bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colon capsule endoscopy for inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Li Jiao , Leung Wai K.
Published: June 2018

Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) is designed for direct visualization of the colonic mucosa through passive propulsion. The role of CCE in the detection of colonic polyps has been extensively evaluated. As mucosal healing has emerged as a pivotal target for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there is increasing data to suggest that CCE can also be used in the monitoring of mucosal inflammation in patients with active IBD, particularly in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Despite advantages such as its non‐invasive nature, patient's comfort, safety, and access to anatomical regions not easily reached by conventional endoscopy, CE has limitations including the lack of ability to obtain biopsies or therapeutic capabilities and no control over movement. In this review, the role and diagnostic value of CCE on diagnosis and monitoring of UC and CD patients, its safety and limitations are discussed.
Predicting long‐term ischemic events using routine clinical parameters in patients with coronary artery disease: The OPT‐CAD risk score
Authors: Han Yaling , Chen Jiyan , Qiu Miaohan , Li Yi , Li Jing , Feng Yingqing , Qiu Jian , Meng Liang , Sun Yihong , Tao Guizhou , Wu Zhaohui , Yang Chunyu , Guo Jincheng , Pu Kui , Chen Shaoliang , Wang Xiaozeng
Published: June 2018

Background

The prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) at hospital discharge was constantly varying, and postdischarge risk of ischemic events remain a concern. However, risk prediction tools to identify risk of ischemia for these patients has not yet been reported.

Aims

We sought to develop a scoring system for predicting long‐term ischemic events in CAD patients receiving antiplatelet therapy that would be beneficial in appropriate personalized decision‐making for these patients.

Methods

In this prospective Optimal antiPlatelet Therapy for Chinese patients with Coronary Artery Disease (OPT‐CAD, NCT01735305) registry, a total of 14 032 patients with CAD receiving at least one kind of antiplatelet agent were enrolled from 107 centers across China, from January 2012 to March 2014. The risk scoring system was developed in a derivation cohort (enrolled initially 10 000 patients in the database) using a logistic regression model and was subsequently tested in a validation cohort (the last 4032 patients). Points in risk score were assigned based on the multivariable odds ratio of each factor. Ischemic events were defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction or stroke.

Results

Ischemic events occurred in 342 (3.4%) patients in the derivation cohort and 160 (4.0%) patients in the validation cohort during 1‐year follow‐up. The OPT‐CAD score, ranging from 0‐257 points, consist of 10 independent risk factors, including age (0‐71 points), heart rates (0‐36 points), hypertension (0‐20 points), prior myocardial infarction (16 points), prior stroke (16 points), renal insufficient (21 points), anemia (19 points), low ejection fraction (22 points), positive cardiac troponin (23 points) and ST‐segment deviation (13 points). In predicting 1‐year ischemic events, the area under receiver operating characteristics curve were 0.73 and 0.72 in derivation and validation cohort, respectively. The incidences of ischemic events in low‐ (0‐90 points), medium‐ (91‐150 points) and high‐risk (≥151 points) patients were 1.6%, 5.5%, and 15.0%, respectively. Compared to GRACE score, OPT‐CAD score had a better discrimination in predicting ischemic events and all‐cause mortality (ischemic events: 0.72 vs 0.65, all‐cause mortality: 0.79 vs 0.72, both P < .001).

Conclusions

Among CAD patients, a risk score based on 10 baseline clinical variables performed better than the GRACE risk score in predicting long‐term ischemic events. However, further research is needed to assess the value of the OPT‐CAD score in guiding the management of antiplatelet therapy for patients with CAD.
Alcohol‐Related Alterations in Placental Imprinted Gene Expression in Humans Mediate Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Postnatal Growth
Authors: Carter R. Colin , Chen Jia , Li Qian , Deyssenroth Maya , Dodge Neil C. , Wainwright Helen C. , Molteno Christopher D. , Meintjes Ernesta M. , Jacobson Joseph L. , Jacobson Sandra W.
Published: June 2018

Background

A growing body of evidence in animal models has implicated alcohol‐induced alterations in epigenetic programming as an important mechanism in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Imprinted genes, a subset of epigenetically regulated genes that are sensitive to the prenatal environment, are chiefly involved in growth and neurobehavior. We tested the hypothesis that alterations in placental imprinted gene expression mediate fetal alcohol growth restriction.

Methods

Placental expression of 109 genes previously shown to be imprinted and expressed in the placenta was assessed using the NanoString™ nCounter Analysis System in flash‐frozen samples from 34 heavy drinkers and 31 control women in Cape Town, South Africa, from whom prospective pregnancy alcohol consumption data had been obtained. Length/height, weight, and head circumference were measured at 6.5 and 12 months and at an FASD diagnostic clinic (at ages 1.1 to 4.6 years) that we organized. Imprinted gene expression between exposed and control placentas was compared using the limma R package. The relation of alcohol exposure to World Health Organization length‐for‐age z‐scores was examined before and after inclusion of expression for each alcohol‐related imprinted gene, using hierarchical mixed regression models with repeated measures.

Results

Heavy drinkers averaged 8 standard drinks on 2 to 3 days/wk (vs. 0 for controls). Prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with smaller length/height and weight during the postnatal period. Heavy exposure was related to alterations in expression of 11 of 93 expressed imprinted genes, including increased expression of 5 genes found to be negatively associated with growth and decreased expression of 3 genes positively associated with growth. Alcohol‐related alterations in expression of 5 genes statistically mediated the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on length.

Conclusions

These findings identify alcohol‐related alterations in placental imprinted gene expression as potential biomarkers of adverse effect in FASD and suggest that these alterations may play a mechanistic role in fetal alcohol growth restriction. Future studies are needed to determine whether alterations in imprinted gene expression also mediate FASD neurobehavioral deficits and whether such alterations are amenable to intervention.
HLA genetics in bipolar disorder
Authors: Tamouza R. , Oliveira J. , Etain B. , Bengoufa D. , Hamdani N. , Manier C. , Mariaselvam C. , Sundaresh A. , Bellivier F. , Henry C. , Kahn J‐P. , Krishnamoorthy R. , Charron D. , Leboyer M.
Published: June 2018

Objective

Bipolar Disorder (BD) is characterized by deregulated adaptive immune processes. Recent genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) implicate the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region in BD. The present study investigates the potential influence of variations in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) on BD risk and/or clinical presentations. This may have relevance to the dysregulated inflammatory processes commonly found in BD.

Method

DNAs from 475 BD patients and 195 healthy controls (HC) were genotyped for classical HLA class I and II loci.

Results

We found that: (i) the HLA‐A*02~B*44~DRB1*07 sub‐haplotype is less prevalent in BD, vs. HC (pc = 2.4 × 10−2); (ii) the 57.1 and the 8.1‐derived ancestral haplotypes i.e. HLA‐A*02~B*57~Cw*06~DRB1*07~DQB1*09 and HLA‐A*02~B*08~Cw*07 are associated with rapid cycling (pc = 1.9 × 10−3 and 1.05 × 10−2, respectively); (iii) the 8.1AH‐derived HLA class II‐DRB*03~HLA‐DQB1*02 sub‐haplotype is more frequent in BD patients with a history of suicidal behaviors (pc = 2.1 × 10−2); and (iv) disease onset by an hypomanic episode or by psychotic symptoms are, respectively, more frequent in BD patients bearing the 7.1 AH‐derived A*03~B*07~DRB1*15 sub‐haplotype (pc = 8.5 × 10−3) and the HLA‐A*02~B*07~DRB1*15 sub‐haplotype (pc = 4.0 × 10−2).

Conclusion

Corroborating the established link between these HLA haplotypes/sub haplotypes and common immune disorders, our findings suggest possible HLA‐mediated proinflammatory processes operating in BD.
Does Risk‐taking Promote New Product Development Performance? An Environmental Dynamism Perspective
Authors: Xue Jiao , Zeng Saixing , Meng Xiaohua , Peng Yunfeng
Published: June 2018

Using an “entrepreneurial orientation–performance” framework and environmental contingency theory, this study proposes and empirically explores a theoretical framework for understanding the impacts of risk‐taking and environmental dynamism on new product development (NPD) performance in emerging markets. We deepen the analysis of environmental dynamism into customer, competitor, supplier, institutional environment, and economic environment. The results demonstrate that risk‐taking and environmental dynamism contribute both individually and interactively to the performance of NPD. Further, of all the environmental units, environmental dynamism from suppliers and regulatory groups has a significant, direct and positive moderating effect on the performance of NPD.
Precision medicine in united airways disease: A “treatable traits” approach
Authors: Yii A. C. A. , Tay T.‐R. , Choo X. N. , Koh M. S. Y. , Tee A. K. H. , Wang D.‐Y.
Published: June 2018

United airways disease (UAD) is the concept that the upper and lower airways, which are anatomically and immunologically related, form a single organ. According to this concept, upper and lower airway diseases are frequently comorbid because they reflect manifestations of a single underlying disease at different sites of the respiratory tract. Allergic asthma‐allergic rhinitis is the archetypal UAD, but emerging data indicate that UAD is a heterogeneous condition and consists of multiple phenotypes (observable clinical characteristics) and endotypes (pathobiologic mechanisms). The UAD paradigm also extends to myriad sinonasal diseases (eg, chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps) and lower airway diseases (eg, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Here, we review currently known phenoendotypes of UAD and propose a “treatable traits” approach for the classification and management of UAD, wherein pathophysiological mechanisms and factors contributing to disease are identified and targeted for treatment. Treatable traits in UAD can be analyzed according to a framework comprising airway inflammation (eosinophilic, neutrophilic), impaired airway mucosal defense (impaired mucociliary clearance, antibody deficiency), and exogenous cofactors (allergic sensitizers, tobacco smoke, microbes). Appreciation of treatable traits is necessary in advancing the effort to deliver precise treatments and achieve better outcomes in patients with UAD.
Insights into the role of androgen receptor in human testicular peritubular cells
Authors: Mayer C. , Adam M. , Walenta L. , Schmid N. , Heikelä H. , Schubert K. , Flenkenthaler F. , Dietrich K.‐G. , Gruschka S. , Arnold G. J. , Fröhlich T. , Schwarzer J. U. , Köhn F. M. , Strauss L. , Welter H. , Poutanen M. , Mayerhofer A.
Published: June 2018

Contractile smooth muscle‐like peritubular cells build the wall of seminiferous tubules in men. They are crucial for sperm transport and complement the functions of Sertoli cells by secreting factors, including glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor. Previous studies revealed that they also secrete the chemokine C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), which has known roles in spermatogenesis. Peritubular cells express the androgen receptor (AR), which is retained in isolated human testicular peritubular cells. We aimed to explore AR‐regulated functions in human testicular peritubular cells. Bearing in mind that infertile men often have high aromatase activity, which may lower intratesticular androgen concentrations, an animal model for male infertility was studied. These mice display an age‐dependent loss in spermatogenesis due to high aromatase activity. Human testicular peritubular cells were exposed to dihydrotestosterone or the antiandrogen flutamide. We studied AR, smooth muscle cell markers, glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor and 15 secreted factors previously identified, including CXCL12. We used qPCR, Western blotting, ELISA or selected reaction monitoring (SRM). In the animal model for male infertility, we employed qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Dihydrotestosterone increased AR and flutamide prevented these actions. The smooth muscle cell markers calponin and smooth muscle actin were likewise increased, while cell size or cellular proliferation was not changed. Dihydrotestosterone did not increase glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor or CXCL12 secretion but increased levels of serine proteinase inhibitor (SERPIN) E1. The animal model for male infertility with high aromatase activity showed reduced numbers of AR‐immunoreactive testicular peritubular cells, suggesting that altered androgen and/or oestrogen levels could influence AR‐mediated responses in peritubular cells. Androgens act on human testicular peritubular cells to enhance AR levels, their contractile phenotype and to modulate the secretion of some secreted factors. This study suggests that some aspects of human peritubular cell functions are regulated by androgens.
Multiple Imputation of Missing Data in Nested Case-Control and Case-Cohort Studies
Authors: Keogh Ruth H. , Seaman Shaun R. , Bartlett Jonathan W. , Wood Angela M.
Published: June 2018

The nested case-control and case-cohort designs are two main approaches for carrying out a substudy within a prospective cohort. This article adapts multiple imputation (MI) methods for handling missing covariates in full-cohort studies for nested case-control and case-cohort studies. We consider data missing by design and data missing by chance. MI analyses that make use of full-cohort data and MI analyses based on substudy data only are described, alongside an intermediate approach in which the imputation uses full-cohort data but the analysis uses only the substudy. We describe adaptations to two imputation methods: the approximate method (MI-approx) of White and Royston (2009) and the “substantive model compatible” (MI-SMC) method of Bartlett et al. (2015). We also apply the “MI matched set” approach of Seaman and Keogh (2015) to nested case-control studies, which does not require any full-cohort information. The methods are investigated using simulation studies and all perform well when their assumptions hold. Substantial gains in efficiency can be made by imputing data missing by design using the full-cohort approach or by imputing data missing by chance in analyses using the substudy only. The intermediate approach brings greater gains in efficiency relative to the substudy approach and is more robust to imputation model misspecification than the full-cohort approach. The methods are illustrated using the ARIC Study cohort. Supplementary Materials provide R and Stata code.
An Asymptotic Approximation to the N-Mixture Model for the Estimation of Disease Prevalence
Authors: Brintz Ben , Fuentes Claudio , Madsen Lisa
Published: June 2018

N-mixture models are probability models that estimate abundance using replicate observed counts while accounting for imperfect detection. In this article, we propose an asymptotic approximation to the N-mixture model which efficiently estimates large abundances without the computational limitations of the generalized N-mixture model introduced by Dail and Madsen in 2011. It has been suggested in the literature that N-mixture models do not perform well when counts from the same sites show weak patterns of population dynamics. Our proposed model addresses this issue by using the asymptotic information matrix to diagnose model parameter estimability and to derive parameter standard errors. A simulation study show that this model performs almost as well as the Dail–Madsen Generalized N-mixture model at low abundances and improves on it at higher abundances. We illustrate the procedure using two data sets: the American robin data from Dail and Madsen (2011), and counts of chlamydia cases in the state of Oregon from 2007–2016. The chlamydia data exhibit very large abundances and demonstrate the potential usefulness of the proposed model for disease surveillance data.
‘There Can Be No Revolution without Culture’: Reading and Writing in the Bolivarian Revolution
Authors: BROWN KATIE
Published: June 2018

Under Hugo Chávez's ‘Bolivarian Revolution’, the government made itself present in all stages of literary production, applying the official idea of reading and writing as ‘socialist practices’. The Bolivarian government envisaged a popular counter‐hegemony, courting popular support while delegitimising cultural elites and reinforcing class tensions. Bolivarian cultural policy is anachronistic in an age of global literary markets, while the emphasis on a national collective of writers over internationally promoted representative writers of the revolution is particularly radical.
Prediction of subtle left ventricular systolic dysfunction in homozygous and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: Genetic analyses and speckle tracking echocardiography study
Authors: Saracoglu Erhan , Kılıç Salih , Vuruşkan Ertan , Düzen Irfan , Çekici Yusuf , Kuzu Zülfiye , Yıldırım Arafat , Küçükosmanoğlu Mehmet , Çetin Mustafa
Published: June 2018

Background and Aims

Few studies have shown the direct effect of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) on myocardial systolic function. Studies focused on heterozygote FH patients but not homozygote ones, and they did not perform genetic analyses. We aimed to evaluate all types of patients with FH using the potentially more sensitive speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) technique to identify early left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

Methods

Genetic analyses of patients with FH were conducted for LDL‐receptor, PCSK9, and ApoB100. Nine homozygote, two compound heterozygote, and 82 heterozygote FH patients and 85 healthy subjects were prospectively studied. Longitudinal and circumferential strain measurements and conventional echocardiography findings were obtained.

Results

LV ejection fractions were similar for all (homozygote, heterozygote, and control) groups. The LV average longitudinal strain (aLS) and average circumferential strain (aCS) levels were significantly reduced in the homozygote and heterozygote groups when compared with the controls (for aLS, P = .008 (<.001); for aCS, P =< .001). A significant inverse correlation was found between LDL‐C levels and LS (P < .001, r = .728) and CS (P < .001, r = .642) for all FH patients.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the potential of using systolic strain values obtained using 2D STE for determining lipotoxicity in the myocardium owing to hypercholesterolemia. Our study found that cardiac functions of homozygote patients who had the highest cholesterol levels were disrupted at very early ages. Therefore, starting lipid reduction treatment and early reverse LV remodelling therapy at early ages may be beneficial for high‐risk patients.
Cooperative nest‐defence behaviour and territory quality in a resident and socially monogamous passerine
Authors: Naďo Ladislav , Kašová Martina , Krištín Anton , Kaňuch Peter
Published: June 2018

Nest defence is a fundamental aspect of parental care in secondary cavity‐nesting birds, and predation or competition for nesting sites can involve different defensive behaviours. Because habitat quality determines breeding success, we were interested in whether breeding pairs of the Eurasian nuthatch,Sitta europaea, established in more favourable environment also manifest higher probability of cooperative behaviour during their nest‐site defence. To explore this relationship, we quantified behavioural displays of both parents and analysed activity budget ethogram data from simulated territorial intrusions performed in the chick‐feeding phase with one conspecific and two different heterospecific stimuli (dummies of nuthatch, starling and woodpecker). We found that paired individuals shared their roles during nest‐site defence to a considerable extent. Males had a significantly higher number of attacks on intruders than females, and females performed more threat displays and controls of the brood than males. Multinomial analysis of the cooperative behaviour suggested that pairs in a high‐quality territory had higher probability of reciprocal substitution of different roles towards a balance between attacks, threat displays and nest controls. Contrary to this, pairs in a low‐quality territory had less likely pairwise combinations of simultaneous behavioural states that are associated with effective nest‐site defence. The difference in response probability according to territory quality was, however, highly variable in view of the stimulus that was used in simulated territorial intrusion. Because individual roles and the complex behavioural repertoire of pairs altered in response to territory quality and potential nest‐site competitor or brood predator, our results suggest that the cooperative nest‐defence behaviour could be linked to the breeding success of this year‐round territorial species living in a heterogeneous forest habitat.
Cardenolide‐defended milkweed bugs do not evoke learning in Nephila senegalensis spiders
Authors: Bramer Christiane , Schweizer Christian , Dobler Susanne
Published: June 2018

Antipredator defense of herbivorous insects often relies on the potential toxicity of defensive chemicals sequestered from their host plants. The colorful Lygaeinae (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) store a concentrated mixture of toxic cardenolides (cardiac glycosides) in specialized storage compartments of the bugs' integument, from which they are released upon attack. Larvae and adults of the large milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae) are specialized to feed on cardenolide‐containing milkweeds in the plant genus Asclepias and display a conspicuous red and black colorations. To investigate whether O. fasciatus gained improved protection by feeding on a toxic host plant (Asclepias syriaca), compared to a nontoxic alternative (sunflower seeds), we fed nymphs and adults of O. fasciatus to the golden orb‐weaver Nephila senegalensis. While visually oriented vertebrates, such as avian predators, have been intensively investigated for their reaction to defensive compounds and aposematic coloration, less attention has been paid to invertebrate predators. Their different perceptual abilities can provide important opportunities for testing hypotheses on warning coloration and chemical defenses. The predation trials showed that the bugs fed on Asclepias were significantly less likely to be killed than the bugs reared on a cardenolide‐free diet. This suggests that sequestered cardenolides in O. fasciatus nymphs and adults represent a significant fitness advantage on an individual level against this invertebrate predator. Yet, when testing for avoidance learning in the spiders, negative experience did not change the way how similar prey was attacked at the next encounter. In this case, visual or chemical aposematism thus does not seem to matter for predator learning.
The redenomination risk of exiting the Eurozone: An estimation based on the Greek case
Authors: Lapavitsas Costas
Published: June 2018

Changing a country's currency involves a redenomination risk arising due to assets and liabilities that are impossible to redenominate because of contracts governed by foreign law. Depreciation or appreciation of the new currency could, therefore, result in losses or gains, thus creating a risk for economic agents. The risk can be estimated by splitting the economy into public, private, banking and central banking sectors, and summing up exposed aggregate assets and liabilities. This method is applied to Greece showing that exiting the EMU would certainly entail forbidding redenomination losses for the Greek public sector, leading to default. Surprisingly, however, the impact on the private and the banking sectors would actually be positive (gain). The impact on the Bank of Greece would be ambiguous depending primarily on the legal status of TARGET2 liabilities. It is notable that even the Bank of Greece possesses a significant cushion in the form of bonds under foreign law. In all, the redenomination risk for the Greek economy is modest, with the exception of the public sector.
Prognosis for long‐term sustainable fisheries in the African Great Lakes
Authors: Irvine K. , Etiegni C. A. , Weyl O. L. F.
Published: June 2018

Declines in fish yields and shifts in species composition are serious concerns in the African Great lakes of Tanganyika, Malawi (Nyasa/Niassa) and Victoria. Despite management and regulatory structures, all the lakes remain open‐access fisheries, severely depressing yields, economic returns and threatening biodiversity. While the lakes require an ecosystem‐based approach to management, this has not been realised because of a lack of institutional capacities, insufficient political will or simply being overwhelmed by the scale of the endeavour. Sustainable fisheries management can only be achieved through a refocus towards a stronger socio‐ecological approach and re‐evaluating how to realistically improve fish yield and environmental protection. This requires a combination of the following: (1) acceptance of suboptimal fish yields; (2) community‐enforced regulations that restrict access to fisheries and destruction of inshore habitats; (3) enhanced national and local institutional capacities and collaboration among the riparian states; and (4) major awareness and educational efforts that demonstrate the national and international importance of these lakes for food supply and biodiversity in pursuance of the Sustainable Development Goals. Without such actions, the prognosis for long‐term sustainable fisheries is bleak, and international projects and conferences will merely bear witness to further degradation of resources and the livelihoods they support.
Tracking the rise of eukaryotes to ecological dominance with zinc isotopes
Authors: Isson Terry T. , Love Gordon D. , Dupont Christopher L. , Reinhard Christopher T. , Zumberge Alex J. , Asael Dan , Gueguen Bleuenn , McCrow John , Gill Ben C. , Owens Jeremy , Rainbird Robert H. , Rooney Alan D. , Zhao Ming‐Yu , Stueeken Eva E. , Konhauser Kurt O. , John Seth G. , Lyons Timothy W. , Planavsky Noah J.
Published: June 2018

The biogeochemical cycling of zinc (Zn) is intimately coupled with organic carbon in the ocean. Based on an extensive new sedimentary Zn isotope record across Earth's history, we provide evidence for a fundamental shift in the marine Zn cycle ~800 million years ago. We discuss a wide range of potential drivers for this transition and propose that, within available constraints, a restructuring of marine ecosystems is the most parsimonious explanation for this shift. Using a global isotope mass balance approach, we show that a change in the organic Zn/C ratio is required to account for observed Zn isotope trends through time. Given the higher affinity of eukaryotes for Zn relative to prokaryotes, we suggest that a shift toward a more eukaryote‐rich ecosystem could have provided a means of more efficiently sequestering organic‐derived Zn. Despite the much earlier appearance of eukaryotes in the microfossil record (~1700 to 1600 million years ago), our data suggest a delayed rise to ecological prominence during the Neoproterozoic, consistent with the currently accepted organic biomarker records.
Changes of aliphatic C–H bonds in cyanobacteria during experimental thermal maturation in the presence or absence of silica as evaluated by FTIR microspectroscopy
Authors: Igisu Motoko , Yokoyama Tadashi , Ueno Yuichiro , Nakashima Satoru , Shimojima Mie , Ohta Hiroyuki , Maruyama Shigenori
Published: June 2018

Aliphatic C–H bonds are one of the major organic signatures detected in Proterozoic organic microfossils, and their origin is a topic of interest. To investigate the influence of the presence of silica on the thermal alteration of aliphatic C–H bonds in prokaryotic cells during diagenesis, cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 were heated at temperatures of 250–450°C. Changes in the infrared (IR) signals were monitored by micro‐Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Micro‐FTIR shows that absorbances at 2,925 cm−1 band (aliphatic CH2) and 2,960 cm−1 band (aliphatic CH3) decrease during heating, indicating loss of the C–H bonds, which was delayed by the presence of silica. A theoretical approach using solid‐state kinetics indicates that the most probable process for the aliphatic C–H decrease is three‐dimensional diffusion of alteration products under both non‐embedded and silica‐embedded conditions. The extrapolation of the experimental results obtained at 250–450°C to lower temperatures implies that the rate constant for CH3 (kCH3) is similar to or lower than that for CH2 (kCH2; i.e., CH3 decreases at a similar rate or more slowly than CH2). The peak height ratio of 2,960 cm−1 band (CH3)/2,925 cm−1 band (CH2; R3/2 values) either increased or remained constant during the heating. These results reveal that the presence of silica does affect the decreasing rate of the aliphatic C–H bonds in cyanobacteria during thermal maturation, but that it does not significantly decrease the R3/2 values. Meanwhile, studies of microfossils suggest that the R3/2 values of Proterozoic prokaryotic fossils from the Bitter Springs Group and Gunflint Formation have decreased during fossilization, which is inconsistent with the prediction from our experimental results that R3/2 values did not decrease after silicification. Some process other than thermal degradation, possibly preservation of specific classes of biomolecules with low R3/2 values, might have occurred during fossilization.
THE ONTOLOGY OF CAPITAL: ON THE SHARED METHODOLOGICAL LIMITS OF MODERNIZATION THEORY AND ITS CRITICS
Authors: MÜCEN BARIŞ
Published: June 2018

This article argues that critical scholarship in historical studies has not overcome the methodological limits of modernization theory for failing to question the ontological principles that construct its object of analysis. I call these principles the “ontology of capital” and explicate them through Bourdieu's conceptualization of the field and capital. I argue that this ontology is established according to a distribution model in which social entities come into the analysis with the amount and value of the capital they hold. This model grasps all social relations in the form of competition, and actors and actions enter into the analysis only when they are involved in such relations. I then analyze Bernard Lewis's The Emergence of Modern Turkey, which is written explicitly from a modernization perspective, to show how the principles of the “ontology of capital” operate in this text. The analysis focuses on how sociohistorical facts are constructed through selection and articulation of empirical evidence that become meaningful only on the basis of this ontology. The aim of this analysis is to show the ontology of capital that constructs the object of analysis in Lewis's text rather than the Eurocentric, teleological, and elitist character of his analysis of history that critics in recent decades have addressed as problems of the modernization paradigm. Based on this, I argue that for a productive critical approach, relational analysis, which characterizes critical scholarship in contrast to essentialism, also has to consider the ontological principles in a historical work to overcome methodological limits. The failure to interrogate this ontology leads to an analytical separation in critical scholarship between the analysis of historical reality and of alternatives to this reality. This separation not only produces a dehistoricized analysis of the present from a critical perspective, but also turns the alternatives into utopian models.
THERE IS NO COLONIAL RELATIONSHIP: ANTAGONISM, SIKHISM, AND SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES
Authors: JUDGE RAJBIR SINGH
Published: June 2018

This article identifies how scholars have displaced antagonism within histories of Sikhism and South Asian Studies more broadly. In contrast to this displacement, this article foregrounds antagonism by taking into account a third element within the presumed colonizer and colonized relationship: a curved space of nonrelation that signals there can be no colonial relationship. By considering the constitutive nature of antagonism within social reality that remains unable to be demarcated, this article examines the generative principles of Sikh practices and concepts that both structure Sikhism's institutions and productively conceptualize this antagonism. Examining these concepts and practices, I consider the possibility of different modes of both historical being and becoming not bound within our current conceptual rubrics. These different possibilities culled through Sikh concepts and theories demand we reflect upon the rabble: those unable to be contained within colonial civil society or within attempts by the colonized for self‐determination in political societies. This void then fractured Sikh reform organizations historically, providing multiple avenues for politics unaccountable within our bifurcated and asymmetrical understandings of civil society and political societies and colonizer and colonized.
1. THE MEANINGS OF NOSTALGIA: GENEALOGY AND CRITIQUE
Authors: BECKER TOBIAS
Published: June 2018

Nostalgia has become a new master narrative both in public discourse and academic research, serving as an explanation for trends in fields as different as popular culture, fashion, technology, and politics. This essay criticizes the wide‐ranging use of the term. It argues that nostalgia often does not adequately describe the diverse uses of the past to which it is applied. It does this by historicizing the nostalgia discourse with particular emphasis on the 1970s, when dictionaries first noted a semantic shift from homesickness to a sentimental yearning for the past, and intellectuals discussed a widespread, pathological “nostalgia wave.” After the introduction, the second section looks at the changing meanings of nostalgia, the third examines how the “nostalgia wave” was seen to manifest itself and who was thought to be afflicted by it, and the fourth discusses contemporary explanations. Building on this, the final section critically examines the nostalgia discourse before evaluating its continuing influence.
LISTENING TO KRISHNA
Authors: Saussy Haun
Published: June 2018

McComas Taylor's Seven Days of Nectar offers a contrastive description of three seven‐day performances of the traditional Sanskrit text Bhāgavatapurāna in different locations and with different sponsorship, bringing out the special characteristics of each as a variant of living textual practice. The book also contains reports of interviews with reciters, detailing their backgrounds, education, and aspirations. This performance tradition has prospered under globalization, due to its place in a gift economy of prestige and to the desire on the part of sponsors to confirm their membership in a religious and national community.
Use of 0.4‐Tesla static magnetic field to promote reparative dentine formation of dental pulp stem cells through activation of p38 MAPK signalling pathway
Authors: Lew W.‐Z. , Feng S.‐W. , Lin C.‐T. , Huang H.‐M.
Published: June 2018

Aim

To investigate whether static magnetic fields (SMFs) have a positive effect on the migration and dentinogenesis of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) to promote reparative dentine formation.

Methodology

In vitro scratch assays and a traumatic pulp exposure model were performed to evaluate the effect of 0.4‐Tesla (T) SMF on DPSC migration. The cytoskeletons of the DPSCs were identified by fluorescence immunostaining and compared with those of a sham‐exposed group. Dentinogenic evaluation was performed by analysing the expressions of DMP‐1 and DSPP marker genes using a quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) process. Furthermore, the formation of calcified deposits was examined by staining the dentinogenic DPSCs with Alizarin Red S dye. Finally, the role played by the p38 MAPK signalling pathway in the migration and dentinogenesis of DPSCs under 0.4‐T SMF was investigated by incorporating p38 inhibitor (SB203580) into the in vitro DPSC experiments. The Student's t‐test and the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Dunn's post hoc test with a significance level of P < 0.05 were used for statistical analysis.

Results

The scratch assay results revealed that the application of 0.4‐T SMF enhanced DPSCs migration towards the scratch wound (P < 0.05). The cytoskeletons of the SMF‐treated DPSCs were found to be aligned perpendicular to the scratch wound. After 20 days of culture, the SMF‐treated group had a greater number of out‐grown cells than the sham‐exposed group (nonmagnetized control). For the SMF‐treated group, the DMP‐1 (P < 0.05) and DSPP genes (P < 0.05), analysed by qRT‐PCR, exhibited a higher expression. The distribution of calcified nodules was also found to be denser in the SMF‐treated group when stained with Alizarin Red S dye (P < 0.05). Given the incorporation of p38 inhibitor SB203580 into the DPSCs, cell migration and dentinogenesis were suppressed. No difference was found between the SMF‐treated and sham‐exposed cells (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

0.4‐T SMF enhanced DPSC migration and dentinogenesis through the activation of the p38 MAPK‐related pathway.
EVOLUTIONARY CONSUMERS IMPLY MONOPOLIES EXIT
Authors: Hummel Patrick , McAfee R. Preston
Published: June 2018

We address the question of how a monopolist should price when facing evolutionary consumers who gradually move in the direction of following their optimal strategy but may make temporary suboptimal choices. We show that under a broad generalization of the most commonly used model of evolution, the monopolist will set a path of prices such that all consumers eventually stop purchasing the monopolist's product.
PATENTABILITY, R&D DIRECTION, AND CUMULATIVE INNOVATION
Authors: Chen Yongmin , Pan Shiyuan , Zhang Tianle
Published: June 2018

We present a model where firms conduct R&D in both a safe and a risky direction. As patentability standards rise, an innovation in the risky direction is less likely to receive a patent, which decreases the static incentive for new entrants to conduct risky R&D but can increase their dynamic incentive. These, together with a strategic substitution and a market structure effect, result in an inverted‐U shape in the risky direction but a U shape in the safe direction for the relationship between R&D intensity and patentability standards. R&D is biased toward (against) the risky direction under lower (higher) standards.
OPTIMAL COST OVERRUNS: PROCUREMENT AUCTIONS WITH RENEGOTIATION
Authors: Herweg Fabian , Schwarz Marco A.
Published: June 2018

Cost overrun is ubiquitous in public procurement. We argue that this can be the result of a constrained optimal award procedure: The procurer awards the contract via a price‐only auction and cannot commit not to renegotiate. If cost differences are more pronounced for a fancy than a standard design, it is optimal to fix the standard design ex ante. If renegotiation takes place and the fancy design has higher production costs or the contractor's bargaining position is strong, the final price exceeds the initial price. Moreover, the procurer cannot benefit from using a scoring auction.
IDENTIFYING EXCHANGE RATE COMMON FACTORS
Authors: Greenaway‐McGrevy Ryan , Mark Nelson C. , Sul Donggyu , Wu Jyh‐Lin
Published: June 2018

Using recently developed model selection procedures, we determine that exchange rate returns are driven by a two‐factor model. We identify them as a dollar factor and a euro factor. Exchange rates are thus driven by global, U.S., and euro‐zone stochastic discount factors. The identified factors can also be given a risk‐based interpretation. Identification motivates multilateral models for bilateral exchange rates. Out‐of‐sample forecast accuracy of empirically identified multilateral models dominates the random walk and a bilateral purchasing power parity fundamentals prediction model. Twenty‐four‐month‐ahead forecast accuracy of the multilateral model dominates those of a principal components forecasting model.
Psychosomatic factors of atopic dermatitis exacerbation
Authors: Maksimovic Natasa , Zaric Milica , Bjelica Suncica , Eric Marinkovic Jelena , Jankovic Slavenka
Published: June 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to estimate whether the stress, lack of social support, and poor emotional relationships influence the recurrence of AD in adults.

Methods

Case–control study comprised 66 outpatients with AD and 132 controls with different skin diseases believed to be slightly influenced by psychosomatic factors. Participants were treated at the Department of Dermatology – Military Medical Academy and City Department for Skin and Venereal Diseases from January to June 2014. Stressful life events were assessed using the Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events. The attachment relationship and perceived social support were assessed with the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale and with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, respectively. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied.

Results

AD patients had significantly higher anxiety scores when initiating a close emotional relationship and when avoiding an affective attachment (OR = 1.49; CI = 1.13‐1.97; P = 0.005 and OR = 1.63; CI = 1.16–2.30; P = 0.005, respectively). Perceived social support from family and friends was significantly lower among cases compared to controls (OR = 0.93; CI = 0.88–0.98; P = 0.009 and UO = 0.94; CI = 0.89–0.99; P = 0.027, respectively).

Conclusions

AD patients had higher anxiety scores, and those with low social support tended to have more frequent disease recurrence. The number of stressful life events did not differ between studied groups.
Diagnostic yield of pleural fluid cytology in malignant effusions: an Australian tertiary centre experience
Authors: Loveland Paula , Christie Micheal , Hammerschlag Gary , Irving Louis , Steinfort Daniel
Published: June 2018

Background

Timely diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions is critical to guide prognosis and management decisions. Cytological analysis of pleural fluid has been the first‐line diagnostic test for many decades, with highly variable reported sensitivities of 40–90%. Its diagnostic accuracy in modern practice in Australia needs to be understood.

Aims

To determine the diagnostic yield of pleural fluid cytology for the detection of malignant pleural effusions and to determine the aetiologies of pleural effusions at our centre.

Methods

The study involved the retrospective chart review of all pleural fluid samples submitted for cytological analysis at a tertiary referral centre in Melbourne, Australia, over a 12‐month period. Aetiology of all effusions was determined, and sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of malignant pleural effusions were calculated. We also examined diagnostic yield based on tumour cell type.

Results

Of the 153 cases analysed, 61 (39.9%) were malignant. Lung cancers accounted for 44.3% of malignant effusions, followed by mesothelioma (18%), ovarian carcinoma (11.5%) and lymphoma (8.2%). The commonest single causes of a benign effusion were cardiac (16.3%) and parapneumonic (13%). Sensitivity for diagnosis of malignant effusions was 67.2% overall, but 87.9% for adenocarcinomas and only 45.5% for mesothelioma.

Conclusion

Tumour type is an important determinant of pleural fluid cytology diagnostic yield. Cytology has good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, but if another tumour type is suspected, particularly mesothelioma, clinicians should be aware of the limitations.
Spectrum of illness among returned Australian travellers from Bali, Indonesia: a 5‐year retrospective observational study
Authors: Sohail Asma , McGuinness Sarah L. , Lightowler Rachel , Leder Karin , Jomon Bismi , Bain Christopher A. , Peleg Anton Y.
Published: June 2018

Background

Bali, Indonesia, presents significant infectious and non‐infectious health risks for Australian travellers. Understanding this spectrum of illnesses has the potential to assist clinicians in evaluating unwell returning travellers and guide provision of pre‐travel advice.

Aim

To describe the spectrum of illnesses seen in returned travellers from Bali.

Methods

Using a novel text mining approach, we performed a retrospective, observational study of all adult emergency department presentations to a metropolitan health service in Melbourne, from 2011 to 2015. Outcome measures included demographic, clinical and laboratory features of travel‐related illnesses.

Results

A total of 464 patients met inclusion criteria. Gastroenteritis (119/464, 26%), systemic febrile illness (88/464, 19%) and respiratory tract infection (51/464, 11%) were the most common diagnoses. Dengue was the most common laboratory‐confirmed diagnosis (25/464, 5%). No cases of malaria were identified. Common non‐infectious presentations included traumatic injury (47/464, 10%) and animal bites requiring rabies post‐exposure prophylaxis (29/464, 6%). A total of 110 patients (24%) was admitted to the hospital; those presenting with systemic febrile illness were more likely to be admitted compared to those presenting with other illnesses (odds ratio 3.42, 95% confidence interval 2.02–5.75, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This is the first study to use a text mining approach to identify and describe emergency department presentations related to diseases acquired in Bali by Australian travellers. Although infections are important causes of illness, trauma and animal bites account for a significant number of hospital presentations. Our findings contribute to the knowledge on the health risks for travellers to Bali, and will assist clinicians in relevant pre‐ and post‐travel evaluations.
Retrospective evaluation of statin prescription in the elderly
Authors: Chee Wee Jie , Abdullahi Huda , Chan Yolanda , Rattle Amelia , Snedden Stephanie , Junckerstorff Ralph
Published: June 2018

Background

Statins are one of the most commonly prescribed medications in Australia. Although the cardioprotective effects of statins are well documented, questions remain regarding their risk–benefit profile in elderly adults, especially those with limited life expectancies.

Aim

To describe the prevalence and pattern of statin use in elderly patients admitted to a General Medicine Unit.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients aged ≥80 years who were admitted to the General Medical Unit at Monash Medical Centre between 1 January 2015 and 30 June 2015. Patients receiving statin therapy prior to admission were identified and included. Data including patient demographics, indication for statin, comorbidities, co‐prescription of interacting medications, presence of muscle‐related toxicity and any change to statin prescription were collected and described.

Results

Of 852 patients admitted to hospital, 359 (42%) were taking statins prior to admission. Statins were used for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in 63% of patients and for primary prevention in 24%. Most patients were taking high‐ (16%) or medium‐intensity statins (78%); 46% of patients were co‐prescribed medications with the potential to increase the risk of statin toxicity. Statins were discontinued in 16% of patients; however, the majority of patients had no change to their statin prescription. Muscle‐related toxicity was documented in 4% of patients.

Conclusion

Statin use and the co‐prescription of potentially interacting medications are common in elderly adults admitted to hospital. Statin prescription in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities is rarely reviewed unless directly relevant to their admission diagnosis.