bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the relation between obesity and urinary incontinence: Pathophysiology, clinical implications, and the effect of weight reduction, ICI‐RS 2018
Authors: Marcelissen Tom , Anding Ralf , Averbeck Marcio , Hanna‐Mitchell Ann , Rahnama'i Sajjad , Cardozo Linda
Published: December 2019

Aims

To evaluate the relationship between obesity and urinary incontinence (UI) and to determine the effect of weight reduction on the severity of incontinence.

Methods

This is a consensus report of the proceedings of a Research Proposal from the annual International Consultation on Incontinence‐Research Society, 14 June to 16 June, 2018 (Bristol, UK): “What are the relationships between obesity and UI, and the effects of successful bariatric surgery?”

Results

Obesity is an increasing problem worldwide and is associated with many adverse effects on health and quality of life. From both translational and clinical studies, there is a strong relationship between obesity and the occurrence of UI. Both mechanical and metabolic factors seem to play an important role including systemic inflammation and oxidative stress due to the release of cytokines in visceral adipose tissue. The success rate of anti‐incontinence surgery does not seem to be greatly affected by body mass index (BMI), although reliable data and long‐term follow‐up are currently lacking. Both weight reduction programs and bariatric surgery can result in amelioration of UI. Various studies have shown that weight loss (particularly that associated with bariatric surgery) can reduce incontinence, and the degree of weight loss is positively correlated with improvement in symptoms.

Conclusions

Obesity is strongly associated with an increased prevalence of both stress and urgency UI. The treatment outcome does not seem to be highly dependent on BMI. Weight reduction is positively correlated with improvement of incontinence symptoms and therefore should be advocated in the management.
Quantitative electrical pain threshold assessment in the lower urinary tract
Authors: van der Lely Stéphanie , Liechti Martina D. , Bachmann Lucas M. , Kessler Thomas M. , Mehnert Ulrich
Published: December 2019

Aims

Assessing the reliability of electrical pain threshold (PT) and evaluating the impact of stimulation frequency at different locations in the healthy lower urinary tract (LUT).

Methods

Ninety subjects (age: 18.3‐35.8 years, 40 females, 50 males) were randomly allocated to one stimulation site (bladder dome [BD], trigone, proximal, membranous (only males), or distal urethra). Using 0.5 Hz/1.1 Hz/1.6 Hz electrical stimulation (square wave, pulse width:1 ms), current perception thresholds (CPTs), PTs and tolerance thresholds were assessed at two visits. Analyses were performed using linear mixed models, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland‐Altman method.

Results

PTs vary in relation to stimulation frequency, location and between genders. PT decreased with higher stimulation frequency. The highest PTs were measured at the BD and membranous urethra with males reporting higher PTs than females. Reliability of PT assessments according to ICC was good to excellent across all frequencies, locations, and genders (ICC = 0.61‐0.97), except for BD and distal urethra in females showing poor to fair reliability (BD: all frequencies, distal urethra: 0.5 Hz).

Conclusions

PTs can be safely and reliably assessed from bladder and urethral locations. Semi‐objective PT assessment may provide additional information on functionality and sensitivity of the LUT slow fiber afferents and complement findings from urodynamic investigations and CPT assessments. In conclusion, the developed methodology may open new opportunities for using electrical stimulation paradigms for LUT PT assessments and diagnostics. All this allows a more precise, location‐specific characterization of pain origin and pain reaction towards therapy.
Interior‐point methods and preconditioning for PDE‐constrained optimization problems involving sparsity terms
Authors: Pearson John W. , Porcelli Margherita , Stoll Martin
Published: December 2019

Partial differential equation (PDE)–constrained optimization problems with control or state constraints are challenging from an analytical and numerical perspective. The combination of these constraints with a sparsity‐promoting L1 term within the objective function requires sophisticated optimization methods. We propose the use of an interior‐point scheme applied to a smoothed reformulation of the discretized problem and illustrate that such a scheme exhibits robust performance with respect to parameter changes. To increase the potency of this method, we introduce fast and efficient preconditioners that enable us to solve problems from a number of PDE applications in low iteration numbers and CPU times, even when the parameters involved are altered dramatically.
Fetal fraction and noninvasive prenatal testing: What clinicians need to know
Authors: Hui Lisa , Bianchi Diana W.
Published: December 2019

The fetal fraction (FF) is a function of both biological factors and bioinformatics algorithms used to interpret DNA sequencing results. It is an essential quality control component of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) results. Clinicians need to understand the biological influences on FF to be able to provide optimal post‐test counseling and clinical management. There are many different technologies available for the measurement of FF. Clinicians do not need to know the details behind the bioinformatics algorithms of FF measurements, but they do need to appreciate the significant variations between the different sequencing technologies used by different laboratories. There is no universal FF threshold that is applicable across all platforms and there have not been any differences demonstrated in NIPT performance by sequencing platform or method of FF calculation. Importantly, while FF should be routinely measured, there is not yet a consensus as to whether it should be routinely reported to the clinician. The clinician should know what to expect from a standard test report and whether reasons for failed NIPT results are revealed. Emerging solutions to the challenges of samples with low FF should reduce rates of failed NIPT in the future. In the meantime, having a “plan B" prepared for those patients for whom NIPT is unsuccessful is essential in today's clinical practice.
Distributions, conservation status, and abiotic stress tolerance potential of wild cucurbits (Cucurbita L.)
Authors: Khoury Colin K. , Carver Daniel , Kates Heather R. , Achicanoy Harold A. , van Zonneveld Maarten , Thomas Evert , Heinitz Claire , Jarret Robert , Labate Joanne A. , Reitsma Kathy , Nabhan Gary P. , Greene Stephanie L.
Published: December 2019

Societal Impact Statement

Crop wild relatives—wild species closely related to cultivated plants—are valuable genetic resources for crop improvement, but gaps in knowledge constrain their conservation and limit their further use. We develop new information on the distributions, potential breeding value, and conservation status of the 16 known wild relatives of cultivated pumpkins, squashes, zucchini, and gourds (Cucurbita L.). The taxa occur from the central USA to Central America, plus two South American species, with the greatest richness in central Mexico and the western borderlands between Mexico and the USA. We determine the majority of species are of medium priority for conservation, both with regard to collecting for ex situ maintenance, and for enhanced habitat protection.

Summary

Crop wild relatives are valuable genetic resources for crop improvement. Knowledge gaps, including with regard to taxonomy, distributions, and characterization for traits of interest constrain their use in plant breeding. These deficiencies also affect conservation planning, both with regard to in situ habitat protection, and further collection of novel diversity for ex situ maintenance.

Here we model the potential ranges of all 16 known wild cucurbit taxa (Cucurbita L.), use ecogeographic information to infer their potential adaptations to abiotic stresses, and assess their ex situ and in situ conservation status.

The taxa occur from the central USA to Central America, plus two South American species. Predicted taxon richness was highest in central Mexico and in the western borderlands between Mexico and the USA. We find substantial ecogeographic variation both across taxa and among populations within taxa, with regard to low temperatures, high and low precipitation, and other adaptations of potential interest for crop breeding.

We categorize 13 of the taxa medium priority for further conservation as a combination of the ex situ and in situ assessments, two low priority, and one sufficiently conserved. Further action across the distributions of the taxa, with emphasis on taxonomic richness hotspots, is needed to comprehensively conserve wild Cucurbita populations.
Challenging scenarios in nontuberculous mycobacterial infection in cystic fibrosis
Authors: Martiniano Stacey L. , Esther Charles R. , Haworth Charles S. , Kasperbauer Shannon H. , Zemanick Edith T. , Caverly Lindsay J.
Published: December 2019

This review summarizes the discussion of a session held during the 2018 North American Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Conference titled “Challenging Cases in Nontuberculous Mycobacterial (NTM) Management.” In this session, a multidisciplinary panel of NTM experts discussed clinical challenges related to the management of NTM infection in people with CF in which decision‐making falls outside of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation/European Cystic Fibrosis Society NTM guidelines. Topics discussed included managing newly acquired NTM infection, selecting and monitoring treatment regimens, determining treatment endpoints, and caring for patients after NTM treatment.
Clinical outcome of whole‐body gamma‐knife combined with pemetrexed concurrent chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Pang Jun , Chen Yan , Hao Guang‐yuan
Published: December 2019

Objective

Currently, concurrent chemoradiotherapy has become the standard treatment for locally advanced non‐small cell lung cancer, but it is often difficult for elderly patients to tolerate. In this study, we evaluated the curative effect, acute radiation reaction, and clinical application of stereotactic radiotherapy with whole‐body gamma‐knife combined with pemetrexed treatment in elderly patients with locally advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods

A total of 37 elderly patients with lung adenocarcinoma from Hubei Provincial Armed Police Corps Hospital from 2 January 2013 to 30 December 2015, who were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy with super‐gamma‐knife, were included in the study. The radiotherapy plan was made according to the patient's physical condition, tumor location and size, and therapeutic purpose. A dose of 3.5–5 Gy was administered by 50–70% isodose curve, with a total dose range of peripheral irradiation 35–45 Gy. In the same period, pemetrexed was administered at 500 mg/m2, the first day of chemotherapy (d1), intravenous drip, with 21 days as one cycle, and the number of cycles was more than two.

Results

The median follow‐up duration was 18 months, and the 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐year follow‐up rates were 86.49% (32/37), 59.46% (33/37), and 21.62% (8/37), respectively. There were no missing cases. After 2–3 months of treatment, computed tomography showed that 13 patients (35.14%) had complete remission, 22 patients (59.46%) had partial remission, one patient (2.70%) achieved a stable status, and one patient (2.70%) still had progression, and the total response rate was 94.59%. The 1‐year local control rate was 67.57%. The 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐year overall survival rates were 86.49%, 45.45%, and 25.00%, respectively. The median overall survival time was 17.0 months (95% CI 14.5–21.3 months); the progression‐free survival time was 12.0 months (95% CI 11.6–12.8 months). Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node stage N ≥2 and radiotherapy biological effective dose <60 Gy were the adverse prognostic indicators of overall survival (P = 0.016 and P = 0.032, respectively). The 1‐year local control rate and median survival time were 62.50% and 71.43%, and 19 and 17 months in the gross tumor volume ≥120 cm3 subgroup and gross tumor volume <120 cm3 subgroup, respectively. There was no significant statistical difference (P = 0.061 and P = 0.400, respectively). The incidence rates of grade 3–4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were 10.81% (4/37) and 5.41% (2/37), respectively, during the period of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The incidence of grade 2 radiation‐induced pneumonitis and esophagitis was 13.51% and 16.22%, respectively. No grade >2 acute or late lung and esophagus toxicity was observed.

Conclusions

In elderly patients with lung adenocarcinoma, stereotactic body radiotherapy with super‐gamma‐knife combined with pemetrexed treatment is safe and definitive, with mild adverse effects.
Effects of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α, and interferon‐α2a on P450 enzymes in human hepatocytes in vitro
Authors: Czerwiński Maciej , Gilligan Krystal , Westland Kevin , Ogilvie Brian W.
Published: December 2019

Some immunomodulatory agents stimulate the release of cytokines capable of suppressing P450 enzymes and potentially affecting pharmacokinetics of coadministered medications. Cytokines released in response to an immunomodulator in the blood ex vivo can be used to screen for the potential for drug‐drug interactions. Tilsotolimod, an investigational agonist of Toll‐like receptor 9, stimulated the release of macrophage chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α), and interferon‐α2a (INF‐α2a) in blood obtained from healthy donors. Although tilsotolimod did not directly affect CYP1A2, CYP2B6, or CYP3A4 expression or activity, the cytokines stimulated by the drug reduced CYP1A2 and CYP2B6 enzyme activities in cultured human hepatocytes. This study sought to identify which cytokines were responsible for tilsotolimod's indirect effects on P450 enzymes in vitro. A 72‐h treatment with recombinant human chemokines MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α did not alter CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP3A4, or signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) mRNA expression or CYP1A2, CYP2B6, or CYP3A4/5 enzyme activity in cocultures of human hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. INF‐α2a, at 2.5 ng/mL but not at the lower concentrations applied to the cells, increased CYP1A2 and STAT1 mRNA by 2.4‐ and 5.2‐fold, respectively, and reduced CYP2B6 enzyme activity to 46% of control. This study established that INF‐α2a, but not MCP‐1 or MIP‐1α, mediated tilsotolimod effects on CYP1A2 and CYP2B6 expression in human hepatocytes.
Analysis on the work safety level in different provinces and regions of China
Authors: Wu Daming
Published: December 2019

The work safety level is a reflection of the work safety situation, but in the past, we simply used a single absolute indicator or a single relative indicator to measure the work safety level, which is inadequate. This paper chooses five relative indicators and uses grey fixed weight clustering method to give a comprehensive evaluation of the work safety level in different provinces. According to the evaluation results, we grade the work safety level of geographic and economic regions, and find the gap in different provinces and regions. Our analysis suggests that the work safety level in different provinces and regions basically accords with the stage of industrialization process, but the fluctuated data analysis indicates that the theory of the relationship between the work safety and industrialization process has its defects, and the warped‐tail phenomenon of work safety level in the final and mature stage of industrialization process is thus pointed out. Taking the comparison between Henan and Shanghai as an example of the analysis of the warped‐tail phenomenon, the factors related to the work safety level in the final and mature stage of industrialization process are discussed.
Multistate modeling of clinical hold in randomized clinical trials
Authors: Nießl Alexandra , Beyersmann Jan , Loos Anja
Published: December 2019

A clinical hold order by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the sponsor of a clinical trial is a measure to delay a proposed or to suspend an ongoing clinical investigation. The phase III clinical trial START serves as motivating data example to explore implications and potential statistical approaches for a trial continuing after a clinical hold is lifted. In spite of a modified intention‐to‐treat (ITT) analysis introduced to account for the clinical hold by excluding patients potentially affected most by the clinical hold, results of the trial did not show a significant improvement of overall survival duration, and the question remains whether the negative result was an effect of the clinical hold. In this paper, we propose a multistate model incorporating the clinical hold as well as disease progression as intermediate events to investigate the impact of the clinical hold on the treatment effect. Moreover, we consider a simple counterfactual censoring approach as alternative strategy to the modified ITT analysis to deal with a clinical hold. Using a realistic simulation study informed by the START data and with a design based on our multistate model, we show that the modified ITT analysis used in the START trial was reasonable. However, the censoring approach will be shown to have some benefits in terms of power and flexibility.
Configuration and hindcast quality assessment of a Brazilian global sub‐seasonal prediction system
Authors: Guimarães Bruno S. , Coelho Caio A. S. , Woolnough Steven J. , Kubota Paulo Y. , Bastarz Carlos F. , Figueroa Silvio N. , Bonatti José P. , de Souza Dayana C.
Published: December 2019

This article presents the Centre for Weather Forecast and Climate Studies (CPTEC) developments for configuring a global sub‐seasonal prediction system and assessing its ability in producing retrospective predictions (hindcasts) for meteorological conditions of the following 4 weeks. Six Brazilian Global Atmospheric Model version 1.2 (BAM‐1.2) configurations were tested in terms of vertical resolution, deep convection and boundary‐layer parametrizations, as well as soil moisture initialization. The aim was to identify the configuration with best performance when predicting weekly accumulated precipitation, weekly mean 2 m temperature (T2M) and the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) daily evolution. Hindcasts assessment was performed for 12 extended austral summers (November–March, 1999/2000– 2010/2011) with two start dates for each month for the six configurations and two ensemble approaches. The first approach, referred to as Multiple Configurations Ensemble (MCEN), was formed of one ensemble member from each of the six configurations. The second, referred to as Initial Condition Ensemble (ICEN), was composed of six ensemble members produced with the chosen configuration as the best using an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) perturbation methodology. The chosen configuration presented high correlation and low root‐mean‐squared error (RMSE) for precipitation and T2M anomaly predictions at the first week and these indices degraded as lead time increased, maintaining moderate performance up to week‐4 over the tropical Pacific and northern South America. For MJO predictions, this configuration crossed the 0.5 bivariate correlation threshold in 18 days. The ensemble approaches improved the correlation and RMSE of precipitation and T2M anomalies. ICEN improved precipitation and T2M predictions performance over eastern South America at week‐3 and over northern South America at week‐4. Improvements were also noticed for MJO predictions. The time to cross the above‐mentioned threshold increased to 21 days for MCEN and to 20 days for ICEN.
Robust estimation of the causal effect of time‐varying neighborhood factors on health outcomes
Authors: Robbins Michael W. , Griffin Beth Ann , Shih Regina A. , Slaughter Mary Ellen
Published: December 2019

The fundamental difficulty of establishing causal relationships between an exposure and an outcome in observational data involves disentangling causality from confounding factors. This problem underlies much of neighborhoods research, which abounds with studies that consider associations between neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes in longitudinal data. Such analyses are confounded by selection issues; individuals with above average health outcomes (or associated characteristics) may self‐select into advantaged neighborhoods. Techniques commonly used to assess causal inferences in observational longitudinal data, such as inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), may be inappropriate in neighborhoods data due to unique characteristics of such data. We advance the IPTW toolkit by introducing a procedure based on a multivariate kernel density function which is more appropriate for neighborhoods data. The proposed weighting method is applied in conjunction with a marginal structural model. Our empirical analyses use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study; our exposure of interest is an index of neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES), and we examine its influence on cognitive function. Our findings illustrate the importance of the choice of method for IPTW—the comparison weighting methods provide poor balance across the set of covariates (which is not the case for our preferred procedure) and yield misleading results when applied in the outcomes models. The utility of the multivariate kernel is also validated via simulation. In addition, our findings emphasize the importance of IPTW—controlling for covariates within a regression without IPTW indicates that NSES affects cognition, whereas IPTW‐weighted models fail to show a statistically significant effect.
Amorphous Intermediate Derivative from ZIF‐67 and Its Outstanding Electrocatalytic Activity
Authors: Zhou Huijie , Zheng Mingbo , Tang Hao , Xu Bingyan , Tang Yue , Pang Huan
Published: December 2019

Increasing active sites is an effective method to enhance the catalytic activity of catalysts. Amorphous materials have attracted considerable attention in catalysis because of their abundant catalytic active sites. Herein, a series of derivatives is prepared via the low‐temperature heat treatment of ZIF‐67 hollow sphere at different temperatures. An intermediate product with an amorphous structure is formed during transformation from ZIF‐67 to Co3O4 nanocrystallines when ZIF‐67 hollow sphere is heat treated at 260 °C for 3 h. The chemical composition of the amorphous derivative is similar to that of ZIF‐67, and the carbon and nitrogen contents of the amorphous derivative are obviously higher than those of crystalline samples obtained at 270 °C or higher. As electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and nonenzymatic glucose sensing, the amorphous derivative exhibits significantly better catalytic activity than crystalline Co3O4 samples. The amorphous sample as an OER catalyst has a low overpotential of 352 mV at 10 mA cm−2. The amorphous sample as an enzyme‐free glucose sensing catalyst can provide a low detection limit of 3.9 × 10−6 m and a high sensitivity of 1074.22 µA mM−1 cm−2.
Zur Bemessung von Stahlstützen im Brandfall
Authors: Wetzel Timm , Lange Jörg , Tichelmann Karsten
Published: December 2019

Herrn Prof. Dr.‐Ing. Peter Schaumann zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet

Im Zentrum des Beitrags stehen Untersuchungen zum Tragverhalten zentrisch belasteter Stahlstützen bei erhöhten Temperaturen. Nach einer Beschreibung des generellen Tragverhaltens im Brandfall werden Imperfektionsbeiwerte vorgeschlagen, die für H‐Querschnitte eine sichere Bemessung bei Anwendung des gegenwärtigen Nachweisformats der DIN EN 1993‐1‐2 ermöglichen. Die Imperfektionsbeiwerte wurden mithilfe abgesicherter numerischer Berechnungsmodelle für Temperaturen zwischen 100 °C und 700 °C entwickelt. Ein Vergleich zeigt, dass die Verwendung des Imperfektionsbeiwerts der Norm zu unsicheren Ergebnissen führt, wenn der Fall „Knicken um die schwache Achse” betrachtet wird. Dahingegen sind die Ergebnisse für niedrigere Temperaturen (< 300 °C) zum Teil unwirtschaftlich. Ergänzend werden aus den Imperfektionsbeiwerten geometrische Ersatzimperfektionen abgeleitet, die für den Brandfall eine Berechnung nach Elastizitätstheorie II. Ordnung ermöglichen.
Grout‐Verbindungen in stählernen Offshore‐Bauwerken
Authors: Lochte‐Holtgreven Stephan , Bechtel Anne , Raba Alexander , Wilke Fabian
Published: December 2019

Herrn Prof. Dr.‐Ing. Peter Schaumann zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet

Grout‐Verbindungen als Rohr‐in‐Rohr‐Steckverbindungen mit zementgebundenem Füllmaterial werden seit über 40 Jahren in stählernen Offshore‐Plattformen der Öl‐ und Gasindustrie eingesetzt. Seit mehr als 20 Jahren findet dieser Verbindungstyp auch Anwendung in der Offshore‐Windenergie. Da hinsichtlich der eingesetzten Füllmaterialien, der Verbindungsgeometrien und Belastungsszenarien signifikante Unterschiede zwischen Tragstrukturen für Ölplattformen und Windenergieanlagen bestehen, wurde auf dem Gebiet der Grout‐Verbindungen am Institut für Stahlbau, Leibniz Universität Hannover intensive Forschung betrieben. Der vorliegende Beitrag berichtet über ausgewählte Erfahrungen und Erkenntnisse zum Trag‐ und Ermüdungsverhalten von Grout‐Verbindungen in Offshore‐Windenergieanlagen im Kontext zur historischen Entwicklung der Grout‐Verbindungen.
Vereinfachtes Bemessungsverfahren für thermische Einwirkungen von Stützen in Stahlbauweise
Authors: Zehfuß Jochen , Sander Lisa
Published: December 2019

Herrn Prof. Dr.‐Ing. Peter Schaumann zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet

In DIN EN 1991‐1‐2:2010 [1] ist aktuell ein vereinfachtes Verfahren enthalten, das die Berechnung von thermischen Einwirkungen von Bauteilen bei lokalen Bränden ermöglicht. Auf der Grundlage der Arbeiten von Heskestad und Hasemi kann für lokale Brände die Berechnung der Temperaturen im Feuer‐Plume und des Netto‐Wärmestroms im Bereich der brandbeanspruchten Bauteile im Deckenbereich (Ceiling Jet) vorgenommen werden. Das vereinfachte Verfahren wurde durch experimentelle Untersuchungen validiert und hat sich in der Anwendung bewährt. Im Zuge der Novellierung von EN 1991‐1‐2 Anhang C soll das vorgenannte Verfahren um neue analytische Bemessungsansätze erweitert werden. Der Vorschlag sieht vor, Netto‐Wärmeströme von brandbeanspruchten (vertikalen) Bauteilen, die in Bezug auf die Flammenachse des lokalen Brands versetzt angeordnet sind, zu berechnen. Im Rahmen eines DIBt‐Forschungsvorhabens [2] wurde die Plausibilität und Anwendbarkeit des erweiterten Bemessungsverfahrens geprüft. In diesem Beitrag werden die wesentlichen Vereinfachungen und die Anwendung des erweiterten Bemessungsverfahrens für Stahlstützen unter lokaler Brandbeanspruchung gezeigt. Ferner wird eine Validierung anhand von Vergleichsrechnungen zwischen den Ergebnissen des Bemessungsverfahrens, Simulationsergebnissen mit dem CFD‐Modell Fire Dynamics Simulator sowie anhand von Messdaten realer Pool‐ und Holzkrippenbrände vorgenommen.
Evolutionary radiations of cushion plants on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau: Insights from molecular phylogenetic analysis of two subgenera of Arenaria and Thylacospermum (Caryophyllaceae)
Authors: Xu Bo , Luo Dong , Li Zhi‐Min , Sun Hang
Published: December 2019

Cushion plants exhibiting adaptive convergence in cold and dry environments are keystone and foundation species in the alpine/subnival habitat on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP). To date, little attention has been paid to the molecular phylogeny, origin, and biogeography of cushion plants on the QTP. We investigated the molecular phylogeny of classic cushion Arenaria subg. Dolophragma, A. subg. Eremogoneastrum, and Thylacospermum on the QTP, within the framework of the Caryophyllaceae. A new Thylacospermum‐Dolophragma clade was identified using combined plastid markers (rps16, matK, trnL‐trnF, trnS‐trnfM) and nuclear ribosomal DNA. Molecular divergence dating suggested that Thylacospermum and A. subg. Dolophragma originated in the middle to late Miocene (11.68 Ma). Combined with ancestral range reconstruction, there is an indication that all species of cushion Arenaria (A. subg. Dolophragma, A. subg. Eremogoneastrum) originated during/after the late Pliocene, and the QTP was their ancestral area. Furthermore, ecological niche modeling showed that the areas occupied by the three studied cushion plants during the last glacial maximum (LGM) was broader than that of their present distribution, implying a reduction in their range after the LGM. This evidence clearly illustrates that multistage uplift of the QTP and bordering mountains since the Miocene associated with climatic change (worldwide cooling, aridification in Central Asia, Quaternary glaciation) played a role in triggering and facilitating the speciation and/or evolutionary radiations of the species studied.
Correction to: An Illumina approach to MHC typing of Atlantic salmon
Authors: Sundaram Arvind Y. M. , Garseth Åse Helen , Maccari Giuseppe , Grimholt Unni
Published: December 2019

The original version of this article was published without open access. With the author(s)’ decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed.
Comparison between quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance perfusion imaging and [15O]H2O positron emission tomography
Authors: Everaars Henk , van Diemen Pepijn A. , Bom Michiel J. , Schumacher Stefan P. , de Winter Ruben W. , van de Ven Peter M. , Raijmakers Pieter G. , Lammertsma Adriaan A. , Hofman Mark B. M. , van der Geest Rob J. , Götte Marco J. , van Rossum Albert C. , Nijveldt Robin , Danad Ibrahim , Driessen Roel S. , Knaapen Paul
Published: December 2019

Purpose

To compare cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) with [15O]H2O positron emission tomography (PET) for quantification of absolute myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods

Fifty-nine patients with stable CAD underwent CMR and [15O]H2O PET. The CMR imaging protocol included late gadolinium enhancement to rule out presence of scar tissue and perfusion imaging using a dual sequence, single bolus technique. Absolute MBF was determined for the three main vascular territories at rest and during vasodilator stress.

Results

CMR measurements of regional stress MBF and MFR showed only moderate correlation to those obtained using PET (r = 0.39; P < 0.001 for stress MBF and r = 0.36; P < 0.001 for MFR). Bland-Altman analysis revealed a significant bias of 0.2 ± 1.0 mL/min/g for stress MBF and − 0.5 ± 1.2 for MFR. CMR-derived stress MBF and MFR demonstrated area under the curves of respectively 0.72 (95% CI: 0.65 to 0.79) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.69 to 0.83) and had optimal cutoff values of 2.35 mL/min/g and 2.25 for detecting abnormal myocardial perfusion, defined as [15O]H2O PET-derived stress MBF ≤ 2.3 mL/min/g and MFR ≤ 2.5. Using these cutoff values, CMR and PET were concordant in 137 (77%) vascular territories for stress MBF and 135 (80%) vascular territories for MFR.

Conclusion

CMR measurements of stress MBF and MFR showed modest agreement to those obtained with [15O]H2O PET. Nevertheless, stress MBF and MFR were concordant between CMR and [15O]H2O PET in 77% and 80% of vascular territories, respectively.
Reoperation for Bleeding After Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery: Incidence, Risk Factors, Prevention, and Management
Authors: Edafe O. , Cochrane E. , Balasubramanian S. P.
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Bleeding after thyroid and/or parathyroid surgery is a life‐threatening emergency. The aim of this study was to determine the rates of reoperation following bleeding, identify risk factors, assess management strategies and outcomes, and develop protocols to reduce risk and improve management of bleeding.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of all consecutive patients who underwent thyroid and/or parathyroid surgery over a 7‐year period was conducted. A nested case–control design was used to evaluate specific factors and their association with reoperation for bleeding.

Results

Of 1913 patients, 25 (1.3%) underwent reoperation for bleeding. Of the 25 patients who bled, 6 (24%) required reoperation before leaving theatre; 17 (68%) had bleeding within 6 h, 1 (4%) between 6 and 24 h, and 1 (4%) after 24 h. Reoperation for bleeding was not associated with age, gender, or surgeon. Patients who had total thyroidectomy were more likely to have reoperation for bleeding compared to hemithyroidectomy (p = 0.045) or parathyroidectomy (p = 0.001). The following factors were not associated with bleeding: neck dissection, re‐do surgery, drain use, blood‐thinning medication or clotting disorders, and BMI. Patients who had reoperation for bleeding had longer hospital stay (p = 0.001), but similar rates of RLN palsy, wound infection, and hypoparathyroidism.

Conclusion

A higher risk profile for significant post‐operative bleeding cannot be determined in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. Based on this experience, we developed protocols to reduce the risk of bleeding (the ITSRED Fred protocol) and for the early detection and management of bleed (the SCOOP protocol) following thyroid and/or parathyroid surgery.
Comparing the interobserver reproducibility of different regions of interest on multi-parametric renal magnetic resonance imaging in healthy volunteers, patients with heart failure and renal transplant recipients
Authors: Rankin Alastair J. , Allwood-Spiers Sarah , Lee Matthew M. Y. , Zhu Luke , Woodward Rosemary , Kuehn Bernd , Radjenovic Aleksandra , Sattar Naveed , Roditi Giles , Mark Patrick B. , Gillis Keith A.
Published: December 2019

Objective

To assess interobserver reproducibility of different regions of interest (ROIs) on multi-parametric renal MRI using commercially available software.

Materials and methods

Healthy volunteers (HV), patients with heart failure (HF) and renal transplant recipients (Tx) were recruited. Localiser scans, T1 mapping and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (pCASL) were performed. HV and Tx also underwent diffusion-weighted imaging to allow calculation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). For T1, pCASL and ADC, ROIs were drawn for whole kidney (WK), cortex (Cx), user-defined representative cortex (rep-Cx) and medulla. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CoV) were assessed.

Results

Forty participants were included (10 HV, 10 HF and 20 Tx). The ICC for renal volume was 0.97 and CoV 6.5%. For T1 and ADC, WK, Cx, and rep-Cx were highly reproducible with ICC ≥ 0.76 and CoV < 5%. However, cortical pCASL results were more variable (ICC > 0.86, but CoV up to 14.2%). While reproducible, WK values were derived from a wide spread of data (ROI standard deviation 17% to 55% of the mean value for ADC and pCASL, respectively). Renal volume differed between groups (p < 0.001), while mean cortical T1 values were greater in Tx compared to HV (p = 0.009) and HF (p = 0.02). Medullary T1 values were also higher in Tx than HV (p = 0.03), while medullary pCASL values were significantly lower in Tx compared to HV and HF (p = 0.03 for both).

Discussion

Kidney volume calculated by manually contouring a localiser scan was highly reproducible between observers and detected significant differences across patient groups. For T1, pCASL and ADC, Cx and rep-Cx ROIs are generally reproducible with advantages over WK values.
Proper r-harmonic functions from Riemannian manifolds
Authors: Gudmundsson Sigmundur , Sobak Marko
Published: December 2019

We introduce a new method for constructing complex-valued r-harmonic functions on Riemannian manifolds. We then apply this for the important semisimple Lie groups $$\mathbf{SO }(n)$$SO(n), $$\mathbf{SU }(n)$$SU(n), $$\mathbf{Sp }(n)$$Sp(n), $$\mathbf{SL }_{n}({\mathbb {R}})$$SLn(R), $$\mathbf{Sp }(n,{\mathbb {R}})$$Sp(n,R), $$\mathbf{SU }(p,q)$$SU(p,q), $$\mathbf{SO }(p,q)$$SO(p,q), $$\mathbf{Sp }(p,q)$$Sp(p,q), $$\mathbf{SO }^*(2n)$$SO∗(2n) and $$\mathbf{SU }^*(2n)$$SU∗(2n).
Mutual Capacity Building to Reduce the Behavioral Health Treatment Gap Globally
Authors: Jack Helen E. , Myers Bronwyn , Regenauer Kristen S. , Magidson Jessica F.
Published: December 2019

Use of lay health workers for the treatment of common mental disorders is an expanding, yet still underutilized, opportunity for closing the behavioral health treatment gap globally. In this commentary, we describe how “mutual capacity building,” an equal exchange of ideas between low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs) to promote shared learning, could promote the development and scale-up of therapies using lay health workers. We propose ways that task sharing models for behavioral health can inform and be supported by bidirectional learning across HICs and LMICs.
Parents’ Perceptions and Experiences of Parenting Programmes: A Systematic Review and Metasynthesis of the Qualitative Literature
Authors: Butler J. , Gregg L. , Calam R. , Wittkowski A.
Published: December 2019

Supporting parents to meet the challenges of their caregiving role is identified as a public health concern and a priority in policies internationally. Quantitative research has established the efficacy of parenting programmes but less is understood about the key aspects that make interventions meaningful and helpful to families. We aimed to explore parents’ experiences and perceptions of parenting programmes in order to highlight the parent voice and identify key factors that parents perceive to be meaningful and improve our understanding of the acceptability and perceived benefits of parenting programmes. Six key electronic databases were searched systematically for qualitative research and eligibility for inclusion was established. A thematic synthesis was undertaken. Twenty-six studies were included, spanning 17 years of parenting research and involving 822 parents. Three main themes and nine subthemes were identified: (1) a family’s journey (prior to the parenting programme, outcomes (including changes in the parent, child and wider family) and post-intervention), (2) aspects perceived to be important or valuable (group leader or facilitator, programme content and delivery and value of the group) and (3) challenges or difficulties (barriers to engagement or attendance, programme content and suggestions for improvement). Reported outcomes of parenting programmes included changes in the parent alongside changes in the child and family more widely. Key recommendations to improve provision of accessible, clinically and cost-effective interventions for parents include ensuring high-quality training and supervision of facilitators, balancing flexibility and fidelity to ensure tailored content to meet individual needs, a sensitivity to parental adversity, the need for wider familial support and the availability of ongoing support following the end of a parenting programme.
Moral Understanding, Testimony, and Moral Exemplarity
Authors: Croce Michel
Published: December 2019

While possessing moral understanding is agreed to be a core epistemic and moral value, it remains a matter of dispute whether it can be acquired via testimony and whether it involves an ability to engage in moral reasoning. This paper addresses both issues with the aim of contributing to the current debates on moral understanding in moral epistemology and virtue ethics. It is argued that moral epistemologists should stop appealing to the argument from the transmissibility of moral understanding to make a case for their favorite view of moral understanding. It is also argued that proponents of exemplarist moral theories cannot remain neutral on whether the ability to engage in moral reasoning is a necessary component of moral understanding.
Science and Values in Undergraduate Education
Authors: Koster Edwin , de Regt Henk W.
Published: December 2019

While a conception of science as value free has been dominant since Max Weber defended it in the nineteenth century, recent years have witnessed an emerging consensus that science is not – and cannot be – completely free of values. Which values may legitimately influence science, and in which ways, is currently a topic of heated debate in philosophy of science. These discussions have immediate relevance for science teaching: if the value-free ideal of science is misguided, science students should abandon it too and learn to reflect on the relation between science and values – only then can they become responsible academics and citizens. Since science students will plausibly become scientists, scientific practitioners, or academic professionals, and their values will influence their future professional activities, it is essential that they are aware of these values and are able to critically reflect upon their role. In this paper, we investigate ways in which reflection on science and values can be incorporated in undergraduate science education. In particular, we discuss how recent philosophical insights about science and values can be used in courses for students in the life sciences, and we present a specific learning model – the so-called the Dilemma-Oriented Learning Model (DOLM) – that allows students to articulate their own values and to reflect upon them.
Psychometric Properties of the Italian Versions of the Gambling Urge Scale (GUS) and the Gambling Refusal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GRSEQ)
Authors: Iliceto Paolo , Fino Emanuele , Schiavella Mauro , Oei Tian Po
Published: December 2019

Gambling urges and gambling refusal self-efficacy beliefs play a major role in the development and maintenance of problem gambling. This study aimed to translate the Gambling Urge Scale (GUS) and the Gambling Refusal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GRSEQ) from English to Italian (GUS-I, GRSEQ-I) and to test their factor structure, internal consistency, construct validity, concurrent validity, and gender differences in 513 individuals from the Italian community. Factor structure and construct validity were tested through Confirmatory Factor Analysis, internal consistency through Cronbach’s alpha, concurrent validity through correlations with gambling-related cognitions (GRCS-I), probable pathological gambling (SOGS-I), and gambling functioning (GFA-R-I). Results confirmed that the 6 items of the GUS-I load highly on one dimension of Gambling Urge, and each of the 26 items of the GRSEQ-I load highly on their relevant sub-dimension, among the following: situations/thoughts, drugs, positive emotions, negative emotions. Both scales are internally consistent and show concurrent validity with gambling-related cognitions, probable pathological gambling, and gambling functioning. Males score higher than females at the GUS-I; females score higher than males at the GRSEQ-I. The findings from the present study suggest that the GUS-I and the GRSEQ-I are internally consistent and valid scales for the assessment of gambling urges and gambling refusal self-efficacy in Italian individuals from the community, with significant repercussions in terms of assessment, prevention, and intervention.
Living Machines: Metaphors We Live By
Authors: Vaage Nora S.
Published: December 2019

Within biology and in society, living creatures have long been described using metaphors of machinery and computation: ‘bioengineering’, ‘genes as code’ or ‘biological chassis’. This paper builds on Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) argument that such language mechanisms shape how we understand the world. I argue that the living machines metaphor builds upon a certain perception of life entailing an idea of radical human control of the living world, looking back at the historical preconditions for this metaphor. I discuss how design is perceived to enable us to shape natural beings to our will, and consider ethical, epistemological and ontological implications of the prevalence of this metaphor, focusing on its use within synthetic biology. I argue that we urgently need counter-images to the dominant metaphor of living machines and its implied control and propose that artworks can provide such counter-images through upsetting the perception of life as controllable. This is argued through discussion of artworks by Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr, by Tarsh Bates and by Ai Hasegawa, which in different ways challenge mechanistic assumptions through open-ended engagement with the strangeness and messiness of life.
High-speed imaging the effect of snap-off distance and squeegee speed on the ink transfer mechanism of screen-printed carbon pastes
Authors: Potts Sarah-Jane , Phillips Chris , Jewell Eifion , Clifford Ben , Lau Yin Cheung , Claypole Tim
Published: December 2019

Screen printing is the most widely used process in the production of printed electronics due to its ability to consistently transfer inks containing a wide range of functional materials onto a range of substrates. However, despite its extensive use, the mechanism by which the ink is transferred through the mesh and onto the substrate is not fully understood. Existing theories are contradictory and lack experimental validation. Therefore, high-speed imaging was used in combination with a screen-printing simulation rig that was designed to provide good optical access to study ink deposition during the screen-printing process. The variation in the four stages of ink flow through the screen, described in the theory by Messerschmitt, has been quantified with respect to changes in snap-off distance and squeegee speed. Analyses of the images were compared with measurements of the ink properties and corroborated with analyses of the prints. This has provided a better understanding of the mechanism by which the ink transfers from the mesh to the substrate and subsequently separates in screen printing. This could be used as the basis for the development of predictive algorithms, as well as to improve the understanding of how to optimize print quality and performance.
Meaning in Life as a Moderator between Homophobic Stigmatization and Coping Styles in Adult Offspring from Planned Lesbian-Parent Families
Authors: Bos Henny , Koh Audrey S. , van Beusekom Gabriël , Rothblum Esther D. , Gartrell Nanette
Published: December 2019

Introduction

The current study examined whether achieving a sense of meaning in life moderated the association between experienced homophobic stigmatization and coping styles in emerging adult offspring of lesbian mothers. In the sixth wave of the U S National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, completed in 2017, the 76 participating offspring were 25 years old.

Methods

The offspring completed an online survey containing questions about homophobic stigmatization, coping styles (problem-focused, active emotional, and avoidant emotional coping), and meaning in life.

Results

The interaction between homophobic stigmatization and meaning in life was significant for problem-focused and avoidant emotional coping. Further analyses showed that for participants with low levels of meaning in life, exposure to homophobic stigmatization was associated with less problem-focused coping and more avoidant emotional coping.

Discussion

The social policy implications of these findings suggest that achieving a sense of meaning in life can serve as a protective factor in reducing the negative influence of homophobic stigmatization on coping styles.

Social Policy Implications

Thus homophobia associated with being raised by sexual minority parents may affect offspring as adults, even after these offspring no longer live with their parents. This finding illuminates the importance of developing a sense of meaning in life by encouraging self-efficacy on the part of schools and community organizations.