bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional compartmentalisation of nutrients and phenolics in the tissues of galls induced by Leptocybe invasa (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) on Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae)
Authors: Isaias Rosy Mary dos Santos , Ferreira Bruno Garcia , Alvarenga Danielle Ramos de , Barbosa Leonardo Rodrigues , Salminen Juha‐Pekka , Steinbauer Martin J
Published: April 2018

Galling herbivores induce structural and chemical alterations in their host plant's tissues. These insects have been the focus of little study in the case of Australian taxa. Leptocybe invasa, a native Australian galling hymenopteran associated with Eucalyptus species, causes economic damage to plantation eucalypts in many countries around the world. Leptocybe invasa oviposits in the midribs and petioles of expanding leaves thereby intercepting photosynthates and impairing normal expansion. We analysed the ultrastructural and chemical cellular changes in L. invasa galls on Eucalyptus camaldulensis (probably subspecies camaldulensis) to diagnose how the insect manipulates plant cells and tissues and the significance of these alterations for insect nutrition and protection. Galling stimuli induce the formation of two functionally compartmentalised types of tissue. Phenolic plant secondary metabolites and anthocyanins (plant pigments) accumulate in the outer compartment, while primary metabolites accumulate in the inner compartment. The nutritive cells (inner compartment) accumulate protein and lipids that provide food for the larvae. Total polyphenol concentrations did not differ significantly between outer and inner compartments. Nevertheless, the concentrations of quercetin and kaempferol derivatives were higher in the outer compartment than in the inner compartment. These differences could be related to the protection of plant tissues against ultraviolet rays and the maintenance of redox homeostasis. There were higher ratios of hexahydroxydiphenoyl‐containing hydrolysable tannins rather than galloyl‐containing hydrolysable tannins in the inner compartment. This shift in the oxidative capacity of the polyphenols in the inner compartment could represent a defensive plant response to the larvae.
Immunological and hematological effects of IL‐5(Rα)‐targeted therapy: An overview
Authors: Hassani M. , Koenderman L.
Published: April 2018

IL‐5 is an important cytokine for priming and survival of mature eosinophils and for proliferation and maturation of their progenitors. Hence, IL‐5(Rα) targeting will be increasingly used in diseases where eosinophils are the key immune effector cells such as eosinophilic asthma (EA), hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). Therefore, several neutralizing monoclonal antibodies directed against IL‐5 (mepolizumab and reslizumab) and its receptor IL‐5Rα (benralizumab) have found or will find their way to the clinic. While the clinical effect of these drugs has been extensively investigated and reviewed, the understanding of the underlying immunological and hematological mechanisms remains less clear. This review will discuss the translational outcomes of treatment with these monoclonal antibodies in humans to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the main immunological and hematological findings from these clinical trials in humans.
The role of neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio in men with erectile dysfunction—preliminary findings of a real‐life cross‐sectional study
Authors: Ventimiglia E. , Cazzaniga W. , Pederzoli F. , Frego N. , Chierigo F. , Capogrosso P. , Boeri L. , Dehò F. , Abbate C. , Moretti D. , Piemonti L. , Montorsi F. , Salonia A.
Published: April 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of systemic inflammation by means of the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in men with erectile dysfunction (ED). Complete demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from 279 consecutive men with newly diagnosed ED were analyzed. Health‐significant comorbidities were scored with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). A complete blood count was requested for every man, and the NLR was calculated for every individual. Patients were invited to complete the IIEF questionnaire. Logistic regression models tested the odds (OR, 95% CI) of severe ED (defined as IIEF‐EF <11, according to Cappelleri's criteria) after adjusting for age, BMI, comorbidities (CCI >0), metabolic syndrome, NLR, cigarette smoking, and color duplex Doppler ultrasound parameters. Likewise, LNR values were also dichotomized according to the most informative cutoff predicting severe ED using the minimum p value approach. Median [IQR] age of included men was 51 [40–64] years. Of all, 87 (31%) men had severe ED. Men with severe ED were older (median [IQR] age: 61 [47–67] vs. 49 [39–58] years) and had a higher rate of CCI>0 [46/87 (53%) vs. 44/192 (23%) patients]. Thereof, NLR was dichotomized according to the most informative cutoff (NLR>3); patients with severe ED more frequently had NLR>3 as compared to all other ED patients [namely, 18/87 (21%) vs. 13/192 (7%)]. At multivariable logistic regression analysis, NLR>3.0 emerged as an independent predictor (OR [CI] 2.43 [1.06; 5.63]) of severe ED, after accounting for other clinical variables. A NLR>3 increased the risk of having severe ED in our cohort, boosting the already existing evidence linking systemic inflammation to ED. Moreover, this easily obtainable index can be clinically useful in better risk‐stratifying patients with ED.
Design of Bioartificial Pancreases From the Standpoint of Oxygen Supply
Authors: Iwata Hiroo , Arima Yusuke , Tsutsui Yusuke
Published: April 2018

A bioartificial pancreas (BAP), in which islets of Langerhans (islets) are enclosed in a semipermeable membrane, has been developed to realize islet transplantation without the use of immunosuppressive drugs. Although recent progress in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) and embryonic stem (ES) cells has attracted attention owing to the potential applications of these cells as insulin‐releasing cells, concerns about the safety of implantation of these cells remain. The use of the BAP has the advantage of easy removal if insulin‐releasing cells derived from iPS/ES cells undesirably proliferate and form tumors in the BAP. Oxygen supply is a crucial issue for cell survival in BAPs as insufficient oxygen supply causes central necrosis of cell aggregates. In this study, we derived several simple equations considering oxygen supply in BAPs in order to provide insights into the rational design of three different types of BAPs (spherical microcapsules, cylindrical capsules, and planar capsules). The equations give (i) the thickness of a capsule membrane leading to no central necrosis of encapsulated cell aggregates as a function of the original size of the cell aggregate; (ii) the oxygen concentration profiles in BAPs; (iii) the effects of encapsulation of a cell aggregate on insulin release; (iv) the amount of encapsulated cells required to normalize blood glucose levels of a patient; and (v) the total volumes and sizes of BAPs. As an example, we used the equations in order to design three different types of BAPs for subcutaneous implantation.
The Effect of On‐Line Hemodiafiltration, Vegetarian Diet, and Urine Volume on Advanced Glycosylation End Products Measured by Changes in Skin Auto‐Fluorescence
Authors: Nongnuch Arkom , Davenport Andrew
Published: April 2018

Increasing urea clearance by hemodialysis (HD) has not improved patient survival. Hemodiafiltration (HDF) has been reported to reduce cardiovascular mortality. HDF increases middle sized solute clearances. Advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. We wished to determine whether HDF reduces AGEs. Skin auto‐fluorescence (SAF) measures circulating AGEs deposited in the skin. We compared SAF measurements 12 months apart in high flux HD and HDF patients. At enrollment SAF was not different (HD 3.34 ± 0.71 vs. HDF 3.48 ± 1.05 AU). At seven months after completion of SAF measurement, one hemodiafiltration center returned to hemodialysis, and one hemodialysis center converted to hemodiafiltration. In the 66 patients treated solely by high flux HD, SAF increased (3.36 ± 0.71 to 3.82 ± 0.88 AU, P < 0.001), whereas there was no change for 47 exclusively treated by HDF (3.45 ± 1.13 to 3.44 ± 0.85 AU, P > 0.9). SAF increased in 34 patients switching from HDF to high flux HD (3.52 ± 0.94 vs. 3.88 ± 1.05, P < 0.05), with no significant change for 33 patients converting from high flux HD to HDF (3.32 ± 0.72 to 3.48 ± 1.07 AU, P > 0.3). On multivariate analysis, SAF was associated with older age (β coefficient 0.013, P = 0.002), prescription of insulin (β 0.29, P = 0.016), lanthanum (β 0.36, P = 0.004), and warfarin (β 0.62, P = 0.012), whereas vegetarian diet and > 250 mL/day residual urine volume were negatively associated with SAF (β −0.58, P = 0.002 and β −0.26, P = 0.033 respectively). Residual urine output and vegetarian diet were associated with lower AGE deposition. Whereas SAF increased over time in patients treated with high flux HD, there was no statistical change in SAF in those exclusively treated by HDF.
Health‐related quality of life and peer relationships in adolescents with developmental coordination disorder and attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Dewey Deborah , Volkovinskaia Anna
Published: April 2018

Aim

Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and peer relationships were investigated in adolescents with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method

Adolescents with DCD (n=9), ADHD (n=9), DCD and ADHD (n=10), and typically developing adolescents (n=16) completed the following questionnaires: KIDSCREEN‐52 Health‐Related Quality of Life Questionnaire and Peer Relations Questionnaire for Children. Twenty‐five participants took part in semi‐structured interviews.

Results

Adolescents with DCD and ADHD had lower HRQoL on the mood and emotions, school environment, and financial resources scales of the KIDSCREEN‐52 than adolescents in the DCD and typically developing groups (all p<0.05). On the Peer Relations Questionnaire for Children, the DCD and ADHD group reported significantly higher victimization compared with those in the typically developing (p=0.030) and DCD (p=0.010) groups. Qualitative interviews among young people with DCD and ADHD revealed feelings of marginalization and victimization. Descriptors such as ‘misfits’, ‘oddballs’, ‘weird’, and ‘the rejects’ were used to describe themselves.

Interpretation

HRQoL and peer relationships are negatively affected in adolescents with DCD and ADHD.

What this paper adds?

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) do not display poorer overall health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) versus typically developing controls.

Having DCD and attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was associated with poorer HRQoL.

Adolescents with DCD and ADHD experience significantly higher levels of peer victimization than typically developing adolescents.

HRQoL and peer relationships are significantly associated in adolescent respondents.
Feeding environment and other traits shape species’ roles in marine food webs
Authors: Cirtwill Alyssa R. , Eklöf Anna
Published: April 2018

Food webs and meso‐scale motifs allow us to understand the structure of ecological communities and define species’ roles within them. This species‐level perspective on networks permits tests for relationships between species’ traits and their patterns of direct and indirect interactions. Such relationships could allow us to predict food‐web structure based on more easily obtained trait information. Here, we calculated the roles of species (as vectors of motif position frequencies) in six well‐resolved marine food webs and identified the motif positions associated with the greatest variation in species’ roles. We then tested whether the frequencies of these positions varied with species’ traits. Despite the coarse‐grained traits we used, our approach identified several strong associations between traits and motifs. Feeding environment was a key trait in our models and may shape species’ roles by affecting encounter probabilities. Incorporating environment into future food‐web models may improve predictions of an unknown network structure.
Basin‐scale environmental water delivery in the Murray–Darling, Australia: A hydrological perspective
Authors: Stewardson Michael J. , Guarino Fiorenzo
Published: April 2018

A major outstanding challenge for environmental flow management is to move from a single site, reach or river focus to planning and delivering environmental flows across entire river basins. There is a need for case studies of basin‐scale environmental water delivery as a first step in understanding and eventually generalising basin‐scale responses.

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder manages a portfolio of water entitlements for protecting and restoring aquatic ecosystems of the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB). This article describes the strategies used by the water holder and the hydrological outcomes of their basin‐scale environmental water delivery program.

There are five delivery strategies used to enhance benefits achieved with available environmental water. Although the volume of commonwealth environmental water is small relative to mean catchment inflows, improvements in baseflows and freshes are seen across the MDB. Water was also successfully delivered into floodplain wetlands.

The case study provides a successful example of implementing a basin‐scale program for environmental water delivery. However, there remains a great need to improve the knowledge, governance and planning tools for managing environmental water for a broad range of ecological demands that operate at the basin‐scale.
Streams in an uninhabited watershed have predictably different thermal sensitivities to variable summer air temperatures
Authors: Culler Lauren E. , Wood Zachary T. , Diaz Jimena , Fey Samuel B. , Timmins Dianne , Ayres Matthew P.
Published: April 2018

Warming temperatures from climate change are altering the distributions and abundances of many species. Aquatic organisms, however, may be buffered from the immediate impacts of air temperature change due to the thermal inertia of water. The extent of this buffering in freshwater ecosystems will determine the fate and possible management strategies for many ecologically and economically important species.

Using 11 years of air and stream temperature data collected from an uninhabited New Hampshire watershed, we investigated the relationship between air and water temperature change throughout the summer months. Maximum daily stream temperatures during the summer months are known to influence the distribution and phenology of aquatic organisms. As such, we built a predictive model of maximum daily stream temperature as a function of air temperature change, discharge and stream order.

Diurnal changes in stream temperatures and changes in stream temperature through the summer consistently lagged changes in air temperature, and deviations in daily air temperatures from seasonally predicted means were a strong driver of water temperatures. A mean increase in residual air temperature over the past 5 days of 1.0°C corresponded to a 0.5–0.8°C increase in maximum daily stream temperature. Smaller, headwater streams were colder and less sensitive to changes in air temperature.

Although stream temperatures did not increase as much as air temperatures, our results suggest that even small increases in water temperatures will extend the duration of physiologically stressful conditions for biota in this watershed. Thus, preserving thermal heterogeneity and unrestricted access to thermal refuges may be key for species’ persistence. We encourage continued use of monitoring data to document within‐stream and within‐watershed thermal heterogeneity and to generate stream temperature models. These tools will be key for developing management strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on streams and their biota.
The Successful Transition to a Knowledge‐Based Development Path of a Less‐Developed Region
Authors: Wojnicka‐Sycz Elżbieta
Published: April 2018

This paper presents the case of a less‐developed EU region—the Pomeranian region of Poland—that is, an example of the successful transformation from a command to market economy and the creation of a new knowledge‐based development path thanks to the upgrading of its innovation model. This successful transformation was based, in part, on the region's specific innovation policy and the activities of pro‐innovative institutions; however, other factors were also important such as the diversified structure of the region's economy. New knowledge‐based industries have developed in the region, while the potential of traditional industries that have gone through a restructuring, has been maintained. The factors that existed prior to the innovation model's transformation included such aspects as the high quality of human and social capital, a strong academic center, a high quality of life, and an open economy and society. Supply factors in the form of qualified personnel were crucial for the growth of employment in new industries and R&D that determined the improvement of the regional GDP per capita. Moreover, the transition to a knowledge‐based economy stimulated an increase in the concentration of population in the metropolitan area of Tri‐City.
Protoporphyrin‐based eggshell pigmentation predicts hatching success and offspring sex ratio in the barn swallow
Authors: Corti Margherita , Romano Andrea , Costanzo Alessandra , Bentz Alexandra B. , Navara Kristen J. , Parolini Marco , Saino Nicola , Rubolini Diego
Published: April 2018

Inter‐ and intraspecific variation in eggshell colouration has long fascinated evolutionary biologists. Among species, such variation may accomplish different functions, the most obvious of which is camouflage and background matching. Within species, it has been proposed that inter‐female variation in eggshell pigmentation patterns can reflect egg, maternal or paternal traits and hence may provide cues to conspecifics about egg, maternal or paternal phenotypic quality. However, the relationship between protoporphyrin‐based eggshell pigmentation and egg or maternal/paternal traits appears to be highly variable among species. We investigated patterns of intraspecific variation in Eurasian barn swallowHirundo r. rusticaprotoporphyrin‐based eggshell pigmentation, and analysed its association with egg and clutch characteristics, maternal/paternal phenotypic traits and parental feeding effort. Eggshell pigmentation pattern significantly varied between breeding colonies, was significantly repeatable in first clutches laid by the same females in different years (intraclass correlation coefficient ranging between 0.56 and 0.63), but it was not significantly associated with egg traits, such as position in the laying sequence, egg mass, yolk testosterone concentration and antioxidant capacity. It was weakly or non‐significantly associated with female and male traits (sexual ornaments), but females laying darker (higher pigment intensity) first clutches had higher hatching success, suggesting that eggshell pigment intensity may predict fitness. Male nestling feeding effort was not predicted by eggshell pigmentation. In addition, females with darker breast plumage colouration (a melanin‐based trait related to fitness) laid highly protoporphyrin‐covered eggs, suggesting the presence of a previously unappreciated link between protoporphyrin biosynthesis and plumage melanisation. Moreover, the proportion of male offspring increased in clutches originating from highly protoporphyrin‐covered eggs, suggesting that parents could acquire visual cues about their future brood sex composition before egg hatching. Our results support the idea that intraspecific signalling via eggshell pigmentation is a species‐specific rather than a general feature of avian taxa.
Validation of multivariable models for predicting tooth loss in periodontitis patients
Authors: Schwendicke Falk , Schmietendorf Elisa , Plaumann Anna , Sälzer Sonja , Dörfer Christof E. , Graetz Christian
Published: April 2018

Objectives

A large number of multivariable models which associate independent variables with the outcome tooth loss exist. Directly or indirectly, these make predictions as to the relative risk of tooth loss. We aimed to validate six of these prediction models.

Methods

We applied each model, if needed after adaptions, in a cohort of 301 compliant periodontitis patients who had been under supportive periodontal treatment (SPT) in a university setting over 21.7 ± 5.6 years. The models employed a range of tooth‐level and patient‐level parameters. Model accuracy, that is, the ability to rightly predict tooth loss during SPT using baseline parameters, was investigated by the area under the receiver‐operating‐characteristics curve (AUC).

Results

Most models showed low accuracy (AUC ranged between 0.52 and 0.67). The classification model from Avila et al. (2009) Journal of Periodontology, 80, 476–491, expressing the risk of tooth loss in five grades, was most accurate (mean AUC: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.65/0.69). When applying this model, the risk of false‐positively predicting tooth loss was high, except when the highest grade (i.e. a tooth being considered as having a hopeless prognosis) was used. In this case, the specificity was 84% and the sensitivity 46%.

Conclusions

Predicting tooth loss in this specific cohort of periodontitis patients was only limitedly possible.
Confession and the Anthropology of Forgiveness: Reflections on Colombia's Processes of Transitional Justice
Authors: Bartel Rebecca C.
Published: April 2018

Michel Foucault propusó que la confesión Cristiana produce la verdad, y se ha vuelto la disciplina del ser moderna por excelencia. Sin embargo, en trabajo antropológico que considera la confesión, el perdón en relación diádica con relaciones hegemónicas de poder ha recibido poca atención. Con un énfasis sorprendentamente no problematizada en el confessor, el análisis del efecto que tiene la confesión de crímenes sobre las personas que han sido las víctimas de dichos crímenes ha sido ignorado; sobre todo el efecto sobre quienes que tienen que perdonar. Ese tema es especialmente complicado en procesos de justicia transicional, como fue el proceso de Justicia y Paz con las AUC (2004–2008), y el proceso de paz con la FARC (2012–2016), en Colombia. Este artículo pone en primera plano el trabajo que sirve la práctica del perdón como una práctica de auto‐cultivo y como un objeto de estudio antropológico. El enfoque está en el perdón como una confesión de fe y una técnica de disciplina. [Colombia, conflicto, derecho, derechos humanos, perdón, política, religión]
Susceptibility of A. fumigatus‐specific T‐cell assays to pre‐analytic blood storage and PBMC cryopreservation greatly depends on readout platform and analytes
Authors: Lauruschkat Chris D. , Wurster Sebastian , Page Lukas , Lazariotou Maria , Dragan Mariola , Weis Philipp , Ullmann Andrew J. , Einsele Hermann , Löffler Jürgen
Published: April 2018

Mould‐specific T cells detectable by flow cytometry or ELISPOT were proposed as a novel biomarker in invasive aspergillosis. To define protocols facilitating sample shipment and longitudinal analysis, this study evaluated the susceptibility of different functional assays for A. fumigatus‐specific T‐cell quantification and characterisation to pre‐analytic delays. PBMCs from 6 healthy donors were analysed after immediate isolation, after 6 hours whole blood storage or after cryopreservation using 3 different common media. Functional responses to A. fumigatus lysate stimulation were comparatively assessed by flow cytometry, ELISPOT and 14‐plex cytokine assay. After 6 hours pre‐analytic storage, all functional assays showed reduced detection rates, higher coefficients of variation (CV) and widely varying individual recovery indices of specific T‐cell response. While cryopreservation resulted in sufficient yields and largely unaltered cellular composition, outcomes of functional readouts significantly differed from freshly processed samples. For CD154‐based flow cytometry, only cryopreservation in RPMI supplemented with autologous serum resulted in satisfactory detection rates and CVs. For ELISPOT and cytokine secretion assays, none of the cryopreservation protocols provided sufficient concordance with immediately processed samples. Even using the same readout platform, individual analytes widely varied in their susceptibility to cryopreservation, highlighting that distinct optimisation is required depending on the downstream assay.
RECENT TREND IN RESIDUAL PALM OIL RECOVERY IN A SOLID STATE FERMENTATION
Authors: Deba Abdulkarim Ali , Mohd Zain Nor Azimah , Salleh Madihah
Published: April 2018

Production of palm oil from palm oil mill industries has been facing a serious challenge of overcoming the oil loss as a result of the mechanical extraction process limitations, consequently, leading to economic and environmental impacts. Efforts were made to overcome this impasse by mechanical process, dissolve air flotation, solvent extraction and enzymatic treatment. Most of these methods applied are faced with a somewhat drawbacks. In this review, the various methods of residual palm oil recovery were discussed, while presenting a better method that could allow for optimum recovery with less or no environmental impact via microbial means in a solid state process. Biological process in a solid state condition with fungi such as the white rot basidiomycetes is considered the best for future application, due to the natural availability of the fungi and high degrading capability of lignocellulose biomass. This would significantly be of benefit in terms of abating the huge oil palm mesocarp fiber deposition and aid in meeting the environmental requirement of waste consumption from the source.
DETERMINATION OF THE BEST-FIT MULTIPHASE FLOW CORRELATION FOR HIGH WATER-CUT WELLS USING PROSPER
Authors: Ismail Issham , Teck Shern Lim , Samsuri Ariffin , Issham Muhamad Shafie , Hua Sid Ling , Husein@Yusof Norhafizuddin , Boyou Natalie Vanessa , Zakaria Zainal
Published: April 2018

Pressure drop in a vertical or deviated borehole is mainly due to hydrostatic changes and friction when the produced fluids flow to the surface. When the oil is flowing upwards, the flowing pressure along the tubing string will drop and gas starts to liberate from the oil. Thus, multiphase flow forms in the tubing string. Hence, adequate modeling of vertical lift performance is required to predict the pressure drop and subsequently the wellbore pressure. The bottomhole pressure prediction was realized by using PROSPER, a program developed by Petroleum Experts. The data of oilwell X-01 with high water cut (i.e., 56%) in field X was used in this research work. The most accurate correlation was chosen from 12 selected built-in correlations to predict the pressure drop via gradient matching. A sensitivity analysis has been done to observe the parameters that affected the vertical lift performance of a high water cut well. These parameters were tubing diameter, gas-oil ratio, wellhead pressure, water cut, and tubing roughness. The results show that Dun and Ros original correlation appeared to be the best-fit correlation for well X-01. Results from sensitivity analysis indicated that reduction of wellhead pressure from 390 psi to 285.3 psi could increase liquid rate by 13.2%. An adjustment of wellhead pressure gave the most significant impact on the production rate of well X-01 as compared to other four parameters studied.
Examining Perceptions of Teammates’ Burnout and Training Hours in Athlete Burnout
Authors: Appleby Ralph , Davis Paul , Davis Louise , Gustafsson Henrik
Published: April 2018

Perceptions of teammates and training load have been shown to influence athletes’ physical and psychological health; however, limited research has investigated these factors in relation to burnout. Athletes (N = 140) from a variety of competitive team sports, ranging in level from regional to professional, completed questionnaires measuring individual burnout, perceptions of teammates’ burnout, and training hours per week on two occasions separated by three months. After controlling for burnout at time one, training hours were associated with athletes’ burnout and perceptions of teammates’ burnout at time two. Multilevel modeling indicated actual team burnout (i.e., the average burnout score of the individual athletes in a team) and perceived team burnout were associated with individual’s own burnout. The findings highlight that burnout is dynamic and relates to physiological stressors associated with training and psychological perceptions of teammates’ burnout. Future research directions exploring potential social influences on athlete burnout are presented.
Determining the Initial Predictive Validity of the Lifelong Physical Activity Skills Battery
Authors: Hulteen Ryan M. , Barnett Lisa M. , Morgan Philip J. , Robinson Leah E. , Barton Christian J. , Wrotniak Brian H. , Lubans David R.
Published: April 2018

Participation in lifelong physical activities, such as yoga, golf, tennis, or running, are common endeavors in adolescence and adulthood. However, there is a lack of understanding of how competent individuals are in the skills needed for these activities and how competency in these skills relates to physical activity and fitness. This study aimed to determine the initial predictive validity of the Lifelong Physical Activity Skills Battery related to physical activity and health-related fitness. One-hundred and nine adolescents from four schools (55 males, 54 females; Mage = 15.82 years, SD = 0.37 years) completed: demographic information (survey), height (stadiometer), weight (digital scale), motor skill assessment (jog, grapevine, squat, push-up, upward dog, warrior one, tennis forehand, golf swing), health-related fitness (standing long jump, back-saver sit and reach, 3-min submaximal step test, 90° push-up test), and physical activity (GENEActiv accelerometers). Correlations and multiple regression models were conducted in SPSS version 24.0. Motor competence was associated with muscular fitness (standing long jump, β = 0.24, p = .002; push-ups, β = 0.42, p < .001), cardiorespiratory fitness (β = 0.21, p = .031), and flexibility (β = 0.23, p = .025), but not physical activity (β = 0.17, p = .154) or body mass index (β = −0.05, p = .622). Motor competence has a stronger association with health-related fitness parameters rather than physical activity.
Pseudotyping of HIV-1 with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus 1 (HTLV-1) Envelope Glycoprotein during HIV-1–HTLV-1 Coinfection Facilitates Direct HIV-1 Infection of Female Genital Epithelial Cells: Implications for Sexual Transmission of HIV-1
Authors: Tang Yuyang , George Alvin M. , Petrechko Oksana , Nouvet Franklin J. , Sweet Stephanie D. , Tanaka Yuetsu , Imbiakha Brian S. , Jiang Guochun , Gao Wei , Anastos Kathryn , Hildreth James E. K.
Published: April 2018

Young women in certain regions of the world are at very high risk of acquiring HIV-1, and there is an urgent need to identify the factors that promote HIV-1 transmission. HIV-1 infection is frequently accompanied by infection with other pathogenic viruses. We demonstrate that coinfection of cells by HIV-1 and HTLV-1 can lead to production of HIV-1 pseudotyped with HTLV-1 Env that is able to directly infect female genital epithelial cells both
in vitro
and
ex vivo
. Given the function of these epithelial cells as genital mucosal barriers to pathogenic virus transmission, the ability of HIV-1 pseudotyped with HTLV-1 Env to directly infect female genital epithelial cells represents a possible factor for increased risk of sexual transmission of HIV-1. This mechanism could be especially impactful in settings such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South America, where HIV-1 and HTLV-1 are both highly prevalent.
Laser Printing Files Detection Method Based on Double Features
Authors: Zhu Juan , Huang Jipeng , Wang Lianming
Published: April 2018

A novel laser printing files detection method is proposed in this paper to solve the problem of low efficiency and difficulty in traditional detection. The new method is based on improved scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) feature and histogram feature. Firstly, analyze the graphical features of different laser printing files. Different files have different printing texture features in valid data area. So segment the valid data area to remove the interference of background. Secondly, extract the histogram feature of the same character in the printing file. Normalize the histogram and then calculate the Bhattacharyya coefficient between the detected file and the original file to determine whether the detected file is right or fake. At the same time, calculate the SIFT features and match the detected file and the original file. To focus on the letter or character region, the SIFT features which are out of contour are deleted. Finally, the results of the two different methods are both used as the result of the identification. When any of the result is fake, the end result will be fake. In the self-built database experiment, in different printing files from different printers, the inkjet areas possess different image features. When scanning different files using 600 dpi, the detect accuracy is higher than 97%. This method was able to meet the reliability requirements of law.
Mining High Utility Sequential Patterns Using Multiple Minimum Utility
Authors: Xu Tiantian , Xu Jianliang , Dong Xiangjun
Published: April 2018

High utility sequential patterns (HUSP) mining has recently received a lot of attention from researchers. Many algorithms have been proposed to mine HUSP and most of them only use a single minimum utility, which implicitly assumes that all items in the database are of the same importance (such as profit), or other information based on users’ concern in the database. This is often not the case in real-life applications. Although a few methods have been proposed to mine high utility itemsets (HUI) with multiple minimum utility (MMU), they are not suitable for mining HUSP with MMU because an item may occur more than one time in a sequence and may have multiple utility values. In this paper, we propose a novel method, called HUSpan-MMU, to efficiently mine HUSP with MMU from sequential utility-based databases. A lexicographic quantitative sequence tree (LQS-tree) is used to extract the complete set of HUSP. Meanwhile, two pruning methods are used to reduce the search space in the LQS-tree. Experimental results on both synthetic and real datasets show that HUSpan-MMU can efficiently mine HUSP with MMU from utility-based databases.
Quantum fields as Cosmic Censors in (2 + 1)-dimensions
Authors: Casals Marc , Fabbri Alessandro , Martínez Cristián , Zanelli Jorge
Published: April 2018

We discuss the effect of quantum fields on classical background spacetimes which contain timelike singularities. We do so for the case that the background is a [Formula: see text]-dimensional BTZ spacetime, whether corresponding to a rotating black hole ([Formula: see text]) or to a naked conical singularity ([Formula: see text]). In the black hole case, scalar quantum fields render its Cauchy horizon unstable, while for the conical geometry, they produce a horizon around the naked singularity. Thus, quantum effects improve the predictability of the spacetime acting as effective Cosmic Censors.
GASEOUS ELEMENTAL MERCURY CAPTURE BY NOVEL COPPER-DOPED (Fe2.2Mn0.8)1−δO4 ADSORBENTS
Authors: HE PING , ZHANG ZHONGZHI , ZHANG XIANBING , WU JIANG , CHEN NAICHAO
Published: April 2018

A series of (Fe[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]Cu[Formula: see text]O4 ([Formula: see text], 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8) was synthesized for elemental mercury capture. The as-synthesized adsorbents were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The experimental results show that (Fe[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]Cu[Formula: see text]O4 catalyst adsorbent exhibits the best elemental mercury capture capacity with the increase in mercury removal efficiency by 20% as compared to the (Fe[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O4 adsorbent. The XPS results indicate Cu dopant can provide the lattice oxygen on the adsorbent surface due to the transformation from Cu[Formula: see text] cations to Cu[Formula: see text] cations, which increases the active sites for elemental mercury adsorption. The Mn[Formula: see text] cations on the adsorbent surface may oxidize the adsorbed mercury to mercury oxidization. Meanwhile, the Mn[Formula: see text] cations formed are also oxidized to the Mn[Formula: see text] cations by the gaseous oxygen phase in the reactor gas. However, the large Cu content may block the collision between Mn[Formula: see text] cations and adsorbed mercury, and thus decrease the oxidization capability of adsorbent surface for mercury. Therefore, the Cu dopant with the suitable content may be a potential modified method for the adsorbent to further increase the elemental mercury capture.
EFFICIENT LONG-DATED SWAPTION VOLATILITY APPROXIMATION IN THE FORWARD-LIBOR MODEL
Authors: VAN APPEL JACQUES , MCWALTER THOMAS A.
Published: April 2018

We provide efficient swaption volatility approximations for longer maturities and tenors under the lognormal forward-LIBOR model (LFM). In particular, we approximate the swaption volatility with a mean update of the spanning forward rates. Since the joint distribution of the forward rates is not known under a typical pricing measure, we resort to numerical discretization techniques. More specifically, we approximate the mean forward rates with a multi-dimensional weak order 2.0 Itō–Taylor scheme. The higher-order terms allow us to more accurately capture the state dependence in the drift terms and compute conditional expectations with second-order accuracy. We test our approximations for longer maturities and tenors using a quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) study and find them to be substantially more effective when compared to the existing approximations, particularly for calibration purposes.
Some Inequalities in Information Theory Using Tsallis Entropy
Authors: Wondie Litegebe , Kumar Satish
Published: April 2018

We presenta relation betweenTsallis’s entropy and generalizedKerridge inaccuracywhich is called generalizedShannon inequalityand is well-known generalization ininformation theoryand then give its application in coding theory. The objective of the paper is to establish a result on noiseless coding theorem for the proposed mean code length in terms of generalized information measure of orderξ.
Downregulation of DJ-1 Fails to Protect Mitochondrial Complex I Subunit NDUFS3 in the Testes and Contributes to the Asthenozoospermia
Authors: Wang Yupeng , Sun Yi , Zhao Xin , Yuan Renpei , Jiang Hui , Pu Xiaoping
Published: April 2018

Asthenozoospermia (AS), an important cause of male infertility, is characterized by reduced sperm motility. Among the aetiologies of AS, inflammation seems to be the main cause. DJ-1, a conserved protein product of thePARK7gene, is associated with male infertility and plays a role in oxidative stress and inflammation. Although our previous studies showed that a reduction in DJ-1 was accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction in the sperm of patients with AS, the specific mechanism underlying this association remained unclear. In this study, we found that compared to the patients without AS, the expression of mitochondrial protein nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) Fe-S protein 3 (NDUFS3) was also significantly decreased in the sperm of patients with AS. Similarly, decreased expression of DJ-1 and NDUFS3 and reduced mitochondria complex I activity were evident in a rat model of AS. Moreover, we showed that the interaction between DJ-1 and NDUFS3 in rat testes was weakened by ORN treatment. These results suggest that the impaired mitochondrial activity could be due to the broken interaction between DJ-1 and NDUFS3 and that downregulation of DJ-1 in sperm and testes contributes to AS pathogenesis.
The Influence of Metabolic Syndrome and Sex on the DNA Methylome in Schizophrenia
Authors: Burghardt Kyle J. , Goodrich Jacyln M. , Lines Brittany N. , Ellingrod Vicki L.
Published: April 2018

Introduction. The mechanism by which metabolic syndrome occurs in schizophrenia is not completely known; however, previous work suggests that changes in DNA methylation may be involved which is further influenced by sex. Within this study, the DNA methylome was profiled to identify altered methylation associated with metabolic syndrome in a schizophrenia population on atypical antipsychotics.Methods. Peripheral blood from schizophrenia subjects was utilized for DNA methylation analyses. Discovery analyses (n=96) were performed using an epigenome-wide analysis on the Illumina HumanMethylation450K BeadChip based on metabolic syndrome diagnosis. A secondary discovery analysis was conducted based on sex. The top hits from the discovery analyses were assessed in an additional validation set (n=166) using site-specific methylation pyrosequencing.Results. A significant increase inCDH22gene methylation in subjects with metabolic syndrome was identified in the overall sample. Additionally, differential methylation was found within theMAP3K13gene in females and theCCDC8gene within males. Significant differences in methylation were again observed for theCDH22andMAP3K13genes, but notCCDC8, in the validation sample set.Conclusions. This study provides preliminary evidence that DNA methylation may be associated with metabolic syndrome and sex in schizophrenia.
Improving Long-Term Outcomes for Patients with Extra-Abdominal Soft Tissue Sarcoma Regionalization to High-Volume Centers, Improved Compliance with Guidelines or Both?
Authors: Bagaria Sanjay P. , Chang Yu-Hui , Gray Richard J. , Ashman Jonathan B. , Attia Steven , Wasif Nabil
Published: April 2018

Introduction. Optimization of outcomes of extra-abdominal STS is not clearly understood. We sought to determine whether hospital surgical volume and adherence to NCCN guidelines, or both, are associated with outcomes in the treatment of extra-abdominal soft tissue sarcoma (STS).Methods. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for patients undergoing surgery for extra-abdominal STS diagnosed from 2003 to 2007. Mean annual hospital volume for STS surgery was divided into volume terciles (1T ≤3, 2T 4–10, and 3T ≥11 cases/year). Adherence to NCCN guidelines was determined. Primary outcome was overall survival.Results. Our study population consisted of 13,684 patients with a median age of 56 years. 3T hospitals were more likely to adhere to NCCN guidelines for stage III patients (63% versus 47%;p≤0.001) than 1T hospitals. On multivariable analysis, adherence to NCCN guidelines was associated with improved survival (HR = 0.79, CI 0.73–0.87;p<0.001), but hospital volume was not (3T versus 1T: HR = 0.92, CI 0.82–1.02;p=0.12). Five-year overall survival was comparable for compliant groups at 1T, 2T, and 3T hospitals (72%, 72.4%, and 72.6%, resp.). 3T hospitals were not associated with a lower risk of 30-day mortality (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.44–1.11) compared to 1T hospitals but did have a higher R0 resection rate (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.32–1.54).Conclusions. Adherence to NCCN guidelines, irrespective of hospital volume, is associated with improved overall survival for patients with extra-abdominal STS. High-volume hospitals more often adhere to guidelines, but low-volume hospitals that follow national guidelines may achieve comparable outcomes.
Assessment of Vitamin D-Binding Protein and Early Prediction of Nephropathy in Type 2 Saudi Diabetic Patients
Authors: Fawzy Manal S. , Abu AlSel Baraah T.
Published: April 2018

Early detection of diabetic nephropathy (DN) represents a great challenge in an attempt to reduce the burden of chronic kidney diseases in diabetic patients. This study aimed to investigate the potential early prediction role of urinary vitamin D-binding protein (uVDBP) for the diagnosis of DN and to examine the possible correlation to serum VDBP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and insulin resistance in these patients. Serum and urine samples were obtained from 40 healthy volunteers and 120 patients with type 2 diabetes divided into 3 groups: normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria (urinary albumin excretion rate < 30, 30–300, and >300 μg/mg, resp.);n=40/group. Serum and urinary VDBP levels were quantified by ELISA. Insulin resistance has been assessed by homeostasis model assessment index (HOMAI). Correction for urine creatinine concentration was applied for urinary quantitative measurements. uVDBP levels were significantly elevated in micro- and macroalbuminuria patient groups compared with those of the normoalbuminuria patient group and controls (820.4 ± 402.8 and 1458.1 ± 210.0 compared with 193.1 ± 141.0 and 127.7 ± 21.9 ng/mg, resp.) (P<0.001). There was significant correlation between serum and urinary levels of VDBP in total patient group. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of uVDBP levels showed optimum cut-off value of 216.0 ng/mg corresponding to 98.8% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity and an area under the curve of 0.973 to discriminate the normoalbuminuria from the microalbuminuria groups. In multivariate analysis, ordination plot showed obvious demarcation between the study groups caused by the higher levels of uVDBP and albumin/creatinine ratio among other variables. The study findings suggested a possible clinical application of uVDPB as an early and a good marker for the detection of early renal disease in type 2 DM Saudi patients. Large-scale validation studies are warranted to confirm the results before including uVDBP with the available list of other conventional biomarkers.
Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Use of Cartilage Tissue Engineering: The Need for a Rapid Isolation Procedure
Authors: Francis Sam L. , Duchi Serena , Onofrillo Carmine , Di Bella Claudia , Choong Peter F. M.
Published: April 2018

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown much promise with respect to their use in cartilage tissue engineering. MSCs can be obtained from many different tissue sources. Among these, adipose tissue can provide an abundant source of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs). The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is a promising source of ADMSCs with respect to producing a cartilage lineage. Cell isolation protocols to date are time-consuming and follow conservative approaches that rely on a long incubation period of 24–48 hours. The different types of ADMSC isolation techniques used for cartilage repair will be reviewed and compared with the view of developing a rapid one-step isolation protocol that can be applied in the context of a surgical procedure.
Micro-FTIR and EPMA Characterisation of Charoite from Murun Massif (Russia)
Authors: Lacalamita Maria
Published: April 2018

Combined micro-Fourier transform infrared (micro-FTIR) and electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) were performed on a single crystal of charoite from Murun Massif (Russia) in order to get a deeper insight into the vibrational features of crystals with complex structure and chemistry. The micro-FTIR study of a single crystal of charoite was collected in the 6000–400 cm−1 at room temperature and after heating at 100°C. The structural complexity of this mineral is reflected by its infrared spectrum. The analysis revealed a prominent absorption in the OH stretching region as a consequence of band overlapping due to a combination of H2O and OH stretching vibrations. Several overtones of the O-H and Si-O stretching vibration bands were observed at about 4440 and 4080 cm−1 such as absorption possibly due to the organic matter at about 3000–2800 cm−1. No significant change due to the loss of adsorbed water was observed in the spectrum obtained after heating. The occurrence of well-resolved water bending vibration bands at about 1595 and 1667 cm−1 accounts for more than one structural water molecule as expected by charoite-90 polytype structure model from literature. The chemical composition of the studied crystal is close to the literature one.