bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrafast water‐selective permeation through graphene oxide membrane with water transport promoters
Authors: Liang Feng , Liu Quan , Zhao Jing , Guan Kecheng , Mao Yangyang , Liu Gongping , Gu Xuehong , Jin Wanqin
Published: October 2019

Graphene oxide (GO), as a representative two‐dimensional material, has shown great prospect in developing high‐performance separation membranes via forming ordered and tunable nanochannels. However, for aqueous molecular separations, the implementation of an excellent separation performance remains a critical challenge due to the membrane swelling phenomenon and the trade‐off effect between permeation flux and separation factor. Herein, a facile and tunable approach is presented for introducing water transport promoters into GO interlayer channels to construct water transport highways. The combination of covalently cross‐linked channel structure, facilitated water‐selective sorption, and expedited water‐preferential diffusion overcome the trade‐off effect, achieving a superior performance from an ultrathin GO membrane with a flux of 5.94 kg/m2∙h and a water/butanol separation factor of 3,965, which exceeds the performance of state‐of‐the‐art membranes for water/butanol separation. The strategy proposed here is straightforward, holding great potential to produce high‐efficiency GO and other two‐dimensional (2D)‐material membranes for precise aqueous molecular separations.
Concepts in the neurosurgical care of patients with spinal neural tube defects: An embryologic approach
Authors: Blount Jeffrey P. , George Timothy M. , Koueik Joyce , Iskandar Bermans J.
Published: October 2019

Background

The neural tube defects (NTDs) are a heterogeneous group of structural birth defects that arise from a complex array of multiple genetic and environmental factors and adversely affect the structure and function of the brain and spinal cord. Spinal NTDs are clinically more common than cranial NTDs. There remains a significant gap in linking the multiple NTD phenotypes to current genomic understanding.

Methods

This article summarizes the neurosurgical clinical approach to spinal NTDs by correlating each step of embryonic development of the human nervous system with key management concepts for defects that arise at that step.

Results

The NTDs are broadly classified as open or closed. Open defects include myelomeningocele (MMC), encephalocele, and anencephaly. Closed defects are also known as occult spinal dysraphism and are characterized by intact skin over the spinal defect. They are more common and often cause neurologic decline from tethered cord syndrome. Failure of primary neurulation gives rise to open myelomeningocele (MMC). Surgical closure of an open MMC focuses on realigning the tissue layers that failed to separate during neurulation. In utero closure is a promising recent technique. Chronic neurosurgical management largely focuses treating hydrocephalus. The Chiari II malformation is uniformly present in MMC patients and may cause brainstem dysfunction. Tethered spinal cord may progressively impair normal neurologic function but typically responds well to surgical untethering.

Conclusions

Surgical closure of MMC centers on approximated realignment of embryologically disordered neural tissue. Clinical surgical management decisions in the spinal NTDs remains challenging but standardized principles have emerged.
National population‐based estimates for major birth defects, 2010–2014
Authors: Mai Cara T. , Isenburg Jennifer L. , Canfield Mark A. , Meyer Robert E. , Correa Adolfo , Alverson Clinton J. , Lupo Philip J. , Riehle‐Colarusso Tiffany , Cho Sook Ja , Aggarwal Deepa , Kirby Russell S. ,   National Birth Defects Prevention Network
Published: October 2019

Background

Using the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) annual data report, U.S. national prevalence estimates for major birth defects are developed based on birth cohort 2010–2014.

Methods

Data from 39 U.S. population‐based birth defects surveillance programs (16 active case‐finding, 10 passive case‐finding with case confirmation, and 13 passive without case confirmation) were used to calculate pooled prevalence estimates for major defects by case‐finding approach. Fourteen active case‐finding programs including at least live birth and stillbirth pregnancy outcomes monitoring approximately one million births annually were used to develop national prevalence estimates, adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity (for all conditions examined) and maternal age (trisomies and gastroschisis). These calculations used a similar methodology to the previous estimates to examine changes over time.

Results

The adjusted national birth prevalence estimates per 10,000 live births ranged from 0.62 for interrupted aortic arch to 16.87 for clubfoot, and 19.93 for the 12 critical congenital heart defects combined. While the birth prevalence of most birth defects studied remained relatively stable over 15 years, an increasing prevalence was observed for gastroschisis and Down syndrome. Additionally, the prevalence for atrioventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, omphalocele, and trisomy 18 increased in this period compared to the previous periods. Active case‐finding programs generally had higher prevalence rates for most defects examined, most notably for anencephaly, anophthalmia/microphthalmia, trisomy 13, and trisomy 18.

Conclusion

National estimates of birth defects prevalence provide data for monitoring trends and understanding the impact of these conditions. Increasing prevalence rates observed for selected conditions warrant further examination.
Regulation of Gene Expression and Replication Initiation by Non‐Coding Transcription: A Model Based on Reshaping Nucleosome‐Depleted Regions
Authors: Soudet Julien , Stutz Françoise
Published: October 2019

RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) non‐coding transcription is now known to cover almost the entire eukaryotic genome, a phenomenon referred to as pervasive transcription. As a consequence, regions previously thought to be non‐transcribed are subject to the passage of RNAP II and its associated proteins for histone modification. This is the case for the nucleosome‐depleted regions (NDRs), which provide key sites of entry into the chromatin for proteins required for the initiation of coding gene transcription and DNA replication. In this review, recent data on the effects of pervasive transcription through NDRs are summarized and a model is proposed to explain how RNAP II‐driven transcription is able to modify the nucleosomes flanking the NDRs, leading to nucleosome repositioning and NDR closure. Even though much of the mechanistic detail underlying these events remains to be elucidated, such a model provides a basis to explain how non‐coding transcription through NDRs can regulate the initiation of coding gene expression and DNA replication.
Does Reproduction Shorten Telomeres? Towards Integrating Individual Quality with Life‐History Strategies in Telomere Biology
Authors: Sudyka Joanna
Published: October 2019

Reproduction, a basic property of biological life, entails costs for an organism, ultimately detectable as reduction in survival prospects. Telomeres are an excellent candidate biomarker for explaining these reproductive costs, because their shortening correlates with increased mortality risk. For similar reasons, telomeres are perceived as biomarkers of individual “quality.” The relationship between reproduction and telomere dynamics is reviewed, emphasizing that cost and quality perspectives, commonly presented in isolation, should be integrated. While a majority of correlative studies have confirmed the relationship between telomere dynamics and various reproductive outputs, only limited experimental support exists showing that reproduction causes telomeres to shorten. A shift of focus to experimental manipulations of reproductive effort/telomere dynamics is crucial. However, the observation of survival reduction in response to these manipulations is essential for establishing telomeres as genuine biomarkers, allowing to unravel trade‐offs related to reproduction.
A bioinspired 3D shape olibanum‐collagen‐gelatin scaffolds with tunable porous microstructure for efficient neural tissue regeneration
Authors: Ghorbani Farnaz , Zamanian Ali , Kermanian Fatemeh , Shamoosi Atefeh
Published: October 2019

There are a number of procedures for regeneration of injured nerves; however, tissue engineering scaffolds seems to be a promising approach for recovery of the functionality of the injured nerves. Consequently, in this study, olibanum‐collagen‐gelatin scaffolds were fabricated by freeze‐cast technology. For this purpose, the olibanum and collagen were extracted from natural sources. The effect of solidification gradient on microstructure and properties of scaffolds was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed the formation of lamellar‐type microstructure in which the average pore size reduced with an increase in freezing rate. According to the results, the prepared scaffolds at lower freezing rate showed a slight reduction in mechanical strength while the swelling and biodegradation ratio were increased due to the presence of larger pores and unidirectional channels. The composition of scaffolds and oriented microstructure improved cellular interaction. In addition, scaffolds with lower freezing rate exhibited promising results in terms of adhesion, spreading, and proliferation. In brief, the synthesized scaffolds at lower solidification rate have the potential for more in vitro and in vivo analyses to regeneration of neural defects.
Pelvic Incidence: Computed Tomography Study Evaluating Correlation with Sagittal Sacropelvic Parameters
Authors: Baker Joseph F. , Don Angus S. , Robertson Peter A.
Published: October 2019

Normal values for spinal alignment are often based on the pelvic incidence (PI), defined as the angle subtended by a line from the bicoxofemoral axis to the midpoint of the sacral endplate and a line perpendicular to the midpoint. Despite widespread use, determinants of its values remain obscure. The aim of this study was to determine correlation of sacropelvic parameters with the PI on computed tomography (CT). CT scans performed for trauma were identified over a 1‐year period. Patients aged over 16 were included. PI, sacral anatomic orientation, sacral table angle (STA), sacral kyphosis (SK), pelvic thickness (PTH), femorosacral pelvic angle, pelvisacral angle, and sacropelvic angle were measured. Additional novel measures including crest‐to‐pubis distance, crest‐to‐sacrum distance (CSD), inlet distance, outlet distance, and inlet–outlet angle were taken. One hundred and seventy‐seven scans were analyzed. Mean age 44.3 years; 62% male. The mean PI was 50.1 (SD 10.8; range 29–87). SK (r = 0.769), inlet–outlet angle (r = −0.533), PTH (r = −0.370), CSD (r = 0.290), and STA (r = −0.276) significantly correlated with PI. Multivariate analysis developed a predictive equation of: PI = 101.45 − (0.52 × STA) + (0.67 × SK) − (0.34 × inlet–outlet angle), with an adjusted R2 0.734 (P < 0.001). Measures that represent the sacral morphology, particularly SK, and the position of the sacrum in space correlated strongly with the PI and contributed strongly to a predictive equation. These findings may direct further efforts to explore how the PI is determined and therefore how it may be modified. Clin. Anat. 33:237–244, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sorafenib and omacetaxine mepesuccinate as a safe and effective treatment for acute myeloid leukemia carrying internal tandem duplication of Fms‐like tyrosine kinase 3
Authors: Zhang Chunxiao , Lam Stephen S. Y. , Leung Garret M. K. , Tsui Sze‐Pui , Yang Ning , Ng Nelson K. L. , Ip Ho‐Wan , Au Chun‐Hang , Chan Tsun‐Leung , Ma Edmond S. K. , Yip Sze‐Fai , Lee Harold K. K. , Lau June S. M. , Luk Tsan‐Hei , Li Wa , Kwong Yok‐Lam , Leung Anskar Y. H.
Published: October 2019

Background

Omacetaxine mepesuccinate (OME) has antileukemic effects against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) carrying an internal tandem duplication of Fms‐like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3‐ITD). A phase 2 clinical trial was conducted to evaluate a combination treatment of sorafenib and omacetaxine mepesuccinate (SOME).

Methods

Relapsed or refractory (R/R) or newly diagnosed patients were treated with sorafenib (200‐400 mg twice daily) and OME (2 mg daily) for 7 (first course) or 5 days (second course onward) every 21 days until disease progression or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The primary endpoint was composite complete remission, which was defined as complete remission (CR) plus complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi). Secondary endpoints were leukemia‐free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

Thirty‐nine R/R patients and 5 newly diagnosed patients were recruited. Among the R/R patients, 28 achieved CR or CRi. Two patients showed partial remission, and 9 patients did not respond. Among the 5 newly diagnosed patients, 4 achieved CR, and 1 achieved CRi. The median LFS and OS were 5.6 and 10.9 months, respectively. Prior Fms‐like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor exposure (P = .007), 2 or more inductions (P = .001), and coexisting IDH2 (P = .008) and RUNX1 mutations (P = .003) were associated with lower CR/CRi rates. HSCT consolidation and deep molecular responses (defined as an FLT3‐ITD variant allelic frequency [VAF] ≤ 0.1% or a nucleophosmin 1 [NPM1] mutant VAF ≤ 0.01%) were associated with better OS and LFS. Prior FLT3 inhibitor exposure and 2 or more inductions were associated with inferior LFS.

Conclusions

SOME was safe and effective for R/R and newly diagnosed FLT3‐ITD AML.
Introduction to the special issue on advancing assessment of, and interventions for, eating disorders via innovative uses of technology
Authors: Bauer Stephanie , Goldschmidt Andrea B.
Published: October 2019

The aim of this editorial is to introduce a Special Issue of the International Journal of Eating Disorders on “Advancing Assessment of, and Interventions for, Eating Disorders via Innovative Uses of Technology.” The 10 contributions to the Special Issue focus on the following main questions: (a) How can we optimize technology‐enhanced interventions for eating disorders? (b) To what extent can technology help professionals to reach underserved populations? (c) How can innovative technology‐enhanced tools improve assessment and treatment of eating disorders? The findings cumulatively suggest that technology can play a critical role in the detection and treatment of eating disorders, and may be used to enhance understanding of the etiology, maintenance, and course of these conditions. The contributions to this Special Issue have important implications for the conceptualization, design, and evaluation of technology‐enhanced interventions as well as for the optimization of current assessment methods. Hopefully, they will stimulate future research in this quickly evolving field.
The effect of allometric partitioning on herbivory tolerance in four species in South China
Authors: Fan Zhe‐Xuan , Chen Bao‐Ming , Liao Hui‐Xuan , Zhou Guo‐Hao , Peng Shao‐Lin
Published: October 2019

Herbivory tolerance can offset the negative effects of herbivory on plants and plays an important role in both immigration and population establishment. Biomass reallocation is an important potential mechanism of herbivory tolerance. To understand how biomass allocation affects plant herbivory tolerance, it is necessary to distinguish the biomass allocations resulting from environmental gradients or plant growth. There is generally a tight balance between the amounts of biomass invested in different organs, which must be analyzed by means of an allometric model. The allometric exponent is not affected by individual growth and can reflect the changes in biomass allocation patterns of different parts. Therefore, the allometric exponent was chosen to study the relationship between biomass allocation pattern and herbivory tolerance. We selected four species (Wedelia chinensis, Wedelia trilobata, Merremia hederacea, and Mikania micrantha), two of which are invasive species and two of which are accompanying native species, and established three herbivory levels (0%, 25% and 50%) to compare differences in allometry. The biomass allocation in stems was negatively correlated with herbivory tolerance, while that in leaves was positively correlated with herbivory tolerance. Furthermore, the stability of the allometric exponent was related to tolerance, indicating that plants with the ability to maintain their biomass allocation patterns are more tolerant than those without this ability, and the tendency to allocate biomass to leaves rather than to stems or roots helps increase this tolerance. The allometric exponent was used to remove the effects of individual development on allocation pattern, allowing the relationship between biomass allocation and herbivory tolerance to be more accurately explored. This research used an allometric model to fit the nonlinear process of biomass partitioning during the growth and development of plants and provides a new understanding of the relationship between biomass allocation and herbivory tolerance.
Evidence for host effect on the intestinal microbiota of whitefish (Coregonus sp.) species pairs and their hybrids
Authors: Sevellec Maelle , Laporte Martin , Bernatchez Alex , Derome Nicolas , Bernatchez Louis
Published: October 2019

Investigating relationships between microbiota and their host is essential toward a full understanding of how animal adapt to their environment. Lake Whitefish offers a powerful system to investigate processes of adaptive divergence where the dwarf, limnetic species evolved repeatedly from the normal, benthic species. We compared the transient intestinal microbiota between both species from the wild and in controlled conditions, including their reciprocal hybrids. We sequenced the 16s rRNA gene V3‐V4 regions to (a) test for parallelism in the transient intestinal microbiota among sympatric pairs, (b) test for transient intestinal microbiota differences among dwarf, normal, and hybrids reared under identical conditions, and (c) compare intestinal microbiota between wild and captive whitefish. A significant host effect on microbiota taxonomic composition was observed when all lakes were analyzed together and in three of the five species pairs. In captive whitefish, host effect was also significant. Microbiota of both reciprocal hybrids fell outside of that observed in the parental forms. Six genera formed a bacterial core which was present in captive and wild whitefish, suggesting a horizontal microbiota transmission. Altogether, our results complex interactions among the host, the microbiota, and the environment, and we propose that these interactions define three distinct evolutionary paths of the intestinal microbiota.
Genetic divergence and phenotypic plasticity contribute to variation in cuticular hydrocarbons in the seaweed fly Coelopa frigida
Authors: Berdan Emma , Enge Swantje , Nylund Göran M. , Wellenreuther Maren , Martens Gerrit A. , Pavia Henrik
Published: October 2019

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) form the boundary between insects and their environments and often act as essential cues for species, mate, and kin recognition. This complex polygenic trait can be highly variable both among and within species, but the causes of this variation, especially the genetic basis, are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated phenotypic and genetic variation of CHCs in the seaweed fly, Coelopa frigida, and found that composition was affected by both genetic (sex and population) and environmental (larval diet) factors. We subsequently conducted behavioral trials that show CHCs are likely used as a sexual signal. We identified general shifts in CHC chemistry as well as individual compounds and found that the methylated compounds, mean chain length, proportion of alkenes, and normalized total CHCs differed between sexes and populations. We combined these data with whole genome resequencing data to examine the genetic underpinnings of these differences. We identified 11 genes related to CHC synthesis and found population‐level outlier SNPs in 5 that are concordant with phenotypic differences. Together these results reveal that the CHC composition of C. frigida is dynamic, strongly affected by the larval environment, and likely under natural and sexual selection.
Consequences of past and present harvest management in a declining flyway population of common eidersSomateria mollissima
Authors: Tjørnløv Rune S. , Pradel Roger , Choquet Rémi , Christensen Thomas Kjær , Frederiksen Morten
Published: October 2019

Harvested species population dynamics are shaped by the relative contribution of natural and harvest mortality. Natural mortality is usually not under management control, so managers must continuously adjust harvest rates to prevent overexploitation. Ideally, this requires regular assessment of the contribution of harvest to total mortality and how this affects population dynamics.

To assess the impact of hunting mortality on the dynamics of the rapidly declining Baltic/Wadden Sea population of common eidersSomateria mollissima, we first estimated vital rates of ten study colonies over the period 1970–2015. By means of a multi‐event capture–recovery model, we then used the cause of death of recovered individuals to estimate proportions of adult females that died due to hunting or other causes. Finally, we adopted a stochastic matrix population modeling approach based on simulations to investigate the effect of past and present harvest regulations on changes in flyway population size and composition.

Results showed that even the complete ban on shooting females implemented in 2014 in Denmark, where most hunting takes place, was not enough to stop the population decline given current levels of natural female mortality. Despite continued hunting of males, our predictions suggest that the proportion of females will continue to decline unless natural mortality of the females is reduced.

Although levels of natural mortality must decrease to halt the decline of this population, we advocate that the current hunting ban on females is maintained while further investigations of factors causing increased levels of natural mortality among females are undertaken.

Synthesis and applications. At the flyway scale, continuous and accurate estimates of vital rates and the relative contribution of harvest versus other mortality causes are increasingly important as the population effect of adjusting harvest rates is most effectively evaluated within a model‐based adaptive management framework.
Spatial covariation of competing species in a fluctuating environment
Authors: Lee Aline Magdalena , Sæther Bernt‐Erik , Engen Steinar
Published: October 2019

Understanding how stochastic fluctuations in the environment influence population dynamics is crucial for sustainable management of biological diversity. However, because species do not live in isolation, this requires knowledge of how species interactions influence population dynamics. In addition, spatial processes play an important role in shaping population dynamics. It is therefore important to improve our understanding of how these different factors act together to shape patterns of abundance across space within and among species. Here, we present a new analytical model for understanding patterns of covariation in space between interacting species in a stochastic environment. We show that the correlation between two species in how they experience the same environmental conditions determines how correlated fluctuations in their densities would be in the absence of competition. In other words, without competition, synchrony between the species is driven by the environment, similar to the Moran effect within a species. Competition between the two species causes their abundances to become less positively or more negatively correlated. The same strength of competition has a greater negative effect on the correlation between species when one of them has a more variable growth rate than the other. In addition, dispersal or other movement weakens the effect of competition on the interspecific correlation. Finally, we show that movement increases the distance over which the species are (positively or negatively) correlated, an effect that is stronger when the species are competitors, and that there is a close connection between the spatial scaling of population synchrony within a species and between species. Our results show that the relationships between the different factors influencing interspecific correlations in abundance are not simple linear ones, but this model allows us to disentangle them and predict how they will affect population fluctuations in different situations.
Numerical investigation of flue gas injection enhanced underground coal seam gas drainage
Authors: Huo Bingjie , Jing Xuedong , Fan Chaojun , Han Yongliang
Published: October 2019

Coal seam with low permeability is widely distributed in China. Injection of flue gas (N2:CO2 = 0.85:0.15) is an effective approach to improve coal seam gas drainage efficiency. This process relates complex responses among ternary gases (CH4, CO2, and N2) competitive sorption on coals, gas diffusion, gas‐water migration by means of two‐phase flow, and coal deformation. In this paper, an improved hydraulic‐mechanical model coupling above interactions is established for flue gas injection enhanced gas drainage. This model is used to simulate flue gas enhanced drainage by finite element method. The sensitivity analyses of key factors are made to recovery a better understanding on the processes controlling flue gas enhanced drainage. Results show that the flue gas enhanced drainage can indeed improve the efficiency of gas extraction and reduce the gas pressure to the required value in a shorter duration. Due to the competitive adsorption and gas sweeping effect of injected flue gas, CH4 is driven toward drainage borehole, and CH4 pressure and content near the injection borehole decrease faster than that near the drainage borehole. The peak CH4 pressure laterally moves from the injection borehole to the drainage borehole. Higher injection pressure, initial permeability, and smaller sorption affinity ratios may lead to greater CH4 production rate at early drainage stage, but smaller CH4 production rate at late stage. The factors controlling the behavior of flue gas enhanced drainage are initial permeability, injection pressure, and sorption affinity ratios in order. This work offers useful framework to investigate important technical challenges associated with enhanced mine gas drainage, as well as unconventional gas development.
Genetic architecture constrains exploitation of siderophore cooperation in the bacteriumBurkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Sathe Santosh , Mathew Anugraha , Agnoli Kirsty , Eberl Leo , Kümmerli Rolf
Published: October 2019

Explaining how cooperation can persist in the presence of cheaters, exploiting the cooperative acts, is a challenge for evolutionary biology. Microbial systems have proved extremely useful to test evolutionary theory and identify mechanisms maintaining cooperation. One of the most widely studied system is the secretion and sharing of iron-scavenging siderophores by Pseudomonas bacteria, with many insights gained from this system now being considered as hallmarks of bacterial cooperation. Here, we introduce siderophore secretion by the bacterium Burkholderia cenocepacia H111 as a novel parallel study system, and show that this system behaves differently. For ornibactin, the main siderophore of this species, we discovered a novel mechanism of how cheating can be prevented. Particularly, we found that secreted ornibactin cannot be exploited by ornibactin-defective mutants because ornibactin receptor and synthesis genes are co-expressed from the same operon, such that disruptive mutations in synthesis genes compromise receptor availability required for siderophore uptake and cheating. For pyochelin, the secondary siderophore of this species, we found that cheating was possible, but the relative success of cheaters was positive frequency dependent, thus diametrically opposite to the Pseudomonas and other microbial systems. Altogether, our results highlight that expanding our repertoire of microbial study systems leads to new discoveries and suggest that there is an enormous diversity of social interactions out there in nature, and we might have only looked at the tip of the iceberg so far.
New ACI 533 guide on general design and construction aspects of precast concrete tunnel segments
Authors: Bakhshi Mehdi , Nasri Verya
Published: October 2019

American Concrete Institute (ACI) is aiming to publish its first guide (ACI 533.2R) on general aspects of precast tunnel segments. This paper presents salient features of the guide including the most recent developments on major aspects of design, manufacturing and construction. This document is drafted based on the knowledge and the experience gained on projects in Asia, Europe, and North America, and available national and international recommendations. Procedures to perform structural design during production, transportation, construction and final service stages are explained. Details of segmental ring geometry and systems, concrete strength, curing, and reinforcement detailing are discussed. Gasket design, segment connection devices, anchorage systems, tolerances, measurement and dimensional control, and repair of defects are among other topics that are covered. This document also addresses durability and degradation mechanisms of tunnel linings and their mitigation methods. While some parts of this guide may only consider the procedures adopted by ACI, they can be extended to other national and international codes and used worldwide.
Healing Relationships
Authors: Kaebnick Gregory E.
Published: October 2019

In a 2015 Hastings Center Report essay, Robert Truog and his coauthors argued that the clinical ethics portion of medical education should cast both a wider and a finer net than is sometimes realized. Many of the morally important moments in patient care are missed if we teach only general moral principles, they held; we also need to give attention to an indefinite stream of “microethical” decisions in everyday clinical practice. In the current issue, Truog plays out a similar theme as he discusses the moral significance of touching a patient and asks how artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies may change this ancient part of the physician‐patient relationship. And one of the articles in this issue examines the significance of clinicians’ relationships with other clinicians. Donna Chen and colleagues propose, in effect, that “teamwork” has become part of the ethics of everyday clinical practice—a new addition to what Larry Churchill and David Schenck called the “healing skills.”
Daniel Callahan and the Vocation of Bioethics
Authors: Jennings Bruce
Published: October 2019

Did Dan Callahan know the calling he was displaying in his own work and offering to others in the special intellectual garden of The Hastings Center, which he cocreated, with Will Gaylin, and went on to prune and tend for nearly four decades? I would say, yes, he knew what he was about. Successful people usually have self‐confidence and drive in abundance, but in Dan's case, there was something more profound and interesting at work. Having gone through the endnotes of his latest book one day, I asked him how he found time to read so widely. He said he had learned to be an efficient skimmer who could pull out the nuggets he valued from another's work because he had a few magnetic ideas from which he would brook no distraction.
Genetic alterations of epithelial polarity genes are associated with loss of polarity in invasive breast cancer
Authors: Catterall Rachel , Lelarge Virginie , McCaffrey Luke
Published: October 2019

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer‐related death for women. The stepwise development of breast cancer through preinvasive to invasive disease is associated with progressive disruption of cellular and tissue organization. Apical–basal polarity is thought to be a barrier to breast cancer development, but the extent and potential mechanisms that contribute to disrupted polarity are incompletely understood. To investigate the cell polarity status of invasive breast cancers, we performed multiplex imaging of polarity markers on tissue cores from 432 patients from a spectrum of grades, stages and molecular subtypes. Apical–basal cell polarity was lost in 100% of cells in all cases studied, indicating that loss of epithelial polarity may be a universal feature of invasive breast cancer. We then analyzed genomic events from the TCGA dataset for an 18‐gene set of core polarity genes. Coamplification of polarity genes with established breast oncogenes was found, which is consistent with functional cooperation within signaling amplicons. Gene‐expression levels of several polarity genes were significantly associated with survival, and protein localization of Par6 correlated with higher grade, nodal metastasis and molecular subtype. Finally, multiple hotspot mutations in protein–protein interaction domains critical for cell polarity were identified. Our data indicate that genomic events likely contribute to pervasive disruption of epithelial polarity observed in invasive breast cancer.
Silencing transcription factor FOXM1 represses proliferation, migration, and invasion while inducing apoptosis of liver cancer stem cells by regulating the expression of ALDH2
Authors: Chen Lijian , Wu Meiyun , Ji Chunyi , Yuan Miaoxian , Liu Chaoyang , Yin Qiang
Published: October 2019

Objective

This study is performed to explore the role of transcription factor FOXM1 in promoting the self‐renewal and proliferation of liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) by regulating the expression of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 (ALDH2).

Methods

CD133+CD24+ LCSCs were sorted and identified. A series of experiments were carried out to determine the proliferation, colony formation rate, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of LCSCs after interfering with FOXM1. Proliferation‐, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐, apoptosis‐, and stemness‐related factors were then detected by western blot analysis. Tumor xenograft in nude mice was used to figure out the role of FOXM1 in tumorigenesis in vivo by regulating ALDH2 expression. Luciferase activity assay was conducted to determine whether FOXM1 could target ALDH2 promoter region and thereby affecting ALDH2 expression.

Results

The sorted CD133+CD24+ Huh‐7 cells had the characteristic of stem cells. FOXM1 was highly expressed in CD133+CD24+Huh‐7 cells. Silencing FOXM1 inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of LCSCs and decreased the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Ki‐67 protein; inhibited the migration, invasion, and EMT of LCSCs while promoting the apoptosis of LCSCs, as well as promoted the expression of Bax and cleaved‐caspase‐3, and inhibited the expression of Bcl‐2. Silencing FOXM1 inhibited the expression of Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2 in LCSCs by decreasing the expression of ALDH2. in vivo experiment, silencing FOXM1 suppressed tumorigenesis of LCSCs by decreasing the expression of ALDH2.

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence that silencing FOXM1 inhibits stemness of LCSCs by decreasing the expression of ALDH2, and represses the proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumorigenesis while inducing the apoptosis of LCSCs.
Technology‐based contingency management and e‐cigarettes during the initial weeks of a smoking quit attempt
Authors: Martner Sarah G. , Dallery Jesse
Published: October 2019

Contingency management (CM) interventions are among the most effective behavioral interventions for smoking. This study assessed the effects of CM and electronic cigarettes (ECs) on smoking reductions and abstinence for durations of 30‐36 days. Twelve participants were exposed to Baseline, EC alone, and EC + CM conditions. An internet‐based platform was used to monitor smoking via breath carbon monoxide (CO) and deliver CM for smoking abstinence (CO ≤4 ppm). A Bluetooth‐enabled EC monitored daily EC puffs. Abstinence rates were equivalent between EC (34.4%) and EC + CM (30.4%) conditions. Both conditions promoted smoking reductions. We observed an inverse correlation between smoking and EC puffs (r = ‐.62, p < .05). Results suggest the use of electronic cigarettes can promote smoking reductions and abstinence, and CM did not improve these outcomes. Larger magnitude consequences or tailoring EC characteristics (e.g., flavor) may have improved outcomes. Technology‐based methods to collect intensive, longitudinal measures of smoking and electronic cigarette use may be useful to characterize their environmental determinants.
Adverse events during a disorder‐specific psychotherapy compared to a nonspecific psychotherapy in patients with chronic depression
Authors: Meister Ramona , Lanio Jana , Fangmeier Thomas , Härter Martin , Schramm Elisabeth , Zobel Ingo , Hautzinger Martin , Nestoriuc Yvonne , Kriston Levente
Published: October 2019

Objectives

A recent trial comparing Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) and supportive psychotherapy in chronic depression found CBASP to be more effective in treating depressive symptoms. We aimed to evaluate adverse events that occurred during this trial.

Materials and Method

A randomized trial of chronically depressed outpatients was performed. The treatment included 32 sessions of CBASP or supportive psychotherapy. Therapists asked patients about adverse events and their intensity in each session using a standardized checklist. We analyzed the mean number of (severe) adverse events per patient up to Session 32 with gamma frailty recurrent event models.

Results

Two hundred and sixty patients were included in the analyses (66% female, mean age 45 years). Patients in the supportive psychotherapy group reported less severe adverse events in general, and less severe adverse events related to personal life and to occupational life than patients in the CBASP group. Less adverse events related to suicidal thoughts were reported in the CBASP compared with the supportive psychotherapy group.

Conclusions

Differences in the adverse events profile may be explained by the treatment elements. Adverse events related to personal and occupational life for example might be considered a necessary and expected yet temporary adverse treatment outcome of an effective CBASP treatment.
ROC analysis of three‐dimensional psychological pain in suicide ideation and suicide attempt among patients with major depressive disorder
Authors: Sun Xuemei , Li Huanhuan , Song Wei , Jiang Songyuan , Shen Chengfeng , Wang Xiang
Published: October 2019

Objective

To identify the predictive ability of the three‐dimensional psychological pain scale (TDPPS) on suicide risk among MDD patients as compared to impulsivity, depression, hopelessness, psychache and acquired capability for suicide, and to determine the cut‐off point of TDPPS in the identification of those at risk for suicide.

Method

The sample comprised 137 depressed outpatients who were divided into subjects with a history of suicidal attempt (SA, N = 31) and those without such history (NSA, N = 106). All participants completed the questionnaires to evaluate interested variables. Broad sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed by using hierarchical and logistic regression analysis and Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis.

Results

TDPPS, especially pain avoidance subscale displayed superior performance in accurately identifying suicide attempt compared with other measurements. The appropriate cut‐off point was 58 for the TDPPS.

Conclusions

TDPPS may be an effective screening scale for detecting depressed patients at high suicidal risk.
Osteocyte staining with rhodamine in osteonecrosis and osteoarthritis of the femoral head
Authors: Rony Louis , Perrot Rodolphe , Hubert Laurent , Chappard Daniel
Published: October 2019

Death of osteocytes is synonymous of bone death. Aseptic osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a lesion characterized by the death of osteocytes occurring after major vascular changes. The evolution may lead to hip osteoarthritis, which requires total hip arthroplasty in most cases. Evolution of aseptic osteonecrosis in four radiological stages is well known. We analyzed 24 femoral heads from patients with osteonecrosis or osteoarthritis, retrieved at the time of surgery for a hip arthroplasty. The aim of the study was to clearly identify the necrotic bone from the living bone in the histological samples. The femoral heads were sawed, and a large sample was harvested in the superior zone; it was stained en‐bloc with rhodamine dissolved in formalin to make the osteocytes fluorescent under UV light microscopy. Undecalcified sections, 7 μm thick, were obtained on a heavy‐duty microtome. A micrographic analysis using two UV excitation wavelengths visualized the living osteocytes (in green) and the bone matrix (in blue). A simple method to prepare combined images is described. In addition, the blocks can be analyzed by confocal microscopy to visualize more details. It is possible to identify at low magnification the osteocytes within the bone matrix and the osteonecrotic areas where osteocytes have disappeared. Identification of osteocytes showed that newly formed bone packets are laid on dead trabeculae in patients with aseptic osteonecrosis or with osteoarthritis. In the osteosclerotic areas, the enlarged trabeculae have a dead central core surrounded by recently apposed bone structure units.
The R‐Word Is More Than Hate Speech: Differences in Counselors’ Level of Tolerance Based on Language and Labels
Authors: Granello Darcy Haag
Published: October 2019

Professional counselors and counselors‐in‐training (N = 211) completed a survey measuring tolerance toward people with intellectual disabilities. About half completed a version using the term mentally retarded, and half completed a version using people with intellectual disabilities. The first group was more empowering and less sheltering of people with intellectual disabilities but less likely to perceive them as basically like themselves.
Past, present, and future of WCG technology in display
Authors: Kwak Musun , Kim Younghoon , Han Sanghun , Kim Ahnki , Kim Sooin , Lee Seungbeom , Jun Mike , Kang Inbyeong
Published: October 2019

We will introduce the development trend of colorant and color technology along the grown of display industry. Wide color gamut (WCG) technology with high contrast ratio and transmittance has been developed from colorant design to color filter process, product reliability, and performance enhancement. In this paper, WCG technology for liquid crystal display (LCD) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) and trend of colorant, which is including color conversion material (CCM), were discussed. We hope that it will help you to understand the development flow of colorant in the display industry.
Clubfoot Versus Positional Foot Deformities on Prenatal Ultrasound Imaging
Authors: Brasseur‐Daudruy Marie , Abu Amara Saad , Ickowicz‐Onnient Valentine , Touleimat Salma , Verspyck Eric
Published: October 2019

Clubfoot and positional foot deformities (eg, pes spinatus) may have the same aspects on prenatal ultrasound (US) imaging. Nevertheless, differentiating these entities is essential because their prognoses are different. This pictorial review illustrates the US findings of clubfoot and positional foot deformities. On the basis of clinical postnatal images, we describe a prenatal US technique that could give an accurate diagnosis. In this essay, we demonstrate that when a foot malposition is suspected, a systematic analysis with 3 rigorous planes could help differentiate positional foot deformities from malformations and define their types.
Evaluation of alginate and zein films as a carrier of natamycin to increase the shelf life of kashar cheese
Authors: Küçük Gökce Saritaş , Çelik Ömer Faruk , Mazi Bekir Gökçen , Türe Hasan
Published: October 2019

The aim of this study was to develop alginate and zein films containing natamycin, a natural antifungal agent, in order to limit/prevent the mould growth on the surface of kashar cheeses. The films were prepared by casting, and characterized in terms of antimicrobial and mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation‐at‐break, and elastic modulus), and their morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties of the zein films were found to be weaker than the alginate films. SEM analysis indicated that alginate films have a more regular structure than zein films, and a more homogenous distribution was observed at lower concentrations of natamycin. The antifungal activities of both films increased as the natamycin concentration (100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 ppm) increased; however, alginate films exhibited relatively high antifungal activity. The effects of films on the shelf life of kashar cheeses inoculated with Aspergillus niger and Penicillium camemberti were investigated during their storage under refrigerator conditions for 45 days. At high‐natamycin concentrations, zein films showed higher antifungal activity against both fungi at the end of the storage period.
Temperature dependence on phase evolution in the BaTiO3 polytypes studied using ab initio calculations
Authors: Oliveira Marisa C. , Ribeiro Renan A. P. , Longo Elson , Bomio Maurício R. D. , Motta Fabiana V. , de Lazaro Sergio R.
Published: October 2019

Identifying the forces that drive a temperature‐induced phase transition is always challenging in the prospect of the first‐principles methods. Herein, we perform a first‐principles study of the temperature effects on structural, energetic, electronic, and vibrational properties of four BaTiO3 polymorphs using quasi‐harmonic approximations. Study of the stability between these four phases, which we break into contributions arising from the vibration of the lattice, electronic structure, and volume expansion/contraction, is helpful to confirm the sequence of phase transitions as cubic → tetragonal → orthorhombic → rhombohedral, as well as its transition temperatures. A general mechanism was proposed based on the combination between structural distortions at [TiO6] clusters, vibrational characteristics, and electronic structure. These findings confirm the power of quasi‐harmonic approximations to disclose the main fingerprints associated with both thermic and mechanical phase transitions, serving as a guide for further theoretical studies.
Arenas of Volunteering: Experiences, Practices and Conflicts of Voluntary Refugee Relief
Authors: Hoppe-Seyler Annika
Published: October 2019

The ongoing arrivals of asylum seekers in Germany and across Europe during the last few years have entailed an enormous increase in local voluntary engagement in the field of refugee relief. Local voluntary organisations have become important actors within refugee integration, taking over basic tasks from municipalities such as language teaching and providing refugees with information and practical help. Ethnographic fieldwork in the context of voluntary refugee relief in a mid-sized city in Bavaria, Germany, reveals insights into the practices and spaces of volunteering. Based on pragmatist notions of experiences as socially constituted modes of being in, participating in, and understanding the world, this chapter can help to understand the development of practices and commitment to voluntary refugee relief. It highlights how the emotional and spatial dimensions are meaningful to the analysis of volunteer practices as well as their conflicts and ruptures. Furthermore, the chapter illustrates that the processes of becoming a voluntary subject in many cases involve reflections on the politicization of voluntary refugee aid. This politicization holds a potential for conflict, both for the individual volunteer subject and the voluntary organisation.