bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elucidating the role of Cyclooxygenase‐2 in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus – an immunohistochemical study with supportive histochemical analysis
Authors: Singh Pratyush , Grover Jasleen , Byatnal Aditi Amit , Guddattu Vasudeva , Radhakrishnan Raghu , Solomon Monica Charlotte
Published: November 2016

Objective

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic, inflammatory disorder that affects the oral mucous membrane. During an inflammatory response, several chemokines and cytokines are released by the cells of the immune system. Activation of MMPs, along with mast cell‐derived chymase and tryptase, degrades the basement membrane structural proteins, resulting in basement membrane breaks.

Aim

To investigate the association between the COX‐2 expressions, presence of intact or degranulating mast cells within the connective tissue and the extent of basement membrane discontinuity in OLP cases.

Methods

This study included a total of 50 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded specimens (FFPE) of histologically confirmed cases of idiopathic oral lichen planus. A retrospective cross‐sectional analysis was carried out by immunohistochemistry to study the epithelial expression of COX‐2 and by the use of special stains such as toluidine blue and periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) to study the mast cell count and basement membrane changes in the oral mucosal tissue, respectively.

Results

There was a significant (P = 0.03) association between the COX‐2 expressions and mast cell count. As the intensity of COX‐2 expression increased from mild to moderate or severe, the number of mast cell count almost doubled.

Conclusion

Interaction between upregulation of COX‐2, mast cell and basement membrane sets a vicious cycle which relates to the chronic nature of the disease. Inhibitors of COX‐2 may reduce the inflammatory process preceding the immune dysregulation in OLP.
A New Detection Method for Submerged Implants: Oral Tattoo
Authors: Soylu Emrah , Gönen Zeynep Burçin , Alkan Alper
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To evaluate the marking potential of tattoo ink in determining the definitive locations of submerged implants at the time of surgical exposure of the implants.

Materials and Methods

In total, 104 implants in 32 patients were included in this study. After placement of the implants, cover screws were inserted. Overlying mucosa was marked with tattoo ink using a 20 g needle through the center of the cover screw. At the time of surgical exposure the tattoo marks were evaluated relative to visibility.

Results

At the time of the surgical exposures, tattoo ink was clearly visible at 91 implants, slightly visible at 8 implants, and not visible at 5 implants. After detection and classification of tattoo ink, the overlying mucosa was gently removed by tissue punch under local anesthesia.

Conclusion

The results of this study seemed to indicate that marking the location of implants with tattoos at the time of implant placement can be an inexpensive, easy, healthy, and practical way to identify the location of marked submerged dental implants.
A community‐derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns
Authors:   PPG I
Published: November 2016

Phylogeny has long informed pteridophyte classification. As our ability to infer evolutionary trees has improved, classifications aimed at recognizing natural groups have become increasingly predictive and stable. Here, we provide a modern, comprehensive classification for lycophytes and ferns, down to the genus level, utilizing a community‐based approach. We use monophyly as the primary criterion for the recognition of taxa, but also aim to preserve existing taxa and circumscriptions that are both widely accepted and consistent with our understanding of pteridophyte phylogeny. In total, this classification treats an estimated 11 916 species in 337 genera, 51 families, 14 orders, and two classes. This classification is not intended as the final word on lycophyte and fern taxonomy, but rather a summary statement of current hypotheses, derived from the best available data and shaped by those most familiar with the plants in question. We hope that it will serve as a resource for those wanting references to the recent literature on pteridophyte phylogeny and classification, a framework for guiding future investigations, and a stimulus to further discourse.
Multidisciplinary managed care networks—Life‐saving interventions for hepatitis C patients
Authors: Tait J. M. , Wang H. , Stephens B. P. , Miller M. , McIntyre P. G. , Cleary S. , Dillon J. F.
Published: November 2016

Successful hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy depends on effective pathways of care. Over two decades, we have developed four sequential models of care latterly using a multidisciplinary managed care network to improve HCV testing, care and treatment. This was a cohort study to evaluate the effectiveness of care pathways, carried out using all HCV antibody‐positive individuals tested in a geographical region between 1994 and 2014. The study involved 3122 HCV‐positive patients. They were divided into four subgroups representing different care pathways defined by their date of HCV antibody diagnosis. The number who accessed treatment services within 1 year of diagnosis increased from 77 of 292 (26.3%) to 521 of 821 (72.9%). The rate of treatment starts within 1 year of diagnosis increased from 6 of 292 (2.0%) to 133 of 821 (16.2%), and the sustained viral response rate improved from 61.6% to 77.4%. All‐cause mortality decreased from 232 of 688 (33.7%) in subgroup A to 55 of 1207 (4.5%) in subgroup D, and multivariate analysis showed that pathway type was an independent predictor of mortality irrespective of age, sex, SVR status or HIV co‐infection with pathway in D having an odds ratio of 0.53(0.40‐0.77; P<.001) compared to pathway in A. At study end, 78% (3122) of an estimated 4000 HCV positive had been diagnosed. In total, 97.5% of HCV caseload was referred to specialist services and 89% attended for assessment. The introduction of a managed care network increased access to care and reduced all‐cause mortality.
Explanation and Elaboration Document for the STROBE‐Vet Statement: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology—Veterinary Extension
Authors: O'Connor A.M. , Sargeant J.M. , Dohoo I.R. , Erb H.N. , Cevallos M. , Egger M. , Ersbøll A.K. , Martin S.W. , Nielsen L.R. , Pearl D.L. , Pfeiffer D.U. , Sanchez J. , Torrence M.E. , Vigre H. , Waldner C. , Ward M.P.
Published: November 2016

The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) statement was first published in 2007 and again in 2014. The purpose of the original STROBE was to provide guidance for authors, reviewers, and editors to improve the comprehensiveness of reporting; however, STROBE has a unique focus on observational studies. Although much of the guidance provided by the original STROBE document is directly applicable, it was deemed useful to map those statements to veterinary concepts, provide veterinary examples, and highlight unique aspects of reporting in veterinary observational studies. Here, we present the examples and explanations for the checklist items included in the STROBE‐Vet statement. Thus, this is a companion document to the STROBE‐Vet statement methods and process document (JVIM_14575 “Methods and Processes of Developing the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology—Veterinary (STROBE‐Vet) Statement” undergoing proofing), which describes the checklist and how it was developed.
Relational Embeddedness and Socially Motivated Case Screening in the Practice of Law in Rural China
Authors: Li Ke
Published: November 2016

Based on an ethnographic study conducted in rural China, this article demonstrates that relational embeddedness—that is, concrete and durable relationships among law practitioners, clients, adversaries, and the surrounding communities—holds the key to our understandings of the legal profession's case screening. Over the past decade, legal services in rural China have been commodified significantly. Despite that, relationships with extended families, community members, and local political elites have continued to shape law practitioners’ professional decision-making. By carefully scrutinizing multiplex relationships involved in legal services, law practitioners seek to meet the practical needs of their personal life, and more importantly, to uphold moral obligations derived from communal life. Seen in this light, the practice of law is an integral part of a moral economy in the countryside. Rather than giving rise to a more progressive form of services, the legal profession's participation in this moral economy often reinforces existing power structures in Chinese society. By introducing the concept of relational embeddedness into sociolegal research, this study unpacks the complex consequences of the recent legal reforms in China; it also enriches our theoretical understandings of related concepts, such as social capital, networking, and guanxi in the practice of law.
Judicial Impartiality and Independence in Divided Societies: An Empirical Analysis of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Authors: Schwartz Alex , Janelle Murchison Melanie
Published: November 2016

The role of constitutional courts in deeply divided societies is complicated by the danger that the salient societal cleavages may influence judicial decision-making and, consequently, undermine judicial impartiality and independence. With reference to the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina, this article investigates the influence of ethno-national affiliation on judicial behaviour and the extent to which variation in judicial tenure amplifies or dampens that influence. Based on a statistical analysis of an original dataset of the Court's decisions, we find that the judges do in fact divide predictably along ethno-national lines, at least in certain types of cases, and that these divisions cannot be reduced to a residual loyalty to their appointing political parties. Contrary to some theoretical expectations, however, we find that long-term tenure does little to dampen the influence of ethno-national affiliation on judicial behaviour. Moreover, our findings suggest that this influence may actually increase as a judge acclimates to the dynamics of a divided court. We conclude by considering how alternative arrangements for the selection and tenure of judges might help to ameliorate this problem.
Infusing Public Law into Privatized Welfare: Lawyers, Economists, and the Competing Logics of Administrative Reform
Authors: Benish Avishai , Maron Asa
Published: November 2016

Along with the trend toward “New Public Management” (NPM) and replacing the legal culture of public bureaucracies with market logic through privatization, we are also witnessing instances of “publicization,” the application of public law norms and mechanisms to privatized services. The article explores the role of government lawyers and economists in the dynamics of these administrative reforms. Using a detailed case study of welfare-to-work reform in Israel, it shows that the reconstruction of decision making and accountability patterns under NPM was the result of competing efforts by these professional groups to appropriate the “privatized state” to accord with their own institutional logics and interests. While economists advanced a “market” logic, lawyers tried to reproduce the logic of “law” in the post-bureaucratic setting. The study demonstrates how eventually public law norms were re-infused into privatized welfare as a result of the increasing institutional power of the lawyers in the regulatory space, along with wider political and social support for the entrenched legalistic mechanisms of the administrative state. However, in addition to the “battle of norms” between lawyers and economists, there were also concessions that led to the redrawing of the boundaries of public law along more functional, rather than formal, lines.
Modeling orbital gamma‐ray spectroscopy experiments at carbonaceous asteroids
Authors: Lim Lucy F. , Starr Richard D. , Evans Larry G. , Parsons Ann M. , Zolensky Michael E. , Boynton William V.
Published: November 2016

To evaluate the feasibility of measuring differences in bulk composition among carbonaceous meteorite parent bodies from an asteroid or comet orbiter, we present the results of a performance simulation of an orbital gamma‐ray spectroscopy (GRS) experiment in a Dawn‐like orbit around spherical model asteroids with a range of carbonaceous compositions. The orbital altitude was held equal to the asteroid radius for 4.5 months. Both the asteroid gamma‐ray spectrum and the spacecraft background flux were calculated using the MCNPX Monte‐Carlo code. GRS is sensitive to depths below the optical surface (to ≈20–50 cm depth depending on material density). This technique can therefore measure underlying compositions beneath a sulfur‐depleted (e.g., Nittler et al. ) or desiccated surface layer. We find that 3σ uncertainties of under 1 wt% are achievable for H, C, O, Si, S, Fe, and Cl for five carbonaceous meteorite compositions using the heritage Mars Odyssey GRS design in a spacecraft‐deck‐mounted configuration at the Odyssey end‐of‐mission energy resolution, FWHM = 5.7 keV at 1332 keV. The calculated compositional uncertainties are smaller than the compositional differences between carbonaceous chondrite subclasses.
Cross‐sectional associations of albuminuria among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults: the eGFR Study
Authors: Hughes JT , Maple‐Brown LJ , Thomas M , Lawton PD , Sinha A , Cass A , Barzi F , Jones GRD , Jerums G , MacIsaac RJ , O'Dea K , Hoy WE
Published: November 2016

Objective

To describe the detailed associations of albuminuria among a contemporary cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to inform strategies for chronic kidney disease prevention and management.

Methods

A cross‐sectional analysis of Indigenous participants of the eGFR Study.

Measures

Clinical, biochemical and anthropometric measures were collected (including body‐circumferences, blood pressure (BP); triglycerides, HbA1c, liver function tests, creatinine; urine‐ microscopic‐haem, albumin: creatinine ratio (ACR), prescriptions‐ angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor II antagonist (ACEI/ARB). Albuminuria and diabetes were defined by an ACR>3.0 mg/mmol, and HbA1c≥48 mmol/mol or prior history respectively. Waist: hip ratio (WHR), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were calculated. ACR was non‐normally distributed; a logarithmic transformation was applied (in base 2), with each unit increase in log2‐albuminuria representing a doubling of ACR.

Results

591 participants were assessed (71% Aboriginal, 61.6% female, mean age 45.1 years, BMI 30.2 kg/m2, WHR 0.94, eGFR 99.2 ml/min/1.73m2). The overall prevalence of albuminuria, diabetes, microscopic‐haem and ACEI/ARB use was 41.5%, 41.5%, 17.8% and 34.7% respectively; 69.3% of adults with albuminuria and diabetes received an ACEI/ARB. Using multivariable linear regression modelling, the potentially modifiable factors independently associated with log2‐albuminuria were microscopic‐haem, diabetes, WHR, systolic BP, alkaline phosphatase (all positive) and eGFR (inverse).

Conclusion

Albuminuria is associated with diabetes, central obesity and haematuria. High ACEI/ARB prescribing for adults with diabetes and albuminuria was observed. Further understanding of the links between fat deposition, haematuria and albuminuria is required.
A fresh look at IBS—opportunities for systems medicine approaches
Authors: Albusoda A. , Barki N. , Herregods T. , Kamphuis J. B. J. , Karunaratne T. B. , Lazarou M. , Lee I. , Mazurak N. , Perna E. , Polster A. , Pribic T. , Uhlig F. , Wang H. , Enck P.
Published: November 2016

NeuroGUT is a EU‐funded initial training network (ITN) of 14 research projects in neurogastroenterology that have employed an equal number of early‐stage researchers. Neurogut trainees have—among other activities—attended an international conference on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Bologna in 2016 and were asked to critically review and evaluate the current knowledge on IBS for their respective research activities, and to state what they were missing. Most appreciated were the topics brain imaging of gut activity, the role of the gut microbiota, the pharmacology of gut functions, the IBS‐IBD interrelation, the new Rome IV criteria, the role of gas, and the placebo response in functional disorders. Missed were more detailed coverage of high‐resolution manometry, functional brain imaging, advanced “systems medicine” approaches and bioinformatics technology, better sub‐classification of IBS patients, and the development of disease biomarkers, extended at the molecular (genetic/epigenetic, proteonomic) level. They summarize that despite excellent specialized research, there is a gap open that should be filled with systems medicine. For this, it would be necessary that medical research learns even more from the data sciences and other basic disciplines, for example, information technology and system biology, and also welcomes a change in paradigm that enhances open sharing of data, information, and resources.
Against Fundamentality‐Based Metaphysics
Authors: Lipman Martin A.
Published: November 2016

Metaphysical views typically draw some distinction between reality and appearance, endorsing realism about some subject matters and antirealism about others. There are different conceptions of how best to construe antirealist theories. A simple view has it that we are antirealists about a subject matter when we believe that this subject matter fails to obtain. This paper discusses an alternative view, which I will call the fundamentality‐based conception of antirealism. We are antirealists in this sense when we think that the relevant matter fails to be constitutive of fundamental reality. The following discussion will not rely on any particular understanding of fundamental reality, covering conceptions based on grounding, naturalness and truthmaking, to name three salient ones. This paper argues that there are serious issues with fundamentality‐based metaphysics. It will be argued that: (1) the fundamentality‐based approach shapes and restricts our realist and antirealist views in unsatisfying ways, (2) that it is unable to handle the conflicting facts that lie across the envisaged ‘layers’ of the metaphysically structured world, and (3) that the methodological reasons for adopting the fundamentality‐based approach fail. The paper will conclude with a diagnosis of the discussed issues, identifying a common source.
Transformative Treatments
Authors: Paul L.A. , Healy Kieran
Published: November 2016

Contemporary social‐scientific research seeks to identify specific causal mechanisms for outcomes of theoretical interest. Experiments that randomize populations to treatment and control conditions are the “gold standard” for causal inference. We identify, describe, and analyze the problem posed by transformative treatments. Such treatments radically change treated individuals in a way that creates a mismatch in populations, but this mismatch is not empirically detectable at the level of counterfactual dependence. In such cases, the identification of causal pathways is underdetermined in a previously unrecognized way. Moreover, if the treatment is indeed transformative it breaks the inferential structure of the experimental design. Transformative treatments are not curiosities or “corner cases,” but are plausible mechanisms in a large class of events of theoretical interest, particularly ones where deliberate randomization is impractical and quasi‐experimental designs are sought instead. They cast long‐running debates about treatment and selection effects in a new light, and raise new methodological challenges.
Size matters: point pattern analysis biases the estimation of spatial properties of stomata distribution
Authors: Naulin Paulette I. , Valenzuela Gerardo , Estay Sergio A.
Published: November 2016

Stomata distribution is an example of biological patterning. Formal methods used to study stomata patterning are generally based on point‐pattern analysis, which assumes that stomata are points and ignores the constraints imposed by size on the placement of neighbors. The inclusion of size in the analysis requires the use of a null model based on finite‐size object geometry.

In this study, we compare the results obtained by analyzing samples from several species using point and disc null models.

The results show that depending on the null model used, there was a 20% reduction in the number of samples classified as uniform; these results suggest that stomata patterning is not as general as currently reported. Some samples changed drastically from being classified as uniform to being classified as clustered. In samples of Arabidopsis thaliana, only the disc model identified clustering at high densities of stomata.

This reinforces the importance of selecting an appropriate null model to avoid incorrect inferences about underlying biological mechanisms. Based on the results gathered here, we encourage researchers to abandon point‐pattern analysis when studying stomata patterning; more realistic conclusions can be drawn from finite‐size object analysis.
Ultrasound‐Guided Cryoablation of a Traumatic Hip Disarticulation Neuroma
Authors: Ramsook Ryan R. , Spinner David
Published: November 2016

Objective

Traumatic amputation at the pelvic level is a rare procedure with few studies addressing long‐term complications. Painful neuroma formation may form at the site of nerve transection and cause significant impairments in daily living. Ultrasound‐guided cryoablation therapy has grown in popularity and should be considered in patients with painful neuromas. This is a case report of complete pain relief in a patient with rare traumatic hip disarticulation with neuroma formation, treated with ultrasound‐guided cryoablation. The patient gave consent for publication.

Design

Single case report.

Setting

Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Patient

A 57‐year‐old man with traumatic hip disarticulation over 30 years ago with a 10‐year history of severe residual limb pain from neuroma formation.

Interventions

Ultrasound‐guided cryoablative injection therapy.

Outcome Measures

Pain reduction.

Results

Ultrasound‐guided cryoablation of a traumatic hip disarticulation neuroma resulting in complete pain relief and improved functionality and independence.

Conclusions

This case illustrates a rare incidence of painful neuroma formation in a patient with traumatic hip disarticulation. Cryoablation with ultrasound guidance resulted in resolution of all pain. We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first occasion of an ultrasound‐guided cryoablation resulting in complete pain relief in a traumatic hip disarticulation neuroma.
Mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I deficiency causes intractable gastrointestinal symptoms
Authors: Kuranobu Hiroki , Murakami Jun , Kuranobu Naomi , Okamoto Ken , Murayama Kei , Kanzaki Susumu
Published: November 2016

We report the case of a 13‐month‐old girl with frequent vomiting, intractable diarrhea, hyperlactatemia, and liver dysfunction. Although the symptoms were treatment resistant, enteral nutrition formula containing medium‐chain triglycerides reduced the weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhea. Immunostaining of mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) complexes of the colonic mucosa confirmed the diagnosis of MRC complex I deficiency. This case shows that this disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of hyperlactatemia and intractable, cryptogenic gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition, the mucosa of the affected gastrointestinal organ should be analyzed on immunostaining or electron microscopy for MRC complexes.
Towards a Psychological Analysis of Anomie
Authors: Teymoori Ali , Bastian Brock , Jetten Jolanda
Published: November 2016

Anomie, as defined by sociologists, refers to a state of society characterized by deregulation and erosion of moral values. In the present conceptual analysis, we bring the concept of anomie under a social psychological spotlight. We explore the conditions under which anomie arises and develop a model outlining various responses to anomie. We define anomie as a shared perception of the state of society and propose that two conditions must be met for anomie to emerge. First, a society's social fabric must be perceived to be breaking down (i.e., lack of trust and erosion of moral standards). Second, a society's leadership must be perceived to be breaking down (i.e., lack of legitimacy and effectiveness of leadership). We highlight two key responses of individuals to an anomic situation: a contraction of the personal self and a contraction of the social self. We discuss how a psychology of anomie can inform and advance broader theorizing on group processes.
Association between Caesarean Delivery and Childhood Asthma in India and Vietnam
Authors: Lavin Tina , Franklin Peter , Preen David B.
Published: November 2016

Background

While there is evidence of an association between caesarean birth and increased asthma in children in high‐income countries, it is unknown whether this association exists in low‐to‐middle‐income countries (LMICs). We investigated whether children born through caesarean in India and Vietnam are at increased risk of caregiver‐reported asthma by 8 years of age.

Methods

Data from an ongoing multi‐national longitudinal cohort study (the Young Lives Study) in two LMICs (India n = 2026; Vietnam n = 2000) were used. Caregiver questionnaires captured information on caregiver‐reported long‐term respiratory problems such as asthma or wheeze at age 8 years, birth mode and a range of sociodemographic factors. Multivariable logistic regression models using propensity score adjustment were used to explore birth mode and asthma at age 8 years adjusted for a range of known confounders.

Results

Children delivered by caesarean in India (odds ratio (OR) 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3, 5.4) and Vietnam (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2, 3.3) had greater odds of asthma at age 8 years, after adjustment for other risk factors including wealth, liveborn parity, low birthweight, geographic location, cooking fuel used, livestock ownership, household size, housing quality and parental smoking.

Conclusions

The study suggests that caesarean birth may be associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma in India and Vietnam. The underlying mechanisms of this finding need to be further elucidated.
Reproductive performance and pre‐weaning mortality: Preliminary analysis of 27,221 purebred female dogs and 204,537 puppies in France
Authors: Chastant‐Maillard S , Guillemot C , Feugier A , Mariani C , Grellet A , Mila H
Published: November 2016

Contents

The objective of this study was to describe efficiency of reproduction of purebred dogs in field breeding conditions, from mating to weaning in France. Data were collected between 2010 and 2014 in 5,667 French breeding kennels via a reproduction management software (Breeding Management System, Royal Canin, Aimargues, France). Effect of breed size (Mini: adult body weight <10 kg; Medium: 10–25 kg; Maxi: 25–40 kg; Giant: >40 kg), age of dam and male on pregnancy rate, abortion rate and litter size were evaluated by multivariable models. Data on 45,913 heats (all with mating), from 27,221 bitches from 248 breeds, were analysed. At mating, mean age (±SD) was 3.1 ± 1.8 years for bitches and 3.3 ± 2.0 for males. Males originated from the same kennel as the females in 88.5% of the matings. Based on breeder's evaluation of the pregnancy status, pregnancy rate (number of pregnant females based on breeders declaration/number of heats) was 87.8% and abortion rate was 6.8%. Finally, 81.9% of the mated females gave birth to a litter. On 37,946 litters (204,537 puppies), mean litter size was 5.4 ± 2.8 puppies (range 1–24), which was influenced by breed size and dam age (p < .0001). Stillbirth rate was 7.4% and puppy mortality rate (stillbirth + mortality until 2 months of age) was 13.4%. Prolificacy and puppy mortality rates were affected by breed size and within a breed size, by breed. Despite probable approximations (as data originate from breeders declaration), this large‐scale analysis provides reference values on reproductive performance in dogs.
Trade Elasticities
Authors: Imbs Jean , Mejean Isabelle
Published: November 2016

Conventional aggregate trade elasticity estimates hardly vary across countries. We introduce an aggregate elasticity that is implied by theory: It is the value that equates the welfare gains from trade as implied by one‐ and multi‐sector versions of the model in Arkolakis et al. (American Economic Review, 102 (2012):94–130). These estimates are predicated on sector‐level values for trade elasticites, which we provide at three‐digit levels for 28 developed and developing countries. The values for this aggregate elasticity vary greatly across countries, and they do so because of countries' patterns of production and because a given sector‐level elasticity displays considerable cross‐country heterogeneity.
Community Privilege and Environmental Justice: An Agent‐Based Analysis
Authors: Eckerd Adam , Kim Yushim , Campbell Heather E.
Published: November 2016

Several theories compete to explain observed race‐ and ethnicity‐based environmental injustice in society. This paper focuses on analyzing the extent to which firms' siting decisions based on community privilege can explain this outcome. A unique feature of this analysis is that we include analysis of both unwanted land uses (disamenity firms) and desired land uses (amenity firms). The environmental justice analysis of amenities other than green spaces is rare, but amenities are crucial components of urban areas to which environmental justice studies must attend. We use an agent‐based model to explore community outcomes when environmental disamenities choose locations based on low community privilege, and compare this with scenarios in which disamenities only seek to minimize the cost of land. We also assess differences in environmental justice outcomes when amenities choose locations in areas with high community privilege. While disamenities' focus on locating in areas with low community privilege indeed affects environmental equity, the effect of amenity location is also important, and there are powerful interaction effects. The importance of privilege‐based location is found in these simulations regardless of which social group—majority or minority—is assumed to be the privileged group. This study suggests a limitation of EJ policies and models that focus on the politics of disamenity siting without considering the politics of amenity siting.
Phase I Designs That Allow for Uncertainty in the Attribution of Adverse Events
Authors: Iasonos Alexia , O'Quigley John
Published: November 2016

In determining dose limiting toxicities in phase I studies, it is necessary to attribute adverse events to being drug related or not. Such determination is subjective and may introduce bias. We develop methods for removing or at least diminishing the effect of this bias on the estimation of the maximum tolerated dose. The approach that we suggest takes into account the subjectivity in the attribution of adverse events by using model-based dose escalation designs. The results show that gains can be achieved in terms of accuracy by recovering information lost to biases. These biases are a result of ignoring the errors in toxicity attribution.
Lung Ultrasound in the Management of Fluid Volume in Dialysis Patients: Potential Usefulness
Authors: Zoccali Carmine
Published: November 2016

Volume overload is a hidden, pervasive complication in dialysis patients with dyspnea and pulmonary edema being its main clinical manifestations. Measuring lung water has clinical potential because it allows timely treatment of lung congestion at a preclinical stage. Chest ultrasound (US) is a novel, well‐validated technique that allows reliable estimates of lung water in clinical practice. The application of this technique in dialysis patients has shown that an unsuspectedly high proportion of these patients have moderate to severe lung congestion which is usually asymptomatic. Furthermore, lung congestion in these patients is only loosely associated with fluid excess as measured by bioimpedance (BIA). Lung congestion is associated with a high death risk in dialysis patients and therefore represents a potential treatment target. The “Lung water by Ultra‐Sound guided Treatment to prevent death and cardiovascular complications in high risk ESRD patients with cardiomyopathy” (LUST) study will provide important information about the clinical value of this technique in the care of hemodialysis patients at high cardiovascular risk.
The relationship between medical education and trans health disparities: a call to research
Authors: Giffort Danielle M. , Underman Kelly
Published: November 2016

According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 28% of trans respondents reported postponing medical care due to discrimination, and 28% reported being harassed by providers when they did seek out care. Scholars have proposed that what is taught (or not) in medical schools might play a role in the unequal health care experienced by many trans people. As medical education becomes a site of intervention for reducing transgender health disparities, it presents opportunities for sociologists to study and explain the processes by which medical training creates, reinforces, and potentially challenges stigma‐related health disparities. In this paper, we propose three areas of inquiry that might help explain this situation: the hidden curriculum, patient health movements and consumerism, and medical competency. By employing these concepts, we argue that sociologists can develop more comprehensive explanations for the relationship between medical education and transgender health inequalities and offer solutions to address this disparity.
Parent emotion socialization and children's socioemotional adjustment: when is supportiveness no longer supportive?
Authors: Mirabile Scott P. , Oertwig Dejah , Halberstadt Amy G.
Published: November 2016

Parents' supportive emotion socialization behaviors promote children's socioemotional competence in early childhood, but the nature of parents' supportiveness may change over time, as children continue to develop their emotion‐related abilities and enter contexts that require more complex and nuanced social skills and greater autonomy. To test whether associations between parents' supportiveness of children's negative emotions and children's socioemotional adjustment vary with child age, 81 parents of 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children completed questionnaires assessing their responses to children's negative emotions and their children's emotion regulation, lability, social competence, and behavioral adjustment. As predicted, child age moderated the associations between parents' supportiveness and children's socioemotional adjustment. For younger children, parents' supportiveness predicted better emotion regulation and less anxiety/internalizing and anger/externalizing problems. However, for older children, these associations were reversed, suggesting that socialization strategies which were supportive for younger children may fail to foster socioemotional competence among 5‐ to 6‐year‐old children. These results suggest the importance of considering emotion socialization as a dynamic, developmental process, and that parents' socialization of children's emotions might need to change in response to children's developing emotional competencies and social demands.
Pedotransfer functions to predict Atterberg limits for South African soils using measured and morphological properties
Authors: van Tol J. J. , Dzvene A. R. , Le Roux P. A. L. , Schall R.
Published: November 2016

Atterberg limits and indices, for example liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), linear shrinkage (LS) and plasticity index (PI), are important soil properties in engineering and land evaluation for predicting soil mechanical behaviour. This study was conducted to develop and evaluate pedotransfer functions (PTFs) to predict Atterberg limits using measured and morphological soil properties from a large data set in South Africa covering a vast range of soils, geologies and climates. FivePTFs were developed; the first four using measured properties from 2330 soil horizons including extractable Fe, Al, Mn, Na, K, Mg and Ca; organic carbon (OC);pH(H2O); cation exchange capacity (CEC); and sand, silt and clay fractions to predictLL,PL,LSandPI. Morphological descriptors such as colour, structure (grade, size and type), consistency, occurrence of slickensides and cutans and abundance of roots were included in the secondPTFusing data from 717 horizons to predictPI. For allPTFs, two‐thirds of the data were randomly selected and used for model development and the remainder for validation. Prediction accuracies ofR2between 0.49 and 0.77 comparable to other studies on large data sets but underperformed when compared to localized data sets. For engineering purposes, site‐specificPTFs for prediction of Atterberg limits should be developed.
RNAi‐based targeted gene knockdown in the model oleaginous microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica
Authors: Wei Li , Xin Yi , Wang Qintao , Yang Juan , Hu Hanhua , Xu Jian
Published: November 2016

Microalgae are promising feedstock for renewable fuels such as biodiesel, yet development of industrial oleaginous strains has been hindered by the paucity and inefficiency of reverse genetics tools. Here we established an efficient RNAi‐based targeted gene‐knockdown method for Nannochloropsis spp., which are emerging model organisms for industrial microalgal oil production. The method achieved a 40–80% success rate in Nannochloropsis oceanica strain IMET1. When transcript level of one carbonic anhydrase (CA) was inhibited by 62–83% via RNAi, mutant cells exhibited photosynthetic oxygen evolution (POE) rates that were 68–100% higher than wild‐type (WT) at pH 6.0, equivalent to WT at pH 8.2, yet 39–45% lower than WT at pH 9.0. Moreover, the mutant POE rates were negatively correlated with the increase of culture pH, an exact opposite of WT. Thus, a dynamic carbon concentration mechanism (CCM) that is highly sensitive to pH homeostasis was revealed, where the CA inhibition likely partially abrogated the mechanism that normally deactivates CCM under a high level of dissolved CO2. Extension of the method to another sequenced N. oceanica strain of CCMP 1779 demonstrated comparable performance. Finally, McrBC‐PCR followed by bisulfite sequencing revealed that the gene knockdown is mediated by the CG, CHG and CHH types of DNA methylation at the coding region of the targeted gene. The efficiency, robustness and general applicability of this reverse genetics approach suggested the possibility of large‐scale RNAi‐based gene function screening in industrial microalgae.
Turbine Vane Endwall Film Cooling With Slashface Leakage and Discrete Hole Configuration
Authors: Chowdhury Nafiz H. K. , Shiau Chao-Cheng , Han Je-Chin , Zhang Luzeng , Moon Hee-Koo
Published: November 2016

Turbine vanes are typically assembled as a section containing single or double airfoil units in an annular pattern. First stage guide vane assembly results in two common mating interfaces: a gap between combustor and vane endwall and another resulted from the adjacent sections, called slashface. High pressure coolant could leak through these gaps to reduce the ingestion of hot gas and achieve certain cooling benefit. As vane endwall region flow field is already very complicated due to highly three-dimensional secondary flows, then a significant influence on endwall cooling can be expected due to the gap leakage flows. To determine the effect of leakage flows from those gaps, film cooling effectiveness distributions were measured using pressure sensitive paint (PSP) technique on the endwall of a scaled up, midrange industrial turbine vane geometry with the multiple rows of discrete film cooling (DFC) holes inside the passages. Experiments were performed in a blow-down wind tunnel cascade facility at the exit Mach number of 0.5 corresponding to Reynolds number of 3.8 × 105 based on inlet conditions and axial chord length. Passive turbulence grid was used to generate free-stream turbulence (FST) level about 19% with an integral length scale of 1.7 cm. Two parameters, coolant-to-mainstream mass flow ratio (MFR) and density ratio (DR), were studied. The results are presented as two-dimensional film cooling effectiveness distribution on the vane endwall surface with the corresponding spanwise averaged values along the axial direction.
First Principle-Based Control Oriented Model of a Gasoline Engine
Authors: Yar Ahmed , Bhatti A. I. , Ahmed Qadeer
Published: November 2016

A first principle based-control oriented gasoline engine model is proposed that is based on the mathematical model of the actual piston and crankshaft mechanism. Unlike conventional mean value engine models (MVEMs), which involve approximating the torque production mechanism with a volumetric pump, the proposed model obviates this rather over-simplistic assumption. The alleviation of this assumption leads to the additional features in the model such as crankshaft speed fluctuations and tension in bodies forming the mechanism. The torque production dynamics are derived through Lagrangian mechanics. The derived equations are reduced to a suitable form that can be easily used in the control-oriented model. As a result, the abstraction level is greatly reduced between the engine system and the mathematical model. The proposed model is validated successfully against a commercially available 1.3 L gasoline engine. Being a transparent and more capable model, the proposed model can offer better insight into the engine dynamics, improved control design and diagnosis solutions, and that too, in a unified framework.
Stabilization of the 3' one-third of Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S20 mRNA in mutants lacking polynucleotide phosphorylase
Authors: Mackie G A
Published: November 2016

Mutations which largely inactivate polynucleotide phosphorylase and which render RNase II thermolabile exert two effects on the metabolism of the two nested mRNAs which encode ribosomal protein S20. (i) The lifetime of both mRNA species is extended 2.5-fold at 38 degrees C in a strain harboring both mutations. (ii) A relatively stable truncated fragment of these mRNAs accumulates to significant levels in strains lacking polynucleotide phosphorylase. The truncated RNA (Po RNA) is 147 to 148 residues long and is coterminal with the 3' ends of intact S20 mRNAs. Its 5' end appears to be generated by endonucleolytic cleavage to the 5' side of a G residue in the sequence AACCGAUC. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that S20 mRNAs can be degraded by alternative pathways. The normal pathway depends on functional polynucleotide phosphorylase and is concerted, since S20 mRNAs disappear without accumulation of detectable intermediates in the decay process. The slower alternative pathway is followed when polynucleotide phosphorylase is inactivated by mutation. This pathway is distinguished by segmental rather than concerted degradation of S20 mRNAs and involves at least one endonucleolytic cleavage. The 5' two-thirds of S20 mRNAs decays significantly more quickly than the 3' third in this latter mode of mRNA turnover.
Nucleotide sequence and genetic characterization of staphylococcal bacteriophage L54a int and xis genes
Authors: Ye Z H , Lee C Y
Published: November 2016

The nucleotide sequence of a staphylococcal bacteriophage L54a DNA fragment containing genes involved in site-specific recombination was determined. Mutations generated by in vitro mutagenesis were used to map and characterize the int and xis genes. The site-specific recombination functions are tightly clustered within a 1.75-kilobase stretch of DNA fragment with the gene order of attP-int-xis. The int and xis genes are transcribed divergently. The Int protein deduced from the nucleotide sequence has a molecular weight of 41,000. Int is a basic protein with 354 amino acids of which 72 are basic and 38 are acidic. The Xis protein consists of only 59 amino acids with a molecular weight of 7,180. Unlike the Xis proteins of the lambdoid bacteriophages which are all basic proteins, L54a Xis is an acidic protein containing 13 acidic and 8 basic amino acids. The Int protein is required in both integrative and excisive reactions, whereas Xis is only required in excisive reaction. A well-conserved 40-residue region, including three perfectly conserved residues found in 15 site-specific recombinases of the integrase family that have been characterized, was also found in the L54a Int protein.
Lytic response of Escherichia coli cells to inhibitors of penicillin-binding proteins 1a and 1b as a timed event related to cell division
Authors: García del Portillo F , de Pedro M A , Joseleau-Petit D , D'Ari R
Published: November 2016

In growing cultures of Escherichia coli, simultaneous inhibition of penicillin-binding proteins 1a and 1b (PBPs 1) by a beta-lactam efficiently induces cell lysis. However, the lytic behavior of cultures initiating growth in the presence of beta-lactams specifically inhibiting PBPs 1 suggested that the triggering of cell lysis was a cell division-related event, at least in the first cell cycle after the resumption of growth (F. Garcia del Portillo, A. G. Pisabarro, E. J. de la Rosa, and M. A. de Pedro, J. Bacteriol. 169:2410-2416, 1987). To investigate whether this apparent correlation would hold true in actively growing cells, we studied the lytic behavior of cultures of E. coli aligned for cell division which were challenged with beta-lactams at different times after alignment. Cell division was aligned either by nutritional shift up or by chromosome replication alignment. Specific inhibition of PBPs 1 with the beta-lactam cefsulodin resulted in a delayed onset of lysis which was coincident in time with the resumption of cell division. The apparent correlation between the initiation of lysis and cell division was abolished when cefsulodin was used in combination with the PBP 2-specific inhibitor mecillinam, leading to the onset of lysis at a constant time after the addition of the beta-lactams. The results presented clearly argue in favor of the hypothesis that the triggering of cell lysis after inhibition of PBPs 1 is a cell division-correlated event dependent on the activity of PBP 2.
Purification and characterization of S-adenosyl-L-methionine: uroporphyrinogen III methyltransferase from Pseudomonas denitrificans
Authors: Blanche F , Debussche L , Thibaut D , Crouzet J , Cameron B
Published: November 2016

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine:uroporphyrinogen III methyltransferase (SUMT), the enzyme of the cobalamin biosynthetic pathway which catalyzes C methylation of uroporphyrinogen III, was purified about 150-fold to homogeneity from extracts of a recombinant strain of Pseudomonas denitrificans derived from a cobalamin-overproducing strain by ammonium sulfate fractionation, anion-exchange chromatography, and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purified protein has an isoelectric point of 6.4 and molecular weights of 56,500 as estimated by gel filtration and 30,000 as estimated by gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions, suggesting that the active enzyme is a homodimer. It does not contain a chromophoric prosthetic group and does not seem to require metal ions or cofactors for activity. SUMT catalyzes the two successive C-2 and C-7 methylation reactions involved in the conversion of uroporphyrinogen III to precorrin-2 via the intermediate formation of precorrin-1. In vitro studies suggest that the intermediate monomethylated product (precorrin-1) is released from the protein and then added back to the enzyme for the second C-methylation reaction. The pH optimum was 7.7, the Km values for S-adenosyl-L-methionine and uroporphyrinogen III were 6.3 and 1.0 microM, respectively, and the turnover number was 38 h-1. The enzyme activity was shown to be completely insensitive to feedback inhibition by cobalamin and corrinoid intermediates tested at physiological concentration. At uroporphyrinogen III concentrations above 2 microM, SUMT exhibited a substrate inhibition phenomenon. It is suggested that this property might play a regulatory role in cobalamin biosynthesis in the cobalamin-overproducing strain studied.