bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The emergence of viewpoints in multiple perspective constructions
Authors: Zeman Sonja
Published: March 2019

This paper tackles the question of how multiple viewpoints emerge through the interplay of different viewpoint parameters within the (i) dynamics of discourse and (ii) their diachronic development. In particular, it will focus on ‘Future of Fate’ (FoF) (e.g.He was never to return.), i.e. future-in-the-past meanings with potentially distinct values both on the semantic dimension of temporality and the dimension of knowledge attribution. These viewpoint meanings are ‘irregular’ in the sense that they cannot be predicted solely on the basis of the grammatical context of past modal obligation. Based on empirical analyses of Germansollte+ inf. and theméllōconstruction in Homeric Greek, it is shown that the – diachronic as well as synchronic – emergence of viewpoints is the result of the interplay between the deictic structure of grammatical elements and the perspectival structure of discourse context.
Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and its receptor CXCR4 improves diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Deng Lin , Jia Jun , Yao Jun , Xu Zihui
Published: March 2019

Diabetes induced a serious of complications including diabetic retinopathy. Our study aimed to investigate the role of Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and its receptor CXCR4 in diabetic retinopathy. A mice model of diabetic retinopathy was established, and expression of SDF-1 and CXCR4 in retina was examined by Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Cells of human retinal pigment epithelial cell line ARPE-19 were treated with CXCR4 siRNAs and expression vector, and cell viability was detected by MTT assay. We found that expression of SDF-1 and CXCR4 in retina was significantly downregulated in mice with diabetic retinopathy than in normal healthy mice. High glucose treatment downregulated the expression of SDF-1 and CXCR4 in ARPE-19 cells at both mRNA and protein levels. Transfection with CXCR4 siRNAs decreased, while transfection with CXCR4 expression vector increased cell viability under high glucose treatment. We concluded that SDF-1/CXCR4 pathway improved diabetic retinopathy possibly by increasing cell viability.

Abbreviations: SDF-1: Stromal cell-derived factor 1; CXCL12: C-X-C motif chemokine 12; qRT-PCR: Real-time quantitative PCR
Small calcium leaks, big muscle adaptations
Authors: Sedwick Caitlin
Published: March 2019

JGP study finds that mild calcium leak is associated with improved resistance to muscle fatigue.
The Effect of Autologous Fat Grafting on Edema and Ecchymoses in Primary Open Rhinoplasty
Authors: Gabrick Kyle , Walker Marc , Timberlake Andrew , Chouairi Fouad , Saberski Ean , Steinbacher Derek
Published: March 2019

Background

Autologous fat is a safe and effective soft tissue filler. Recent evidence also suggests improved wound healing and immune modulation with fat grafting.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to describe a novel technique utilizing fat grafting during primary open rhinoplasty. We hypothesize a more rapid resolution of bruising and edema.

Methods

Patients who underwent rhinoplasty were reviewed and compared by presence or absence of concurrent fat grafting. Three-dimensional images were analyzed employing Mirror (Vectra, Canfield Scientific, NJ). Ecchymoses were outlined utilizing a magnetic lasso followed by an area measurement. Volumetric edema measurements were also taken and assessed. Edema and ecchymosis were measured at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.

Results

Sixty-two patients were included. Thirty-three patients (53.2%) received autologous fat grafting and 29 (46.8%) did not. Age, gender, surgical approach, and osteotomy distribution were similar between the groups. The fat grafted group showed 7.29 cm2 fewer ecchymoses (P < 0.001) and 0.73 cc less edema (P = 0.68) in the early postoperative interval. Six weeks postoperatively, the fat grafted group showed 1 cc less edema (P = 0.36) with negligible differences in bruising.

Conclusions

Autologous fat grafting is a useful adjunct to rhinoplasty and is associated with significantly fewer ecchymoses in the acute postoperative period.

Level of Evidence: 4
Network-level connectivity is a critical feature distinguishing dystonic tremor and essential tremor
Authors: DeSimone Jesse C , Archer Derek B , Vaillancourt David E , Wagle Shukla Aparna
Published: March 2019

Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle co-contractions that give rise to disabling movements and postures. A recent expert consensus labelled the incidence of tremor as a core feature of dystonia that can affect body regions both symptomatic and asymptomatic to dystonic features. We are only beginning to understand the neural network-level signatures that relate to clinical features of dystonic tremor. At the same time, clinical features of dystonic tremor can resemble that of essential tremor and present a diagnostic confound for clinicians. Here, we examined network-level functional activation and connectivity in patients with dystonic tremor and essential tremor. The dystonic tremor group included primarily cervical dystonia patients with dystonic head tremor and the majority had additional upper-limb tremor. The experimental paradigm included a precision grip-force task wherein online visual feedback related to force was manipulated across high and low spatial feedback levels. Prior work using this paradigm in essential tremor patients produced exacerbation of grip-force tremor and associated changes in functional activation. As such, we directly compared the effect of visual feedback on grip-force tremor and associated functional network-level activation and connectivity between dystonic tremor and essential tremor patient cohorts to better understand disease-specific mechanisms. Increased visual feedback similarly exacerbated force tremor during the grip-force task in dystonic tremor and essential tremor cohorts. Patients with dystonic tremor and essential tremor were characterized by distinct functional activation abnormalities in cortical regions but not in the cerebellum. We examined seed-based functional connectivity from the sensorimotor cortex, globus pallidus internus, ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus, and dentate nucleus, and observed abnormal functional connectivity networks in dystonic tremor and essential tremor groups relative to controls. However, the effects were far more widespread in the dystonic tremor group as changes in functional connectivity were revealed across cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar regions independent of the seed location. A unique pattern for dystonic tremor included widespread reductions in functional connectivity compared to essential tremor within higher-level cortical, basal ganglia, and cerebellar regions. Importantly, a receiver operating characteristic determined that functional connectivity z-scores were able to classify dystonic tremor and essential tremor with 89% area under the curve, whereas combining functional connectivity with force tremor yielded 94%. These findings point to network-level connectivity as an important feature that differs substantially between dystonic tremor and essential tremor and should be further explored in implementing appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Data-driven stellar parameters for southern TESS FGK targets
Authors: Deacon N R , Henning Th , Kossakowski D E
Published: March 2019

We present stellar parameter estimates for 939 457 southern FGK stars that are candidate targets for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. Using a data-driven method similar to the CANNON, we build a model of stellar colours as a function of stellar parameters. We then use these in combination with stellar evolution models to estimate the effective temperature, gravity, metallicity, mass, radius, and extinction for our selected targets. Our effective temperature estimates compare well with those from spectroscopic surveys and the addition of Gaia DR2 parallaxes allows us to identify subgiant interlopers into the TESS sample. We are able to estimate the radii of TESS targets with a typical uncertainty of 9.3 per cent. This catalogue can be used to screen exoplanet candidates from TESS and provides a homogeneous set of stellar parameters for statistical studies.
Environmental Health Research and Ethics
Authors: Resnik David B.
Published: March 2019

This chapter discusses some of the key ethical issues that arise in environmental health research involving human subjects, including returning individualized research results, protecting privacy and confidentiality, research on environmental interventions, intentional exposure studies, research regulations, autonomy, beneficence, informed consent, payments to subjects, and protecting vulnerable human subjects. The chapter will discuss issues that are common to all research designs, as well as those unique to certain types of designs, such as intentional exposure studies. It will also address ethical issues that arose in two important cases, the Kennedy Krieger Institute lead abatement study, and the Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study.
Occupational Health and the Built Environment: Ethical Issues
Authors: Resnik David B.
Published: March 2019

The built environment includes many different types of human-made structures, such as houses, apartments, factories, shopping malls, office buildings, schools, roads, sidewalks, airports, parks, cities, dams, waste sites, sewers, electric power lines, pipelines, suburbs, and cities. This chapter provides an overview of ethical issues related to occupational health and the built environment, including property rights versus public health, distribution of health risks and environmental justice, occupational health and safety standards, and housing standards. To address these issues, decision-makers should have access to scientific information concerning the health impacts of the built and workplace environment and should be aware of the basic values at stake. Affected stakeholders, as well as the public at large, should have meaningful input into government decision-making related to these issues.
Industrial Chemicals, Pesticides, Public Health, and Ethics
Authors: Smith Elise M. R. , Miller Mark F.
Published: March 2019

This chapter provides an overview of ethical issues related to the development of industrial chemicals. While they do contribute to advancements in agriculture, medicine, transportation, hygiene, and human leisure, these chemicals can concomitantly pose serious threats to human and environmental health. The chapter examines the public health cost-benefit of environmental chemicals and the regulatory frameworks for human health protection in various countries, focusing on evidence-based decision-making, risk analysis, a precautionary approach, and international consensus. Specific ethical concerns discussed relate to the impacts and lasting effects of pesticides, the influence of economic stability and profit derived from industrial chemicals, conflicts between public health priorities and environmental protections, and inequities and injustices in the distribution of risks and burdens associated with industrial chemicals.
The New Dynamics of Organizational Change
Authors: Weber Matthew S.
Published: March 2019

Organizational change is well established as an important area of academic research. Across disciplines, from communication to sociology to management, scholars have produced a wide array of notable works examining various facets of organizational change. In recent years, however, advances in methodology and access to large data sets have opened up innovative avenues of research. This chapter examines new dynamics of organizational change, illustrated through a case study of the evolution of the news media industry in the United States. Many processes of organizational change are still based on traditional theories and established dynamics, but extant research and the present case study demonstrate that new technology and emergent patterns of communication lead to the development of new dynamics for coordination and control of information flow as organizations change over time. The chapter concludes with guidance and future directions for this evolving domain of scholarship.
Reproductive Choice, in Context: Avoiding Excess and Deficiency?
Authors: Hull Richard , Shakespeare Tom
Published: March 2019

This chapter on prenatal diagnosis explores the obligations on prospective parents to act morally. Specifically, the chapter explores the highly contextual and variable nature of reproductive decision making when looking at (and criticizing) parental choice with respect to prenatal testing and selective termination. The chapter engages both with those critics who argue that disability should not be grounds for selective termination of pregnancy, and those critics who argue that not only testing for significant medical conditions but also wider testing for non-medical traits might be permissible or useful. It is argued that decisions around prenatal diagnosis are private, difficult, and entail the balancing of different concerns around abortion, disability, and the good life. The chapter then explores the usefulness of the Aristotelian concepts of excess and deficiency, as a guide to navigating our way through these difficult decisions. The idea is considered that too much selection and too little selection might both potentially represent a failure to act as a virtuous prospective parent. The chapter concludes by exploring the value of seeking the Aristotelian “mean” between those concerns.
On Moral Status and Intellectual Disability
Authors: Carlson Licia
Published: March 2019

This chapter examines conceptual, methodological, and epistemological questions in debates about the moral status of people with intellectual disabilities. It begins with a call for conceptual clarity and specificity when philosophizing about intellectual disability. The chapter then goes on to address the many references to nonhuman animals in discussions of intellectual disability and moral status. It considers what is at stake in drawing such comparisons and whether such arguments contribute to the dehumanization of people with intellectual disabilities. It concludes with an exploration of how critical, reparative, and generative philosophies of intellectual disability can move beyond current approaches to moral status.
Surface and Substance: Baroque Dress in Spain and France, 1600–1720
Authors: Miller Lesley Ellis
Published: March 2019

This article explores the surface and substance of elite dress in the baroque period by unpacking printed texts and images that reveal their political and economic significance in the courts of Europe. It does so by considering the nature and sources of garments and fabrics, continuity and change in their production and consumption in Spain and France, and the shaping of the modern fashion system—a system in which changes in textiles and trimmings were promoted seasonally by the state, textile manufacturers, and the nascent fashion press (Le Mercure galant) from the late seventeenth century onward. It thus underlines the local and global networks involved in the production and consumption of dress.
Emotion Dysregulation and Externalizing Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Shader Tiffany M. , Beauchaine Theodore P.
Published: March 2019

As described in the literature for many years, a sizable number of children with hyperactive-impulsive and combined subtypes/presentations of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—especially males—progress to more serious externalizing syndromes across development. Such outcomes include oppositional defiant disorder, conduct problems, delinquency, substance use disorders, and in some cases antisocial personality disorder, incarceration, and recidivism. This chapter summarizes a developmental model that emphasizes different contributions of trait impulsivity, a highly heritable, subcortically mediated vulnerability, versus emotion dysregulation, a highly socialized, cortically mediated vulnerability, to externalizing progression. According to this perspective, trait impulsivity confers vulnerability to all externalizing disorders, but this vulnerability is unlikely to progress beyond ADHD in protective environments. In contrast, for children who are reared under conditions of adversity—including poverty, family violence, deviant peer influences, and neighborhood violence/criminality—neurodevelopment of prefrontal cortex structure and function is compromised, resulting in failures to achieve age-expected gains in emotion regulation and other forms of executive control. For these children, subcortical vulnerabilities to trait impulsivity are amplified by deficient cortical modulation, which facilitates progression along the externalizing spectrum.
Emotion Dysregulation and Aging
Authors: Whitmoyer Patrick , Prakash Ruchika Shaurya
Published: March 2019

This chapter presents an overview of literature relevant to understanding relations between aging and emotion dysregulation. Although a number of studies suggest that aging leads to shifts in emotion regulation and emotional well-being, the extent to which aging affects emotion dysregulation is less clear. To clarify the effects of aging on emotion dysregulation, this chapter begins by examining shifts in effectiveness of emotion regulation that occur with age, considering pertinent theories, and then expands on these findings by examining more specifically how context appropriateness of emotions, consequences of emotions on behavior, duration of emotions, and etiology and presentation of psychopathology are altered by aging processes. Finally, this chapter concludes by identifying gaps in the literature and recommendations for future empirical endeavors to advance our current understanding of effects of aging on emotion dysregulation.
A Sociological Critique and Reformulation of Brands
Authors: O’Guinn Thomas C. , Muñiz Albert M. , Paulson Erika
Published: March 2019

In just under 150 years, societies have changed from having very few brands to having almost everything branded or brandable. How, and why don’t we know more about it? This chapter provides a much-deserved critique of extant brand thought and highlights the considerable need for a sociological conception of brands. Analyzing brands as vessels of popular meaning used for promoting things, places, people, and ideas, the chapter also questions how existing research traditions restrict and retard the development of a meaningful social science of brands. Too much attention to social psychology and to consumer culture theory, and too little to traditional sociology, has meant that the general social and political processes that generate, animate, and transform brands have been sacrificed to the priorities of these dominant research traditions in marketing departments. We offer this critique in order to identify opportunities for generating empirical research tying together society, politics, and markets.
An Introduction to the Handbook, Communities of Practice, and Definitions of Expertise
Authors: Ward Paul , Maarten Schraagen Jan , Gore Julie , Roth Emilie M.
Published: March 2019

This chapter provides a brief summary of the various communities of practice that have paved the way for current expertise researchers, and are formative of this Handbook. A synopsis follows, detailing how expertise has been defined both historically and in present day. The purpose in this chapter is threefold: To demonstrate the heterogeneity of approaches and conceptions of expertise, to contextualize current views of expertise presented in this Handbook, and to use these views as a springboard to examine how we should examine expertise in the future—which is addressed in the final chapter. Finally, an outline of this Handbook’s chapters are presented.
Expertise in Business
Authors: DiBello Lia A.
Published: March 2019

The chapter on expertise in business attempts to show how changes in society have influenced a greater need for expertise in business. The chapter touches on a number of themes. Clients teach businesses the nature of expertise while businesses help clients adapt to an increasingly complex and interconnected world of business. The new “expert” in business may not be an individual at all, but rather a high-performing and highly efficient team, with team-level self-awareness of who has what piece of the skill puzzle in addressing complex challenges. Further, all business employees probably need to be closer to an expert than in the past, if only to add value to a team. Lastly, pushing the envelope on accelerated learning can only help more people feel secure that they will be able to find a meaningful and rewarding role in the future workforce.
Positive Affectivity
Authors: Naragon-Gainey Kristin , Watson David
Published: March 2019

Positive affectivity is a trait that reflects stable individual differences in positive emotional experience; high levels of the trait are marked by frequent feelings of cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and energy. Positive affectivity is relatively independent from negative affectivity, as these traits developed in response to different evolutionary pressures. Similar to personality traits, trait affect is structured hierarchically. Although there is not a clear consensus regarding the lower-order components of positive affectivity, we emphasize a model that includes components of joviality, self-assurance, and attentiveness. Different measures of positive affectivity are reviewed, as well as relationships to overlapping constructs such as extraversion, happiness, and subjective well-being. Positive affect is relevant to a number of important domains. For example, low levels of positive affectivity are characteristic of numerous psychological disorders (particularly depression), whereas elevated levels of the trait have been linked to mania and substance use. Current marital and job satisfaction can be predicted based on previous measurement of positive affectivity. Positive affectivity is also related to better physical health, such as increased resistance to infectious illnesses. Finally, although mean levels of positive affectivity do not appear to differ greatly across cultures, there is evidence that culture may influence cross-situational stability and perceptions of trait affect. We conclude by showing that although temperament is an important factor in determining levels of positive affectivity, individuals are still free to take action to increase their happiness in lasting ways.
The Queer Pleasures of Musicals
Authors: Rogers Bradley
Published: March 2019

This chapter examines how queer pleasures are sublimated into musicals by analyzing the 1966 play Mame. Through this close reading of Mame and a broader consideration of musical theatre and film, this chapter explores how the show (and the genre, more generally) harnesses the power of the female body to disrupt the heteronormative impulses of narrative; creates a parthenogenetic world that celebrates motherhood; ironically deploys conventional representations of femininity; critiques heterosexual romance; and channels queer desire through the structure of musical theater. It also considers the relationship of musical theatre to camp, lesbian representation, and the spectacular male body. Finally, it provides an account of homosexuality and queerness in musicals that followed Mame—including La Cage aux Folles, A Chorus Line, Rent, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch—identifying moments that transcend the dichotomy between closeted structures and the representations of identity.
Implementation planning for lung cancer screening in China
Authors: Cheng Yue I , Davies Michael P A , Liu Dan , Li Weimin , Field John K
Published: March 2019

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China, with over 690 000 lung cancer deaths estimated in 2018. The mortality has increased about five-fold from the mid-1970s to the 2000s. Lung cancer low-dose computerized tomography (LDCT) screening in smokers was shown to improve survival in the US National Lung Screening Trial, and more recently in the European NELSON trial. However, although the predominant risk factor, smoking contributes to a lower fraction of lung cancers in China than in the UK and USA. Therefore, it is necessary to establish Chinese-specific screening strategies. There have been 23 associated programmes completed or still ongoing in China since the 1980s, mainly after 2000; and one has recently been planned. Generally, their entry criteria are not smoking-stringent. Most of the Chinese programmes have reported preliminary results only, which demonstrated a different high-risk subpopulation of lung cancer in China. Evidence concerning LDCT screening implementation is based on results of randomized controlled trials outside China. LDCT screening programmes combining tobacco control would produce more benefits. Population recruitment (e.g. risk-based selection), screening protocol, nodule management and cost-effectiveness are discussed in detail. In China, the high-risk subpopulation eligible for lung cancer screening has not as yet been confirmed, as all the risk parameters have not as yet been determined. Although evidence on best practice for implementation of lung cancer screening has been accumulating in other countries, further research in China is urgently required, as China is now facing a lung cancer epidemic.
Prescribing of Opioids and Benzodiazepines Among Patients With History of Overdose
Authors: Griggs Christopher , Wyatt Stephen , Wally Meghan K. , Runyon Michael , Hsu Joseph R. , Seymour Rachel B. , Beuhler Michael , Bosse Michael J. , Fogg Ryan , Gibbs Michael , Haas Eric , Jarrett Steven , Leas Daniel , Saha Animita , Schiro Sharon , Watling Bradley
Published: March 2019

Objectives:

Addiction and overdose related to prescription drugs continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. We aimed to characterize the prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines to patients who had previously presented with an opioid or benzodiazepine overdose.

Methods:

This was a retrospective chart review of patients who were prescribed an opioid or benzodiazepine in a 1-month time-period in 2015 (May) and had a previous presentation for opioid or benzodiazepine overdose at a large healthcare system.

Results:

We identified 60,129 prescribing encounters for opioids and/or benzodiazepines, 543 of which involved a patient with a previous opioid or benzodiazepine overdose. There were 404 unique patients in this cohort, with 97 having more than 1 visit including a prescription opioid and/or benzodiazepine. A majority of prescriptions (54.1%) were to patients with an overdose within the 2 years of the documented prescribing encounter. Prescribing in the outpatient clinical setting represented half (49.9%) of encounters, whereas emergency department prescribing was responsible for nearly a third (31.5%).

Conclusions:

In conclusion, prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines occurs across multiple locations in a large health care system to patients with a previous overdose. Risk factors, such as previous overdose should be highlighted through clinical decision support tools in the medical record to help prescribers identify patients at higher risk and to mobilize resources for this patient population. Prescribers need further education on factors that place their patients at risk for opioid use disorder and on alternative therapies to opioids and benzodiazepines.
Genetic Variant in the CRH-binding Protein Gene (CRHBP) is Associated With Cessation of Cocaine Use in Methadone Maintenance Patients With Opioid Addiction
Authors: Peles Einat , Levran Orna , Randesi Matthew , Ott Jurg , Kreek Mary Jeanne , Adelson Miriam
Published: March 2019

Objectives:

We have previously shown associations between 4 genetic variants in opioid and stress-related genes (OPRM1, NPYR1/NPYR5, NR3C1, and CRHBP) and prolonged abstinence from heroin without methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). We currently assessed the associations between these variants and MMT patients’ characteristics.

Methods:

A non-selective group of 351 patients who stayed at least 1 year in their first admission to MMT were genotyped and their characteristics and substance in urine on admission and after 1 year were studied.

Results:

The proportions of patients with both cocaine and benzodiazepine abuse were reduced significantly after 1 year in MMT; however, cocaine abuse cessation was significantly associated with the non-carriers of the CRHBP (corticotrophin releasing hormone binding protein) SNP rs1500 minor C allele (GG genotype) (P = 0.0009, P
Bonferroni = 0.0221). More carriers of the 2 C alleles (CC genotype) than carriers of the GC and GG genotypes abused cocaine on admission (32.3% vs 19.7%, respectively, P = 0.0414, recessive model), and more of the C allele carriers (GC and CC genotypes) than non-carriers (GG genotype) abused cocaine after 1 year in MMT (25.7% vs 15.8%, respectively, P = 0.0334, dominant model). Abusers of benzodiazepine were more prevalent among carriers of the C allele compared with non-carriers on admission (60.6% vs 45.9%, respectively, P = 0.0080, dominant model), as well as after 1 year in MMT (50.9% vs 39.1%, respectively, P = 0.0362).

Conclusions:

Reduction in cocaine abuse among MMT patients may be mediated by a genetic effect in a stress-related gene (CRHBP SNP rs1500 minor C allele). Evaluations of larger samples, additional SNPs, and different populations are needed to support these findings.
Characterization of coral-associated microbial aggregates (CAMAs) within tissues of the coralAcropora hyacinthus
Authors: Wada Naohisa , Ishimochi Mizuki , Matsui Taeko , Pollock F. Joseph , Tang Sen-Lin , Ainsworth Tracy D. , Willis Bette L. , Mano Nobuhiro , Bourne David G.
Published: March 2019

Bacterial diversity associated with corals has been studied extensively, however, localization of bacterial associations within the holobiont is still poorly resolved. Here we provide novel insight into the localization of coral-associated microbial aggregates (CAMAs) within tissues of the coralAcropora hyacinthus. In total, 318 and 308 CAMAs were characterized via histological and fluorescentin situhybridization (FISH) approaches respectively, and shown to be distributed extensively throughout coral tissues collected from five sites in Japan and Australia. The densities of CAMAs within the tissues were negatively correlated with the distance from the coastline (i.e. lowest densities at offshore sites). CAMAs were randomly distributed across the six coral tissue regions investigated. Within each CAMA, bacterial cells had similar morphological characteristics, but bacterial morphologies varied among CAMAs, with at least five distinct types identified. Identifying the location of microorganisms associated with the coral host is a prerequisite for understanding their contributions to fitness. Localization of tissue-specific communities housed within CAMAs is particularly important, as these communities are potentially important contributors to vital metabolic functions of the holobiont.
Natural allelic variations ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeimpact stuck fermentation due to the combined effect of ethanol and temperature; a QTL-mapping study
Authors: Marullo Philippe , Durrens Pascal , Peltier Emilien , Bernard Margaux , Mansour Chantal , Dubourdieu^ Denis
Published: March 2019

Background

Fermentation completion is a major prerequisite in many industrial processes involving the bakery yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae.Stuck fermentations can be due to the combination of many environmental stresses. Among them high temperature and ethanol content are particularly deleterious especially in bioethanol and red wine production. Although the genetic causes of temperature and/or ethanol tolerance were widely investigated in laboratory conditions, few studies investigated natural genetic variations related to stuck fermentations in high gravity matrixes.

Results

In this study, three QTLs linked to stuck fermentation in winemaking conditions were identified by using a selective genotyping strategy carried out on a backcrossed population. The precision of mapping allows the identification of two causative genesVHS1andOYE2characterized by stop-codon insertion. The phenotypic effect of these allelic variations was validated by Reciprocal Hemyzygous Assay in high gravity fermentations (>240 g/L of sugar) carried out at high temperatures (>28°C). Phenotypes impacted were related to the late stage of alcoholic fermentation during the stationary growth phase of yeast.

Conclusions

The genes identified are related to molecular functions such as Programed Cell Death, ROS metabolism and respire-fermentative switch and were never related to fermentation efficiency. Our findings open new avenues for better understanding yeast resistance mechanisms involved in high gravity fermentations.
In silicoidentification of novel peptides with antibacterial activity against multidrug resistantStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: Oyama Linda B , Olleik Hamza , Teixeira Ana Carolina Nery , Guidini Matheus M , Pickup James A , Cookson Alan R , Vallin Hannah , Wilkinson Toby , Bazzolli Denise , Richards Jennifer , Wootton Mandy , Mikut Ralf , Hilpert Kai , Maresca Marc , Perrier Josette , Hess Matthias , Mantovani Hilario C , Fernandez-Fuentes Narcis , Creevey Christopher J , Huws Sharon A
Published: March 2019

Herein we report the identification and characterisation of two linear antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), HG2 and HG4, with activity against a wide range of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, especially methicillin resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) strains, a highly problematic group of Gram-positive bacteria in the hospital and community environment. To identify the novel AMPs presented here, we employed the classifier model design, a feature extraction method using molecular descriptors for amino acids for the analysis, visualization, and interpretation of AMP activities from a rumen metagenomic dataset. This allowed for thein silicodiscrimination of active and inactive peptides in order to define a small number of promising novel lead AMP test candidates for chemical synthesis and experimental evaluation.In vitrodata suggest that the chosen AMPs are fast acting, show strong biofilm inhibition and dispersal activity and are efficacious in anin vivomodel of MRSA USA300 infection, whilst showing little toxicity to human erythrocytes and human primary cell linesex vivo. Observations from biophysical AMP-lipid-interactions and electron microscopy suggest that the newly identified peptides interact with the cell membrane and may be involved in the inhibition of other cellular processes. Amphiphilic conformations associated with membrane disruption are also observed in 3D molecular modelling of the peptides. HG2 and HG4 both preferentially bind to MRSA total lipids rather than with human cell lipids indicating that HG4 may form superior templates for safer therapeutic candidates for MDR bacterial infections.

Author Summary

We are losing our ability to treat multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, otherwise known as superbugs. This poses a serious global threat to human health as bacteria are increasingly acquiring resistance to antibiotics. There is therefore urgent need to intensify our efforts to develop new safer alternative drug candidates. We emphasise the usefulness of complementing wet-lab andin silicotechniques for the rapid identification of new drug candidates from environmental samples, especially antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). HG2 and HG4, the AMPs identified in our study show promise as effective therapies for the treatment of methicillin resistantStaphylococcus aureusinfections bothin vitroandin vivowhilst having little cytotoxicity against human primary cells, a step forward in the fight against MDR infections.
Onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Clinical description and relationship with microfilarial density
Authors: Siewe Fodjo Joseph Nelson , Mandro Michel Ndahura , Mukendi Deby , Tepage Floribert , Menon Sonia , Nakato Swabra , Françoise Nyisi , Abhafule Germain , Wonya'rossi Deogratias , Anyolito Aimé , Lokonda Richard , Hotterbeekx An , Colebunders Robert
Published: March 2019

Background: High epilepsy prevalence and incidence were observed in onchocerciasis-endemic villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We sought to investigate the clinical characteristics of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE), and the relationship with microfilarial density.
Methods: In October 2017, ivermectin-naive persons with epilepsy (PWE) were recruited from onchocerciasis-endemic areas in the Logo health zone in the DRC. Additional PWE were enrolled in the Aketi health zone, where ivermectin had been distributed annually for 14 years. Past medical history, clinical characteristics and skin snips for Onchocerca volvulus detection were obtained from participants. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were used to investigate associations with microfilarial density.
Results: Of the 420 PWE in the Logo health zone, 392 were skin snipped (36.5% positive). Generalized motor seizures were most frequent (392 PWE, 93.3%), and nodding seizures were reported in 32 (7.6%) participants. Twelve PWE (3.1%) presented Nakalanga features. More skin snip-positive participants reported a family history of epilepsy (p=0.027). Eighty-one onchocerciasis-infected PWE were recruited in the Aketi health zone. Positive correlations between seizure frequency and microfilarial density were observed in Logo (Spearman-rho=0.181; p=0.0003) and Aketi (Spearman-rho=0.228; p=0.046). In the multivariable analysis which adjusted for age, gender and previous anti-epileptic drug use, factors associated with high seizure frequency included: high microfilarial density (RR=1.004, 95% CI: 1.002–1.007; p<0.001), history of nodding seizures (RR=3.852, 95% CI: 2.926–5.082; p<0.001) and shorter duration of epilepsy (RR=0.948, 95% CI: 0.928–0.968; p<0.001). In Aketi, previous ivermectin use was associated with reduced seizures (RR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.58–0.83; p<0.001).
Conclusion: In onchocerciasis-endemic regions in the DRC, a wide spectrum of seizures was observed. Nodding seizures, Nakalanga features, and a positive association between microfilarial density and seizures suggest a high OAE prevalence in the study villages, requiring a double management strategy: treatment with anti-epileptic drugs and stronger onchocerciasis elimination programs.
Population histories of the United States revealed through fine-scale migration and haplotype analysis
Authors: Dai Chengzhen L. , Vazifeh Mohammad M. , Yeang Chen-Hsiang , Tachet Remi , Wells R. Spencer , Vilar Miguel G. , Daly Mark J. , Ratti Carlo , Martin Alicia R.
Published: March 2019

The population of the United States is shaped by centuries of migration, isolation, growth, and admixture between ancestors of global origins. Here, we assemble a comprehensive view of recent population history by studying the ancestry and population structure of over 32,000 individuals in the US using genetic, ancestral birth origin, and geographic data from the National Geographic Genographic Project. We identify migration routes and barriers that reflect historical demographic events. We also uncover the spatial patterns of relatedness in subpopulations through the combination of haplotype clustering, ancestral birth origin analysis, and local ancestry inference. Examples of these patterns include substantial substructure and heterogeneity in Hispanics/Latinos, isolation-by-distance in African Americans, elevated levels of relatedness and homozygosity in Asian immigrants, and fine-scale structure in European descents. Taken together, our results provide detailed insights into the genetic structure and demographic history of the diverse US population.
Pathogen genetic control of transcriptome variation in the Arabidopsis thaliana – Botrytis cinerea pathosystem
Authors: Soltis Nicole E. , Zhang Wei , Corwin Jason A. , Atwell Susanna , Kliebenstein Daniel J.
Published: March 2019

Disease symptoms arise from the interaction of the host and pathogen genomes. However, little is known about how genetic variation in the interaction modulates both organisms’ transcriptomes, especially in complex interactions like those between generalist pathogens and their plant hosts. To begin mapping how polygenic pathogen variation influences both organisms’ transcriptomes, we used the Botrytis cinerea - Arabidopsis thaliana pathosystem. We measured the co-transcriptome across a genetically diverse collection of 96 B. cinerea isolates infected on the Arabidopsis wildtype, Col-0. Using the B. cinerea genomic variation, we performed genome-wide association (GWA) for each of 23,947 measurable transcripts in the host, and 9,267 measurable transcripts in the pathogen. Unlike other eGWA studies, there was a relative absence of cis-eQTL that is likely explained by structural variants and allelic heterogeneity within the pathogen’s genome. This analysis identified mostly trans-eQTL in the pathogen with eQTL hotspots dispersed across the pathogen genome that altered the pathogen’s transcripts, the host’s transcripts, or both the pathogen and the host. Gene membership in the trans-eQTL hotspots suggests links to several known and many novel virulence mechanisms in the plant-pathogen interaction. Genes annotated to these hotspots provide potential targets for blocking manipulation of the host response by this ubiquitous generalist pathogen. This shows that genetic control over the co-transcriptome is polygenic, similar to the virulence outcome in the interaction of Botrytis cinerea on Arabidopsis thaliana.
Toxicokinetics of citreoviridinin vivoandin vitro
Authors: Uchiyama Yosuke , Takino Masahiko , Noguchi Michiko , Shiratori Nozomi , Kobayashi Naoki , Sugita-Konishi Yoshiko
Published: March 2019

Citreoviridin (CIT) produced byPenicillium citreonigrumas a secondary metabolite is a yellow rice toxin that has been reported to be related to acute cardiac beriberi; however, its toxicokinetics remain unclear. The present study elucidated the toxicokinetics through swinein vivoexperiments and predicted the human toxicokinetics by a comparison with findings fromin vitroexperiments. Swinein vivoexperiments revealed that CIT had a high bioavailability of more than 90%. In addition, it showed a large volume of distribution (1.005 ± 0.195 L/kg) and long elimination half-life (17.7 ± 3.3 h) in intravenous. These results suggested the possibility of a slow metabolism of CIT. An intestinal permeability study using the human cell line Caco-2 showed that CIT had a high permeability coefficient, suggesting it would be easily absorbed in human intestine, similar to its absorption in swine. The metabolite profiles were investigated by incubating CIT with S9 obtained from swine and humans. Hydroxylation, methylation, desaturation and dihydroxylation derivatives were detected as the predominant metabolites, and CIT glucuronide was produced slowly compared with above metabolites. A comparison of the peak area ratios obtained using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer showed that the rates of all of the main metabolites except for glucuronide produced using human S9 were three-fold higher than those obtained using swine S9. Furthermore, the elimination of CIT using human S9 was more rapid than when using swine S9, indicating that CIT would be metabolized faster in humans than in swine. Thesein vivoresults suggested that CIT is easily absorbed in swine and persists in the body for a long duration. Furthermore, the CIT metabolism appeared to be faster in human liver than in swine liverin vitro, although the bioavailability of CIT was predicted to be similarly high in humans as in swine.
Enhancements in conceptual electric aircraft design
Authors: Mieloszyk Jacek , Tarnowski Andrzej
Published: March 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the enhancement of the numerical method for conceptual phase of electric aircraft design.

Design/methodology/approach

The algorithm provides a balance between lift force and weight of the aircraft, together with drag and thrust force equilibrium, while modifying design variables. Wing geometry adjustment, mass correction and performance estimation are performed in an iterative process.

Findings

Aircraft numerical model, which is most often very simplified, has a number of new improvements. This enables to make more accurate analyses and to show relationships between design parameters and aircraft performance.

Practical implications

The presented approach can improve design results.

Originality/value

The new methodology, which includes enhanced numerical models for conceptual design, has not been presented before.
Application of a new local effective constrained response surface method in structural reliability optimization design
Authors: Su Hailiang , Lan Fengchong , He Yuyan , Chen Jiqing
Published: March 2019

Purpose

Meta-model method has been widely used in structural reliability optimization design. The main limitation of this method is that it is difficult to quantify the error caused by the meta-model approximation, which leads to the inaccuracy of the optimization results of the reliability evaluation. Taking the local high efficiency of the proxy model, this paper aims to propose a local effective constrained response surface method (LEC-RSM) based on a meta-model.

Design/methodology/approach

The operating mechanisms of LEC-RSM is to calculate the index of the local relative importance based on numerical theory and capture the most effective area in the entire design space, as well as selecting important analysis domains for sample changes. To improve the efficiency of the algorithm, the constrained efficient set algorithm (ESA) is introduced, in which the sample point validity is identified based on the reliability information obtained in the previous cycle and then the boundary sampling points that violate the constraint conditions are ignored or eliminated.

Findings

The computational power of the proposed method is demonstrated by solving two mathematical problems and the actual engineering optimization problem of a car collision. LEC-RSM makes it easier to achieve the optimal performance, less feature evaluation and fewer algorithm iterations.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a new RSM technology based on proxy model to complete the reliability design. The originality of this paper is to increase the sampling points by identifying the local importance of the analysis domain and introduce the constrained ESA to improve the efficiency of the algorithm.