bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Single‐donor spray‐dried plasma
Authors: Liu Qiyong Peter , Carney Ryan , Sohn Jihae , Sundaram Sruthi , Fell Mary‐Anne
Published: November 2018

BACKGROUND

Dried plasma is logistically superior for hemostasis management because it can be transported and stored under nonfrozen conditions and quickly reconstituted at the point of care, enabling prehospital administration. Velico Medical has developed a spray‐drying system to be integrated into routine blood center work streams for spray drying single donor plasma units. This study compared the quality of the spray‐dried plasma (on‐demand plasma [ODP]) with fresh frozen plasma (FFP).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

ODP units (n = 60) were manufactured from never frozen fresh plasma, which was pretreated with glycine–hydrochloric acid and stored at 1to 6°C. Paired aliquots were frozen and stored at −18°C or less. After 31 to 33 days, ODP samples were reconstituted with water for injection and comprehensively characterized in parallel with paired FFP. The quantities of plasma dried and rehydration fluid were predetermined, ensuring comparable total protein concentration in ODP and paired FFP.

RESULTS

ODP is comparable to FFP in global coagulation function as assessed by activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time and in clot formation evaluated by thrombelastography. Compared to FFP, ODP had greater than 80% levels of functional coagulation factors and related proteins and chemistry analytes except for Factor XIII (74%). Pretreatment mitigated cleavage of high‐molecular‐weight von Willebrand factor multimers by spray drying and resulted in 60% vWF:ristocetin cofactor activity in ODP compared to FFP.

CONCLUSIONS

ODP demonstrates coagulation function comparable to that of FFP. The spray drying system can be implemented in blood centers and is capable of producing units of ODP.
Multiple-
q
noncollinear magnetism in an itinerant hexagonal magnet
Authors: Takagi R. , White J. S. , Hayami S. , Arita R. , Honecker D. , Rønnow H. M. , Tokura Y. , Seki S.
Published: November 2018

Neutron-scattering experiments reveal a hexagonally crystallized form of noncollinear magnetic order in an itinerant magnet.
Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Invasive Blood Isolates Are Mainly Phosphorylcholine Negative and Show Decreased Complement-Mediated Killing That Is Associated with Lower Binding of IgM and CRP in Comparison to Colonizing Isolates from the Oropharynx
Authors: Langereis Jeroen D. , Cremers Amelieke J. H. , Vissers Marloes , van Beek Josine , Meis Jacques F. , de Jonge Marien I.
Published: November 2018

NontypeableHaemophilus influenzae(NTHi) bacteria express various molecules that contribute to their virulence. The presence of phosphocholine (PCho) on NTHi lipooligosaccharide increases adhesion to epithelial cells and is an advantage for the bacterium, enabling nasopharyngeal colonization, as measured in humans and animal models.
Novel Assay To Characterize Neutrophil Responses to Oral Biofilms
Authors: Oveisi Morvarid , Shifman Harold , Fine Noah , Sun Chunxiang , Glogauer Naomi , Senadheera Dilani , Glogauer Michael
Published: November 2018

Neutrophils, the most numerous leukocytes, play an important role in maintaining oral health through interactions with oral microbial biofilms. Both neutrophil hyperactivity and the bacterial subversion of neutrophil responses can cause inflammation-mediated tissue damage like that seen in periodontal disease.
Molecular and Functional Insights into the Regulation of
d
-Galactonate Metabolism by the Transcriptional Regulator DgoR in
Escherichia coli
Authors: Singh Bhupinder , Arya Garima , Kundu Neeladrita , Sangwan Akshay , Nongthombam Shachikanta , Chaba Rachna
Published: November 2018

d
-Galactonate is a widely prevalent aldonic sugar acid. Despite the proposed significance of the
d
-galactonate metabolic pathway in the interaction of enteric bacteria with their hosts, there are no details on its regulation even in
Escherichia coli
, which has been known to utilize
d
-galactonate since the 1970s. Here, using multiple methodologies, we identified the promoter, operator, and effector of DgoR, the transcriptional repressor of
d
-galactonate metabolism in
E. coli
. We establish DgoR as a GntR family transcriptional regulator. Recently, a human urinary tract isolate of
E. coli
introduced in the mouse gut was found to accumulate missense mutations in
dgoR
. Our results show these mutants to be DNA binding defective, hence emphasizing the role of the
d
-galactonate metabolic pathway in bacterial colonization of the mammalian gut.
Functional Analysis and Antivirulence Properties of a New Depolymerase from a Myovirus That Infects Acinetobacter baumannii Capsule K45
Authors: Oliveira Hugo , Costa Ana Rita , Ferreira Alice , Konstantinides Nico , Santos Sílvio B. , Boon Maarten , Noben Jean-Paul , Lavigne Rob , Azeredo Joana
Published: November 2018

Currently, phage therapy has revived interest for controlling hard-to-treat bacterial infections.
Acinetobacter baumannii
is an emerging Gram-negative pathogen able to cause a variety of nosocomial infections. Additionally, this species is becoming more resistant to several classes of antibiotics. Here we describe the isolation of a novel lytic myophage B9 and its recombinant depolymerase. While the phage can be a promising alternative antibacterial agent, its success in the market will ultimately depend on new regulatory frameworks and general public acceptance. We therefore characterized the phage-encoded depolymerase, which is a natural enzyme that can be more easily managed and used. To our knowledge, the therapeutic potential of phage depolymerase against
A. baumannii
is still unknown. We show for the first time that the K45 capsule type is an important virulence factor of
A. baumannii
and that capsule removal via the recombinant depolymerase activity helps the host immune system to combat the bacterial infection.
Lymphopaenia as a predictor of sarcoidosis in patients with a first episode of uveitis
Authors: Groen-Hakan Fahriye , Eurelings Laura , Rothova Aniki , van Laar Jan
Published: November 2018

Background/aims

The diagnostic properties of conventional diagnostic tests (ACE and chest radiography) for sarcoidosis-associated uveitis are not ideal. The diagnostic value of lymphopaenia for sarcoidosis-associated uveitis is investigated.

Methods

A retrospective study of 191 consecutive patients with a first uveitis episode visiting the ophthalmology department (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed and compared with known ROC values from literature of conventional diagnostic tests for sarcoidosis-associated uveitis. An ideal cut-off was determined for lymphopaenia by calculation of the highest Youden index.

Results

Out of all patients with first uveitis attack, 32/191 or 17% were subsequently diagnosed with biopsy-proven or radiological diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Lymphopaenia (<1.5×109/L) was significantly more often observed in patients with sarcoidosis-associated uveitis compared with patients with non-sarcoidosis-associated uveitis (p<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of lymphopaenia was 75 % and 77 %, respectively. The optimal cut-off for lymphopaenia for diagnosing sarcoidosis-associated uveitis was 1.47 ×109/L. Lymphopaenia resulted in a 12.0 (95% CI 4.7 to 30.5 fold risk for having sarcoidosis, corrected for sex, race and age at onset of uveitis in patients with a first uveitis attack.

Conclusion

Lymphopaenia is a non-invasive and useful marker for diagnosing sarcoidosis-associated uveitis.
Diagnostic accuracy of imaging brain vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT2) in clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndrome (CUPS): a 3-year follow-up study in community patients
Authors: Xu San San , Alexander Paschal K , Lie Yenni , Dore Vincent , Bozinovski Svetlana , Mulligan Rachel S , Young Kenneth , Villemagne Victor L , Rowe Christopher C
Published: November 2018

Objectives

To further validate the diagnostic utility of18F-AV-133 vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT2) positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndromes (CUPS) by comparison to clinical diagnosis at 3 years follow-up.

Design, setting and participants

In a previous study, we reported that18F-AV-133 PET in community patients with CUPS changed diagnosis and management and increased diagnostic confidence. The current diagnosis of this cohort was obtained from the patient and treating specialist and compared with the diagnosis suggested 3 years earlier by the18F-AV-133 PET. A second18F-AV-133 PET was available in those with a discordant or inconclusive final diagnosis.

Study outcome measures

The primary end point was the proportion of patients who had a follow-up clinical diagnosis, which was concordant with their initial18F-AV-133 PET scan. Secondary end points were the proportion of patients who had the same diagnosis at follow-up as that reached after the initial scan and the stability of diagnostic changes made after the first scan.

Results

81 of the 85 patients previously recruited to the CUPS study had follow-up of which 79 had a clinical diagnosis and 2 remained CUPS. The diagnosis was in agreement with the initial18F-AV-133 PET scan result in 74 cases. Five patients had a discordant diagnosis; one patient with rubral tremor had a severely abnormal scan that had worsened when rescanned; four cases with normal initial and repeat scans had a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Two patients with suspected genetic disorders remained classified as CUPS and both had normal scans. In the 24 CUPS cohort patients where18F-AV-133 PET initially changed diagnosis, this change was supported by follow-up diagnosis in all but the one rubral tremor case.

Conclusion

18F-AV-133 PET is a useful tool in improving diagnostic accuracy in CUPS providing results and diagnostic changes that remain robust after 3 years follow-up.
Conscientious objection and physician-assisted suicide: a viable option in the UK?
Authors: Willis Derek , George Rob
Published: November 2018

Conscience objection is a proposed way of ensuring that medical practitioners who object to physician-assisted suicide may avoid having to be involved in such a procedure if this is legalised. This right on the part of healthcare professionals already exists in certain circumstances. This paper examines the ethical and legal grounds for conscientious objection for medical professionals and shows how it is heavily criticised in circumstances where it is already used. The paper comes to the conclusion that as the grounds and application of conscience objection are no longer as widely accepted, its future application in any legislation can be called into question.
Oxidized lipids: not just another brick in the wall
Authors: Stamenkovic Aleksandra , Pierce Grant N. , Ravandi Amir
Published: November 2018

Over the past decade, there has been intense investigation in trying to understand the pathological role that oxidized phospholipids play in cardiovascular disease. Phospholipids are targets for oxidation, particularly during conditions of excess free radical generation. Once oxidized, they acquire novel roles uncharacteristic of their precursors. Oxidized phosphatidylcholines have an important role in multiple physiological and pathophysiological conditions including atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, lung disease, inflammation, and chronic alcohol consumption. Circulating oxidized phosphatidylcholine may also serve as a clinical biomarker. The focus of this review, therefore, will be to summarize existing evidence that oxidized phosphatidylcholine molecules play an important role in cardiovascular pathology.
Influence of Ba/Ti ratio on PTCR effect of Bam(Ti1−xNbx)O3 ceramics prepared by the reduction sintering-reoxidation method
Authors: Cheng Xuxin , Chen Xiaoming , Li Xiaoxia , Cui Haining , Xiong Chao
Published: November 2018

In this work, we investigate the influences of Ba/Ti ratio and sintering conditions on the characteristics of positive temperature coefficient of resistance (PTCR) and electrical properties of Ba[Formula: see text](Ti[Formula: see text]Nb[Formula: see text])O3 (BTN) ceramics. The ceramics were fired at 1190[Formula: see text]C for 0.5–6.0 h in a reducing atmosphere and then reoxidized at 600–650[Formula: see text]C for 0–8 h. The Ba/Ti ratio [Formula: see text] affected the electrical properties and PTCR effect of the BTN specimens. The room-temperature (RT) resistance of the BTN samples initially decreased [Formula: see text] and then increased [Formula: see text] as the Ba/Ti ratio increased. Moreover, BTN ceramics exhibit a pronounced PTCR effect, with a resistance jump greater by 3.0 orders of magnitude and a low 0.1 [Formula: see text] RT resistance at a low reoxidation temperature of 600[Formula: see text]C after sintering under a reducing atmosphere. Furthermore, the average sample grain size increased along with the Ba/Ti ratio. In addition, the influence of the sintering time and the reoxidation time on the electrical properties and the PTCR effect were also investigated.
An electromagnetic energy harvester using ferrofluid as a lubricant
Authors: Wang Siqi , Liu Yongkai , Li Decai , Wang Hujun
Published: November 2018

An electromagnetic generator with magnetic spring and ferrofluid is proposed and designed to harvest low-frequency vibration energy from human body motion. The magnetic spring is formed by gravity and magnetic repulsive force between the fixed and the moving permanent magnets. The ferrofluid is aggregated at both ends of the moving permanent magnet, and the ferrofluid layer between the plastic tube wall and permanent magnet can remove the solid-friction as a fluid lubricant. The electromagnetic generator is used to harvest human motion energy. The measured average load powers of electromagnetic generator with ferrofluid 1.5 g from human body motion are 1.3 mW and 7.5 mW during walking and low running, respectively, which is 30 times more than the measured average power of generator without ferrofluid.
Learning interacting particle systems: Diffusion parameter estimation for aggregation equations
Authors: Huang Hui , Liu Jian-Guo , Lu Jianfeng
Published: November 2018

In this paper, we study the parameter estimation of interacting particle systems subject to the Newtonian aggregation and Brownian diffusion. Specifically, we construct an estimator [Formula: see text] with partial observed data to approximate the diffusion parameter [Formula: see text], and the estimation error is achieved. Furthermore, we extend this result to general aggregation equations with a bounded Lipschitz interaction field.
On long-time asymptotics for viscous hydrodynamic models of collective behavior with damping and nonlocal interactions
Authors: Carrillo José A. , Wróblewska-Kamińska Aneta , Zatorska Ewelina
Published: November 2018

Hydrodynamic systems arising in swarming modeling include nonlocal forces in the form of attractive–repulsive potentials as well as pressure terms modeling strong local repulsion. We focus on the case where there is a balance between nonlocal attraction and local pressure in presence of confinement in the whole space. Under suitable assumptions on the potentials and the pressure functions, we show the global existence of weak solutions for the hydrodynamic model with viscosity and linear damping. By introducing linear damping in the system, we ensure the existence and uniqueness of stationary solutions with compactly supported density, fixed mass and center of mass. The associated velocity field is zero in the support of the density. Moreover, we show that global weak solutions converge for large times to the set of these stationary solutions in a suitable sense. In particular cases, we can identify the limiting density uniquely as the global minimizer of the free energy with the right mass and center of mass.
Space-time fractional diffusion in cell movement models with delay
Authors: Estrada-Rodriguez Gissell , Gimperlein Heiko , Painter Kevin J. , Stocek Jakub
Published: November 2018

The movement of organisms and cells can be governed by occasional long distance runs, according to an approximate Lévy walk. For T cells migrating through chronically-infected brain tissue, runs are further interrupted by long pauses and the aim here is to clarify the form of continuous model equations that describe such movements. Starting from a microscopic velocity-jump model based on experimental observations, we include power-law distributions of run and waiting times and investigate the relevant parabolic limit from a kinetic equation for resting and moving individuals. In biologically relevant regimes we derive nonlocal diffusion equations, including fractional Laplacians in space and fractional time derivatives. Its analysis and numerical experiments shed light on how the searching strategy, and the impact from chemokinesis responses to chemokines, shorten the average time taken to find rare targets in the absence of direct guidance information such as chemotaxis.
Expressive Languages for Querying the Semantic Web
Authors: Arenas Marcelo , Gottlob Georg , Pieris Andreas
Published: November 2018

The problem of querying RDF data is a central issue for the development of the Semantic Web. The query language SPARQL has become the standard language for querying RDF since its W3C standardization in 2008. However, the 2008 version of this language missed some important functionalities: reasoning capabilities to deal with RDFS and OWL vocabularies, navigational capabilities to exploit the graph structure of RDF data, and a general form of recursion much needed to express some natural queries. To overcome these limitations, a new version of SPARQL, called SPARQL 1.1, was released in 2013, which includes entailment regimes for RDFS and OWL vocabularies, and a mechanism to express navigation patterns through regular expressions. Unfortunately, there are a number of useful navigation patterns that cannot be expressed in SPARQL 1.1, and the language lacks a general mechanism to express recursive queries. To the best of our knowledge, no efficient RDF query language that combines the above functionalities is known. It is the aim of this work to fill this gap. To this end, we focus on a core fragment of the OWL 2 QL profile of OWL 2 and show that every SPARQL query enriched with the above features can be naturally translated into a query expressed in a language that is based on an extension of Datalog, which allows for value invention and stratified negation. However, the query evaluation problem for this language is highly intractable, which is not surprising since it is expressive enough to encode some inherently hard queries. We identify a natural fragment of it, and we show it to be tractable and powerful enough to define SPARQL queries enhanced with the desired functionalities.
Public Projects, Boolean Functions, and the Borders of Border’s Theorem
Authors: Gopalan Parikshit , Nisan Noam , Roughgarden Tim
Published: November 2018

Border’s theorem gives an intuitive linear characterization of the feasible interim allocation rules of a Bayesian single-item environment, and it has several applications in economic and algorithmic mechanism design. All known generalizations of Border’s theorem either restrict attention to relatively simple settings or resort to approximation. This article identifies a complexity-theoretic barrier that indicates, assuming standard complexity class separations, that Border’s theorem cannot be extended significantly beyond the state of the art. We also identify a surprisingly tight connection between Myerson’s optimal auction theory, when applied to public project settings, and some fundamental results in the analysis of Boolean functions.
Analysis of Reflexive Eye Movements for Fast Replay-Resistant Biometric Authentication
Authors: Sluganovic Ivo , Roeschlin Marc , Rasmussen Kasper B. , Martinovic Ivan
Published: November 2018

Eye tracking devices have recently become increasingly popular as an interface between people and cons-umer-grade electronic devices. Due to the fact that human eyes are fast, responsive, and carry information unique to an individual, analyzing person’s gaze is particularly attractive for rapid biometric authentication. Unfortunately, previous proposals for gaze-based authentication systems either suffer from high error rates or requires long authentication times.

We build on the fact that some eye movements can be reflexively and predictably triggered and develop an interactive visual stimulus for elicitation of reflexive eye movements that support the extraction of reliable biometric features in a matter of seconds, without requiring any memorization or cognitive effort on the part of the user. As an important benefit, our stimulus can be made unique for every authentication attempt and thus incorporated in a challenge-response biometric authentication system. This allows us to prevent replay attacks, which are possibly the most applicable attack vectors against biometric authentication.

Using a gaze tracking device, we build a prototype of our system and perform a series of systematic user experiments with 30 participants from the general public. We thoroughly analyze various system parameters and evaluate the performance and security guarantees under several different attack scenarios. The results show that our system matches or surpasses existing gaze-based authentication methods in achieved equal error rates (6.3%) while achieving significantly lower authentication times (5s).
Goal Orientation: A Review of the Miles Traveled and the Miles to Go
Authors: Vandewalle Don , Nerstad Christina G.L. , Dysvik Anders
Published: November 2018

Goal orientation, a theory that originated primarily in the educational and social psychology fields, has emerged in the past two decades as a prominent theory in organizational psychology and organizational behavior. We review the state of affairs for goal orientation research with the following roadmap. First, we discuss the historical roots of goal orientation. Next, we summarize the nomological network of goal orientation and describe the processing frameworks associated with goal orientation factors. We then discuss the crucial role of moderator variables to explain the notable variance found in goal orientation–outcome variable relationships. We next summarize the research findings on the relationship of goal orientation with the proximal mediator and distal outcome variables. We conclude the review with a miles-to-go discussion of several major issues currently faced in goal orientation research.
Aligning Programs and Policies to Support Food Security and Public Health Goals in the United States
Authors: Seligman Hilary K. , Berkowitz Seth A.
Published: November 2018

Food insecurity affects 1 in 8 US households and has clear implications for population health disparities. We present a person-centered, multilevel framework for understanding how individuals living in food-insecure households cope with inadequate access to food themselves and within their households, communities, and broader food system. Many of these coping strategies can have an adverse impact on health, particularly when the coping strategies are sustained over time; others may be salutary for health. There exist multiple opportunities for aligning programs and policies so that they simultaneously support food security and improved diet quality in the interest of supporting improved health outcomes. Improved access to these programs and policies may reduce the need to rely on individual- and household-level strategies that may have negative implications for health across the life course.
Homomorphic Evaluation of the Integer Arithmetic Operations for Mobile Edge Computing
Authors: Gong Changqing , Li Mengfei , Zhao Liang , Guo Zhenzhou , Han Guangjie
Published: November 2018

With the rapid development of the 5G network and Internet of Things (IoT), lots of mobile and IoT devices generate massive amounts of multisource heterogeneous data. Effective processing of such data becomes an urgent problem. However, traditional centralised models of cloud computing are challenging to process multisource heterogeneous data effectively. Mobile edge computing (MEC) emerges as a new technology to optimise applications or cloud computing systems. However, the features of MEC such as content perception, real‐time computing, and parallel processing make the data security and privacy issues that exist in the cloud computing environment more prominent. Protecting sensitive data through traditional encryption is a very secure method, but this will make it impossible for the MEC to calculate the encrypted data. The fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) overcomes this limitation. FHE can be used to compute ciphertext directly. Therefore, we propose a ciphertext arithmetic operation that implements data with integer homomorphic encryption to ensure data privacy and computability. Our scheme refers to the integer operation rules of complement, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. First, we use Boolean polynomials (BP) of containing logical AND, XOR operations to represent the rulers. Second, we convert the BP into homomorphic polynomials (HP) to perform ciphertext operations. Then, we optimise our scheme. We divide the ciphertext vector of integer encryption into subvectors of length 2 and increase the length of private key of FHE to support the 3‐multiplication level additional. We test our optimised scheme in DGHV and CMNT. In the number of ciphertext refreshes, the optimised scheme is reduced by 2/3 compared to the original scheme, and the time overhead of our scheme is reduced by 1/3. We also examine our scheme in CNT of without bootstrapping. The time overhead of optimised scheme over DGHV and CMNT is close to the original scheme over CNT.
Development and Utilization of 3D Printed Material for Thoracotomy Simulation
Authors: Yates Evan , Chirurgi Roger , Adamakos Frosso , Habal Rania , Jaiswal Rajnish , Kalantari Hossein , Hassen Getaw Worku
Published: November 2018

Medical simulation is a widely used training modality that is particularly useful for procedures that are technically difficult or rare. The use of simulations for educational purposes has increased dramatically over the years, with most emergency medicine (EM) programs primarily using mannequin-based simulations to teach medical students and residents. As an alternative to using mannequin, we built a 3D printed models for practicing invasive procedures. Repeated simulations may help further increase comfort levels in performing an emergency department (ED) thoracotomy in particular, and perhaps this can be extrapolated to all invasive procedures. Using this model, a simulation training conducted with EM residents at an inner city teaching hospital showed improved confidence. A total of 21 residents participated in each of the three surveys [(1) initially, (2) after watching the educational video, and (3) after participating in the simulation]. Their comfort levels increased from baseline after watching the educational video (9.5%). The comfort level further improved from baseline after performing the hands on simulation (71.4%).
Impact of Locoregional Treatment on Prognosis of de novo Stage IV Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Long-Term Study of Chinese Population
Authors: Wang Wenyan , Liu Jiaqi , Wang Jie , Gao Jidong , Wang Xiang , Wang Xin
Published: November 2018

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of locoregional resection and radiotherapy on the prognosis of Chinese women with stage IV breast cancer. Methods: The retrospective study included Chinese patients with de novo stage IV breast cancer in National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2016. The patients were classified into surgery and nonsurgery groups. Overall survival (OS) and distant progression-free survival (DPFS) were evaluated at the last follow-up. Results: Of the 157 patients, 66 (42.0%) underwent surgery and 52 (33.1%) received locoregional radiotherapy. The follow-up time ranged from 3 to 180 months. The median patient follow-up was 54.5 months. The patients in the surgery group had longer 5-year OS and 5-year DPFS compared with the patients in the nonsurgery group. DPFS was also significantly longer in patients who received radiotherapy. Two factors proved to be associated with survival: response to systemic therapy and surgical treatment. Multivariate analysis also showed that the progestogen receptor status significantly influenced the DPFS. Conclusion: Locoregional surgery and radiotherapy of primary tumor might be beneficial for Chinese patients with stage IV breast cancer. It proposed that surgical resection for selected stage IV breast cancer patients.
High Herpesvirus Diversity in Wild Rodent and Shrew Species in Central Africa
Authors: Ntumvi Nkom Felix , Mbala Kingebeni Placide , Tamoufe Ubald , Kumakamba Charles , Ndze Valentine , Ngay Lukusa Ipos , LeBreton Matthew , Atibu Losoma Joseph , Le Doux Diffo Joseph , N’Kawa Frida , Takuo Jean-Michel , Mulembakani Prime , Nwobegahay Julius , Makuwa Maria , Muyembe Tamfum Jean J. , Gillis Amethyst , Harris Stephen , Rimoin Anne W. , Hoff Nicole A. , Fair Joseph M. , Monagin Corina , Ayukekbong James , Rubin Edward M. , Wolfe Nathan D. , Lange Christian E.
Published: November 2018

Objective: Herpesviruses belong to a diverse order of large DNA viruses that can cause diseases in humans and animals. With the goal of gathering information about the distribution and diversity of herpesviruses in wild rodent and shrew species in central Africa, animals in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were sampled and tested by PCR for the presence of herpesvirus DNA. Methods: A broad range PCRs targeting either the Polymerase or the terminase gene were used for virus detection. Amplified products from PCR were sequenced and isolates analysed for phylogenetic placement. Results: Overall, samples of 1,004 animals of various rodent and shrew species were tested and 24 were found to be positive for herpesvirus DNA. Six of these samples contained strains of known viruses, while the other positive samples revealed DNA sequences putatively belonging to 11 previously undescribed herpesviruses. The new isolates are beta- and gammaherpesviruses and the shrew isolates appear to form a separate cluster within the Betaherpesvirinae subfamily. Conclusion: The diversity of viruses detected is higher than in similar studies in Europe and Asia. The high diversity of rodent and shrew species occurring in central Africa may be the reason for a higher diversity in herpesviruses in this area.
Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Why Is Specialization Mandatory?
Authors: Weber Theresia
Published: November 2018

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) represents a distinct form of thyroid cancer with a potentially aggressive behavior, early lymph node metastases, and sporadic as well as hereditary forms. Only surgery with total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection is able to achieve biochemical cure. Due to the uncommon nature of MTC, a specialization in endocrine surgery for diagnosis as well as therapy of MTC seem to be mandatory for a successful treatment. Knowledge of genotype-phenotype correlations for hereditary forms or routine calcitonin screening for sporadic forms is important to analyze preoperative findings and plan surgical procedures. Postoperative follow-up depends on biochemical cure or monitoring for patients with elevated calcitonin levels.
Brauchen versus kaufen: Wenn Warenkonsum zur Sucht wird
Authors: Laskowski Nora M. , Trotzke Patrick , Müller Astrid
Published: November 2018

Obwohl pathologisches Kaufen ein seit mehr als 100 Jahren bekanntes Phänomen darstellt, ist das Störungsbild noch nicht als eigenständige Erkrankung anerkannt. Laut einer Meta-Analyse zeigen 5% der erwachsenen Allgemeinbevölkerung eine Neigung zu pathologischem Kaufen. Das Störungsbild ist geprägt von einem unwiderstehlichen Kaufdrang, einer immensen gedanklichen Beschäftigung mit Kaufen sowie unangemessenen Kaufepisoden, die der Emotionsregulation dienen. Die erworbenen Konsumgüter werden in der Regel kaum oder gar nicht benutzt. Betroffene und Angehörige erleben einen immensen Leidensdruck, der aus sozialen, beruflichen, psychischen und rechtlichen Folgeproblemen resultiert. Psychische Komorbiditäten sind typischerweise depressive und Angststörungen, pathologisches Horten, Binge-Eating-Störung, Bulimia nervosa, Glücksspielstörung und Substanzkonsumstörungen. Experimentelle Studien legen nahe, pathologisches Kaufen als eine «Störung in Zusammenhang mit süchtigem Verhalten» (Verhaltenssucht) zu klassifizieren.
Severe Acute Pancreatitis - How Conservative Can We Be?
Authors: Alberts Christian , Alsfasser Guido
Published: November 2018

Background: Acute pancreatitis still is a disease with overall high mortality. Continuously improved understanding of the pathophysiology, however, led to changes in treatment algorithms within the last decades, thus resulting in decreased mortality. This knowledge of acute pancreatitis enabled a new classification system introduced by an international expert panel. This classification system is helpful in initiating treatment strategies which are adapted to the course of acute pancreatitis. Especially the role of surgery experienced a paradigm shift towards a more conservative approach. Methods: A specific literature search regarding the treatment of acute pancreatitis was performed in the PubMed database, and the results of key studies were compared. Results of these studies are discussed in the context of the most recent international classification system. Results and Conclusion: Based upon the available data, we can summarize that conservative treatment of acute pancreatitis with pancreatic necrosis is a valid treatment option for selected cases and is associated with reduced mortality compared to more aggressive therapy. However, patients with acute pancreatitis should be treated in experienced centers.
Modified Laparoscopic Partial Ureterectomy for Adult Ureteral Fibroepithelial Polyp: Technique and Initial Experience
Authors: Hong Peng , Cai Yukun , Li Ziao , Fan Shubo , Yang Kunlin , Hao Han , He Qun , Li Xuesong , Zhou Liqun
Published: November 2018

Objectives: To present our modified laparoscopic partial ureterectomy technique for adult ureteral fibroepithelial polyp (FEP) and initial experience. Methods: Between August 2009 and October 2017, 22 patients with ureteral FEP underwent modified laparoscopic partial ureterectomy by an experienced surgeon. In our method, a stay suture passing through the upper ureter was fixed to the abdominal wall to keep the ureter from twisting. The ureter was not completely dismembered until the first stitch, which was placed between the lowest points of the upper ureter and lower ureter end faces, was finished. Besides, we used a 3-step method to locate the polyp. Surgical success was defined as improved hydronephrosis and alleviated symptoms. Results: The mean operative time was 152.18 min. The mean estimated blood loss was 22.73 mL. One patient complained of urinary tract infection postoperatively. The mean times to remove the drainage tube and catheter were 2.64 and 3.73 days respectively. The double-J tube was removed at 1–3 months after surgery. At a mean follow-up of 47.04 months, no patient experienced disease recurrence, and the operative success rate was 100%. Conclusions: Modified laparoscopic partial ureterectomy, with a high success rate, could be considered a safe and efficient treatment option for ureteral FEP.
A new species of Apostolepis (Serpentes, Dipsadidae, Elapomorphini) from the Cerrado of Central Brazil
Authors: FRANÇA DANIELLA. P. F. , BARBO FAUSTO E. , SILVA-JÚNIOR NELSON J. , SILVA HELDER L. R. , ZAHER HUSSAM
Published: November 2018

We describe a new species of the genus Apostolepis found near São Salvador Hydroelectric Power Plant, municipality of São Salvador do Tocantins, in the central Cerrado ecoregion. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: presence of eleven dorsolateral stripes, five infralabial scales and the lack of preoculars scales. The new species shares some external characteristics mainly with A. arenaria, A. gaboi and A. nelsonjorgei, with which it is compared.
A new species of the genus Augyles Schiödte, 1866 (Coleoptera: Heteroceridae) from Vietnam
Authors: SAZHNEV ALEXEY S.
Published: November 2018

Family Heteroceridae includes 5 genera and about 370 species worldwide (Mascagni 2014; Skalický & Ezer 2014). Adults and larvae of Heteroceridae construct tunnels in wet sand and soil at the edges of streams, rivers, lakes and ponds, and in brackish mud flats (Vanin et al., 2016).
High Sensitive Optical Pressure Sensor Using Nano-Scale Plasmonic Resonator and Metal-Insulator-Metal Waveguides
Authors: Palizvan Pardis , Olyaee Saeed , Seifouri Mahmood
Published: November 2018

We propose a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure consisting of a resonator and surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waveguides. By increasing the pressure, the resonator further deforms. Applying a maximum pressure of 6.2 MPa on the proposed device, a blue shift of 150 nm in the resonant
wavelength is computed. Under the above mentioned pressure, the corresponding shift is linearly proportional to the pressure variation in a wide range of wavelength. This optical pressure sensor has a high sensitivity of 24 nm/MPa which makes it very suitable candidate for mechanical, electrical,
biological, and biomedical engineering applications. The proposed device is simulated using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method.
Optical and Structural Properties of Fluorine Doped SnO2 on Si (100) for Photovoltaic Application
Authors: Nivetha S. , Kaviyarasu K. , Ayeshamariam A. , Punithavelan N. , Perumalsamy R. , Diallo A. , Ramalingam G. , Mohamed S. B. , Letsholathebe D. , Magdalane C. Maria , Jayachandran M.
Published: November 2018

Photovoltaic material plays a vital role in the production of energy storage devices, more specifically in solar cell fabrications. In this work, ITO:F-doped materials were coated over the silicon substrate through spray pyrolysis technique. X-ray diffraction studies were conducted
for porous silicon (PSi) coated with ITO:F structures formed at different current densities. This pore formation is evident from the broad peak at 69.9°, revealing an amorphous-like nature but at the same location where the single crystalline peak also is observed. These pores are explicitly
shown in the SEM images in which very fine surface fragments are observed. At 20 mA/cm2, well-defined porous patterns that were uniformly distributed over the surface were observed. The microstructures observed via atomic force microscopy for these PSi coated with ITO:F structures
are randomly aligned and almost evenly distributed over the entire surface of these nanorods, which are approximately 40 nm. Radiative recombination of electrons from a level in the conduction band or its subband to a level at an energy difference of greater than 1.7 eV in the valance band
or its subband will emit visible light.
What are the Best Thermodynamic Quantity and Function to Define a Front in Gridded Model Output?
Authors: Thomas Carl M. , Schultz David M.
Published: November 2018

Fronts can be computed from gridded datasets such as numerical model output and reanalyses, resulting in automated surface frontal charts and climatologies. Defining automated fronts requires quantities (e.g., potential temperature, equivalent potential temperature, wind shifts) and kinematic functions (e.g., gradient, thermal front parameter, and frontogenesis). Which are the most appropriate to use in different applications remains an open question. This question is investigated using two quantities (potential temperature and equivalent potential temperature) and three functions (magnitude of the horizontal gradient, thermal front parameter, and frontogenesis) from both the context of real-time surface analysis and climatologies from 38 years of reanalyses. The strengths of potential temperature to identify fronts are that it represents the thermal gradients and its direct association with the kinematics and dynamics of fronts. Although climatologies using potential temperature show features associated with extratropical cyclones in the storm tracks, climatologies using equivalent potential temperature include moisture gradients within air masses, most notably at low latitudes that are unrelated to the traditional definition of a front, but may be representative of a broader definition of an airmass boundary. These results help to explain previously published frontal climatologies featuring maxima of fronts in the subtropics and tropics. The best function depends upon the purpose of the analysis, but Petterssen frontogenesis is attractive, both for real-time analysis and long-term climatologies, in part because of its link to the kinematics and dynamics of fronts. Finally, this study challenges the conventional definition of a front as an airmass boundary and suggests that a new, dynamically based definition would be useful for some applications.
Cancer patients’ family members’ experiences of the information and support provided by healthcare professionals
Authors: Lavallée Jacqueline F , Grogan Sarah , Austin Carol A
Published: November 2018

Objectives:

This qualitative study aimed to understand the experiences, information and support needs of family members of cancer patients and their satisfaction with the services provided to them as a family member.

Design:

Inductive qualitative and critical realist approach to data collection and analysis.

Methods:

Purposive sampling was used to identify family members of cancer patients. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 participants by means of email, enabling us to explore sensitive topics at a pace appropriate for each participant and gain rich sources of information. We analysed the data using an inductive thematic approach.

Results:

Three superordinate themes were identified: information acquisition, seeking support and family members’ experiences of cancer. Needs were high, and a complex relationship between information and support was apparent. Many participants felt dissatisfied with the support and information received as it was sometimes inconsistent, incorrect or vague, and some reported deterioration in their own health as a consequence. Online communities were reported as being informative and supportive as the participants felt they could relate to the firsthand experience of the other members.

Conclusion:

Improving healthcare professionals’ awareness of the type of information and support the family members need is vital for both family members and patients. There is a need for the development of educational and psychological interventions to assist family members in coping when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, is undergoing or recovering from treatment, or is receiving palliative care.
Cannabis consumption and psychosis or schizophrenia development
Authors: Ortiz-Medina María Bettina , Perea Marta , Torales Julio , Ventriglio Antonio , Vitrani Giovanna , Aguilar Lourdes , Roncero Carlos
Published: November 2018

Objective:

Cannabis consumption produces psychopathology, in some cases psychotic episodes, which are of our interest in this work. However, the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis has not been fully elucidated. The objectives of this work are to (1) review the current state of knowledge on the association of cannabis use with the risk of the development of psychosis or psychotic symptoms in people without schizophrenia and (2) assess the consistency of the hypothesis that cannabis use is associated with increased risk of psychosis in people without schizophrenia.

Method:

This work included research done in humans until May 2018 with the keywords ‘cannabis’ and ‘psychosis’, published in English and Spanish, in the PubMed database.

Results:

In all, 66 papers were analyzed, of which 23 were cohort trials and 43 were reviews.

Conclusion:

Cannabis use doubles the risk of developing psychosis in vulnerable people. There even exists a relationship regarding the dose used and the age of first use. Gene–environment interactions that modulate the association between cannabis use and the presence of psychosis have also been described.
Avoidance Behavior Prevents Modification of Fear Memory During Reconsolidation
Authors: Nitta Yusuke , Takahashi Toru , Haitani Tomosumi , Sugimori Eriko , Kumano Hiroaki
Published: November 2018

Several studies have revealed that fear recovery is prevented when extinction training is conducted after retrieval of a fear memory. Postretrieval extinction training is related to modification of memory during reconsolidation. Providing new information during reconsolidation can modify the original memory. We propose that avoidance behavior is a relevant factor that prevents subjects from obtaining new safety information during reconsolidation. Postretrieval extinction training without avoidance behavior reduced the fear response to conditioned stimulus and prevented spontaneous recovery in the current study, which corresponded with previous studies. Under the condition of postretrieval extinction training with avoidance behavior, the fear response was not reduced as much as it was in the condition without avoidance. It is possible that avoidance behavior prevents receiving new safety information during postretrieval extinction training.
Analysis and shortcomings of e-recruitment systems: Towards a semantics-based approach addressing knowledge incompleteness and limited domain coverage
Authors: Maree Mohammed , Kmail Aseel B , Belkhatir Mohammed
Published: November 2018

The rapid development of the Internet has led to introducing new methods for e-recruitment and human resources management. These methods aim to systematically address the limitations of conventional recruitment procedures through incorporating natural language processing tools and semantics-based methods. In this context, for a given job post, applicant resumes (usually uploaded as free-text unstructured documents in different formats such as .pdf, .doc or .rtf) are matched/screened out using the conventional keyword-based model enriched by additional resources such as occupational categories and semantics-based techniques. Employing these techniques has proved to be effective in reducing the cost, time, and efforts required in traditional recruitment and candidate selection methods. However, bridging the skill gap - that is, the propensity to precisely detect and extract relevant skills in applicant resumes and job posts - and highlighting the hidden semantic dimensions encoded in applicant resumes are still challenging issues in the process of devising effective e-recruitment systems. This is due to the fact that resources exploited by current e-recruitment systems are obtained from generic domain-independent sources, therefore resulting in knowledge incompleteness and the lack of domain coverage. In this article, we review state-of-the-art e-recruitment approaches and highlight recent advancements in this domain. An e-recruitment framework addressing current shortcomings through the use of multiple cooperative semantic resources, feature extraction techniques and skill relatedness measures is detailed. An instantiation of the proposed framework is proposed and an experimental validation using a real-world recruitment dataset from two employment portals demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach.