bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychometric testing of the Caring Behaviors Inventory for nursing students
Authors: Fenizia Elisa , Marchetti Anna , Biagioli Valentina , Romano Maria C. , Raso Annalisa , Gambera Angelo , De Marinis Maria Grazia , Piredda Michela
Published: June 2019

Aim and objective

To test the psychometric properties of the nursing students' version of the 24‐item Caring Behaviours Inventory.

Background

Caring is at the heart of nursing and should also be a core value in nursing education. Caring can be manifested through measurable behaviours. The Caring Behaviors Inventory is a valid and reliable measure of nurses' caring behaviours in clinical settings. It has already been used among nursing students, but it needs more psychometric testing.

Design

Cross‐sectional validation study.

Method

The questionnaire was filled in by 300 undergraduate nursing students at two Italian universities in May 2016. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using Mplus maximum likelihood with GEOMIN oblique rotation. A multifaceted approach was used to evaluate the model fit. The STROBE checklist for cross‐sectional studies was followed.

Results

Four dimensions were identified: “being with,” “doing with competence,” “responding to individual needs” and “providing effective care.” Adequate fit indices and high reliability of the factors were found. Correlations between factors were positive and significant.

Conclusion

This study makes it possible to use the same tool to compare the caring practices perceived by students, nurses and patients. Further studies with bigger samples could be stratified to investigate the associations between caring levels and student characteristics. The Caring Behaviors Inventory can be used to call attention to caring in nursing education, helping to make this concept less elusive.

Relevance to clinical practice

The effective self‐assessment of nursing students' caring behaviours offers opportunities for reflection on their caring practice. This could improve the caring level of their behaviours in clinical practice and help them to become caring nurses in the future.
The symptoms, resourcefulness and quality of life in community‐based patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Yu Ching‐Yun , Lai Chien Yu , Chang Yu‐Shan , Wu Ching‐Kuan , Chung Feng‐Chin
Published: June 2019

Aims and objectives

To test Zauszniewski's resourcefulness and quality of life theory in community‐based patients with schizophrenia. The objectives were to: (a) examine the relationship among psychotic symptoms, resourcefulness and quality of life, and (b) explore the determinants of quality of life.

Background

According to Zauszniewski's resourcefulness and quality of life theory, for patients, the skills constituting resourcefulness should centre on helping oneself or the use of resources to achieve their health. While the significant associations between resourcefulness and quality of life have been consistently delineated in published research, little is known about resourcefulness in patients with schizophrenia.

Design

A cross‐sectional study design was used in this study.

Methods

A total of 120 patients were recruited with convenience sampling who received home care service and community rehabilitation programme. The participants were assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Resourcefulness Scale and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale‐BREF. The psychotic symptoms were rated by the researchers with structured face‐to‐face interviews. Resourcefulness and quality of life were assessed through self‐reporting. STROBE checklist was followed.

Results

The data were analysed using one‐way analysis of variance, t test, Pearson's correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results showed that employment status and psychotic symptoms were correlated with resourcefulness, while employment status, psychotic symptoms and resourcefulness were correlated with quality of life. Resourcefulness and psychotic symptoms were the determinants of quality of life.

Conclusion

Patients with employment and less psychotic symptoms had greater resourcefulness. In addition, patients with employment, less psychotic symptoms and greater resourcefulness had better quality of life.

Relevance to clinical practice

Community rehabilitation programmes should include supported employment, symptom management and resourcefulness skills training to enhance patients' resourcefulness and quality of life.
Online information on dysmenorrhoea: An evaluation of readability, credibility, quality and usability
Authors: Lovett Jordan , Gordon Candice , Patton Shelby , Chen Chen X.
Published: June 2019

Aims and objectives

To evaluate online information on dysmenorrhoea, including readability, credibility, quality and usability.

Background

Menstrual pain impacts 45%–95% of women of reproductive age globally and is the leading cause of school and work absences among women. Women often seek online information on dysmenorrhoea; however, little is known about the information quality.

Design

This was a descriptive study to evaluate online information on dysmenorrhoea.

Methods

We imitated search strategies of the general public. Specifically, we employed the three most popular search engines worldwide—Google, Yahoo and Bing—and used lay search terms, “period pain” and “menstrual cramps.” We screened 60 web pages. Following removal of duplicates and irrelevant web pages, 25 met the eligibility criteria. Two team members independently evaluated the included web pages using standardised tools. Readability was evaluated with the Flesch–Kincaid Reading Ease and Flesch–Kincaid Grade formulas; credibility, quality and usability were evaluated with established tools. We followed the STROBE checklist for reporting this study.

Results

For readability, the mean Flesch–Kincaid level was 10th grade. For credibility, 8% of web pages referenced scientific literature and 28% stated the author's name and qualifications. For quality, no web page employed user‐driven content production; 8% of web pages referenced evidence‐based guidelines, 32% of web pages had accurate content, and 4% of web pages recommended shared decision‐making. Most web pages were interactive and included nontextual information. Some nontextual information was inaccurate.

Conclusion

Online information on dysmenorrhoea has generally low readability, mixed credibility and variable quality.

Relevance to clinical practice

Strategies to improve health information on dysmenorrhoea include avoiding complex terms, incorporating visual aids, presenting evidence‐based information and developing a decision aid to support shared decision‐making. Healthcare providers should be aware of the problematic health information that individuals are exposed to and provide education about how to navigate online health information.
Building a predictive model for successful vaginal delivery in nulliparas with term cephalic singleton pregnancies using decision tree analysis
Authors: Zhao Rui‐Fen , Zhang Wei‐Yuan , Zhou Li , Chen Yi
Published: June 2019

Aim

To establish a model predicting successful vaginal delivery (VD) in nulliparas with term cephalic singleton pregnancies.

Methods

We retrospectively identified 6799 term nulliparas with cephalic singletons (6416 VD and 383 cesarean section [CS] due to dystocia) who entered labor (cervical dilation ≥2 cm) between September 2014 and August 2015. Using VD as the dependent variable and age, maternal body height, educational attainment, gravidity, gestational age, pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI), BMI upon admission for delivery, gestational weight gain, gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes as the independent variables, predictors of VD success were identified using a multivariate binary logistic regression and then ranked with decision‐tree analysis.

Results

While multiple factors are associated with improved VD success, we found body height, gestational age, and intrapartum BMI to be the best predictors of successful VD. Our predictive model has a classification accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 76.6%, 96.7% and 16.4%, respectively, and it was subsequently confirmed by both internal and external validation.

Conclusion

Our predictive model indicates body height, gestational age and intrapartum BMI as the major predictors of successful VD in low‐risk patients.
Overexpression of AKR1B10 predicts tumor recurrence and short survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients
Authors: Fang Chih‐Yeu , Lin Yun‐Ho , Chen Chi‐Long
Published: June 2019

Background

Aldo‐keto reductase family 1 member B10 (AKR1B10) is an enzyme implicated in physiological xenobiotic detoxification and also in pathological carcinogenesis. Overexpression of AKR1B10 has been reported in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but its correlation with clinical prognosis is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate and clarify the role of AKR1B10 in OSCC carcinogenesis.

Methods

Tumor tissue specimens were surgically obtained from 107 patients with OSCC. The expression of AKR1B10 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry to explore the relationship between the level of AKR1B10 and clinicopathological features of OSCC patients. Kaplan‐Meier survival and Cox proportional hazard analysis were used to determine the prognostic value of AKR1B10 in OSCC.

Results

High expression of AKR1B10 was found to be associated with tumor size (P = 0.043), perineural invasion (P = 0.012), and recurrence (P = 0.001) in OSCC. Cox model analysis revealed that high expression of AKR1B10 is significantly associated with poor overall and disease‐free survival in OSCC patients. With the combination of clinicopathological factors in analysis, we found that the expression level of AKR1B10 was a practical indicator that could categorize OSCC patients into different risk groups. High expression of AKR1B10 was associated with a reduced survival in patients with well and moderately differentiated OSCC and even a high incidence of tumor recurrence in the patients with late‐stage (III and IV) disease.

Conclusion

We validated and expanded data on the expression of AKR1B10 in OSCC, suggesting that it is a valuable biomarker for prognostic prediction of recurrence and survival in OSCC.
Evaluation of Educational Interventions to Enhance Adolescent Specific Vaccination Coverage
Authors: Underwood Natasha L. , Gargano Lisa M. , Sales Jessica , Vogt Tara M. , Seib Katherine , Hughes James M.
Published: June 2019

BACKGROUND

In this study, we assessed impact of two educational interventions designed to increase coverage of three vaccines recommended during adolescence among Georgia middle and high school students (tetanus diphtheria pertussis [Tdap], meningococcal [MenACWY], and human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccines).

METHODS

We randomized 11 middle and high schools in one school district into one of three arms: (1) control; (2) educational intervention for parents only (P only); and (3) multicomponent educational intervention for parents and adolescents (P + A), which consisted of educational brochures for parents about vaccines recommended during adolescence and a vaccine‐focused curriculum delivered to adolescents by science teachers. We obtained vaccination coverage data during intervention years from the state immunization registry.

RESULTS

Odds of receiving at least one vaccine during the study were higher among adolescents in P + A arm compared to control (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.4; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.1–2.0). Adolescents in P + A arm had greater odds of receiving at least one vaccine compared with those in P only arm (OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1–1.7).

CONCLUSIONS

A multicomponent educational intervention for adolescents and parents increased adolescent vaccination uptake. Results suggest similar interventions can increase awareness and demand for vaccines among parents and adolescents.
Association between nut consumption and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults
Authors: Zhang Shunming , Fu Jingzhu , Zhang Qing , Liu Li , Meng Ge , Yao Zhanxin , Wu Hongmei , Bao Xue , Gu Yeqing , Lu Min , Sun Shaomei , Wang Xing , Zhou Ming , Jia Qiyu , Song Kun , Xiang Huiling , Wu Yuntang , Niu Kaijun
Published: June 2019

Background & Aims

Increased nut consumption has been associated with reduced inflammation, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress. Although these factors are closely involved in the pathogenesis of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), few studies have focused on the association between nut consumption and NAFLD in the general population. We aimed to investigate the association of nut consumption and NAFLD in an adult population.

Methods

A total of 23 915 participants from Tianjin Chronic Low‐Grade Systemic Inflammation and Health (TCLSIH) Cohort Study were included in this study. Information on dietary intake was collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Abdominal ultrasonography was done to diagnose NAFLD. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association of nut consumption with NAFLD.

Results

After adjusting for sociodemographic, medical, dietary, and lifestyle variables, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for NAFLD across categories of nut consumption were 1.00 (reference) for <1 time/week, 0.91 (0.82, 1.02) for 1 time/week, 0.88 (0.76, 1.02) for 2‐3 times/week, and 0.80 (0.69, 0.92) for ≥4 times/week (P for trend < 0.01). These associations were attenuated but remained significant after further adjustment for blood lipids, glucose, and inflammation markers.

Conclusions

Higher nut consumption was significantly associated with lower prevalence of NAFLD. Further prospective studies and randomized trials are required to ascertain the causal association between nut consumption and NAFLD.
DrRecQ regulates guanine quadruplex DNA structure dynamics and its impact on radioresistance in Deinococcus radiodurans
Authors: Khairnar Nivedita P. , Maurya Ganesh Kumar , Pandey Neha , Das Anubrata , Misra Hari S.
Published: June 2019

The GC‐rich genome of Deinococcus radiodurans contains a very high density of putative guanine quadruplex (G4) DNA motifs and its RecQ (drRecQ) was earlier characterized as a 3′→5′ dsDNA helicase. We saw that N‐Methyl mesoporphyrin IX (NMM), a G4 DNA binding drug affected normal growth as well as the gamma radiation resistance of the wild‐type bacterium. Interestingly, NMM treatment and recQ deletion showed additive effect on normal growth but there was no effect of NMM on gamma radiation resistance of recQ mutant. The recombinant drRecQ showed ~400 times higher affinity to G4 DNA (Kd = 11.74 ± 1.77 nM) as compared to dsDNA (Kd = 4.88 ± 1.30 µM). drRecQ showed ATP independent helicase function on G4 DNA, which was higher than ATP‐dependent helicase activity on dsDNA. Unlike wild‐type cells that sparingly stained for G4 structure with Thioflavin T (ThT), recQ mutant showed very high‐density of ThT fluorescence foci on DNA indicating an important role of drRecQ in regulation of G4 DNA structure dynamics in vivo. These results together suggested that drRecQ is an ATP independent G4 DNA helicase that plays an important role in the regulation of G4 DNA structure dynamics and its impact on radioresistance in D. radiodurans.
APOLLO‐2: A Randomized, Placebo and Active‐Controlled Phase III Study Investigating Oliceridine (TRV130), a G Protein–Biased Ligand at the μ‐Opioid Receptor, for Management of Moderate to Severe Acute Pain Following Abdominoplasty
Authors: Singla Neil K. , Skobieranda Franck , Soergel David G. , Salamea Monica , Burt David A. , Demitrack Mark A. , Viscusi Eugene R.
Published: June 2019

Objectives

The clinical utility of conventional IV opioids is limited by the occurrence of opioid‐related adverse events. Oliceridine is a novel G protein–biased μ‐opioid receptor agonist designed to provide analgesia with an improved safety and tolerability profile. This phase III, double‐blind, randomized trial (APOLLO‐2 [NCT02820324]) evaluated the efficacy and safety of oliceridine for acute pain following abdominoplasty.

Methods

Patients received a loading dose of either placebo, oliceridine (1.5 mg), or morphine (4 mg), followed by demand doses via patient‐controlled analgesia (0.1, 0.35, or 0.5 mg oliceridine; 1 mg morphine; or placebo) with a 6‐minute lockout interval. The primary endpoint was the proportion of treatment responders over 24 hours for oliceridine regimens compared to placebo. Secondary outcomes included a predefined composite measure of respiratory safety burden (RSB, representing the cumulative duration of respiratory safety events) and the proportion of treatment responders vs. morphine.

Results

A total of 401 patients were treated with study medication. Effective analgesia was observed for all oliceridine regimens, with responder rates of 61.0%, 76.3%, and 70.0% for the 0.1‐, 0.35‐, and 0.5‐mg regimens, respectively, compared with 45.7% for placebo (all P < 0.05) and 78.3% for morphine. Oliceridine 0.35‐ and 0.5‐mg demand dose regimens were equi‐analgesic to morphine using a noninferiority analysis. RSB showed a dose‐dependent increase across oliceridine regimens (mean hours [standard deviation], 0.1 mg: 0.43 [1.56]; 0.35 mg: 1.48 [3.83]; 0.5 mg: 1.59 [4.26]; all comparisons not significant at P > 0.05 vs. placebo: 0.60 [2.82]). The RSB measure for morphine was 1.72 (3.86) (P < 0.05 vs. placebo). Gastrointestinal adverse events increased in a dose‐dependent manner across oliceridine demand dose regimens (0.1 mg: 49.4%; 0.35 mg: 65.8%; 0.5 mg: 78.8%; vs. placebo: 47.0%; and morphine: 79.3%). In comparison to morphine, the proportion of patients experiencing nausea or vomiting was lower with the 2 equi‐analgesic dose regimens of 0.35 and 0.5 mg oliceridine.

Conclusions

Oliceridine is a safe and effective IV analgesic for the relief of moderate to severe acute postoperative pain in patients undergoing abdominoplasty. Since the low‐dose regimen of 0.1 mg oliceridine was superior to placebo but not as effective as the morphine regimen, safety comparisons to morphine are relevant only to the 2 equi‐analgesic dose groups of 0.35 and 0.5 mg, which showed a favorable safety and tolerability profile regarding respiratory and gastrointestinal adverse effects compared to morphine. These findings support that oliceridine may provide a new treatment option for patients with moderate to severe acute pain where an IV opioid is warranted.
Multiple GmWRI1s are redundantly involved in seed filling and nodulation by regulating plastidic glycolysis, lipid biosynthesis and hormone signalling in soybean (Glycine max)
Authors: Chen Beibei , Zhang Gaoyang , Li Penghui , Yang Jihong , Guo Liang , Benning Christoph , Wang Xuemin , Zhao Jian
Published: June 2019

It has been reported that lipid biosynthesis in plant host root cells plays critical roles in legume‐fungal or ‐rhizobial symbioses, but little is known about its regulatory mechanism in legume–rhizobia interaction. Soybean WRINKLED1 (WRI1) a and b, with their alternative splicing (AS) products a’ and b’, are highly expressed in developing seeds and nodules, but their functions in soybean nodulation are not known. GmWRI1a and b differently promoted triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in both Arabidopsis wild‐type and wri1 mutant seeds and when they ectopically expressed in the soybean hairy roots. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 15 genes containing AW boxes in their promoters were targeted by GmWRI1s, including genes involved in glycolysis, fatty acid (FA) and TAG biosynthesis. GmWRI1a, GmWRI1b and b’ differentially transactivated most targeted genes. Overexpression of GmWRI1s affected phospholipid and galactolipid synthesis, soluble sugar and starch contents and led to increased nodule numbers, whereas GmWRI1 knockdown hairy roots interfered root glycolysis and lipid biosynthesis and resulted in fewer nodules. These phenomena in GmWRI1 mutants coincided with the altered expression of nodulation genes. Thus, GmWRI1‐regulated starch degradation, glycolysis and lipid biosynthesis were critical for nodulation. GmWRI1 mutants also altered auxin and other hormone‐related biosynthesis and hormone‐related genes, by which GmWRI1s may affect nodule development. The study expands the views for pleiotropic effects of WRI1s in regulating soybean seed filling and root nodulation.
Creating a Linked Consumer Register for Granular Demographic Analysis
Authors: Lansley Guy , Li Wen , Longley Paul A.
Published: June 2019

A very large share of the adult population frequently assent to provide data on their place of residence to local governments and businesses when registering for or acquiring goods and services. When linked together, such data can provide highly granular inventories of local populations and their characteristics on far faster refresh cycles than conventional statistical sources. However, each of the constituent sources of data is of largely unknown provenance. We describe how careful curation, linkage and analysis of sources of consumer and administrative data can resolve many questions of content and coverage, resulting in comprehensive, highly disaggregate and frequently updateable representations of population structure, along with reliable estimates of incompleteness and possible bias. We link 20 consecutive annual public UK registers of electors to a range of sources of consumer data to create annual updates to a longitudinal profile of the adult residents of almost every domestic property. We illustrate the applicability and value of the resulting unique data resource through the derivation of an annual small area household change index. We also assess the prospects of other, related, data linkage projects.
Thirty years of theThree Worlds of Welfare Capitalism: A review of reviews
Authors: Powell Martin , Yörük Erdem , Bargu Ali
Published: June 2019

In the 30 or so years since the publication of Gosta Esping‐Andersenapos;sThree Worlds of Welfare Capitalisma number of rival welfare state typologies have emerged. This article has two broad aims. First, we review the reviews of welfare state typologies, pointing to issues of often unclear case selection and a wide range of concepts, variables, and methods, resulting in a variety of worlds of welfare and their constituent nations. We show that there is a great variety in the welfare modelling business at two different levels. Reviews vary significantly in terms of the number and composition of included studies, which has made it difficult to sum up the “state of the art.” Individual studies included in the reviews also vary significantly in terms of issues such as aims, concepts, variables, and methods. Second, we produce a new review, which adds value as it is based on a clearer search strategy, and includes more recent material that was not available in earlier reviews. This finds that there is a great variety in terms of process (concepts, variables, methods, and number of countries) and findings (the number and composition of “worlds”). We argue that the country classification seems to show less consensus that previous reviews, with fewer “pure” nations (i.e., agreement between studies). We suggest that in order to provide a clear point of engagement, future reviews need to pay more attention to a clear and explicit search strategy, including issues such as inclusion criteria.
Comparison of the hydrolysis characteristics of three polyphosphates and their effects on soil phosphorus and micronutrient availability
Authors: Wang Xuewei , Gao Yanju , Hu Baowei , Chu Guixin
Published: June 2019

Polyphosphate is an alternative phosphorus (P) source which can substitute for orthophosphate‐based P fertilizers in agriculture. In order to explore the effects of polyphosphate addition on soil P availability, and how pH and temperature affect polyphosphate hydrolysis, an aqueous and a soil incubation experiment were conducted at different pHs (5.0 and 8.2) and temperatures (15, 25 and 35°C); the influence of polyphosphate addition on soil available micronutrients (i.e., iron—Fe, manganese—Mn and zinc—Zn) was also studied. The experiments used three different polyphosphate fertilizers (solid and liquid ammonium polyphosphate and polyphosphoric acid) and two soil types (acid and alkaline). In aqueous incubation conditions, the average amount of phosphate () released from polyphosphate fertilizers at 35°C was 2.7 times greater than at 25°C. The average Olsen P in polyphosphate‐treated soil at 35°C was 1.12 times greater than at 25°C, indicating that higher temperature facilitates polyphosphate hydrolysis. Polyphosphate hydrolysis increased as the pH decreased in aqueous solution, but its hydrolysis rate was greater in calcareous soil than in acid soil. Moreover, polyphosphate significantly increased soil available Fe, Mn and Zn concentrations by an average of 14%, 16% and 20%, respectively, relative to orthophosphate fertilizer. In summary, high temperature and low pH favour the hydrolysis of short‐chain polyphosphate (aqueous incubation experiment), and polyphosphate significantly increases soil P availability and mobilizes soil micronutrients. The application of polyphosphate can be recommended as a pragmatic P management strategy in agriculture: however, soil temperature and pH should be taken into account when using polyphosphate fertilizers.
Can we answer transfusion questions with retrospective data?
Authors: Stansbury Lynn G. , Hess Aaron S.
Published: June 2019

See article on page 1962–1970, in this issue
An asymmetric analysis of the J‐curve effect in the commodity trade between China and the US
Authors: Bahmani‐Oskooee Mohsen , Bose Niloy , Zhang Yun
Published: June 2019

This paper follows a non‐linear ARDL error‐correction approach to examine the presence of the J‐curve in the commodity‐level trade between the United States and China. The analysis disaggregates the US–China trade flows by commodities and separately examines the trade balance responses of 97 commodities to the changes in the real yuan–US$ exchange rates. The analysis at the commodity level alleviates potential aggregation bias that is present in earlier studies offering little evidence for long‐run asymmetric effects of exchange rate on the China–US trade balance. We find strong support for short‐run asymmetric effects in the case of two‐third of the commodities, whereas significant long‐run asymmetric effects are present in the case of one‐third of the commodities including those commodities which command large shares in the China–US trade.
Single‐port laparoscopic‐assisted ovariohysterectomy with a modified glove‐port technique in dogs
Authors: Bydzovsky Nina D. , Bockstahler Barbara , Dupré Gilles
Published: June 2019

Objective

To describe a single‐port laparoscopic‐assisted ovariohysterectomy (LOHE) with a modified glove‐port technique in dogs and compare it with previously published laparoscopic techniques for LOHE in dogs.

Study design

Prospective clinical study and technique description.

Animals

Forty‐two healthy female dogs.

Methods

Laparoscopic‐assisted ovariohysterectomy was performed with a custom‐made single‐port device. The total duration of surgery from first incision to skin closure was compared with previously published durations of LOHE in dogs. Short‐term complications were recorded.

Results

The median total duration of surgery was 24 minutes (range, 17.5–39.5; mean, 25.73; SD, 6.12), which was shorter than that described in most previously reported studies of LOHE in dogs (range, 20.8 ± 4.00–60.0 ± 18.45 minutes; P < .001). Intraoperative complications were minor, but wound complications occurred in 12 of 42 (29%) dogs.

Conclusion

Single‐port LOHE with the glove‐port technique in combination with a wound retractor and nonarticulated instruments was completed in all dogs. This technique was faster than what has been previously reported for other LOHE, but local wound complications were common.

Clinical relevance

The glove‐port technique described here offers a low‐cost alternative to other commercially available single‐port devices.
Characteristics of an atrazine degrading bacterium and the construction of a microbial agent for effective atrazine degradation
Authors: Zhu Jiangwei , Fu Li , Meng Zili , Jin Caihua
Published: June 2019

A bacterial strain, YQJ‐6, capable of highly degrading atrazine was isolated from soil. Strain YQJ‐6 was identified as Bacillus atrophaeus based on 16S rRNA and the analysis of morphology as well as physiological and biochemical characteristics. The optimal pH value and temperature for strain YQJ‐6 to grow and degrade atrazine were 7.0–7.5 and 30–40°C, respectively. The degradation rate of atrazine (50 mg/L) by strain YQJ‐6 reached approximately 99.2% in 7 days. Strain YQJ‐6 also had a high tolerance to atrazine and could tolerate at least 1000 mg/L atrazine. In addition, strain YQJ‐6 was successfully made into a microbial agent that is easy to commercialize and can be used to treat atrazine residues in soil. The microbial agent containing the strain YQJ‐6 achieved good experimental results. It is believed that strain YQJ‐6 can be used to control atrazine pollution.
Selective denervation of the aortic and carotid baroreceptors in rats
Authors: Castania Jaci A. , Katayama Pedro L. , Brognara Fernanda , Moraes Davi J. A. , Sabino João Paulo J. , Salgado Helio C.
Published: June 2019

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

The traditional surgical approach for sino‐aortic denervation in rats leads to simultaneous carotid baroreceptor and chemoreceptor deactivation, which does not permit their individual study in different situations.

What is the main finding and its importance?

We have described a new surgical approach capable of selective denervation of the arterial (aortic and carotid) baroreceptors, keeping the carotid bodies (chemoreceptors) intact. It is understood that this technique might be a useful tool for investigating the relative role of the baro‐ and chemoreceptors in several physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

Studies have demonstrated that the traditional surgical approach for sino‐aortic denervation in rats leads to simultaneous carotid baroreceptor and chemoreceptor deactivation. The present study reports a new surgical approach to denervate the aortic and the carotid baroreceptors selectively, keeping the carotid bodies (peripheral chemoreceptors) intact. Wistar rats were subjected to specific aortic and carotid baroreceptor denervation (BAROS‐X) or sham surgery (SHAM). Baroreflex activation was achieved by i.v. administration of phenylephrine, whereas peripheral chemoreflex activation was produced by i.v. administration of potassium cyanide. The SHAM and BAROS‐X rats displayed significant hypertensive responses to phenylephrine administration. However, the reflex bradycardia following the hypertensive response caused by phenylephrine was remarkable in SHAM, but not significant in the BAROS‐X animals, confirming the efficacy of the surgical procedure to abolish the baroreflex. In addition, the baroreflex activation elicited by phenylephrine increased carotid sinus nerve activity only in SHAM, but not in the BAROS‐X animals, providing support to the notion that the baroreceptor afferents were absent. Instead, the classical peripheral chemoreflex hypertensive and bradycardic responses to potassium cyanide were similar in both groups, suggesting that the carotid body chemoreceptors were preserved after BAROS‐X. In summary, we describe a new surgical approach in which only the baroreceptors are eliminated, while the carotid chemoreceptors are preserved. Therefore, it is understood that this procedure is potentially a useful tool for examining the relative roles of the arterial baroreceptors versus the chemoreceptors in several pathophysiological conditions, for instance, arterial hypertension and heart failure.
Numerical Analysis and Experimental Validation of an Nondestructive Evaluation Method to Measure Stress in Rails
Authors: Nasrollahi Amir , Rizzo Piervincenzo
Published: June 2019

This article presents a numerical formulation and the experimental validation of the dynamic interaction between highly nonlinear solitary waves generated along a mono-periodic array of spherical particles and rails in a point contact with the array. A general finite element model of rails was developed and coupled to a discrete particle model able to predict the propagation of the solitary waves along a L-shaped array located perpendicular and in contact with the web of the rail. The models were validated experimentally by testing a 0.9-m long and a 2.4-m long rail segments subjected to compressive load. The scope of the study was the development of a new nondestructive evaluation technique able to estimate the stress in continuous welded rails and eventually to infer the temperature at which the longitudinal stress in the rail is zero. The numerical findings presented in this article demonstrate that certain features, such as the amplitude and time of flight, of the solitary waves are affected by the axial stress. The experimental results validated the numerical predictions and warrant the validation of the nondestructive evaluation system against real rails.
Structural constitutive modeling of the anisotropic mechanical properties of human vocal fold lamina propria
Authors: Zhang Zhaoyan
Published: June 2019

The anisotropic mechanical properties of the vocal fold lamina propria play an important role in voice production and control. The goal of this study is to develop a constitutive model capable of predicting lamina propria elastic moduli along both the longitudinal and transverse directions under different conditions of vocal fold elongation, which can be used as input to reduced-order phonation models based on linear elasticity. A structurally-based constitutive model that links microstructural characteristics of the lamina propria to its macromechanical properties is proposed. The model prediction has been shown to agree reasonably well with recent biaxial tensile testing results.
Coaches’ and Officials’ Self-Reporting of Observational Learning
Authors: St. Germain Laura , Rymal Amanda M. , Hancock David J.
Published: June 2019

Sport participants continually seek methods to hone their skills and achieve expert performance. One means to achieve this is through the use of observational learning (OL). The Functions of Observational Learning Questionnaire (FOLQ) was created to measure the types of OL athletes used. The data presented herein builds from prior research in which the use of the FOLQ was extended to coaches and officials. The researchers included the following open-ended question: “Do you observe others/self for anything not addressed above?” Responses to this question, however, have yet to be reported. As such, the purpose of this study was to analyze participants’ responses to understand how coaches and officials use observational learning. Many identified codes encompassed ideas already included within the FOLQ; however, new coding categories emerged. Specifically, coaches reported using observational learning for Self-Reflection, officials reported using observational learning for Self-Presentation, and both groups reported using observational learning to improve Communication. These results demonstrate the importance of OL to coaches’ and officials’ development. Further, the results highlight that the FOLQ might overlook coaches’ and officials’ uses of OL. Regardless, the various uses of OL ought to be included in coaching and officiating education programs to foster elite performance.
Design and evaluation of engineered protein biosensors for live-cell imaging of EGFR phosphorylation
Authors: Tiruthani Karthik , Mischler Adam , Ahmed Shoeb , Mahinthakumar Jessica , Haugh Jason M. , Rao Balaji M.
Published: June 2019

Engineered biosensors accurately report the kinetics of EGFR activation.
Adaptive Responses of
Shewanella decolorationis
to Toxic Organic Extracellular Electron Acceptor Azo Dyes in Anaerobic Respiration
Authors: Fang Yun , Liu Jun , Kong Guannan , Liu Xueduan , Yang Yonggang , Li Enze , Chen Xingjuan , Song Da , You Xuejiao , Sun Guoping , Guo Jun , Xu Meiying
Published: June 2019

Keeping toxic organic pollutants (TOPs) in tolerable levels is a huge challenge for bacteria in extremely unfavorable environments since TOPs could serve as energy substitutes but also as survival stresses when they are beyond some thresholds. This study focused on the underlying adaptive mechanisms of ecologically successful bacterium
Shewanella decolorationis
S12 when exposed to amaranth, a typical toxic organic pollutant, as the extracellular electron acceptor. Our results suggest that filamentous shift is a flexible and valid way to solve the dilemma between the energy resource and toxic stress. Filamentous cells regulate gene expression to enhance their degradation and detoxification capabilities, resulting in a strong viability. These novel adaptive responses to TOPs are believed to be an evolutionary achievement to succeed in harsh habitats and thus have great potential to be applied to environment engineering or synthetic biology if we could picture every unknown node in this pathway.
Methanogenic Degradation of Long
n
-Alkanes Requires Fumarate-Dependent Activation
Authors: Ji Jia-Heng , Liu Yi-Fan , Zhou Lei , Mbadinga Serge Maurice , Pan Pan , Chen Jing , Liu Jin-Feng , Yang Shi-Zhong , Sand Wolfgang , Gu Ji-Dong , Mu Bo-Zhong
Published: June 2019

Methanogenic hydrocarbon degradation is the major process for oil degradation in subsurface oil reservoirs and is blamed for the formation of heavy oil and oil sands. Addition of
n
-alkanes to fumarate yielding alkyl-substituted succinates is a well-characterized anaerobic activation mechanism for hydrocarbons and is the most common activation mechanism in the anaerobic biodegradation of
n
-alkanes with chain lengths less than C
16
. However, the activation mechanism involved in the methanogenic biodegradation of
n
-alkanes longer than C
16
is still uncertain. In this study, we analyzed a methanogenic enrichment culture amended with a mixture of C
16
to C
20
n
-alkanes. These
n
-alkanes can be activated via fumarate addition by mixed cultures containing
Smithella
and
Desulfatibacillum
species under methanogenic conditions. These observations provide a fundamental understanding of long-
n
-alkane metabolism under methanogenic conditions and have important applications for the remediation of oil-contaminated sites and for energy recovery from oil reservoirs.
Development of Broth Microdilution MIC and Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Quality Control Ranges for the Combination of Cefepime and the Novel β-Lactamase Inhibitor Enmetazobactam
Authors: Belley Adam , Huband Michael D. , Fedler Kelley A. , Watters Amy A. , Flamm Robert K. , Shapiro Stuart , Knechtle Philipp
Published: June 2019

Third-generation cephalosporin resistance among
Enterobacteriaceae
, mediated by the spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), is a very serious medical concern with limited therapeutic options. Enmetazobactam (formerly AAI101) is a novel penicillanic sulfone β-lactamase inhibitor active against a wide range of ESBLs. The combination of enmetazobactam and cefepime has entered phase 3 development in patients with complicated urinary tract infections.
Ocular Glands Become Infected Secondarily to Infectious Keratitis and Play a Role in Corneal Resistance to Infection
Authors: Montgomery Micaela L. , Callegan Michelle C. , Fuller Kevin K. , Carr Daniel J. J.
Published: June 2019

Microbial keratitis accounts for up to 700,000 clinical visits annually in the United States. The involvement of ocular glands during microbial keratitis is not readily appreciated, and treatment options do not address the consequences of ocular gland dysfunction. The present study shows that ocular glands are susceptible to direct infection by common ocular pathogens, including HSV-1 and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, subsequent to microbial keratitis. Additionally, ocular glands contribute soluble factors that play a role in corneal resistance to HSV-1 and alter viral load, corneal edema, and immune cell infiltration. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which this occurs.
Natural history museums: Facilitating science literacy across the globe
Authors: Lipps Jere H.
Published: June 2019

Natural history museums’ (NHMs) primary missions are to collect, curate, and research natural history objects (life, earth, human cultures, and other specimens), and to use them for public education and outreach. The museums have the potential to enhance lifelong science literacy in unique, direct ways based on the collections they house. Ever since 1683, NHMs have exhibited specimens and educated visitors. Now, thousands of NHMs operate across the globe in ~100 countries, but no two of them are alike. Each resembles the others in the primary missions but differs significantly in collection size and diversity, research efforts, staff size and tasks, styles, public displays, outreach, and education. NHMs are thus complicated businesses due to the wide variety of tasks, objectives, and audiences.

Collections are the heart of a NHM, for everything depends on them. These collections are all biased for a number of reasons, but none of them could contain an example of every kind of natural history object. The big museums have the oldest and largest collections, while smaller NHMs have mostly local collections. Collections are further biased because only a small part of any of them can be exhibited; hence, specimens with certain attractive characteristics are selected for display and use in education and outreach. Many NHMs use replicas of specimens in occasional displays for a variety of reasons to enhance the visitor experience, chiefly to bring rare or fragile specimens to them. This is all normal and to be expected.

The overall outreach aim of NHMs should be to encourage and provide lifelong learning for everyone. People who attend NHMs are mostly educated, and, in Europe and America, chiefly white and middle to upper class. Ethnic or economically disadvantaged groups commonly find NHMs unwelcoming, alienating, and largely irrelevant to their own lives; hence, they make up only a small portion of attendees. In addition, people with physical and mental limitations of mobility, size, sight, hearing, and understanding must be accommodated in NHMs. Museums need to engage these people and to develop programs and exhibits that they will find attractive because these populations will increase in the future.

Exciting, stimulating, and engaging exhibits built around the collections of the NHMs can welcome all groups, if the culture and experiences of these people are understood. Sight, touch, sound, and smell are part of a more realistic exhibit and can reinforce the attractiveness of an exhibit. Real objects from the collections, displayed with imagination and creativity focused on the entire population served by the museum, can captivate and welcome people back again and encourage new visitors to attend.

Technology should be adopted to complement, not replace, exhibits of actual specimens from the NHM. Perhaps the most important computer technology will be artificial intelligence (AI). This bodes well for the future in planning, organizing, and integrating all aspects of the complicated functioning of a NHM.
Filippo Buonanni and the Kircher Museum
Authors: Inglehart Ashley J.
Published: June 2019

This paper investigates the role played by Italian naturalist, Filippo Buonanni (1638–1723), in the reorganization of the Kircher Museum. Specifically, it considers Buonanni’s unique philosophy of nature, which can be gleaned from his public debates about spontaneous generation and fossil formation. This paper argues that Buonanni rejected a conformity of causes in nature, which in turn informed his approach to natural history. His unique approach helped to transform Kircher’s collection from a cabinet of wonders to one of the earliest examples of the modern museum.
All is not lost: History from fossils and catalogues at the Museum of Natural History, University of Florence
Authors: Dominici Stefano , Cioppi Elisabetta
Published: June 2019

Sedimentary strata and fossils of Tuscany have been the object of inquiry from the late Middle Ages into the onset of modern science, passing through the art and words of Leonardo da Vinci, and culminating in the work of Nicolas Steno on a Galilean foundation. In the Age of Enlightenment, the Florentine Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti perfected Steno’s scheme for a history of Tuscany to be extended to a general theory of the Earth, corresponding with European savants, writing the oldest catalogue of fossils now hosted at the Museum of Natural History, University of Florence, and passing on Steno’s taxonomy. A few decades later, founders of modern geology, Georges Cuvier, Giambattista Brocchi, and Charles Lyell walked Tuscan fossiliferous hills and studied public and private collections, focusing on the anatomy of Tertiary species as a means to track the making of the modern fauna. The international impact of Brocchi’s Subapennine Fossil Conchology reached the young Charles Darwin, offering a theoretical background for the early development of modern evolutionary theory and fueling the modern taxonomic study of Tertiary marine shells. Under Igino Cocchi, in the year of national unity (1861), the Museum became the Italian Central Paleontological Collection, attracting collections from all over Italy and stirring an enduring international interest in Tertiary and Quaternary faunas, including fossil primates. With fossil specimens brought in by Steno, Targioni, and Cocchi, among many others, and with the organization of its catalogues reflecting the onset of modern taxonomy, the Museum of Natural History, University of Florence, is today an archive of the history of science as a whole and a means to bring environmental consciousness to future generations.
History and importance of the geoscience collections at the Natural History Museum Vienna
Authors: Koeberl Christian , Brandstätter Franz , Harzhauser Mathias , Riedl-Dorn Christa
Published: June 2019

The Natural History Museum Vienna is one of the most important museums of natural history in the world. Its collections date back to the year 1750, when the Emperor Franz Stephan of Lorraine (Franz I. Stephan) purchased (from Italy) what was then the largest and most famous collection of natural history specimens. The meteorite collection of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria, has the longest history of all comparable collections in the world. In the second half of the eighteenth century, soon after the foundation of the Imperial Natural History Cabinet in 1750, the Viennese curators began to collect meteorites. Although the first curators neither believed in the extraterrestrial origin nor accepted—in several cases—the written and witnessed histories of these allegedly “heavenly” stone and iron masses, they preserved them in the Natural History collection. Among the first acquisitions were the historical important meteorites Hraschina (Agram), Tabor, Krasnojarsk (Pallas iron), and Eichstädt. These and other well-documented specimens from the Vienna collection were, for example, used by E.F.F. Chladni for his seminal treatises of 1794 and 1819, respectively. The central figure in the early history of the collection is Carl von Schreibers (1775–1852). After the fall of the Stannern meteorite in 1808, he availed himself of every opportunity to acquire meteorite specimens. His continued interest in meteorites laid the foundation for the Vienna collection to be of the historical and scientific importance it is today. Due to the efforts of Schreibers, who also is regarded as founder of meteoritic science in Vienna, and his successors, the Vienna collection became the largest and most extensive in the course of the nineteenth century.

In terms of the geological and paleontological collections, early expeditions and collecting campaigns were mainly targeting exotic animals and plants, while paleontological objects were welcome but subordinate. It was only in the early nineteenth century that the paleontological collections were—literally and figuratively speaking—systematically enlarged. Internationalization and diversification became the focus of the collection strategy. The paleontology collections at the Vienna museum also became important in the Darwinian view of evolution.