bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Draft Genome Sequence of
Streptomyces
sp. JHA26, a Strain That Harbors a PA14 Domain Containing β-
d
-Galactofuranosidase
Authors: Matsunaga Emiko , Higuchi Yujiro , Mori Kazuki , Tashiro Kosuke , Takegawa Kaoru
Published: April 2017

The genome sequence of
Streptomyces
sp. strain JHA26, the culture supernatant of which exhibited β-
d
-galactofuranosidase (Gal
f
-ase) activity, was analyzed to search for a Gal
f
-ase-encoding gene. We report here the results of whole-genome shotgun sequencing and reveal the identity of a new Gal
f
-ase gene.
Draft Genome Sequences of Four Yersinia enterocolitica Strains, Isolated from Wild Ungulate Carcasses
Authors: Macori Guerrino , Romano Angelo , Adriano Daniela , Razzuoli Elisabetta , Bianchi Daniela Manila , Gallina Silvia , Bellio Alberto , Decastelli Lucia
Published: April 2017

This study describes the draft genome sequences of four
Yersinia enterocolitica
strains, originally isolated from ungulate carcasses. These isolates were typed biochemically and two were determined to be highly virulent (biotype 1B). The draft genome sequences had a mean size of 4.77 Mb and a mean G+C content of 47.1%.
Musculoskeletal Tuberculosis
Authors: Leonard Michael K. , Blumberg Henry M.
Published: April 2017

Musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB) accounts for approximately 10% of all extrapulmonary TB cases in the United States and is the third most common site of extrapulmonary TB after pleural and lymphatic disease. Vertebral involvement (tuberculous spondylitis, or Pott’s disease) is the most common type of skeletal TB, accounting for about half of all cases of musculoskeletal TB. The presentation of musculoskeletal TB may be insidious over a long period and the diagnosis may be elusive and delayed, as TB may not be the initial consideration in the differential diagnosis. Concomitant pulmonary involvement may not be present, thus confusing the diagnosis even further. Early diagnosis of bone and joint disease is important to minimize the risk of deformity and enhance outcome. The introduction of newer imaging modalities, including MRI (imaging procedure of choice) and CT, has enhanced the diagnostic evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal TB and for directed biopsies of affected areas of the musculoskeletal system. Obtaining appropriate specimens for culture and other diagnostic tests is essential to establish a definitive diagnosis and recoverM. tuberculosisfor susceptibility testing. A total of 6 to 9 months of a rifampin-based regimen, like treatment of pulmonary TB, is recommended for the treatment of drug susceptible musculoskeletal disease. Randomized trials of tuberculous spondylitis have demonstrated that such regimens are efficacious. These data and those from the treatment of pulmonary TB have been extrapolated to form the basis of treatment regimen recommendations for other forms of musculoskeletal TB.
‘They will be afraid to touch you’: LGBTI people and sex workers' experiences of accessing healthcare in Zimbabwe—an in-depth qualitative study
Authors: Hunt Jennifer , Bristowe Katherine , Chidyamatare Sybille , Harding Richard
Published: April 2017

Objectives

To examine experiences of key populations (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers) in Zimbabwe regarding access to, and experiences of, healthcare.

Design

Qualitative study using in-depth interviews and focus groups, with thematic analysis.

Participants

Sixty individuals from key populations in Zimbabwe.

Setting

Participants were recruited from four locations (Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Beitbridge/Masvingo).

Results

Participants described considerable unmet needs and barriers to accessing basic healthcare due to discrimination regarding key population status, exacerbated by the sociopolitical/legal environment. Three main themes emerged: (1) key populations' illnesses were caused by their behaviour; (2) equal access to healthcare is conditional on key populations conforming to ‘sexual norms’ and (3) perceptions that healthcare workers were ill-informed about key populations, and that professionals' personal attitudes affected care delivery. Participants felt unable to discuss their key population status with healthcare workers. Their healthcare needs were expected to be met almost entirely by their own communities.

Conclusions

This is one of very few studies of healthcare access beyond HIV for key populations in Africa. Discrimination towards key populations discourages early diagnosis, limits access to healthcare/treatment and increases risk of transmission of infectious diseases. Key populations experience unnecessary suffering from untreated conditions, exclusion from healthcare and extreme psychological distress. Education is needed to reduce stigma and enhance sensitive clinical interviewing skills. Clinical and public health implications of discrimination in healthcare must be addressed through evidence-based interventions for professionals, particularly in contexts with sociopolitical/legal barriers to equality.
Do changes to supply chains and procurement processes yield cost savings and improve availability of pharmaceuticals, vaccines or health products? A systematic review of evidence from low-income and middle-income countries
Authors: Seidman Gabriel , Atun Rifat
Published: April 2017

Introduction

Improving health systems performance, especially in low-resource settings facing complex disease burdens, can improve population health. Specifically, the efficiency and effectiveness of supply chains and procurement processes for pharmaceuticals, vaccines and other health products has important implications for health system performance. Pharmaceuticals, vaccines and other health products make up a large share of total health expenditure in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), and they are critical for delivering health services. Therefore, programmes which achieve cost savings on these expenditures may help improve a health system's efficiency, whereas programmes that increase availability of health products may improve a health system's effectiveness. This systematic review investigates whether changes to supply chains and procurement processes can achieve cost savings and/or improve the availability of drugs in LMICs.

Methods

Using the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and the Health Economic Evaluation Database to identify.

Results

We identified 1264 articles, of which 38 were included in our study. We found evidence that centralised procurement and tendering can achieve direct cost savings, while supply chain management programmes can reduce drug stock outs and increase drug availability for populations.

Conclusions

This research identifies a broad set of programmes which can improve the ways that health systems purchase and delivery health products. On the basis of this evidence, policymakers and programme managers should examine the root causes of inefficiencies in pharmaceutical supply chain and procurement processes in order to determine how best to improve health systems performance in their specific contexts.
Cost and outcome of behavioural activation versus cognitive behavioural therapy for depression (COBRA): a qualitative process evaluation
Authors: Finning Katie , Richards David A , Moore Lucy , Ekers David , McMillan Dean , Farrand Paul A , O’Mahen Heather A , Watkins Edward R , Wright Kim A , Fletcher Emily , Rhodes Shelley , Woodhouse Rebecca , Wray Faye
Published: April 2017

Objective

To explore participant views on acceptability, mechanisms of change and impact of behavioural activation (BA) delivered by junior mental health workers (MHWs) versus cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) delivered by professional psychotherapists.

Design

Semistructured qualitative interviews analysed using a framework approach.

Participants

36 participants with major depressive disorder purposively sampled from a randomised controlled trial of BA versus CBT (the COBRA trial).

Setting

Primary care psychological therapies services in Devon, Durham and Leeds, UK.

Results

Elements of therapy considered to be beneficial included its length and regularity, the opportunity to learn and not dwelling on the past. Homework was an important, although challenging aspect of treatment. Therapists were perceived as experts who played an important role in treatment. For some participants the most important element of therapy was having someone to talk to, but for others the specific factors associated with BA and CBT were crucial, with behavioural change considered important for participants in both treatments, and cognitive change unsurprisingly discussed more by those receiving CBT. Both therapies were considered to have a positive impact on symptoms of depression and other areas of life including feelings about themselves, self-care, work and relationships. Barriers to therapy included work, family life and emotional challenges. A subset (n=2) of BA participants commented that therapy felt too simple, and MHWs could be perceived as inexperienced. Many participants saw therapy as a learning experience, providing them with tools to take away, with work on relapse prevention essential.

Conclusions

Despite barriers for some participants, BA and CBT were perceived to have many benefits, to have brought about cognitive and behavioural change and to produce improvements in many domains of participants’ lives. To optimise the delivery of BA, inexperienced junior MHWs should be supported through good quality training and ongoing supervision.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN27473954, 09/12/2011
Reducing Medical Admissions into Hospital through Optimising Medicines (REMAIN HOME) Study: protocol for a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial
Authors: Foot Holly , Freeman Christopher , Hemming Karla , Scott Ian , Coombes Ian D , Williams Ian D , Connelly Luke , Whitty Jennifer A , Sturman Nancy , Kirsa Sue , Nicholson Caroline , Russell Grant , Kirkpatrick Carl , Cottrell Neil
Published: April 2017

Introduction

A model of general practitioner (GP) and pharmacist collaboration in primary care may be an effective strategy to reduce medication-related problems and provide better support to patients after discharge. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a model of structured pharmacist and GP care reduces hospital readmissions in high-risk patients.

Methods and analysis

This protocol details a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial that will recruit participants over 9 months with a 12-month follow-up. There will be 14 clusters each representing a different general practice medical centre. A total of 2240 participants will be recruited from hospital who attend an enrolled medical centre, take five or more long-term medicines or whose reason for admission was related to heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The intervention is a multifaceted service, involving a pharmacist integrated into a medical centre to assist patients after hospitalisation. Participants will meet with the practice pharmacist and their GP after discharge to review and reconcile their medicines and discuss changes made in hospital. The pharmacist will follow-up with the participant and liaise with other health professionals involved in the participant’s care. The control will be usual care, which usually involves a patient self-organising a visit to their GP after hospital discharge.

The primary outcome is the rate of unplanned, all-cause hospital readmissions over 12 months, which will be analysed using a mixed effects Poisson regression model with a random effect for cluster and a fixed effect to account for any temporal trend. A cost analysis will be undertaken to compare the healthcare costs associated with the intervention to those of usual care.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has received ethical approval (HREC/16/QRBW/410). The study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conferences and reports to key stakeholders.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12616001627448
LMNA-associated partial lipodystrophy: anticipation of metabolic complications
Authors: Jeru Isabelle , Vatier Camille , Vantyghem Marie-Christine , Lascols Olivier , Vigouroux Corinne
Published: April 2017

Background

Type-2 familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD2) is a rare autosomal dominant lipodystrophic disorder due to mutations inLMNAencoding lamin A/C, a key epigenetic regulator. FPLD2 severity is determined by the occurrence of metabolic complications, especially diabetes and hypertriglyceridaemia. We evaluated the disease history and severity over generations.

Methods

This retrospective study of the largest cohort of patients with FPLD2 reported to date investigates 85 patients from 24 families comprising three generations (G1: n=39; G2: n=41; G3: n=5).

Results

Lipodystrophy appears with the same characteristics and at the same age in first generation (G1;18.6±1.5 years) and second generation (G2;15.9±0.8 years). Despite similar body mass index (23.7±0.6 vs 23.8±0.6 kg/m2), the mean delay between the onset of lipodystrophy and diabetes was far shorter in G2 (10.5±2.4 years) than in G1 (29.0±3.5 years) (p=0.0002). The same is true for the delay preceding hypertriglyceridaemia (G2: 4.5±1.4; G1: 19.3±3.2 years) (p=0.002), revealing an anticipation phenomenon. Observations in G3, and analysis within each family of disease history and diagnostic procedures, confirmed this result.

Conclusions

This study is a rare example of anticipation unrelated to a trinucleotide expansion. Discovery of this early occurrence of metabolic complications in young generations underlines the utility of presymptomatic genetic diagnosis, with careful metabolic screening and preventive lifestyle in all at-risk individuals.
Morbidity outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement
Authors: Auensen Andreas , Hussain Amjad Iqbal , Bendz Bjørn , Aaberge Lars , Falk Ragnhild Sørum , Walle-Hansen Marte Meyer , Bye Jorun , Andreassen Johanna , Beitnes Jan Otto , Rein Kjell Arne , Pettersen Kjell Ingar , Gullestad Lars
Published: April 2017

Objective

In patients with mild to moderate operative risk, surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is still the preferred treatment for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). Aiming to broaden the knowledge of postsurgical outcomes, this study reports a broad set of morbidity outcomes following surgical intervention.

Methods

Our cohort comprised 442 patients referred for severe AS; 351 had undergone SAVR, with the remainder (91) not operated on. All patients were evaluated using the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), were assigned a New York Heart Association class (NYHA) and Canadian Cardiovascular Society class (CCS), with additional scores for health-related quality of life (HRQoL), cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)) and myocardial remodelling (at inclusion and at 1-year follow-up). Adverse events and mortality were recorded.

Results

Three-year survival after SAVR was 90.0%. SAVR was associated with an improved NYHA class, CCS score and HRQoL, and provoked reverse ventricular remodelling. The 6MWT decreased, while the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (death, non-fatal stroke/transient ischaemic attack or myocardial infarction) and all-cause hospitalisation (incidence rate per 100 patient-years) were 13.5 and 62.4, respectively. The proportion of cognitive disability measured by MMSE increased after SAVR from 3.2% to 8.8% (p=0.005). Proportion of patients living independently at home, having attained NYHA class I, was met by 49.1% at 1 year. Unoperated individuals had a poor prognosis in terms of any outcome.

Conclusion

This study provides knowledge of outcomes beyond what is known about the mortality benefit after SAVR to provide insight into the morbidity burden of modern-day SAVR.
Screening for developmental delay in preschool-aged children using parent-completed Ages and Stages Questionnaires: additional insights into child development
Authors: Abo El Elella Soheir S , Tawfik Maha A M , Abo El Fotoh Wafaa Moustafa M , Barseem Naglaa Fathy
Published: April 2017

Background

Developmental delay is a delay in areas of speech, language, motor, social and cognitive development. Because of the negative impact of intellectual and learning disabilities, early identification of children with developmental and behavioral problems using appropriate screening tests is crucial.

Objectives

Utilization of parent-completed Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQs) for detecting the developmental delay in preschool age children and clarification of possible associated risk factors.

Materials and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1012 children aged 24–60 months enrolled from six centers (n=608) and six villages (n=404) located in Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. All children were screened by nine age-based questionnaires in the first stage of assessment. Children whose scores were ≤ cut-off points in one or more of the screened developmental areas were considered to have suspected developmental delay (SDD) and underwent further evaluation in the second stage assessment.

Results

Among the 1012 studied children aged 24–60 months, 978 (96.4%) had normal development. SDD had an overall prevalence of 3.4%, with the highest rates of SDD in problem-solving (3%), followed by communication (2.4%), fine motor skills (2.2%) and social–personal domain (1%), with no SDD in gross motor skills. SDD was more commonly observed in boys, with a significant association with both parental education and consanguinity. Problems with learning (32.3%) was the most commonly observed provisional diagnosis, followed by language disorders (29.4%). Children with SDD in more than one area of ASQ skills also had mild to borderline IQ scores.

Conclusion

The use of of parent-completed ASQs showed an overall prevalence of developmental delay in children aged 24–60 months of3.4%. Male gender, consanguinity and parental education were identified as risk factors for developmental delay. Family counselling about the child’s developmental state is needed.
Integrated surgical academic training in the UK: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Blencowe Natalie S , Glasbey James C , McElnay Philip J , Bhangu Aneel , Gokani Vimal J , Harries Rhiannon L
Published: April 2017

Objectives

This study aimed to explore variations in the provision of integrated academic surgical training across the UK.

Design

This is an online cross-sectional survey (consisting of 44 items with a range of free-text, binomial and 5-point Likert scale responses) developed by the Association of Surgeons in Training.

Setting

A self-reported survey instrument was distributed to academic surgical trainees across the UK (n=276).

Participants

143 (51.9%) responses were received (81% male, median age: 34 years), spanning all UK regions and surgical specialties. Of the 143 trainees, 29 were core trainees (20.3%), 99 were specialty trainees (69.2%) and 15 (10.5%) described themselves as research fellows.

Results

The structure of academic training varied considerably, with under a third of trainees receiving guaranteed protected time for research. Despite this, however, 53.1% of the respondents reported to be satisfied with how their academic training was organised. Covering clinical duties during academic time occurred commonly (72.7%). Although most trainees (n=88, 61.5%) met with their academic supervisor at least once a month, six (4.2%) never had an academic supervisory meeting. Most trainees (n=90, 62.9%) occupied a full-time rota slot and only 9.1% (n=13) described their role as ‘supernumerary’. Although 58.7% (n=84) of the trainees were satisfied with their clinical competence, 37.8% (n=54) felt that clinical time focused more on service provision than the acquisition of technical skills. 58 (40.6%) had experienced some form of negative sentiment relating to their status as an academic trainee.

Conclusions

Integrated academic training presents unique challenges and opportunities within surgery. This survey has identified variation in the quality of current programmes, meaning that the future provision of integrated surgical academic training should be carefully considered.
Changing climate, vegetation, and fire disturbance in a sub-boreal pine-dominated forest, British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Brown Kendrick J. , Hebda Nicholas J. , Conder Nicholas , Golinski Karen G. , Hawkes Brad , Schoups Gerrit , Hebda Richard J.
Published: April 2017

Holocene climate, vegetation, and fire history were reconstructed using pollen, molluscs, and charcoal from two lake sediment records (Scum and Norma lakes) collected from the Chilcotin Plateau, British Columbia, Canada. In the late-glacial period, cold steppe prevailed and fire was limited. Artemisia steppe expanded in the earliest Holocene as climate warmed and conditions became dry, with shallow basins drying out. High-frequency surface fires maintained the steppe. An increase in Pinus after 10 200 cal BP signals moistening and the establishment of Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson and Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. stands, with surface fires in the former and higher severity fires in the latter. Cooling around 8500 cal BP favored P. contorta, and a crown fire regime likely prevailed, with intermittent surface fires. Shallow basins began to fill with water. In the mid-Holocene, basins filled further and Picea increased slightly in abundance. Fire frequency decreased, though severity increased. In the last three millennia, modern P. contorta dominated forests were established, with mixed-severity fire disturbance. Considering the future, the results of this study align well with ecosystem climate niche simulations, indicating that non-arboreal and open-forest communities may again prevail widely on the plateau, together with surface fires. Land managers need to develop strategies to manage the upcoming transformation.
Geochemical and isotopic characteristics of stream and terrace sediments of the Harsit Stream, NE Turkey
Authors: Saydam Eker Çiğdem
Published: April 2017

The current study compares and contrasts the elemental concentrations and the Nd, Sr and O isotopic compositions of sediments collected from the Harsit Stream bed sediments (HSBS) and terrace sediments (HSTS). There are positive correlations between Al
2
O
3
and SiO
2
, TiO
2
, Na
2
O and Fe
2
O
3
, K
2
O in HSBS and between Al
2
O
3
and Fe
2
O
3,
MnO in the HSTS samples. Major element components of HSBS and HSTS are comparable to average upper continental crust. Both types of sediments are generally classified as greywacke, based on chemical composition and O–Sr isotopic compositions. The
ɛ
Nd
(0)
and
ɛ
Sr
(0)
values range from −0.6 to −5.7 and from 7.1 to 45, respectively, in HSBS; and from −0.7 to −4.4 and from 20 to 54, respectively, in HSTS. The δ
18
O values range from 8.8 to 11.8 (average 10.8) in HSBS and from 11.3 to 13.3 (average 12.2) in HSTS, which are generally controlled by detrital or authigenic minerals in the studied samples. The average chemical index of alteration (CIA) and, plagioclase index of alteration (PIA) values are high in HSTS, whereas the index of compositional variability (ICV) and weathering index (WIP) values are high in HSBS. Several minor differences were observed between HSBS and HSTS in terms of geochemistry and isotopic compositions that reflect different processes involved in their sedimentation.
A large pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone of Utah
Authors: Bennett S. Christopher
Published: April 2017

Three associated incomplete wing bones of a large pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale Formation of Utah are described. Based on the morphology of the bones’ articular ends, the specimen is referred to the Pteranodontoidea. Associated ammonites indicate that the specimen's age is Middle Turonian, so it adds to the sparse worldwide record of Turonian pterosaurs. The record of pteranodontoid pterosaurs in the Western Interior Seaway of North America is reviewed, and it is suggested that pteranodontoids were not diverse.
Zircon U–Pb SHRIMP and monazite EPMA U–Th–total Pb geochronology of granulites of the western boundary, Eastern Ghats Belt, India: a new possibility for Neoproterozoic exhumation history
Authors: Chatterjee A. , Das K. , Bose S. , Ganguly P. , Hidaka H.
Published: April 2017

We present detailed and high-precision geochronological data on granulites occurring along the western boundary of the Eastern Ghats Belt, India. Age data on systematically sampled rocks coupled with geochemical observation have a potential to unravel the overprinted tectonothermal events operated during Precambrian time. Zircon U–Pb SHRIMP and monazite electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) U–Th–total Pb analyses, chemical zoning, microtextural investigation, and pressure–temperature calculations were carried out on samples of four different rock types. Inherited zircons from migmatitic quartzofeldspathic gneiss and mafic granulite yielded ages of approximately 2900–2350 Ma, representing an older crustal component. The age of granulite metamorphism recorded from charnockite and pelitic granulite ranges between approximately 950 and 930 Ma (from zircon and monazite). A possible decompression event from this area that occurred during Rodinia break-up is recorded from the Y-rich zones of monazite closely associated with porphyroblastic garnet in pelitic granulite and dates from approximately 800 to 750 Ma. Zircon grains of charnockite also yield a similar age. The youngest age of approximately 525–510 Ma documented from the monazite grains of migmatitic quartzofeldspathic gneiss and pelitic granulite, along with a spot age from zircon of migmatitic quartzofeldspathic gneiss, testifies to the final assembly of East Antarctica with cratonic India as a part of East Gondwana.
Refined geological history of the polyphase plutonometamorphic complex in the Thala Hills area (Enderby Land, East Antarctica) from zircon SHRIMP dating and implications for Neoproterozoic amalgamation of Gondwanaland
Authors: Mikhalsky Evgeniy , Krylov Dmitry , Rodionov Nickolay , Presnyakov Sergey , Skublov Sergey , Myasnikov Oleg
Published: April 2017

The Thala Hills area occupies a key position in Gondwanaland reconstructions near the India–Sri Lanka–Antarctica junction. We present U–Pb zircon isotopic age determinations from SHRIMP II obtained on four granite gneiss samples. Three high-temperature tectonomagmatic episodes may be distinguished in the study area at
c.
980–970,
c.
780–720 and
c.
545–530 Ma. The
c.
980–970 Ma event corresponds to the Rayner Structural Episode that affected East Antarctica, including the Sør Rondane Mountains to the west and Kemp Land to the east. The
c.
780–720 Ma episode included two events at approximately 780 Ma (high-grade anatexis) and 720 Ma (syntectonic granitoid emplacement), and was roughly coeval with tectonomagmatic events in Dronning Maud Land of East Antarctica, as well as in other Gondwanaland regions, such as Madagascar, Sri Lanka and eastern Africa. The
c.
780–720 Ma episode may be correlated with the East African Orogeny. These correlations argue for a similar geological evolution and conjugate position for Dronning Maud Land and Enderby Land despite a postulated Cambrian Lützow–Holm Bay suture separating them. The Cambrian (
c.
545–530 Ma) episode was manifested by high-grade anatexis that confirms previously identified late Neoproterozoic–Cambrian tectonothermal activities in the study area.

Supplementary material:
Trace element compositions of zircons and whole-rock chemical compositions obtained by previous studies are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3738332
The geology and geochemistry of the Straumsnutane Formation, Straumsnutane, western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and its tectonic setting on the western margin of the Kalahari Craton: additional evidence linking it to the Umkondo Large Igneous Province
Authors: Moabi Neo G. , Grantham Geoffrey H. , Roberts James , Le Roux Petrus
Published: April 2017

The study focuses on whole-rock major and trace element chemistry, as well as radiogenic isotope data from the Straumsnutane Formation lavas in western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The data are compared with those from the Espungabera Formation lavas of central Mozambique, published data from the Borgmassivet intrusions in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and other intrusions in southern Africa which are correlated with the approximately 1100 Ma Umkondo Igneous Province.

Petrographical studies indicate that the Straumsnutane lavas are dominated by plagioclase, clinopyroxene, amphibole and Fe–Ti oxides. Secondary mineral assemblages include chlorite, pumpellyite, white mica and epidote, indicating that the Straumsnutane lavas have been metamorphosed under low-grade greenschist-facies conditions followed by retrograde prehnite–pumpellyite-facies conditions.

The chemical data for the Straumsnutane Formation lavas are dominantly tholeiitic and basaltic andesitic in composition, and indicate that they are of continental origin.

Trace element ratio values for the Straumsnutane lavas suggest that fractional crystallization and/or crustal contamination have been significant processes in the magma evolution. Low to high
87
Sr/
86
Sr isotopic ratios (0.682–0.720) are evident from the Straumsnutane lavas suggesting varying degrees of hydrothermal alteration/low-grade metamorphism. The calculated
87
Sr/
86
Sr values and the negative
ε
Nd values at 1100 Ma suggest contamination by older continental crust during the genesis of the Straumsnutane Formation lavas. Isotopic modelling shows that the Straumsnutane lavas may have been formed from the mixing of a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like source with approximately 4% of older crust similar to the Messica Granite Gneiss of central Mozambique. Comparison of the geochemical data and petrography of the Straumsnutane lavas with those of the Espungabera Formation lavas of central Mozambique shows that they are similar. Additional comparisons show that the Straumsnutane lavas are geochemically similar to rock units of the Umkondo Igneous Province in southern Africa. It is therefore concluded that the Straumsnutane Formation lavas also formed part of the Umkondo Igneous Province.
Periodicity in User Engagement with a Search Engine and Its Application to Online Controlled Experiments
Authors: Drutsa Alexey , Gusev Gleb , Serdyukov Pavel
Published: April 2017

Nowadays, billions of people use the Web in connection with their daily needs. A significant part of these needs are constituted by search tasks that are usually addressed by search engines. Thus, daily search needs result in regular user engagement with a search engine. User engagement with web services was studied in various aspects, but there appears to be little work devoted to its regularity and periodicity. In this article, we study periodicity of user engagement with a popular search engine through applying spectrum analysis to temporal sequences of different engagement metrics. First, we found periodicity patterns of user engagement and revealed classes of users whose periodicity patterns do not change over a long period of time. In addition, we give an exhaustive analysis of the stability and quality of identified clusters. Second, we used the spectrum series as key metrics to evaluate search quality. We found that the novel periodicity metrics outperform the state-of-the-art quality metrics both in terms of significance level (
p
-value) and sensitivity to a large set of larges-scale A/B experiments conducted on real search engine users.
Learning User Attributes via Mobile Social Multimedia Analytics
Authors: Nie Liqiang , Zhang Luming , Wang Meng , Hong Richang , Farseev Aleksandr , Chua Tat-Seng
Published: April 2017

Learning user attributes from mobile social media is a fundamental basis for many applications, such as personalized and targeting services. A large and growing body of literature has investigated the user attributes learning problem. However, far too little attention has been paid to jointly consider the dual heterogeneities of user attributes learning by harvesting multiple social media sources. In particular, user attributes are complementarily and comprehensively characterized by multiple social media sources, including footprints from Foursqare, daily updates from Twitter, professional careers from Linkedin, and photo posts from Instagram. On the other hand, attributes are inter-correlated in a complex way rather than independent to each other, and highly related attributes may share similar feature sets. Towards this end, we proposed a unified model to jointly regularize the source consistency and graph-constrained relatedness among tasks. As a byproduct, it is able to learn the attribute-specific and attribute-sharing features via graph-guided fused lasso penalty. Besides, we have theoretically demonstrated its optimization. Extensive evaluations on a real-world dataset thoroughly demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposed model.
PPU
Authors: Golnari Pareesa Ameneh , Yetim Yavuz , Martonosi Margaret , Vizel Yakir , Malik Sharad
Published: April 2017

With increasing technology scaling and design complexity there are increasing threats from device and circuit failures. This is expected to worsen with post-CMOS devices. Current error-resilient solutions ensure reliability of circuits through protection mechanisms such as redundancy, error correction, and recovery. However, the costs of these solutions may be high, rendering them impractical. In contrast, error-tolerant solutions allow errors in the computation and are positioned to be suitable for error-tolerant applications such as media applications. For such programmable error-tolerant processors, the Instruction-Set-Architecture (ISA) no longer serves as a specification since it is acceptable for the processor to allow for errors during the execution of instructions. In this work, we address this specification gap by defining the basic requirements needed for an error-tolerant processor to provide acceptable results. Furthermore, we formally define properties that capture these requirements. Based on this, we propose the Partially Protected Uniprocessor (PPU), an error-tolerant processor that aims to meet these requirements with low-cost microarchitectural support. These protection mechanisms convert potentially fatal control errors to potentially tolerable data errors instead of ensuring instruction-level or byte-level correctness. The protection mechanisms in PPU protect the system against crashes, unresponsiveness, and external device corruption. In addition, they also provide support for achieving acceptable result quality. Additionally, we provide a methodology that formally proves the specification properties on PPU using model checking. This methodology uses models for the hardware and software that are integrated with the fault and recovery models. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate the results of model checking and the application-level quality of results for PPU.
Ubiquitous Access to Digital Cultural Heritage
Authors: Seifert Christin , Bailer Werner , Orgel Thomas , Gantner Louis , Kern Roman , Ziak Hermann , Petit Albin , Schlötterer Jörg , Zwicklbauer Stefan , Granitzer Michael
Published: April 2017

The digitization initiatives in the past decades have led to a tremendous increase in digitized objects in the cultural heritage domain. Although digitally available, these objects are often not easily accessible for interested users because of the distributed allocation of the content in different repositories and the variety in data structure and standards. When users search for cultural content, they first need to identify the specific repository and then need to know how to search within this platform (e.g., usage of specific vocabulary). The goal of the EEXCESS project is to design and implement an infrastructure that enables ubiquitous access to digital cultural heritage content. Cultural content should be made available in the channels that users habitually visit and be tailored to their current context without the need to manually search multiple portals or content repositories. To realize this goal, open-source software components and services have been developed that can either be used as an integrated infrastructure or as modular components suitable to be integrated in other products and services. The EEXCESS modules and components comprise (i) Web-based context detection, (ii) information retrieval-based, federated content aggregation, (iii) metadata definition and mapping, and (iv) a component responsible for privacy preservation. Various applications have been realized based on these components that bring cultural content to the user in content consumption and content creation scenarios. For example, content consumption is realized by a browser extension generating automatic search queries from the current page context and the focus paragraph and presenting related results aggregated from different data providers. A Google Docs add-on allows retrieval of relevant content aggregated from multiple data providers while collaboratively writing a document. These relevant resources then can be included in the current document either as citation, an image, or a link (with preview) without having to leave disrupt the current writing task for an explicit search in various content providers’ portals.
Big Data Meets Digital Cultural Heritage
Authors: Amato Flora , Moscato Vincenzo , Picariello Antonio , Colace Francesco , Santo Massimo De , Schreiber Fabio A. , Tanca Letizia
Published: April 2017

Information and Communication Technologies have radically changed the modern Cultural Heritage scenery: Simple traditional Information Systems supporting the management of cultural artifacts have left the place to complex systems that expose rich information extracted from heterogeneous data sources—like Sensor Networks, Social Networks, Digital Libraries, Multimedia Collections, Web Data Service, and so on—by means of sophisticated applications that enhance the users’ experience. In this article, we describe SCRABS, a
Smart Context-awaRe Browsing assistant for cultural EnvironmentS
. SCRABS has been developed during the Cultural Heritage Information Systems national project and promoted by DATABENC, the Cultural Heritage Technological District of the Campania Region, in Italy. SCRABS has been designed on top of a Big Data technological stack as the result of a multidisciplinary project carried out by a heterogeneous team of computer scientists, archeologists, architects, and experts in humanities. We describe the main ideas that support the system, showing its use in some real application scenarios located in the Paestum Archeologica Sites.
Partitioned Similarity Search with Cache-Conscious Data Traversal
Authors: Tang Xun , Alabduljalil Maha , Jin Xin , Yang Tao
Published: April 2017

All pairs similarity search (APSS) is used in many web search and data mining applications. Previous work has used techniques such as comparison filtering, inverted indexing, and parallel accumulation of partial results. However, shuffling intermediate results can incur significant communication overhead as data scales up. This paper studies a scalable two-phase approach called Partition-based Similarity Search (PSS). The first phase is to partition the data and group vectors that are potentially similar. The second phase is to run a set of tasks where each task compares a partition of vectors with other candidate partitions. Due to data sparsity and the presence of memory hierarchy, accessing feature vectors during the partition comparison phase incurs significant overhead. This paper introduces a cache-conscious design for data layout and traversal to reduce access time through size-controlled data splitting and vector coalescing, and it provides an analysis to guide the choice of optimization parameters. The evaluation results show that for the tested datasets, the proposed approach can lead to an early elimination of unnecessary I/O and data communication while sustaining parallel efficiency with one order of magnitude of performance improvement and it can also be integrated with LSH for approximated APSS.
Moving Destination Prediction Using Sparse Dataset
Authors: Wang Liang , Yu Zhiwen , Guo Bin , Ku Tao , Yi Fei
Published: April 2017

Moving destination prediction offers an important category of location-based applications and provides essential intelligence to business and governments. In existing studies, a common approach to destination prediction is to match the given query trajectory with massive recorded trajectories by similarity calculation. Unfortunately, due to privacy concerns, budget constraints, and many other factors, in most circumstances, we can only obtain a sparse trajectory dataset. In sparse dataset, the available moving trajectories are far from enough to cover all possible query trajectories; thus the predictability of the matching-based approach will decrease remarkably. Toward destination prediction with sparse dataset, instead of searching similar trajectories over the sparse records, we alternatively examine the changes of distances from sampling locations to final destination on query trajectory. The underlying idea is intuitive: It is directly motivated by travel purpose, people always get closer to the final destination during the movement. By borrowing the conception of gradient descent in optimization theory, we propose a novel moving destination prediction approach, namely MGDPre. Building upon the mobility gradient descent, MGDPre only investigates the behavior characteristics of query trajectory itself without matching historical trajectories, and thus is applicable for sparse dataset. We evaluate our approach based on extensive experiments, using GPS trajectories generated by a sample of taxis over a 10-day period in Shenzhen city, China. The results demonstrate that the effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability of our approach outperform state-of-the-art baseline methods.
WNT5A regulates adipose tissue angiogenesis via antiangiogenic VEGF-A165b in obese humans
Authors: Karki Shakun , Ngo Doan T. M. , Farb Melissa G. , Park Song Young , Saggese Samantha M. , Hamburg Naomi M. , Carmine Brian , Hess Donald T. , Walsh Kenneth , Gokce Noyan
Published: April 2017

Experimental studies have suggested that Wingless-related integration site 5A (WNT5A) is a proinflammatory secreted protein that is associated with metabolic dysfunction in obesity. Impaired angiogenesis in fat depots has been implicated in the development of adipose tissue capillary rarefaction, hypoxia, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. We have recently demonstrated that impaired adipose tissue angiogenesis is associated with overexpression of antiangiogenic factor VEGF-A165b in human fat and the systemic circulation. In the present study, we postulated that upregulation of WNT5A is associated with angiogenic dysfunction and examined its role in regulating VEGF-A165b expression in human obesity. We biopsied subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue from 38 obese individuals (body mass index: 44 ± 7 kg/m2, age: 37 ± 11 yr) during planned bariatric surgery and characterized depot-specific protein expression of VEGF-A165b and WNT5A using Western blot analysis. In both subcutaneous and visceral fat, VEGF-A165b expression correlated strongly with WNT5A protein ( r = 0.9, P < 0.001). In subcutaneous adipose tissue where angiogenic capacity is greater than in the visceral depot, exogenous human recombinant WNT5A increased VEGF-A165b expression in both whole adipose tissue and isolated vascular endothelial cell fractions ( P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). This was associated with markedly blunted angiogenic capillary sprout formation in human fat pad explants. Moreover, recombinant WNT5A increased secretion of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, a negative regulator of angiogenesis, in the sprout media ( P < 0.01). Both VEGF-A165b-neutralizing antibody and secreted frizzled-related protein 5, which acts as a decoy receptor for WNT5A, significantly improved capillary sprout formation and reduced soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 production ( P < 0.05). We demonstrated a significant regulatory nexus between WNT5A and antiangiogenic VEGF-A165b in the adipose tissue of obese subjects that was linked to angiogenic dysfunction. Elevated WNT5A expression in obesity may function as a negative regulator of angiogenesis.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Wingless-related integration site 5a (WNT5A) negatively regulates adipose tissue angiogenesis via VEGF-A165b in human obesity.
Immunomodulators targeting MARCO expression improve resistance to postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia
Authors: Wu Muzo , Gibbons John G. , DeLoid Glen M. , Bedugnis Alice S. , Thimmulappa Rajesh K. , Biswal Shyam , Kobzik Lester
Published: April 2017

Downregulation of the alveolar macrophage (AM) receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) leads to susceptibility to postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia, a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We sought to determine whether immunomodulation of MARCO could improve host defense and resistance to secondary bacterial pneumonia. RNAseq analysis identified a striking increase in MARCO expression between days 9 and 11 after influenza infection and indicated important roles for Akt and Nrf2 in MARCO recovery. In vitro, primary human AM-like monocyte-derived macrophages (AM-MDMs) and THP-1 macrophages were treated with IFNγ to model influenza effects. Activators of Nrf2 (sulforaphane) or Akt (SC79) caused increased MARCO expression and a MARCO-dependent improvement in phagocytosis in IFNγ-treated cells and improved survival in mice with postinfluenza pneumococcal pneumonia. Transcription factor analysis also indicated a role for transcription factor E-box (TFEB) in MARCO recovery. Overexpression of TFEB in THP-1 cells led to marked increases in MARCO. The ability of Akt activation to increase MARCO expression in IFNγ-treated AM-MDMs was abrogated in TFEB-knockdown cells, indicating Akt increases MARCO expression through TFEB. Increasing MARCO expression by targeting Nrf2 signaling or the Akt-TFEB-MARCO pathway are promising strategies to improve bacterial clearance and survival in postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia.
Acute brain trauma, lung injury, and pneumonia: more than just altered mental status and decreased airway protection
Authors: Hu Parker J. , Pittet Jean-Francois , Kerby Jeffrey D. , Bosarge Patrick L. , Wagener Brant M.
Published: April 2017

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Even when patients survive the initial insult, there is significant morbidity and mortality secondary to subsequent pulmonary edema, acute lung injury (ALI), and nosocomial pneumonia. Whereas the relationship between TBI and secondary pulmonary complications is recognized, little is known about the mechanistic interplay of the two phenomena. Changes in mental status secondary to acute brain injury certainly impair airway- and lung-protective mechanisms. However, clinical and translational evidence suggests that more specific neuronal and cellular mechanisms contribute to impaired systemic and lung immunity that increases the risk of TBI-mediated lung injury and infection. To better understand the cellular mechanisms of that immune impairment, we review here the current clinical data that support TBI-induced impairment of systemic and lung immunity. Furthermore, we also review the animal models that attempt to reproduce human TBI. Additionally, we examine the possible role of damage-associated molecular patterns, the chlolinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, and sex dimorphism in post-TBI ALI. In the last part of the review, we discuss current treatments and future pharmacological therapies, including fever control, tracheostomy, and corticosteroids, aimed to prevent and treat pulmonary edema, ALI, and nosocomial pneumonia after TBI.