bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non‐state authoritarianism and diaspora politics
Authors: ADAMSON FIONA B.
Published: June 2019

Diaspora politics has been celebrated as a form of transnationalism that can potentially challenge authoritarian regimes. Arguably, opposition groups and political activists can mobilize beyond the territorial limits of the state, thus bypassing some of the constraints to political organization found in authoritarian states. The literature on transnational and extraterritorial repression complicates this model, for it shows that states can use strategies of ‘long‐distance authoritarianism’ to monitor, intimidate and harass diasporic populations abroad. Yet, non‐state actors in the diaspora also sometimes use such repressive strategies to mobilize internally, gain hegemony within the diaspora, and marginalize or eliminate internal rivals. This raises the question of whether such activities can be understood as non‐state forms of authoritarianism. Cases of diasporic politics pertaining to Turkey and Sri Lanka are briefly explored with a view to examining how state and non‐state forms of transnational repression can, under some conditions, result in the dynamics of competitive authoritarianism within a diaspora. In such cases, ‘ordinary’ members of the diaspora may become caught between multiple forms of transnational repression in addition to potentially experiencing marginalization and securitization in their new home.
Extract of Salicornia europaea in fresh pasta to enhance phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity
Authors: Padalino Lucia , Costa Cristina , Del Nobile Matteo Alessandro , Conte Amalia
Published: June 2019

Extract from Salicornia europaea was added to durum wheat fresh pasta. Sensory properties, cooking quality, microbiological stability, content in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity, before and after pasta digestion were studied. The extract was obtained by ultrasound‐assisted extraction. From the technological point of view the extract did not affect pasta dough and the cooking parameters and sensory properties of the enriched samples were found similar to the control pasta. No antimicrobial effect was exerted by the extract. From the chemical point of view interesting findings were recorded for pasta before and after digestion. Specifically, data of bioaccessible fraction of digested sample showed a significantly higher amount of total phenols and flavonoid content (11.52 mg gallic acid g−1 and 0.55 mg quercetin g−1 respectively) than digested control pasta (9.54 mg gallic acid g−1 and 0.23 mg quercetin g−1 respectively). The antioxidant activity of enriched sample also increased compared to the control pasta (6.20 vs. 2.50 μmoles FeSO4 g−1).
Valorisation of potato wastes
Authors: Torres María D , Domínguez Herminia
Published: June 2019

Potato processing industry has a high degree of discarding, which currently has low added value being used primarily for animal feed. However, potato wastes offer a broad range of interesting components such as antioxidants, starch, protein or fibre with potential applications in the food and non‐food industries. The recovery of these high valuable fractions using efficient multistage and multiproduct processes could be of great interest. This short review provides a general overview on the integral valorisation of potato wastes, offering an updated vision of the main residual parts generated during potato harvesting and processing, the high valuable obtained components focusing on the bioactive ones and the potential of the emerging extraction techniques over conventional ones. In addition, innovative applications are discussed to highlight the scientific and applied interest of these underutilised and undervalued fractions and to emphasise the integral valorisation of raw materials.
Reliable Inference in Categorical Regression Analysis for Non‐randomly Coarsened Observations
Authors: Plass Julia , Cattaneo Marco E.G.V. , Augustin Thomas , Schollmeyer Georg , Heumann Christian
Published: June 2019

In most surveys, one is confronted with missing or, more generally, coarse data. Traditional methods dealing with these data require strong, untestable and often doubtful assumptions, for example, coarsening at random. But due to the resulting, potentially severe bias, there is a growing interest in approaches that only include tenable knowledge about the coarsening process, leading to imprecise but reliable results. In this spirit, we study regression analysis with a coarse categorical‐dependent variable and precisely observed categorical covariates. Our (profile) likelihood‐based approach can incorporate weak knowledge about the coarsening process and thus offers a synthesis of traditional methods and cautious strategies refraining from any coarsening assumptions. This also allows a discussion of the uncertainty about the coarsening process, besides sampling uncertainty and model uncertainty. Our procedure is illustrated with data of the panel study ‘Labour market and social security' conducted by the Institute for Employment Research, whose questionnaire design produces coarse data.
5x5x5=Creativity: Art as a Transformative Practice
Authors: París Gemma , Hay Penny
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this article is to share ideas from 5x5x5=creativity, a research initiative established in Bath (UK) in 2000, with the aim of developing and embedding a creative and reflective pedagogy in schools and early years settings. 5x5x5=creativity research, in partnership with schools, educators, artists, creative professionals, mentors and cultural centres, aims to raise the aspirations and improve the life chances of children and young people as creative learners. In our research we want to develop creative reflective practice and influence systemic educational change. This research defends the special role of the arts in developing a more flexible concept of education through curiosity and creativity, together with the capacity for the arts for allows ‘possibility thinking’ through a creative and critical pedagogy. In this article we analyse the impact of the artists’ involvement on the development of a creative, reflective pedagogy in schools. As both artists and educators we believe it is necessary to challenge current orthodoxies and establish creative and critical thinking at the heart of learning for both children and adults.
Who is the patient? Tensions between advance care planning and shared decision‐making
Authors: Knight Kerstin
Published: June 2019

Shared decision‐making takes many forms, involving different kinds of agents who share the requirement that they must have sufficient decision‐making capacity for the decision in question. Advance care planning (ACP) is commonly viewed as a form of shared decision‐making between carers and patients who anticipate losing decision‐making capacity. What is unclear in this situation is the identity status of an individual who has become mentally incapacitated and how to evaluate their rights and interests. This is known as the identity problem of ACP.

This paper suggests that the identity problem can be most convincingly addressed by understanding ACP based on narrative views of identity. These views, however, create a tension in our current medico‐legal framework for attributing decision‐making capacity. Current laws and guidelines favour maximum inclusiveness and hence mandate supported decision‐making of those with reduced or only focally preserved decision‐making capacity. Yet, an ACP framework based on narrative identity and the relevant capacities to construct such narratives results in more demanding capacity requirements than current medico‐legal practice requires. The law thus espouses conflicting views as to who can be an appropriate decision‐making authority for patient care. I therefore conclude that the law governing medical care needs to be clearer about how to resolve the identity problem and revisit its position on ACP or supported decision‐making for those who have only focally preserved decision‐making capacity.
An Assessment of Judges’ Self‐Reported Experiences of Secondary Traumatic Stress
Authors: Edwards Charles P. , Miller Monica K.
Published: June 2019

Many judges experience occupation‐specific stress, such as secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization. A content analysis of 762 judges’ open‐ended responses to a survey asking whether they had suffered fromSTSrevealed that judges moderately experienced most types of stress. Some case types (e.g., family court) and some job aspects (e.g., gruesome evidence) were particularly stressful. Judges reported both positive (e.g., social support) and negative (e.g., distractions) coping mechanisms. Interventions should be tailored to judges’ characteristics, (e.g., gender), job (e.g., family court), beliefs (e.g., thatSTSdoes not exist), and level of distress.
The total number of white matter interstitial neurons in the human brain
Authors: Sedmak Goran , Judaš Miloš
Published: June 2019

In the adult human brain, the interstitial neurons (WMIN) of the subcortical white matter are the surviving remnants of the fetal subplate zone. It has been suggested that they perform certain important functions and may be involved in the pathogenesis of several neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, many important features of this class of human cortical neurons remain insufficiently explored. In this study, we analyzed the total number, and regional and topological distribution of WMIN in the adult human subcortical white matter, using a combined immunocytochemical (NeuN) and stereological approaches. We found that the average number of WMIN in 1 mm3 of the subcortical white matter is 1.230 ± 549, which translates to the average total number of 593 811 183.6 ± 264 849 443.35 of WMIN in the entire subcortical telencephalic white matter. While there were no significant differences in their regional distribution, the lowest number of WMIN has been consistently observed in the limbic cortex, and the highest number in the frontal cortex. With respect to their topological distribution, the WMIN were consistently more numerous within gyral crowns, less numerous along gyral walls and least numerous at the bottom of cortical sulci (where they occupy a narrow and compact zone below the cortical‐white matter border). The topological location of WMIN is also significantly correlated with their morphology: pyramidal and multipolar forms are the most numerous within gyral crowns, whereas bipolar forms predominate at the bottom of cortical sulci. Our results indicate that WMIN represent substantial neuronal population in the adult human cerebral cortex (e.g. more numerous than thalamic or basal ganglia neurons) and thus deserve more detailed morphological and functional investigations in the future.
The immunopathogenesis of oral lichen planus—Is there a role for mucosal associated invariant T cells?
Authors: DeAngelis Lara M. , Cirillo Nicola , McCullough Michael J.
Published: June 2019

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic, T‐cell‐mediated, immune condition of unknown cause. OLP may present with painful symptoms requiring treatment, as well as lesions outside the oral cavity. It is likely that what initiates the OLP disease process is a complex interaction of host susceptibility and environmental triggers. While it is possible that OLP represents a true autoimmune condition against an epithelial autoantigen, the mechanisms that lead to this immune dysregulation are still poorly understood. In this review article, we discuss current concepts relating to the immunopathogenesis of OLP, as well as the potential contributory roles the oral microbiota and mucosal‐associated invariant T (MAIT) cells.
The role of cyclin‐dependent kinases in oral potentially malignant disorders and oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Kujan Omar , Huang Gareth , Ravindran Ashwati , Vijayan Monisha , Farah Camile S.
Published: June 2019

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a major global health problem with a relatively low‐moderate 5‐year survival rate. OSCC is often preceded by lesions and conditions known as oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) that have an increased risk of malignant transformation. Despite advances in diagnostic technology and cancer research, the prognosis of OSCC remains poor as it is frequently detected a late stage. Understanding the molecular pathways involved in oral carcinogenesis provides a platform to identify biomarkers that may allow the early detection of OSCC and accurate prediction of the malignant potential of OPMDs. In addition, specific molecular inhibitors can be developed to target these important pathways and allow advanced therapeutic management to improve the prognosis of this malignancy. A common feature across a number of different cancers is the dysfunction of cell cycle moderator proteins known as cyclin‐dependent kinases. This review summarises the current literature regarding the role of cyclin‐dependent kinases in oral carcinogenesis with a particular focus on cyclin‐dependent kinases 4 (CDK4) and 6 (CDK6). This is of particular relevance as CDK4 and CDK6 inhibitors have shown some promising results in other cancer types and are interesting potential treatments for OSCC.
Nationalism, party political discourse and Scottish independence: comparing discursive visions of Scotland's constitutional status
Authors: Whigham Stuart
Published: June 2019

This article critically examines the predominant narratives which emanated from party political discourse in relation to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Utilising a methodological approach centring on political discourse analysis (Fairclough and Fairclough 2012), this paper analyses party manifestos and constitutional policy documents produced by the three largest political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament, namely, the pro‐independence Scottish National Party, and two pro‐union parties, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. The emergent discourse of each party is interrogated by drawing upon pertinent theoretical concepts from previous academic analyses of Scottish nationalism, with particular attention given to those which have deployed modernist and ethnosymbolist theoretical approaches when analysing the Scottish context. This facilitates a critical reflection on the contrasting and nuanced narratives of the Scottish nation's past and future espoused by each political party vis‐à‐vis modernist and ethnosymbolist theory, illustrating the ways in which contrasting theorisations of nationalism are empirically tangible within political discourse and are thus not simply theoretical abstractions.
Role of melanoma inhibitory activity in melanocyte senescence
Authors: Feuerer Lena , Lamm Susanne , Henz Ingmar , Kappelmann‐Fenzl Melanie , Haferkamp Sebastian , Meierjohann Svenja , Hellerbrand Claus , Kuphal Silke , Bosserhoff Anja Katrin
Published: June 2019

The protein melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA) is known to be expressed in melanoma and to support melanoma progression. Interestingly, previous studies also observed the expression of MIA in nevi. Concentrating on these findings, we revealed that MIA expression is correlated with a senescent state in melanocytes. Induction of replicative or oncogene‐induced senescence resulted in increased MIA expression in vitro. Notably, MIA knockdown in senescent melanocytes reduced the percentage of senescence‐associated beta‐Gal‐positive cells and enhanced proliferation. Using the melanoma mouse model Tg(Grm1), MIA‐deficient mice supported the impact of MIA on senescence by showing a significantly earlier tumor onset compared to controls. In melanocytes, MIA knockdown led to a downregulation of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, after induction of hTERT in human melanoma cells, p21 regulation by MIA was lost. In summary, our data show for the first time that MIA is a regulator of cellular senescence in human and murine melanocytes.
“Queering” African American religious history
Authors: Greene‐Hayes Ahmad
Published: June 2019

This article raises questions about how scholars of African American religions and of Black Queer Studies have historically and historiographically rendered queer and transgender persons as being devoid of a religion of their choosing. It calls for research on LGBTQ+ persons in African American religious history and discusses the necessity of “queering” theories and methods in the study of African American religions. To do this, it traces a genealogy of historians of African American religious history “queering” the study of African American religions in order to analyze the state of the field and chart new directions for future study.
Improved Secondary Analysis of Linked Data: A Framework and an Illustration
Authors: Chambers Ray , Diniz da Silva Andrea
Published: June 2019

Applications that use linked data are now part of mainstream social science research, though they generally do not take linkage error into consideration. Solutions that correct for the bias caused by these errors have been proposed but are not yet embedded in the various analysis procedures in common use. Secondary analyses based on linked data can therefore be potentially misleading. We review some recent approaches to non-deterministic data linkage together with a framework for secondary analysis of the linked data which makes use of paradata produced by the linkage process to correct this bias. We also describe a new method for secondary analysis of linked data that builds on this framework and show how it can be used for estimation of a set of domain means based on linked data. We then illustrate this approach via an empirical study based on record linkage of agricultural producers in four states of Brazil aimed at producing estimates of agricultural output by industry. Our study considers register-to-register linkage as well as sample-to-register linkage, and we show results for the traditional Fellegi–Sunter approach to record linkage as well as for a newer linkage procedure based on the use of classification trees and bagging.
The Theurgy of Impurity: Fin‐de‐Race and Feminine Sin in Russian and Ukrainian Modernisms
Authors: AVERBUCH ALEXANDER
Published: June 2019

Much of women's writing emerged as a response to misogynic interpretations of the feminine in androcentric tradition. This paper examines intertextual affinities between the Russian modernist poet Anna Akhmatova (1889–1966) and Ukrainian modernist poet Natalia Livyts'ka‐Kholodna (1902–2005) in the context of the European negative symbolism of the feminine; and as a manifestation of transnational modernist practices. It demonstrates how the representation of female sinfulness in misogynic mythology, in which women appeared as demonic‐vampiric, heterodox seductresses, involved a mapping of purported feminine moral deficiency onto the discourse of Orientalism. Identifying how women's writing in Ukrainian and Russian modernisms mimicked androcentric cultural symbolism, the paper demonstrates the complexity of this mimetic function, which simultaneously preserves the symbolic tradition of its origin while in effect canceling it. Specifically, it investigates the poetics of sin as a common thread between Livyts'ka‐Kholodna and Akhmatova. Focusing on the concept of sin enables us to vividly reconstruct the logic of cultural conventions that cast the woman's role as negative, and to trace how female authors departed from these conventions. The study analyzes, in particular, three aspects of the thematics of sin and sinfulness: temptation, heterodoxy, and betrayal.
A deep learning approach for rooftop geocoding
Authors: Yin Zhengcong , Ma Andong , Goldberg Daniel W.
Published: June 2019

Geocoding has become a routine task for many research investigations to conduct spatial analysis. However, the output quality of geocoding systems is found to impact the conclusions of subsequent studies that employ this workflow. The published development of geocoding systems has been limited to the same set of interpolation methods and reference data sets for quite some time. We introduce a novel geocoding approach utilizing object detection on remotely sensed imagery based on a deep learning framework to generate rooftop geocoding output. This allows geocoding systems to use and output exact building locations without employing typical geocoding interpolation methods or being completely limited by the availability of reference data sets. The utility of the proposed approach is demonstrated over a sample of 22,481 addresses resulting in significant spatial error reduction and match rates comparable to typical geocoding methods. For different land‐use types, our approach performs better on low‐density residential and commercial addresses than on high‐density residential addresses. With appropriate model setup and training, the proposed approach can be extended to search different object locations and to generate new address and point‐of‐interest reference data sets.
Spatial optimization for land acquisition problems: A review of models, solution methods, and GIS support
Authors: Xiao Ningchuan , Murray Alan T.
Published: June 2019

This article reviews the interdisciplinary research field of spatial optimization for land acquisition problems. We start with a theoretical framework to identify three categories of spatial optimization models: problems with aspatial constraints, location models, and problems with topological constraints. Exact, heuristic, and metaheuristic approaches to solving these problems are critically discussed. Tools that are available in commercial and open‐source GIS packages are reviewed from four aspects. We first survey the off‐the‐shelf support and then the development environments in these packages. A case study of the one‐center problem is used to illustrate the computational performance of different solution methods. Finally the advantages and disadvantages of current GIS data models are discussed. The article concludes with challenges and future directions for solving spatial optimization problems for land acquisition.
Real‐time quantitative PCR‐based detection of Coxiella burnetii in unpasteurized cow's milk sold for human consumption
Authors: de Souza Ribeiro Mioni Mateus , Ribeiro Bruna Letícia Devidé , Peres Marina Gea , Teixeira Wanderson Sirley Reis , Pelícia Vanessa Cristina , Motta Rodrigo Garcia , Labruna Marcelo Bahia , Ribeiro Márcio Garcia , Sidi‐Boumedine Karim , Megid Jane
Published: June 2019

Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic pathogen with a worldwide distribution that is responsible for Q fever in humans. It is a highly infectious bacterium that can be transmitted from cattle to humans through the consumption of unpasteurized milk. We report the molecular identification of C. burnetii in raw cow's milk being sold directly for human consumption in Brazil without official inspection or pasteurization. One hundred and twelve samples of raw milk were analysed by real‐time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and C. burnetii was detected in 3.57% (4/112) of the samples at a concentration ranging from 125 to 404 bacteria per millilitre. The identification of this zoonotic pathogen in raw milk sold directly for human consumption is a public health concern since C. burnetii can be transmitted through the oral route. This result indicates that health education and other preventive measures should be officially implemented in Brazil to prevent the spread of infection. To our knowledge, this is the first qPCR‐based detection of C. burnetii in raw milk samples from cows sold in Brazil that do not undergo official inspection or pasteurization.
Evaluating Optimization Strategies for Engine Simulations Using Machine Learning Emulators
Authors: Probst Daniel M. , Raju Mandhapati , Senecal Peter K. , Kodavasal Janardhan , Pal Pinaki , Som Sibendu , Moiz Ahmed A. , Pei Yuanjiang
Published: June 2019

This work evaluates different optimization algorithms for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of engine combustion. Due to the computational expense of CFD simulations, emulators built with machine learning algorithms were used as surrogates for the optimizers. Two types of emulators were used: a Gaussian process (GP) and a weighted variety of machine learning methods called SuperLearner (SL). The emulators were trained using a dataset of 2048 CFD simulations that were run concurrently on a supercomputer. The design of experiments (DOE) for the CFD runs was obtained by perturbing nine input parameters using a Monte-Carlo method. The CFD simulations were of a heavy duty engine running with a low octane gasoline-like fuel at a partially premixed compression ignition mode. Ten optimization algorithms were tested, including types typically used in research applications. Each optimizer was allowed 800 function evaluations and was randomly tested 100 times. The optimizers were evaluated for the median, minimum, and maximum merits obtained in the 100 attempts. Some optimizers required more sequential evaluations, thereby resulting in longer wall clock times to reach an optimum. The best performing optimization methods were particle swarm optimization (PSO), differential evolution (DE), GENOUD (an evolutionary algorithm), and micro-genetic algorithm (GA). These methods found a high median optimum as well as a reasonable minimum optimum of the 100 trials. Moreover, all of these methods were able to operate with less than 100 successive iterations, which reduced the wall clock time required in practice. Two methods were found to be effective but required a much larger number of successive iterations: the DIRECT and MALSCHAINS algorithms. A random search method that completed in a single iteration performed poorly in finding optimum designs but was included to illustrate the limitation of highly concurrent search methods. The last three methods, Nelder–Mead, bound optimization by quadratic approximation (BOBYQA), and constrained optimization by linear approximation (COBYLA), did not perform as well.
Energy Expenditure Equation Choice: Effects on Cycling Efficiency and its Reliability
Authors: Bossi Arthur H. , Timmerman Wouter P. , Hopker James G.
Published: June 2019

Purpose:There are several published equations to calculate energy expenditure (EE) from gas exchanges. The authors assessed whether using different EE equations would affect gross efficiency (GE) estimates and their reliability.Methods:Eleven male and 3 female cyclists (age 33 [10] y; height: 178 [11] cm; body mass: 76.0 [15.1] kg; maximal oxygen uptake: 51.4 [5.1] mL·kg−1·min−1; peak power output: 4.69 [0.45] W·kg−1) completed 5 visits to the laboratory on separate occasions. In the first visit, participants completed a maximal ramp test to characterize their physiological profile. In visits 2 to 5, participants performed 4 identical submaximal exercise trials to assess GE and its reliability. Each trial included three 7-minute bouts at 60%, 70%, and 80% of the gas exchange threshold. EE was calculated with 4 equations by Péronnet and Massicotte, Lusk, Brouwer, and Garby and Astrup.Results:All 4 EE equations produced GE estimates that differed from each other (allP < .001). Reliability parameters were only affected when the typical error was expressed in absolute GE units, suggesting a negligible effect—related to the magnitude of GE produced by each EE equation. The mean coefficient of variation for GE across different exercise intensities and calculation methods was 4.2%.Conclusions:Although changing the EE equation does not affect GE reliability, exercise scientists and coaches should be aware that different EE equations produce different GE estimates. Researchers are advised to share their raw data to allow for GE recalculation, enabling comparison between previous and future studies.
Positive Relations Between Vision and Posture in the Fixation Task Performed Upright
Authors: Bonnet Cédrick T.
Published: June 2019

In an upright stance, individuals sway in unpredictable ways. Their eyes also move in unpredictable ways in fixation tasks. The objective of this study was to analyze visual functions, postural control, and cognitive involvement in stationary gaze. A total of 14 healthy young adults performed a fixation task and a free-viewing task (three trials per task, 45 s per trial). As expected, the results showed many (n = 32) significant positive Pearson correlation coefficients between the eye and center of pressure/body (head, neck, and lower back) movements in the fixation task. In the free-viewing task, the correlations were nonsignificant. Only 3 of the 32 significant correlations (9.4%) were significantly related to cognitive involvement (measured with a subjective questionnaire). These results indirectly strengthened the validity of the synergistic model of postural control.
Normal stress difference–driven particle focusing in nanoparticle colloidal dispersion
Authors: Kim Bookun , Lee Sung Sik , Yoo Tae Hyeon , Kim Sunhyung , Kim So Youn , Choi Soo-Hyung , Kim Ju Min
Published: June 2019

Micrometer-sized particles, suspended in nanoparticle dispersion, are focused along the channel centerline in Poiseuille microflow.
Infrared electric field sampled frequency comb spectroscopy
Authors: Kowligy Abijith S. , Timmers Henry , Lind Alexander J. , Elu Ugaitz , Cruz Flavio C. , Schunemann Peter G. , Biegert Jens , Diddams Scott A.
Published: June 2019

Generation and detection of single-cycle mid-infrared waveforms enables broadband, high-resolution spectroscopy across 3 to 27 μm.
Interleukin-17 receptor D constitutes an alternative receptor for interleukin-17A important in psoriasis-like skin inflammation
Authors: Su Yang , Huang Jinling , Zhao Xiaohong , Lu Huiping , Wang Wang , Yang Xuexian O. , Shi Yuling , Wang Xiaohu , Lai Yuping , Dong Chen
Published: June 2019

Interleukin-17 receptor D serves as a functional receptor for Interleukin-17A in psoriasis-like skin inflammation.
Duel(ling) precursors in thymic T
reg
development
Authors: Maltzman Jonathan S.
Published: June 2019

Functional thymus derived regulatory T cells can be generated by two distinct pathways.
Salmonella enterica subsp.
enterica
Serovar Heidelberg Food Isolates Associated with a Salmonellosis Outbreak Have Enhanced Stress Tolerance Capabilities
Authors: Etter Andrea J. , West Alyssa M. , Burnett John L. , Wu Sophie Tongyu , Veenhuizen Deklin R. , Ogas Raeya A. , Oliver Haley F.
Published: June 2019

This study provides a deep analysis of the intrinsic stress tolerance and virulence capabilities of
Salmonella
Heidelberg that may have contributed to the length and severity of a recent salmonellosis outbreak. Additionally, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptomic response of
S. enterica
strains to heat stress conditions and compares baseline stationary-phase gene expression among outbreak- and non-outbreak-associated
Salmonella
Heidelberg isolates. These data can be used in assay development to screen isolates for stress tolerance and subsequent survival. This study adds to our understanding of the strains associated with the outbreak and informs ongoing regulatory discussions on
Salmonella
in poultry.
Francisella tularensis Periprosthetic Joint Infections Diagnosed with Growth in Cultures
Authors: Chrdle Aleš , Trnka Tomáš , Musil David , Fucentese Sandro F. , Bode Peter , Keller Peter M. , Achermann Yvonne
Published: June 2019

Tularemia caused by
Francisella tularensis
is a zoonotic infection of the Northern Hemisphere that mainly affects the skin, lymph nodes, bloodstream, and lungs. Other manifestations of tularemia are very rare, especially those with musculoskeletal involvement. Presenting in 2016, we diagnosed two cases of periprosthetic knee joint infections (PJI) caused by
Francisella tularensis
in Europe (one in Switzerland and one in the Czech Republic).
Treponema pallidum
Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing To Augment Syphilis Screening among Men Who Have Sex with Men
Authors: Golden Matthew , O’Donnell Meghan , Lukehart Sheila , Swenson Paul , Hovey Paul , Godornes Charmie , Romano Sarah , Getman Damon
Published: June 2019

Syphilis rates in much of the world are now at their highest levels in almost three decades, and new approaches to controlling syphilis, including diagnostic tests with shorter window periods, are urgently needed.
Analysis of Paramyxovirus Transcription and Replication by High-Throughput Sequencing
Authors: Wignall-Fleming Elizabeth B. , Hughes David J. , Vattipally Sreenu , Modha Sejal , Goodbourn Steve , Davison Andrew J. , Randall Richard E.
Published: June 2019

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) of virus-infected cells can be used to study in great detail the patterns of virus transcription and replication. For paramyxoviruses, and by analogy for all other negative-strand RNA viruses, we show that directional sequencing must be used to distinguish between genomic RNA and mRNA/antigenomic RNA because significant amounts of genomic RNA copurify with poly(A)-selected mRNA. We found that the best method is directional sequencing of total cell RNA, after the physical removal of rRNA (and mitochondrial RNA), because quantitative information on the abundance of both genomic RNA and mRNA/antigenomes can be simultaneously derived. Using this approach, we revealed new details of the kinetics of virus transcription and replication for parainfluenza virus (PIV) type 2, PIV3, PIV5, and mumps virus, as well as on the relative abundance of the individual viral mRNAs.
Understanding people who self-referred in an emergency department with primary care problems during office hours: a qualitative interview study at a Daytime General Practice Cooperative in two hospitals in The Hague, The Netherlands
Authors: Minderhout Rosa Naomi , Venema Pien , Vos Hedwig M M , Kant Jojanneke , Bruijnzeels Marc Abraham , Numans Mattijs E
Published: June 2019

Objective

To provide insight into the motives for hospital self-referral during office hours and the barriers deterring general practitioner (GP) consultation with a primary care request.

Setting

People who self-referred at a Daytime General Practice Cooperative (GPC) in two hospitals in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Participants

A total of 44 people who self-referred were interviewed in two hospitals. The average age of interviewees was 35 years (range 19 months to 83 years), a parent of a young patient was interviewed, but the age of patients is shown here. There were more male patients (66%) than female patients (34%). Patients were recruited using a sampling method after triage. Triage was the responsibility of an emergency department (ED) nurse in one hospital and of a GP in the other. Those excluded from participation included (a) children under the age of 18 years and not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, (b) foreign patients not resident in the Netherlands, (c) patients unable to communicate in Dutch or English and (d) patients directly referred to the ED after triage by the GP (in one hospital).

Results

People who self-referred generally reported several motives for going to the hospital directly. Information and awareness factors played an important role, often related to a lack of information regarding where to go with a medical complaint. Furthermore, many people who self-referred mentioned hospital facilities, convenience and perceived medical necessity as motivational factors. Barriers deterring a visit to the own GP were mainly logistical, including not being registered with a GP, the GP was too far away, poor GP telephone accessibility or a waiting list for an appointment.

Conclusion

Information and awareness factors contribute to misperceptions among people who self-referred concerning the complaint, the GP and the hospital. As a range of motivational factors are involved, there is no straightforward solution. However, better dissemination of information might alleviate misconceptions and contribute to providing the right care to the right patient in the right setting.
How could NHS change management agents learn from corporate innovation strategy to deliver services more effectively?
Authors: Mezher Sermed , Sajid Muhammad
Published: June 2019

Background

The National Health Service (NHS) is facing the most difficult time in history. Public satisfaction rates are falling, waiting times are rising and along with bed occupancy, staff morale is of major concern. With progressively worsening performance nationwide, undoubtedly, a large number of implemented changes are underperforming. To understand the aetiology of this, it is essential to compare NHS service change methodology with successful changes in other sectors; potentially boosting success in future projects.

Objectives/Methods

To discover NHS and Corporate innovation projects of comparable complexity, environmental difficulty and scale; for comparison of strategy based on leadership theory.

Results

Four case studies matching selection criteria were found from each sector. A total of 16 comparisons were made with Grupo Santander’s UK entry and the NHS ‘Making It Better’ programme selected as most comparable. Grupo Santander unified three failing institutions with legacies dating back to 1849, moving from worst bank to the group’s most profitable region in 8 years. The ‘Making It Better’ programme consolidated 12 maternal and neonatal centres to 8 after 2 failed prior attempts, costing £125 million over 12 years. Dissecting the two projects using primarily Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Model revealed deficiencies in healthcare stakeholder communication, unaddressed patient concerns and outcome measure collection. The latter is of paramount importance as it remains unclear whether drivers for change were addressed.

Conclusions

With projects of comparable complexity, the corporate sector serves as an underutilised source of learning for NHS change management agents. Further study is required to determine whether the deficiencies identified are endemically lacking from NHS innovations.
Does internet-accessed STI (e-STI) testing increase testing uptake for chlamydia and other STIs among a young population who have never tested? Secondary analyses of data from a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Wilson Emma , Leyrat Clémence , Baraitser Paula , Free Caroline
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To assess the effectiveness of an internet-accessed STI (e-STI) testing and results service on testing uptake among young adults (16–30 years) who have never tested for STIs in London, England.

Methods

We conducted secondary analyses on data from a randomised controlled trial. In the trial, participants were randomly allocated to receive a text message with the web link of an e-STI testing and results service (intervention group) or a text message with the link of a website listing the locations, contact details and websites of seven local sexual health clinics (control group). We analysed a subsample of 528 trial participants who reported never testing for STIs at baseline. Outcomes were self-reported STI testing at 6 weeks, verified by patient record checks, and time from randomisation to completion of an STI test.

Results

Uptake of STI testing among ‘never testers’ almost doubled. At 6 weeks, 45.3% of the intervention completed at least one test (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV), compared with 24.1% of the control (relative risk [RR] 1.88, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.40, p<0.001). For chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing combined, uptake was 44.3% in the intervention versus 24.1% in controls (RR 1.84, 95% CI 1.44 to 2.36, p<0.001). The intervention reduced time to any STI test (restricted mean survival time: 29.0 days vs 36.3 days, p<0.001) at a time horizon of 42 days.

Conclusions 

e-STI testing increased uptake of STI testing and reduced time to test among a young population of ‘never testers’ recruited in community settings. Although encouraging, questions remain on how best to manage the additional demand generated by e-STI testing in a challenging funding environment. Larger studies are required to assess the effects later in the cascade of care, including STI diagnoses and cases treated.
‘The badger cull policy is not evidence based’
Authors: Langton Tom
Published: June 2019

National bovine TB policy is based on the outcome of a single unblinded trial and we need stronger evidence that badger culling is appropriate, argues Tom Langton.
Regional spatial variability of root-zone soil moisture in arid regions and the driving factors — a case study of Xinjiang, China
Authors: Li Xiangdong , Shao Ming’an , Zhao Chunlei , Liu Tong , Jia Xiaoxu , Ma Changkun
Published: June 2019

Soil moisture is a key element of the hydrological cycle, and it significantly impacts the surface water and energy fluxes. However, a knowledge gap exists on the spatial variability of root-zone soil moisture at the regional scale in arid and hyperarid regions. Thus, soil moisture measurements at 142 sites were taken in Xinjiang (northwest China), and the relationships between soil moisture and 19 environmental factors were analyzed. The results showed that both absolute gravitational soil water content (SWC) and relative extractable water (REW) increased with increasing soil depth in the 0–100 cm soil profile. It generally decreased in the order of cropland > forestland > grassland > shrubland > bare land. Semivariograms suggested that SWC had moderate spatial dependence over a large range of 473–558 km, and REW was more randomly distributed at the regional scale in Xinjiang. Redundancy analysis suggested that environmental factors could explain 47.5%–50.9% of the variability of soil moisture, which was more strongly driven by land surface factors (p < 0.01) than by climatic factors (p > 0.05). Soil properties and other local variables explained, respectively, 40.7% and 32.3% of the variability of soil moisture in the 0–100 cm soil profile. Soil properties independently accounted for 12.8% and 28.1% of the variability in soil moisture in the 0–50 and 50–100 cm soil layers, respectively. Soil texture, field capacity, wilting point, organic carbon, bulk density, land use, and normalized difference vegetation index were the dominant factors influencing soil moisture variations.
The limit shapes of midpoint polygons in ℝ3
Authors: Wang Chao , Wang Zhongzi
Published: June 2019

For a polygon in the [Formula: see text]-dimensional Euclidean space, we give two kinds of normalizations of its [Formula: see text]th midpoint polygon by a homothetic transformation and an affine transformation, respectively. As [Formula: see text] goes to infinity, the normalizations will approach “regular” polygons inscribed in an ellipse and a generalized Lissajous curve, respectively, where the curves may be degenerate.

The most interesting case is when [Formula: see text], where polygons with all its [Formula: see text]th midpoint polygons knotted are discovered and discussed. Such polygonal knots can be seen as a discrete version of the Lissajous knots.
A characterization of quantum Markov semigroups of weak coupling limit type
Authors: Fagnola Franco , Quezada Roberto
Published: June 2019

We characterize generators of quantum Markov semigroups leaving invariant a maximal abelian purely atomic algebra and certain operator subspaces associated with it in a natural way. From this result, we also establish a characterization of generators of quantum Markov semigroups of weak coupling limit type associated with a nondegenerate Hamiltonian.
Protoporphyrin IX functionalized α-Fe2O3for enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity under sunlight
Authors: Chen Rui , Xie Yabin , Meng Shuai , Yan Yan , Yang Qiang , Wang Lili , Wang Xin
Published: June 2019

As a novel strategy for improving the photocatalytic activity through hybrid with small molecule photosensitizer, [Formula: see text]-Fe2O3has been successfully functionalized with protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) in order to enhance sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation of dyes and antimicrobial activity due to the staggered energy band structures which promote a charge transfer between [Formula: see text]-Fe2O3and PPIX and generate free holes and electrons. The results show that [Formula: see text]-Fe2O3could absorb more sunlight and generate more free electrons and holes after being decorated with PPIX. As a result, PPIX-functionalized [Formula: see text]-Fe2O3has an enhanced photocatalytic degradation of dyes ability against rhodamine B and methyl orange and antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. The present strategy gives a promising way to prepare photocatalytic agent hybrid with small molecule photosensitizer.
Financial risk assessment model based on big data
Authors: Kang Qiong
Published: June 2019

Conventional financial risk assessment is not accurate and its adaptive assessment ability is low. In order to solve this problem, a financial risk assessment model based on big data is proposed. In this method, the quantitative analysis method is adopted to analyze the explanatory variable model and the control variable model of financial risk assessment. The market-to-book ratio, asset–liability ratio, cash flow ratio and financing structure model are adopted as constraint parameters to construct a big data analysis model for financial risk assessment. On this basis, the adaptive fuzzy weighted control method is adopted for information fusion of financial risk assessment data and big data classification, and the asset income control and innovative evaluation model are adopted for linear planning and square fitting during financial risk assessment. Based on the intervention factors of financial market participants, quantitative regression analysis is performed, and according to the economic game theory, big data analysis and prediction of financial risk assessment are performed through the regression analysis method. Then the big data fusion and clustering algorithms are adopted for financial risk assessment. The simulation results show that this method can provide a relatively high accuracy in financial risk assessment, and has relatively strong adaptive evaluation capability to the risk coefficient, so it has a good application value in the prevention and control of risk factors in financial systems.
Glückliche Reise
Authors: Prausnitz John M.
Published: June 2019

Following Forest Hills High School in New York City, I attended Cornell University for a five-year program leading to a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree. After spending one year at the University of Rochester to obtain a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, I came to Princeton University in 1951. Four years later, with a fresh PhD, I joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, where I remained, interrupted only by sabbatical leaves in Switzerland, Germany, England, New Zealand, and Australia. Most of my professional work has been in applied chemical thermodynamics for process design, in particular, development of molecular-thermodynamic models for calculating phase equilibria for large-scale separation operations. I have also worked on the properties of electrolytes and hydrates, critical phenomena in fluid mixtures, properties of polymers and gels, adsorption of fluid mixtures, and separation of biomolecules. For many years I was a consultant for Air Projects and Chemicals and for the Fluor Corporation. Throughout my long teaching career, I have stressed the importance of context and of integrating science and engineering with humanities and with the needs of society. Such integration makes better engineers and contributes to personal happiness.