bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of Exercise Capacity in the Heat With Repeated Menthol-Spray Application
Authors: Barwood Martin J. , Kupusarevic Joe , Goodall Stuart
Published: November 2018

Purpose: Exercise performance is impaired in the heat, and a contributing factor to this decrement is thermal discomfort. Menthol spraying of skin is one means of alleviating thermal discomfort but has yet to be shown to be ergogenic using single-spray applications. The authors examined whether repeated menthol spraying could relieve thermal discomfort, reduce perception of exertion, and improve exercise performance in hot (35°C), dry (22% relative humidity) conditions, hypothesizing that it would. Methods: A total of 8 trained cyclists completed 2 separate conditions of fixed-intensity cycling (50% maximal power output) for 45 min before a test to exhaustion (TTE; 70% maximal power output) with 100 mL of menthol spray (0.20% menthol) or control spray applied to the torso after 20 and 40 min. Perceptual (thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and rating of perceived exertion) performance (TTE duration), thermal variables (skin temperature, rectal temperature, and cardiac frequency), and sweating were measured. Data were compared using analysis of variance to .05 alpha level. Results: Menthol spray improved thermal sensation (cold sensation cf warm/hot after first spraying; P = .008) but only descriptively altered thermal comfort (comfortable cf uncomfortable; P = .173). Sweat production (994 [380] mL cf 1180 [380] mL; P = .020) and sweat rate (827 [327] mL·h−1 cf 941 [319] mL·h−1; P = .048) lowered. TTE performance improved (4.6 [1.74] cf 2.4 [1.55] min; P = .004). Menthol-spray effects diminished despite repeated applications, indicating increased contribution of visceral thermoreceptors to thermal perception. Conclusion: Repeated menthol spraying improves exercise capacity but alters thermoregulation, potentially conflicting behavioral and thermoregulatory drivers; care should be taken with its use. Carrying and deploying menthol spray would impose a logistical burden that needs consideration against performance benefit.
Soil erosion is unlikely to drive a future carbon sink in Europe
Authors: Lugato Emanuele , Smith Pete , Borrelli Pasquale , Panagos Panos , Ballabio Cristiano , Orgiazzi Alberto , Fernandez-Ugalde Oihane , Montanarella Luca , Jones Arwyn
Published: November 2018

Will the rain wash away our soil organic carbon under future climate change?
Examination of Fluconazole-Induced Alopecia in an Animal Model and Human Cohort
Authors: Thompson George R. , Krois Charles R. , Affolter Verena K. , Everett Angela D. , Varjonen E. Katarina , Sharon Victoria R. , Singapuri Anil , Dennis Michael , McHardy Ian , Yoo Hong Sik , Fedor Dawn M. , Wiederhold Nathan P. , Aaron Phylicia A. , Gelli Angie , Napoli Joseph L. , White Stephen D.
Published: November 2018

Fluconazole-induced alopecia is a significant problem for patients receiving long-term therapy. We evaluated the hair cycle changes of fluconazole in a rat model and investigated potential molecular mechanisms.
Beyond Members of the
Flaviviridae
Family, Sofosbuvir Also Inhibits Chikungunya Virus Replication
Authors: Ferreira André C. , Reis Patrícia A. , de Freitas Caroline S. , Sacramento Carolina Q. , Villas Bôas Hoelz Lucas , Bastos Mônica M. , Mattos Mayara , Rocha Natasha , Gomes de Azevedo Quintanilha Isaclaudia , da Silva Gouveia Pedrosa Carolina , Rocha Quintino Souza Leticia , Correia Loiola Erick , Trindade Pablo , Rangel Vieira Yasmine , Barbosa-Lima Giselle , de Castro Faria Neto Hugo C. , Boechat Nubia , Rehen Stevens K. , Brüning Karin , Bozza Fernando A. , Bozza Patrícia T. , Souza Thiago Moreno L.
Published: November 2018

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes a febrile disease associated with chronic arthralgia, which may progress to neurological impairment. Chikungunya fever (CF) is an ongoing public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where control of the CHIKV vector,
Aedes
mosquitos, has failed.
Elicitation of Protective Antibodies against 20 Years of Future H3N2 Cocirculating Influenza Virus Variants in Ferrets Preimmune to Historical H3N2 Influenza Viruses
Authors: Allen James D. , Jang Hyesun , DiNapoli Joshua , Kleanthous Harold , Ross Ted M.
Published: November 2018

After exposure to influenza virus, the host generates neutralizing anti-hemagglutinin (anti-HA) antibodies against that specific infecting influenza strain. These antibodies can also neutralize some, but not all, cocirculating strains. The goal of next-generation influenza vaccines, such as HA head-based COBRA, is to stimulate broadly protective neutralizing antibodies against all strains circulating within a subtype, in particular those that persist over multiple influenza seasons, without requiring an update to the vaccine. To mimic the human condition, COBRA HA virus-like particle vaccines were tested in ferrets that were previously exposed to historical H3N2 influenza viruses. In this model, these vaccines elicited broadly protective antibodies that neutralized cocirculating H3N2 influenza viruses isolated over a 20-year period. This is the first study to show the effectiveness of H3N3 COBRA HA vaccines in a host with preexisting immunity to influenza.
The Plant Noncanonical Antiviral Resistance Protein JAX1 Inhibits Potexviral Replication by Targeting the Viral RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
Authors: Yoshida Tetsuya , Shiraishi Takuya , Hagiwara-Komoda Yuka , Komatsu Ken , Maejima Kensaku , Okano Yukari , Fujimoto Yuji , Yusa Akira , Yamaji Yasuyuki , Namba Shigetou
Published: November 2018

Resistance genes play a crucial role in plant antiviral innate immunity. The roles of conventional nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins and the associated defense pathways have long been studied. In contrast, recently discovered resistance genes that do not encode NLR proteins (non-NLR resistance genes) have not been investigated extensively. Here we report that the non-NLR resistance factor JAX1, a unique jacalin-type lectin protein, inhibits
de novo
potexviral RNA synthesis by targeting the huge complex of viral replicase. This is unlike other known antiviral resistance mechanisms. Molecular elucidation of the target in lectin-type protein-mediated antiviral immunity will enhance our understanding of the non-NLR-mediated plant resistance system.
Complete Genome Sequence of Klebsiella pneumoniae Siphophage Sugarland
Authors: Erickson Samuel G. , Lessor Lauren , O'Leary Chandler J. , Gill Jason J. , Liu Mei
Published: November 2018

Klebsiella pneumoniae
is a Gram-negative bacterium associated with the gastrointestinal tract and is a significant nosocomial pathogen due to its antibiotic resistance. Phage therapy against
K. pneumoniae
may prove useful in treating infections caused by this bacterium.
Draft Genome Sequences of Four Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Hospital Wastewater in Singapore
Authors: Ng Charmaine , Gu Xiaoqiong , Goh Shin Giek , Chen Hongjie , Haller Laurence , Tan Boonfei , Gin Karina Yew-Hoong
Published: November 2018

Four multidrug-resistant
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
isolates were cultured from intensive care unit wastewater. All isolates exhibited resistance to carbapenem and extended-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics.
Draft Genome Sequence of Bifidobacterium longum BB-79, a Strain That Produces Acid Exopolysaccharide
Authors: Cao Linyan , Yu Junlin , Chen Huahai , Yin Yeshi
Published: November 2018

The surface exopolysaccharide of
Bifidobacterium
spp. was found to be involved in many processes, including bacterial colonization and host immune modulation.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Sulfitobacter
sp. Strain D7, a Virulent Bacterium Isolated from an
Emiliania huxleyi
Algal Bloom in the North Atlantic
Authors: Ku Chuan , Barak-Gavish Noa , Maienschein-Cline Mark , Green Stefan J. , Vardi Assaf
Published: November 2018

A
Rhodobacterales
bacterium,
Sulfitobacter
sp. strain D7, was isolated from an
Emiliania huxleyi
bloom in the North Atlantic and has been shown to act as a pathogen and induce cell death of
E. huxleyi
during lab coculturing.
Geomorphic expression of the Illinois Episode glaciation (marine isotope stage 6) in Illinois: Moraines, sublobes, subglacial lineations, and possible ice streaming
Authors: Grimley D.A. , Phillips A.C. , McKay E. D. , Anders A.M.
Published: November 2018

In the central United States, the Laurentide ice sheet advanced considerably farther south and west during the Illinois Episode (marine isotope stage [MIS] 6) in Illinois than during the Wisconsin Episode (MIS 2). The Illinois Episode landscape, beyond the last glacial margin, is thus relatively undisturbed from its original form, with only a drape of last glacial loess on uplands, resulting in some of the best preserved geomorphic features of the MIS 6 Laurentide ice sheet. Recent field observations and high-resolution digital elevation maps have led to new ideas about how an ancestral Lake Michigan Lobe reached its southernmost Pleistocene extent (ca. 150–140 ka) and about the region’s deglacial history. Illinois Episode moraines are notably more narrow and discontinuous than last glacial moraines in northeastern Illinois. Subglacial lineations in Illinois, formed during the Illinois Episode, include a continuum from drumlins and megaflutes to megascale lineations. Crag-and-tail forms are most apparent in southeastern Illinois, influenced by buried Paleozoic bedrock obstacles. In north-central Illinois, megaflutes and drumlins occur in an area of thick glacial drift (>20 m). During deglaciation, an MIS 6 Lake Michigan Lobe likely separated into sublobes as the ice sheet thinned and basal ice conditions became warmer and wetter. Ice streaming into the Kaskaskia River Basin, southwestern Illinois, is envisioned during this period. Factors that likely contributed to faster glacial flow in the basin include the regional topography, a relatively soft and fine-grained substrate, and the subglacial hydrology.
Social media hashtags and campaigns showcasing female geoscientist selfies and stories
Authors: Guertin Laura
Published: November 2018

Much attention has been paid to what students and the general public should know about geoscience content through discipline literacy documents (cf. Geoscience Literacies, 2017), but there is little effort to teach about the identity and life of scientists, especially female geoscientists. The stereotypical view of a scientist being an older white male in a laboratory begins in the second grade, with adults viewing scientists’ personalities as robotic, potentially dangerous, and not necessarily a group that can be trusted (Rutjens and Heine, 2016). Social media can provide a platform to reach audiences that range in age, geographic location, and formal/informal settings. The use of selfies and hashtags on social networking services such as Twitter and Instagram can educate others in what scientists do and what scientists are like. Online campaigns such as #ActualLivingScientist and the Earth Science Women’s Network’s #dayofscience are examples of ways to generate conversation and build community in breaking the scientist stereotype. Whether a campaign is one month in length, as the National Science Foundation’s #NSFstories during Women’s History Month, or a year-long daily snapshot into the life of scientists during #365scienceselfies, the images and stories of female scientists become available to a global audience, especially to teen girls and young women who are more likely to use these visual social media platforms. Existing hashtags will continue and new social media campaigns will emerge with time, but to fully educate others about the lives of female geoscientists, we need to diversify our scientist participation on social media and post honest, unfiltered information about the ups and downs of being a scientist in this discipline.
The Association for Women Geoscientists: Forty years of successes, struggles, and sisterhood
Authors: Schneider Blair , Tranel Lisa M. , Cremeans Mackenzie
Published: November 2018

The Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG), founded in 1977, is a non-profit organization that encourages women to pursue a career in the geosciences; enhances their professional development and career opportunities; and exchanges educational, technical, and professional information among women scientists. This chapter chronicles the 40-year history of this organization, including its formation, successes, and struggles. In addition, it highlights (1) the evolution of the role of AWG to combat the barriers that women have faced since its formation, and (2) how this role must evolve in the future in hopes of finally achieving gender equality in the geosciences.
Building community to advance women in the geosciences through the Earth Science Women’s Network
Authors: Barnes Rebecca T. , Marín-Spiotta Erika , Morris Aisha R.
Published: November 2018

Informal networks play a critical role in advancing careers by providing peer support. This is particularly important in fields where women are grossly underrepresented, because peer networks can reduce feelings of isolation and provide access to information and opportunities for professional development. The power of networks lies in their ability to mobilize people and information for educational and institutional change. Here we highlight the example of the Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN), which grew from a group of six female graduate students and postdocs to a non-profit organization with more than 3,000 members worldwide in 15 years. ESWN’s activities support women at all career stages and include a program for undergraduate students. Today, ESWN is partnering with larger professional societies to improve work climate conditions and shape a more inclusive society, particularly in light of incidences of sexual harassment. We describe the evolution of ESWN in response to membership needs and as a model for online and in-person community building. The ESWN community supports peer mentoring that builds upon personal connections to catalyze cultural and institutional change for the advancement and promotion of women in the geosciences.
Revised time-distance diagram for the Lake Michigan Lobe, Michigan Subepisode, Wisconsin Episode, Illinois, USA
Authors: Curry B. Brandon , Lowell Thomas V. , Wang Hong , Anderson Andrew C.
Published: November 2018

Based on the interpretation of 893 finite radiocarbon ages, we have revised the time-distance diagram for the Lake Michigan Lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet in Illinois. The data set contains 507 reliable ages determined using standard benzene synthesis–liquid scintillation, including “legacy” ages determined in the 1950s and 1960s at the inception of the radiometric radiocarbon dating method. In addition, the data set includes 278 radiocarbon ages determined by accelerator mass spectrometry. We analyzed the data set based on context, precision, and accuracy to vet minimum or maximum age estimates of diachronic phases.

The last glaciation in Illinois is marked by a local maximum margin in northeastern Illinois during the Marengo Phase (modal probability 28,000 cal [calibrated] yr B.P.), and subsequent glacial maximum culminating during the Shelby Phase (24,200 cal yr B.P.). From about that point, the Lake Michigan Lobe entered an overall retreat mode, with significant advances at ~22,200 and 21,100 cal yr B.P. (the Marseilles and Minooka Subphases of the Livingston Phase) and at 20,500 cal yr B.P. (Woodstock Phase). The latter age is also the conservative estimate of the onset of the lacustrine Milwaukee Phase, with referent deposits located as far north as Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This phase ended as the Lake Michigan Lobe made its final advance into Illinois during the Crown Point Phase (18,490 to ca. 16,500 cal yr B.P.), interfingering with the proglacial lacustrine Glenwood Phase deposits (16,900–15,000 cal yr B.P.).
Glaciotectonic deformation along the Valparaiso Upland in southwest Michigan
Authors: Bird Brian C. , Kehew Alan E. , Kozlowski Andrew L.
Published: November 2018

Glaciotectonic deformation of glacigenic deposits in southwestern Michigan is described and analyzed to determine the source of stress of these strained sediments, which manifests as overturned folds and other deformation similar to shallow crustal décollements. The succession is exposed in 11 aggregate mining operations along the Valparaiso Upland, in portions of Berrien, Van Buren, and Allegan Counties in southwest Michigan. Observed deformation includes a complex array of folds, faults, and thrust features as much as 5 m below the surface exposure of the pit face, consistent with horizontal compressional stresses that were generally aligned with ice flow. Fabric measurement of elongated clasts in the surficial till indicates ice flow from northwest to southeast across the area and parallel to drumlins in the area. Stratigraphically, the area is dominated by fine, lacustrine deposits with coarse sand and gravel capped by the Saugatuck Till during the last glaciation. Sediment grain size, pore-water pressure fluctuations, and topographic relief are interpreted to be responsible for the deformation observed as the Lake Michigan Lobe overrode a proglacial lake basin, including fans and deltas, as it advanced eastward to the Kalamazoo moraine. The fine texture and fabric of the lacustrine sediment package restricted the flow of subglacial water and caused abrupt local increases of pore-water pressure and concomitant coupling and decoupling of the bed-substrate interface. Advancing ice deformed sediments in two stages: (1) proglacially along a décollement at the ice margin, and then (2) subglacially as ice overrode the sediments.
Facies architecture, detrital provenance, and tectonic modulation of sedimentation in the Shikoku Basin: Inputs to the Nankai Trough subduction zone
Authors: Underwood Michael B. , Pickering Kevin T.
Published: November 2018

The Shikoku Basin is a back-arc basin located offshore southwest Japan. Sediments within the basin make up a key part of the subduction inputs to the Nankai Trough. A 19 m.y. history of sedimentation has been documented at Sites C0011 and C0012 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (Kumano transect) and Sites 1173 and 1177 of the Ocean Drilling Program (Muroto and Ashizuri transects, respectively). This paper focuses on three noteworthy aspects of that history: (1) the onset of substantial pyroclastic influx, which shifted significantly along the strike length of the margin, from 3.3–3.9 Ma at Sites 1177 and 1173 to 7.6–7.8 Ma at Sites C0011 and C0012; (2) transport of sand by sediment gravity flows, which resulted in three discrete sand bodies during the Miocene (Kyushu, Daiichi Zenisu, and Daini Zenisu submarine fans); and (3) clay mineral assemblages within hemipelagic mudstones, which show systematic reduction of 3 wt% detrital smectite per 1 m.y. decrease in age. Collectively, these temporal and spatial adjustments of lithofacies and sediment composition have important implications for downdip and along-strike projections of frictional, geotechnical, and hydrogeological properties as strata enter the Nankai subduction zone. The stratigraphic positions of smectite-rich Miocene mudstones, for example, should match up with increases in the volume of fluid production by clay dehydration during subduction. The higher-permeability sand bodies (Kyushu and Zenisu submarine fans) should act as preferred conduits for focused fluid flow. The potential for buildup of fluid overpressures should increase above and laterally adjacent to stratigraphic pinch-outs of sand bodies, especially where the aquifers are inclined or confined between basement highs. These three-dimensional complexities set the Nankai-Shikoku system apart from other subduction zones (e.g., Japan Trench, Costa Rica) where inputs consist of comparatively homogeneous pelagic and hemipelagic deposits.
Upper-plate tectonic hysteresis and segmentation of the rupture area during seismogenesis in subduction zones—A case study of the Nankai Trough
Authors: Kimura Gaku , Yamaguchi Asuka , Masataka Masatakaw
Published: November 2018

Understanding the factors controlling earthquake rupture areas in subduction zones is a fundamental question in geodynamic research. In the Nankai Trough, Japan, three major controlling factors have been proposed so far: surface roughness, such as seamounts, on the subducting Philippine Sea plate, a locally dense and rigid upper plate, and stable or unstable frictional properties of the plate-boundary megathrust with abnormal pore-fluid pressure. The most prominent rupture segment boundary in the Nankai Trough is located off the Kii Peninsula. When the rupture starts and propagates beyond this boundary, the entire megathrust breaks, as in the 1707 Hoei earthquake. When the rupture does not propagate beyond this portion, the rupture area is segmented, as in the 1854 Ansei, 1944 Tonankai, and 1946 Nankai earthquakes. In this case, the boundary works as a barrier. The asperity or barrier depends on the frictional behavior along the megathrust in this area. Thick and dense plutonic rocks are the main component of the upper plate of the Kii Peninsula. Magmatic activity associated with the proto–Izu-Bonin arc collision is speculated to have occurred in the middle Miocene. Thus, we propose that the long-term tectonic hysteresis of the upper plate is the main factor controlling the rupture area segmentation in the Nankai Trough.
Initiation of tectonic mélange formation associated with the smectite-illite transition at 2–4 km depth in a subduction zone: Hota accretionary complex, central Japan
Authors: Yamamoto Yuzuru , Kameda Jun , Fukuyama Mayuko , Yamaguchi Haruka
Published: November 2018

Deformation in a subduction zone and the related transition from smectite to illite within the aseismic-seismic transition zone (2–4 km below the seafloor) were analyzed by studying an onland accretionary complex that was previously buried to a depth of just 2–4 km. The early to middle Miocene Hota accretionary complex of central Japan is an excellent example of an accretionary complex that records shallow underthrusting at the updip end of the seismogenic zone. Two types of subduction-related deformation are preserved in the complex: phacoidal deformation (D1) characterized by rhombus-shaped fragments of mudstone with a random fabric and a thin rim of clay minerals with a preferred orientation, similar to the deformation features of the primary décollement zone at the toe of modern accretionary prisms (as revealed by ocean drilling); and block-in-matrix deformation (D2) characterized by an asymmetric S-C foliation with shear bands and an intense shape-preferred orientation of clay minerals, similar to the deformation features of tectonic mélange in ancient, mature décollement zones. D2 is marked by a large reduction in the amount of smectite and a corresponding increase in illite. During D2, the shear zone increased in strength due to the disappearance of weak smectite, which has a low friction coefficient, and due to an increase in the cohesion of sediments associated with a reduction in porosity and the development of a preferred orientation of clay minerals. Such strain hardening represents a fundamental mechanical/chemical change in the properties of sediments immediately before entering the seismogenic zone.
Thermal fluid migration in the Kumano forearc basin, Nankai Trough, estimated via vitrinite reflectance measurement
Authors: Kawabata Kuniyo , Sakguchi Arito , Hamada Yohei , Tsuji Takeshi , Kitamura Yujin , Saito Saneatsu
Published: November 2018

This study examined the thermal history of the Kumano forearc basin, as well as slope basin sediments and the accretionary prism, in the Nankai Trough, offshore Japan, using vitrinite reflectance measurements of sediments collected from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Sites C0004, C0007, and C0009. We detected a paleothermal anomaly in the Kumano forearc basin at Site C0009 that has a 200-m-wide peak with a maximum temperature of 79 °C, ranging from 1000 to 1200 m below seafloor (mbsf). We concluded that thermal fluid is passing through the peak zone based on a curvilinear paleotemperature structure with a wide peak zone. Estimation of reflectance increase through vitrinite reaction promotion suggests that 80–100 °C thermal fluid had passed within at least 100 k.y., thus causing the anomaly. The thermal fluid upwelling could relate to thrusts and ancient splay fault activity near Site C0009. The thermal anomaly zone in the Kumano forearc basin at Site C0009 coincides with the currently active fluid conduit zone imaged on reflection seismic profiles. These results indicate that massive fluid circulation occurs spatially and temporally through thrusts in the subduction zone.
Parry-Romberg syndrome in a patient with scleroderma
Authors: Kuah Chii Yang , Koleva Elena , Gan Jaslyn Ju Lia , Iqbal Tahir
Published: November 2018

Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) is characterised by progressive but self-limiting facial hemiatrophy. We describe a 48-year-old woman with a 3-year history of gradually worsening right facial hemiatrophy on a background of scleroderma. Her initial primary concern was alopecia. Within the last year, there was greater prominence of her right zygoma and hyperpigmentation on her forearms and left neck. She also had worsening headaches and neck stiffness in the mornings. A clinical diagnosis of PRS was made and she was subsequently treated with a course of methotrexate. She is due to be followed up by dermatology, rheumatology and maxillofacial surgery with the aim of reconstructive surgery once her symptoms stabilise.
Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and risk of serious adverse events: nationwide register based cohort study
Authors: Ueda Peter , Svanström Henrik , Melbye Mads , Eliasson Björn , Svensson Ann-Marie , Franzén Stefan , Gudbjörnsdottir Soffia , Hveem Kristian , Jonasson Christian , Pasternak Björn
Published: November 2018

Objective

To assess the association between the use of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and seven serious adverse events of current concern.

Design

Register based cohort study.

Setting

Sweden and Denmark from July 2013 to December 2016.

Participants

A propensity score matched cohort of 17 213 new users of SGLT2 inhibitors (dapagliflozin, 61%; empagliflozin, 38%; canagliflozin, 1%) and 17 213 new users of the active comparator, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonists.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcomes were lower limb amputation, bone fracture, diabetic ketoacidosis, acute kidney injury, serious urinary tract infection, venous thromboembolism, and acute pancreatitis, as identified from hospital records. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

Use of SGLT2 inhibitors, as compared with GLP1 receptor agonists, was associated with an increased risk of lower limb amputation (incidence rate 2.7
v
1.1 events per 1000 person years, hazard ratio 2.32, 95% confidence interval 1.37 to 3.91) and diabetic ketoacidosis (1.3
v
0.6, 2.14, 1.01 to 4.52) but not with bone fracture (15.4
v
13.9, 1.11, 0.93 to 1.33), acute kidney injury (2.3
v
3.2, 0.69, 0.45 to 1.05), serious urinary tract infection (5.4
v
6.0, 0.89, 0.67 to 1.19), venous thromboembolism (4.2
v
4.1, 0.99, 0.71 to 1.38) or acute pancreatitis (1.3
v
1.2, 1.16, 0.64 to 2.12).

Conclusions

In this analysis of nationwide registers from two countries, use of SGLT2 inhibitors, as compared with GLP1 receptor agonists, was associated with an increased risk of lower limb amputation and diabetic ketoacidosis, but not with other serious adverse events of current concern.
Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in older people in primary care and its association with hospital admission: longitudinal study
Authors: Pérez Teresa , Moriarty Frank , Wallace Emma , McDowell Ronald , Redmond Patrick , Fahey Tom
Published: November 2018

Objective

To determine whether hospital admission is associated with potentially inappropriate prescribing among older primary care patients (aged ≥65 years) and whether such prescribing was more likely after hospital admission than before.

Design

Longitudinal study of retrospectively extracted data from general practice records.

Setting

44 general practices in Ireland in 2012-15.

Participants

Adults aged 65 years or over attending participating practices.

Exposure

Admission to hospital (any hospital admission versus none, and post-admission versus pre-admission).

Main outcome measures

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing assessed using 45 criteria from the Screening Tool for Older Persons’ Prescription (STOPP) version 2, analysed both as rate of distinct potentially inappropriate prescribing criteria met (stratified Cox regression) and binary presence of potentially inappropriate prescribing (logistic regression) and adjusted for patients’ characteristics. A sensitivity analysis used matching with propensity scores based on patients’ characteristics and diagnoses.

Results

Overall 38 229 patients were included, and during 2012 the mean age was 76.8 (SD 8.2) years and 43% (13 212) were male. Each year, 10.4-15.0% (3015/29 077 in 2015 to 4537/30 231 in 2014) of patients had at least one hospital admission. The overall prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing ranged from 45.3% (13 940/30 789) of patients in 2012 to 51.0% (14 823/29 077) in 2015. Independently of age, sex, number of prescription items, comorbidity, and health cover, hospital admission was associated with a higher rate of distinct potentially inappropriate prescribing criteria met; the adjusted hazard ratio for hospital admission was 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.20 to 1.28). Among participants who were admitted to hospital, the likelihood of potentially inappropriate prescribing after admission was higher than before admission, independent of patients’ characteristics; the adjusted odds ratio for after hospital admission was 1.72 (1.63 to 1.84). Analysis of propensity score matched pairs showed a slight reduction in the hazard ratio for hospital admission to 1.22 (1.18 to 1.25).

Conclusion

Hospital admission was independently associated with potentially inappropriate prescribing. It is important to determine how hospital admission may affect appropriateness of prescribing for older people and how potential adverse consequences of admission can be minimised.
Fractional excretion of phosphorus and vascular calcification in stage 3 chronic kidney disease
Authors: Jiménez Villodres Manuel , García Gutiérrez Guillermo , García Frías Patricia , Rioja Villodres José , Martín Velázquez Mónica , Sánchez Chaparro Miguel Ángel , Pérez López Carmen , Valdivielso Pedro
Published: November 2018

The role of renal excretion of Pi in relation to vascular calcification (VC) in patients in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is controversial. Thus, we determine the relation between fractional excretion of phosphorus (FEP) and VC, measured using two methods in a cross-sectional study of patients with stage 3 CKD. We recorded demographic data, anthropometry, comorbidities and active treatment. We measured 24-hour urine FEP and, in serum, measured fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), α-Klotho, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcium and phosphorus. VC was measured by lateral abdominal radiography (Kauppila index (KI)) and CT of the abdominal aorta (measured in Agatston units). In 57% of subjects, abnormal VC was present when measured using CT, and in only 17% using lateral abdominal radiography. Factors associated with VC using CT were age, cardiovascular risk factors, vascular comorbidity, microalbuminuria and levels of FGF23, phosphorus and calcium x phosphorus product (CaxP); although only age (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.41), smoking (OR 21.2, CI 4.4 to 100) and CaxP (OR 1.21, CI 1.06 to 1.37) maintained the association in a multivariate analysis. By contrast, only age (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.74), CaxP (OR 1.14, CI 1.13 to 1.92) and FEP (OR 1.07,95% CI 1004 to 1.14) were associated with abnormal VC in the lateral abdominal radiography. In conclusion, in patients with stage 3 CKD, the detection of VC by abdominal CT is more sensitive than conventional X-rays. Moreover, CaxP is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and vascular comorbidity; quantification of FEPi in these patients provides additional clinical information in advanced VC detected by KI.
View from the top: a thematic analysis of interviews with top healthcare leaders in the UK about leadership and how UK GPs should prepare for it
Authors: Wilkie Veronica , Mohanna Kay
Published: November 2018

Introduction

Leadership is often quoted as being a solution to future work force problems . This study looks at the views of leaders within the NHS to find out what they think should be done, how and when for GPs in training.

Methods

A series of interviews were carried out with senior leaders within the NHS, within primary care, NHS England and Health Education England. All the participants were involved in primary care either assenior general practitioners, senior educators, or clinical and non clinical managers. The interviews were face to face or via a telephone and recorded before being transcribed and analysed. The interviews were carried out until no new information was forthcoming.

Results

All of the participants agreed that leadership was necessary. Non clinicians tended to think that the training was best done once a GP had arrived at a senior leadership position, clinicians tended to think leadership training should happen from the start of the career. The competences identified fitted within those originally identified from the Medical Leadership Competency Framework.

Discussion

Leadership training is still regarded as important and overall the senior leaders recognised the need for personal qualities, the ability to lead and work in teams, how to manage and improve services and how to set direction for change. The difficulties of organizing this and how to fit this in with the needs of service delivery and current curriculum was highlighted.
Pink and blue: the role of gender in psychiatric diagnosis
Authors: Gillett George
Published: November 2018

Why are the diagnostic criteria of some psychiatric disorders standardised by gender while others are not? Why standardise symptom questionnaires by gender but not other personal characteristics such as ethnicity, socioeconomic class or sexual orientation? And how might our changing attitudes towards gender, born from scientific research and changing societal narratives, alter our opinion of these questions? This paper approaches these dilemmas by assessing the concept of diagnosis in psychiatry itself, before analysing two common approaches to the study of psychiatric diagnosis; the naturalist and constructivist views. The paper assesses the relative merits and significance of each, before turning its attention to the nature of gender and its relevance to psychiatry. The paper introduces a framework to approach gender-based diagnostic bias and concludes by drawing a distinction between qualitative and quantitative standardisation, arguing that gender standardisation of psychiatric diagnoses is ethically justified in the former but not the latter.
Interpreting CT perfusion in stroke
Authors: Wing Stevan Christopher , Markus Hugh S
Published: November 2018

CT perfusion images can be rapidly obtained on all modern CT scanners and easily incorporated into an acute stroke imaging protocol. Here we discuss the technique of CT perfusion imaging, how to interpret the data and how it can contribute to the diagnosis of acute stroke and selection of patients for treatment. Many patients with acute stroke are excluded from reperfusion therapy if the onset time is not known or if they present outside of traditional treatment time windows. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of perfusion imaging in these patients to identify patterns of brain perfusion that are favourable for recanalisation therapy.
Microsedimentological evidence of vertical fluctuations in subglacial stress from the northwest sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, Northwest Territories, Canada
Authors: Rice Jessey M. , Menzies John , Paulen Roger C. , McClenaghan M. Beth
Published: November 2018

The past-producing Pine Point lead–zinc mining district, Northwest Territories, Canada, provides a unique opportunity to study the role of glacial dynamics in a thick, continuous till succession that has not been influenced by the underlying bedrock topography. Parts of the Pine Point mining district are covered by >20 m of subglacial Quaternary sediments (till) associated with the former Laurentide Ice Sheet. Till facies exposed in unreclaimed open-pit K-62 have been classified into four separate units. Micro- and macrosedimentological analyses were undertaken to identify the change in subglacial stress during sediment deposition and across till unit boundaries. An analysis of high- and low-angle microshears (lineations) in thin sections produced from these till units indicate that there is a noticeable decrease in the abundance of low-angle shear features immediately below till unit boundaries. The deformation of low-angle shears in the underlying tills was likely caused by remobilization of the overlying till unit. This remobilization is consistent with aggradation-constant entrainment decay mechanisms for subglacial till emplacement and accretion and subglacial dispersion models.
Geometrodynamics and charge-like unification: On the vanishing of C, CP violation in QCD, in the limit GF → 0
Authors: Minkowski Peter
Published: November 2018

We present two original derivations of the restoration of C and CP symmetry within QCD, simplest in “standalone QCD” but extendable to include conserved QED, in the limit [Formula: see text]
Inflation from supersymmetry breaking
Authors: Antoniadis Ignatios
Published: November 2018

I discuss a general class of models where the inflation is driven by supersymmetry breaking with the superpartner of the goldstino (sgoldstino) playing the role of the inflaton. Imposing an R-symmetry allows to satisfy easily the slow-roll conditions, avoiding the so-called [Formula: see text]-problem, and leads to two different classes of small field inflation models; they are characterized by an inflationary plateau around the maximum of the scalar potential, where R-symmetry is either restored or spontaneously broken, with the inflaton rolling down to a minimum describing the present phase of our Universe. Inflation can be driven by either an F- or a D-term, while the minimum has a positive tunable vacuum energy. The models agree with cosmological observations and in the simplest case predict a tensor-to-scalar ratio of primordial perturbations [Formula: see text] and an inflation scale [Formula: see text].
The first-principles calculation on electronic transport properties of Al2N2clusters
Authors: Liu Wenhua , Hu Wei , Liang Yan , Zhou Qinghua , He Kerong , Wan Haiqing
Published: November 2018

In this paper, we have studied the electronic transport behavior of the system formed by the Al2N2cluster and the Al(100)-3 × 3 electrodes by using the first principle based on nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF). The total energies and the equilibrium conductances of the system are calculated at different distances between the clusters and the electrodes, and the results show that the equilibrium conductance is 0.1335 G0and the total energy is the lowest at d = 2.8 Å (d means the distance between the Al2N2cluster and the electrodes). When d increases, the equilibrium conductance decreases. In the bias voltage range of [−1 V, 1 V], the system has the electrical characteristics similar to the metal when the d is 2.0, 2.4, 2.8, 3.2 and 3.5 Å.
Modeling and numerical simulation of the battery capacity estimation based on neural network
Authors: Liu Mingfang , Li Bei , Qian Fafa , Qian Guanzhou
Published: November 2018

The lithium ion battery is considered as the experimental object, and its discharge characteristics are studied. A model of the battery in different charge-states is established by a tool of neural network while battery’s rebound voltage, temperature and load are set as input parameters. The validity of the model is tested based on the experimental data. The accuracy, adaptability and stability of the SOC in this model is validated in a variety of the working conditions, and the accuracy of the model is demonstrated to be higher than 5%.
Rectification in zigzag graphene/BN nanoribbon heterojunction
Authors: Bian Baoan , Yang Jingjuan , Han Xiaoxiao , Yuan Peipei , Ding Yuqiang
Published: November 2018

We investigate the effect of changed BN nanoribbon on the rectifying behavior in zigzag graphene/BN nanoribbon heterojunction using first principles based on non-equilibrium Green’s function and density functional theory. The increased BN length in the scattering region reduces the rectifying performance of the device, and the maximum rectifying ratio is [Formula: see text] in the heterojunction. We discuss the different rectifying characteristics for the designed models by calculating the transmission spectra at different biases. The rectifying phenomenon is further investigated by the projected density of state of device. Furthermore, we explain the observed negative differential resistance effect by the transmission spectra and transmission eigenstates. The results suggest that the zigzag graphene/BN nanoribbon heterojunction leads to the asymmetric current, causing the rectifying phenomenon, and the BN length in the scattering region can modulate the rectifying performance of zigzag graphene/BN nanoribbon heterojunction.
Deviance-Aware Discovery of High-Quality Process Models
Authors: Cuzzocrea Alfredo , Folino Francesco , Guarascio Massimo , Pontieri Luigi
Published: November 2018

Process Discovery techniques, allowing to extract graph-like models from large process logs, are a valuable mean for grasping a summarized view of real business processes’ behaviors. If augmented with statistics on process performances (e.g., processing times), such models help study the evolution of process performances across different processing steps, and possibly detect bottlenecks and worst practices. However, when the process analyzed exhibits complex and heterogeneous behaviors, these techniques fail to yield good quality models, in terms of readability, accuracy and generality. In particular, the presence of deviant traces may lead to cumbersome models and misleading performance statistics. Current noise/outlier filtering solutions can alleviate this problem and help discover a better model for “normal” process executions, but they do not provide insight on the deviant ones. Then, difficult and expensive analyses are usually performed to extract interpretable and general enough patterns for deviant behaviors. The performance-oriented discovery approach proposed here is addressed to recognize and describe both a normal execution scenario and deviant ones for the process analyzed, by inducing different sub-models: (i) a collection of readable clustering rules (conjunctive patterns over trace attributes) defining the deviance scenarios; (ii) a performance model [Formula: see text] for the “normal” traces that do not fall in any deviant scenario; and (iii) a performance model (and a “difference” model emphasizing the differences in behaviors from the “normal” execution scenario), for each discovered deviance scenario. Technically, these models are discovered by exploiting a conceptual clustering method, embedded in an iterative optimization scheme where the current version of [Formula: see text] is replaced with the model extracted from the newly found normality cluster, in case the latter is more accurate than [Formula: see text]; on the other hand, the clustering procedure is devised to greedily find groups of traces that maximally deviate from [Formula: see text]. Tests on real-life logs confirmed the validity of this approach, and its capability to find good performance models, and to support the analysis of deviant process instances.
FCM Expert: Software Tool for Scenario Analysis and Pattern Classification Based on Fuzzy Cognitive Maps
Authors: Nápoles Gonzalo , Espinosa Maikel Leon , Grau Isel , Vanhoof Koen
Published: November 2018

Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) have become a suitable and proven knowledge-based methodology for systems modeling and simulation. This technique is especially attractive when modeling systems characterized by ambiguity, and/or non-trivial causalities among its variables. The rich literature that is found related to FCMs reports very clearly many successful studies solved through the use of FCMs; however, when it comes to software implementations, where domain experts can design FCM-based systems, run simulations or perform more advanced experiments, not much is found or documented. The few existing implementations are not proficient in providing options for experimentation. Therefore, we believe that a gap exists, specifically between the theoretical advances and the development of accurate, transparent and sound FCM-based systems; and we advocate for the creation of more complete and exible software products. The goal of this paper is to introduce “FCM Expert”, a software tool for fuzzy cognitive modeling, where we focus on scenario analysis and pattern classification. The main features of FCM Expert rely on Machine Learning algorithms to compute the parameters that might define a model, optimize its network topology and improve the system convergence without losing information. Also, FCM Expert allows performing WHAT-IF simulations and studying the system behavior through a friendly, intuitive and easy-to-use graphical user interface.
Improving Multi-Robot Coordination by Game-Theoretic Learning Algorithms
Authors: Smyrnakis Michalis , Qu Hongyang , Veres Sandor M.
Published: November 2018

Cooperative games-based robot cooperation is analysed for reoccurring scenarios. It is shown that potential games can be used for robot coordination when the robots have a shared objective. By observing each others’ behaviour in similar scenarios, they estimate each other’s expected actions, which they use for their own choice of action. The resulting learning scheme can enable “tuning” of smooth cooperation by task allocation in teams of robots for various goals and in reoccurring scenarios of their environment. The theoretical results and methods are illustrated in simulation.
Wigner function of open quantum system
Authors: Burkatckii Maxim O.
Published: November 2018

We consider a quantum system consisting of two subsystems (open system and environment). We have proved that the Wigner function of an open system is the integral of the Wigner function of a larger system with respect to coordinates of the phase space of the classical subsystem corresponding to the entourage.