bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thymoquinone suppresses platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB–induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration and neointimal formation
Authors: Zhu Ning , Xiang Yijia , Zhao Xuyong , Cai Changhong , Chen Hao , Jiang Wenbing , Wang Yi , Zeng Chunlai
Published: October 2019

The excessive proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are mainly responsible for vascular occlusion diseases, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension and restenosis. Our previous study demonstrated thymoquinone (TQ) attenuated monocrotaline‐induced pulmonary arterial hypertension. The aim of the present study is to systematically examine inhibitory effects of TQ on platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB (PDGF‐BB)–induced proliferation and migration of VSMCs in vitro and neointimal formation in vivo and elucidate the potential mechanisms. Vascular smooth muscle cells were isolated from the aorta in rats. Cell viability and proliferation were measured in VSMCs using the MTT assay. Cell migration was detected by wound healing assay and Transwell assay. Alpha‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) and Ki‐67‐positive cells were examined by immunofluorescence staining. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry and terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase–mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining, respectively. Molecules including the mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis factors, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), PTEN/AKT and mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were determined by Western blot. Neointimal formation was induced by ligation in male Sprague Dawley rats and evaluated by HE staining. Thymoquinone inhibited PDGF‐BB–induced VSMC proliferation and the increase in α‐SMA and Ki‐67‐positive cells. Thymoquinone also induced apoptosis via mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis pathway and p38MAPK. Thymoquinone blocked VSMC migration by inhibiting MMP2. Finally, TQ reversed neointimal formation induced by ligation in rats. Thus, TQ is a potential candidate for the prevention and treatment of occlusive vascular diseases.
Mutual Funds that Borrow
Authors: Warburton A. Joseph , Simkovic Michael
Published: October 2019

Securities laws prohibit open‐end mutual funds from borrowing more than one‐third of their capital structure because of concerns that too much borrowing may harm investors. This is the first article to examine the performance of open‐end funds that borrow money within these permissible limits. We construct a database from annual filings of open‐end domestic equity mutual funds covering 17 years from 2000 to 2016. Eighteen percent of funds borrowed money for leverage within that time. We find that borrowing funds underperform their nonborrowing peers by 62 basis points per year on a total return basis, while also incurring greater risk. After accommodating for the greater risk taking, we find that borrowers underperform by 48 to 72 basis points annually. By contrast, funds that use derivatives and other financial instruments perform about as well as unlevered mutual funds, before and after adjusting for risk, and with less volatility. This suggests that many mutual funds use derivatives to hedge risk rather than as a substitute for leverage through the capital structure. Thus borrowing may present a greater risk than derivatives, which have received more attention than borrowing. Fund investors and regulators would benefit from greater transparency into mutual fund capital structure.
Koi herpesvirus and carp oedema virus: Infections and coinfections during mortality events of wild common carp in the United States
Authors: Padhi Soumesh K. , Tolo Isaiah , McEachran Margaret , Primus Alexander , Mor Sunil K. , Phelps Nicholas B. D.
Published: October 2019

Koi herpesvirus (KHV; cyprinid herpesvirus‐3) and carp oedema virus (CEV) are important viruses of common and koi carp (Cyprinus carpio); however, the distribution of these viruses in wild common carp in North America is largely unknown. During the summers of 2017 and 2018, 27 mass mortalities of common carp were reported from four states in the USA (Minnesota, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin), the majority of which were distributed across eight major watersheds in southern Minnesota. Samples from 22 of these mortality events and from five clinically healthy nearby carp populations were screened for KHV, CEV and SVCV using real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). KHV was confirmed in 13 mortality events, CEV in two mortality events and coinfections of KHV/CEV in four mortality events. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the KHV and CEV detected here are closely related to European lineages of these viruses. While molecular detection alone cannot conclusively link either virus with disease, the cases described here expand the known range of two important viruses. This is also the first reported detection of KHV and CEV coinfections in wild carp populations.
Classification of oolong tea varieties based on hyperspectral imaging technology and BOSS‐LightGBM model
Authors: Ge Xiao , Sun Jun , Lu Bing , Chen Quansheng , Xun Wei , Jin Yanting
Published: October 2019

A fast and nondestructive detection method based on hyperspectral imaging technology (HSI) was investigated in this study to discriminate different oolong tea varieties. Five varieties of oolong tea were taken as the research object. Multiplicative scatter correction was used to reduce the influence of noise in the raw spectra. Then competitive adaptive reweighted sampling and bootstrapping soft shrinkage (BOSS) were applied, respectively, to select characteristic wavelengths. Extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM) were individually utilized to establish classification models. Finally, the BOSS‐LightGBM model for discriminating tea varieties achieved the best performance, with the accuracy of 100% in the training set and 97.33% in the prediction set. Therefore, it is feasible to use HSI technology coupled with the BOSS‐LightGBM model for the classification of oolong tea varieties.

Practical applications

Tieguanyin tea is a high value commodity in the tea market. Replacing Tieguanyin tea with cheaper oolong tea varieties is a common way utilized by illegal traders to maximize profit. Traditional methods for identifying tea varieties are time‐consuming and destructive, and are thus unable to meet the requirements of modern agriculture. In this study, hyperspectral imaging technology (HSI) was applied to realize the fast and nondestructive detection of tea varieties. The final results show that using HSI technology to discriminate different oolong tea varieties is feasible, and also provide a theoretical basis for the design of a portable tea variety detection device.
Performance evaluation of developed low‐temperature grinding mill
Authors: Shelake Pramod S. , Dabhi Mukesh N. , Sabat Mousumi , Rathod Pankaj J.
Published: October 2019

The performance evaluation of the developed low‐temperature grinding mill was carried out on the basis of temperature inside the grinding chamber at the end of grinding, flour temperature, and time of grinding; while aiming to minimize the milling loss. Turmeric powder ground at low temperature was analyzed on the basis of volatile oil, protein, carbohydrates, moisture, fat, and ash content and compared with that of turmeric ground at ambient temperature (control treatment). It was found that low‐temperature ground turmeric contains more volatile oil, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Volatile oil analysis of the control treatment and the best between all treatments were carried out using GC–MS. Major compounds, namely ar‐curcumene, ar‐tumerone, γ‐curcumene, and monoterpenes, present in volatile oil were retained in low temperature ground turmeric sample that were not found in the sample of control treatment.

Practical Applications

This low‐temperature grinding mill operates efficiently with less cost as compared to other existing low temperature grinding technologies while maintaining the nutritional quality, aroma, and flavor of the product.
Estimating cadmium content in lettuce leaves based on deep brief network and hyperspectral imaging technology
Authors: Sun Jun , Wu Minmin , Hang Yingying , Lu Bing , Wu Xiaohong , Chen Quansheng
Published: October 2019

Cadmium is a big threat to human health, so it is necessary to find adaptable methods to detect the cadmium content in vegetables. This study was conducted to estimate cadmium content in lettuce leaves using hyperspectral imaging system in the range of 431–961 nm covering 618 bands. Then a total of 1,260 average spectral data was calculated from region of interest (ROI). Afterwards, deep brief network (DBN) optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) was proposed to predict cadmium content in lettuce leaves. Besides, traditional models such as “support vector regression based on successive projections algorithm” (SPA–SVR) were also established as comparison. Finally, results shown that PSO–DBN model had the optimal performance with Rp2 = 0.9234, RMSEP = 0.5423 mg/kg, RPDp = 3.5894 for cadmium content prediction. Therefore, it is possible to realize rapid and nondestructive detection of cadmium content in lettuce leaves by the combination of hyperspectral imaging technology and deep brief network.

Practical Application

Lettuce is easy to absorb heavy metals from the environment. Using hyperspectral imaging technology combined with deep brief network can realize the detection of cadmium content in lettuce leaves quickly and effectively. This work can provide an effective analysis method for study on heavy metal in vegetables.
Comment on Low‐Value Prostate Cancer Screening among Older Men within the Veterans Health Administration
Authors: Shah Navin , Ioffe Vladimir
Published: October 2019

See the Reply by Radomski and Gellad
Identifying older people at risk of malnutrition and treatment in the community: prevalence and concurrent validation of the Patients Association Nutrition Checklist with ‘MUST’
Authors: Murphy J. L. , Aburrow A. , Guestini A. , Brown R. , Parsons E. , Wallis K.
Published: October 2019

Background

Despite policy guidance and quality standards, the majority of older adults with or at risk of malnutrition living in the community still remain under‐detected and under‐treated by health and social care professionals. The present study aimed to evaluate the concurrent validity of the Patients Association Nutrition Checklist against the ‘Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool’ (‘MUST’).

Methods

This cross‐sectional study involved 312 older adults recruited from 21 lunch and social groups. All participants were screened as per standard methodology for ‘MUST’. For the Patients Association Nutrition Checklist, they provided information about signs of unintentional weight loss in the past 3–6 months, experiencing loss of appetite or interest in eating. Chance‐corrected agreement (κ) was assessed.

Results

Mean (SD) age of participants was 79.6 (8.3) years and body mass index was 27.8 (5.6) kg m–2. The majority (n = 197; 63%) were living alone. Using ‘MUST’, the overall prevalence of malnutrition was 9.9% (n = 31) comprising 6.7% at medium risk and 3.2% at high risk. There were 21.8% of participants (n = 68) rated at risk of overall malnutrition by the Patients Association Nutrition Checklist. Moderate agreement was observed between the two tools (κ = 0.47, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The Patients Association Nutrition Checklist has potential for early identification of malnutrition risk, attributed to unintentional weight loss and appetite changes with signposting to basic dietary advice and appropriate support. Further work is required to understand how this tool could be effectively used by stakeholders including volunteers, community workers and home care staff.
Cultural Determinants of Household Saving Behavior
Authors: FUCHS‐SCHÜNDELN NICOLA , MASELLA PAOLO , PAULE‐PALUDKIEWICZ HANNAH
Published: October 2019

Relying on the epidemiological approach, we show that culture is a significant driver of household saving behavior. Second‐generation immigrants from countries that put strong emphasis on thrift or wealth accumulation tend to save more in Germany. We confirm these results in data from the United Kingdom. By linking parents to their children, we show that these two cultural components affect the saving behavior of both first‐generation immigrants and their children.
Challenges, Coping, and Resilience Among Immigrant Parents Caring for a Child With a Disability: An Integrative Review
Authors: Alsharaydeh Ethar A. , Alqudah Muhammad , Lee Regina Lai Tong , Chan Sally Wai-Chi
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The aim of this integrative review is to synthesize quantitative and qualitative research evidence on challenges in caring for a child with a disability among immigrant parents and to understand their coping strategies and resiliency factors associated with their coping.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies from the following databases: MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, PsycINFO, Social work abstract, Cochrane library, and EMBASE.

Findings

This review included 25 studies: 1 quantitative, 23 qualitative, and 1 narrative review. The main challenges that parents faced were language barriers, financial hardships, service utilization challenges, poor adaptation to new culture, stigma related to mental illness, discrimination, and social isolation. This review found poor communication and lack of cultural awareness among some healthcare professionals. Immigrant parents used problem‐focused coping, avoidance coping, spiritual coping, and social support to manage their challenges. Parents who received social, emotional, and instrumental support were more resilient. Personality traits and faith were protective factors that enhanced resilience.

Conclusions

When immigration and disability are considered concurrently, the burden of care multiplies. Immigrant parents with children who have disabilities faced extra challenges related to adaptation, finance, service utilization, and stigma. Healthcare providers can play an important role in aiding these parents in service utilization and adaptation.

Significance

This review adds new knowledge on immigrant parents’ challenges in caring for their children with disabilities. Such knowledge could help health professionals to develop supportive interventions to enhance parental coping and resilience.

Clinical Relevance

Culturally appropriate and sensitive communication and care provided by healthcare providers can facilitate service utilization and reduce perceived stigma. Special training provided to healthcare providers regarding the challenges of these families may enhance awareness. Information support and parental support groups may help to enhance parental coping and reduce isolation. An interpreting service should be provided in all aspects of care.
Influence of mastitis metritis agalactia (MMA) on bone and fat metabolism
Authors: Karst Niklas A. , Sidler Xaver , Liesegang Annette
Published: October 2019

Mastitis metritis agalactia (MMA) is a common disease in post‐partum sows and has a negative effect on sows’ longevity as well as on sows’ and piglets’ health. MMA leads to an inflammatory state. The aim was to investigate the impact of MMA on bone and fat metabolism. The hypothesis was that it is possible to predict MMA by measuring ketone bodies and bone markers. Blood samples from 175 sows were taken within 72 hr after farrowing. Serum was analysed for 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐(OH)‐D), serum crosslaps (CTX‐I), osteocalcin (OC), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), parathyroid hormone (PTH), triglycerides (TG), beta‐hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and haptoglobin. Spontaneous urine was collected, and pH value was measured in addition to Ca and P. A proximate analysis of the sows’ diets was performed. Age, litter size, body condition score (BCS) and clinical signs of MMA were recorded for each sow. A multivariable logistic regression was undertaken with disease status (MMA or healthy) as the dependent variable. Significance was accepted at p < .05. MMA sows had a poorer BCS (p < .001) in relation to healthy sows. Age and number of piglets did not differ. MMA sows showed increased serum CTX‐I (p = .004) and decreased serum OC (p < .001). Concentrations of P (p = .007), activity of ALP (p = .002) and BHB (p = .019) as well as TNF‐α (p < .001) and haptoglobin (p = .048) concentrations were increased in MMA sows. No difference in urinary pH value between MMA and healthy sows was found. Our results are in accordance with the known fact that sows are in an extreme catabolic state peripartum. Bone metabolism in MMA sows is much more negatively affected than in healthy sows post‐partum, due to inflammatory processes shown by higher concentrations of pro‐inflammatory cytokines.
Angiosperm to Gymnosperm host‐plant switch entails shifts in microbiota of theWelwitschiabug,Probergrothius angolensis(Distant, 1902)
Authors: Martinez Adam Javier , Onchuru Thomas Ogao , Ingham Chantal Selina , Sandoval‐Calderón Mario , Salem Hassan , Deckert Jürgen , Kaltenpoth Martin
Published: October 2019

The adaptation of herbivorous insects to new host plants is key to their evolutionary success in diverse environments. Many insects are associated with mutualistic gut bacteria that contribute to the host's nutrition and can thereby facilitate dietary switching in polyphagous insects. However, how gut microbial communities differ between populations of the same species that feed on different host plants remains poorly understood. Most species of Pyrrhocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) are specialist seed‐feeders on plants in the family Malvaceae, although populations of one species,Probergrothius angolensis, have switched to the very distantly relatedWelwitschia mirabilisplant in the Namib Desert. We first compared the development and survival of laboratory populations ofPr. angolensiswith two other pyrrhocorids on seeds ofWelwitschiaand found onlyPr. angolensiswas capable of successfully completing its development. We then collectedPr. angolensisin Namibia from Malvaceae andWelwitschiahost plants, respectively, to assess their bacterial and fungal community profiles using high‐throughput amplicon sequencing. Comparison with long‐term laboratory‐reared insects indicated stable associations ofPr. angolensiswith core bacteria (Commensalibacter,Enterococcus,BartonellaandKlebsiella), but not with fungi or yeasts. Phylogenetic analyses of core bacteria revealed relationships to other insect‐associated bacteria, but also found new taxa indicating potential host‐specialized nutritional roles. Importantly, the microbial community profiles of bugs feeding onWelwitschiaversus Malvaceae revealed stark and consistent differences in the relative abundance of core bacterial taxa that correlate with the host‐plant switch; we were able to reproduce this result through feeding experiments. Thus, a dynamic gut microbiota may provide a means for insect adaptation to new host plants in new environments when food plants are extremely divergent.
Geometric cues forecast the switch from two‐ to three‐dimensional growth in Physcomitrella patens
Authors: Tang Han , Duijts Kilian , Bezanilla Magdalena , Scheres Ben , Vermeer Joop E. M. , Willemsen Viola
Published: October 2019

During land colonization, plants acquired a range of body plan adaptations, of which the innovation of three‐dimensional (3D) tissues increased organismal complexity and reproductivity. In the moss, Physcomitrella patens, a 3D leafy gametophore originates from filamentous cells that grow in a two‐dimensional (2D) plane through a series of asymmetric cell divisions. Asymmetric cell divisions that coincide with different cell division planes and growth directions enable the developmental switch from 2D to 3D, but insights into the underlying mechanisms coordinating this switch are still incomplete.

Using 2D and 3D imaging and image segmentation, we characterized two geometric cues, the width of the initial cell and the angle of the transition division plane, which sufficiently distinguished a gametophore initial cell from a branch initial cell. These identified cues were further confirmed in gametophore formation mutants.

The identification of a fluorescent marker allowed us to successfully predict the gametophore initial cell with > 90% accuracy before morphological changes, supporting our hypothesis that, before the transition division, parental cells of the gametophore initials possess different properties from those of the branch initials.

Our results suggest that the cell fate decision of the initial cell is determined in the parental cell, before the transition division.
The Impact of Terrorism on Social Capital: Evidence from the 2015 Charlie Hebdo Paris Shooting
Authors: McCoy Shawn J. , McDonough Ian K. , Roychowdhury Punarjit
Published: October 2019

We examine the impact of terrorism on social capital by exploiting variation in the 2014 European Social Survey administration dates coupled with the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, France. Using the difference‐in‐differences estimator, we find that the attack had a positive, causal impact on the overall level of social capital among French respondents. Further, the effect seems to be driven by an increase in institutional and interpersonal trust, as well as by engagement in social networks. This rise in social capital peaks in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack but subsequently decays to pre‐attack levels within approximately one month.
Associations of prenatal or infant exposure to acetaminophen or ibuprofen with mid‐childhood executive function and behaviour
Authors: Rifas‐Shiman Sheryl L. , Cardenas Andres , Hivert Marie‐France , Tiemeier Henning , Bertoldi Andrea D. , Oken Emily
Published: October 2019

Background

Over‐the‐counter analgesics during pregnancy or infancy may be related to neurobehavioural problems in children, but little is known about effects of different analgesic types, dosage, and timing.

Objectives

Examine associations of acetaminophen and ibuprofen use during pregnancy and infancy with executive function and behaviour problems in children.

Methods

We included 1225 mother‐child pairs from Project Viva, a pre‐birth cohort study. We assessed prenatal acetaminophen and ibuprofen use in early and mid‐pregnancy and infant use in the first year of life using questionnaires. Parents and classroom teachers assessed child behaviours in mid‐childhood (median 8 years), using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), with higher scores indicating worse functioning for both. We examined associations of acetaminophen and ibuprofen use during pregnancy and infancy with mid‐childhood neurobehavioural outcomes using linear regression models adjusted for potential confounders.

Results

During pregnancy, 46.1% of mothers used acetaminophen ≥10 times and 18.4% used any ibuprofen. In the first year, 65.3% and 39.6% of infants received acetaminophen and ibuprofen ≥6 times, respectively. Higher (≥10 vs <10 times) prenatal acetaminophen (β 1.64 points; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59, 2.68) and any ibuprofen (β 1.56, 95% CI 0.19, 2.92) were associated with higher parent‐rated BRIEF global scores. Patterns of association were linear across categories and were similar for other parent‐ and teacher‐rated outcomes. Infancy exposure (≥6 vs <6 times) to acetaminophen (β 1.69, 95% CI 0.51, 2.87) and ibuprofen (β 1.40, 95% CI 0.25, 2.55) were associated with higher parent‐rated BRIEF GEC scores but associations with teacher‐rated scores were weaker.

Conclusions

Prenatal and early‐life exposure to acetaminophen and ibuprofen were associated with poorer executive function and behaviour in childhood. These findings highlight the need for further research on the mechanisms through which analgesics may act on fetal and child brain development.
The future of sleep‐disordered breathing: Looking beyond the horizon
Authors: Naughton Matthew T. , Cistulli Peter A. , de Chazal Philip
Published: October 2019

Find the whole series here
Differences and similarities in scope of practice between registered nurses and nurse specialists in emergency care: an interview study
Authors: Boman Erika , Levy‐Malmberg Rika , Fagerström Lisbeth
Published: October 2019

Background

Wide variation exists between the nursing competence requirements seen in the emergency care context and the subsequent design of nursing education programmes. Clarifying nursing roles and scope of practice may shed light on inconsistencies and encourage nurses to work to their full potential.

Aim

Describe and clarify the overarching similarities and differences in registered nurses’ and nurse specialists’ scope of practice in emergency departments.

Methods

A qualitative study performed in Finland and Norway, based on 11 interviews analysed by means of qualitative content analysis.

Results

The results are presented in three main categories related to nurses’ scope of practice:The nurses share the same role, Competence variesandSame accountability and responsibility, with potential for development of the specialist role.

Discussion

Given the varying educational systems that currently exist, management teams face a more or less impossible task if attempting to standardise the scope of practice for different professional nurse groups. Still, nurse specialists possess competence that could be utilised to improve patient care and some specialisations seem more suitable for emergency care than others. Individual skills and qualifications should be recognised, which would enable nurses to work to their full potential.

Conclusion and implications

No differences were seen between registered nurses’ and nurse specialists’ role, and professional accountability and responsibilities in the context studied here, although the level of nursing competence differed. Before and even after consensus on uniform competence standards for the different professional nurse groups is reached, management teams should invest in reviewing nurses’ competence in relation to different expertise levels, and strategically recruit so that current health needs in the emergency departments can be met.
Putting life on hold: lived experiences of people with obesity
Authors: Haga Britt Marit , Furnes Bodil , Dysvik Elin , Ueland Venke
Published: October 2019

Obesity presents challenges in everyday life, one of which involves the existential aspects of living life as a person with obesity. There is a need for understanding the existential experiences, but there is limited in‐depth research about these experiences of people with obesity. The aim of this study was to gain deeper insight into the existential experiences of people dealing with obesity. We performed a qualitative study that included in‐depth interviews with seven men and 14 women with obesity (body mass index ≥ 35 kg/m2) aged 18–59 years. The study took a phenomenological–hermeneutic approach in which the participants’ own experiences formed the basis for understanding their lifeworld. The lived experiences of people dealing with obesity were characterised by several existential challenges. One overarching theme—Putting life on hold when struggling with obesity—was developed based on three themes: The body as an impediment to living the desired life, to being oneself and to moving on in life. These findings illustrate the complex existential experience of life, body and existence faced by people dealing with obesity. Based on these findings, we discuss whether people with obesity who experience ‘putting life on hold’ are attuned to live their life to the fullest in some areas. Their embodied experiences seem to challenge them to experience the joy of life, to appear as a whole self and to live life in the moment. Reflecting on obesity in the context of life and life phenomena seems to provide deeper insights into the existence of people living with obesity and may help to advance a more comprehensive approach in obesity health care.
The Performance of Occupational Closure: The Case of Agriculture and Gender
Authors: Shortall Sally , McKee Annie , Sutherland Lee‐Ann
Published: October 2019

It is generally accepted that gendered occupational closure is a thing of the past and the inequalities that women now experience in the labour market are due to segregation and segmentation of employment. In this article it is argued that agriculture still displays gendered occupational closure. Previous research has considered structural closure, focusing on patrilineal inheritance and exclusion from farming organizations. Here structural exclusion is considered, but more attention is paid to the interactional processes of occupational closure. Consideration is given to symbolic interaction, non‐verbal communication, exclusionary tactics and language. How the dominant group justify their actions is considered along with the justification sometimes offered by the subordinate group. How structure and agency intertwine is considered alongside how change occurs. The research is based on qualitative interviews and focus groups conducted in Scotland. The article concludes that change does and has occurred, but the rate of change in agriculture remains low because of processes of gendered structural and interactional social closure.
Design my Doctor: a student‐led intervention
Authors: Nolan Helen Anne , Pocknell Sarah , Berlin Anita , Mathew Rashmi , Bourkiza Rabia , Lasker Rumana , Chowdhury Haleema , Shamsad Sabina
Published: October 2019

Many opportunities for patient and public involvement already exist in medical education. Current approaches may not fully harness the educational potential of the patient voice, so it appears that new approaches are worth exploring. This article, co‐written by students and faculty members, describes an educational initiative in which medical students had opportunistic conversations with randomly selected members of the public to explore their priorities regarding health care.

Methods

The ‘Design my Doctor’ project enabled medical students to hear participants’ spontaneous responses to the question ‘What should our medical school teach your future doctors?’ Students experienced the unfiltered patient voice. The 183 responses were recorded in writing, and on video, and were analysed using the nominal group technique. The themes focused on the health care priorities of members of the public.

Results

Themes from the public data included ‘interpersonal qualities’, ‘empowering patients’, ‘medical knowledge’ and the ‘health system’. Student reflective pieces showed how powerful hearing first‐hand unfiltered feedback can be. Engagement in collecting and interpreting data enhanced the significance of the content and the process for the learners. Students realised that ‘medical knowledge’, although important, was not the overriding priority for patients. Students identified specific areas for future application and considered how it could be incorporated systematically into their programme. Discussion:As medical educators, we can use interventions like ‘Design my Doctor’ to facilitate and support students to proactively seek and reflect on patient feedback.
The formation of perinucleolar bodies is important for normal leaf development and requires the zinc‐finger DNA‐binding motif in Arabidopsis ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2
Authors: Luo Lilan , Ando Sayuri , Sakamoto Yuki , Suzuki Takanori , Takahashi Hiro , Ishibashi Nanako , Kojima Shoko , Kurihara Daisuke , Higashiyama Tetsuya , Yamamoto Kotaro T. , Matsunaga Sachihiro , Machida Chiyoko , Sasabe Michiko , Machida Yasunori
Published: October 2019

In Arabidopsis, the ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2 (AS2) protein plays a key role in the formation of flat symmetric leaves via direct repression of the abaxial gene ETT/ARF3. AS2 encodes a plant‐specific nuclear protein that contains the AS2/LOB domain, which includes a zinc‐finger (ZF) motif that is conserved in the AS2/LOB family. We have shown that AS2 binds to the coding DNA of ETT/ARF3, which requires the ZF motif. AS2 is co‐localized with AS1 in perinucleolar bodies (AS2 bodies). To identify the amino acid signals in AS2 required for formation of AS2 bodies and function(s) in leaf formation, we constructed recombinant DNAs that encoded mutant AS2 proteins fused to yellow fluorescent protein. We examined the subcellular localization of these proteins in cells of cotyledons and leaf primordia of transgenic plants and cultured cells. The amino acid signals essential for formation of AS2 bodies were located within and adjacent to the ZF motif. Mutant AS2 that failed to form AS2 bodies also failed to rescue the as2‐1 mutation. Our results suggest the importance of the formation of AS2 bodies and the nature of interactions of AS2 with its target DNA and nucleolar factors including NUCLEOLIN1. The partial overlap of AS2 bodies with perinucleolar chromocenters with condensed ribosomal RNA genes implies a correlation between AS2 bodies and the chromatin state. Patterns of AS2 bodies in cells during interphase and mitosis in leaf primordia were distinct from those in cultured cells, suggesting that the formation and distribution of AS2 bodies are developmentally modulated in plants.
Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Calcium Homeostasis and Bone Health With Aging: A Systematic Review
Authors: Liu Yang , Zhao Yajie , Yang Yajun , Wang Zhiwen
Published: October 2019

Background

Calcium homeostasis and bone health are an increasing concern for middle‐aged and older adults. Many studies have explored the positive effects of probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics on serum calcium and bone mineral density (BMD) or other parameters related to bone health. However, the participants, the species, doses and duration of interventions, outcomes, and measurements varied among these studies.

Aims

To systematically evaluate the effect of probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics on maintaining calcium homeostasis and improving bone health in middle‐aged and older adults.

Methods

We identified studies in Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang and articles in English and Chinese published from inception up to January 10, 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics for middle‐aged or older adults were employed for meta‐analysis by using RevMan 5.3, and heterogeneity and risk of bias assessment were performed.

Results

A total of eight studies, involving 564 participants, were included. Probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics supplementation was able to significantly elevate serum calcium levels (0.52 mg/dl, 95% CI [0.38, 0.66]), heterogeneity: p = .13, I2 = 44%), while the results of meta‐analysis failed to support the effects of this supplementation on the parameters related to bone health in middle‐aged and older adults, including BMD, parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin, and alkaline phosphatase.

Linking Evidence to Action

Probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics supplementation exerts a facilitating influence on the level of serum calcium, while the present study has not yet supported the beneficial effects of such interventions on bone health. Therefore, further studies with high‐quality RCTs are required to determine the effects of probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics supplementation on middle‐aged and older adults.
Metallochaperones Are Needed for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Escherichia coli Nicotinamidase-Pyrazinamidase Activity
Authors: Sheen Patricia , Monsalve Anuntxi , Campos Jhanina , Huerta Rodolfo , Antiparra Ricardo , Arteaga Héctor , Duran Patricia , Bueno Carlos , Kirwan Daniela E. , Gilman Robert H. , Zimic Mirko
Published: October 2019

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
and remains one of the major causes of disease and death worldwide. Pyrazinamide is a key drug used in the treatment of tuberculosis, yet its mechanism of action is not fully understood, and testing strains of
M. tuberculosis
for pyrazinamide resistance is not easy with the tools that are presently available. The significance of the present research is that a metallochaperone-like protein may be crucial to pyrazinamide’s mechanisms of action and of resistance. This may support the development of improved tools to detect pyrazinamide resistance, which would have significant implications for the clinical management of patients with tuberculosis: drug regimens that are appropriately tailored to the resistance profile of a patient’s individual strain lead to better clinical outcomes, reduced onward transmission of infection, and reduction of the development of resistant strains that are more challenging and expensive to treat.
Process quality indicators for musculoskeletal injuries in the emergency department
Authors: Strudwick Kirsten , Russell Trevor , Bell Anthony J , Chatfield Mark , Martin-Khan Melinda
Published: October 2019

Objectives

Measuring quality of care for musculoskeletal injuries presenting to the ED is important given their prevalence, variations in care, the associated morbidity and financial impacts and pressure to achieve time-based performance measures. Process quality indicators (QIs) provide a quantitative method to measure the actions taken during healthcare delivery. This study aimed to develop a set of process QIs to measure the quality of care for musculoskeletal injuries in the ED.

Methods

A multiphase mixed-methods study was undertaken from 2015 to 2018, commencing with a systematic review to identify existing musculoskeletal QIs. This review, along with current evidence regarding musculoskeletal injury management in the ED, informed an expert panel who developed a preliminary set of process QIs. The preliminary set was field tested at eight EDs in Queensland, Australia, to determine the validity, reliability, feasibility and usefulness of each QI. Prospective observational data collection and retrospective chart audits were used to score the process QIs. These results were presented to the expert panel who determined a final QI set.

Results

A total of 633 patients were recruited and 36 process QIs included in the final set. The QIs covered important domains of pain assessment and management, history taking and physical examination, appropriateness and timeliness of imaging, fracture management, mobility, patient information and discharge considerations including safety and referrals. The best performing QIs included the use of opioid sparing analgesics and avoiding prescription of ‘just in case’ opioids at discharge. The poorest performing QIs included the completion of spinal red flag questioning and referrals for fragility fractures.

Conclusion

An evidence and best practice-based set of QIs has been developed to allow EDs to assess and quantify the quality of care for musculoskeletal presentations. This will allow EDs to compare and benchmark, leading to the optimisation of care for patients.
Effect of (Ba1−xLax)TiO3 and (Pb1−xLax)TiO3 dopants in optical and dielectric properties of PMN-based transparent ceramics
Authors: Ghasemifard M. , Ghamari M. , Samarin S. , Williams J. F.
Published: October 2019

A relaxor electroceramic [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text]–0.30-[Formula: see text] (PMN–PLT–BLT) with [Formula: see text] = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 was synthesized using the two combination methods of auto-combination and hot-pressing. Characterization of the crystal phase, microstructure, optical and dielectric properties of PMN–PLT–BLT was made primarily by X-ray diffraction and TEM and SEM methods. The pure perovskite crystals (rhombohedral and tetragonal) prepared at [Formula: see text] for 2 h calcination were revealed by using X-ray diffraction. The average optical transmittance of these electroceramics in the range between 450 nm and 900 nm is higher than 60% while in the IR region reached 100%. The PMN–PLT–BLT with [Formula: see text] = 0.75 displays the highest transparency around 70% near 1100 nm. The microstructures and dielectric measurements show that these three electroceramics have densities of about 98.8% and exhibit a normal relaxation characteristic.
Experimental Validation of Improved Exponential Companding Technique for SC-FDMA Systems Using WARP Hardware
Authors: Ramtej K. Shri , Anuradha S.
Published: October 2019

As single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) is used in long-term evolution (LTE) uplink communications, high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) increases power consumption in mobile devices. It is severe when localized subcarrier mapping is used with higher-order modulations. Companding is an attractive technique that offers a tradeoff between PAPR and bit error rate (BER) performances. This paper proposes an exponential companding technique that uses two companding levels based on a threshold, to reduce PAPR in SC-FDMA systems. It does not increase the average power level of transmitted signal and maintains the BER level without significant degradation from the original system. The proposed scheme has three parameters that can be adjusted for a tradeoff between PAPR, BER, and power spectral density (PSD) performances. Hence it offers more flexibility than the conventional exponential companding scheme. We also present scatter plots to find the optimum threshold value and companding levels. Finally, we verify the proposed technique considering a real-time indoor channel by using a wireless open-access research platform (WARP).
Multi-Resolution Analysis of Edge-Texture Features for Mammographic Mass Classification
Authors: Rabidas Rinku , Midya Abhishek , Chakraborty Jayasree , Arif Wasim
Published: October 2019

In this paper, multi-resolution analysis of two edge-texture based descriptors, Discriminative Robust Local Binary Pattern (DRlbp) and Discriminative Robust Local Ternary Pattern (DRltp), are proposed for the determination of mammographic masses as benign or malignant. As an extension of Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and Local Ternary Pattern (LTP), DRlbp and LTP-based features overcome the drawbacks of these features preserving the edge information along with texture. With the hypothesis that multi-resolution analysis of these features for different regions related to mammaographic masses with wavelet transform will capture more discriminating patterns and thus can help in characterizing masses. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed approach, several experiments are carried out using the mini-MIAS database where a 5-fold cross validation technique is incorporated with Support Vector Machine (SVM) on the optimal set of features obtained via stepwise logistic regression method. An area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve ([Formula: see text] value) of 0.96 is achieved with DRlbp attributes as the best performance. The superiority of the proposed scheme is established by comparing the obtained results with recently developed other competing schemes.
Towards an observational test of black hole versus naked singularity at the galactic center
Authors: Dey Dipanjan , Joshi Pankaj S. , Joshi Ashok , Bambhaniya Parth
Published: October 2019

While the event horizon of a black hole could cast a shadow that was observed recently, a central singularity without horizon could also give rise to such a feature. This leaves us with a question on the nature of the supermassive black holes at the galactic centers, and if they admit an event horizon necessarily. We point out that observations of motion of stars around the galactic center should give a clear idea of the nature of this central supermassive object. We examine and discuss here recent developments that indicate intriguing behavior of the star motions that could possibly distinguish the existence or otherwise of an event horizon at the galactic center. We compare the motion of the S2 star with these theoretical results, fitting the observational data with theory, and it is seen that the star motions and precession of their orbits around the galactic center provide important clues on the nature of this central compact object.
TiO2/ZnO PHOTONIC CRYSTAL PREPARED BY SPRAY PYROLYSIS METHOD: APPLICATION TO MULTICHANNEL FILTER
Authors: KANOUNI F. , AMARA S. , ASSALI A. , ARAB F. , ZOU Q.
Published: October 2019

Single-layer titanium dioxide (TiO2, ZnO, double-layer TiO2/ZnO and multilayer TiO2/ZnO/TiO2/ZnO were grown on ordinary glass substrate by ultrasonic spray deposition at 300∘C. Titanium chloride, zinc acetate and deionized water were employed as precursors. The ultraviolet–visible spectrometer spectra show that the quality of optical transmittance in visible wavelength range decreases as the number of bilayers increases. The crystalline phase of the thin films was identified through X-ray diffraction method with diffraction patterns scan used at 2[Formula: see text] from 10∘ to 90∘. From the DRX results, it is found that the crystallinity is enhanced when the number of TiO2/ZnO layers increased. From the 2D/3D atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis, it is found that the surface of the films was covered by triangle-like particles. However, bilayer and multilayer TiO2/ZnO thin films show smooth and compacted surface roughnesses compared to single-layer TiO2 and ZnO, respectively. In addition to this experimental work, a multichannel filter based on TiO2/ZnO subphotonic crystals is suggested. The transmission properties of this filter have been investigated by means of the transfer-matrix method (TMM). The idea is to import a wedge of air with an apex angle as the defect layer to disturb the original periodicity of the oxide photonic crystal and generate some new kind of multichannel filtering properties.
MICROSTRUCTURE PERFORMANCE OF La2O3-MODIFIED TUNGSTEN INERT GAS CLAD COMPOSITE COATING
Authors: SU MO-LIN , LI JIA-NING , SHAN FEI-HU , LIU KE-GAO , XU HUI-LIN
Published: October 2019

A hard coating free of obvious defects is produced on a Ti–6Al–4V (TC4) alloy substrate by means of tungsten inert gas clad (TIGC) of the Deloro22–WC–La2O3 mixed powders, which greatly increased the surface performance of the substrate. Test results indicated that large quantities of needle-shape precipitates were formed in the Deloro22–WC TIGC coating, increasing the microhardness significantly, and also lots of pores are produced in this coating, weakening the wear resistance. It was noted that a fine/compact microstructure is obtained in the Deloro22–WC–La2O3 TIGC coating, also the defects cannot be observed obviously. La2O3 addition can effectively improve the fluidity of melt and hinder the growth of grains in TIGC pool, favoring a fine/compact microstructure to be produced, and also improving the wear property of the TIGC coating.