bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pollination in Lilium sargentiae (Liliaceae) and the first confirmation of long‐tongued hawkmoths as a pollinator niche in Asia
Authors: Liu Chang‐Qiu , Sun Hang
Published: April 2018

The geographical distribution of pollinators is an important factor determining the biogeographical pattern of floral evolution and diversification. In Africa, a guild of plant species has converged in a floral syndrome for pollination by long‐tongued hawkmoths (predominantly Agrius convolvuli). It is hypothesized that such floral convergence could track the geographical distribution of long‐tongued hawkmoths, so it may not be confined to Africa. We investigated the pollination biology of Lilium sargentiae E. H. Wilson, which is endemic to China and exhibits traits suggestive of long‐tongued hawkmoth pollination. Lilium sargentiae was visited by A. convolvuli as well as small beetles (Nitidulidae) but pollination was mostly or totally effected by the moth. It was consistent with other hawkmoth‐pollinated plants in terms of floral tube length, nectar traits, tepal reflectance, and scent composition. We present the first experimental evidence for the hypothesis proposed above and for hawkmoth pollination in the widespread and ornamentally and economically important genus Lilium L. in a natural habitat. Our findings imply that long‐tongued hawkmoths (especially the extremely widespread A. convolvuli) as a distinctive pollinator niche may have underlain the evolution of long‐tubed (>8 cm) flowers across different continents.
Teaching Multistep Equations with Virtual Manipulatives to Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Satsangi Rajiv , Hammer Rachel , Evmenova Anya S.
Published: April 2018

Students with learning disabilities often struggle with the academic demands presented in secondary mathematics curricula. To combat these students’ struggles, researchers have studied various pedagogical practices and classroom technologies for teaching standards covered in subjects such as algebra and geometry. However, as the role of computer‐ and tablet‐based technologies in education grows, some areas of study, such as the use of virtual manipulatives, lack exploration. This study sought to assess the benefits of virtual manipulatives to teach secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics how to solve multistep algebraic equations. A multiple baseline design across three participants demonstrated a functional relation between the use of a virtual manipulative balance and teaching students to acquire, maintain, and generalize the skill of solving multistep algebraic equations. Results provide new evidence demonstrating virtual manipulatives as a beneficial age‐appropriate technology to teach higher order mathematical concepts to secondary students with a learning disability.
Partisan Bridges to Bipartisanship: The Case of Contraceptive Coverage
Authors: Sanders Bailey
Published: April 2018

The negative consequences of polarization have been pointed to by scholars and politicians alike as evidence of a need for a renewal of bipartisanship. However, scholarship on bipartisanship remains limited. This article develops a theory of partisan bridging that predicts when and why certain legislators might be willing to cross the partisan aisle. I argue that personal preferences can lead some legislators to cross the aisle in search of consensus, in effect serving as “partisan bridges.” I test my theory by examining the role of Republican women in the diffusion of contraceptive coverage at the state level. Through an individual‐level analysis of sponsorship and vote choice and an aggregate‐level analysis of policy diffusion, I find that moderate Republican women at times served as critical actors in the policy process.
Fractional crystallization of the lunar magma ocean: Updating the dominant paradigm
Authors: Rapp J. F. , Draper D. S.
Published: April 2018

We report results of systematic experimental simulation of fractional crystallization of a lunar magma ocean (LMO) with the Lunar Primitive Upper Mantle bulk composition. These results complement prior work that simulated equilibrium crystallization. In contrast to previous numerical models for investigating magma ocean solidification processes and implications, our combined program simulates these processes directly using petrologic experimentation. Our experiments mimic LMO crystallization that is fractional throughout the process, rather than switching from initially equilibrium to fractional crystallization partway through. To do this, we adopted an iterative approach in which the starting material for each run is synthesized using the composition of the melt phase from the prior run. We compare our results to those from long‐standing numerical models of LMO crystallization and show that although some features of those models are broadly reproduced, there are key differences in liquid lines of descent and the cumulate lithologies generated. Our results can be used to estimate the possible thickness of a primordial lunar crust formed from flotation of plagioclase during magma ocean solidification. Our estimate is greater than that from the recent Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, but consistent with the criteria on which the starting bulk composition was originally calculated. It assumes perfectly efficient separation of all plagioclase formed from the crystallizing magma ocean, which is likely not the case. We also demonstrate that a non‐chondritic bulk composition, with respect to trace elements, is not required in order to generate a KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) signature from magma ocean crystallization.
Tourism Labor, Embodied Suffering, and the Deportation Regime in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Padilla Mark , Colón‐Burgos José Félix , Varas‐Díaz Nelson , Matiz‐Reyes Armando , Parker Caroline Mary
Published: April 2018

In this article, we use syndemic theory to examine socio‐structural factors that result in heightened vulnerability to HIV infection and drug addiction among Dominican deportees who survive post‐deportation through informal tourism labor. Through an ongoing NIDA‐funded ethnographic study of the syndemic of HIV and problematic drug use among men involved in tourism labor in the Dominican Republic, we argue that the legal and political–economic context of the global deportation regime contributes to structural vulnerabilities among deportees in the Dominican Republic, most of whom are men with histories of incarceration in the United States and/or Puerto Rico. While Dominican laws and institutional practices work conjointly with foreign policies to reconfigure non‐criminal deportees as hardened criminals unworthy of full citizenship rights, the informal tourism economy provides one of the few absorption points for male deportee labor, linking the deportation regime directly to the Caribbean tourism industry.
Macroeconomic stability in a flexible labor market
Authors: Oh Jong‐seok
Published: April 2018

This paper examines the relationship between labor market flexibility and macroeconomic stability from a post‐Keynesian perspective. Considering two aspects of labor market flexibility, employment flexibility and real wage flexibility, I adopt the flex–output model to discuss employment flexibility and extend it by incorporating real wage dynamics induced from a wage–price Phillips curve to discuss real wage flexibility. Simulation of the model suggests that employment flexibility possibly increases instability of an economy whereas real wage flexibility reduces it.
Convention and common ground
Authors: Geurts Bart
Published: April 2018

Conventions are regularities in social behaviour of the past that enable us to coordinate our actions. Some conventions are lawlike: they are expected to be observed always or nearly always. However, in order to coordinate our actions, it may suffice that a precedent has occurred often enough, and sometimes even a single precedent will do. So, in general, conventions merely enable us to solve our coordination problems; lawlike conventions are a special case. Grammatical conventions are often lawlike; sense conventions are typically enabling. In order to resolve the indeterminacies that sense conventions give rise to, interlocutors must rely on the common ground. In this and other ways, common ground is a prerequisite for convention‐based communication.
Postage stamp iconography in post‐Saddam Iraq: sect‐specific symbols or nationalist imagery?
Authors: Efrati Noga
Published: April 2018

Among scholars seeking a framework for analysing post‐2003 intercommunal strife in Iraq, a sectarian master narrative gained dominance. It portrayed Iraq as an artificial creation of imperial powers, lacking a national identity. Scholarly challenge, however, has been gaining momentum. The study of postage stamp iconography presents a novel venue with which to contribute to this debate. Indeed, researchers of nations and nationalism emphasis the role stamps play in the visual construction and reproduction of national narratives and identities. The postage stamp imagery surveyed in post‐Saddam Iraq (2003–2011) is incompatible with the sectarian narrative. Rather, it reflects symbols that are consistent with territorial‐patriotic nationalism. Some evidence supports the notion that those in power used stamp iconography as a means of nationalist indoctrination; other evidence suggests that the government sought to enhance its legitimacy by embracing popular values. Either or both motivations lend credence to nationalism having considerable purchase in post‐Saddam Iraq.
Population‐level dynamics in experimental mixed infections: evidence for competitive exclusion among bacterial parasites of Paramecium caudatum
Authors: Duncan Alison B. , Dusi Eike , Schrallhammer Martina , Berendonk Thomas , Kaltz Oliver
Published: April 2018

Parasites frequently share their host populations with other parasites. However, little is known about how different parasites respond to competition with diverse competitor species in the within‐host and between‐host environments. We explored the repeatability of competition by simultaneously exposing microcosm populations of the ciliate Paramecium caudatum to pairs of parasites from the Holospora species complex (H. undulata, H. caryophila and H. obtusa). We measured how competition affected the persistence and prevalence of each compared to single infections, across three host genotypes. Three weeks post‐inoculation we identified the presence of each parasite using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Competitive exclusion (62/72) was more common than co‐existence (10/72) in populations inoculated with two parasites. There was a clear pattern of competitive superiority, with H. caryophila persisting in all doubly inoculated populations (with either H. undulata or H. obtusa), and H. undulata tending to exclude H. obtusa. This mirrored infection success in single infections, with H. caryophila having a higher infection prevalence in single inoculations, followed by H. undulata then H. obtusa. The probability of persistence in co‐inoculations did not change across the different host genotypes, and prevalence was the same as in single infections. Our results are consistent with superinfection models, which assume the competitive exclusion of parasites upon contact within the same host. Furthermore, such non‐random competitive epidemiological dynamics, where one parasite always wins, may be of interest for public health management, especially if the winning parasite is avirulent, as is seemingly the case here.
The Roles of Design and Third Parties on Civil War Peace Agreement Outcomes
Authors: Lounsbery Marie Olson , DeRouen Karl
Published: April 2018

This article traces the contours of emerging social science research on the resolution of civil conflict, which has been one of the more prevalent threats to sustainable peace since the Cold War. We present findings from our own research on the design of peace agreements and civil conflict, by first examining whether more elaborate and comprehensive agreements are also more effective, then by looking at the effect of intervention on civil war peace agreement design over the years 1975 to 2011. Results suggest that elaborate and comprehensive agreements are not as effective as one would suspect. Further, interventions by third parties do indeed impact agreement structure in predictable ways. We then recount how this research brought us into conversation with other political scientists whose work addresses vital elements of civil conflict resolution. We conclude with an introduction to the special issue that aims to bring scholars and practitioners together in one forum to examine and improve civil war peace processes.
The benefits and burdens of organizational reputation for employee well‐being: A conservation of resources approach
Authors: Baer Michael D. , Bundy Jonathan , Garud Niharika , Kim Ji Koung
Published: April 2018

We consider the possibility that a positive organizational reputation brings both benefits and burdens to employees working for those organizations. Drawing from the “Red Queen” notion in competitive strategy and from conservation of resources theory, we argue that although organizational reputation can cause employees to identify more strongly with the organization, it may also pressure employees to commit more of their time to the job. In turn, increased organizational identification and time commitment have contrasting effects on employees’ emotional exhaustion. Following recent theorizing in the reputation literature, we also test the proposal that the effects of organizational reputation—a collective‐level representation—are mediated through employees’ individual‐level perceptions. Taken together, our theoretical model suggests that organizational reputation, through employees’ perceptions of that reputation, simultaneously serves as a benefit that reduces emotional exhaustion via organizational identification, but also as a burden that increases emotional exhaustion via additional time commitment. In turn, we demonstrate that these dynamics have both positive and negative implications for employees’ counterproductive work behavior. Our arguments are confirmed in a multiwave, multisource study of employees from a diverse range of organizations.
Pornography use and marital quality: Testing the moral incongruence hypothesis
Authors: Perry Samuel L.
Published: April 2018

Studies often report a negative association between pornography use and marital quality. A number of studies, however, find this negative association to be stronger among religious Americans, suggesting that “moral incongruence” may be a key moderating factor. This theory is tested with panel data from the nationally representative 2006–2012 Portraits of American Life Study (N = 612). Support for the theory is mixed. Any pornography use in 2006 predicts lower marital quality in 2012 regardless of whether the viewer felt pornography use was always immoral. However, among pornography viewers, the negative association between marital quality and viewing frequency is stronger for those who morally oppose pornography. Findings hold regardless of gender. Data limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
The Evil‐god challenge part I: History and recent developments
Authors: Lancaster‐Thomas Asha
Published: April 2018

The Evil‐god challenge has enjoyed a flurry of attention after its resurrection in Stephen Law's, paper of the same name. Intended to undermine classical monotheism, the Evil‐god challenge rests on the claim that the existence of all‐powerful, all‐knowing, all‐evil god (Evil‐god) is roughly as likely as the existence of an all‐powerful, all‐knowing, all‐good god (Good‐god). The onus is then placed on those who believe in Good‐god to explain why their belief should be considered significantly more reasonable than belief in Evil‐god. In this paper, I provide a comprehensive exposition of the Evil‐god challenge by exploring its history and recent developments. The forthcoming part II paper will present and address the main objections that have been posed to the Evil‐god challenge and consider its implications for classical monotheism.
Are the Natural Numbers Fundamentally Ordinals?
Authors: Assadian Bahram , Buijsman Stefan
Published: April 2018

There are two ways of thinking about the natural numbers: as ordinal numbers or as cardinal numbers. It is, moreover, well‐known that the cardinal numbers can be defined in terms of the ordinal numbers. Some philosophies of mathematics have taken this as a reason to hold the ordinal numbers as (metaphysically) fundamental. By discussing structuralism and neo‐logicism we argue that one can empirically distinguish between accounts that endorse this fundamentality claim and those that do not. In particular, we argue that if the ordinal numbers are metaphysically fundamental then it follows that one cannot acquire cardinal number concepts without appeal to ordinal notions. On the other hand, without this fundamentality thesis that would be possible. This allows for an empirical test to see which account best describes our actual mathematical practices. We then, finally, discuss some empirical data that suggests that we can acquire cardinal number concepts without using ordinal notions. However, there are some important gaps left open by this data that we point to as areas for future empirical research.
Distinct strains of the re‐emergent Cassava common mosaic virus (genus: Potexvirus) infecting cassava in Argentina
Authors: Zanini A. A. , Cuellar W. J. , Celli M. G. , Luque A. V. , Medina R. D. , Conci V. C. , Di Feo L. del V.
Published: April 2018

Cassava common mosaic disease (CCMD) has been reported in all regions where cassava is grown in the Americas and the causal agent, Cassava common mosaic virus (CsCMV), has been identified as a mechanically transmitted potexvirus (Alphaflexiviridae). In Argentina, cassava is grown mainly in the northeast (NEA) region that shares borders with Brazil and Paraguay. Increasing incidences of CCMD were observed during the years 2014 to 2016 associated with severe leaf mosaic symptoms and yield reductions where the occurrence of CsCMV was confirmed by RT‐PCR and sequencing. In this work, the virus has been successfully purified and a double‐antibody sandwich (DAS‐) ELISA test has been developed from an Argentinean isolate of CsCMV to extend the diagnostics of the disease. A collection of 726 samples was screened and CsCMV was detected with 100% prevalence in the NEA region. Additional co‐infecting viruses were detected in some plants (64.4%); in these, CCMD symptoms correlated with CsCMV only, although more severe symptoms could be observed in mixed infected plants. Sequence analysis of the conserved RdRp domain showed a wider diversity of CsCMV isolates. Interestingly, a separate phylogenetic cluster was formed by isolates from the NEA region that only shared 77.1% to 80.3% nucleotide identity with the other clusters. These results indicate the presence of mixed strains occurring in the NEA region and suggest the presence of geographically distinct strains of CsCMV in South America.
Linking internal and external signals for performance monitoring: An event‐related potential study
Authors: Valt Christian , Sprengeler Mona Katharina , Stürmer Birgit
Published: April 2018

The present study explored the relevance of internal signals for the dynamics of personal and nonpersonal feedback processing. To this end, pairs of participants performed concurrently a choice‐response task and received external signals in four feedback contexts. In two contexts, feedback was informative about the personal performance (personal/private and personal/public); in the other two contexts, instructions suggested that feedback was informative about the other participant's performance (nonpersonal/other) or that it was random (nonpersonal/random). Since personal feedback was contingent on performance, the two contexts with personal feedback allowed a reference between internal and external signals. This reference significantly affected personal feedback processing. On the one hand, in the processing of personal feedback, the feedback‐related negativities (FRNs) evoked by feedback associated with distinctively fast or slow responses were less negative than the FRN elicited by feedback related to responses made with average speed. On the other hand, feedback signals evoked FRNs with similar amplitudes in the two contexts with nonpersonal feedback. Furthermore, personal and nonpersonal feedback elicited ERPs with different strength. Starting with the P2 potential, personal feedback evoked a more positive electrophysiological response than nonpersonal feedback. Based on these results, we conclude that a link between internal and external signals, as for personal feedback, is a key factor influencing the dynamics of feedback processing.
Measuring the Relationship between State Environmental Justice Action and Air Pollution Inequality, 1990–2009
Authors: Bullock Clair , Ard Kerry , Saalman Grace
Published: April 2018

Over 20 years have passed since Executive Order 12898 put environmental justice (EJ) issues on the policy agenda. Since this time, EJ has technically remained a policy priority at all levels of government. However, despite this apparent commitment to EJ, research has shown over the decades after the passage of the Executive Order, we still see persistent trends in inequality of air pollution exposure by race. This begs the question: are EJ policies actually working to create environmentally just outcomes? This article seeks to evaluate this question by examining the impact of state EJ policies on disproportionate exposure to air pollution, with the goal of understanding what types of state actions, if any, are associated with decreases in pollution inequality.
The Role of Technology Centers as Intermediary Organizations Facilitating Links for Innovation: Four Cases of Federal Technology Centers in Mexico
Authors: Stezano Federico
Published: April 2018

This article presents a review of the discussion and debate around the intermediation functions carried out by technology centers (TCs), considered key organizations in the dynamics of national innovation processes based on collaboration between actors. I discuss the organizational roles and R&D strategies assumed by four Mexican TCs within the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) in order to encourage productive cooperation based on technology transfer and knowledge transfer. Grounded on this empirical referent, the present study analyzes critical structural factors in terms of organizational governance schemes, connections with regional innovation dynamics, and the national science‐industry cooperation strategies behind the configuration of the analyzed TCs, which have determined their organizational action profiles.
Incentivising the Social Discounting Task: A Laboratory Experiment
Authors: Booysen Frederik , Munro Alistair , Guvuriro Sevias , Moloi Tshepo , Campher Celeste
Published: April 2018

Incentivising the social discounting task impacts the measurement of altruism in a student population. Incentivised subjects are more altruistic at close social distances, especially subjects who are less altruistic, thus providing evidence of reciprocal altruism. There is also some evidence of hypothetical bias among more altruistically inclined subjects. Making payments real also influences the subject's choice of recipient. Paid subjects select more geographically distant, but psychologically closer subjects, because of prospects for increased anonymity and enforced reciprocity, respectively. Further research is required to verify the robustness of these results, in the laboratory and especially in the field.
Clinical problems in hemodialysis patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Kocyigit Ismail , Eroglu Eray , Gungor Ozkan
Published: April 2018

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common monogenic disease characterized by massive enlargement of fluid‐filled cysts in the kidney. Due to its genetic pattern, the disease differs from other CKD. ADPKD is a multi‐system, progressive disorder which is frequently complicated with hypertension, cardiovascular events and cerebrovascular disease. Thus, there are many clinical problems specific to ADPKD. In this article, we reviewed these clinical problems and their management in ADPKD with hemodialysis patients.
Sample collection and sample handling errors submitted to the transfusion error surveillance system, 2006 to 2015
Authors: Strauss Rachel , Downie Helen , Wilson Ann , Mounchili Aboubaker , Berry Brian , Cserti‐Gazdewich Christine , Callum Jeannie
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

In Canada, transfusion‐related errors are voluntarily reported to a tracking system with the goal to systematically improve transfusion safety. This report provides an analysis of sample collection (SC) and sample handling (SH) errors from this national error‐tracking system.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Errors from 2006 to 2015 from 23 participating sites were extracted. A survey was conducted to obtain information regarding institutional policies. Samples received in the blood bank were used to calculate rates. “Wrong blood in tube” (WBIT) errors are blood taken from wrong patient and labeled with intended patient's information, or blood taken from intended patient but labeled with another patient's information.

RESULTS

A total of 42,363 SC and 14,666 SH errors were reported. Predefined low‐severity (low potential for harm) and high‐severity errors (potential for fatal outcomes) increased from 2006 to 2015 (low SC, SH: 13‐27, 3‐12 per 1000; high SC, SH: 1.9‐3.7, 0.5‐2.0 per 1000). The WBIT rate decreased from 12 to 5.8 per 10,000 between 2006 and 2015 (p < 0.0001). The overall WBIT rate was 6.2 per 10,000, with variability by site (median, 0.3 per 10,000; range, 0‐17 per 10,000). Sites with error detection mechanisms, such as regrouping second sample requirements, had lower error rates than sites that did not (SC, SH: 12, 1 per 1000 samples vs. 17, 3 per 1000 samples; p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

WBIT rates decreased significantly. Low‐severity error rates are climbing likely due to increased ascertainment and reporting. Prevention studies are necessary to inform changes to blood transfusion standards to eliminate these errors.
Superior real‐time polymerase chain reaction detection of Babesia microti parasites in whole blood utilizing high‐copy BMN antigens as amplification targets
Authors: Grabias Bryan , Clement Jean , Krause Peter J. , Lepore Timothy , Kumar Sanjai
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Babesiosis is a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks and caused by apicomplexan parasites, most commonly Babesia microti. Additionally, blood and blood products collected from asymptomatically infected blood donors may cause transfusion‐transmitted infections in recipients. Highly sensitive molecular assays that detect parasite nucleic acid are needed for laboratory diagnosis and to identify and defer clinically silent but parasitemic blood donors.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Here we report the development and analytical and clinical characterization of a real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR)–based assay for the detection of B. microti genomic DNA in whole blood. We evaluate the detection of Babesia parasites using two separate targets, the traditional18S ribosomal subunit gene (Bm18S) and members of the abundant BMN family of seroreactive antigens (BmBMN).

RESULTS

Analytical sensitivity determination using a probit analysis demonstrated an analytical sensitivity of 30.9 parasites/mL for 18S amplification and 10.0 parasites/mL for BMN amplification The BMN primer set also demonstrates superior sensitivity for serial dilution panels prepared from clinically diagnosed Babesia‐infected blood samples, generally detecting 10‐fold more dilute nucleic acid.

CONCLUSIONS

Cumulatively, our data demonstrate that RT‐PCR detection of the BMN family of seroreactive antigens reflects a sensitive and superior assay for the detection of B. microti in whole blood samples.
Primary extracranial nasopharyngeal meningioma in a dog
Authors: Fauchon Emilie , Husson Jean‐Charles , Hernandez Juan , Gomes Eymeric
Published: April 2018

An 8‐year‐old Labrador Retriever was presented for inspiratory efforts with stertor. A rhinoscopy and a magnetic resonance imaging scan were performed and revealed a naso‐pharyngeal mass. The mass was identified in the nasopharynx without meningeal extension. This mass was both T1‐ and T2‐hyperintense, compared to normal brain parenchyma without significant postcontrast enhancement. The mass was surgically removed and the histologic diagnosis was a mesenchymal tumor. Immunohistochemistry with antibodies was conducted and consistent with an extracranial meningioma. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report documenting a primary extracranial nasopharyngeal meningioma in a dog.
The skin microbiome of wound scars and unaffected skin in patients with moderate to severe burns in the subacute phase
Authors: Liu Su‐Hsun , Huang Yhu‐Chering , Chen Leslie Y , Yu Shu‐Chuan , Yu Hsiao‐Yun , Chuang Shiow‐Shuh
Published: April 2018

Although studies on skin microbiome of acute and chronic wounds abound, evidence on newly built microbial communities of subacute wounds remains scant. To characterize the skin microbiome of recently healed (scarred) burn wounds in relation to unaffected skin surfaces, we collected weekly swabs from patients with moderate to severe burns in the 3rd postburn month for 4 weeks in 2015. We performed skin type (moist, dry, and oily)‐matched comparisons within six burn patients (43 pairs of swabs) and with 13 skin‐healthy, control patients (22 pairs of samples) using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing results. Results of comparative microbiome analysis showed that, there were no substantial variations in the microbial abundance (all p > 0.05) or composition (all p > 0.01, adjusted for multiple comparisons) between samples obtained from wound scars and those from unaffected surfaces of burn patients. Nor did we find significant temporal dynamics in microbial richness or diversity in burn samples (all p ≥ 0.05). However, samples from burn patients harbored more Firmicutes (median: 25.6%, interquartile range [IQR]: 14.3%–52.8%) than those of control patients (14.9%, IQR: 6.7%–27.0%; p: 0.016), even after adjusting for host age, sex, and skin type‐matching (p: 0.026). The number of observed bacterial operational taxonomic units at the genus level was reduced in burn patients (median: 62, IRQ: 32–85) as compared to control patients (median: 128, IQR: 112–136; age‐, skin type‐adjusted p < 0.01). Meanwhile, estimates of community diversity and evenness for surveyed body sites of burn patients were higher than those of control patients (all adjusted p ≤ 0.05). With a much‐reduced bacterial burden and a relative overgrowth of Staphylococcus spp., the skin microbiota of burn patients remained dysbiotic in the subacute phase as compared to that of skin‐normal patients.
TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, ORIGINAL SIN, AND THE SIX PROPOSITIONS
Authors: Grumett David , Bentley Paul
Published: April 2018

In 1925, the French Jesuit geologist, paleontologist, and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was removed from his teaching position at the Institut Catholique in Paris. He spent most of the next twenty years in China and his major theological writings were not published during his lifetime. We have uncovered major new archival sources on the investigation of Teilhard by the Jesuit curia and the Holy Office of the Roman Catholic Church. These include the Six Propositions to which he was required to subscribe, which are here published and analyzed for the first time, along with his subscription. Associated correspondence, including a letter written by Teilhard to the Jesuit superior general Wlodimir Ledóchowski, enables a fuller understanding of Teilhard's response to the investigation of him. Moreover, comparison with similar investigations into other theologians in the first half of the 1920s allows an assessment of how the complex power dynamics between the Jesuit curia, the Holy Office, and Pope Pius XI shaped the outcome.
Eccentric exercise increases circulating fibroblast activation protein α but not bioactive fibroblast growth factor 21 in healthy humans
Authors: Parmar Biraj , Lewis Jo E. , Samms Ricardo J. , Ebling Francis J. P. , Cheng Christine C. , Adams Andrew C. , Mallinson Joanne , Cooper Scott , Taylor Tariq , Ghasemi Reza , Stephens Francis B. , Tsintzas Kostas
Published: April 2018

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

The role of FGF21 as an exercise‐induced myokine remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine whether eccentric exercise would augment the release of FGF21 and/or its regulatory enzyme, fibroblast activation protein α (FAP), from skeletal muscle tissue into the systemic circulation of healthy human volunteers.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Eccentric exercise does not release total or bioactive FGF21 from human skeletal muscle. However, exercise releases its regulatory enzyme, FAP, from tissue(s) other than muscle, which might play a role in the inactivation of FGF21.

The primary aim of the investigation was to determine whether eccentric exercise would augment the release of the myokine fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and/or its regulatory enzyme, fibroblast activation protein α (FAP), from skeletal muscle tissue into the systemic circulation of healthy human volunteers. Physically active young healthy male volunteers (age 25.0 ± 10.7 years; body mass index 23.1 ± 7.9 kg m−2) completed three sets of 25 repetitions (with 5 min rest in between) of single‐leg maximal eccentric contractions using their non‐dominant leg, whilst the dominant leg served as a control. Arterialized blood samples from a hand vein and deep venous blood samples from the common femoral vein of the exercised leg, along with blood flow of the superficial femoral artery using Doppler ultrasound, were obtained before and after each exercise bout and every 20 min during the 3 h recovery period. Muscle biopsy samples were taken at baseline, immediately and 3 and 48 h postexercise. The main findings showed that there was no significant increase in total or bioactive FGF21 secreted from skeletal muscle into the systemic circulation in response to exercise. Furthermore, skeletal muscle FGF21 protein content was unchanged in response to exercise. However, there was a significant increase in arterialized and venous FAP concentrations, with no apparent contribution to its release from the exercised leg. These findings raise the possibility that the elevated levels of FAP might play a role in the inactivation of FGF21 during exercise.
Neuroprotection by post‐stroke administration of an oral formulation of angiotensin‐(1–7) in ischaemic stroke
Authors: Bennion Douglas M. , Jones Chad H. , Donnangelo Lauren L. , Graham Justin T. , Isenberg Jacob D. , Dang Alex N. , Rodriguez Vermali , Sinisterra Ruben D. M. , Sousa Frederico B. , Santos Robson A. S. , Sumners Colin
Published: April 2018

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Angiotensin‐(1–7) decreases cerebral infarct volume and improves neurological function when delivered centrally before and during ischaemic stroke. Here, we assessed the neuroprotective effects of angiotensin‐(1–7) when delivered orally post‐stroke.

What is the main finding and its importance?

We show that oral delivery of angiotensin‐(1–7) attenuates cerebral damage induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats, without affecting blood pressure or cerebral blood flow. Importantly, these treatments begin post‐stroke at times coincident with the treatment window for tissue plasminogen activator, providing supporting evidence for clinical translation of this new therapeutic strategy.

As a target for stroke therapies, the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2–angiotensin‐(1–7)–Mas [ACE2/Ang‐(1–7)/Mas] axis of the renin–angiotensin system can be activated chronically to induce neuroprotective effects, in opposition to the deleterious effects of angiotensin II via its type 1 receptor. However, more clinically relevant treatment protocols with Ang‐(1–7) that involve its systemic administration beginning after the onset of ischaemia have not been tested. In this study, we tested systemic post‐stroke treatments using a molecule where Ang‐(1–7) is included within hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin [HPβCD–Ang‐(1–7)] as an orally bioavailable treatment. In three separate protocols, HPβCD–Ang‐(1–7) was administered orally to Sprague–Dawley rats after induction of ischaemic stroke by endothelin‐1‐induced middle cerebral artery occlusion: (i) to assess its effects on cerebral damage and behavioural deficits; (ii) to determine its effects on cardiovascular parameters; and (iii) to determine whether it altered cerebral blood flow. The results indicate that post‐stroke oral administration of HPβCD–Ang‐(1–7) resulted in 25% reductions in cerebral infarct volumes and improvement in neurological functions (P < 0.05), without inducing any alterations in blood pressure, heart rate or cerebral blood flow. In conclusion, Ang‐(1–7) treatment using an oral formulation after the onset of ischaemia induces significant neuroprotection in stroke and might represent a viable approach for taking advantage of the protective ACE2/Ang‐(1–7)/Mas axis in this disease.
Opciones terapéuticas frente a especies de Candida resistentes a las equinocandinas
Authors: Cortés Hidalgo Andrea Patricia , Roa Dueñas Oscar Hernando , Méndez Fandiño Yardany Rafael , Álvarez Moreno Carlos Arturo
Published: April 2018

Introducción: La infección por levaduras del género Candida representa la causa más común de infecciones fúngicas invasivas. Su alta incidencia y la creciente resistencia frente a los azoles y, recientemente, a las equinocandinas ha generado la necesidad de buscar nuevas alternativas farmacológicas. Esta revisión presenta las principales alternativas farmacológicas en estudio frente a Candida resistente a equinocandinas. Métodos: Se buscó literatura referente al tema en las bases de datos Bireme, Clinical Key, Embase, Cochrane, Lilacs, Pubmed y Scopus. Se incluyeron 15 artículos en esta revisión. Resultados: Se exploran diferentes alternativas, incluyendo el aumento de dosis de las equinocandinas, su combinación con otros medicamentos y nuevos compuestos en estudio. Conclusión: A pesar de que las infecciones por Candida resistente a equinocandinas aún representan un desafío, dos alternativas farmacológicas se presentan como promisorias: la combinación con medicamentos existentes como el diclofenaco y nuevos compuestos que se encuentran actualmente en fase II de estudios clínicos.

 
Translocación rob(13; 15) (q10; q10): a propósito de un caso
Authors: Guapi Nauñay Victor Hugo , De La Cruz Jiménez Griselda Josefina , Mera Bastidas Sandra Patricia
Published: April 2018

Introducción: La translocación robertsoniana se define como la fusión de dos cromosomas acrocéntricos no homólogos, con una frecuencia de un caso por cada 1.000 recién nacidos. Caso clínico: Mujer de 31 años de edad, con 6 abortos. Gesta 1: hija de 12 años de edad, con ausencia de dismorfias. Terminaron en abortos espontáneos antes de las 12 primeras semanas de gestación desde la gesta 2, 11 años atrás, hasta la gesta 7, ocurrida en el año de la consulta. Con estudio citogenético que reporta 45, XX, rob(13;15) (q10;q10). Conclusión: El portador de una translocación robertsoniana entre los cromosomas 13;15 conduce a la pérdida precoz del embarazo o al nacimiento de un neonato con múltiples defectos.
Gas modulation refractometry for high-precision assessment of pressure under non-temperature-stabilized conditions
Authors: Silander Isak , Hausmaninger Thomas , Zelan Martin , Axner Ove
Published: April 2018

The authors report on the realization of a novel methodology for refractometry—GAs modulation refractometry (GAMOR)—that decreases the influence of drifts in Fabry Perot cavity refractometry. The instrumentation is based on a dual Fabry-Perot cavity refractometer in which the beat frequency between the light fields locked to two different cavities, one measurement and one reference cavity, is measured. The GAMOR methodology comprises a process in which the measurement cavity sequentially is filled and evacuated while the reference cavity is constantly evacuated. By performing beat frequency measurements both before and after the finite-pressure measurement, zero point references are periodically created. This opens up for high precision refractometry under nontemperature-stabilized conditions. A first version of an instrumentation based on the GAMOR methodology has been realized and its basic performance has been scrutinized. The refractometer consists of a Zerodur cavity-block and tunable narrow linewidth fiber lasers operating within the C34 communication channel (i.e., around 1.55 μm) at which there are a multitude of fiber coupled off-the-shelf optical, electro-optic, and acousto-optic components. The system is fully computer controlled, which implies it can perform unattended gas assessments over any foreseeable length of time. When applied to a system with no active temperature stabilization, the GAMOR methodology has demonstrated a 3 orders of magnitude improvement of the precision with respect to conventional static detection. When referenced to a dead weight pressure scale the instrumentation has demonstrated assessment of pressures in the kilo-Pascal range (4303 and 7226 Pa) limited by white noise with standard deviations in the 3.2N−1/2–3.5N−1/2 mPa range, where N is the number of measurement cycles (each being 100 s long). For short measurement times (up to around 103 s), the system exhibits a (1σ) total relative precision of 0.7 (0.5) ppm for assessment of pressures in the 4 kPa region and 0.5 (0.4) ppm for pressures around 7 kPa, where the numbers in parentheses represent the part of the total noise that has been attributed to the refractometer. As long as the measurement procedure is performed over short time scales, the inherent properties of the GAMOR methodology allow for high precision assessments by the use of instrumentation that is not actively temperature stabilized or systems that are affected by outgassing or leaks. They also open up for a variety of applications within metrology; e.g., transfer of calibration and characterization of pressure gauges, including piston gauges.
Focused ultrasound for modulation of the central and peripheral nervous system
Authors: Konofagou Elisa
Published: April 2018

Noninvasive neuromodulation has been the preferred option of neurological treatment but noninvasive approaches fall short when it comes to depth penetration. Ultrasound modulation has been shown feasible in several species including humans both in vitro and in vivo. In this paper, an overview of our group’s ultrasound neuromodulation in both the central (CNS) and the peripheral (PNS) nervous systems will be provided. In CNS, both motor- and sensory-related responses have been elicited in mice in vivo both in ipsilateral and contralateral limbs and pupils, respectively. The success are was highly correlated with the applied intensity and pressure in both the limb movement and ocular changes. The brain regions targeted were the somatosensory and visual cortex for the limb movement and the superior colliculus and locus coeruleus for the pupil dilation. In PNS, stimulation and inhibition of the sciatic nerve with FUS was elicited at different ultrasound parameters in vivo. Displacement of the nerve highly correlated with the elicited motor response. The success rate also correlated with higher intensities. Histology confirmed safety while temperature elevation was more correlated with inhibitory responses.
Electroacoustic and behavioral evaluation of an open source audio processing platform
Authors: Rasetshwane Daniel M. , Kopun Judy G. , McCreery Ryan W. , Neely Stephen T. , Brennan Marc A. , Audette William , Clavier Odile
Published: April 2018

Hearing-aid (HA) research in academia is limited by the lack of wearable, reconfigurable, and reprogrammable audio processing platforms. We are developing such a platform, called the Tympan, which includes a Teensy 3.6 processor board that leverages the Arduino development environment while providing powerful computational capabilities. Custom-designed electronics are used for audio control, power management, and wireless communication. User-friendly software can be used to test the relative benefits of amplification variants. Users can also implement new algorithms and modify parameters of algorithms. This study evaluated an eight-channel HA implemented on the Tympan, relative to a commercially available HA. Gain was prescribed using NAL-NL1. Eighteen participants with hearing loss were tested. Electroacoustic tests included ANSI 3.22-2009 standard clinical measurements, the HA speech perception index, and the HA speech quality index. Behavioral tests included recognition of CASPA words in quiet and AzBio sentences in noise. The Tympan HA performed similar to the commercially-available HA on all tasks. Efforts are ongoing to miniaturize the Tympan hardware, increase flexibility of the software, and add features such as feedback management. The collaborative development and open sharing of algorithms facilitated by the Tympan will lead to advances in HA research and in other audio signal processing fields.
Open-source speech-processing platforms: An application example
Authors: Boothroyd Arthur , Garudadri Harinath , Hobbs Gregory
Published: April 2018

Speedy assessment of frequency-importance functions for a variety of speech materials is possible with an Open-source Speech-Processing (OSP) platform. One such platform is that developed at the University of California San Diego. It provides real-time, six-band, processing of microphone input from ear-level transducer assemblies. This platform was used to provide normative data on a new consonant-contrast test developed for use in studies of hearing-aid self-fitting. Performance of young normally hearing adults was measured under various conditions of low-pass filtering. Because the UCSD system includes two sets of filters whose center and crossover frequencies differ by half an octave, it was possible to test with cut-off frequencies at half-octave intervals from 250 through 8000 Hz. Group mean composite contrast score, after correction for chance, fell to around 50% at a (6 dB) cut-off frequency of 660 Hz. With a cut-off frequency of 1 kHz, group-mean contrast scores were in the region of 30 to 35% for place and clustering, 70% for continuance, and over 90% for voicing. Determining the frequency-importance functions of various speech materials and speech features is just one example of the potential value of OSPs in hearing-science and hearing-aid research.
Smartphone as a research platform for hearing study and hearing aid applications
Authors: Panahi Issa M. S. , Kehtarnavaz Nasser , Thibodeau Linda
Published: April 2018

Smartphones are widely available and used by many people. Portability, processing power and useful features of smartphone, such as audio input/output and wire/wireless connectivity, offer unique opportunity to use smartphone as an open source research platform capable of implementing in real time many computationally intensive adaptive signal processing algorithms aimed at improving hearing study and hearing aid applications. In this paper, we present an overview of several adaptive algorithms developed for classifying the background noise, suppressing the noise, and enhancing the speech in different noisy environments. The proposed algorithms for hearing aid applications can run on existing smartphones such as the Android-based and iOS-based smartphones in real time. Objective and subjective test results are presented illustrating the performance of proposed algorithms running on smartphones in real time.