bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Evidence-Based Development of an Intervention to Improve Clinical Health Literacy Practice
Authors: Rowlands Gill , Tabassum Bimasal , Campbell Paul , Harvey Sandy , Vaittinen Anu , Stobbart Lynne , Thomson Richard , Wardle-McLeish Mandy , Protheroe Joanne
Published: February 2020

Low health literacy is an issue with high prevalence in the UK and internationally. It has a social gradient with higher prevalence in lower social groups and is linked with higher rates of long-term health conditions, lower self-rated health, and greater difficulty self-managing long-term health conditions. Improved medical services and practitioner awareness of a patient’s health literacy can help to address these issues. An intervention was developed to improve General Practitioner and Practice Nurse health literacy skills and practice. A feasibility study was undertaken to examine and improve the elements of the intervention. The intervention had two parts: educating primary care doctors and nurses about identifying and enhancing health literacy (patient capacity to get hold of, understand and apply information for health) to improve their health literacy practice, and implementation of on-screen ‘pop-up’ notifications that alerted General Practitioners (GPs) and nurses when seeing a patient at risk of low health literacy. Rapid reviews of the literature were undertaken to optimise the intervention. Four General Practices were recruited, and the intervention was then applied to doctors and nurses through training followed by alerts via the practice clinical IT system. After the intervention, focus groups were held with participating practitioners and a patient and carer group to further develop the intervention. The rapid literature reviews identified (i) key elements for effectiveness of doctors and nurse training including multi-component training, role-play, learner reflection, and identification of barriers to changing practice and (ii) key elements for effectiveness of alerts on clinical computer systems including ‘stand-alone’ notification, automatically generated and prominent display of advice, linkage with practitioner education, and use of notifications within a targeted environment. The findings from the post-hoc focus groups indicated that practitioner awareness and skills had improved as a result of the training and that the clinical alerts reminded them to incorporate this into their clinical practice. Suggested improvements to the training included more information on health literacy and how the clinical alerts were generated, and more practical role playing including initiating discussions on health literacy with patients. It was suggested that the wording of the clinical alert be improved to emphasise its purpose in improving practitioner skills. The feasibility study improved the intervention, increasing its potential usefulness and acceptability in clinical practice. Future studies will explore the impact on clinical care through a pilot and a randomised controlled trial.
Child-to-Parent Violence as an Intervening Variable in the Relationship between Inter-Parental Violence Exposure and Dating Violence
Authors: Ibabe Izaskun , Arnoso Ainara , Elgorriaga Edurne
Published: February 2020

The exposure of adult children to inter-parental violence is an indirect form of victimization which has not been widely investigated in relation to its consequences in adulthood. The main goal of this study was to analyze predictors of dating violence based on an integrated model of intergenerational transmission of violence with the assessment of potential indirect effects of inter-parental violence exposure on dating violence through child-to-parent violence and sexism. A total of 847 college students participated in this study, ranging from 18 to 25 years of age. Inter-parental violence exposure plays a relevant role in dating violence, with indirect effects through child-to-parent violence and sexism. These results support social learning theory in explaining the intergenerational transmission of violence and indicate that further attention should be paid to children exposed to inter-parental violence. Intervention models to prevent the perpetration of dating violence should include the prevention of inter-parental violence exposure and child-to-parent violence.
The Moss Leptodictyum riparium Counteracts Severe Cadmium Stress by Activation of Glutathione Transferase and Phytochelatin Synthase, but Slightly by Phytochelatins
Authors: Bellini Erika , Maresca Viviana , Betti Camilla , Castiglione Monica Ruffini , Fontanini Debora , Capocchi Antonella , Sorce Carlo , Borsò Marco , Bruno Laura , Sorbo Sergio , Basile Adriana , Sanità di Toppi Luigi
Published: February 2020

In the present work, we investigated the response to Cd in Leptodictyum riparium, a cosmopolitan moss (Bryophyta) that can accumulate higher amounts of metals than other plants, even angiosperms, with absence or slight apparent damage. High-performance liquid chromatography followed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry of extracts from L. riparium gametophytes, exposed to 0, 36 and 360 µM Cd for 7 days, revealed the presence of γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-EC), reduced glutathione (GSH), and traces of phytochelatins. The increase in Cd concentrations progressively augmented reactive oxygen species levels, with activation of both antioxidant (catalase and superoxide dismutase) and detoxifying (glutathione-S-transferase) enzymes. After Cd treatment, cytosolic and vacuolar localization of thiol peptides was performed by means of the fluorescent dye monochlorobimane and subsequent observation with confocal laser scanning microscopy. The cytosolic fluorescence observed with the highest Cd concentrations was also consistent with the formation of γ-EC-bimane in the cytosol, possibly catalyzed by the peptidase activity of the L. riparium phytochelatin synthase. On the whole, activation of phytochelatin synthase and glutathione-S-transferase, but minimally phytochelatin synthesis, play a role to counteract Cd toxicity in L. riparium, in this manner minimizing the cellular damage caused by the metal. This study strengthens previous investigations on the L. riparium ability to efficiently hinder metal pollution, hinting at a potential use for biomonitoring and phytoremediation purposes.
Determinants of Resistance to Checkpoint Inhibitors
Authors: Tran Linda , Theodorescu Dan
Published: February 2020

The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has drastically altered the landscape of cancer treatment. Since approval of the first ICI for the treatment of advanced melanoma in 2011, several therapeutic agents have been Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for multiple cancers, and hundreds of clinical trials are currently ongoing. These antibodies disrupt T-cell inhibitory pathways established by tumor cells and thus re-activate the host’s antitumor immune response. While successful in many cancers, several types remain relatively refractory to treatment or patients develop early recurrence. Hence, there is a great need to further elucidate mechanisms of resistant disease and determine novel, effective, and tolerable combination therapies to enhance efficacy of ICIs.
Lung Cancer (LC) in HIV Positive Patients: Pathogenic Features and Implications for Treatment
Authors: Frega Stefano , Ferro Alessandra , Bonanno Laura , Guarneri Valentina , Conte PierFranco , Pasello Giulia
Published: February 2020

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continues to be a social and public health problem. Thanks to more and more effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), nowadays HIV-positive patients live longer, thus increasing their probability to acquire other diseases, malignancies primarily. Senescence along with immune-system impairment, HIV-related habits and other oncogenic virus co-infections increase the cancer risk of people living with HIV (PLWH); in the next future non-AIDS-defining cancers will prevail, lung cancer (LC) in particular. Tumor in PLWH might own peculiar predictive and/or prognostic features, and antineoplastic agents’ activity might be subverted by drug-drug interactions (DDIs) due to concurrent ART. Moreover, PLWH immune properties and comorbidities might influence both the response and tolerability of oncologic treatments. The therapeutic algorithm of LC, rapidly and continuously changed in the last years, should be fitted in the context of a special patient population like PLWH. This is quite challenging, also because HIV-positive patients have been often excluded from participation to clinical trials, so that levels of evidence about systemic treatments are lower than evidence in HIV-uninfected individuals. With this review, we depicted the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical-pathological characteristics and implications for LC care in PLWH, offering a valid focus about this topic to clinicians.
Analysis of Facial Information for Healthcare Applications: A Survey on Computer Vision-Based Approaches
Authors: Leo Marco , Carcagnì Pierluigi , Mazzeo Pier Luigi , Spagnolo Paolo , Cazzato Dario , Distante Cosimo
Published: February 2020

This paper gives an overview of the cutting-edge approaches that perform facial cue analysis in the healthcare area. The document is not limited to global face analysis but it also concentrates on methods related to local cues (e.g., the eyes). A research taxonomy is introduced by dividing the face in its main features: eyes, mouth, muscles, skin, and shape. For each facial feature, the computer vision-based tasks aiming at analyzing it and the related healthcare goals that could be pursued are detailed.
Current Distribution of the Olive Psyllid, Euphyllura olivina, in California and Initial Evaluation of the Mediterranean Parasitoid Psyllaephagus euphyllurae as a Biological Control Candidate
Authors: Hougardy Evelyne , Wang Xingeng , Hogg Brian N. , Johnson Marshall W. , Daane Kent M. , Pickett Charles H.
Published: February 2020

The olive psyllid, Euphyllura olivina, is a newly invasive species to California with the potential to become an economical pest if it reaches the olive production regions of California’s Central Valley. Here, we report on surveys undertaken in California to assess the psyllid’s current distribution and the occurrence of parasitism. Additionally, we present results of foreign collections of its parasitoids and initial non-target studies of a possible biological control agent, the Mediterranean parasitoid Psyllaephagus euphyllurae. The current distribution of the psyllid appears to be limited to the California coast between Monterey and San Diego; there have been no reports of infestations on olives in the major production areas of central and northern California. Psyllaephagus euphyllurae was the major primary parasitoid found in our foreign collections. The potential non-target impact of P. euphyllurae was tested on three native North American psyllid species: Neophyllura arctostaphyli, Euglyptoneura nr. robusta, and Calophya nigrella. No P. euphyllurae developed on the non-target species during no-choice tests. Behavioral observations in choice tests confirmed no attack on the non-target hosts, although the parasitoid did remain longer on N. arctostaphyli-infested manzanita plants, and revealed no host feeding behavior.
Going Beyond Conventional Mammographic Density to Discover Novel Mammogram-Based Predictors of Breast Cancer Risk
Authors: Hopper John L , Nguyen Tuong L , Schmidt Daniel F , Makalic Enes , Song Yun-Mi , Sung Joohon , Dite Gillian S , Dowty James G , Li Shuai
Published: February 2020

This commentary is about predicting a woman’s breast cancer risk from her mammogram, building on the work of Wolfe, Boyd and Yaffe on mammographic density. We summarise our efforts at finding new mammogram-based risk predictors, and how they combine with the conventional mammographic density, in predicting risk for interval cancers and screen-detected breast cancers across different ages at diagnosis and for both Caucasian and Asian women. Using the OPERA (odds ratio per adjusted standard deviation) concept, in which the risk gradient is measured on an appropriate scale that takes into account other factors adjusted for by design or analysis, we show that our new mammogram-based measures are the strongest of all currently known breast cancer risk factors in terms of risk discrimination on a population-basis. We summarise our findings graphically using a path diagram in which conventional mammographic density predicts interval cancer due to its role in masking, while the new mammogram-based risk measures could have a causal effect on both interval and screen-detected breast cancer. We discuss attempts by others to pursue this line of investigation, the measurement challenge that allows different measures to be compared in an open and transparent manner on the same datasets, as well as the biological and public health consequences.
Highly Substituted Phenol Derivatives with Nitric Oxide Inhibitory Activities from the Deep-Sea-Derived Fungus Trichobotrys effuse FS524
Authors: Chen Shanchong , Liu Zhaoming , Chen Yuchan , Tan Haibo , Li Saini , Liu Hongxin , Zhang Weimin , Zhu Shuang
Published: February 2020

Chemical investigation on EtOAc extract of the deep-sea-derived fungus Trichobotrys effuse FS524 resulted in the isolation of six new highly substituted phenol derivatives, trieffusols A–F (1–6), along with ten known relative analogs (7–16). Their structures with absolute configurations were extensively characterized on the basis of spectroscopic data analyses, single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Structurally, trieffusols A and B shared an unprecedented ploy-substituted 9-phenyl-hexahydroxanthone skeleton with an intriguing 6-6/6/6 tetracyclic fused ring system, which is often encountered as significant moieties in the pharmaceutical drugs but rarely discovered in natural products. In the screening towards their anti-inflammatory activities of 1–6, trieffusols C and D exhibited moderate inhibitory activities against nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages with IC50 values ranging from 51.9 to 55.9 μM.
Structural and Functional Characterization of Conotoxins from Conus achatinus Targeting NMDAR
Authors: Liu Xiujie , Yao Ge , Wang Kang , Liu Yanli , Wan Xiukun , Jiang Hui
Published: February 2020

Conotoxin-Ac1 and its variant conotoxin-Ac1-O6P, were isolated from the venom duct of Conus achatinus, a fish-hunting cone snail species collected in the Sea of Hainan, China. Conotoxin-Ac1 is linear peptide that contain 15 amino acids. In the present study, we synthesized and structurally and functionally characterized conotoxin-Ac1 as well as 19 variants. Electrophysiological results showed that conotoxin-Ac1 inhibited N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 2B (NR2B) with an IC50 of 8.22 ± 0.022 μM. Further structure-activity studies of conotoxin-Ac demonstrated that polar amino acid residues were important for modulating its active, and the replacement of N1, O9, E10, and S12 by Ala resulted in a significant decrease in potency to NR2B. °Furthermore, conotoxin-Ac1 and conotoxin-Ac1-O6P were tested in hot-plate and tail-flick assays to measure the potential analgesic activity to an acute thermal stimulus in a dose-dependent manner. Subsequently, the analgesic activity of conotoxin-Ac1 mutants was analyzed by the hot-plate method. The results show that N1, Y2, Y3, E10, N11, S12, and T15 play an important role in the analgesic activity of conotoxin-Ac1. N1 and S12 have significant effects on conotoxin-Ac1 in inhibiting NR2B and analgesic activity. In conclusion, we have discovered that conotoxin-Ac1 is an inhibitor of NMDAR and displays antinociceptive activity.
Role of Ketamine in Multimodal Analgesia Protocol for Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Kasputytė Greta , Karbonskienė Aurika , Macas Andrius , Maleckas Almantas
Published: February 2020

Background and Objectives: Acute postoperative pain is one of the most undesirable experiences for a patient in the postoperative period. Many options are available for the treatment of postoperative pain. One of the methods of multimodal analgesia is a combination of opioids and adjuvant agents, such as ketamine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a pre-incisional single injection of low-dose ketamine on postoperative pain after remifentanil infusion in patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass or gastric plication surgery. Materials and Methods: The prospective, randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial took place at the Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health sciences KaunoKlinikos in 2015–2017. A total of 32 bariatric patients (9 men and 23 women) were randomly assigned to receive a single pre-incisional injection of ketamine (0.15 mg/kg (LBM)) (ketamine, K group) or saline (placebo, S group). Standardized protocol of anesthesia and postoperative pain management was followed for all patients. Postoperative pain intensity, postoperative morphine requirements, incidence of side effects and patients’ satisfaction with postoperative analgesia were recorded. Results: Thirty-two patients undergoing bariatric surgery: 18 (56.25%; gastric bypass) and 14 (43.75%; gastric plication) were examined. Both groups did not differ in demographic values, duration of surgery and anesthesia and intraoperative drug consumption. Postoperative pain scores were similar in both groups (p = 0.105–0.941). Morphine consumption was 10.0 (7.0–12.5 mg) in group S and 9.0 (3.0–15.0 mg) in group K (p = 0.022). The incidence of side effects was similar in both groups (p = 0.412). Both groups demonstrated very high satisfaction with postoperative analgesia. Conclusions: Pre-incisional single dose ketamine reduces postoperative opioids consumption, but does not have an effect of postoperative pain intensity and side effects after remifentanil infusions. Very high patient satisfaction is achieved if standard multimodal analgesia protocol with an individual assessment of pain and dosage of medications is followed.
Innovative Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) (PVDF) Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane Preparation Using DMSO as a Low Toxicity Solvent
Authors: Russo Francesca , Ursino Claudia , Avruscio Elisa , Desiderio Giovanni , Perrone Andrea , Santoro Sergio , Galiano Francesco , Figoli Alberto
Published: February 2020

Electrospinning is an emerging technique for the preparation of electrospun fiber membranes (ENMs), and a very promising one on the basis of the high-yield and the scalability of the process according to a process intensification strategy. Most of the research reported in the literature has been focused on the preparation of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ENMs by using N,N- dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent, which is considered a mutagenic and cancerogenic substance. Hence, the possibility of using alternative solvents represents an interesting approach to investigate. In this work, we explored the use of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a low toxicity solvent in a mixture with acetone for the preparation of PVDF-ENMs. As a first step, a solubility study of the polymer, PVDF 6012 Solef®, in several DMSO/acetone mixtures was carried out, and then, different operating conditions (e.g., applied voltage and needle to collector plate distance) for the successful electrospinning of the ENMs were evaluated. The study provided evidence of the crucial role of solution conductivity in the electrospinning phase and the thermal post-treatment. The prepared ENMs were characterized by evaluating the morphology (by SEM), pore-size, porosity, surface properties, and performance in terms of water permeability. The obtained results showed the possibility of producing ENMs in a more sustainable way, with a pore size in the range of 0.2–0.8 µm, high porosity (above 80%), and water flux in the range of 11.000–38.000 L/m2·h·bar.
Wear Performance of Metal Materials Fabricated by Powder Bed Fusion: A Literature Review
Authors: Qin Hongling , Xu Runzhou , Lan Pixiang , Wang Jian , Lu Wenlong
Published: February 2020

Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) is an additive manufacturing technology used to produce metal-based materials. PBF materials have a unique microstructure as a result from repeated and sharp heating/cooling cycles. Many researches have been carried out on relations between processing parameters of the PBF technology, obtained microstructures and mechanical properties. However, there are few studies on the tribological properties of PBF materials at various contact conditions. This article describes previous and recent studies related to the friction performance. This is a critical aspect if PBF materials are applied to friction pair components. This paper discusses wear rates and wear mechanisms of PBF materials under dry friction, boundary lubrication and micro-motion conditions. PBF materials have higher hardness due to fine grains. PBF materials have a higher wear resistance than traditional materials due to their solid solution strengthening. In addition, hard particles on the surface of PBF components can effectively reduce wear. The reasonable combination of process parameters can effectively improve the density of parts and thus further improve the wear resistance. This review paper summarized the wear behavior of PBF materials, the wear mechanism of metal materials from dry friction to different lubrication conditions, and the wear behavior under fretting wear. This will help to control the processing parameters and material powder composition of parts, so as to achieve the required material properties of parts and further improve the wear performance.
Metallurgical Interaction among BNi-9 and Waspaloy, FSX-414 or 304-Type Stainless Steel under TLP Cycle
Authors: Flores-Escareño Norma Yolanda , Castro-Román Manuel de Jesús , Hernández-García Héctor Manuel , Herrera-Trejo Martín
Published: February 2020

The metallurgical interaction of BNi-9 filler metal paste with Waspaloy, Ni-coated Waspaloy, FSX-414, and 304-SS is studied in a brazing treatment under an argon atmosphere with an isothermal hold for one hour at 1150 °C. The Waspaloy alloys were brazed under both solubilized and aging conditions. Before brazing, some Waspaloy samples were electrochemically coated with an Ni layer 35-40 μm thick. The microstructures of the FSX-414 and 304-SS alloys showed that the thickness of the isothermal solidification zones was approximately 50 μm, while this thickness was not well defined in the Waspaloy samples. The Ni-coated solubilized Waspaloy showed a wider diffusive zone, which was associated with an increase in the penetration extension of the liquid films. The analysis of grain orientation in all brazed zones of the Waspaloy samples showed aleatory characteristics. Plastic factors in the different brazed zones were also obtained by nanoindentation under 350 mN loads. It was observed that the plastic factor was low when the width of the diffusive zone increased. The plastic factor in the Ni-coated Waspaloy was the lowest, while the diffusive zone in this sample had the largest width. The BNi-9 wettability is better in FSX-414, and 304-SS than in Waspaloy. Ni coating in Waspaloy improves BNi-9 wettability.
Mechanism of Melt Separation in Preparation of Low-Oxygen High Titanium Ferroalloy Prepared by Multistage and Deep Reduction
Authors: Cheng Chu , Dou Zhihe , Zhang Tingan
Published: February 2020

A novel method to prepare low-oxygen and high-titanium ferroalloy by multistage and deep reduction was proposed in this study. Specifically, the raw materials, high titanium slag and iron concentrate are firstly reduced by insufficient Al powder to obtain high temperature melt. Secondly, CaO and CaF2 are added into the melt to adjust the basicity of the molten slag. Then, a melt separation under the heat preservation is carried out to intensify the slag-metal separation. Finally, calcium or magnesium is added into the metal melt for a deep reduction. Thereafter, high titanium ferroalloy with an extra-low oxygen content can be obtained. Effects of slag basicity and melt separation time on the slag-metal separation removal were systematically studied. The results indicate that the high titanium ferroalloy, produced by the thermite method, contains a lot of Al2O3 inclusions. This leads to a high oxygen and aluminum content in the alloy. With a melt separation with high basicity slag treatment, the Al2O3 inclusions can be effectively removed from the alloy melt, and the slag-metal separation efficiency is greatly improved. With the addition of high basicity slag during melt separation, Ti content in the alloy is improved from 51.04% to 68.24%. Furthermore, and the Al and O contents are reduced from 10.38% and 9.36% to 4.24% and 1.56%, respectively. However, suboxides, such as Ti2O and Fe0.9536O, still exist after a melt separation. This indicates that a deep reduction is needed to obtain extra-low oxygen high titanium ferroalloy.
Blood Viscoelasticity Measurement Using Interface Variations in Coflowing Streams under Pulsatile Blood Flows
Authors: Kang Yang Jun
Published: February 2020

Blood flows in microcirculation are determined by the mechanical properties of blood samples, which have been used to screen the status or progress of diseases. To achieve this, it is necessary to measure the viscoelasticity of blood samples under a pulsatile blood condition. In this study, viscoelasticity measurement is demonstrated by quantifying interface variations in coflowing streams. To demonstrate the present method, a T-shaped microfluidic device is designed to have two inlets (a, b), one outlet (a), two guiding channels (blood sample channel, reference fluid channel), and one coflowing channel. Two syringe pumps are employed to infuse a blood sample at a sinusoidal flow rate. The reference fluid is supplied at a constant flow rate. Using a discrete fluidic circuit model, a first-order linear differential equation for the interface is derived by including two approximate factors (F1 = 1.094, F2 = 1.1087). The viscosity and compliance are derived analytically as viscoelasticity. The experimental results showed that compliance is influenced substantially by the period. The hematocrit and diluent contributed to the varying viscosity and compliance. The viscoelasticity varied substantially for red blood cells fixed with higher concentrations of glutaraldehyde solution. The experimental results showed that the present method has the ability to monitor the viscoelasticity of blood samples under a sinusoidal flow-rate pattern.
The Impact of Direct-Fed Microbials and Phytogenic Feed Additives on Prevalence and Transfer of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Genes in Broiler Chicken
Authors: Saliu Eva-Maria , Ren Hao , Goodarzi Boroojeni Farshad , Zentek Jürgen , Vahjen Wilfried
Published: February 2020

Poultry frequently account for the highest prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae in livestock. To investigate the impact of direct-fed microbials (DFM) and phytobiotic feed additives on prevalence and conjugation of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae, an animal trial was conducted. Lactobacillus agilis LA73 and Lactobacillus salivarius LS1 and two commercial phytogenic feed additives (consisting of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol) were used as feed additives either alone or as a combination of DFM and phytogenic feed additive. An ESBL-producing E. coli donor and a potentially pathogenic Salmonella Typhimurium recipient were inoculated at 5 × 109 cells/mL in cecal contents from 2-week-old broilers. Conjugation frequencies were determined after 4 h aerobic co-incubation at 37 °C and corrected for the impact of the sample matrix on bacterial growth of donor and recipient. Surprisingly, indigenous Enterobacteriaceae acted as recipients instead of the anticipated Salmonella recipient. The observed increase in conjugation frequency was most obvious in the groups fed the combinations of DFM and phytogenic product, but merely up to 0.6 log units. Further, cecal samples were examined for ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae on five consecutive days in broilers aged 27–31 days. All samples derived from animals fed the experimental diet showed lower ESBL-prevalence than the control. It is concluded that Lactobacillus spp. and essential oils may help to reduce the prevalence of ESBL-harboring plasmids in broilers, while the effect on horizontal gene transfer is less obvious.
Differential Distribution of the wlaN and cgtB Genes, Associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, in Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Humans, Broiler Chickens, and Wild Birds
Authors: Guirado Pedro , Paytubi Sonia , Miró Elisenda , Iglesias-Torrens Yaidelis , Navarro Ferran , Cerdà-Cuéllar Marta , Stephan-Otto Attolini Camille , Balsalobre Carlos , Madrid Cristina
Published: February 2020

Campylobacter jejuni causes campylobacteriosis, a bacterial gastroenteritis with high incidence worldwide. Moreover, C. jejuni infection can trigger the polyneuropathic disorder denominated Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The C. jejuni strains that can elicit GBS carry either wlaN or cgtB, coding both genes for a β-1,3-galactosyltransferase enzyme that is required for the production of sialylated lipooligosaccharide (LOSSIAL). We described a differential prevalence of the genes wlaN and cgtB in C. jejuni isolates from three different ecological niches: humans, broiler chickens, and wild birds. The distribution of both genes, which is similar between broiler chicken and human isolates and distinct when compared to the wild bird isolates, suggests a host-dependent distribution. Moreover, the prevalence of the wlaN and cgtB genes seems to be restricted to some clonal complexes. Gene sequencing identified the presence of new variants of the G- homopolymeric tract within the wlaN gene. Furthermore, we detected two variants of a G rich region within the cgtB gene, suggesting that, similarly to wlaN, the G-tract in the cgtB gene mediates the phase variation control of cgtB expression. Caco-2 cell invasion assays indicate that there is no evident correlation between the production of LOSSIAL and the ability to invade eukaryotic cells.
Metabolomics Analysis Reveals the Alkali Tolerance Mechanism in Puccinellia tenuiflora Plants Inoculated with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi
Authors: Yang Chunxue , Zhao Wenna , Wang Yingnan , Zhang Liang , Huang Shouchen , Lin Jixiang
Published: February 2020

Soil alkalization is a major environmental threat that affects plant distribution and yield in northeastern China. Puccinellia tenuiflora is an alkali-tolerant grass species that is used for salt-alkali grassland restoration. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance P. tenuiflora responses to alkali stress. Here, metabolite profiling in P. tenuiflora seedlings with or without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under alkali stress was conducted using liquid chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOF-MS). The results showed that AMF colonization increased seedling biomass under alkali stress. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) demonstrated that non-AM and AM seedlings showed different responses under alkali stress. A heat map analysis showed that the levels of 88 metabolites were significantly changed in non-AM seedlings, but those of only 31 metabolites were significantly changed in AM seedlings. Moreover, the levels of a total of 62 metabolites were significantly changed in P. tenuiflora seedlings after AMF inoculation. The results suggested that AMF inoculation significantly increased amino acid, organic acid, flavonoid and sterol contents to improve osmotic adjustment and maintain cell membrane stability under alkali stress. P. tenuiflora seedlings after AMF inoculation produced more plant hormones (salicylic acid and abscisic acid) than the non-AM seedlings, probably to enhance the antioxidant system and facilitate ion balance under stress conditions. In conclusion, these findings provide new insights into the metabolic mechanisms of P. tenuiflora seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under alkali conditions and clarify the role of AM in the molecular regulation of this species under alkali stress.
Clustering of Bacterial Growth Dynamics in Response to Growth Media by Dynamic Time Warping
Authors: Cao Yang-Yang , Yomo Tetsuya , Ying Bei-Wen
Published: February 2020

Bacterial growth curves, representing population dynamics, are still poorly understood. The growth curves are commonly analyzed by model-based theoretical fitting, which is limited to typical S-shape fittings and does not elucidate the dynamics in their entirety. Thus, whether a certain growth condition results in any particular pattern of growth curve remains unclear. To address this question, up-to-date data mining techniques were applied to bacterial growth analysis for the first time. Dynamic time warping (DTW) and derivative DTW (DDTW) were used to compare the similarity among 1015 growth curves of 28 Escherichia coli strains growing in three different media. In the similarity evaluation, agglomerative hierarchical clustering, assessed with four statistic benchmarks, successfully categorized the growth curves into three clusters, roughly corresponding to the three media. Furthermore, a simple benchmark was newly proposed, providing a highly improved accuracy (~99%) in clustering the growth curves corresponding to the growth media. The biologically reasonable categorization of growth curves suggested that DTW and DDTW are applicable for bacterial growth analysis. The bottom-up clustering results indicate that the growth media determine some specific patterns of population dynamics, regardless of genomic variation, and thus have a higher priority of shaping the growth curves than the genomes do.
Sedimentary Dosimetry for the Saradj-Chuko Grotto: A Cave in a Lava Tube in the North-Central Caucasus, Russia
Authors: Blackwell Bonnie A. B. , Kazi Mehak F. , Huang Clara L. C. , Doronicheva Ekaterina V. , Golovanova Liubov V. , Doronichev Vladimir B. , Singh Impreet K. C. , Blickstein Joel I. B.
Published: February 2020

Karst caves host most European Paleolithic sites. Near the Eurasian-Arabian Plate convergence in the Caucasus’ Lower Chegem Formation, Saradj-Chuko Grotto (SCG), a lava tube, contains 16 geoarchaeologically distinct horizons yielding modern to laminar obsidian-rich Middle Paleolithic (MP) assemblages. Since electron spin resonance (ESR) can date MP teeth with 2–5% uncertainty, 40 sediment samples were analyzed by neutron activation analysis to measure volumetrically averaged sedimentary dose rates. SCG’s rhyolitic ignimbrite walls produce very acidic clay-rich conglomeratic silts that retain 16–24 wt% water today. In Layers 6A-6B, the most prolific MP layers, strongly decalcified bones hinder species identification, but large ungulates inhabited deciduous interglacial forests. Unlike in karst caves, most SCG’s layers had sedimentary U concentrations >4 ppm and Th, >12 ppm, but Layer 6B2 exceeded 20.8 ppm U, and Layer 7, >5 ppm Th. Such high concentrations emit dose rates averaging ~1.9–3.7 mGy/y, but locally up to 4.1–5.0 mGy/y. Within Layer 6, dose rate variations reflect bone occurrence, necessitating that several samples must be geochemically analyzed around each tooth to ensure age accuracy. Coupled with dentinal dose rates up to 3.7–4.5 mGy/y, SCG’s maximum datable ages likely averages ~500–800 ka.
Flexible 3D Electrodes of Free-Standing TiN Nanotube Arrays Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition with a Ti Interlayer as an Adhesion Promoter
Authors: Yun Seokjung , Kim Sang-Joon , Youn Jaesung , Kim Hoon , Ryu Jeongjae , Bae Changdeuck , No Kwangsoo , Hong Seungbum
Published: February 2020

Nanostructured electrodes and their flexible integrated systems have great potential for many applications, including electrochemical energy storage, electrocatalysis and solid-state memory devices, given their ability to improve faradaic reaction sites by large surface area. Although many processing techniques have been employed to fabricate nanostructured electrodes onto flexible substrates, these present limitations in terms of achieving flexible electrodes with high mechanical stability. In this study, the adhesion, mechanical properties and flexibility of TiN nanotube arrays on a Pt substrate were improved using a Ti interlayer. Highly ordered and well-aligned TiN nanotube arrays were fabricated on a Pt substrate using a template-assisted method with an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and atomic layer deposition (ALD) system. We show that with the use of a Ti interlayer between the TiN nanotube arrays and Pt substrate, the TiN nanotube arrays could perfectly attach to the Pt substrate without delamination and faceted phenomena. Furthermore, the I-V curve measurements confirmed that the electric contact between the TiN nanotube arrays and substrate for use as an electrode was excellent, and its flexibility was also good for use in flexible electronic devices. Future efforts will be directed toward the fabrication of embedded electrodes in flexible plastic substrates by employing the concepts demonstrated in this study.
To Eat or Not to eat: A Review of the Relationship between Chocolate and Migraines
Authors: Nowaczewska Magdalena , Wiciński Michał , Kaźmierczak Wojciech , Kaźmierczak Henryk
Published: February 2020

Migraine is a chronic disorder with episodic attacks, and patients with a migraine often report that certain factors can trigger their headache, with chocolate being the most popular type of food-based trigger. Many studies have suggested a link between chocolate and headaches; however, the underlying physiological mechanisms are unclear. As premonitory symptoms may herald migraine attacks, a question arises regarding whether eating chocolate before a headache is a consequence of a food craving or indeed a real trigger. Here, we aim to summarize the available evidence on the relationship between chocolate and migraines. All articles concerning this topic published up to January 2020 were retrieved by searching clinical databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar. All types of studies have been included. Here, we identify 25 studies investigating the prevalence of chocolate as a trigger factor in migraineurs. Three provocative studies have also evaluated if chocolate can trigger migraine attacks, comparing it to a placebo. Among them, in 23 studies, chocolate was found to be a migraine trigger in a small percentage of participants (ranging from 1.3 to 33), while all provocative studies have failed to find significant differences between migraine attacks induced by eating chocolate and a placebo. Overall, based on our review of the current literature, there is insufficient evidence that chocolate is a migraine trigger; thus, doctors should not make implicit recommendations to migraine patients to avoid it.
Carbon-Based Polymer Nanocomposite for High-Performance Energy Storage Applications
Authors: Siwal Samarjeet Singh , Zhang Qibo , Devi Nishu , Thakur Vijay Kumar
Published: February 2020

In recent years, numerous discoveries and investigations have been remarked for the development of carbon-based polymer nanocomposites. Carbon-based materials and their composites hold encouraging employment in a broad array of fields, for example, energy storage devices, fuel cells, membranes sensors, actuators, and electromagnetic shielding. Carbon and its derivatives exhibit some remarkable features such as high conductivity, high surface area, excellent chemical endurance, and good mechanical durability. On the other hand, characteristics such as docility, lower price, and high environmental resistance are some of the unique properties of conducting polymers (CPs). To enhance the properties and performance, polymeric electrode materials can be modified suitably by metal oxides and carbon materials resulting in a composite that helps in the collection and accumulation of charges due to large surface area. The carbon-polymer nanocomposites assist in overcoming the difficulties arising in achieving the high performance of polymeric compounds and deliver high-performance composites that can be used in electrochemical energy storage devices. Carbon-based polymer nanocomposites have both advantages and disadvantages, so in this review, attempts are made to understand their synergistic behavior and resulting performance. The three electrochemical energy storage systems and the type of electrode materials used for them have been studied here in this article and some aspects for example morphology, exterior area, temperature, and approaches have been observed to influence the activity of electrochemical methods. This review article evaluates and compiles reported data to present a significant and extensive summary of the state of the art.
An Environmental and Economic Analysis of Flocculation Technology Applied to a Corn-Based Ethanol Plant
Authors: e Oliveira Maria da Conceição T. B. , Rosentrater Kurt A.
Published: February 2020

The stimulation of renewable fuel production is related to the environmental issues resulting from the extraction and utilization of fossil fuels. Although corn-based ethanol is one of the leading renewable fuels and promises to mitigate these environmental impacts, it generates large volumes of wastewater with high concentrations of organic material (CODcr > 30,000 mg/L) and low pH (3.5–4.5), which leads to serious environmental concerns. A common method of treatment of distillery wastewater is the Dry Distilled Grain Soluble (DDGS) process, which separates liquid and solid fractions; however, a disadvantage of this process is its high energy consumption. Other commonly implemented methods are often costly and not environmentally safe. To minimize these problems, a flocculation process can be applied as a potential lower energy consumption process utilizing bioflocculants, which have been proven harmless to the environment. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to analyze the economic and environmental impacts of using bioflocculants instead of evaporation process in a corn-based ethanol plant. The procedures were evaluated by analyzing the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA). From the results, it can be seen that the flocculation system can be an alternative process for effectively minimizing energy consumption during the production of DDGS, Distilled Wet Grains with Solubles (DWGS), and corn oil. The flocculation process achieved a significantly (28%) lower utility cost when compared to the conventional system. However, the overall fixed costs and annual operating costs for the flocculation system were higher than those of the conventional system. Additionally, both processes resulted in negative profit and a sensitivity analysis showed that the feedstocks cost substantially impacted the DDGS, DWGS, and corn oil production costs. Related to environmental aspects, the LCA results showed that the flocculation process achieved the lowest Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the several electricity supply technologies analyzed and presented a significant reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions when compared to a conventional system. The flocculation process resulted in approximately 57% lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Reasons and Consequences of Overtourism in Contemporary Cities—Knowledge Gaps and Future Research
Authors: Żemła Michał
Published: February 2020

Even though overtourism became the object of extensive scientific research only three years ago, different definitions and approaches to the issue can be seen. However, it is still in the initial phase of research, and there are numerous gaps in our knowledge of the reasons and solutions to this issue. The main aim of the paper is to summarize different approaches and points of view on the overtourism issue. This includes searching for reasons of tension between tourists and visitors in particular destinations. They are presented partially in tourism literature but also in the literature dealing with urban studies, sustainable development and other areas. This aim was achieved through a literature review and the deduction method. The paper identifies several different factors that stimulate overtourism. Some of them are acknowledged in most publications. They are a growing number of tourists, new solutions in the information technologies (IT) business and the availability of cheap flights. Other factors such as management mistakes in particular destinations are underlined from time to time. Finally, some factors are expressed very rarely. They are the growing popularity of city tourism and the shift from 3S (sea, sun and sand) to 3E (education, experience, entertainment) tourism. Identification and general overview of those factors is intended to be an important contribution to the contemporary scientific knowledge on overtourism. The analysis of the factors recognized allowed to point out significant weaknesses of our contemporary knowledge on overtourism. A radical shift of the approach to the governance of cities as tourism destinations, as well as filling theoretical gaps and creating effective tools to manage tourism development in cities are postulated. Several directions of the future research are presented in the conclusions of the paper. Some practical recommendations for decision-makers in particular cities are also included.
The Effect of Satisfaction with Environmental Performance on Subjective Well-Being in China: GDP as a Moderating Factor
Authors: Zhao Xinghua , Sun Zongfeng
Published: February 2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of environmental performance on subjective well-being against the background of different levels of economic development in China. The findings from the CGSS2015, combined with environmental quality data using the multi-level linear regression analysis method, indicated that the public’s satisfaction with environmental performance will significantly enhance their happiness. The GDP variable was found to moderate this effect with reference to the expectation theory, positing that people have high expectations of happiness in provinces with a high GDP. The higher their expectations of being happy, the smaller the effect of satisfaction with environmental performance on happiness. These findings make contributions to both theory and public policy making, with relevant guidelines regarding physical activity recommendations and behavioral management strategies discussed.
Determining Whether Trade Can Affect Regional Environmental Sustainability from the Perspective of Environmental Pollution
Authors: Chen Hong , Hu Wenzhe
Published: February 2020

The rising level of environmental pollution in China indicates that the current pattern of economic development is unsustainable. Therefore, ensuring environmental quality places higher requirements on China’s economic development pattern from the perspective of sustainability. At the same time, the rapid growth of China’s total trade is an important driving force for China’s rapid economic development. Based on the trade and environmental quality data of China’s 30 provincial administrative divisions, this paper uses a Dynamic Spatial Durbin Model to analyze the environmental quality effects of trade—that is, the composition, technical, and scale effect. Moreover, the environmental quality effects of trade are compared and analyzed in different regions. In this paper, the wastewater discharge and sulfur dioxide discharge are selected as the indicators of environmental pollution. The results show that the scale effect of trade is significantly negative, and that the scale effect is greater than the composition effect. Trade development is conducive to reducing regional environmental pollution. The main impact of trade development on reducing environmental pollution is through economies of scale. The composition effect and technology effect are smaller than the scale effect. The increase in trade in services has helped to reduce the growth rate of pollution emissions. Therefore, expanding service trade and optimizing the trade structure will help to reduce the intensity of pollutive emissions and thereby improve the sustainability of regional economic development.