared to a separate top‐down compression pass, streaming bottom‐up compression with the proposed optimizations saves on average 42% of memory accesses for LBVH construction and 56% for refitting of compressed BVHs, over 16 test scenes. In architectural simulation, the proposed streaming compression reduces LBVH runtime by 20% compared to a single‐precision build, and 41% compared to a single‐precision build followed by top‐down compression. Since memory traffic dominates the energy cost of refitting and LBVH construction, energy consumption is expected to fall by a similar fraction.
Age‐related differences in subjective recollection: ERP studies of encoding and retrieval
Authors: Rollins Leslie , Riggins Tracy
Published: July 2017

The ability to mentally re‐experience past events improves significantly from childhood to young adulthood; however, the mechanisms underlying this ability remain poorly understood, partially because different tasks are used across the lifespan. This study was designed to address this gap by assessing the development of event‐related potential (ERP) correlates associated with subjective indices of recollection. Children, adolescents, and adults performed Tulving's () remember/know paradigm while ERPs were recorded during memory encoding (Experiment 1) and retrieval (Experiment 2). Behaviorally, children recognized fewer items than adolescents and adults. All age groups reliably made subjective judgments of recollection, although the ability to make these judgments improved with age. At encoding, the ERP effect associated with recollection was present and comparable across age groups. In contrast, the ERP effect associated with recollection at retrieval differed as a function of age group; specifically, this effect was absent in children, topographically widespread in adolescents, and, consistent with previous literature, maximal over left centro‐parietal leads in adults. These findings suggest that encoding processes associated with the subsequent subjective experience of recollection may be similar among children, adolescents, and adults and that age‐related improvement in recollection may be primarily attributable to the development of processes that follow the initial encoding of stimuli (i.e., consolidation, storage, retrieval).
Measuring misalignment: The location of US multinationals’ economic activity versus the location of their profits
Authors: Cobham Alex , Janský Petr
Published: July 2017

A major international effort—the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiative—aims to reduce the extent of misalignment between the profits of multinational groups, and the location of their real economic activity. This article uses survey data on the international operations of US‐headquartered multinational groups to show major misalignments of profit. A small number of “profit‐haven” jurisdictions are seen to have captured a disproportionate share of total profits, resulting in serious disadvantages for most countries, regardless of income level.
Fungal interactions reduce carbon use efficiency
Authors: Maynard Daniel S. , Crowther Thomas W. , Bradford Mark A.
Published: July 2017

The efficiency by which fungi decompose organic matter contributes to the amount of carbon that is retained in biomass vs. lost to the atmosphere as respiration. This carbon use efficiency (CUE) is affected by various abiotic conditions, including temperature and nutrient availability. Theoretically, the physiological costs of interspecific interactions should likewise alter CUE, yet the magnitude of these costs is untested. Here we conduct a microcosm experiment to quantify how interactions among wood‐decay basidiomycete fungi alter growth, respiration and CUE across a temperature and nitrogen gradient. We show that species interactions induced consistent declines in CUE, regardless of abiotic conditions. Multispecies communities exhibited reductions in CUE of up to 25% relative to individual CUE, with this biotic effect being greater than the observed variation attributable to abiotic conditions. Our results suggest that the extent to which fungal‐mediated carbon fluxes respond to environmental change may be influenced strongly by species interactions.
Negative plant‐phyllosphere feedbacks in native Asteraceae hosts – a novel extension of the plant‐soil feedback framework
Authors: Whitaker Briana K. , Bauer Jonathan T. , Bever James D. , Clay Keith
Published: July 2017

Over the past 25 years, the plant‐soil feedback (PSF) framework has catalyzed our understanding of how belowground microbiota impact plant fitness and species coexistence. Here, we apply a novel extension of this framework to microbiota associated with aboveground tissues, termed ‘plant‐phyllosphere feedback (PPFs)’. In parallel greenhouse experiments, rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbiota of con‐ and heterospecific hosts from four species were independently manipulated. In a third experiment, we tested the combined effects of soil and phyllosphere feedback under field conditions. We found that three of four species experienced weak negative PSF whereas, in contrast, all four species experienced strong negative PPFs. Field‐based feedback estimates were highly negative for all four species, though variable in magnitude. Our results suggest that phyllosphere microbiota, like rhizosphere microbiota, can potentially mediate plant species coexistence via negative feedbacks. Extension of the PSF framework to the phyllosphere is needed to more fully elucidate plant‐microbiota interactions.
Cwp2 from Clostridium difficile exhibits an extended three domain fold and cell adhesion in vitro
Authors: Bradshaw William J. , Kirby Jonathan M. , Roberts April K. , Shone Clifford C. , Acharya K. Ravi
Published: July 2017

Colonization of the gut by Clostridium difficile requires the adhesion of the bacterium to host cells. A range of cell surface located factors have been linked to adhesion including the S‐layer protein LMW SLP and the related protein Cwp66. As well as these proteins, the S‐layer of C. difficile may contain many others. One such protein is Cwp2. Here, we demonstrate the production of a C. difficile strain 630 cwp2 knockout mutant and assess the effect on the bacterium. The mutant results in increased TcdA (toxin A) release and impaired cellular adherence in vitro. We also present the extended three domain structure of the ‘functional’ region of Cwp2, consisting of residues 29–318 at 1.9 Å, which is compared to that of LMW SLP and Cwp8. The adhesive properties of Cwp2 and LMW SLP, which are likely to be shared by Cwp8, are predicted to be mediated by the variable loop regions in domain 2.

Databases

Structural data are available in the PDB under the accession number 5NJL.
Cooperative advertising to induce strategic customers for purchase at the full price
Authors: Farshbaf‐Geranmayeh Amir , Rabbani Masoud , Taleizadeh Ata Allah
Published: July 2017

In this paper, cooperative advertising in a manufacturer–retailer supply chain in the presence of the strategic customer is studied. It is assumed that a proportion of the customers strategically postpone their purchase in order to achieve a higher surplus. Advertising can enhance the willingness to pay (WTP) of the customers and, as a result, their surplus. In this paper, the effect of cooperative advertising in order to induce customers for early purchase is analyzed. While customer purchasing in the full price leads to higher income for the retailer, it requires spending more on advertising. This trade‐off between the benefits of inducing customers to early purchases and the advertising expenditure is a key to understanding the retailer's optimal advertising decision. On the other hand, it is interesting for the manufacturer to find out when supporting the retailer for its advertising expenditure is beneficial. Nash and Stackelberg (manufacturer as a leader) game‐theoretic models are established to investigate whether, in the channel, it is optimal to induce customers by increasing advertising expenditure or not. Results of the Stackelberg game show that the manufacturer participates in the retailer's advertising expenditure only if it leads to early purchasing of the strategic customers and the participation rate depends on the wholesale price. From the retailer's point of view, when the impact of advertising on the WTP of customers is not significant, the more the proportion of strategic customers, the more inducing customers for early purchase is beneficial. When advertising effectively increases WTP, regardless of the fraction of strategic customers, it is beneficial for the retailer to enhance its advertising in order to dissuade customers from postponing their purchase.
Knowledge mobilization in bridging patient–practitioner–researcher boundaries: A systematic integrative review protocol
Authors: Cowdell Fiona , Booth Andrew , Appleby Ben
Published: July 2017

Aim

To review published literature to identify when and how patients and healthcare practitioners have been involved in knowledge mobilization activity and the impact this may have had on their care.

Background

Improving patient outcomes, satisfaction and quality of care is increasingly reliant on shared decision‐making between health professionals and patients. Knowledge mobilization, at its simplest: “moving knowledge to where it can be most useful” is a growing field of academic study. To date, it appears that much effort has focused on moving knowledge from researchers to healthcare practitioners. Knowledge mobilization to patients is currently under‐researched.

Design

Integrative review.

Review Methods

Methods of integrative review will be used to address the review problem. PRISMA guidelines were used as a general framework to guide structuring and reporting the review. Elements of method‐specific reporting guidelines for specific streams of evidence will be used as required.

Discussion

This review will aim to provide a broad and deep understanding of patient–practitioner–researcher engagement in knowledge mobilization activity. This synthesis of the extant literature should offer insights into the optimum characteristics of methods for bridging patient–practitioner–researcher boundaries in knowledge mobilization action.
Inferior lead discordance in ventricular arrhythmias: A specific marker for certain arrhythmia locations
Authors: Enriquez Andres , Pathak Rajeev K. , Santangeli Pasquale , Liang Jackson J. , Al Rawahi Mohammed , Hayashi Tatsuya , Muser Daniele , Frankel David S. , Supple Gregory , Schaller Robert , Lin David , Nazarian Saman , Zado Erica , Marchlinski Francis E. , Garcia Fermin C.
Published: July 2017

Background

Most idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) originate from the outflow tracts and are characterized by an inferior axis on the 12‐lead ECG. A group of patients will exhibit inferior lead discordance (ILD), demonstrating a positive QRS in lead II with negative QRS in III or the opposite finding.

Methods and results

We identified patients undergoing ablation of idiopathic premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) or ventricular tachycardia (VT) between 2013 and 2015. The site of earliest activation was determined using electroanatomic mapping and intracardiac echocardiography. Out of 281 patients, 25 (8.9%) exhibited ILD. In patients with positive/negative discordance (n = 18), the source was mapped to the parahisian region in 14 cases and to the right ventricular (RV) moderator band (MB) or papillary muscles (PMs) in 4, while all those with negative/positive discordance (n = 7) were mapped to the anterolateral PM (ALPM). In the group with positive/negative discordance, a later precordial transition (>V4), wider QRS duration, and the presence of notch in the inferior leads pointed toward a RV MB/PM origin. Complete PVC/VT suppression was achieved in 72%. In 2 patients with parahisian PVCs, ablation was not attempted due to risk of heart block.

Conclusions

The presence of ILD is associated with particular anatomical locations, namely, the parahisian region, RV MB/PM, and ALPM. The outcomes of ablation are more modest compared to other idiopathic VAs, reflecting the technical difficulties associated with these anatomical locations, such as the proximity to the conduction system in parahisian VAs or stability issues when ablating the PMs or MB.
Recovery of atrioventricular conduction in patients with heart block after transcatheter aortic valve replacement
Authors: Raelson Colin A. , Gabriels James , Ruan Jonathan , Ip James E. , Thomas George , Liu Christopher F. , Cheung Jim W. , Lerman Bruce B. , Patel Apoor , Markowitz Steven M.
Published: July 2017

Introduction

Recovery of conduction has been demonstrated in >50% of patients who receive pacemakers (PPMs) for high‐degree atrioventricular block (HD‐AVB) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Little information is available about the time course of conduction recovery in these patients and if any features predict early recovery of conduction.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent TAVR with balloon and self‐expanding valves who required PPMs for HD‐AVB. Serial PPM interrogations were analyzed to detect recovery of AV conduction. Analysis was performed to identify predictors and timing of conduction recovery.

Results

Of a total population of 578 patients, 54 (9%) received PPMs for HD‐AVB. In multivariate analysis, predictors of HD‐AVB requiring a PPM included age (P = 0.014), right bundle branch block (OR 7.33 [3.64–14.8], P < 0.0001), atrial fibrillation (OR 2.16 [1.16–4.05], P = 0.016), and self‐expanding valves (OR 4.19 [2.20–7.97], P < 0.0001). Of the 54 patients who received PPMs, 38 had follow‐up sufficient to evaluate AV conduction recovery. Of these, 23 (61%) showed recovery of AV nodal conduction; 20 had already recovered by their first interrogation, a median of 22 days (IQR 14–31) post‐PPM placement. There were no statistically significant predictors of AV nodal conduction recovery, including type of valve implanted.

Conclusions

A majority of patients who receive PPMs for HD‐AVB after TAVR recover AV conduction during follow­up, and in most patients conduction recovery occurs within weeks. These findings imply that programming to minimize ventricular pacing may be beneficial in a majority of these patients.
Update on intestinal microbiota in Crohn's disease 2017: Mechanisms, clinical application, adverse reactions, and outlook
Authors: Shen Zhaohua , Zhu Changxin , Quan Yongsheng , Yuan Wei , Wu Shuai , Yang Zhenyu , Luo Weiwei , Tan Bei , Wang Xiaoyan
Published: July 2017

The pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) is complex, and it is thought to be associated with the environment, immune, hereditary, microbe, and other factors. If the balance between the host and the intestinal microbes in CD patients was broken, immune‐inflammatory response of susceptible individuals might be triggered. Probiotics could improve the intestinal microbial flora balance and treat human effectively. There are several new mechanisms that might explain the role of probiotics. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is becoming more and more attractive in treating a large amount of digestive system diseases that are related to the dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota. FMT has been widely used in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. More and more attention has been paid on the clinical application of FMT in CD, while the exact mechanism is still a mystery. So in this review, we explore the mechanism, clinical application, and adverse reactions of intestinal microbiota in CD so that we can use the tool to cure more diseases. Enteric microbiota leads to new therapeutic strategies for CD.
Toward a Sustainable Impeller Production: Environmental Impact Comparison of Different Impeller Manufacturing Methods
Authors: Peng Shitong , Li Tao , Wang Xinlin , Dong Mengmeng , Liu Zhichao , Shi Junli , Zhang Hongchao
Published: July 2017

Impellers are the core components of turbomachinery in petrochemical and aeronautical engineering. In addition to conventional manufacturing (CM), additive manufacturing (AM) and remanufacturing (RM) can also be used in impeller production. This article presents a life cycle assessment method comparing the environmental impacts of different impeller manufacturing methods, including plunge milling (CM), laser cladding forming (AM combined with CM), and additive remanufacturing (RM). Results show that RM is the most environmentally favorable option, followed by AM and CM, in terms of global warming potential (GWP), Chinese resource depletion potential (CADP), water eutrophication potential (EP), and acidification potential. However, AM is not always more environmentally friendly than CM. The comparison of impeller production by CM and pure AM, in this case, indicates that the environmental burden of production using pure AM is approximately twice than that of CM. Compared with CM, the RM of impellers would reduce GWP, CADP, and EP by 64.7%, 66.1%, and 75.4%, respectively. The results of this study contribute to a scientific basis for the selection of manufacturing methods and the sustainable manufacturing of impeller production enterprises.
MNE Headquarters Disaggregation: The Formation Antecedents of Regional Management Centers
Authors: Schotter Andreas P. J. , Stallkamp Maximilian , Pinkham Brian C.
Published: July 2017

This research examines region‐bound headquarters disaggregation in multinational enterprises (MNEs). We link the formation of regional management centres – both dedicated regional headquarters (RHQs) and regional management mandates (RMMs) granted to operating subsidiaries – to the complexity argument underlying organizational information processing theory. We demonstrate how different dimensions of complexity associated with the number and dispersion of an MNE's subsidiary network in a focal region affect whether, and in which form, region‐bound headquarters disaggregation takes place. Additionally, we consider boundary conditions affecting RMC formation based on within‐region experience, global MNE footprint, and between‐region effects. Empirically, we utilize a large global dataset of Japanese MNE foreign investments between 1992 and 2014, which allows us to perform event history analyses.
Explicit Instruction and Next Generation Science Standards Aligned Classrooms: A Fit or a Split?
Authors: Therrien William J. , Benson Sarah K. , Hughes Charles A. , Morris Jared R.
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of explicit instruction in the curriculum area of science where non‐explicit approaches (e.g., discovery learning) are often used. While there has been a relative paucity of research on explicit instruction in science classrooms, we argue that explicit instruction, particularly when it is embedded within an inquiry approach aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, has the potential to increase achievement in science for students with LD. Based on previous research, we provide potential ways to implement the five core instructional components of explicit instruction in today's inquiry‐based science classrooms.
The Historicist Turn of Romantic‐Era Disability Studies, orFrankensteinin the Dark
Authors: Wang Fuson
Published: July 2017

The field of disability studies has recently matured from its abstractly polemical origins to its current historicist orientation. This turn has allowed disability to become a key feature of mainstream contemporary literary scholarship. Romantic studies, though, has been relatively slow to adopt the new discourse. This essay offers a tentative explanation and a state‐of‐the‐nascent‐field assessment of Romantic‐era disability studies. Applying theory to practice, I show how both literary criticism and disability studies by themselves miss the point ofMary Shelley'sRomantic‐era novelFrankenstein(1818). For example, a literary critical approach reads the theme of blindness as a metaphor for a kind of paradoxical insight, whereas a disability studies reading takes umbrage at the exploitation of the blind for narrative gain. Moving past this ideological impasse requires a more synthetic discourse that leverages the historicist turn of disability studies to model a more honest interpretation. By positioning the novel against Enlightenment theories of blindness, I argue that Shelley offers a more nuanced account of abnormal embodiment than disability scholars have traditionally allowed.
Optimization of Structures Subject to Stochastic Dynamic Loading
Authors: Xu Jiaqi , Spencer Billie F. , Lu Xilin , Chen Xinzhong , Lu Lei
Published: July 2017

Structural optimization has progressed substantially over the last half century. However, the literature on optimization of structures under random excitation is limited. This study provides a framework for structural optimization subject to stochastic dynamic loading. Illustrative examples of structures under nonstationary seismic and stationary wind loads are presented to demonstrate the procedure. Both safety and serviceability are considered concurrently. The objective function for safety is given in terms of both harmful interstory drift and harmful interstory drift angle; whereas for serviceability, the objective function is defined in terms of floor acceleration. Safety and serviceability are shown to be competing objectives under both seismic and wind excitation; however, the contrast is less under wind excitation. The proposed optimization framework provides a rational manner in which engineering design tradeoffs can be made between the two competing objectives.
Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum: a major constraint to banana, plantain and enset production in central and east Africa over the past decade
Authors: Nakato Valentine , Mahuku George , Coutinho Teresa
Published: July 2017

Taxonomy

Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Order Xanthomonadales; Family Xanthomonadaceae; Genus Xanthomonas; currently classified as X. campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm). However, fatty acid methyl ester analysis and genetic and genomic evidence suggest that this pathogen is X. vasicola and resides in a separate pathovar.

Isolation and Detection

Xcm can be isolated on yeast extract peptone glucose agar (YPGA), cellobiose cephalexin agar and yeast extract tryptone sucrose agar (YTSA) complemented with 5‐fluorouracil, cephalexin and cycloheximide to confer semi‐selectivity. Xcm can also be identified using direct antigen coating enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (DAC‐ELISA), species‐specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using GspDm primers and lateral flow devices that detect latent infections.

Host range

Causes Xanthomonas wilt on plants belonging to the Musaceae, primarily banana (Musa acuminata), plantain (M. acuminata × balbisiana) and enset (Ensete ventricosum).

Diversity

There is a high level of genetic homogeneity within Xcm, although genome sequencing has revealed two major sublineages.

Symptoms

Yellowing and wilting of leaves, premature fruit ripening and dry rot, bacterial exudate from cut stems.

Distribution

Xcm has only been found in African countries, namely Burundi, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Ecology and Epidemiology

Xcm is transmitted by insects, bats, birds and farming implements. Long‐distance dispersal of the pathogen is by the transportation of latently infected plants into new areas.

Management

The management of Xcm has relied on cultural practices that keep the pathogen population at tolerable levels. Biotechnology programmes have been successful in producing resistant banana plants. However, the deployment of such genetic material has not as yet been achieved in farmers’ fields, and the sustainability of transgenic resistance remains to be addressed.
The nectar spur is not only a simple specialization for long‐proboscid pollinators
Authors: Vlašánková Anna , Padyšáková Eliška , Bartoš Michael , Mengual Ximo , Janečková Petra , Janeček Štěpán
Published: July 2017

Since the time of Darwin, biologists have considered the floral nectar spur to be an adaptation representing a high degree of plant specialization. Nevertheless, some researchers suggest that nature is more complex and that even morphologically specialized plants attract a wide spectrum of visitors.

We observed visitors on Impatiens burtonii (Balsaminaceae) and measured the depth of the proboscis insertion into the spur, the distance of the nectar surface from the spur entrance and the visitor's effectiveness.

The hoverfly Melanostoma sp., with the shortest proboscis, was most active early in the morning and fed on pollen and nectar near the spur entrance. The honeybee Apis mellifera and the hoverfly Rhingia mecyana were the most frequent visitors before and after noon, respectively. Although R. mecyana, the only visitor able to reach the end of the spur, was the most frequent, it did not deposit the largest number of pollen grains per visit.

Nectar spurs may function as complex structures allowing pollination by both short‐ and long‐proboscid visitors and separating their spatial and temporal niches. Spurred plants should be considered as more generalized and exposed to more diverse selection pressures than previously believed.
Epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition and its role in EGFR‐mutant lung adenocarcinoma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Sakuma Yuji
Published: July 2017

Lung adenocarcinoma cells with activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are highly dependent upon EGFR signaling for survival and undergo apoptosis when EGFR signaling is inhibited by tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Paradoxically, EGFR‐mutant lung adenocarcinomas have subpopulations of cells that can survive independently of activated EGFR. Such EGFR‐independent EGFR‐mutant cancer cells include cells that have undergone epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) or transformed to small cell lung cancer, which almost completely lack EGFR dependency. The presence of such cells suggests that EGFR TKIs cannot eradicate EGFR‐mutant lung adenocarcinoma cells. However, little is known about whether and to what extent normal peripheral lung epithelial cells, not lung adenocarcinoma cells, can undergo EMT. We have recently reported that normal peripheral lung epithelial cells can undergo dynamic EMT within 72 h in response to transforming growth factor‐β signaling. This finding reinforced the hypothesis that alveolar epithelial cells that have undergone EMT contribute to the formation of fibroblastic foci, the leading edge of fibrotic destruction in lungs affected by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This review focuses on the role of EMT in neoplastic and non‐neoplastic peripheral lung epithelial cells.
Assessing the proposed association between DED and gluten‐free diet introduction in celiac children
Authors: de Queiroz Alexandra Mussolino , Arid Juliana , de Carvalho Fabrício Kitazono , da Silva Raquel Assed Bezerra , Küchler Erika Calvano , Sawamura Regina , da Silva Lea Assed Bezerra , Nelson‐Filho Paulo
Published: July 2017

A strong association between celiac disease (CD) and dental enamel defects (DEDs) have been extensively reported, however, the nature of this relationship is still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate DEDs phenotype in CD individuals according to the time they were introduced to a gluten‐free diet (GFD). Forty‐five CD individuals were examined by a pediatric dentist. DEDs were classified according to the type of affected teeth. CD individuals were classified into two groups (with or without DEDs) and the differences between these groups were tested using chi‐square or Fisher´s exact tests and t‐test to compare differences between means. The Pearson coefficient test was used to evaluate the degree of the correlation between the age of GFD introduction and number of affected teeth. Individuals with MIH were introduced earlier to the GFD (p = 0.038). An association was also observed for molar DED (p = 0.013). In conclusion, our study suggested an association between a specific type of DED and the time that CD individuals were introduced to a GFD.
Parathyroidectomy—A last resort for hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients
Authors: El‐Husseini Amr , Wang Kevin , Edon Adeleye Annick , Sawaya B. Peter
Published: July 2017

Despite advancements in the medical management of secondary hyperparathyroidism, parathyroidectomy is still necessarily in some patients. However, patients' selection, optimal surgical intervention and long‐term outcome are still not well‐defined and very challenging for the practicing nephrologists. In this manuscript we will attempt to answer several questions related to parathyroidectomy in dialysis patients. We will discuss the indications, the appropriate parathyroidectomy surgical techniques and current guidelines for parathyroidectomy. We will also discuss short‐ and long‐term outcome and analyze the pros and cons of the procedure. It is readily apparent that the performance of parathyroidectomy in dialysis patients should be highly individualized.
Thwarted Belongingness in Relation to Face‐to‐Face and Online Interactions
Authors: Ringer Fallon B. , Anestis Michael D.
Published: July 2017

Suicide is ranked as the tenth leading cause of death for all ages in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Joiner's (2005) interpersonal theory of suicide stated thwarted belongingness—the feeling of being alienated from others—and perceived burdensomeness—the feeling of being a liability to others—are the primary proximal factors leading to suicidal desire. The current study focused on thwarted belongingness and examined its relationship to face‐to‐face interactions and online interactions in both an undergraduate and community sample. We hypothesized that negative face‐to‐face and online interactions would be independently associated with higher levels of thwarted belongingness. Furthermore, we hypothesized that face‐to‐face interactions would moderate the relationship between online interactions and thwarted belongingness and that online interactions would moderate the relationship between face‐to‐face interactions and thwarted belongingness. Three hundred eighty‐seven participants (79.6% female) at a southern university and 209 (62.7% male) participants recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk website completed an online survey. Results only partially supported hypotheses, with only face‐to‐face interactions shown to be independently related to higher levels of thwarted belongingness. These findings indicated that negative face‐to‐face interactions may contribute to higher levels of risk factors for suicide ideation and highlighted the importance of assessing for negative interactions across all contexts.
Impact of HLA‐DRB1 allele polymorphisms on control of HIV infection in a Peruvian MSM cohort
Authors: Oriol‐Tordera B. , Llano A. , Ganoza C. , Cate S. , Hildebrand W. , Sanchez J. , Calle M. L. , Brander C. , Olvera A.
Published: July 2017

Associations between HLA class II polymorphisms and HIV control were assessed in a Peruvian MSM cohort. Among 233 treatment naïve HIV+ individuals, DRB1*13:02 was linked to elevated viral loads (P = .044) while DRB1*12:01 showed significantly lower viral set points (P = .015) and restricted a dominant T cell response to HIV Gag p24 (P = .038). The present work contributes to a better knowledge of the Peruvian immunogenetics and supports the important role of HLA class II restricted T cells in HIV control.
The demand for safe assets in emerging economies and global imbalances: New empirical evidence
Authors: Ahrend Rudiger , Saia Alessandro , Schwellnus Cyrille
Published: July 2017

Recent economic theory has singled out mismatches between the supply and the demand of safe financial assets in emerging countries as drivers of international capital flows and, ultimately, global current account imbalances. This paper assesses empirically the contribution of such “search for safe assets” to the size and composition of emerging economies’ international asset portfolios. Excess demand for safe assets in financially less‐developed countries would imply that these countries hold disproportionately high shares of their total portfolios in foreign assets. Moreover, financially less‐developed countries would hold disproportionately high shares of their foreign portfolios in financially developed countries, which are the major producers of ostensibly safe assets. This paper finds little empirical support for these predictions. Financially less‐developed countries allocate a larger proportion of their total holdings to domestic assets. Even when focusing on their foreign portfolios, there is no evidence of a general bias towards the assets of financially developed countries. Overall, asset mismatches do not appear to explain the asset allocation of financially less‐developed countries.