bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Origins
Authors: Cronin Mike
Published: April 2017

The Sumerians were some of the first humans to record their sporting activity, as wrestlers, around 3000 bc. Wrestling and other early activities appear recognizable to us as sports or forms of play, but are radically different from what we now understand as modern sport. ‘Origins’ shows that over the centuries sport has progressed from what has been described as a physical form of ritual, to the modern sporting era where tightly ruled contests rely on records and measurement. Sport history is not a simple progression from Ancient Greece to the stadia of contemporary sport, but rather a complex narrative of non-lineal changes that were constantly fractured by time and place.
Modern
Authors: Cronin Mike
Published: April 2017

The late 19th century was a period of huge innovation and social change across a range of areas. Sport was a by-product of the industrial, transport, and urbanizing revolutions of the period. ‘Modern’ explains that once codified, rationalized, and organized, sports were dispersed on the lines of travel that linked cities with towns, colonies with the home nation, and marketplaces with the suppliers of raw materials. Games such as soccer, rugby, cricket, and baseball were commercialized and professionalized, but in all the changes and transformations as sport modernized and spread, key foundation ethics remained at the heart of what was meant and embodied by playing sport.
2. The Epicurean poet
Authors: Cronk Nicholas
Published: April 2017

Voltaire was a poet first and foremost, in his own eyes as well as in the eyes of his contemporaries, and throughout his long life he never stopped writing verse. ‘The Epicurean poet’ explains how Epicureanism shaped Voltaire’s thinking and how he took a paradoxical stance in the Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns. It describes his early epic poem La Henriade and his libertine verse such as La Pucelle, a bawdy mock epic poem about Joan of Arc. It also discusses his poem Stances à Mme Du Châtelet, composed in 1741, which typifies Voltaire’s lyric voice at its most persuasive.
Introduction
Authors: Weinberg Gerard L.
Published: April 2017

The enormous loss of life and physical destruction caused by the First World War led people to hope that there would never be another such catastrophe. How then did it come about that there was a Second World War causing twice the 30 million deaths and many times more destruction as had been caused in the previous conflict? The ‘Introduction’ poses several questions: why did this war start so soon after World War I? Why was it considered a world war and not just European? What triggered the involvement of various nations? How did the Allies win? These questions are considered in subsequent chapters.
The turning tide: autumn 1942–spring 1944
Authors: Weinberg Gerard L.
Published: April 2017

‘The turning tide: autumn 1942 – spring 1944’ describes the key war strategies and battle results around the world that contributed to the Axis downfall. The Germans were spread too thinly in their battles in the Soviet Union, on the Western front, in the Mediterranean, and in North Africa. The fall of Mussolini in 1943, subsequent surrender of Italy, and rise in resistance movements in territories held by the Germans, Italians, and Japanese, all helped boost the Allied war effort, but the willingness of the Allies to coordinate their efforts was critical. While the Allies at times even shared secret intelligence, the Axis powers did nothing of the sort.
Conclusion
Authors: Weinberg Gerard L.
Published: April 2017

The ‘Conclusion’ shows how the world was changed forever by World War II, during which around sixty million people had been killed, the majority of them civilians. There were huge losses in the Soviet Union and China, but the country most damaged was Poland. Massive destruction and economic dislocation characterized much of Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and portions of North Africa. The war and its ending also brought about enormous population movements. Countries faced massive reconstruction, the defeated had reparations to pay, and war criminals had to be dealt with. The war also provided new developments in technology and medicine, which transformed post-war life.
Introduction
Authors: Wayne Marta L. , Bolker Benjamin M.
Published: April 2017

The ‘Introduction’ explains what infectious diseases are: diseases that are transmitted from one person to another. For most of human history, diseases could only be controlled at the population level, using quarantines to separate uninfected from infected people. The discovery of immunization, and later the invention of disease treatments like antibiotics, allowed individual-level infectious disease control. Individual-level control can filter up to the population level: if enough of the population are vaccinated, we can reduce transmission enough to stamp out a local epidemic, or even to wipe a disease out globally. But both humans and infectious disease agents are living organisms that undergo ecological and evolutionary change, making infectious disease a moving target.
1. The ‘Middle’ Ages?
Authors: Rubin Miri
Published: April 2017

The term ‘Media aetas’ or ‘Middle age’ was first used by the poet Petrarch (1304–74), and later by intellectuals who wished to emphasize their own achievements agains a background of that ‘darker age’. In fact, the period from 500 to 1500 saw many and diverse transformations of late antique institutions. The Germanic tribes of the Ostragoths, Franks, Burgundians, and Visigoths transformed the Roman Empire through often violent interactions; the Mediterranean Empire was transformed by the spread of Islam in the 7th century; and the 12th and 13th centuries saw a remarkable consolidation of political units and increased European integration. The famine of 1314–17 and the Black Death (1347–52) resulted in a loss of half the population and the remaking of the European economy and the next century saw the effect of the Ottoman challenge as well as the beginnings of exploration in Africa and the Americas.
3. The big idea
Authors: Rubin Miri
Published: April 2017

‘The big idea: Christian salvation’ shows how an elite of religious leaders shaped European life and extended the reach of Christianity further north. The monastic tradition—Benedictine and Cistercian monastic orders—and its effect on local communities are described. In the 11th century, the Christian centre of the popes in Rome promoted a vision of church hierarchy and discipline, and of freedom from secular powers. After c.1200, Christian beliefs and practices were disseminated widely to Europeans in some 90,000 parishes. The parish church was an important part of family and community life.
8. The view from Hollywood
Authors: Aron Stephen
Published: April 2017

‘The view from Hollywood’ begins with the “Westerns” that dominated American cinema for much of the twentieth century and that influenced popular understandings of the western past. It goes on to describe Los Angeles, the most ethnically diverse metropolis in America; the 1965 Watts riot; and the violence of 1992. Across the centuries, migrations and minglings of peoples have triggered struggles that have torn families and societies apart. Yet, there are examples of episodes of concord, from colonial frontiers to multiethnic neighborhoods in the modern American West, which provide evidence of barriers breached and accords reached, of people overcoming their differences instead of being overcome by them, of heterogeneity made hopeful.
7. To the ends of the earth
Authors: Weaver Stewart A.
Published: April 2017

With the filling of the large space on the map that was Tibet and High Asia, explorers turned to smaller spaces or else they turned to those untouched extremities where there was no map—the Arctic and the Antarctic. ‘To the ends of the earth ’ first describes the search for the North Pole in the Arctic. It was Americans Frederick Cook and Robert Peary who laid their competing claims to 90° north, but the race to the South Pole was between Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen. It was Amundsen who succeeded. The two next terrestrial prizes were the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, and Rub' al Khali, the “Empty Quarter” of southeastern Arabia.
Susceptibility of Trichophyton mentagrophytes to Visible Light Wavelengths
Authors: Guffey J. Stephen , Payne William , Buchanan Ben , Daugherty Jessie , Meurer; Logan , Hensley Patricia
Published: April 2017

OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether a blue light (405 nm) could inhibit the growth of Trichophyton mentagrophytes without using a photosensitizing material as part of the treatment protocol.

DESIGN:

Basic physiologic randomized trial using laboratory specimens (T mentagrophytes).

INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:

Plated on a growth medium, T mentagrophytes were exposed to 3 to 5 administrations of blue light at 20 J/cm2 over 28 hours. Following 7 days of incubation, colony-forming units were counted and compared with nonirradiated controls.

RESULTS:

The study found 3, 4, and 5 administrations of blue light produced significant inhibition of T mentagrophytes (P < .05); 4 and 5 applications produced the greatest inhibition of growth (84.7% and 93.6% kill rates, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

The application of 405-nm light at a dose of 20 J/cm2 is an effective in vitro inhibitor of T mentagrophytes. To give results similar to those seen when a photosensitizing material is included, 3 to 5 applications of this wavelength and dose condition delivered over 28 hours is likely needed.
Are Nurse Leaders Prepared to Lead Across the Continuum of Care in the New Paradigm?
Authors: Reitz O. Ed. , Malin Shelly
Published: April 2017

The movement toward linking reimbursement with outcomes necessitates providing care across a continuum of settings, leading to the need for a new healthcare paradigm. Issues related to shifting to this new paradigm include disagreement about what this paradigm encompasses, the fragmentation of the healthcare system, and overreliance on the medical model as a framework for driving health policy decisions. We advocate for nurse leaders to guide the development of this new paradigm.
The “ological-triad”: considerations for construction management research
Authors: Holt Gary D. , Goulding Jack S.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to consider an “-ological” (ontological, epistemological and methodological) triad in the context of construction management (CM) research, and to explore the triad in terms of ontological/epistemological viewpoints, paradigmatic approaches to CM research and, ultimately, CM methodological decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

Derivation of critical narrative and graphical models using literature synthesis combined with experiential, methodological views of the authors.

Findings

Conceptions of ontology, epistemology and methodology (the “ological-triad”) demonstrate high variability – resultantly, their use in CM research is equally inconsistent, sometimes questionable and, in the extreme, sometimes overlooked. Accordingly, this study concludes that greater recognition of the “ological-triad” is called for in CM research, especially at the design stage. A framework for doing this is proffered.

Originality/value

Combined study of the “ologies” within CM research uniquely consolidates previous disparate knowledge into a single, cogent, subject-specific discourse that, inter-alia, both informs and illuminates CM research challenges. It also encourages critical debate on the issues highlighted.
Use of the HCR-20 for violence risk assessment: views of clinicians working in a secure inpatient mental health setting
Authors: Dickens Geoffrey L. , O’Shea Laura E.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how raters combine constituent components of Historical Clinical Risk-20 (HCR-20) risk assessment, and how relevant they rate the tool to different diagnostic and demographic groups.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey design of n=45 mental health clinicians (psychiatrists, psychologists, and others) working in a secure hospital responded to an online survey about their risk assessment practice.

Findings

HCR-20 Historical and Clinical subscales were rated the most relevant to violence prediction but four of the five items rated most relevant were Historical items. A recent history of violence was rated more important for risk formulation than Historical and Risk management items, but not more important than Clinical items. While almost all respondents believed predictive accuracy would differ by gender, the tool was rated similarly in terms of its relevance for their client group by people working with men and women, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

This was an exploratory survey and results should be verified using larger samples.

Practical implications

Clinicians judge recent violence and Clinical items most important in inpatient violence risk assessment but may overvalue historical factors. They believe that recent violent behaviour is important in risk formulation; however, while recent violence is an important predictor of future violence, the role it should play in SPJ schemes is poorly codified.

Social implications

It is important that risk assessment is accurate in order to both protect the public and to protect patients from overly lengthy and restrictive detention.

Originality/value

Despite the vast number of studies examining the predictive validity of tools like HCR-20 very little research has examined the actual processes and decision-making behind formulation in clinical practice.
Marine, seabed, and land seismic equipment for broadband acquisition: a review
Authors: Mougenot Denis
Published: April 2017

The broadband capabilities of marine, seabed, and land seismic equipment are reviewed with respect to both the source and the receiver sides. In marine acquisition, the main issue at both ends of the spectrum relates to ghosts occurring at the sea surface. Broadband deghosting requires towing at variable depth to introduce notch diversity or using new equipment like multi‐component and/or low‐noise streamers. As a result, a doubling of the bandwidth from about three to six octaves (2.5–200 Hz) has been achieved. Such improvement is not yet observed for seabed surveys in spite of deghosting being a standard process on the receiver side. One issue may be related to the coupling of the particle motion sensor, particularly at high frequencies.

For land acquisition, progress came from the vibrators. New shakers and control electronics using broadband sweeps made it possible to add two more octaves to the low‐frequency signal (from 8 to 2 Hz). Whereas conventional 10 Hz geophones are still able to record such low frequencies, 5 Hz high gain geophones or digital accelerometers enhance them to keep the signal above the noise floor. On the high end of the bandwidth, progress is not limited by equipment specifications. Here, the issue is related to a low signal‐to‐noise ratio due to the strong absorption that occurs during signal propagation. To succeed in enlarging the bandwidth, these improved equipment and sweeps must be complemented by a denser spatial sampling of the wavefield by point–source and point–receiver acquisition.
Coloration of Apocynum venetum/cotton blends with an acid dye through combined pretreatment using cationic nanoparticles
Authors: Liu Xiuming , Li Caiyan , Fang Kuanjun , Shu Dawu , Guo Zijing
Published: April 2017

Cationic copolymer nanoparticles were used to modify Apocynum venetum/cotton blended fabrics. The modified blends were then dyed using CI Acid Red 14. In order to enhance the colour performance, the effects of combined pretreatment using nanoparticles and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) or plasma were investigated. The results show that combined pretreatment with NaOH and nanoparticles improved the dyeing effect. The optimum concentrations of NaOH and nanoparticles were 100 and 2 g l−1 respectively. In addition, using CMC to pretreat the fabrics could also improve the acid dyeing performance. However, the combination of plasma pretreatment and cationic nanoparticle modification produced the best colour performance for acid‐dyed A. venetum/cotton blends. The dye exhaustion rate is highest (up to 95%) with plasma pretreatment. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that combined treatment with plasma and nanoparticles resulted in a far greater number of nanoparticles being deposited on the fibre surface. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the pretreatments with different procedures significantly changed the chemical components of the fibre surfaces. The aromatic rings of acid dye molecules covered the fibre surfaces after plasma and nanoparticle pretreatment and acid dyeing.
The cell adhesion molecule EphA4 is involved in circadian clock functions
Authors: Kiessling S. , O'Callaghan E. K. , Freyburger M. , Cermakian N. , Mongrain V.
Published: April 2017

Circadian (∼24 h) rhythms of cellular network plasticity in the central circadian clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), have been described. The neuronal network in the SCN regulates photic resetting of the circadian clock as well as stability of the circadian system during both entrained and constant conditions. EphA4, a cell adhesion molecule regulating synaptic plasticity by controlling connections of neurons and astrocytes, is expressed in the SCN. To address whether EphA4 plays a role in circadian photoreception and influences the neuronal network of the SCN, we have analyzed circadian wheel‐running behavior of EphA4 knockout (EphA4−/−) mice under different light conditions and upon photic resetting, as well as their light‐induced protein response in the SCN. EphA4−/− mice exhibited reduced wheel‐running activity, longer endogenous periods under constant darkness and shorter periods under constant light conditions, suggesting an effect of EphA4 on SCN function. Moreover, EphA4−/− mice exhibited suppressed phase delays of their wheel‐running activity following a light pulse during the beginning of the subjective night (CT15). Accordingly, light‐induced c‐FOS (FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog) expression was diminished. Our results suggest a circadian role for EphA4 in the SCN neuronal network, affecting the circadian system and contributing to the circadian response to light.
Lipid raft dynamics linked to sperm competency for fertilization in mice
Authors: Watanabe Hitomi , Takeda Rie , Hirota Keiji , Kondoh Gen
Published: April 2017

It is well known that mammalian sperm acquires fertilization ability after several maturation processes, particularly within the female reproductive tract. In a previous study, we found that both glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored protein (GPI‐AP) release and lipid raft movement occur during the sperm maturation process. In several genetic studies, release of GPI‐AP is a crucial step for sperm fertilization ability in the mouse. Here, we show that lipid raft movement is also fundamental for sperm to be competent for fertilization by comparing the sperm maturation process of two mouse inbred strains, C57BL/6 and BALB/c. We found that ganglioside GM1 movement was exclusively reduced in BALB/c compared with C57BL/6 among other examined sperm maturation parameters, such as GPI‐AP release, sperm migration to the oviduct, cholesterol efflux, protein tyrosine phosphorylation and acrosome reaction, and was strongly linked to sperm fertility phenotype. The relationship between GM1 movement and in vitro fertilization ability was confirmed in other mouse strains, suggesting that lipid raft movement is one of the important steps for completing the sperm maturation process.
Histological grading based on poorly differentiated clusters is predictive of tumour response and clinical outcome in rectal carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Reggiani Bonetti Luca , Lionti Simona , Domati Federica , Pagliani Giuliana , Mattioli Elisabetta , Barresi Valeria
Published: April 2017

Aims

The clinical outcome of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who undergo neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is influenced by the tumour response to treatment, which is reflected by tumour regression grade and post‐treatment (y) TNM stage. Little is known about the prognostic value of pretreatment histopathological features of the tumour that may be useful to discriminate potential non‐responders and to design tailored therapeutic strategies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic role of poorly differentiated clusters (PDCs) of neoplastic cells in pretreatment biopsies of patients with rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant CRT.

Methods and results

Grading based on PDC counting was retrospectively applied to 204 pretreatment endoscopic biopsies of rectal carcinomas from patients treated with neoadjuvant CRT and surgery. Interobserver agreement in the assessment of PDC grade was good. High PDC grade was significantly associated with high yT stage (P = 0.044), yM+ status (P = 0.0004), and unchanged TNM stage or TNM upstaging (P = 0.032). In addition, high PDC grade was a significant and independent prognostic factor for cancer‐specific survival.

Conclusions

PDC grade may be assessed in preoperative biopsies of rectal cancer with good reproducibility. High PDC grade in a pretreatment tumour is significantly associated with a poor response to therapy. Hence, we suggest that PDC grading might be used as a significant predictive and prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who are treated with neoadjuvant CRT, and to identify high‐risk patients who need surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.
A biogeographical perspective on species abundance distributions: recent advances and opportunities for future research
Authors: Matthews Thomas J. , Borges Paulo A.V. , de Azevedo Eduardo Brito , Whittaker Robert J.
Published: April 2017

It has become increasingly recognized that multiple processes can generate similar shapes of species abundance distributions (SADs), with the result that the fit of a given SAD model cannot unambiguously provide evidence in support of a given theory or model. An alternative approach to comparing the fit of different SAD models to data from a single site is to collect abundance data from a variety of sites, and then build models to analyse how different SAD properties (e.g. form, skewness) vary with different predictor variables. Such a biogeographical approach to SAD research is potentially very revealing, yet there has been a general lack of interest in SADs in the biogeographical literature. In this Perspective, we address this issue by highlighting findings of recent analyses of SADs that we consider to be of intrinsic biogeographical interest. We use arthropod data drawn from the Azorean archipelago to further highlight how analyses of SAD form and function may be biogeographically informative. We hope that, by reviewing a number of novel approaches, our article may prove to be a catalyst for a greater interest in analysing SADs in biogeography.
Nursing students’ preferences for clinical placements in the residential aged care setting
Authors: Lea Emma , Marlow Annette , Altmann Erika , Courtney‐Pratt Helen
Published: April 2017

Aims and objectives

To examine nursing student placement preferences submitted as online comments to a university's placement management system, to inform strategies for positive residential aged care experiences.

Background

There are predicted shortages of nurses to service an ageing population. Clinical placements undertaken by undergraduate nursing students help shape their attitudes and are a key determinant of career decision‐making, yet there is little research about why students prefer particular placement areas.

Design

Analysis of qualitative data from a placement management system.

Methods

Of 6,610 comments received between 2007–2014, 607 related to aged care and were coded according to preferences for being placed in a residential aged care facility, with reasons for this preference thematically coded and quantified.

Results

Four hundred and one comments (66.1%) related to students requesting not to be allocated residential aged care for the upcoming placement, primarily due to previous experience in the sector; 104 (17.1%) referred to aged care in a neutral manner, focusing on conflict of interest; 102 (16.8%) related to a request for an aged care placement.

Conclusions

The student nurse comments characterise students as being focused on maximising their learning, while considering prior experience. In some cases, increased exposure to aged care is considered to offer limited learning opportunities, which is concerning and suggests that both the tertiary and aged care sectors have a joint responsibility to pursue recognition of aged care nursing as a specialised, highly skilled role.

Relevance to clinical practice

Nursing programme providers should ensure curriculum content and exposure to aged care placement clearly identify the complexities of care and provide genuine opportunities for knowledge acquisition and skill development based on multifaceted resident care needs. This will support both those interested in a future aged care career and those undecided.
Clinical factors affecting costs in patients receiving systemic antifungal therapy in intensive care units in Greece: Results from the ESTIMATOR study
Authors: Armaganidis A. , Nanas S. , Antoniadou E. , Mandragos K. , Liakou K. , Koutsoukou A. , Baltopoulos G. , Nakos G. , Kounougeri A. , Ganas K. , Prekates A. , Kompoti M. , Georgopoulos D. , Pneumatikos I. , Zakynthinos E.
Published: April 2017

Invasive fungal infections are common in intensive care units (ICUs) but there is a great variability in factors affecting costs of different antifungal treatment strategies in clinical practice. To determine factors affecting treatment cost in adult ICU patients with or without documented invasive fungal infection receiving systemic antifungal therapy (SAT) we have performed a prospective, multicentre, observational study enrolling patients receiving SAT in participating ICUs in Greece. During the study period, 155 patients received SAT at 14 participating ICUs: 37 (23.9%) for proven fungal infection before treatment began, 10 (6.5%) prophylactically, 77 (49.7%) empirically and 31 (20.0%) pre‐emptively; 66 patients receiving early SAT (55.9%) were subsequently confirmed to have proven infection with Candida spp. (eight while on treatment). The most frequently used antifungal drugs were echinocandins (89/155; 57.4%), fluconazole (31/155; 20%) and itraconazole (20/155; 12.9%). Mean total cost per patient by SAT strategy was €20 458 (proven), €15 054 (prophylaxis), €23 594 (empiric) and €22 184 (pre‐emptive). Factors associated with significantly increased cost were initial treatment failure, length of stay (LOS) in ICU before starting SAT (i.e. from admission until treatment start), fever and proven candidaemia (all P≤.05). Conclusion: Early administration of antifungal drugs was not a substantial component of total hospital costs. However, there was a significant adverse impact on costs with increasing LOS in febrile patients in ICU for whom diagnosis of fungaemia was delayed before starting SAT, and with initial treatment failure. Awareness of potential candidaemia and initiation of pre‐emptive or empirical strategy as early appropriate treatment may improve ICU patient outcomes while reducing direct medical costs.
Analysis of mutations in the SOS‐1 gene in two Polish families with hereditary gingival fibromatosis
Authors: Gawron K , Bereta G , Nowakowska Z , Łazarz‐Bartyzel K , Potempa J , Chomyszyn‐Gajewska M , Górska R , Plakwicz P
Published: April 2017

Objectives

To establish whether two families from Malopolska and Mazovia provinces in Poland are affected by hereditary gingival fibromatosis type 1, caused by a single‐cytosine insertion in exon 21 of the Son‐of‐Sevenless‐1 gene.

Material and Methods

Six subjects with hereditary gingival fibromatosis and five healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Gingival biopsies were collected during gingivectomy or tooth extraction and used for histopathological evaluation. Total RNA and genomic DNA were purified from cultured gingival fibroblasts followed by cDNA and genomic DNA sequencing and analysis.

Results

Hereditary gingival fibromatosis was confirmed by periodontal examination, X‐ray, and laboratory tests. Histopathological evaluation showed hyperplastic epithelium, numerous collagen bundles, and abundant‐to‐moderate fibroblasts in subepithelial and connective tissue. Sequencing of exons 19‐22 of the Son‐of‐Sevenless‐1 gene did not reveal a single‐cytosine insertion nor other mutations.

Conclusions

Patients from two Polish families under study had not been affected by hereditary gingival fibromatosis type 1, caused by a single‐cytosine insertion in exon 21 of the Son‐of‐Sevenless‐1 gene. Further studies of the remaining regions of this gene as well as of other genes are needed to identify disease‐related mutations in these patients. This will help to unravel the pathogenic mechanism of gingival overgrowth.
Melanocortin 2, 3 and 4 Receptor Gene Expressions are Downregulated in CD8+ T Cytotoxic Lymphocytes and CD19+ B Lymphocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis Responding to TNF‐α Inhibition
Authors: Andersen M. , Nagaev I. , Meyer M. K. , Nagaeva O. , Wikberg J. , Mincheva‐Nilsson L. , Andersen G. N.
Published: April 2017

Melanocortin signalling in leucocyte subsets elicits anti‐inflammatory and immune tolerance inducing effects in animal experimental inflammation. In man, however, the effects of melanocortin signalling in inflammatory conditions have scarcely been examined. We explored the differential reactions of melanocortin 1‐5 receptors (MC1‐5R) gene expressions in pathogenetic leucocyte subsets in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to treatment with TNF‐α inhibitor adalimumab. Seven patients with active RA donated blood at start and at 3‐month treatment. CD4+ T helper (h) lymphocytes (ly), CD8+ T cytotoxic (c) ly, CD19+ B ly and CD14+ monocytes were isolated, using immunomagnetic beads, total RNA extracted and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) performed. Fold changes in MC1‐5R, Th1‐, inflammatory‐ and regulatory cytokine gene expressions were assessed for correlation. Six patients responded to adalimumab treatment, while one patient was non‐responder. In all lymphocyte subtypes, MC1‐5R gene expressions decreased in responders and increased in the non‐responder. In responders, decrease in MC2R, MC3R and MC4R gene expressions in CD8+ Tc and CD19+ B ly was significant. Fold change in MC1‐5R and IFNγ gene expressions correlated significantly in CD8+ Tc ly, while fold change in MC1R, MC3R and MC5R and IL‐1β gene expressions correlated significantly in CD4+ Th ly. Our results show regulation of MC2R, MC3R and MC4R gene expressions in CD8+ Tc ly and CD19+ B ly. The correlations between fold change in different MCRs and disease driving cytokine gene expressions in CD8+ Tc ly and CD4+ Th ly point at a central immune modulating function of the melanocortin system in RA.
A Non‐pathogenic Recombinant Leishmania Expressing Lipophosphoglycan 3 Against Experimental Infection with Leishmania infantum
Authors: Pirdel L. , Farajnia S.
Published: April 2017

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by Leishmania infantum in the Mediterranean basin and affects primarily children and immunosuppressed individuals. Various strategies of vaccination have so far been examined by either protein or DNA without achievable complete protection against the disease. The live non‐pathogenic lizard parasite, Leishmania tarentolae, expressing elected Leishmania antigens has recently provided a promising new approach as a safe and effective live vaccine candidate to prevent leishmaniasis. Here, we evaluated the immunoprotective potential of a live recombinant L. tarentolae expressing Lipophosphoglycan 3 (LPG3) antigen against L. infantum infection in BALB/c mice. Results indicated that the administration of live recombinant Leishmania produced a significant high level of IFN‐γ accompanied by reduced levels of IL‐10 as compared to wild‐type parasites as live vaccine control, thus suggesting the induction of a Th1‐type immune response in a mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis. Analysis of the IgG antibody response also showed high levels of IgG2a relative to IgG1 in sera of mice immunized with recombinant Leishmania parasites. However, immune responses elicited by this live vaccine conferred partial protection against infectious challenge. Therefore, further studies are required to increase its protective efficacy.
Influence of land use and tillage depth on dynamics of soil microbial properties, soil carbon fractions and crop yield after conversion of short‐rotation coppices
Authors: Wachendorf C. , Stuelpnagel R. , Wachendorf M.
Published: April 2017

The effect of conversion of short‐rotation coppices (SRCs) to agricultural land on soil organic carbon (SOC), soil microbial properties and crop yield is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of subsequent land use and tillage depth after conversion of SRCs on (i) total SOC (ii) soil C fractions with differentiation of total harvest residues and woody harvest residues from SRC and maize by 13C analysis and (iii) dry matter and N yield of grassland and maize. For this purpose, field trials were established after conversion of SRCs at three sites in Germany and cultivated with maize and grassland with shallow (5 cm), medium (15 cm) and deep tillage depth (30 cm). Crops were sampled for 5 yrs, and soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–5, 5–15 and 15–30 cm. Amount of total carbon and soil carbon fractions immediately and 4 yrs after conversion of SRC were compared. Tillage depth had no effect on dry matter yield of maize and grassland. The amount of woody harvest residues decreased over time following conversion at all sites irrespective of land use or tillage depth, but SOC decreased only at one site. Microbial biomass was particularly sensitive to land use, but microorganisms reacted differently to tillage depth depending on the soil conditions. Our results reveal that decomposition of woody harvest residues is rapid and that effects of tillage and land use on different soil C‐pools are site specific.
High‐dose calcineurin inhibitor‐free everolimus as a maintenance regimen for heart transplantation may be a risk factor for Pneumocystis pneumonia
Authors: Hu Yu‐Ning , Lee Nan‐Yao , Roan Jun‐Neng , Hsu Chi‐Hsin , Luo Chwan‐Yau
Published: April 2017

Background

Everolimus reduces the incidence of cardiac‐allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and is less renally toxic than are calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). We evaluated the safety of CNI‐free everolimus for post‐heart transplant (HTx) patients.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 36 consecutive patients who had undergone an HTx between January 2006 and December 2013 in National Cheng Kung University Hospital. All patients initially had been treated with the standard tacrolimus regimen. The Study group—12 patients with CAV, renal impairment, or a history of malignancy—were switched from tacrolimus to everolimus. The Control group consisted of 19 patients who remained on the standard regimen. The target everolimus trough concentration was 8‐14 ng/mL. The primary outcome was survival, and the secondary outcomes were bacterial, viral, fungal, and other infections; Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP); and rejection (≥2R).

Results

During a 53.3±25.6‐month follow‐up, the survival rate, rejection rate, and number of infections, except for PJP, were not significantly different between the two groups. In the Study group, 6 patients were diagnosed with PJP 33±18.2 months after switching. None of the Control group patients were diagnosed with PJP during follow‐up.

Conclusions

A high‐dose CNI‐free everolimus maintenance regimen might yield a higher incidence of post‐transplantation PJP.
An Investigation of Teachers’ Views on Applicability of Modeling in Mathematics Courses
Authors: Özdemir Emine , Üzel Devrim , Özsoy Nesrin
Published: April 2017

The purpose of this study has been to determine the views of elementary mathematics teachers on the applicability of modeling in mathematics courses. A case study was conducted with 17 elementary mathematics teachers working in various provinces in Turkey. An interview form consisting of open-ended questions was designed for the purpose of collecting data, which was obtained through semi-structured interviews. From the categories constituting the themes developed via the views of the teachers, four major conclusions and one minor conclusion were reached at the end of the study. Study results showed that the elementary mathematics teachers’ knowledge of the process and teaching performance had an impact on their views of the applicability of modeling.
Hippocampal electrical stimulation disrupts associative learning when targeted at dentate spikes
Authors: Nokia Miriam S. , Gureviciene Irina , Waselius Tomi , Tanila Heikki , Penttonen Markku
Published: April 2017

Key points

Dentate spikes are fast fluctuations of hilar local‐field potentials that take place during rest and are thought to reflect input arriving from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus.

During dentate spikes, neuronal firing in hippocampal input (dentate gyrus) and output (CA1/CA3) regions is uncoupled.

To date, the behavioural significance of dentate spikes is unknown.

Here, we provide evidence that disrupting the dentate spike‐related uncoupling of the dentate gyrus and the CA1/CA3 subregions for 1 h after training retards associative learning.

We suggest dentate spikes play a significant role in memory consolidation.

Hippocampal electrophysiological oscillations, namely theta and ripples, have been implicated in encoding and consolidation of new memories, respectively. According to existing literature, hippocampal dentate spikes are prominent, short‐duration (<30 ms), large‐amplitude (∼2–4 mV) fluctuations in hilar local‐field potentials that take place during awake immobility and sleep. Interestingly, previous studies indicate that during dentate spikes dentate gyrus granule cells increase their firing while firing of CA1 pyramidal cells are suppressed, thus resulting in momentary uncoupling of the two hippocampal subregions. To date, the behavioural significance of dentate spikes is unknown. Here, to study the possible role of dentate spikes in learning, we trained adult male Sprague–Dawley rats in trace eyeblink classical conditioning. For 1 h immediately following each conditioning session, one group of animals received hippocampal stimulation via the ventral hippocampal commissure (vHC) contingent on dentate spikes to disrupt the uncoupling between the dentate gyrus and the CA1 subregions. A yoked control group was stimulated during immobility, irrespective of brain state, and another control group was not stimulated at all. As a result, learning was impaired only in the group where vHC stimulation was administered contingent on dentate spikes. Our results suggest dentate spikes and/or the associated uncoupling of the dentate gyrus and the CA1 play a significant role in memory consolidation. Dentate spikes could possibly reflect reactivation and refinement of a memory trace within the dentate gyrus triggered by input from the entorhinal cortex.
BRAF V600 mutation detection in melanoma: a comparison of two laboratory testing methods
Authors: O'Brien Odharnaith , Lyons Tomas , Murphy Sandra , Feeley Linda , Power Derek , Heffron Cynthia C B B
Published: April 2017

Aims

The assessment of B-raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) gene status is now standard practice in patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma with its presence predicting a clinical response to treatment with BRAF inhibitors. The gold standard in determining BRAF status is currently by DNA-based methods. More recently, a BRAF V600E antibody has been developed. We aim to investigate whether immunohistochemical detection of BRAF mutation is a suitable alternative to molecular testing by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Methods

We assessed the incidence of BRAF mutation in our cohort of 132 patients, as determined by PCR, as well as examining clinical and histopathological features. We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of the anti-BRAF V600E VE1 clone antibody in detecting the presence of the BRAF V600E mutation in 122 cases deemed suitable for testing.

Results

The incidence of BRAF mutation in our cohort was 28.8% (38/132). Patients with the BRAF mutation were found to be significantly younger at age of diagnosis. BRAF-mutated melanomas tended to be thinner and more mitotically active. The antibody showed a sensitivity of 86.1% with a specificity of 96.9%. The positive predictive value was 96.9%; the negative predictive value was 94.4%. The concordance rate between PCR and immunohistochemical BRAF status was 95.1% (116/122).

Conclusions

The rate of BRAF mutation in our cohort (28.8%) was lower than international published rates of 40%–60%. This may reflect ethnic or geographic differences within population cohorts. The high concordance rate of PCR and immunohistochemical methods in determining BRAF status suggests that immunohistochemistry is potentially a viable, cost-effective alternative to PCR testing and suitable as a screening test for the BRAF mutation.
A hierarchical energy efficiency evaluation model of numerical control workshop
Authors: Xu Binzi , Wang Yan , Ji Zhicheng
Published: April 2017

Energy consumption of numerical control (NC) workshop has lots of characteristics, such as hierarchy, multi-sources and time-varying. These characteristics make the modeling and evaluation of energy consumption in NC workshop very difficult. In this paper, a novel hierarchical model of the energy consumption in NC workshop is presented. Then, the calculation methods of energy efficiency in each layer are given. Furthermore, the acquisition method of the energy consumption data which is easily implemented is put forward and an experiment in NC workshop was made to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed energy consumption model. The experimental results showed that the model cannot only describe the energy consumption effectively but also provide a way to identify the bottleneck of energy consumption in the workshop.
Improving Performance of Synchronous Transmission-Based Protocols Using Capture Effect over Multichannels
Authors: Mohammad Mobashir , Doddavenkatappa Manjunath , Chan Mun Choon
Published: April 2017

Synchronous transmission has been exploited recently for accelerating fundamental operations of wireless sensor networks like data dissemination, data collection, and network-wide agreement by an order of magnitude. Although these protocols (e.g., Glossy) have shown to be highly reliable for small packet sizes, the use of large packet sizes coupled with an excessive number of simultaneous transmissions can reduce reliability significantly. Our work is motivated by the observation that capture effect can improve the reliability of synchronous transmission. We experimentally study the effect of physical layer capture and identify guidelines in which it can be exploited to enhance reliability. Based on these observations, we propose Syncast, a data dissemination protocol that improves over Glossy by exploiting capture effect over multichannels. The evaluation shows that Syncast provides a robust, reliable, and scalable data dissemination of large packets with lower end-to-end delay and up to 92% reduced radio-on-time.
Combination of Partial Stochastic Linearization and Karhunen‐Loeve Expansion to Design Coriolis Dynamic Vibration Absorber
Authors: La Viet Duc
Published: April 2017

Coriolis dynamic vibration absorber is a device working in nonlinear zone. In stochastic design of this device, the Monte Carlo simulation requires large computation time. A simplified model of the system is built to retain the most important nonlinear term, the Coriolis damping of the dynamic vibration absorber. Applying the full equivalent linearization technique to the simplified model is inaccurate to describe the nonlinear behavior. This paper proposes a combination of partial stochastic linearization and Karhunen‐Loeve expansion to solve the problem. The numerical demonstration of a ropeway gondola induced by wind load is presented. A design example based on the partial linearization supports the advantage of the proposed approach.
Two-Dimensional River Flow Patterns Observed with a Pair of UHF Radar System
Authors: Hou Yidong , Wen Biyang , Yang Yonghuai , Yang Jing , Wang Caijun
Published: April 2017

A pair of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radars system for measuring the two-dimensional river flow patterns is presented. The system consists of two all-digital UHF radars with exactly the same hardware structure, operating separately at 329–339 MHz and 341–351 MHz. The adoption of direct radio frequency (RF) sampling technique and digital pulse compression simplifies the structure of radar system and eliminates the distortion introduced by the analog mixer, which improves the SNR and dynamic range of the radar. The field experiment was conducted at Hanjiang River, Hubei province, China. Over a period of several weeks, the radar-derived surface velocity has been very highly correlated with the measurements of EKZ-I, with a correlation coefficient of 0.958 and a mean square error of 0.084 m/s.
A Study on the Coupled Model of Hydrothermal‐Salt for Saturated Freezing Salinized Soil
Authors: Zhang Xudong , Wang Qing , Wang Gang , Wang Wenhua , Chen Huie , Zhang Zhongqiong
Published: April 2017

Water and heat interact in the process of freezing for the saturated soil. And for the salinized soil, water, heat, and salt interact in the freezing process, because salinized soil has soluble salt. In this paper, a one‐dimensional mathematical coupled model of hydraulic‐thermal‐salt is established. In the model, Darcy’s law, law of conservation of energy, and law of conservation of mass are applied to derive the equations. Consider that a saturated salinized soil column is subjected to the condition of freezing to model the moisture migration and salt transport. Both experiment and numerical simulation under the same condition are developed in the soil column. Then the moisture content and salt content between simulation and experiment are compared. The result indicates that simulation matches well with the experiment data, and after 96 hours, the temperature distribution becomes stable, freezing front reaches a stable position, and a lot of unfrozen water has time to migrate. Besides, the excess salt precipitates when the concentration is greater than the solubility, and the precipitation is distributed discontinuously. These results can provide reference for engineering geology and environmental engineering in cold region and saline soil area.
Sparse Representation Based Range-Doppler Processing for Integrated OFDM Radar-Communication Networks
Authors: Kong Bo , Wang Yuhao , Leung Henry , Deng Xiaohua , Zhou Huilin , Zhou Fuhui
Published: April 2017

In an integrated radar-communication network, multiuser access techniques with minimal performance degradation and without range-Doppler ambiguities are required, especially in a dense user environment. In this paper, a multiuser access scheme with random subcarrier allocation mechanism is proposed for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based integrated radar-communication networks. The expression of modulation Symbol-Domain method combined with sparse representation (SR) for range-Doppler estimation is introduced and a parallel reconstruction algorithm is employed. The radar target detection performance is improved with less spectrum occupation. Additionally, a Doppler frequency detector is exploited to decrease the computational complexity. Numerical simulations show that the proposed method outperforms the traditional modulation Symbol-Domain method under ideal and realistic nonideal scenarios.