bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electromagnetic couplings of pentaquarks
Authors: Ortiz-Pacheco E. , Bijker R.
Published: September 2019

In this contribution, we discuss the electromagnetic couplings of pentaquark states with hidden charm. This work is motivated by recent experiments at CERN by the LHCb Collaboraton and current experiments at JLab to confirm the existence of hidden-charm pentaquarks in photoproduction experiments.
Neutron-induced reactions investigated via the Trojan Horse Method
Authors: Spartá R , Spitaleri C , Lamia L , Guardo G L , Cherubini S , Gulino M , La Cognata M , Pizzone R G , Rapisarda G G , Romano S , Sergi M L , Tumino A
Published: September 2019

The Trojan Horse Method has been applied to many neutron-induced reactions using the deuteron as a virtual source of neutrons, to explore wide energy regions of interest for astrophysics and applied physics and to investigate the suppression of the centrifugal barrier, that is one of the key advantages of this Method. The neutron-induced experimental campaign has already concerned 17O(n, α)14C, 6Li(n,α)3H, 7Be(n,p)7Li, 7Be(n,α)4He, 18F(n,α)15O and 14N(n,p)14C, and very recently 25Mg(n,α)22Ne and 27Al(n,p)27Mg, while others are planned to be measured soon, thus influencing different astrophysical scenarios. Particular attention is dedicated to a new measurement regarding the 10B(n,α)7Li reaction, aimed to disentangle the 7Li ground state contribution from its first excited state to the cross section.
Beauty is a Fact under Siege: John Ruskin as Critic in a State of Ecological Emergency
Authors: Phillips James
Published: September 2019

Some of Ruskin’s aesthetic positions become more comprehensible, if not defensible, when viewed in terms of a response to Victorian Britain’s environmental degradation. By his insistence on truth in controversies concerning the beautiful, Ruskin sets himself at variance with the aesthetic tradition that treats the beautiful as a topic of open-ended debate in which different opinions are weighed up and the authority of experts is never final. What Ruskin puts forward in support of his factual account of beauty is the urgency of protecting beauty against the depredations of industrial capitalism. Since the public sphere of aesthetic debate, as he perceives it, is in the nineteenth century too fragmented and, more generally, too jealous of the aesthetic’s distinctness from other areas of human existence to take up arms to save the beautiful, aesthetics has to be overhauled if it is to play its part in meeting modernity’s ecological challenges. Ruskin presses for factual witnessing as the appropriate mode of aesthetically appreciating natural beauty. Yet it can be asked whether what has become of witnessing today – the eternalizing images uploaded to the biologically safe space of the internet – does not in its own manner contribute to the problem by denying the destructibility of the environment. Ruskin’s objection to the relationship between traditional aesthetics and ecology remains in force even as the question of an appreciation of natural beauty fit for the times has yet to be answered.
Do we really know who has an MGMT methylated glioma? Results of an international survey regarding use of MGMT analyses for glioma
Authors: Malmström Annika , Łysiak Małgorzata , Kristensen Bjarne Winther , Hovey Elizabeth , Henriksson Roger , Söderkvist Peter
Published: September 2019

Background

Glioma O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status informs clinical decision making. Worldwide different methods and cutoff levels are used, which can lead to discordant methylation results.

Methods

We conducted an international survey to clarify which methods are regularly used and why. We also explored opinions regarding international consensus on methods and cutoff.

Results

The survey had 152 respondents from 25 countries. MGMT methylation status is determined for all glioblastomas in 37% of laboratories. The most common methods are methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (msPCR) (37%) and pyrosequencing (34%). A method is selected for simplicity (56%), cost-effectiveness (50%), and reproducibility of results (52%). For sequencing, the number of CpG sites analyzed varies from 1–3 up to more than 16. For 50% of laboratories, the company producing the kit determines which CpG sites are examined, whereas 33% select the sites themselves. Selection of cutoff is equally distributed among a cutoff defined in the literature, by the local laboratory, or by the outside laboratory performing the analysis. This cutoff varies, reported from 1% to 30%, and in 1 laboratory tumor is determined as methylated in case of 1 methylated CpG site of 17 analyzed. Some report tumors as unmethylated or weakly vs highly methylated. An international consensus on MGMT methylation method and cutoff is warranted by 66% and 76% of respondents, respectively. The method preferred would be msPCR (45%) or pyrosequencing (42%), whereas 18% suggest next-generation sequencing.

Conclusion

Although analysis of MGMT methylation status is routine, there is controversy regarding laboratory methods and cutoff level. Most respondents favor development of international consensus guidelines.
Preparedness to practice paediatric hospital medicine
Authors: Vetere Peter , Cooke Suzette
Published: September 2019

Background

The field of paediatric hospital medicine (PHM) is evolving to meet the needs of an increasingly complex paediatric population, lead quality improvement initiatives, and conduct field-specific teaching and research. Over 50 subspecialty PHM fellowship programs exist in the USA and Canada and more are under active development to ensure trainees are prepared to perform competencies specific to the field following transition to independent practice.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the perceived preparedness of recently graduated general paediatric residents and recently certified staff paediatricians in Canada with respect to the practice of PHM.

Methods

A survey based on the ‘Objectives of Training in Pediatrics’ of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) was distributed to graduating paediatric residents and recently graduated staff paediatricians (2013 to 2017) practicing in the hospital setting. Qualitative comments were also obtained.

Results

Fifty-five surveys were completed (50%). Respondents perceived that, at the on-set of starting practice, they would require assistance or consultation with the majority of representative PHM task competencies. Differences in perception between the two groups were minimal. Our study identified sub-sets of perceived areas of particular strengths (Professional) and deficiencies (Medical Expert, Manager, and Scholar).

Conclusions

Results may help inform future curricula for general paediatric residency programs and provide insight into competencies that may be better targeted for PHM fellowship training programs. This study may also stimulate discussion regarding entrustable professional activities for paediatric curricula as the medical community shifts to a new paradigm of outcome-based assessment.
Lengthening of the Humerus Using a Motorized Lengthening Nail: A Retrospective Comparative Series
Authors: Morrison Stewart G. , Georgiadis Andrew G. , Dahl Mark T.
Published: September 2019

Background:

Lengthening of the humerus has traditionally been accomplished by the use of external fixation. Intramedullary motorized lengthening nails are now frequently used for lower limb lengthening, and this technology is slowly being adopted for use in the humerus.

Methods:

A retrospective, single-surgeon experience of pediatric humeral lengthenings was performed. The time period surveyed included use of external fixation (EF) for lengthening, and the use of a motorized nail (MN) for lengthening. The primary outcome measures were lengthening magnitude achieved, duration of lengthening, frequency and type of complications encountered, or further procedures required, during each lengthening.

Results:

From 1999 to 2018, 13 humeral lengthenings were performed in 9 patients. Six lengthenings were performed using the MN technique and 7 using the EF technique. The average absolute lengthening achieved was 8.5±1.3 cm in the EF group and 6.6±2.3 cm in the MN group. The duration of lengthening averaged 114 days in the MN group and 103 days in the EF group. The average duration of EF time was 215 days. Two patients underwent an initial EF lengthening of a humerus and then underwent a second lengthening using the MN technique. Two of 6 (33%) MN lengthenings and 3 of 7 (43%) EF lengthenings experienced complications during treatment. Two patients in the MN group underwent planned reversal and redeployment of their motorized nails to attain the planned lengthening magnitude.

Conclusions:

Humeral lengthening using motorized intramedullary nails is a safe technique that mitigates some of the complications of EF including pin site infection. It is well tolerated by patients. For lengthenings of a large magnitude, reversal and reuse of MN can be considered.
Pectoralis Muscle Transposition in Association with the Ravitch Procedure in the Management of Severe Pectus Excavatum
Authors: Baccarani Alessio , Aramini Beatrice , Casa Giovanni Della , Banchelli Federico , D’Amico Roberto , Ruggiero Ciro , Starnoni Marta , Pedone Antonio , Stefani Alessandro , Morandi Uliano , De Santis Giorgio
Published: September 2019

Background:

Pectus excavatum (PE) is the most common congenital chest wall deformity. PE is sometimes associated with cardiorespiratory impairment, but is often associated with psychological distress, especially for patients in their teenage years. Surgical repair of pectus deformities has been shown to improve both physical limitations and psychosocial well-being in children. The most common surgical approaches for PE treatment are the modified Ravitch technique and the minimally invasive Nuss technique. A technical modification of the Ravitch procedure, which includes bilateral mobilization and midline transposition of the pectoralis muscle flap, is presented here.

Methods:

From 2010 to 2016, 12 patients were treated by a modified Ravitch procedure with bilateral mobilization and midline transposition of the pectoralis muscle flap for severe PE. Outcomes, morphological results, and complications were analyzed with respect to this new combined surgical approach.

Results:

There was a statistically significant difference between pre- and postoperative values (P = 0.0025) of the Haller index at the 18-month follow-up, showing a significant morphological improvement for all treated patients. After surgery, no morbidity and mortality were noted. The mean hospital stay was 7 days, and all patients were discharged without major complications.

Conclusion:

This technique significantly improved patients’ postoperative morphological outcomes and significantly reduced long-term complications, such as wound dehiscence, skin thinning, and hardware exposure.
IN VIVO OBSERVATION OF RETINAL VASCULAR DEPOSITS USING ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING IN FABRY DISEASE
Authors: Sodi Andrea , Germain Dominique P. , Bacherini Daniela , Finocchio Lucia , Pacini Bianca , Marziali Elisa , Lenzetti Chiara , Tanini Ilaria , Koraichi Fairouz , Coriat Caroline , Nencini Patrizia , Olivotto Iacopo , Virgili Gianni , Rizzo Stanislao , Paques Michel
Published: September 2019

Purpose:

To report a novel finding in patients with Fabry disease, that is, the observation by adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy of intracellular lipidic deposits in retinal vessels.

Methods:

Observational two-center case series. Eighteen patients with genetically proven Fabry disease underwent flood-illumination adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy imaging (rtx1; Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France) of retinal vessels.

Results:

Fourteen patients (78% of all patients; 7 of the 10 women and 7 of the 8 men) showed paravascular punctuate or linear opacities in both eyes. In the least-affected patients, these were seen only in the wall of precapillary arterioles as discrete spots of 5 µm to 10 µm large, whereas in those more severely affected, capillaries and first-order vessels were also involved with diffuse opacification of the wall. These deposits sometime showed a striated pattern, suggesting colocalization with vascular smooth muscle cells.

Conclusion:

Adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy of retinal vessels may be of interest for patients with Fabry disease, providing noninvasive, gradable evaluation of microvascular involvement.
Discovery of two highly divergent negative-sense RNA viruses associated with the parasitic nematode, Capillaria hepatica, in wild Mus musculus from New York City
Authors: Williams Simon H. , Che Xiaoyu , Oleynik Alexandra , Garcia Joel A. , Muller Dorothy , Zabka Tanja S. , Firth Cadhla , Corrigan Robert M. , Briese Thomas , Jain Komal , Lipkin W. Ian
Published: September 2019

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technology have led to a rapid expansion in the number of viral sequences associated with samples from vertebrates, invertebrates and environmental samples. Accurate host identification can be difficult in assays of complex samples that contain more than one potential host. Using unbiased metagenomic sequencing, we investigated wild house mice (Mus musculus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from New York City to determine the aetiology of liver disease. Light microscopy was used to characterize liver disease, and fluorescent microscopy with in situ hybridization was employed to identify viral cell tropism. Sequences representing two novel negative-sense RNA viruses were identified in homogenates of wild house mouse liver tissue: Amsterdam virus and Fulton virus. In situ hybridization localized viral RNA to Capillaria hepatica, a parasitic nematode that had infected the mouse liver. RNA from either virus was found within nematode adults and unembryonated eggs. Expanded PCR screening identified brown rats as a second rodent host for C. hepatica as well as both nematode-associated viruses. Our findings indicate that the current diversity of nematode-associated viruses may be underappreciated and that anatomical imaging offers an alternative to computational host assignment approaches.
Historical approaches for hospitality and tourism research
Authors: MacKenzie Niall G. , Pittaki Zoi , Wong Nicholas
Published: September 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to show how historical approaches can better inform understanding of hospitality and tourism research. Recent work in business and management has posited the value of historical research and narrative frameworks to explicate business phenomena – here the authors propose an approach to hospitality and tourism studies could be similarly beneficial.

Design/methodology/approach

Three principal historical approaches are proposed: systematic study of historical archives, oral histories and biography and prosopography. The paper further proposes that such work should be aligned to Andrews and Burke’s framework of the 5Cs: context, change over time, causality, complexity and contingency to help situate research appropriately and effectively.

Findings

This paper suggests that historical methods can prove particularly useful in hospitality and tourism research by testing, extending and creating theory that is empirically informed and socially situated. The analysis put forward shows that undertaking historical work set against the framework of the 5Cs of historical research offers the potential for wider and deeper understandings of hospitality and tourism research by revealing temporal and historical dynamics in the field that may hitherto be unseen or insufficiently explored.

Originality/value

Much of the existing work on the benefits of historical approaches in business and management has focussed on the why or the what. This paper focuses on the how, articulating how historical approaches offer significant potential to aid the understanding of hospitality and tourism research.
Exploring health and wellbeing in prison: a peer research approach
Authors: Perrett Stephanie E. , Gray Benjamin J. , G. L. , E. D. , Brooks Neville J.
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Those in prison have expert knowledge of issues affecting their health and wellbeing. The purpose of this paper is to report on work undertaken with male prisoners. This paper presents learning and findings from the process of engaging imprisoned men as peer researchers.

Design/methodology/approach

The peer researcher approach offers an emic perspective to understand the experience of being in prison. The authors established the peer research role as an educational initiative at a long-stay prison in Wales, UK to determine the feasibility of engaging imprisoned men as peer researchers. Focus groups, interviews and questionnaires were used by the peer researchers to identify the health and wellbeing concerns of men in prison.

Findings

The project positively demonstrated the feasibility of engaging imprisoned men as peer researchers. Four recurring themes affecting health and wellbeing for men in a prison vulnerable persons unit were identified: communication, safety, respect and emotional needs. Themes were inextricably linked demonstrating the complex relationships between prison and health.

Originality/value

This was the first prison peer-research project to take place in Wales, UK. It demonstrates the value men in prison can play in developing the evidence base around health and wellbeing in prison, contributing to changes within the prison to improve health and wellbeing for all.
Relative advantage of interactive electronic banking adoption by premium customers
Authors: Chan Chun Kwong , Fang Yulin , Li Huifang
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a nuanced understanding of premium customers’ intent to adopt an interactive electronic channel (IEC) and the moderating role of social capital on perceived relative advantage (RA) in adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

Study findings are based on a field survey that investigates the launching of an IEC by a leading international bank in Hong Kong.

Findings

Among social capital dimensions, cognitive capital significantly weakens the relationship between efficacy of information acquisition and IEC adoption, while relational capital enhances the relationship between trust and adoption.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides a theoretical lens based on social capital theory for evaluating the moderating effects of social capital on the relationship between RA and IEC adoption by premium customers in the banking industry.

Practical implications

Findings provide insights for the practice of banks when trying to deliver financial services via an IEC to the premium customer segment.

Originality/value

This research extends the channel choice theory to the context of banking channel adoption of premium customers; provides a better understanding of the IEC and its adoption in the more complex setting of financial consultation services; and offers insights for a better understanding of fragmented findings on the relationships between adoption intention and its antecedents in response to calls for studies on contingent factors.
Strategic capabilities for managing risks in supply chains: current state and research futurities
Authors: C.R. Vishnu , Sridharan R. , Gunasekaran Angappa , Ram Kumar P.N.
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distinction and relationships between the significant strategic capabilities for managing risks in supply chains. This intersectional review exposes a substantial conceptual contradiction between the perspectives reported by various researchers. Further, the current paper classifies the literature into four categories according to the broad objectives investigated by the research papers.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially, a bibliometric analysis aligned with the concepts of a systematic literature review is conducted followed by a descriptive review focusing on models and methods. The software called BibExcel is utilized to extract and analyze the bibliographic information in a textual form from the research articles associated with strategic capabilities of the logistics sector. The results are exported to the software known as Gephi to visualize keyword co-occurrence analysis as networks. A well-structured descriptive review is also conducted to identify avenues for future research.

Findings

Despite conventional supply chain capabilities like efficiency and effectiveness, eight significant strategic capabilities of supply chains for managing risks are identified from the literature. These capabilities with positive connotations include flexibility, reliability, resilience, robustness, agility, adaptability, alignment and responsiveness. Considering the vast literature on flexibility/reliability along with its numerous dimensions and scope, the authors found that resilience, robustness, agility, adaptability, alignment and effectiveness are achievable through flexibility/reliability. Accordingly, it is appropriate to state reliability and flexibility as supply chain capabilities to achieve the other six supply chain competencies. Furthermore, the entire literature in this domain can be classified into four genres according to the addressed objectives, namely, concept development/validation, capability assessment, network design and performance evaluation.

Research limitations/implications

The information revealed from the keyword co-occurrence analysis along with the research implications provided in the penultimate section will assist budding researchers in framing novel and promising research objectives. Supply chain administrators and policymakers can utilize the literature classification and the notable references provided in this review for locating potential methods for assessing supply chain strategic capabilities, designing the supply chain and evaluating the performance of the supply chain.

Originality/value

An integrated bibliometric and descriptive literature review procedure is utilized in this paper. Furthermore, this critical review is the first work on comprehensively mapping the research relationships among various strategic capabilities required for mitigating supply chain risks.
The Humanitarian Supply Chain Assessment Tool (HumSCAT)
Authors: Banomyong Ruth , Julagasigorn Puthipong , Varadejsatitwong Paitoon , Piboonrungroj Pairach
Published: September 2019

Purpose

An understanding of the “AS-IS” stage of a relief operation is the basis for further action in humanitarian supply chain management. The purpose of this paper is to develop a toolbox called the Humanitarian Supply Chain Assessment Tool (HumSCAT). This toolbox is comprised of a set of basic tools which can be classified into each phase of disaster relief.

Design/methodology/approach

The HumSCAT is proposed by paralleling frequently used tools in commercial supply chains with the objectives and characteristics of relief phases. A case study was used to validate the HumSCAT along with six tools provided in the preparation phase.

Findings

The HumSCAT consists of seven tools in the preparation phase, nine tools in the response phase and ten tools in the recovery phase. The case study illustrates how to use the HumSCAT and the six tools. The latter were found to be useful for improving the relief chain.

Research limitations/implications

The list of tools is not exclusive. Other tools might be applicable as long as they meet the objectives and characteristics of the phase. A tool should be adjusted accordingly to the contexts. Tools in other phases should be validated in future research.

Practical implications

The HumSCAT may serve as a reference toolbox for practitioners. Its output can be used for further designing of the “TO-BE” status of humanitarian relief chains.

Originality/value

The HumSCAT is proposed as a toolbox for academics and practitioners involved in humanitarian supply chains.
Dual solutions of a micropolar nanofluid flow with radiative heat mass transfer over stretching/shrinking sheet using spectral quasilinearization method
Authors: Magodora Mangwiro , Mondal Hiranmoy , Sibanda Precious
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the application of Chebyshev spectral collocation methodology with Gauss Lobatto grid points to micropolar fluid over a stretching or shrinking surface. Radiation, thermophoresis and nanoparticle Brownian motion are considered. The results have attainable scientific and technological applications in systems involving stretchable materials.

Design/methodology/approach

The model equations governing the flow are transformed into non-linear ordinary differential equations which are then reworked into linear form using the Newton-based quasilinearization method (SQLM). Spectral collocation is then used to solve the resulting linearised system of equations.

Findings

The validity of the model is established using error analysis. The velocity, temperature, micro-rotation, skin friction and couple stress parameters are conferred diagrammatically and analysed in detail.

Originality/value

The study obtains numerical explanations for rapidly convergent solutions using the spectral quasilinearization method. Convergence of the numerical solutions was monitored using the residual error analysis. The influence of radiation, heat and mass parameters on the flow are depicted graphically and analysed. The study is an extension on the work by Zheng et al. (2012) and therefore the novelty is that the authors tend to take into account nanoparticles, Brownian motion and thermophoresis in the flow of a micropolar fluid.
Modification of the cyclopropyl moiety of abacavir provides insight into the structure activity relationship between HLA‐B*57:01 binding and T‐cell activation
Authors: Thomson Paul J. , Illing Patricia T. , Farrell John , Alhaidari Mohammad , Bell Catherine C. , Berry Neil , O’Neill Paul M. , Purcell Anthony W. , Park Kevin B. , Naisbitt Dean J.
Published: September 2019

Background

Abacavir is associated with hypersensitivity reactions in individuals positive for the HLA‐B*57:01 allele. The drug binds within the peptide binding groove of HLA‐B*57:01 altering peptides displayed on the cell surface. Presentation of these HLA‐abacavir‐peptide complexes to T‐cells is hypothesized to trigger a CD8+ T‐cell response underpinning the hypersensitivity. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the structure of abacavir with HLA‐B*57:01 binding and the CD8+ T‐cell activation.

Methods

Seventeen abacavir analogues were synthesized and cytokine secretion from abacavir/abacavir analogue‐responsive CD8+ T‐cell clones was measured using IFN‐γ ELIspot. In silico docking studies were undertaken to assess the predicted binding poses of the abacavir analogues within the HLA‐B*57:01 peptide binding groove. In parallel, the effect of selected abacavir analogues on the repertoire of self‐peptides presented by cellular HLA‐B*57:01 was characterized using mass spectrometry.

Results

Abacavir and ten analogues stimulated CD8+ T‐cell IFN‐γ release. Molecular docking of analogues that retained antiviral activity demonstrated a relationship between predicted HLA‐B*57:01 binding orientations and the ability to induce a T‐cell response. Analogues that stimulated T‐cells displayed a perturbation of the natural peptides displayed by HLA‐B*57:01. The antigen‐specific CD8+ T‐cell response was dependent on the enantiomeric form of abacavir at both cyclopropyl and cyclopentyl regions.

Conclusion

Alteration of the chemical constitution of abacavir generates analogues that retain a degree of pharmacological activity, but have variable ability to activate T‐cells. Modelling and immunopeptidome analysis delineate how drug HLA‐B*57:01 binding and peptide display by antigen presenting cells relate to the activation of CD8+ T‐cells.
NanoSr – A New Carbonate Microanalytical Reference Material for In Situ Strontium Isotope Analysis
Authors: Weber Michael , Lugli Federico , Hattendorf Bodo , Scholz Denis , Mertz‐Kraus Regina , Guinoiseau Damien , Jochum Klaus Peter
Published: September 2019

The in situ measurement of Sr isotopes in carbonates by MC‐ICP‐MS is limited by the availability of suitable microanalytical reference materials (RMs), which match the samples of interest. Whereas several well‐characterised carbonate reference materials for Sr mass fractions > 1000 µg g−1 are available, there is a lack of well‐characterised carbonate microanalytical RMs with lower Sr mass fractions. Here, we present a new synthetic carbonate nanopowder RM with a Sr mass fraction of ca. 500 µg g−1 suitable for microanalytical Sr isotope research (‘NanoSr’). NanoSr was analysed by both solution‐based and in situ techniques. Element mass fractions were determined using EPMA (Ca mass fraction), as well as laser ablation and solution ICP‐MS in different laboratories. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio was determined by well‐established bulk methods for Sr isotope measurements and is 0.70756 ± 0.00003 (2s). The Sr isotope microhomogeneity of the material was determined by LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS, which resulted in 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70753 ± 0.00007 (2s) and 0.70757 ± 0.00006 (2s), respectively, in agreement with the solution data within uncertainties. Thus, this new reference material is well suited to monitor and correct microanalytical Sr isotope measurements of low‐Sr, low‐REE carbonate samples. NanoSr is available from the corresponding author.
Spinal glycinergic and gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐ergic neurons inhibit the micturition reflex after electrical stimulation of the perineum in rats with pelvic venous congestion
Authors: Sugaya Kimio , Nishijima Saori , Kadekawa Katsumi , Noguchi Katsuhiko , Ueda Tomoyuki , Yamamoto Hideyuki
Published: September 2019

Objectives

To examine whether electrical stimulation of the perineum inhibited urinary frequency in rats with pelvic venous congestion, and whether electrical stimulation influences spinal glycinergic/gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐ergic neurons.

Methods

Bilateral common iliac veins and bilateral uterine veins were ligated to create pelvic venous congestion rats. At 4 weeks after ligation, cystometry was carried out before and after electrical stimulation with/without intrathecal injection of strychnine (a glycine receptor antagonist) and/or bicuculline (a gamma‐aminobutyric acid type A receptor antagonist). In addition, measurement of amino acid levels in the lumbosacral cord was carried out with/without electrical stimulation, and cystometry was carried out after oral administration of glycine.

Results

Continuous cystometry showed that the interval between bladder contractions was shorter in pelvic venous congestion rats than in sham rats. Electrical stimulation did not change cystometric parameters in sham rats, but the interval between bladder contractions was increased by electrical stimulation in pelvic venous congestion rats. Electrical stimulation increased the levels of glutamic acid, glycine, gamma‐aminobutyric acid, and taurine in the lumbosacral cord of pelvic venous congestion rats. Intrathecal strychnine abolished the effects of electrical stimulation in pelvic venous congestion rats, and intrathecal administration of both strychnine and bicuculline shortened the interval between bladder contractions more than before electrical stimulation. Oral administration of glycine (3%) to pelvic venous congestion rats increased bladder capacity.

Conclusions

Electrical stimulation of the perineum inhibits urinary frequency mainly through activation of spinal glycinergic neurons, and partly through activation of gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐ergic neurons in a rat model of pelvic venous congestion.
Ureteric stents: Overview of current clinical applications and economic implications
Authors: Sali Gaurav Mohan , Joshi Hrishikesh B
Published: September 2019

Ureteric stents are one of the most crucial tools used for various clinical conditions in the urological field. Placement of a ureteric stent, for short‐ or long‐term use, remains one of the commonest urological interventional procedures. In the past few decades, ureteral stents have undergone notable technological advancements. However, an ideal stent without significant side‐effects is yet to be engineered. Indwelling ureteric stents are often accompanied by physical distress to the patient and clinical complications, such as bacterial adhesion, encrustation, malpositioning, stent fracture and forgotten stent syndrome, that influence patients’ health‐related quality of life. In the market, different stent types are available, designed to reduce infections, and improve patient symptoms and tolerance. In this review, we have emphasized the recent developments that have taken place in stent design, size, materials and coating. This overview looks at current practices and problems related to stents, along with clinical and economic considerations. Few trial studies have been enumerated in the context of utilization of a ureteral stent symptom questionnaire and various stent models to compare their effects in patients.
Musical anhedonia and rewards of music listening: current advances and a proposed model
Authors: Belfi Amy M. , Loui Psyche
Published: September 2019

Music frequently elicits intense emotional responses, a phenomenon that has been scrutinized from multiple disciplines that span the sciences and arts. While most people enjoy music and find it rewarding, there is substantial individual variability in the experience and degree of music‐induced reward. Here, we review current work on the neural substrates of hedonic responses to music. In particular, we focus the present review on specific musical anhedonia, a selective lack of pleasure from music. Based on evidence from neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and brain stimulation studies, we derive a neuroanatomical model of the experience of pleasure during music listening. Our model posits that hedonic responses to music are the result of connectivity between structures involved in auditory perception as a predictive process, and those involved in the brain's dopaminergic reward system. We conclude with open questions and implications of this model for future research on why humans appreciate music.
A genome‐wide CRISPR screen identifies FBXO42 involvement in resistance toward MEK inhibition in NRAS‐mutant melanoma
Authors: Nagler Adi , Vredevoogd David W. , Alon Michal , Cheng Phil F. , Trabish Sophie , Kalaora Shelly , Arafeh Rand , Goldin Victoria , Levesque Mitchell P. , Peeper Daniel S. , Samuels Yardena
Published: September 2019

NRAS mutations are the most common alterations among RAS isoforms in cutaneous melanoma, with patients harboring these aggressive tumors having a poor prognosis and low survival rate. The main line of treatment for these patients is MAPK pathway‐targeted therapies, such as MEK inhibitors, but, unfortunately, the response to these inhibitors is variable due to tumor resistance. Identifying genetic modifiers involved in resistance toward MEK‐targeted therapy may assist in the development of new therapeutic strategies, enhancing treatment response and patient survival. Our whole‐genome CRISPR‐Cas9 knockout screen identified the target Kelch domain‐containing F‐Box protein 42 (FBXO42) as a factor involved in NRAS‐mutant melanoma‐acquired resistance to the MEK1/2 inhibitor trametinib. We further show that FBXO42, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is involved in the TAK1 signaling pathway, possibly prompting an increase in active P38. In addition, we demonstrate that combining trametinib with the TAK1 inhibitor, takinib, is a far more efficient treatment than trametinib alone in NRAS‐mutant melanoma cells. Our findings thus show a new pathway involved in NRAS‐mutant melanoma resistance and provide new opportunities for novel therapeutic options.
Factors associated with fear of intimacy among a representative sample of the Lebanese population: The role of depression, social phobia, self‐esteem, intimate partner violence, attachment, and maladaptive schemas
Authors: Obeid Sahar , Sacre Hala , Haddad Chadia , Akel Marwan , Fares Kassandra , Zakhour Maha , Kheir Nelly , Salameh Pascale , Hallit Souheil
Published: September 2019

Purpose

To assess fear of intimacy (FOI) in the Lebanese population, and its correlates such as depression, social phobia, self‐esteem, attachment, and maladaptive schemas.

Design/Methods

This cross‐sectional study, conducted between November 2017 and May 2018, enrolled 707 community‐dwelling participants.

Results

Higher FOI scores were associated with an increase in the defectiveness schema (β = 0.483), social phobia score (β = 0.16), mistrust schema (β = 0.519), vulnerability schema (β = 0.482), emotional deprivation schema (β = 0.548), attachment style D (dismissing) (β = 0.913) and failure schema, whereas lower FOI was significantly associated with an increase in the entitlement schema (β = −0.362), insufficient schema (β = −0.377), and the self‐esteem score (β = −0.288).

Practice Implications

Implementing educational programs are needed to enable persons to develop healthy intimate relationships, taking into account attachment styles and inappropriate early schemas.
Pre‐pubertal growth, muscle and fat accumulation in male and female sheep—Relationships with metabolic hormone concentrations, timing of puberty and reproductive outcomes
Authors: Rosales Nieto Cesar A. , Ferguson Mark B. , Briegel Jan R. , Hedger Mark P. , Martin Graeme B. , Thompson Andrew N.
Published: September 2019

Metabolic homeostasis is aligned with changes in growth and body composition, through processes mediated by circulating metabolites and metabolic hormones, and is eventually linked to reproductive success. In the present study with sheep, we determined the relationships among phenotypic and genotypic rates of growth, muscle and fat accumulation, and the circulating concentrations of metabolic and tested for relationships with the timing of puberty and subsequent reproductive outcomes. We used 64 females and 62 males with known phenotypic values for depth of eye muscle (EMD) and fat (FAT) and known Australian Sheep Breeding Values at post‐weaning age for live weight (PWT), depth of eye muscle (PEMD) and depth of fat (PFAT). Blood plasma sampled every 20 min for 8 hr via was assayed for growth hormone (GH), insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I), insulin, leptin, ghrelin, follistatin, glucose and non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA). In males, PWT was positively related to the concentrations of GH, follistatin and glucose, whereas FAT and PFAT were positively related to IGF‐I concentrations (p < .01). Testosterone concentration was negatively related to muscle variables (p < .001) and to PFAT (p < .05). In females, the only significant relationship detected was the positive link between EMD and insulin concentrations (p < .05). Reproductive variables were only measured in females. Live weight at first oestrus was related positively to insulin concentration and negatively to GH concentration (p < .05). No other relationships with reproductive variables were significant. The relationships that were detected suggest subtle differences between the sexes in the way their metabolic homeostasis responds to changes in the rates of growth, and muscle and fat accumulation, perhaps due to interference by testosterone in the males.
Using sedimentology to address the marine or continental origin of the Permian Hutchinson Salt Member of Kansas
Authors: Andeskie Anna Sofia , Benison Kathleen C.
Published: September 2019

The Permian Hutchinson Salt Member of the Wellington Formation of the Sumner Group of Kansas (USA) has multiple scientific and industrial uses. Although this member is highly utilized, there has not been a sedimentological study on these rocks in over 50 years, and no study has investigated the full thickness of this member. Past publications have inferred a marine origin as the depositional environment. Here, this marine interpretation is challenged. The goals of this study are to fully document sedimentological and stratigraphic characteristics of the Permian Hutchinson Salt Member in the Atomic Energy Commission Test Hole 2 core from Rice County, Kansas. This study documents colour, mineralogy, sedimentary textures, sedimentary structures, diagenetic features and stratigraphic contacts in core slab and thin sections. The Hutchinson Salt Member is composed of five lithologies: bedded halite, siliciclastic mudstone, displacive halite, bedded gypsum/anhydrite and displacive gypsum/anhydrite. These lithologies formed in shallow surface brines and mudflats that underwent periods of flooding, evapoconcentration and desiccation. Of note are the paucity of carbonates, lack of marine‐diagnostic fossils, absence of characteristic marine minerals and lithofacies, and the stratigraphic context of the Hutchinson with associated continental deposits. The Hutchinson Salt Member was most likely deposited in an arid continental setting. This new interpretation offers a refined view of Pangaea during the middle Permian time.
Formation of mud clast breccias and the process of sedimentary autobrecciation in the hominin‐bearing (Homo naledi) Rising Star Cave system, South Africa
Authors: Wiersma Jelle P. , Roberts Eric M. , Dirks Paul H. G. M.
Published: September 2019

Unconsolidated mud clast breccia facies in the hominin‐bearing (Homo naledi) Rising Star Cave, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, are interpreted to have formed through a process termed sedimentary autobrecciation in this study. This process, by which most of the angular mud clast breccia deposits are thought to have formed autochthonously to para‐autochthonously via a combination of erosion, desiccation, diagenesis and microbial alteration of laminated mud deposits, is thought to have taken place under relatively dry (i.e. non‐flooded) conditions inside the cave. Subsequently, gravitational slumping and collapse was the dominant mechanism that produced the mud clast breccia deposits, which commonly accumulate into debris aprons. The mud clast breccia is typically associated with (micro) mammal fossils and is a common facies throughout the cave system, occurring in lithified and unlithified form. This facies has not been described from other cave localities in the Cradle of Humankind. Additionally, sedimentary autobrecciation took place during the deposition of some of the fossils within the Rising Star Cave, including the abundant Homo naledi skeletal remains found in the Dinaledi Subsystem. Reworking of the mud clast breccia deposits occurs in some chambers as they slump towards floor drains, resulting in the repositioning of fossils embedded in the breccias as evidenced by cross‐cutting manganese staining lines on some Homo naledi fossil remains. The formation of the unlithified mud clast breccia deposits is a slow process, with first order formation rates estimated to be ca 8 × 10−4 mm year−1. The slow formation of the unlithified mud clast breccia facies sediments and lack of laminated mud facies within these deposits, indicates that conditions in the Dinaledi Chamber were probably stable and dry for at least the last ca 300 ka, meaning that this study excludes Homo naledi being actively transported by fluvial mechanisms during the time their remains entered the cave.
Identidad personal y ontología de la persona
Authors: Alvarado Marambio José Tomás
Published: September 2019

Se argumenta aquí que es parte de nuestro concepto de ‘persona’ que las personas deben ser, por su naturaleza, aptas para ‘endurar’ en el tiempo. En ninguna concepción de las personas como entidades que ‘perduran’, con diferentes partes temporales para diferentes tiempos, o como secuencias de etapas que se encuentran entre sí en la relación de ‘ser un superviviente de’, es posible hacer inteligibles algunas de nuestras intuiciones normativas acerca de las personas. Se argumenta también que la teoría psicológica tradicional de la identidad personal es insostenible. La continuidad psicológica parece ser ni suficiente, ni necesaria para la identidad personal. Una concepción razonable de las personas parece ser o bien, una forma de ‘animalismo’ en donde las personas son organismos biológicos, o una teoría en la que las personas son sustancias primitivas, con condiciones de identidad también primitivas.
A Multidimensional Extension of Balje Chart for Axial Flow Turbomachinery Using Artificial Intelligence-Based Meta-Models
Authors: Angelini Gino , Corsini Alessandro , Delibra Giovanni , Tieghi Lorenzo
Published: September 2019

The main intent of this work is the exploration of the rotor-only fan design space to identify the correlations between fan performance and enriched geometric and kinematic parameters. In particular, the aim is to derive a multidimensional “Balje chart,” where the main geometric and operational parameters are taken into account in addition to the specific speed and diameter, to guide a fan designer toward the correct choice of parameters such as hub solidity, blade number, hub-to-tip ratio (HR). This multidimensional chart was built using performance data derived from a quasi-3D in-house software for axisymmetric blade analysis and then explored by means of machine learning techniques suitable for big data analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) and projection to latent structure (PLS) allowed finding optimal values of the main geometric parameters required by each specific speed/specific diameter pair.
Impact of Interleukin-27p28 on T and B Cell Responses during Toxoplasmosis
Authors: Park Jeongho , DeLong Jonathan H. , Knox James J. , Konradt Christoph , Wojno Elia D. Tait , Hunter Christopher A.
Published: September 2019

Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of the subunits IL-27p28 and EBi3, and while the IL-27 heterodimer influences T cell activities, there is evidence that IL-27p28 can have EBi3-independent activities; however, their relevance to infection is unclear. Therefore, the studies presented here compared how IL-27p28 transgenics and IL-27p28−/−mice responded to the intracellular parasiteToxoplasma gondii.
Authentication Analysis of MT-4 Cells Distributed by the National Institutes of Health AIDS Reagent Program
Authors: Fernandez Melissa V. , Delviks-Frankenberry Krista A. , Scheiblin David A. , Happel Christine , Pathak Vinay K. , Freed Eric O.
Published: September 2019

The MT-4 human T-cell line expresses HTLV-1 Tax and is permissive for replication of an HIV-1 gp41 mutant lacking the cytoplasmic tail. MT-4 cells (lot 150048), distributed by the NIH AIDS Reagent Program (NIH-ARP), were found to be Tax deficient and unable to host replication of the gp41-truncated HIV-1 mutant. These findings, together with short tandem repeat profiling, established that lot 150048 are not bona fide MT-4 cells.
Functional activation of a novel R2R3-MYB protein gene,GmMYB68, confers salt-alkali resistance in soybean (Glycine maxL.)
Authors: He Yuxuan , Dong Yingshan , Yang Xiangdong , Guo Dongquan , Qian Xueyan , Yan Fan , Wang Ying , Li Jingwen , Wang Qingyu
Published: September 2019

Soil salinity significantly reduces soybean (Glycine max L.) production worldwide. Plants resistance to stress conditions is a complex characteristic regulated by multiple signaling pathways. The v-Myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) transcription factor (TF) plays a crucial role in plant development, secondary metabolism, and abiotic stress responses. GmMYB68-overexpression and RNA interference (RNAi) lines were established for examining the function of G. max GmMYB68 in plant responses to abiotic stresses. The predicted amino acid sequence of GmMYB68 was similar to that of R2R3-MYB proteins. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that GmMYB68 expression varied in response to abiotic stresses. GmMYB68-overexpression lines showed enhanced resistance to salt and alkali stresses and their osmotic adjustment and photosynthetic rates were also stronger than that of GmMYB68-RNAi and wild type plants. Although wild type and transgenic plants showed no significant differences in agronomic traits under normal conditions, the overexpression of GmMYB68 increased grain number and 100-grain weights under salt stress. Our study identified a valuable TF associated with stress response in soybean, as its overexpression might help improve salt and alkali tolerance in soybean and other crops.