bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Active wrapping paper against mango anthracnose fungi and its releasing profiles
Authors: Jaimun Ratchadaporn , Sangsuwan Jurmkwan , Intipunya Pilairuk , Chantrasri Parinya
Published: February 2018

Active wrapping papers varied in bio‐based coating materials (chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose) and vanillin concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, and 4.0% (w/v)) were prepared to study their antifungal effects and release properties. Chitosan‐coated paper with 1% (w/v) vanillin gave the best inhibition against mycelial growth of mango anthracnose fungi and could inhibit its conidiospores germination. The release of vanillin from a chitosan‐coated paper under different conditions of temperatures (13°C, 25°C, and 37°C), relative humidity (RH) (75%, 86%, and 96% RH), and pH values (pH 3.8, 5.2, and 6.2) was studied. Moreover, the vanillin release from the paper to mango fruit under an actual commercial storage condition (13°C, 90% RH) was also investigated. The predominant mechanism of vanillin release under low temperatures (13‐25°C) and all RH studied was a Fickian diffusion, whereas the high temperature (37°C) and in all buffers varying pH showed a non‐Fickian behaviour. Increasing temperature and RH enhanced in diffusion coefficient (D value) from 78.24 × 10−10 to 162.10 × 10−10 cm2/s and 42.87 × 10−10 to 59.98 × 10−10 cm2/s, respectively. Meanwhile, the increasing pH value reduced the D value from 233.87 × 10−10 to 122.74 × 10−10 cm2/s. The kinetic of vanillin release under an actual wrapping application exhibited a non‐Fickian behaviour, and the D value was considerably low (approximately 65.36 × 10−12 cm2/s). The developed active wrapping paper can be great interest for food industry and is practically reasonable for postharvest mango fruits.
Preparation and properties of quercetin‐incorporated high density polyethylene/low density polyethylene antioxidant multilayer film
Authors: Lu Li‐Jing , Lu Li‐Xin
Published: February 2018

High density polyethylene/low density polyethylene (LDPE) antioxidant multilayer films were prepared by the co‐extrusion method, and quercetin was incorporated in the LDPE layers as an antioxidant. The release rates of quercetin and the antioxidant activities of films were adjusted by changing the amount of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and diatomite added into the LDPE active layer. The morphologies of the films were observed by SEM, and the release property of quercetin was characterized by a high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The mechanical properties and heat sealing performance of the films were influenced to a certain extent by the amounts of EVA and diatomite in the active layers, while the barrier properties of the films were almost unchanged. The release of quercetin from the active films to a food simulant (95% alcohol) at 37°C was measured over 55 days. When the EVA amounts were 30% and 40% to 50%, the diffusion coefficients, D, were 10−14 and 10−13 cm2/s, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant activity values of the films were enhanced as the EVA amount increased. When adding diatomite into the active layer with 50% EVA, the diffusion coefficient, D, was 10−11 cm2/s, and the quercetin was almost completely released with a partition coefficient, K, of less than 1. Meanwhile, the antioxidant activity values of the films exceeded 95%. The antioxidant release rate could be adjusted within a wide range; thus, these active films could be used for food antioxidant protection.
Discretized conformal prediction for efficient distribution‐free inference
Authors: Chen Wenyu , Chun Kelli‐Jean , Barber Rina Foygel
Published: February 2018

In regression problems where there is no known true underlying model, conformal prediction methods enable prediction intervals to be constructed without any assumptions on the distribution of the underlying data, except that the training and test data are assumed to be exchangeable. However, these methods bear a heavy computational cost—and, to be carried out exactly, the regression algorithm would need to be fitted infinitely many times. In practice, the conformal prediction method is run by simply considering only a finite grid of finely spaced values for the response variable. This paper develops discretized conformal prediction algorithms that are guaranteed to cover the target value with the desired probability and that offer a trade‐off between computational cost and prediction accuracy. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Concise Review: Assessing the Genome Integrity of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: What Quality Control Metrics?
Authors: Assou Said , Bouckenheimer Julien , De Vos John
Published: February 2018

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have the potential to differentiate virtually into any cell type in unlimited quantities. Therefore, they are ideal for in vitro tissue modeling or to produce cells for clinical use. Importantly, and differently from immortalized and cancer cell lines, the hiPSC genome scrupulously reproduces that of the cell from which they were derived. However, hiPSCs can develop genetic abnormalities during reprogramming or prolonged cell culture, such as aneuploidies or oncogenic mutations (e.g., in TP53). Therefore, hiPSC genome integrity must be routinely monitored because serious genome alterations would greatly compromise their usefulness or safety of use. Here, we reviewed hiPSC genome quality control monitoring methods and laboratory practice. Indeed, due to their frequency and functional consequences, recurrent genetic defects found in cultured hiPSCs are inacceptable and their appearance should be monitored by routine screening. Hence, for research purposes, we propose that the genome of hiPSC lines should be systematically screened at derivation, at least by karyotyping, and then regularly (every 12 weeks) during experiments, for instance with polymerase chain reaction-based techniques. For some specific applications, such as research on aging, cell cycle, apoptosis or cancer, other tests (e.g., TP53 mutation detection) should also be included. For clinical use, in addition to karyotyping, we advise exome sequencing.
Changing climate and glacio‐hydrology in Indian Himalayan Region: a review
Authors: Singh Shaktiman , Kumar Rajesh , Bhardwaj Anshuman , Sam Lydia , Shekhar Mayank , Singh Atar , Kumar Ramesh , Gupta Akhilesh
Published: February 2018

This study presents a comprehensive review of the published literature on the evidences of a changing climate in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and its impacts on the glacio‐hydrology of the region. The IHR serves as an important source of fresh water for the densely populated areas downstream. It is evident from the available studies that temperature is significantly increasing in all parts of the IHR, whereas precipitation is not indicative of any particular spatiotemporal trend. Glacio‐hydrological proxies for changing climate, such as, terminus and areal changes of the glaciers, glacier mass balance, and streamflow in downstream areas, highlight changes more evidently in recent decades. On an average, studies have predicted an increase in temperature and precipitation in the region, along with increase in streamflow of major rivers. Such trends are already apparent in some sub‐basins of the western IHR. The region is particularly vulnerable to changing climate as it is highly dependent on snow and glacier melt run‐off to meet its freshwater demands. We present a systematic review of key papers dealing with changing temperature, precipitation, glaciers, and streamflow in the IHR. We discuss these interdisciplinary themes in relation to each other, in order to establish the present and future impacts of climatic, glaciological, and hydrological changes in the region. WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:393–410. doi: 10.1002/wcc.393

This article is categorized under:

Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Modern Climate Change
Climate and famines: a historical reassessment
Authors: Slavin Philip
Published: February 2018

This study, dealing with the question of the impact of climate and extreme weather events on famines, has two objectives. The first objective is to review recent literature on the topic, distinguishing between economic and political science papers aimed at addressing contemporary famine events in the Third World countries, and historical research dealing with famines of the past. The former category of literature is characterized by a tendency to take the connection between the two variables for granted. The latter category, however, tends to exercise more analytical caution, but it still exhibits a degree of environmental determinism. The second objective of the article is to reassess the role and impact of climate and short‐term weather anomalies on famines in pre‐Industrial societies, in both European and non‐European history. At first, it appears that famines went invariably hand‐in‐hand with climatic changes and anomalies. A closer analysis, however, reveals that those climatic events created environmental shocks (harvest failures and blights), which implied shortages, rather than famines. Whether those shortages were bound to transform into full‐fledged famines was determined by nonenvironmental factors: primarily, human institutions and demographic trends. Climate alone, it is argued, is incapable of creating famines. The often unquestioned connection between the two variables appears to be an imaginary cultural and political construct of our era, when the fear of global warming and the awareness of climate change dominate the public and scholarly discourse.WIREs Clim Change2016, 7:433–447. doi: 10.1002/wcc.395

This article is categorized under:

Climate, History, Society, Culture > World Historical Perspectives
Noise transmission during the dynamic pattern formation in fly embryos
Authors: Yang Zhe , Wu Xiaoxuan , Yang Ning , Liu Feng
Published: February 2018

Background

Developmental patterning is highly reproducible and accurate at the single‐cell level during fly embryogenesis despite the gene expression noise and external perturbations such as the variation of the embryo length, temperature and genes. To reveal the underlying mechanism, it is very important to characterize the noise transmission during the dynamic pattern formation. Two hypotheses have been proposed. The “channel” scenario requires a highly reproducible input and an accurate interpretation by downstream genes. In contrast, the “filter” scenario proposes a noisy input and a noise filter via the cross‐regulation of the downstream network. It has been under great debates which scenario the fly embryogenesis follows.

Results

The first 3‐h developmental patterning of fly embryos is orchestrated by a hierarchical segmentation gene network, which rewires upon the maternal to zygotic transition. Starting from the highly reproducible maternal gradients, the positional information is refined to the single‐cell precision through the highly dynamical evolved zygotic gene expression profiles. Thus the fly embryo development might strictly fit into neither the originally proposed “filter” nor “channel” scenario. The controversy that which scenario the fly embryogenesis follows could be further clarified by combining quantitative measurements and modeling.

Conclusions

Fly embryos have become one of the perfect model systems for quantitative systems biology studies. The underlying mechanism discovered from fly embryogenesis will deepen our understanding of the noise control of the gene network, facilitate searching for more efficient and safer methods for cell programming and reprogramming, and have the great potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Development and Persistence of Suspected Neuropathic Pain After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Individuals With Osteoarthritis
Authors: Fitzsimmons Matthew , Carr Eloise , Woodhouse Linda , Bostick Geoff P.
Published: February 2018

Background

Despite the effectiveness of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteoarthritis (OA), up to 20% will report knee pain 1 year after surgery. One possible reason is the development of neuropathic pain before or after TKA.

Objective

To longitudinally describe suspected neuropathic pain in patients pre‐ and post‐TKA and to explore relations between pre‐TKA suspected neuropathic pain and post‐TKA outcomes.

Design

Prospective observational study.

Setting

Participants were recruited from orthopedic surgery clinics prior to inpatient elective primary TKA.

Participants

Convenience sample of 135 patients were assessed for eligibility; 99 were enrolled and 74 completed the 6‐month follow‐up.

Methods

Participants completed the Self–Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S‐LANSS) and outcome measures at baseline (pre‐TKA) and 1 and 6 months post‐TKA by postal survey. Demographic variables included age, gender, and comorbidities. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the presence of suspected neuropathic pain at each assessment and course of outcomes for various suspected neuropathic pain trajectories. Further, t‐tests were used to compare outcomes between those with and without suspected neuropathic pain at each assessment. Multiple linear regressions assessed the relationship between baseline suspected neuropathic pain and 6‐month outcomes.

Main Outcome Measurements

Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9) for depression.

Results

Suspected neuropathic pain was present in 35.5% of pre‐TKA patients, 39.0% at 1 month, and 23.6% at 6 months post‐TKA. Those with suspected neuropathic pain had higher scores for ICOAP total pain (P = .05), pain catastrophizing (P < .01), and depression (P < .01) at each assessment. After adjusting for potential confounding, pre‐TKA suspected neuropathic pain did not predict ICOAP total pain or PHQ‐9 depression scores at 6 months.

Conclusions

Although 14% of individuals with knee OA had suspected neuropathic pain that persisted 6 months post‐TKA and those with suspected neuropathic pain had higher levels of pain, catastrophizing, and depression, the clinical identification of neuropathic pain remains enigmatic. Preoperative suspected neuropathic pain, as measured by S‐LANSS, may have limited prognostic value for post‐TKA outcomes.

Level of Evidence

II
What Types of Treatment Are Provided for Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? A Retrospective Analysis of Commercial Insurance
Authors: Baker Nancy A. , Stevans Joel M. , Terhorst Lauren , Haas Allen M. , Kuo Yong‐Fan , Al Snih Soham
Published: February 2018

Background

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in commercially insured patients across the spectrum of provider types rarely has been described.

Objective

To describe patterns of types of treatment for patients with CTS using a large commercial insurance database.

Design

Retrospective cohort descriptive study.

Setting

Administrative health data from the Clinformatics Data Mart (OptumInsight, Eden Prairie, MN).

Patients

Adults with a primary diagnosis of CTS seen from between January 2010 to December 2012 who had a total of 48 months of continuous data (12 months before diagnosis and 36 months after diagnosis) (n = 24,931).

Outcomes

Frequency of types of treatment (heat, manual therapy, positioning, steroids, stretching, surgery) by number of treatments, number of visits, provider type, and characteristics.

Results

Fifty‐four percent of patients received no reported treatment, and 50.4% had no additional visits. Surgery (42.5%) and positioning (39.8%) were the most frequent single treatments. Patients who were seen by orthopedist for their first visit more frequently received some treatment (75.1%) and at least 1 additional visit (74.1%) compared with those seen by general practitioners (59.5%, 57.5%, respectively) or other providers (65.4%, 68.4, respectively). Orthopedists more frequently prescribed positioning devices (26.8%) and surgery (36.8%) than general practitioners (18.8%, 14.1%, respectively) or other providers (15.7%, 19.7%, respectively). Older adults more frequently had CTS surgery, as did people who lived in the Midwest. Overall, only 24% of patients with CTS had surgery.

Conclusions

For more than one‐half of patients with CTS no treatment was provided after an initial visit. Surgery rates were much lower than what has previously been reported in the literature. Generally, patients with CTS receive treatments that are supported by current treatment guidelines.

Level of Evidence

NA
“Do We Have Any Men to Follow in Her Footsteps?”: The Black Southern Press and the Fight for Teacher Salary Equalization
Authors: Aiello Thomas
Published: February 2018

The black southern press was an entity dominated by male editors and entrepreneurs. The effort to equalize teacher pay, one of the core fights for rights in the South, and the principal effort at gendered race advocacy during the World War II era, was led in large measure by black women. While both the fight for salary equalization and the survival of the black press depended upon segregation to maintain their survival, those newspapers were entities dominated by men advocating for equal salaries in a profession dominated by women, and the gendered nature of their coverage shaped knowledge of the fight within the black community.
Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Implementation of a Quality Improvement Intervention Using Real-Time Feedback and an Electronic Order Set for the Management of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia
Authors: Rosa Rossana , Zavala Bruno , Cain Natalie , Anjan Shweta , Aragon Laura , Abbo Lilian M.
Published: February 2018

Antimicrobial stewardship programs can optimize the management of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia by integrating information technology and microbiology laboratory resources. This study describes our experience implementing an intervention consisting of real-time feedback and the use of an electronic order set for the management of S. aureus bacteremia.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:346–349
Engaged but Ambivalent: A Study of Young Indigenous Australians and Democratic Citizenship
Authors: Walsh Lucas , Zyngier David , Fernandes Venesser , Zhang Hongzhi
Published: February 2018

In 2016, data was collected from eighty-one Indigenous young people in Australia through surveys and focus groups, which provide insight into the experiences of citizenship and democracy by young Indigenous Australians. This paper examines the attitudes of these young Indigenous Australians in relation to conventional political, economic and cultural domains of citizenship. Discussion highlights young Indigenous Australians’ perceptions of their spheres of influence, as well as their perceptions of the barriers and enablers to influence their worlds. The findings are used to critically interrogate the concept of democratic citizenship through recent scholarly lenses including the following: affective and spatial dimensions of citizenship; resilience and identity; and daily acts of citizenship. Connection to the local community is important to many of the young Indigenous participants in this study. This sends a powerful message to educational practitioners and policy makers: The local is a key site in positively shaping the democratic citizenship of young people, with an opportunity for schools and educational activities in local settings to play a central role.
Glacier-wide summer surface mass-balance calculation: hydrological balance applied to the Argentière and Mer de Glace drainage basins (Mont Blanc)
Authors: VIANI A. , CONDOM T. , VINCENT C. , RABATEL A. , BACCHI B. , SICART J.E. , REVUELTO J. , SIX D. , ZIN I.
Published: February 2018

We present the glacier-wide summer surface mass balances determined by a detailed hydrological balance (sSMBhydro) and the quantification of the uncertainties of the calculations on the Argentière and Mer de Glace-Leschaux drainage basins, located in the upper Arve watershed (French Alps), over the period 1996–2004. The spatial distribution of precipitation within the study area was adjusted using in situ winter mass-balance measurements. The sSMBhydro performance was assessed via a comparison with the summer surface mass balances based on in situ glaciological observations (sSMBglacio). Our results show that the sSMBhydro has an uncertainty of ± 0.67 m w.e. a−1 at Argentière and ± 0.66 m w.e. a−1 at Mer de Glace-Leschaux. Estimates of the Argentière sSMBhydro values are in good agreement with the sSMBglacio values. These time series show almost the same interannual variability. From the marked difference between the sSMBhydro and sSMBglacio values for the Mer de Glace-Leschaux glacier, we suspect a significant role of groundwater fluxes in the hydrological balance. This study underlines the importance of taking into account the groundwater transfers to represent and predict the hydro-glaciological behaviour of a catchment.
LANGUAGE AND POWER IN AN ENGLISH CONVENT IN EXILE, c. 1621 – c. 1631
Authors: MURPHY EMILIE K. M.
Published: February 2018

Scholarship on transnational encounter has predominantly focused on men's cross-cultural interactions. This article breaks new ground by exploring women's roles in similar forms of linguistic and power negotiation within the context of English convents founded in Europe during the seventeenth century. Moreover, recent scholarship on English convents has so far remained silent on the question of how these women negotiated the language barriers that many of them faced. This article proposes an answer by examining the correspondence sent in the 1620s from the English Benedictine convent in Brussels. These letters reveal the changing ways in which English nuns relied on both male and female translators to communicate. In so doing, this article expands existing scholarly understanding of epistolary and literary culture by exploring the authorial strategies employed in the convent, which afforded the nuns a sense of authority over their texts. The letters were vital avenues for the women to express dissent, and raise concerns over the way their community was governed. Finally, despite being enclosed institutions, English convents in exile were not monoglot spaces but porous sites of multi-lingual encounter.
Do Commodities Add Economic Value in Asset Allocation? New Evidence from Time-Varying Moments
Authors: Gao Xin , Nardari Federico
Published: February 2018

We conduct a comprehensive out-of-sample assessment of the economic value adding of commodities in multiasset investment strategies that exploit the predictability of asset return moments. We find that predictability makes the inclusion of commodities profitable even when short selling and high leverage are not permitted. For instance, a mean-variance (non-mean-variance) investor with moderate risk aversion and leverage, rebalancing quarterly, would be willing to pay up to 108 (155) basis points per year after transaction cost for adding commodities to her stock, bond, and cash portfolio. Previous research had reached mixed or even opposite conclusions, especially in an out-of-sample context.
Securities Transaction Taxes and Market Quality
Authors: Pomeranets Anna , Weaver Daniel G.
Published: February 2018

We study changes in market quality associated with 9 modifications to the New York State securities transaction tax (STT) between 1932 and 1981 and 3 changes to the federal STT between 1932 and 1966. We find that when there is an increase in the level of an STT, individual stock volatility increases, bid–ask spreads widen, price impacts are greater, and volume decreases. We examine the propensity of traders to switch trading locations to avoid the tax and find mixed evidence that they will change locations. Overall, our findings support the notion that the imposition of or increases in an STT harm market quality.
VALUATION OF VULNERABLE OPTIONS UNDER THE DOUBLE EXPONENTIAL JUMP MODEL WITH STOCHASTIC VOLATILITY
Authors: Han Xingyu
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we extend the framework of Klein [15] [Journal of Banking & Finance 20: 1211–1229] to a general model under the double exponential jump model with stochastic volatility on the underlying asset and the assets of the counterparty. Firstly, we derive the closed-form characteristic functions for this dynamic. Using the Fourier-cosine expansion technique, we get numerical solutions for vulnerable European put options based on the characteristic functions. The inverse fast Fourier transform method provides a fast numerical algorithm for the twice-exercisable vulnerable Bermuda put options. By virtue of the modified Geske and Johnson method, we obtain an approximate pricing formula of vulnerable American put options. Numerical simulations are made for investigating the impact of stochastic volatility on vulnerable options.
The Ethics of Real-Time EMS Direction: Suggested Curricular Content
Authors: Brenner Jay M. , Aswegan Andrew L. , Vearrier Laura E. , Basford Jesse B. , Iserson Kenneth V.
Published: February 2018

Ethical dilemmas can create moral distress in even the most experienced emergency physicians (EPs). Following reasonable and justified approaches can help alleviate such distress. The purpose of this article is to guide EPs providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) direction to navigate through common ethical issues confronted in the prehospital delivery of care, including protecting privacy and confidentiality, decision-making capacity and refusal of treatment, withholding of treatment, and termination of resuscitation (TOR). This requires a strong foundation in the principles and theories underlying sound ethical decisions that EPs and prehospital providers make every day in good faith, but will now also make with more awareness and conscientiousness.

BrennerJM, AsweganAL, VearrierLE, BasfordJB, IsersonKV. The ethics of real-time EMS direction: suggested curricular content. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):201–212.
Topics and topical phases in German social media communication during a disaster
Authors: GRÜNDER-FAHRER SABINE , SCHLAF ANTJE , WIEDEMANN GREGOR , HEYER GERHARD
Published: February 2018

Social media are an emerging new paradigm in interdisciplinary research in crisis informatics. They bring many opportunities as well as challenges to all fields of application and research involved in the project of using social media content for an improved disaster management. Using the Central European flooding 2013 as our case study, we optimize and apply methods from the field ofnatural language processingand unsupervised machine learning to investigate the thematic and temporal structure of German social media communication. By means of topic model analysis, we will investigate which kind of content was shared on social media during the event. On this basis, we will, furthermore, investigate the development of topics over time and apply temporal clustering techniques to automatically identify different characteristic phases of communication. From the results, we, first, want to reveal properties of social media content and show what potential social media have for improving disaster management in Germany. Second, we will be concerned with the methodological issue of finding and adapting natural language processing methods that are suitable for analysing social media data in order to obtain information relevant for disaster management. With respect to the first, application-oriented focal point, our study reveals high potential of social media content in the factual, organizational and psychological dimension of the disaster and during all stages of the disaster management life cycle. Interestingly, there appear to be systematic differences in thematic profile between the different platforms Facebook and Twitter and between different stages of the event. In context of our methodological investigation, we claim that if topic model analysis is combined with appropriate optimization techniques, it shows high applicability for thematic and temporal social media analysis in disaster management.
Signers and speakers, age and attainment
Authors: BIRDSONG DAVID , QUINTO-POZOS DAVID
Published: February 2018

This commentary on Mayberry and Kluender (2017) considers the geometry of the function relating Age of Acquisition (AoA) to L2 attainment, the effects of multilingual exposure on one's native language(s) and, briefly, the role of education in language learning.
The elk, the ass, the tapir, their hooves, and the falling sickness: a story of substitution and animal medical substances
Authors: Podgorny Irina
Published: February 2018

This article presents a preliminary survey by which to track, in thelongue durée, the path of the nail of theGran Bestia(great beast), a remedy that appeared in therapeutics on both sides of the Atlantic. TheGran Bestiais mentioned in the natural histories, books of remedies, and medical handbooks that proliferated in the Old World and European settlements from the seventeenth century onwards. From the point of view of global history, it is a revealing case from which to investigate, first, how the transfer of a name between continents involved the associated transfer of medical virtues and properties and, second, long before Linnaeus, how the commerce in medicines, skins, and other animal products contributed to associating different animal kinds from different cultural worlds. Far from human universals, the history of the great beast seems to refer to common meanings created by commerce. This article therefore argues for a new investigation into the global and transdisciplinary dimension of objects that is not limited to exclusively local traditions, and may instead reflect the living remains of a long history of exchanges, translations, and transfers that de- and re-functionalized nature in evolving geographies over several centuries.
Pathways to intensify the utilization of conservation agriculture by African smallholder farmers
Authors: Brown Brendan , Nuberg Ian , Llewellyn Rick
Published: February 2018

If the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved, African smallholder farmers will need to embrace new technologies such as conservation agriculture (CA) in order to increase both their productivity and sustainability. Yet farmers have been slow to embrace CA and when they have, they are inclined to do so at limited intensities. Current investigations tend to apply binary frameworks that classify all utilizations as ‘adoption’, and do not consider in depth the farmer perspectives and contextual realities that affect farmer decision-making on the intensity of use. We analyze 57 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with farmers who implement CA to understand why they tend to do so at limited intensities and what is required to intensify their CA activities, both for them and others within their communities. While most farmers reported substantial yield benefits from using CA, this was mainly related to input intensification (particularly herbicides) and was limited by constrained financial resources. Overall, the intensity of CA utilization was constrained due to farmer-identified constraints across their physical, financial, human and informational resources. Because of this, stagnation at low intensities of CA utilization was common, reflecting the assumed transformational adoption pathway for CA and the focus on binary adoption, as opposed to modification and the broader utilization process. To overcome this, we propose a more nuanced transitional approach focused on the intensification of four broader principles of CA over time [i.e., (1) strategic tillage, (2) soil protection, (3) crop diversification and (4) input management] as opposed to the strict packaging of CA practices. Such a change in approach will foster increased positive perceptions within the community and allow farmers to locally adapt CA to build their own way toward complete CA utilization and with less need for subsidization.
Introduction to the special issue on adapting institutions to climate change
Authors: ROGGERO MATTEO , VILLAMAYOR-TOMAS SERGIO , OBERLACK CHRISTOPH , EISENACK KLAUS , BISARO ALEXANDER , HINKEL JOCHEN , THIEL ANDREAS
Published: February 2018

This article introduces the special issue on climate adaptation and institutions. Economic accounts of climate adaptation have stressed its collective action nature and the limitations of standard economic approaches to the matter. Governance accounts, on their part, have shown that adaptation does not always happen when it is expected. Against this background, institutional economics has the potential to shed light on those societal processes and collective mechanisms leading to and shaping adaptation (or the absence of it). The selection of articles contributing to this special issue shows that climate adaptation can indeed be explored successfully through institutional economics, and that doing so fits well within the institutional economics agenda. Some recommendations for future research are provided at the end.
The competition and evolution of ideas in the public sphere: a new foundation for institutional theory
Authors: MARKEY-TOWLER BRENDAN
Published: February 2018

This paper advances and defends the proposition that the basis for the evolution of institutions is the evolution and competition of ideas in the public sphere. This is based on a deeper proposition that institutions are ideas and ideas become institutions. We draw on the ‘Brisbane School’ of evolutionary/institutional economics and of behavioural/psychological economics to investigate the microdynamics of the competition of ideas in the public sphere, which has been studied at a macroscopic level by Isabel Almudi, Francisco Fatas-Villafranca and Jason Potts. The theory we develop gives us a new vision of institutional evolution as emerging from the microdynamics of the evolution and competition of ideas in the public sphere, and a new foundation for institutional theory. It gives us a new vision of the microdynamics of institutional evolution, the evolutionary fitness of ideas for competition in the public sphere and the likely path of institutional evolution.
Do not underestimate the femoral pseudoaneurysm
Authors: Stolt Maria , Braun-Dullaeus Ruediger , Herold Joerg
Published: February 2018

Abstract. In addition to haematoma and arteriovenous fistula, the iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm is a common complication of vascular access that is caused by a perforation in the arterial wall. Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms can progress in size and lead to rupture and active bleeding. Over the previous few decades, therapeutic methods have evolved from surgical repair to less invasive options, such as ultrasound-guided compression therapy (UGCT) and ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI). This paper presents an overview of the diagnostic and treatment modalities used in femoral pseudoaneurysms as well as a comprehensive summary of previous studies that analysed the success and complication rates of UGCT and UGTI.
CME: Kardiovaskuläres Screening: Sinn, Unsinn und Bedeutung der Bestimmung von Lipoprotein(a)
Authors: Jonas Henriette , Annema Wijtske , von Eckardstein Arnold , Suter Paolo M.
Published: February 2018

Zusammenfassung. Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen sind nach wie vor die wichtigsten Morbiditäts- und Mortalitätsursachen in der modernen Gesellschaft. Entsprechend hoch ist der Stellenwert der verschiedenen kardiovaskulären Präventionsmassnahmen. Auch wenn die internationalen Empfehlungen geschlechtsspezifisch sind, darf folgende allgemeine Empfehlung zum Lipidscreening formuliert werden: Bei Erwachsenen über 35 Jahren sollte bei Gelegenheit ein Lipidscreening durchgeführt werden. Falls aufgrund der Risikokonstellation ein erhöhtes kardiovaskuläres Risiko vorliegt, soll bereits in der Altersgruppe der 20- bis 35-Jährigen ein präventives Lipidscreening erfolgen. Mit Hilfe der klinischen und laborchemischen Daten wird das kardiovaskuläre Risiko mittels AGLA-Score (oder anderen validierten Scores) berechnet und gegebenenfalls eine Therapieindikation gestellt. Welche Lipidparameter sollten für eine Screeninguntersuchung bestimmt werden? Zum initialen Lipidscreening gehören Gesamtcholesterin, HDL-Cholesterin, LDL-Cholesterin (direkt bestimmt oder berechnet) und die Triglyzeride (idealerweise nüchtern). Eine immer wiederkehrende Frage ist, ob das Lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), gemessen werden soll und welche Bedeutung und Konsequenz erhöhte Werte haben. Die im Moment herrschende Unklarheit und Unsicherheit «spiegelt» sich sehr deutlich in der Anzahl der Bestimmungen von Lp(a) am Institut für klinische Chemie des Universitätsspitals Zürich wider: Die Messung des Lp(a) wird im Vergleich zum LDL-Cholesterin sehr selten angefordert. In diesem CME wird der Stellenwert der Messung von Lp(a) für den praktisch tätigen Arzt kurz und knapp aufgearbeitet.
U.S. and China Assess Ecosystem Effects of a Fading Cryosphere
Authors: Khan Alia
Published: February 2018

Impacts of a Changing Cryosphere on Lakes and Streams in Mountain Regions: US-China Collaborative Workshop at Qinghai Lake; Qinghai, China, 21–27 August 2017
Cryptophyta as major bacterivores in freshwater summer plankton
Authors: Grujcic Vesna , Nuy Julia K , Salcher Michaela M , Shabarova Tanja , Kasalicky Vojtech , Boenigk Jens , Jensen Manfred , Simek Karel
Published: February 2018

Small bacterivorous eukaryotes play a cardinal role in aquatic food webs and their taxonomic classification is currently a hot topic in aquatic microbial ecology. Despite increasing interest in their diversity, core questions regarding predator–prey specificity remain largely unanswered, e.g., which heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNFs) are the main bacterivores in freshwaters and which prokaryotes support the growth of small HNFs. To answer these questions, we fed natural communities of HNFs from Římov reservoir (Czech Republic) with five different bacterial strains of the ubiquitous betaproteobacterial genera Polynucleobacter and Limnohabitans. We combined amplicon sequencing and catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) targeting eukaryotic 18 S rRNA genes to track specific responses of the natural HNF community to prey amendments. While amplicon sequencing provided valuable qualitative data and a basis for designing specific probes, the number of reads was insufficient to accurately quantify certain eukaryotic groups. We also applied a double-hybridization technique that allows simultaneous phylogenetic identification of both predator and prey. Our results show that community composition of HNFs is strongly dependent upon prey type. Surprisingly, Cryptophyta were the most abundant bacterivores, although this phylum has been so far assumed to be mainly autotrophic. Moreover, the growth of a small lineage of Cryptophyta (CRY1 clade) was strongly stimulated by one Limnohabitans strain in our experiment. Thus, our study is the first report that colorless Cryptophyta are major bacterivores in summer plankton samples and can play a key role in the carbon transfer from prokaryotes to higher trophic levels.
Consistent changes in the taxonomic structure and functional attributes of bacterial communities during primary succession
Authors: Ortiz-Álvarez Rüdiger , Fierer Noah , de los Ríos Asunción , Casamayor Emilio O , Barberán Albert
Published: February 2018

Ecologists have long studied primary succession, the changes that occur in biological communities after initial colonization of an environment. Most of this work has focused on succession in plant communities, laying the conceptual foundation for much of what we currently know about community assembly patterns over time. Because of their prevalence and importance in ecosystems, an increasing number of studies have focused on microbial community dynamics during succession. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of bacterial primary succession patterns across a range of distinct habitats, including the infant gut, plant surfaces, soil chronosequences, and aquatic environments, to determine whether consistent changes in bacterial diversity, community composition, and functional traits are evident over the course of succession. Although these distinct habitats harbor unique bacterial communities, we were able to identify patterns in community assembly that were shared across habitat types. We found an increase in taxonomic and functional diversity with time while the taxonomic composition and functional profiles of communities became less variable (lower beta diversity) in late successional stages. In addition, we found consistent decreases in the rRNA operon copy number and in the high-efficient phosphate assimilation process (Pst system) suggesting that reductions in resource availability during succession select for taxa adapted to low-resource conditions. Together, these results highlight that, like many plant communities, microbial communities also exhibit predictable patterns during primary succession.
Genetic variation in Aquaporin-4 moderates the relationship between sleep and brain Aβ-amyloid burden
Authors: Rainey-Smith Stephanie R. , Mazzucchelli Gavin N. , Villemagne Victor L. , Brown Belinda M. , Porter Tenielle , Weinborn Michael , Bucks Romola S. , Milicic Lidija , Sohrabi Hamid R. , Taddei Kevin , Ames David , Maruff Paul , Masters Colin L. , Rowe Christopher C. , Salvado Olivier , Martins Ralph N. , Laws Simon M. ,   for the AIBL Research Group
Published: February 2018

The glymphatic system is postulated to be a mechanism of brain Aβ-amyloid clearance and to be most effective during sleep. Ablation of the astrocytic end-feet expressed water-channel protein, Aquaporin-4, in mice, results in impairment of this clearance mechanism and increased brain Aβ-amyloid deposition, suggesting that Aquaporin-4 plays a pivotal role in glymphatic function. Currently there is a paucity of literature regarding the impact of AQP4 genetic variation on sleep, brain Aβ-amyloid burden and their relationship to each other in humans. To address this a cross-sectional observational study was undertaken in cognitively normal older adults from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study. Genetic variants in AQP4 were investigated with respect to self-reported Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index sleep parameters, positron emission tomography derived brain Aβ-amyloid burden and whether these genetic variants moderated the sleep-Aβ-amyloid burden relationship. One AQP4 variant, rs72878776, was associated with poorer overall sleep quality, while several SNPs moderated the effect of sleep latency (rs491148, rs9951307, rs7135406, rs3875089, rs151246) and duration (rs72878776, rs491148 and rs2339214) on brain Aβ-amyloid burden. This study suggests that AQP4 genetic variation moderates the relationship between sleep and brain Aβ-amyloid burden, which adds weight to the proposed glymphatic system being a potential Aβ-amyloid clearance mechanism and suggests that AQP4 genetic variation may impair this function. Further, AQP4 genetic variation should be considered when interpreting sleep-Aβ relationships.
Lup-20(29)-en-3β,28-di-yl-nitrooxy acetate affects MCF-7 proliferation through the crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy in mitochondria
Authors: Yan Xiaoning , Yang Lei , Feng Gaili , Yu Zhuli , Xiao Minjie , Cai Weibin , Xing Yanmei , Bai Shasha , Guo Junqia , Wang Zhiyu , Wang Tao , Zhang Rong
Published: February 2018

Betulin (BT), a pentacyclic lupine-type triterpenoid natural product, possesses antitumor activity in various types of cancers. However, its clinical development was discouraged due to its low biological activities and poor solubility. We prepared lup-20(29)-en-3β,28-di-yl-nitrooxy acetate (NBT), a derivative of BT, that was chemically modified at position 3 of ring A and C-28 by introducing a NO-releasing moiety. This study mainly explored the mechanism of NBT in treating breast cancer through the crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy in mitochondria. NBT possessed a potent antiproliferative activity in MCF-7 cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, NBT affected cell death through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and autophagy. NBT induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase by decreasing the expression of cyclin D1. It also induced mitochondrial apoptosis by increasing the expression of Bax, caspase-9, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and mitochondrial membrane potential loss and leaks of cytochrome c (Cyt C) from mitochondria in MCF-7 cells and decreasing the expression of mitochondrial Bcl-2. We further demonstrated whether chloroquine (CQ), which inhibits the degradation of autophagosome induced by NBT, affects the proliferation of MCF-7 cells compared with NBT. The experiments inferred that the combination of NBT and CQ significantly promoted MCF-7 cell mitochondria to divide and Cyt C to be released from mitochondria to the cytoplasm, resulting in an increased apoptosis rate. The in vivo experiments showed that NBT inhibited the growth of MCF-7 tumor via the apoptosis pathway, and its effect was similar to 5-fluorouracil.
Long noncoding RNA GAS5 promotes bladder cancer cells apoptosis through inhibiting EZH2 transcription
Authors: Wang Miao , Guo Chen , Wang Liang , Luo Gang , Huang Chao , Li Yawei , Liu Dong , Zeng Fuqing , Jiang Guosong , Xiao Xingyuan
Published: February 2018

Aberrant expression of long noncoding RNA GAS5 in bladder cancer (BC) cells was identified in recent studies. However, the regulatory functions and underlying molecular mechanisms of GAS5 in BC development remain unclear. Here, we confirmed that there was a negative correlation between GAS5 level and bladder tumor clinical stage. Functionally, overexpression of GAS5 reduced cell viability and induced cell apoptosis in T24 and EJ bladder cancer cells. Mechanistically, GAS5 effectively repressed EZH2 transcription by directly interacting with E2F4 and recruiting E2F4 to EZH2 promoter. We previously reported that miR-101 induced the apoptosis of BC cells by inhibiting the expression of EZH2. Interestingly, the present study showed that downregulation of EZH2 by GAS5 resulted in overexpression of miR-101 in T24 and EJ cells. Furthermore, the level of GAS5 was increased under the treatment of Gambogic acid (GA), a promising natural anti-cancer compound, whereas knockdown of GAS5 suppressed the inhibitory effect of GA on cell viability and abolished GA-induced apoptosis in T24 and EJ cells. Taken together, our findings demonstrated a tumor-suppressor role of GAS5 by inhibiting EZH2 on transcriptional level, and additionally provided a novel therapeutic strategy for treating human bladder cancer.