bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
– epidemic of the XXI century
Authors: Maciejewska Dominika , Stachowska Ewa
Published: July 2018

The term “non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” (NAFLD) was first introduced by Ludwig in 1980. He described NAFLD as a liver disease characterized by lipid accumulation in the hepatocytes of people who do not abuse alcohol (<20g/ethanol/day). NAFLD comprises of a range of disorders, including simple fatty liver without the symptoms of damaged hepatocytes, as well as complex fatty liver with an ongoing inflammation and developing fibrosis. It is estimated that 2-44% of adult Europeans will develop a fatty liver.
The pathogenesis and development of NAFLD is a complicated process involving numerous factors, such as: dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, overweight, obesity, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, the development of an inflammatory state, the disorders of the metabolism of fat tissue, dysbiosis and genetic factors. Because the mechanism of the illness is based on many factors, the multiple hits hypothesis serves as the new and generally standard approach to this pathological unit. The basis of this theory is the development of insulin resistance, which is one of the main causes of steatosis. The consequence of insulin resistance is an increased glucose level (associated with impaired insulin receptors) and excessive insulin production leading to elevated levels of this hormone in the serum. Insulin resistance causes continuous stimulation of gluconeogenesis and hyperglycemia. On the other hand, hyperinsulinemia stimulates the hepatic synthesis of the de novo lipogenesis and leads to steatosis. NAFLD is also closely connected to the metabolism disorders of fatty acids. The pathomechanism of the illness includes an increased concentration of FFA in blood, an increase in the biosynthesis of fatty acids in the liver, as well as disorders in the process of β-oxidation.
Stulecie wydania „Diagnozy Społecznej” Mary Ellen Richmond – między tradycją a zmianą w myśleniu o standardach pracy socjalnej
Authors: Naumiuk Agnieszka
Published: July 2018

W artykule została poddana analizie publikacja Mary Richmond, wydana w 1917 r. pt. Social Diagnosis, uznawana za pierwszy podręcznik profesjonalnej pracy socjalnej, należący dziś do klasyki tej dyscypliny. Rozważania podjęte w opracowaniu dotyczą aktualności podjętych przed laty w publikacji problemów pracy socjalnej i zadań stawianych przed profesjonalnym podejściem do pomocy społecznej. W szerszym kontekście jubileusz 100-lecia publikacji Social Diagnosis skłania do refleksji nad zmianami, jakie dokonały się w obrębie nauk społecznych w odniesieniu do współczesnych możliwości rozpoznawania sytuacji społecznej osób zagrożonych wykluczeniem.
Potrzeba badań sytuacji życiowej osób bezdomnych w Macedonii. Prezentacja narzędzia pomiaru
Authors: Iloska Aleksandra , Iljevski Klimentina
Published: July 2018

Ludzie bezdomni w odróżnieniu od innych grup zmarginalizowanych nie są priorytetowym podmiotem pomocy społecznej w Macedonii. Ich sytuacja jest poddawana dyskusjom zwykle w czasie zimy, przez pozostałą część roku zaś instytucje i organizacje zaangażowane w jej realizację milczą. Jak pokazują istniejące, dość skromne dane na temat bezdomności, doświadczają jej głównie mężczyźni. Nie oznacza to jednak, że wśród bezdomnych nie ma kobiet – są, choć stanowią jedynie niewielką grupę. Różne są przyczyny pozostawania bez dachu nad głową. Najczęściej wymieniane to: uzależnienia, utrata majątku, choroby psychiczne, sieroctwo społeczne i dorastanie w placówkach opiekuńczo-wychowawczych. W przypadku kobiet zaś rozwód czy prostytucja. Pod wpływem fenomenu uchodźców z Bliskiego Wschodu, których około milion przewędrowało przez Macedonię w 2016 r., Stowarzyszenie badawcze na rzecz komunikacji i rozwoju „PUBLIC” rozpoczęło badania dotyczące problemu bezdomności. Badania te przeprowadzono także dlatego, że wąskie rozumienie zjawiska, ograniczające ludzi bez domu tylko do tych, którzy mieszkają na ulicy, sugerowało, że w Macedonii nie ma wielu bezdomnych. Była to mylna konstatacja. W artykule zaprezentowano narzędzie służące do pomiaru bezdomności wykorzystywane przez macedońskie organizacje humanitarne i pozarządowe, głównie przez Czerwony Krzyż.
Coatings with carbon nanostructures with hydrophobic properties made by anodizing and the CVD method on stainless steel
Authors: Buczko Zofia , Olkowicz Klaudia , Tomassi Piotr , Żółciak Tadeusz
Published: July 2018

The method of anodic oxidation of stainless steel and the subsequent deposition of carbon layers in the CVD processes resulted in obtaining the coatings with hydrophobic and superhydrophobic properties. The parameters of the CVD process were modified and various carbon structures, including graphene type ones, were obtained. The coatings were characterised by Raman spectra and SEM microscopy. The wettability of the surface was evaluated by investigating a contact angle. The samples containing carbon coatings showed hydrophobic properties, and those containing graphene structures were characterized by the contact angle greater than 150°, which means superhydrophobic properties.
Cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals, stamp seals and scaraboids in the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo
Authors: Niederreiter Zoltán
Published: July 2018

The purpose of this paper is to present a diverse group of previously unpublished objects from the ancient Near East, several of which bear texts. Among the three cuneiform tablets, the first is a Middle Babylonian administrative text from the reign of Nazi-maruttash, the second provides a receipt belonging to the archive of Iddin-Marduk (reign of Nabonidus or Cyrus II) and the third contains a list counting smiths from the Neo- or Late Babylonian period. In addition, there are two cylinder seals: one depicts a presentation scene (Ur III period) and the other two ostrich-like birds (Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Babylonian period). Three stamp seals and two scaraboids, formerly held in the famous collection of Baron Plato von Ustinow, are also recorded and discussed. Finally, in a separate but related contribution, an Old Babylonian letter is presented by Zsombor Földi and the current author.
Healthcare, health and inequality in health in the Nordic countries
Authors: Christiansen Terkel , Lauridsen Jørgen Tranberg , Kifmann Mathias , Lyttkens Carl Hampus , Ólafsdóttir Thorhildur , Valtonen Hannu
Published: July 2018

All five Nordic countries emphasize equal and easy access to healthcare, assuming that increased access to healthcare leads to increased health. It is the purpose of the present study to explore to which extent the populations of these countries have reached good health and a high degree of socio-economic equality in health. Each of the five countries has established extensive public health programmes, although with somewhat different measures to increase health of the populations. We compare these countries to the UK and Germany by using data from the European Social Survey for 2002 and 2012 in addition to OECD statistics for the same years. Health is measured by self-assessed health in five categories, which is transformed to a cardinal scale using Swedish time trade-off (TTO) weights. As socio-economic measures we use household income and length of education. Socio-economic inequality in health is elicited in two ways. First, we show social gradients by comparing the percentage of respondents in the lower income group reporting good or very good health to the corresponding rates in the upper income group. Second, we show concentration indices of socio-economic related inequality in health. Everything else kept equal, good health and the size of the concentration index are negatively associated by definition. In 2012, mean health, based on Swedish weights applied to all countries, is above 0.93 in all the Nordic countries and the UK, but lower in Germany. Each of the Nordic countries have introduced centrally initiated comprehensive public health programmes to increase health and reduce socio-economic inequalities in health. In general, the Nordic countries have achieved good health for their populations as well as a high degree of socioeconomic equality in health. Improvements in life-style related determinants of health are possible, however.Published: Online June 2018. In print January 2019.
Soberanía globalizada y la tesis de la reivindicación: una crítica a la posición de Macanchí
Authors: Laera Rodrigo , Klein Walter
Published: July 2018

El objetivo de este trabajo es revisar la tesis de la reivindicación de la soberanía a partir de la posición crítica de Macanchí, argumentando que la idea de una soberanía globalizada abre problemas en torno a la injerencia económica del capital transnacional y profundiza el cercenamiento democrático.
La imaginación moral, o la ética como actividad imaginativa
Authors: Altuna Lizaso Belén
Published: July 2018

La expresión “imaginación moral” es cada vez más utilizada en la literatura filosófica. Lo que aquí se pretende es esclarecer el concepto y explicar cuáles pueden ser las funciones y aplicaciones de la imaginación en el ámbito moral. Para ello se parte de la definición que ofrece Ricoeur de la pretensión ética, como “deseo de una vida realizada, con y para los otros, en instituciones justas”, y se desarrolla el papel de la imaginación en el cuidado de sí, el cuidado de los otros y el cuidado de las instituciones.
HOYOS SÁNCHEZ, Inmaculada (2016): Sobre el amor y el miedo. Tópicos antiguos y enfoques modernos, Madrid, Avarigani Editores.
Authors: Expósito Ropero Noé
Published: July 2018

Se trata de una reseña del libro: HOYOS SÁNCHEZ, Inmaculada (2016): Sobre el amor y el miedo. Tópicos antiguos y enfoques modernos, Madrid: Avarigani Editores.
Galindo, A. / Ujaldón, E. (2016): Diez mitos de la democracia. Contra la demagogia y el populismo, Córdoba: Almuzara.
Authors: Sánchez Madrid Nuria
Published: July 2018

Reseña del libro de A. Galindo y E. Ujaldón, "Diez mitos de la democracia" (Almuzara, 2017).
SÁNCHEZ MADRID, Nuria (ed.) (2016): Hannah Arendt y la literatura, Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra.
Authors: Santana Pérez Sandra
Published: July 2018

Reseña del libro: SÁNCHEZ MADRID, Nuria (ed.) (2016): Hannah Arendt y la literatura, Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra.
Patrimonio cultural y competencias sociales: bases para una propuesta de intervención didáctica en Portomarín
Authors: Castro Fernández Belén María , López Facal Ramón
Published: July 2018

El patrimonio cultural es aquello con lo
que las personas se identifican y construyen
un sentimiento de pertenencia territorial
y caracterización social frente a los demás.
Dado que la educación patrimonial
en contexto no formal permite el desarrollo
de competencias sociales, como es la
construcción de una identidad inclusiva,
la investigación que se presenta pretende
sentar las bases para el diseño futuro
de una propuesta didáctica que anime a
la participación social y sensibilización
de quienes residen y visitan Portomarín
(Lugo): un pueblo de origen medieval situado
en el Camino de Santiago desparecido
bajo las aguas de un embalse inaugurado
por Franco en 1963. Comprender lo
construido y lo inmaterial, lo presente y lo
olvidado, lo marginal y lo destacado en

el nuevo Portomarín, permite demostrar el
rol de la educación en la recuperación de
la memoria. Se ha diseñado una intervención
didáctica dirigida a los habitantes actuales
de Portomarín y a los visitantes que
ignoran que el pueblo por el que pasan
fue trasladado y poco tiene que ver con el
antiguo. A partir de este conocimiento se
pretende favorecer la construcción de una
identidad compartida entre el vecindario,
incorporando junto a los restos históricos
la memoria del proceso.
Bestioles néfastes, prédateurs supportables et alliés susceptibles
Authors: Beaucage Pierre ,   Taller de Tradición Oral Totamachilis1
Published: July 2018

Cet article décrit et analyse les représentations et pratiques, concernant les « petites bêtes » (okuiltsitsin), du peuple maseual (nahua) de la région de Cuetzalan, dans la Sierra Nororiental de Puebla, au Mexique. Il se fonde sur une vaste enquête de terrain sur les savoirs zoologiques amérindiens, réalisée en collaboration avec le Taller de Tradición Oral Totamachilis. En plus d’être classés selon un critère morphologique qui distingue les insectes, les arachnides et les gastéropodes, les petits êtres sont rangés en fonction de leur proximité avec la société humaine, qui souvent correspond avec les bienfaits matériels et spirituels qu’ils apportent : à un extrême, on trouve la prédation pure, sans contrepartie ; à l’autre, la réciprocité va même jusqu’à un « partage d’essence » avec l’insecte de prédilection, l’abeille autochtone (Scaptotrigona mexicana). Les représentations entomologiques ont largement recours à la métaphore et à la métonymie.
Reconciling Institutional and Professional Requirements in the Specialised Inverse Translation Class – A Case Study
Authors: Rodríguez-Inés Patricia , Fox Olivia
Published: July 2018

Translating into a language that is not one’s native language is no easy task, but one which may be necessary in certain settings. If a market niche exists for professional translators whose working language is not their native language, as studies have shown it does in Spain, it seems appropriate that translation trainees should be encouraged to develop their competence in what is generally known in Translation Studies as inverse (A-B/C) translation, in order to satisfy market requirements. Given current European Higher Education Area (EHEA) requirements for training students for the professional workplace, most translation degree programs in universities in Spain include subjects in which students are required to translate into the foreign language. This paper describes an early attempt to reconcile institutional requirements (curriculum design, assessment, reporting) and professional requirements (development of translation and instrumental competences, together with so-called softskills) in the specialised inverse translation class in the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. A competence-based, learner-centred, process-oriented curriculum was instituted.
Dkk2 promotes neural crest specification by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in a GSK3β independent manner
Authors: Devotta Arun , Hong Chang-Soo , Saint-Jeannet Jean-Pierre
Published: July 2018

Neural crest progenitors are specified through the modulation of several signaling pathways, among which the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by Wnt8 is especially critical. Glycoproteins of the Dickkopf (Dkk) family are important modulators of Wnt signaling acting primarily as Wnt antagonists. Here we report that Dkk2 is required for neural crest specification functioning as a positive regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Dkk2 depletion in Xenopus embryos causes a loss of neural crest progenitors, a phenotype that is rescued by expression of Lrp6 or β-catenin. Dkk2 overexpression expands the neural crest territory in a pattern reminiscent of Wnt8, Lrp6 and β-catenin gain-of-function phenotypes. Mechanistically, we show that Dkk2 mediates its neural crest-inducing activity through Lrp6 and β-catenin, however unlike Wnt8, in a GSK3β independent manner. These findings suggest that Wnt8 and Dkk2 converge on β-catenin using distinct transduction pathways both independently required to activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling and induce neural crest cells.
Combining active learning suggestions
Authors: Tran Alasdair , Ong Cheng Soon , Wolf Christian
Published: July 2018

We study the problem of combining active learning suggestions to identify informative training examples by empirically comparing methods on benchmark datasets. Many active learning heuristics for classification problems have been proposed to help us pick which instance to annotate next. But what is the optimal heuristic for a particular source of data? Motivated by the success of methods that combine predictors, we combine active learners with bandit algorithms and rank aggregation methods. We demonstrate that a combination of active learners outperforms passive learning in large benchmark datasets and removes the need to pick a particular active learner a priori. We discuss challenges to finding good rewards for bandit approaches and show that rank aggregation performs well.
COMP report: CPQR technical quality control guidelines for Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Authors: Berndt Anita , van Prooijen Monique , Guillot Mathieu
Published: July 2018

The Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP), in close partnership with the Canadian Partnership for Quality Radiotherapy (CPQR), has developed a series of Technical Quality Control (TQC) guidelines for radiation treatment equipment. These guidelines outline the performance objectives that equipment should meet in order to ensure an acceptable level of radiation treatment quality. The TQC guidelines have been rigorously reviewed and field tested in a variety of Canadian radiation treatment facilities. The development process enables rapid review and update to keep the guidelines current with changes in technology (the most updated version of this guideline can be found on the CPQR website). This particular TQC details recommended quality control testing for Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
Simultaneous Suppression of the Dendrite Formation and Shuttle Effect in a Lithium–Sulfur Battery by Bilateral Solid Electrolyte Interface
Authors: Fan Ling , Chen Suhua , Zhu Jingyi , Ma Ruifang , Li Shuping , Podila Ramakrishna , Rao Apparao M. , Yang Gongzheng , Wang Chengxin , Liu Qian , Xu Zhi , Yuan Lixia , Huang Yunhui , Lu Bingan
Published: July 2018

Although the reversible and inexpensive energy storage characteristics of the lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) battery have made it a promising candidate for electrical energy storage, the dendrite growth (anode) and shuttle effect (cathode) hinder its practical application. Here, it is shown that new electrolytes for Li‐S batteries promote the simultaneous formation of bilateral solid electrolyte interfaces on the sulfur‐host cathode and lithium anode, thus effectively suppressing the shuttle effect and dendrite growth. These high‐capacity Li‐S batteries with new electrolytes exhibit a long‐term cycling stability, ultrafast‐charge/slow‐discharge rates, super‐low self‐discharge performance, and a capacity retention of 94.9% even after a 130 d long storage. Importantly, the long cycle stability of these industrial grade high‐capacity Li‐S pouch cells with new electrolytes will provide the basis for creating robust energy dense Li‐S batteries with an extensive life cycle.
Chinese expert consensus on the application of comprehensive geriatric assessment for the elderly
Authors: Chen Xujiao , Yan Jing , Wang Jianye , Yu Pulin ,   Geriatric, Gerontology Branch of Chinese Medicine Association
Published: July 2018

Comprehensive geriatric assessment is the major approach in screening geriatric syndrome. The aim of this expert consensus is to supply standard operating procedures for clinical practice of comprehensive geriatric assessment in China.
Management of anemia in patients who decline blood transfusion
Authors: Shander Aryeh , Goodnough Lawrence Tim
Published: July 2018

Declining a treatment modality should not be considered the same as refusal of medical care as illustrated by the management of Jehovah's Witness patients who do not accept transfusions. Over the years, a comprehensive set of strategies have been developed to meet the specific needs of these patients and these strategies are collectively called “Bloodless Medicine and Surgery” (BMS). The focus in BMS is to optimize the patients' hematopoietic capacity to increase hemoglobin (Hgb) level, minimize blood loss, improve hemostasis, and provide supportive strategies to minimize oxygen consumption and maximize oxygen utilization. We present 3 case reports that illustrate some of the challenges faced and measures available to effectively treat these patients. Under BMS programs, patients with extremely low hemoglobin levels, not conducive to survival under ordinary conditions, have survived and recovered without receiving allogeneic transfusions. Additionally, the valuable experience gained from caring for these patients has paved the way to develop the concept of Patient Blood Management as a standard care to benefit all patients, and not only those for whom blood is not an option.
Anthracene‐Fused Dibenzo[def,mno]chrysenes with a Helical Structure
Authors: Wang Qing , Lim Gabriel , Gopalakrishna Tullimilli Y. , Han Yi , Chi Chunyan
Published: July 2018

Scholl‐type oxidative cyclodehydrogenation reactions were conducted for an anthryl‐substituted dibenzo[def,mno]chrysene (DBC) precursor with the intention to prepare anthracene‐fused DBCs with extended conjugation. The compound ADBC‐1 with one cyclized ring and its two chloro‐ and oxy‐ derivatives (ADBC‐Cl and ADBC‐O) with good stability were successfully isolated and characterized. They showed largely red‐shifted absorption spectra and amphoteric redox behavior. XRD analysis revealed that they can be regarded as large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing [5]helicene substructures with large twist angles of 67.8°–73.7° owing to steric congestion. Further cyclization to form newer C−C bonds failed, which can be explained by an open‐shell diradical character and high HOMO energy levels of the products according to spin‐unrestricted DFT calculations.
Bis‐isoindigos: New Electron‐Deficient Building Blocks for Constructing Conjugated Polymers with Extended Electron Delocalization
Authors: Luo Xuyi , Tran Dung T. , Sun Hong , Mi Tianxiong , Kadlubowski Natalie M. , Zhao Yan , Zhao Kejie , Mei Jianguo
Published: July 2018

Incorporation of acceptor‐acceptor (A‐A) type moieties into donor‐acceptor (D‐A) type conjugated polymers becomes a new strategy to tune their electronic properties. In this work, we first demonstrate an efficient convergent route to prepare isoindigo‐based A‐A type building blocks ‐ bis‐isoindigos ‐ via the palladium‐catalyzed oxidative coupling. Bis‐isoindigo‐based polymers show high planarity and delocalized frontier molecular orbitals with lowered LUMO and intact HOMO energy levels, in comparison with their corresponding mono‐isoindigo counterparts. Moreover, fluorine substitution on donors only lowers HOMO levels of Bis‐IID polymers. This study asserts that the D‐A‐A strategy is effective in selectively tuning FMO energy levels of conjugated polymers, complementary to the D‐D‐A approach for the HOMO energy level tuning.
Copper‐Catalyzed N‐Arylation with Boronic Acid Pinacol Esters
Authors: Liu Shuai , Xu Liang
Published: July 2018

A copper‐catalyzed facile N‐arylation of 2‐acyl substituted anilines has been disclosed. Through chelation assistance of the weakly coordinating carbonyl groups, the Chan−Evans−Lam (CEL) C−N cross‐coupling reactions proceeded at room temperature in open flasks. Furthermore, such chelation effects also enabled the direct utilization of aryl boronic acid pinacol esters in Cu‐catalyzed CEL reactions under mild conditions.
Magnesium Tetra(phenylethynyl)porphyrin: Stepwise Synthetic Route, Crystal Structures, and Longer Singlet Excited‐State Lifetime than Zinc Congener
Authors: Nakagawa Takafumi , Wang Huan , Zieleniewska Anna , Okada Hiroshi , Aoyagi Shinobu , Guldi Dirk M. , Matsuo Yutaka
Published: July 2018

Magnesium tetra(arylethynyl)porphyrins (aryl=Ph or 4‐CF3C6H4) were synthesized via 5,15‐di(triisopropylsilylethynyl)‐10,20‐di(arylethynyl)porphyrin to ensure good solubility and high synthetic yields. Magnesium tetra(phenylethynyl)porphyrin was subjected to structural analyses and physico‐chemical characterization. Single‐crystal X‐ray analysis revealed porous crystal structures featuring solvent molecules in their pores. From femtosecond transient absorption measurements we concluded that the singlet excited‐state lifetime of magnesium tetra(phenylethynyl)porphyrin is with 7.4 ns substantially longer than that of its zinc congener with 2.8 ns; this is attributed to the lower atomic weight of magnesium compared with zinc.
GISToscopy
Authors: Zimmer Vincent , Lammert Frank
Published: July 2018

Key Clinical Message

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) tumors are a rare, though typical cause for upper GI bleeding. Excavated ulcerated lesions are common; however, a clear‐cut visualization of the tumor surface (“GISToscopy”) itself has not yet been reported. In line, careful biopsy taking streamlines the diagnostic work‐up by providing pathologic diagnosis.
Young man with acute pain in the hypogastrium: What is the diagnostic?
Authors: Jabbour Youness , Regragui Souhail
Published: July 2018

Key Clinical Message

Congenital renal anomalies can stay asymptomatic even until adult age and be revealed by occurrence of complications. Clinicians should keep in mind this eventuality, especially in the countries where screening for congenital abnormalities is not adopted. Ultrasound in front of abdominal pain is useful and can sometimes rectify the diagnosis.
Diode laser treatment of venous lake of the lip
Authors: Capodiferro Saverio , Limongelli Luisa , Tempesta Angela , Maiorano Eugenio , Favia Gianfranco
Published: July 2018

Key Clinical Message

The diode laser promotes regression of the small venous lake of the lip by forced dehydration with induced photocoagulation of the lesions, with an uneventful postoperative course and anesthetic sequelae.
Flow Photochemistry of Azosulfones: Application of “Sunflow” Reactors
Authors: da Silva Júnior Paulo Eliandro , Amin Hawraz I. M. , Nauth Alexander M. , da Silva Emery Flavio , Protti Stefano , Opatz Till
Published: July 2018

Arylazo sulfones have been established as photoactive precursors in visible‐light photoreactions without any additional catalysts. The arylation of various (hetero) aromatic substrates and isonitriles was carried in a simple solar microcapillary reactor in three different geographical locations (Germany, Italy and Brazil). High conversion of the starting substrates as well as short reaction times were observed.
Fire rather than nitrogen addition affects understory plant communities in the short term in a coniferous‐broadleaf mixed forest
Authors: Hu Mengjun , Liu Yanchun , Sun Zhaolin , Zhang Kesheng , Liu Yinzhan , Miao Renhui , Wan Shiqiang
Published: July 2018

Increasing fire risk and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition have the potential to alter plant community structure and composition, with consequent impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This study was conducted to examine short‐term responses of understory plant community to burning and N addition in a coniferous‐broadleaved mixed forest of the subtropical‐temperate transition zone in Central China. The experiment used a pair‐nested design, with four treatments (control, burning, N addition, and burning plus N addition) and five replicates. Species richness, cover, and density of woody and herbaceous plants were monitored for 3 years after a low‐severity fire in the spring of 2014. Burning, but not N addition, significantly stimulated the cover (+15.2%, absolute change) and density (+62.8%) of woody species as well as herb richness (+1.2 species/m2, absolute change), cover (+25.5%, absolute change), and density (+602.4%) across the seven sampling dates from June 2014 to October 2016. Light availability, soil temperature, and prefire community composition could be primarily responsible for the understory community recovery after the low‐severity fire. The observations suggest that light availability and soil temperature are more important than nutrients in structuring understory plant community in the mixed forest of the subtropical‐temperate transition zone in Central China. Legacy woody and herb species dominated the understory vegetation over the 3 years after fire, indicating strong resistance and resilience of forest understory plant community and biodiversity to abrupt environmental perturbation.
Color vision models: Some simulations, a general n‐dimensional model, and the colourvision R package
Authors: Gawryszewski Felipe M.
Published: July 2018

The development of color vision models has allowed the appraisal of color vision independent of the human experience. These models are now widely used in ecology and evolution studies. However, in common scenarios of color measurement, color vision models may generate spurious results. Here I present a guide to color vision modeling (Chittka (1992, Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 170, 545) color hexagon, Endler & Mielke (2005, Journal Of The Linnean Society, 86, 405) model, and the linear and log‐linear receptor noise limited models (Vorobyev & Osorio 1998, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 265, 351; Vorobyev et al. 1998, Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 183, 621)) using a series of simulations, present a unified framework that extends and generalize current models, and provide an R package to facilitate the use of color vision models. When the specific requirements of each model are met, between‐model results are qualitatively and quantitatively similar. However, under many common scenarios of color measurements, models may generate spurious values. For instance, models that log‐transform data and use relative photoreceptor outputs are prone to generate spurious outputs when the stimulus photon catch is smaller than the background photon catch; and models may generate unrealistic predictions when the background is chromatic (e.g. leaf reflectance) and the stimulus is an achromatic low reflectance spectrum. Nonetheless, despite differences, all three models are founded on a similar set of assumptions. Based on that, I provide a new formulation that accommodates and extends models to any number of photoreceptor types, offers flexibility to build user‐defined models, and allows users to easily adjust chromaticity diagram sizes to account for changes when using different number of photoreceptors.
Regional and local patterns of genetic variation and structure in yellow‐necked mice ‐ the roles of geographic distance, population abundance, and winter severity
Authors: Czarnomska Sylwia D. , Niedziałkowska Magdalena , Borowik Tomasz , Jędrzejewska Bogumiła
Published: July 2018

The goal of this study, conducted in seven large woodlands and three areas with small woodlots in northeastern Poland in 2004–2008, was to infer genetic structure in yellow‐necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis population and to evaluate the roles of environmental and population ecology variables in shaping the spatial pattern of genetic variation using 768 samples genotyped at 13 microsatellite loci. Genetic variation was very high in all studied regions. The primal genetic subdivision was observed between the northern and the southern parts of the study area, which harbored two major clusters and the intermediate area of highly admixed individuals. The probability of assignment of individual mice to the northern cluster increased significantly with lower temperatures of January and July and declined in regions with higher proportion of deciduous and mixed forests. Despite the detected structure, genetic differentiation among regions was very low. Fine‐scale structure was shaped by the population density, whereas higher level structure was mainly shaped by geographic distance. Genetic similarity indices were highly influenced by mouse abundance (which positively correlated with the share of deciduous forests in the studied regions) and exhibited the greatest change between 0 and 1 km in the forests, 0 and 5 km in small woodlots. Isolation by distance pattern, calculated among regions, was highly significant but such relationship between genetic and geographic distance was much weaker, and held the linearity at very fine scale (~1.5 km), when analyses were conducted at individual level.
Genomic divergence between Spanish Littorina saxatilis ecotypes unravels limited admixture and extensive parallelism associated with population history
Authors: Kess Tony , Galindo Juan , Boulding Elizabeth G.
Published: July 2018

The rough periwinkle, Littorina saxatilis, is a model system for studying parallel ecological speciation in microparapatry. Phenotypically parallel wave‐adapted and crab‐adapted ecotypes that hybridize within the middle shore are replicated along the northwestern coast of Spain and have likely arisen from two separate glacial refugia. We tested whether greater geographic separation corresponding to reduced opportunity for contemporary or historical gene flow between parallel ecotypes resulted in less parallel genomic divergence. We sequenced double‐digested restriction‐associated DNA (ddRAD) libraries from individual snails from upper, mid, and low intertidal levels of three separate sites colonized from two separate refugia. Outlier analysis of 4256 SNP markers identified 34.4% sharing of divergent loci between two geographically close sites; however, these sites each shared only 9.9%–15.1% of their divergent loci with a third more‐distant site. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that genotypes from only three of 166 phenotypically intermediate mid‐shore individuals appeared to result from recent hybridization, suggesting that hybrids cannot be reliably identified using shell traits. Hierarchical AMOVA indicated that the primary source of genomic differentiation was geographic separation, but also revealed greater similarity of the same ecotype across the two geographically close sites than previously estimated with dominant markers. These results from a model system for ecological speciation suggest that genomic parallelism is affected by the opportunity for historical or contemporary gene flow between populations.
The effect of habitat fragmentation on the bee visitor assemblages of three Australian tropical rainforest tree species
Authors: Smith Tobias J. , Mayfield Margaret M.
Published: July 2018

Tropical forest loss and fragmentation can change bee community dynamics and potentially interrupt plant–pollinator relationships. While bee community responses to forest fragmentation have been investigated in a number of tropical regions, no studies have focused on this topic in Australia. In this study, we examine taxonomic and functional diversity of bees visiting flowers of three tree species across small and large rainforest fragments in Australian tropical landscapes. We found lower taxonomic diversity of bees visiting flowers of trees in small rainforest fragments compared with large forest fragments and show that bee species in small fragments were subsets of species in larger fragments. Bees visiting trees in small fragments also had higher mean body sizes than those in larger fragments, suggesting that small‐sized bees may be less likely to persist in small fragments. Lastly, we found reductions in the abundance of eusocial stingless bees visiting flowers in small fragments compared to large fragments. These results suggest that pollinator visits to native trees living in small tropical forest remnants may be reduced, which may in turn impact on a range of processes, potentially including forest regeneration and diversity maintenance in small forest remnants in Australian tropical countryside landscapes.
Think global, act local: the experience of Global Fund and PEPFAR joint cascade assessments to harmonize and strengthen key population HIV programmes in eight countries
Authors: Lillie Tiffany A. , Baer James , Adams Darrin , Zhao Jinkou , Wolf R. Cameron
Published: July 2018

Introduction

The Global Fund and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are major donors to HIV services with key populations (KPs) to achieve the UNAIDS 95‐95‐95 epidemic control goals. The programmes they fund are not always well aligned or coordinated, decreasing their effectiveness. Joint assessments are designed and led by LINKAGES, a project funded by PEPFAR and the US Agency for International Development, to improve coordination among donors and on‐the‐ground implementation of KP HIV programmes. Joint assessments help identify barriers that prevent KPs from accessing interventions along the cascade of prevention, diagnosis and treatment services, and provide recommendations to improve and align programmes. Detailed reports from eight assessments in Malawi, Cameroon, Swaziland, Haiti, Angola, Nepal, Côte d'Ivoire and Botswana were analysed for thematic challenges, and recommendations are presented. The purpose of the paper is to identify commonalities across KP HIV programmes that were found through the assessments so others can learn and then strengthen their programmes to become more effective.

Discussion

The joint cascade assessments offered countries feedback on HIV programme challenges and recommendations for strengthening them at national, subnational and local levels. Shared intervention areas included: (1) robust population size estimates to inform service delivery targets and to budget resources for KP outreach; (2) accessible and KP‐friendly services most relevant to individuals to increase retention in the HIV cascade; (3) decentralized, community‐based services for HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy, and new approaches including self‐testing and PrEP; (4) addressing structural issues of stigma, discrimination and violence against KPs to create a more enabling environment; and (5) more effective and continual tracking of KPs across the cascade, and coordinated, harmonized monitoring tools and reporting systems between donor‐funded and national programmes.

Conclusions

The assessment teams and country stakeholders viewed the assessments as a best practice for coordinating donor‐funded programmes that may overlap or inefficiently serve KPs. Global and national HIV programmes need investments of time, resources, and commitment from stakeholders to continually course‐correct to align and improve programmes for sustained impact. The type of continued partnership demonstrated by the joint assessments is key to address HIV among KPs globally.
Initial cell plating density affects properties of human primary synovial mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Nakamura Kaori , Tsuji Kunikazu , Mizuno Mitsuru , Koga Hideyuki , Muneta Takeshi , Sekiya Ichiro
Published: July 2018

Synovial mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) appear to be an attractive cell source in cartilage and meniscus regeneration because of their high proliferative and chondrogenic potentials. Two methods are used to culture synovial nucleated cells in the preparation of primary synovial MSCs. In one method, the cells are plated at low density to make cell colonies. In the other method, the cells are plated at high density. We investigated the effects of initial cell density on proliferation, surface markers, and multipotentiality, including chondrogenesis in primary synovial MSCs. Human synovium was obtained from the knee joints of patients with osteoarthritis after total knee arthroplasty. Immediately after enzyme digestion, the synovial nucleated cells were plated in densities of 103, 104, or 105 cells/60‐cm2 dish and cultured for 14 days. Proliferation, surface markers, chondrogenesis, adipogenesis, and calcification were examined in three populations. The cell colonies were distinct in the 103 cells/dish group, faint in the 104  cells/dish group, and obscure in the 105 cells/dish group. The total number of cells/dish was positively related to plating density, whereas the fold increase was negatively related to plating density (n = 13). Among 12 surface markers, a negative relation to plating density was distinct in CD105. The cartilage pellet weight was negatively related to the initial plating density. The oil red‐o positive area and alizarin red positive area were positively related to the initial plating density. The initial cell plating density affected the properties of primary synovial MSCs. Synovial nucleated cells proliferated better when plated at low density, and the synovial MSCs obtained by this method contained a high chondrogenic potential. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:1358–1367, 2019.
Cost allocation mechanisms in a peer‐to‐peer network
Authors: Altan Başak , Özener Okan Örsan
Published: July 2018

This study analyzes a cooperative game between a service provider and a set of users. We consider a P2P network where the service provider broadcasts the content across the network and the users collaborate to seed the content to a subset of users in the network. The objective of the service provider is to determine the minimum cost network solution and to allocate this joint‐cost fairly among the users. The minimum cost network solution can be determined by solving a minimum cost Steiner tree problem. We propose four cost allocation mechanisms: a dual linear programming based mechanism, an approximation mechanism to the Shapley value, a partition‐based mechanism, and an approximation mechanism to the nucleolus. We conduct an extensive computational study to assess the performance of the proposed mechanisms on randomly generated instances. We conclude that our partition‐based mechanism and the nucleolus‐approximation outperform the other allocation mechanisms, including the benchmark mechanism.
Known Knowns, Known Unknowns, and Unknown Unknowns: Coverage in MS Experiments
Authors: Koziol James A. , Li Yan , Schnitzer Jan E.
Published: July 2018

A mathematical model from ecology, namely, the capture–recapture model with a closed population and time‐varying and heterogeneous individual probabilities of capture, is implemented to model the number of protein identifications across the various cycles of a mass spectroscopy experiment. Rcapture, a package available in the R computing environment, can easily provide estimates of the cardinality of the proteome from such experiments. Alternatively, model fitting can be undertaken in other software platforms, such as Matlab, that can accommodate general linear models. It has not escaped our notice that capture–recapture models can be more broadly applied to other settings, so as to estimate the number of missing observations in an experiment.
Intra-Articular Administration of Autologous Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue in Dogs with Spontaneous Osteoarthritis: Safety, Feasibility, and Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Zeira Offer , Scaccia Simone , Pettinari Letizia , Ghezzi Erica , Asiag Nimrod , Martinelli Laura , Zahirpour Daniele , Dumas Maria P. , Konar Martin , Lupi Davide M. , Fiette Laurence , Pascucci Luisa , Leonardi Leonardo , Cliff Alistair , Alessandri Giulio , Pessina Augusto , Spaziante Daniele , Aralla Marina
Published: July 2018

Similar to the disease affecting humans, osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful musculoskeletal condition affecting 20% of the adult canine population. Several solutions have been proposed, but the results achieved to date are far from being satisfactory. New approaches, such as intra-articular delivery of cells (including mesenchymal stromal cells), have been proposed. Among the many sources, the adipose tissue is considered very promising. We evaluated the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of a single intra-articular injection of autologous and micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) in 130 dogs with spontaneous OA. MFAT was obtained using a minimally invasive technique in a closed system and injected in the intra- and/or peri-articular space. Clinical outcomes were determined using orthopedic examination and owners’ scores for up to 6 months. In 78% of the dogs, improvement in the orthopedic score was registered 1 month after treatment and continued gradually up to 6 months when 88% of the dogs improved, 11% did not change, and 1% worsened compared with baseline. Considering the owners’ scores at 6 months, 92% of the dogs significantly improved, 6% improved only slightly, and 2% worsened compared with baseline. No local or systemic major adverse effects were recorded. The results of this study suggest that MFAT injection in dogs with OA is safe, feasible, and beneficial. The procedure is time sparing and cost-effective. Post injection cytological investigation, together with the clinical evidence, suggests a long-term pain control role of this treatment. The spontaneous OA dog model has a key role in developing successful treatments for translational medicine.
Functional Microgels: Recent Advances in Their Biomedical Applications
Authors: Agrawal Garima , Agrawal Rahul
Published: July 2018

Here, a spotlight is shown on aqueous microgel particles which exhibit a great potential for various biomedical applications such as drug delivery, cell imaging, and tissue engineering. Herein, different synthetic methods to develop microgels with desirable functionality and properties along with degradable strategies to ensure their renal clearance are briefly presented. A special focus is given on the ability of microgels to respond to various stimuli such as temperature, pH, redox potential, magnetic field, light, etc., which helps not only to adjust their physical and chemical properties, and degradability on demand, but also the release of encapsulated bioactive molecules and thus making them suitable for drug delivery. Furthermore, recent developments in using the functional microgels for cell imaging and tissue regeneration are reviewed. The results reviewed here encourage the development of a new class of microgels which are able to intelligently perform in a complex biological environment. Finally, various challenges and possibilities are discussed in order to achieve their successful clinical use in future.
Spatial Confined Synergistic Enzymes with Enhanced Uricolytic Performance and Reduced Toxicity for Effective Gout Treatment
Authors: Zhang Zhanzhan , Gu Yu , Liu Qi , Zheng Chunxiong , Xu Lifeng , An Yingli , Jin Xin , Liu Yang , Shi Linqi
Published: July 2018

Confinement of urate oxidase with detoxifying enzymes into multienzyme architecture is an appealing approach for gout treatment due to its capability to decompose serum uric acid without generation of H2O2. However, most of these strategies involve chemical modifications to the enzymes and barely consider enhancing the stability of the multienzyme architectures particularly against proteolysis, which significantly dampened its catalytic activity and in vivo stability. Herein, a novel strategy to prepare multienzyme nanoclusters with highly uricolytic activity and enhanced stability is demonstrated. With the close proximation, catalase can effectively decompose the H2O2 generated by uricase during uricolysis. Moreover, with a shell structure constructed with polyethylene glycol, the nanocluster achieves great performance in reducing the nonspecific serum protein adsorptions and proteases digestion, leading to an enhanced circulation time after the intravenous administration. Such complementary multienzyme nanoclusters realize the long‐term therapeutic effect in the management of serum uric acid level, without any toxicity or undesired immune responses in vivo. This work mimics the synergistic effect of protein complex in nature and can be further developed to a general method for the construction of multienzyme nanoclusters, which provides new opportunities for utilizing therapeutic enzymes for the treatment of metabolic diseases.
Recent Advances in the Intermolecular Oxidative Difunctionalization of Alkenes
Authors: Lin Jie , Song Ren‐Jie , Hu Ming , Li Jin‐Heng
Published: July 2018

Functionalization of alkenes has been well investigated by chemists, thus it has been extensively applied in organic synthesis and industries. In the past few decades, transition‐metal, such as palladium, rhodium, gold, iridium, copper and iron, catalyzed functionalization reactions of alkenes have been significantly developed and played vital roles in synthesis. The difunctionalization of alkenes are appealing as an important alternative to the traditional approaches for the construction of useful carbon centers, particularly carbon quaternary centers, which commonly existed as structural motifs in numerous natural products, pharmaceuticals, and biologically active molecules. This account will summarize our recent advances in the intermolecular difunctionalization of alkenes, and also highlight the scope and limitations as well as the mechanisms of these difunctionalization reactions. In general, in this account the difunctionalization of alkenes starting from dicarbofunctionalization will be discussed. Then carboheterofunctionalization of alkenes will be intensively reviewed, and diheterofunctionalization will also be highlighted.