bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound Pre-treatment for Intensification of Hydrothermal Process in Reducing Sugar Production from Cassava Starch
Authors: Sumarno  , Bramantyo A , Febriyati P , Gunardi I , Trisanti P N
Published: June 2019

Cassava is an abundant natural resource in Indonesia and mostly used as food. Starch, as the main component of cassava, can be converted to many of its derivative product such as glucose, fructose, and other reducing sugar. Conventionally, reducing sugar is produced from starch by acid and enzyme hydrolysis. A hydrothermal process is sophisticated biomass processing method which makes it possible to hydrolyze the starch by water only. However, the reducing sugar productivity of the hydrothermal process still not as high as the conventional process. By ultrasound pre-treatment, a hydrothermal process can be intensified, so that increase its productivity. This study set out to find the effect ultrasound pre-treatment to intensify production of reducing sugar from the hydrothermal process of cassava starch. The experiment was conducted by treating cassava starch suspension using ultrasonic irradiation with various operation time (0-120 minutes) and under a temperature of 40°C. For combination process, the starch suspension is processed under 15 minutes ultrasonic irradiation at 40°C, then continued to the hydrothermal process at 100°C and 100 bar using carbon dioxide as the pressurizing gas. The research found that the combination process can produce 0.693 mg/mL of reducing sugar
Ternary liquid-liquid equilibria for β-caryophyllene(1) + 1-propanol(2) + water(3) system at temperatures 303.15, 313.15, and 323.15 K
Authors: Kuswandi K , Wibawa G , Hidayatulloh I , Mahardhikawati C , Pratiwi A D
Published: June 2019

The experimental liquid–liquid equilibrium data of the system β–caryophyllene(1) + 1-propanol(2) + water(3) at temperatures 303.15, 313.15, and 323.15 K are presented. The mixtures of β–caryophyllene + 1-propanol + water were stirred for 4 hours and settled for at least 20 hours at constant temperature. The samples taken from both phases were analyzed by a gas chromatography (GC). The experimental equilibrium data were correlated by NRTL and UNIQUAC models. The compatibility of the models is based on the value of root mean square deviation (RMSD). The liquid-liquid phase diagram of the system shows type I phase behavior, where two binary subsystems are miscible and only one binary subsystem is partially miscible. The temperature effect of this system on immiscible zone is very small. Based on the experiment and the calculation results, the ternary equilibrium data have been successfully represented using both the NRTL and the UNIQUAC models.
Preparation of Activated Carbon from Mangrove Waste by KOH Chemical Activation
Authors: Paryanto  , Wibowo W A , Hantoko D , Saputro M E
Published: June 2019

In this study, Mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata) fruit waste which was generated from water-based extraction of natural dyes from this fruit was used as raw material in activated carbon preparation. Carbonization of chopped Mangrove fruit waste was conducted in a batch pyrolyzer for slow pyrolysis at temperature range of 300°C to 335°C and atmospheric pressure. The produced carbon was then soaked with potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution for 24 hours before activation process in an electrical furnace at 400°C for an hour. Effect of KOH concentration on physical characteristics of activated carbon was investigated in terms of moisture content, ash content, surface area, pore diameter, iodine number, and surface morphology. It was observed that the surface area and pore diameter increased with increasing the KOH concentration. Soaking the carbon in 2.5 M KOH provided the highest surface area and pore diameter of activated carbon, which were 1,920.6 m2/g and 5.52 µm, respectively. Also, the iodine number of 1,540.13 mg/g was obtained in correspond to the adsorption capacity.
Study of Nanoparticle Distribution in Water Treated with Combined Filtration-Inductively Coupled Plasma System
Authors: Trianda Y , Desmiarti R , Hazmi A , Martynis M , Li F
Published: June 2019

Nanoparticles represent a specific type of organic or inorganic matter with at least one dimension less than 100 nm and possess unique physical and chemical properties. The presence of nanoparticles in drinking water may pose a direct human health threat or an indirect risk through ingestion. Thus, the removal of nanoparticles from drinking water is needed. This research was carried out to study the distribution of nanoparticles in water treated with a combined filtration-inductively coupled plasma system by continuous processing. The flow rate was set at 100 and 200 mL/minute. The results showed that after 180 minutes of treatment, the amount and volume of nanoparticles in the treated water produced were different from those contained in raw water. The nanoparticles were within the diameter ranges from 2.70 to 6.50 nm and 0.62 to 712 nm for flow rate at 100 and 150 mL/minute, respectively. The particles within these diameter ranges belong to the group of proteins, small molecules and atoms. The measured zeta potential of the treated water had also decreased, indicating that the stability of the nanoparticles was reduced and removal by the combined filtration-inductively coupled plasma system had occurred. Further research is required to find the optimum flow rate and determine the exact components of the groups of nanoparticles.
Performance Evaluation of Coal Fly Ash Based Zeolite A for Heavy Metal Ions Adsorption of Wastewater
Authors: Paramitha T , Wulandari W , Rizkiana J , Sasongko D
Published: June 2019

One of the environmental characteristics of chemical industries is producing wastewater effluent that containing heavy metals, which are hazardous to the aquatic life and the human health. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the use of zeolite A as a sorbent for the heavy metal ions removal from wastewater. Zeolite A was synthesized from coal fly ash by fusion-hydrothermal method by the authors contains cation exchange capacity of 5.05 meq/g. This study used a series of artificial wastewater containing one and mixed heavy metal ions (Cu (II) and Zn (II)). The result showed that wastewater containing one heavy metal ion was almost fully adsorbed, for instance percentage sorption of Cu (II) and Zn (II) ions were 95.61 % and 92.15 %. On the other hand, for binary system, the percentage sorption slightly decreased becoming 91.51 % with the increase the amount of Zn (II) ion in solution. Based on kinetic data, sorption of Cu (II) and Zn (II) ions is controlled by pseudo-second order. In addition, adsorption isotherm follows Langmuir model. From this study, it is confirmed that zeolite A has a good possibility to be used as sorbent of heavy metal ions removal in wastewater.
Biogas Production from Wastes of Tofu Industry with Effects of Water Hyacinth and Cow Manure Additions
Authors: Sa’diah S , Putra M D
Published: June 2019

Biogas is one of the potential sources of energy to cope with the limitations of fossil energy. On the other hand, liquid waste of tofu industry, water hyacinth, and cow manure are poorly managed that can potentially pollute the environment. The type of those wastes was potential source for biogas production through anaerobic digestion due to high content of protein and nutrient. This study aims to determine the effect of addition of liquid waste of tofu industry (WT) and water hyacinth (WH) to cow manure (CM) on the biogas production. The amount of water hyacinth and cow manure were varied at 0-4 kg, while the liquid waste of tofu industry was fixed to 8 kg. The anaerobic digestion was conducted in biodigester container equipped with thermometer and biogas shelter. The biogas production was then analyzed using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The optimum biogas was achieved at raw material ratio of 4:2:2 (WT:WH:CM) for 21 d. At this condition, 60 ppm of CH4 and 10,744 ppm of CO2 were obtained. Thus, the utilization of liquid waste of tofu industry, water hyacinth and cow manure as raw material of biogas production can minimize the environment problem and supply energy.
Estimating the Impact of Financial Investments on Agricultural Futures Prices using Changes in Volatility
Authors: Hachula Michael , Rieth Malte
Published: June 2019

This paper studies the impact of financial investments on agricultural futures prices, using structural vector autoregressions. We identify exogenous variation in net long positions of speculators through heteroskedasticity. We first show that demand shocks of both index investors and noncommercial traders lead to a statistically significant contemporaneous increase in futures prices. We then quantify the economic importance of these shocks. Our findings suggest a negligible contribution of index investors’ demand shocks and only a small contribution of noncommercials’ demand shocks to futures price dynamics, both on average and during the boom‐busts in 2007/08 and 2011/12.
Strengthening Quality of Tuberculosis Laboratories Toward Accreditation in Viet Nam
Authors: Gumma Vidyanidhi , Bennett Davara Lee , Nguyen Thi Phong Lan , Duong Ngoc Cuong , Bond Kyle B , Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen , Erni Donatelle , Nguyen Van Nhung , Nguyen Van Hung , Albert Heidi
Published: June 2019

Objectives

Early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a priority for Viet Nam’s National TB Control Programme. In many laboratories, quality systems are weak; few have attained accreditation. We implemented a structured training and mentoring program for TB laboratories and measured impact on quality.

Methods

Six TB culture laboratories implemented the Strengthening TB Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (TB SLMTA) program, consisting of three training workshops and on-site mentoring between workshops to support improvement projects. Periodic audits, using standardized checklists, monitored laboratories’ progress toward accreditation readiness.

Results

At baseline, all six laboratories achieved a zero-star level. At exit, five laboratories attained three stars and another one star. Overall checklist scores increased by 44.2% on average, from 29.8% to 74.0%; improvements occurred across all quality system essentials.

Conclusions

The program led to improved quality systems. Sites should be monitored to ensure sustainability of improvements and country capacity expanded for national scaleup.
Repeat Biomarker Status in Breast Resection Specimens With Controlled Cold Ischemic Time
Authors: East Ellen G , Roberts Emily , Zhao Lili , Jorns Julie M
Published: June 2019

Objectives

Current College of American Pathologists/American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines recommend cold ischemic time (CIT) of 1 hour or less for breast specimens to preserve biomarker expression, although some publications support an acceptable CIT of 4 hours or less. We retrospectively evaluated changes in estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) from biopsy to resection specimens that were triaged to optimize CIT.

Methods

We identified breast resection specimens collected after institutional implementation of a triage protocol. Clinicopathologic features were assessed.

Results

In total, 295 excisions had a prior malignant diagnosis, with CIT of 4 hours or less and repeat ER, PR, and/or HER2; 230 (78%) had CIT of 1 hour or less, and 65 (22%) had CIT of more than 1 hour but 4 hours or less. Categorical change was seen in 10 (17.9%) of 56 with repeated ER/PR and 38 (13.3%) of 285 with repeated HER2 (of which five [1.8%] had meaningful change).

Conclusions

When CIT is optimized, a meaningful change in biomarker expression is infrequent. This study supports that when specimens are appropriately triaged, CIT of 4 hours or less may be acceptable.
Social reproduction, gender equality and economic growth
Authors: Braunstein Elissa , Bouhia Rachid , Seguino Stephanie
Published: June 2019

This paper presents a conceptual Kaleckian macroeconomic model and principal component analysis that link structures of economic growth and development with those of social reproduction and gender inequality. Employment, output and long-run prospects for growth are driven by class dynamics as well as social reproduction, defined as the time and money it takes to produce, maintain and invest in the labour force. How social reproduction is organised—the extent to which reproduction takes place in the household, public or market sectors, and the gender distribution of the labour in each—influences current aggregate demand and long-run productivity growth. Based on this model, and using data for a panel of 156 countries between 1991 and 2015, the paper presents empirical estimates of social reproduction regime by country and region, identifying under what circumstances systems of growth on the one hand and social reproduction on the other reinforce or contradict one another.
Long-term Evaluation of Allogeneic Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy for Crohn’s Disease Perianal Fistulas
Authors: Barnhoorn Marieke C , Wasser Martin N J M , Roelofs Helene , Maljaars P W Jeroen , Molendijk Ilse , Bonsing Bert A , Oosten Liesbeth E M , Dijkstra Gerard , van der Woude C Janneke , Roelen Dave L , Zwaginga Jaap-Jan , Verspaget Hein W , Fibbe Willem E , Hommes Daniel W , Peeters Koen C M J , van der Meulen-de Jong Andrea E
Published: June 2019

Background and Aims

The long-term safety and efficacy of allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell [bmMSC] therapy in perianal Crohn’s disease [CD] fistulas is unknown. We aimed to provide a 4-year clinical evaluation of allogeneic bmMSC treatment of perianal CD fistulas.

Methods

A double-blind dose-finding study for local bmMSC therapy in 21 patients with refractory perianal fistulising Crohn’s disease was performed at the Leiden University Medical Center in 2012–2014. All patients treated with bmMSCs [1 x 107 bmMSCs cohort 1, n = 5; 3 × 107 bmMSCs cohort 2, n = 5; 9 × 107 bmMSCs cohort 3, n = 5] were invited for a 4-year evaluation. Clinical events were registered, fistula closure was evaluated, and anti-human leukocyte antigen [HLA] antibodies were assessed. Patients were also asked to undergo a pelvic magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and rectoscopy.

Results

Thirteen out of 15 patients [87%] treated with bmMSCs were available for long-term follow-up. Two non-MSC related malignancies were observed. No serious adverse events thought to be related to bmMSC therapy were found. In cohort 2 [n = 4], all fistulas were closed 4 years after bmMSC therapy. In cohort 1 [n = 4] 63%, and in cohort 3 [n = 5] 43%, of the fistulas were closed, respectively. In none of the patients anti-HLA antibodies could be detected 24 weeks and 4 years after therapy. Pelvic MRI showed significantly smaller fistula tracts after 4 years.

Conclusions

Allogeneic bmMSC therapy for CD-associated perianal fistulas is also in the long-term a safe therapy. In bmMSC-treated patients, fistulas with closure at Week 24 were still closed after 4 years.
Ustekinumab for Crohn’s Disease: Results of the ICC Registry, a Nationwide Prospective Observational Cohort Study
Authors: Biemans Vince B C , van der Meulen - de Jong Andrea E , van der Woude Christine J , Löwenberg Mark , Dijkstra Gerard , Oldenburg Bas , de Boer Nanne K H , van der Marel Sander , Bodelier Alexander G L , Jansen Jeroen M , Haans Jeoffrey J L , Theeuwen Rosaline , de Jong Dirk , Pierik Marie J , Hoentjen Frank
Published: June 2019

Background and Aims

Ustekinumab is approved for the treatment of Crohn’s disease [CD]. Systematically registered prospective real-world data are scarce. We therefore aimed to study the effectiveness, safety and usage of ustekinumab for CD in everyday practice.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled CD patients initiating ustekinumab in regular care between December 2016 and January 2019. Clinical (Harvey Bradshaw Index [HBI]), biochemical (C-reactive protein [CRP] and faecal calprotectin [FCP]), extra-intestinal manifestations and, peri-anal fistula activity, ustekinumab dosage, concomitant medication use, and adverse events were documented at weeks 0, 12, 24, and 52. The primary outcome was corticosteroid-free clinical remission.

Results

In total, 221 CD patients were included (98.6% anti-tumour necrosis factor [TNF] and 46.6% vedolizumab exposed) with a median follow-up of 52.0 weeks [interquartile range 49.3–58.4]. Corticosteroid-free clinical remission rates at weeks 24 and 52 were 38.2% and 37.1%, respectively. An initial dosing schedule of 8 weeks, compared to 12 weeks, correlated with a lower discontinuation rate [20.0% vs 42.6%, p = 0.01], but comparable corticosteroid-free clinical remission at week 52 (46.3% [q8w] vs 34.6% [q12w], p = 0.20). There was no clinical benefit of combination therapy after 52 weeks when compared to ustekinumab monotherapy [combi 40.6% vs mono 36.0%, p = 0.64]. At baseline, 28 patients had active peri-anal fistula, of whom 35.7% showed complete clinical resolution after 24 weeks. During follow-up we encountered six severe infections [3.5 per 100 patient-years], with all patients being on concomitant immunosuppressant therapies. Ustekinumab treatment discontinuation was observed in 75 [33.9%] patients mainly due to lack of response.

Conclusion

Ustekinumab is a relatively safe and effective treatment option for CD patients with prior failure of anti-TNF and anti-integrin therapies.
Right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction with the Labcor® stentless valved pulmonary conduit
Authors: Jussli-Melchers Jill , Scheewe Jens , Hansen Jan Hinnerk , Grothusen Christina , Steer Julia , Voges Inga , Logoteta Jana , Dütschke Peter , Kramer Hans-Heiner , Attmann Tim
Published: June 2019

OBJECTIVES

The right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction is a common necessity in congenital cardiac surgery. As homograft availability is limited, alternatives need to be evaluated. The Labcor® conduit consists of a porcine tricomposite valve assembled inside a bovine pericardium tube. This study presents intermediate-term results for its utilization for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction.

METHODS

Labcor conduits were implanted in 53 patients (February 2009–July 2016). We analysed perioperative data, freedom from conduit failure and risk factors for conduit dysfunction.

RESULTS

The most common diagnosis was Tetralogy of Fallot (n = 20, 37.7%). The median age at surgery was 10.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 4.9–14.3] years. Pulmonary artery plasty (n = 37, 69.8%) and augmentation of the right ventricular outflow tract (n = 16, 30.2%) were often part of the procedure. The median conduit size was 21 (range 11–25) mm. There was no in-hospital death. The median follow-up after surgery was 4.6 (IQR 3.4–5.6) years. Fourteen patients (27.5%) developed conduit failure with stenosis being the main cause. Freedom from conduit failure was 98.0% at 2 and 80.5% at 5 years. The median longevity of the conduit was 7.4 years (95% confidence interval 5.1–9.8 years). Younger age and smaller conduit size were related to conduit failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Utilization of the Labcor conduit revealed acceptable intermediate-term results. The conduit appeared to be functioning sufficiently well within the first 5 years in the majority of patients. The higher rate of failure concerning smaller conduits might be associated with somatic outgrowth; however, conduit degeneration as common and long-term outcome still needs to be evaluated.
Integrating Multiple Biomarkers to Increase Sensitivity for the Detection of Onchocerca volvulus Infection
Authors: Bennuru Sasisekhar , Oduro-Boateng Georgiette , Osigwe Chinweoke , Del Valle Priscilla , Golden Allison , Ogawa Guilherme Maerschner , Cama Vitaliano , Lustigman Sara , Nutman Thomas B
Published: June 2019

Background

Serological assessments for human onchocerciasis are based on IgG4 reactivity against the OV-16 antigen, with sensitivities of 60-80%. We have previously identified 7 novel proteins that could improve serodiagnosis.

Methods

IgG4 responses to these 7 proteins were assessed by luciferase immunoprecipitation (LIPS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) immunoassays.

Results

OVOC10469 and OVOC3261 were identified as the most promising candidates by IgG4-based immunoassays with sensitivities of 53% for rOVOC10469 and 78% for rOVOC3261 while specificity for each was >99%. These 2 antigens in combination with OV-16 increased the sensitivity for patent infections to 94%. The kinetics of appearance of these IgG4 responses based on experimentally infected non-human primates indicated that they were microfilarial- driven. Further, the IgG4 responses to both OVOC10469 and OVOC3261 (as well as to OV-16) drop significantly (p<0.05) following successful treatment for onchocerciasis. A prototype lateral flow rapid diagnostic test to detect IgG4 to both Ov-16 and OVOC3261 was developed and tested demonstrating an overall 94% sensitivity.

Conclusion

The combined use of rOVOC3261 with OV-16 improved serologic assessment of O. volvulus infection, a current unmet need toward the goal of elimination of transmission of O. volvulus.
Seeking care from a traditional healer after injury in Sudan: an exploratory cross-sectional analysis
Authors: Abdalla Safa , Abdel Aziz Muna , Basheir Igbal ,   Sudan Household Health Survey 2010 national management team
Published: June 2019

Background

Seeking care from traditional healers for injury is a common practice in low- and middle-income countries, including Sudan. As little is known about specific patterns of the practice in the country, we aimed to investigate associated factors and the role of professional injury care availability.

Methods

We used Sudan Household Health Survey 2010 data from a national stratified multistage cluster sample of 15 000 households. A multivariable Poisson regression (PR) model with robust variance was used to test potential associations of receiving care from a traditional healer in the first week after injury with age, gender, urban/rural residence, wealth index, educational attainment, cause of injury, time of injury occurrence and state-level injury-care bed density.

Results

Of 1432 injured participants who sought some form of healthcare, 38% received care from a traditional healer. A significant negative association was found with educational attainment, age and wealth. The association between injury-care bed density and receiving care from a traditional healer was consistently evident only when the injury was caused by a road traffic accident (PR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.96).

Conclusions

Merely increasing the affordability or availability of injury care facilities may not impact reliance on traditional healers for all causes of injury. Therefore, injury care policies need to consider the role of traditional healers as part of the healthcare system.
Metabolic adaptation to glycolysis is a basic defense mechanism of macrophages for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
Authors: Osada-Oka Mayuko , Goda Nobuhito , Saiga Hiroyuki , Yamamoto Masahiro , Takeda Kiyoshi , Ozeki Yuriko , Yamaguchi Takehiro , Soga Tomoyoshi , Tateishi Yu , Miura Katsuyuki , Okuzaki Daisuke , Kobayashi Kazuo , Matsumoto Sohkichi
Published: June 2019

Macrophages are major components of tuberculosis (TB) granulomas and are responsible for host defenses against the intracellular pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We herein showed the strong expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in TB granulomas and more rapid death of HIF-1α-conditional knockout mice than wild-type (WT) mice after M. tuberculosis infection. Although interferon-γ (IFN-γ) is a critical host-protective cytokine against intracellular pathogens, HIF-1-deficient macrophages permitted M. tuberculosis growth even after activation with IFN-γ. These results prompted us to investigate the role of HIF-1α in host defenses against infection. We found that the expression of lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDH-A) was controlled by HIF-1α in M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages IFN-γ independently. LDH-A is an enzyme that converts pyruvate to lactate and we found that the intracellular level of pyruvate in HIF-1α-deficient bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) was significantly higher than in WT BMDMs. Intracellular bacillus replication was enhanced by an increase in intracellular pyruvate concentrations, which were decreased by LDH-A. Mycobacteria in phagosomes took up exogenous pyruvate more efficiently than glucose, and used it as the feasible carbon source for intracellular growth. These results demonstrate that HIF-1α prevents the hijacking of pyruvate in macrophages, making it a fundamental host-protective mechanism against M. tuberculosis.
False positive amphetamines and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine immunoassays in the presence of metoprolol—two cases reported in clinical toxicology
Authors: Leclercq Marion , Soichot Marion , Delhotal-Landes Brigitte , Bourgogne Emmanuel , Gourlain Hervé , Mégarbane Bruno , Labat Laurence
Published: June 2019

Amphetamines, frequently used recreational drugs with high risk of toxicity, are commonly included in urine drug screens. This screening is based on enzyme immunoassay, which is a quick and easy-to-perform technique, but may lack specificity resulting from cross-reactivity with other compounds, causing false positive results. We present two cases of presumed false positive MULTIGENT® amphetamine/methamphetamine and MULTIGENT® ecstasy (Abbott®) immunoassays with the beta-blocker metoprolol. Both metoprolol-poisoned patients presented positive urine screening despite no history of drug abuse. No confirmation for amphetamine molecular structures was found with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The cross-reactivity was further investigated by doping urine samples with metoprolol and its two major phase-I metabolites. Metoprolol showed positive results for both amphetamine and MDMA tests at low concentrations (200 and 150 μg/mL, respectively). Metoprolol metabolites cross-reacted with the amphetamines immunoassay only, but at higher concentrations (i.e., 2000 μg/mL for α-hydroxymetoprolol and 750 μg/mL for O-demethylmetoprolol). In conclusion, false positive results in amphetamines and MDMA immunoassays are possible in the presence of metoprolol. Toxicologists should be aware of frequent analytical interferences with immunoassays and a detailed medication history should be taken into consideration for interpretation. In vitro investigation of suspected cross-reactivity should include not only the parent drug but also its related metabolites.
Body mass influences maternal allocation more than parity status for a long-lived cervid mother
Authors: Michel Eric S , Demarais Stephen , Strickland Bronson K , Belant Jerrold L , Castle Larry E
Published: June 2019

Mothers should balance the risk and reward of allocating resources to offspring to optimize the reproductive value of both offspring and mother while maximizing lifetime reproductive success by producing high-quality litters. The reproductive restraint hypothesis suggests maternal allocation should peak for prime-aged mothers and be less for younger mothers such that body condition is not diminished to a level that would jeopardize their survival or future reproductive events. We assessed if reproductive tactics varied by maternal body mass and parity status in captive female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to determine if prime-aged mothers allocate relatively more resources to reproduction than primiparous mothers. Maternal body mass, not parity status, positively affected maternal allocation, with heavier mothers producing both heavy litters and heavy individual offspring. Conversely, maternal body mass alone did not affect litter size, rather the interaction between maternal body mass and parity status positively affected litter size such that maternal body mass displayed a greater effect on litter size for primiparous than multiparous mothers. Our results suggest that heavy white-tailed deer mothers allocate additional resources to current year reproduction, which may be an adaptation allowing mothers to produce high-quality litters and increase their annual reproductive success because survival to the next reproductive attempt is not certain.
Mitochondrial phylogeography of kinkajous (Procyonidae, Carnivora): maybe not a single ESU
Authors: Ruiz-García Manuel , Jaramillo Maria Fernanda , Shostell Joseph Mark
Published: June 2019

Knowledge of how a species is divided into different genetic units, and the structure among these units, is fundamental to the protection of biodiversity. Procyonidae was one of the families in the Order Carnivora with more success in the colonization of South America. The most divergent species in this family is the kinkajou (Potos flavus). However, knowledge of the genetics and evolution of this species is scarce. We analyzed five mitochondrial genes within 129 individuals of P. flavus from seven Neotropical countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia). We detected eight different populations or haplogroups, although only three had highly significant bootstrap values (southern Mexico and Central America; northern Peruvian, Ecuadorian, and Colombian Amazon; and north-central Andes and the southern Amazon in Peru). Some analyses showed that the ancestor of the southern Mexico–Central America haplogroup was the first to appear. The youngest haplogroups were those at the most southern area analyzed in Peru and Bolivia. A “borrowed molecular clock” estimated the initial diversification to have occurred around 9.6 million years ago (MYA). All the spatial genetic analyses detected a very strong spatial structure with significant genetic patches (average diameter around 400–500 km) and a clinal isolation by distance among them. The overall sample and all of the haplogroups we detected had elevated levels of genetic diversity, which strongly indicates their long existence. A Bayesian Skyline Plot detected, for the overall sample and for the three most significant haplogroups, a decrease in the number of females within the last 30,000–50,000 years, with a strong decrease in the last 10,000–20,000 years. Our data supported an alignment of some but not all haplogroups with putative morphological subspecies. We have not discounted the possibility of a cryptic kinkajou species.
Expression of Blood Cells Associated CD Markers and Cardiovascular Diseases: Clinical Applications in Prognosis
Authors: Haybar Habib , Maleki Behzad Masumeh , Shahrabi Saeid , Ansari Narges , Saki Najmaldin
Published: June 2019

Background

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of mortality worldwide. The results of various studies have shown that abnormality in the frequency and function of blood cells can be involved in CVD complications. In this review, we have focused on abnormalities in the expression of the CD (cluster of differentiation) markers of blood cells to assess the association of these abnormalities with CVD prognosis.

Methods

We identified the relevant literature through a PubMed search (1990–2018) of English-language articles using the terms “Cardiovascular diseases”, “CD markers”, “leukocytes”, “platelets”, and “endothelial cells”.

Results

There is a variety of mechanisms for the effect of CD-marker expressions on CVDs prognosis, ranging from proinflammatory processes to dysfunctional effects in blood cells.

Conclusion

Considering the possible effects of CD-marker expression on CVDs prognosis, particularly prognosis of acute myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis, long-term studies in large cohorts are required to identify the prognostic value of CD markers and to target them with appropriate therapeutic agents.
NMR solution and X-ray crystal structures of a DNA molecule containing both right- and left-handed parallel-stranded G-quadruplexes
Authors: Winnerdy Fernaldo Richtia , Bakalar Blaž , Maity Arijit , Vandana J Jeya , Mechulam Yves , Schmitt Emmanuelle , Phan Anh Tuân
Published: June 2019

Analogous to the B- and Z-DNA structures in double-helix DNA, there exist both right- and left-handed quadruple-helix (G-quadruplex) DNA. Numerous conformations of right-handed and a few left-handed G-quadruplexes were previously observed, yet they were always identified separately. Here, we present the NMR solution and X-ray crystal structures of a right- and left-handed hybrid G-quadruplex. The structure reveals a stacking interaction between two G-quadruplex blocks with different helical orientations and displays features of both right- and left-handed G-quadruplexes. An analysis of loop mutations suggests that single-nucleotide loops are preferred or even required for the left-handed G-quadruplex formation. The discovery of a right- and left-handed hybrid G-quadruplex further expands the polymorphism of G-quadruplexes and is potentially useful in designing a left-to-right junction in G-quadruplex engineering.
Exposure to Multimedia Tobacco Marketing and Product Use Among Youth: A Longitudinal Analysis
Authors: Choi Kelvin , Rose Shyanika W , Zhou Yitong , Rahman Basmah , Hair Elizabeth
Published: June 2019

Introduction

Tobacco companies continue to reach youth through direct-to-consumer marketing, which has been associated with overall tobacco use. We examine how exposure to these marketing activities influences product-specific use behaviors.

Methods

We analyzed data from 10 081 youth (aged 12–18 years) who participated in Waves 1 and 2 (2013–2015) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Participants reported past 6-month tobacco coupon receipt and online tobacco marketing engagement, and susceptibility to ever and current use of cigarette, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and hookah. Weighted multivariable logistic regression examined Wave 1 predictors of coupon receipt at Wave 2, and associations between coupon receipt, online engagement, and past 30-day use of different tobacco products.

Results

Youth received tobacco coupons at one (9.7%) or both waves (1.2%) and 11.1% engaged with online tobacco marketing. Coupon receipt and online marketing engagement at Wave 1 predicted Wave 2 coupon receipt among susceptible-never, ever-but-not-current, and current tobacco users (p < .05). Coupon receipt and online engagement at Wave 1 was positively associated with past 30-day use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and hookah at Wave 2 (p < .05). The relationships were stronger for those who received coupons at both waves or engaged with more sources of online marketing.

Conclusions

Tobacco direct-to-consumer marketing is reaching youth. Repeated exposure to these marketing activities within and across media is associated with use of different tobacco products. New policies and strong enforcement of existing regulations prohibiting these illegal marketing tactics are critical to protect youth from future tobacco use.

Implications

Tobacco companies utilize coupons and online engagement activities to increase brand awareness, knowledge, and sales of their products. These kinds of marketing activities can be influential among youth at a time when they may develop tobacco use behaviors. Our findings suggest that tobacco companies may be targeting at-risk youth through cross-media marketing activities. The findings also indicate that exposure to these marketing activities predicts subsequent use of different tobacco products, with suggestive dose–response relationships. Increased regulations are needed to protect youth from these marketing activities.
The Use of Virtual Reality for Understanding Situations
Authors: Gallardo-Pujol David , Buades-Rotger Macià
Published: June 2019

This chapter summarizes and evaluates experimental approaches to situational research with an emphasis on virtual reality (VR). First, it outlines different methods to partition variance in person and situation perception and to highlight the advantages of experimental studies as a fixed-effect design. Next, the chapter weighs the merits of some commonly employed methods to standardize situations in experimental settings. The core of the chapter is devoted to VR. After a brief historical and conceptual introduction, it discusses the value of VR as a research tool in terms of internal and external validity. Subsequently, it shows how VR can aid the study of person-situation interactions by using a virtual replication of Stanley Milgram’s conformity study. Finally, it reviews recent studies that have pushed the boundaries of VR and enumerates the challenges yet to be overcome in the field. In sum, the chapter aims to provide a succinct and encouraging primer on the use of VR for situation research.
Gossip as a Social Skill
Authors: McAndrew Francis T.
Published: June 2019

Gossip is a more complicated and socially important phenomenon than most people think, and campaigns to stamp out gossip in workplaces and other social settings overlook the fact that gossip is part of human nature and an essential part of what makes social groups function as well as they do. This chapter takes the position that gossip is an evolutionary adaptation and that it is the primary tool for monitoring and managing the reputation of individuals in society. An interest in the affairs of other people is a necessary component of being a socially competent person, and the chapter explores the multi-dimensional nature of gossip-related social skills. It pays special attention to “gossip as a social skill,” rather than as a character flaw, and presents insights into related phenomena such as how people use social media such as Facebook.
Gossip, Reputation, and Friendship in Within-group Competition
Authors: Hess Nicole H. , Hagen Edward H.
Published: June 2019

The chapter explores an evolutionary, strategic account of gossip—the exchange of reputation-relevant information—arguing that gossip can be used to increase the reputations of oneself or one’s allies, relative to the reputations of competitors, in order to increase access to contested group resources. The chapter compares gossip with another strategy that can be used to deter competitors, physical aggression. It reviews developmental research on physical and nonphysical aggression, evolutionary accounts of physical and nonphysical aggression in humans, and socioecological accounts of competition for resources in nonhuman primates. It also discusses aspects of human socioecology in small-scale societies where resource competition can lead to physical aggression and/or the strategic use of gossip in reputation manipulation. The chapter argues that, whereas physical aggression predominates in competition between groups, when competition for resources is occurring within a group, gossip is superior to physical aggression as a competitive strategy.
Foreign Relations Law
Authors: Knop Karen
Published: June 2019

The two starting points for this chapter are that fields of law are inventions, and that fields matter as analytical frames. All legal systems deal with foreign relations issues, but few have a field of “foreign relations law.” As the best-stocked cabinet of issues and ideas, U.S. foreign relations law would be likely to generate the field elsewhere in the process of comparison. But some scholars, particularly outside the United States, see the nationalist or sovereigntist strains of the U.S. field, and perhaps even just its use as a template, as demoting international law. The chapter begins by asking whether this apprehension can be alleviated by using international law or an existing comparative law field to inventory the foreign relations issues to be compared. Finding neither sufficient, it turns to the U.S. field as an initial frame and sketches three types of anxieties that the U.S. experience has raised or might raise for international law. The chapter concludes by suggesting how Campbell McLachlan’s allocative conception of foreign relations law might be adapted so as to turn such anxieties about international law into opportunities.
The Expansion of LGBT Rights in Latin America and the Backlash
Authors: Corrales Javier
Published: June 2019

After two and a half decades of progress, the struggle for LGBT rights in Latin America started to experience a new form of backlash in the mid-2010s. Backlashes against LGBT progress are not new, but the current backlash in Latin America has a new element: the entry of evangelical churches as powerful veto players. This chapter discusses how religious groups, in particular evangelicals, are taking advantage of institutions of liberal democracy to block progress on LGBT rights. It applies theories of collective action and social movement to demonstrate how evangelicals have become the most powerful actors blocking progress.
LGBT Rights, Sexual Citizenship, and Blacklighting in the Anglophone Caribbean
Authors: Grey Cornel , Attai Nikoli A.
Published: June 2019

This chapter takes up questions of sexual citizenship by examining the desire for and impact of LGBT rights discourses in the Anglophone Caribbean. The chapter works through the difficulties and aspirations of queer politics in the Caribbean to articulate a vision of citizenship and/or freedom that is not overdetermined by white Anglocentric models. Popular measurements of homophobia tell a partial story of queer life and sexual politics in the Caribbean, and this chapter attempts to fill that gap by pointing to the ways that queer people engage, challenge, redefine, and dissociate from laws and policies that mark their sexuality as antagonistic to nationhood. The chapter draws on Rinaldo Walcott’s mobilization of homopoetics to contextualize the political and cultural tensions between LGBT rights organizations in the Global North and organizers in the Caribbean. It offers blacklighting as a way to name the processes by which organizations and governments in the Global North doubly impose LGBT rights frameworks and forward antiblack narratives about Caribbean citizens. In closing, the chapter asks for a return to the question of LGBT rights and its deployment in the Caribbean and proposes a means of engagement that holds blackness alongside sexuality in matters of rights and citizenship.
Early Advocacy for the Public Recognition of Sexual Diversity
Authors: Rayside David
Published: June 2019

Political activism focused on sexual diversity was first publicly visible at the turn into the twentieth century, mostly in Germany but extending to other large cities in Europe. A second activist wave emerged in the late 1940s, this time in the United States as well as Europe. Movement formation was still based on subcultures more likely in socioeconomic contexts such as those, where men and women were able to live separately from the families and communities in which they were reared. A third wave exploded more dramatically at the very end of the 1960s, this time in a broader range of countries (including Latin America). From that time into the 1980s, activist groups included radical challenges to existing institutional systems, alongside demands for legal rights. As social movement organizing spread, it was shaped by regional contexts but also marked by important cross-country similarities, in part a result of commonalities in the oppressiveness that sexual minorities experienced. In all settings, there have been differences over goals and strategy, as well as concerns about the underrepresentation of women and ethnoracial minorities in movement leadership and priorities. Internal conflict was a recurrent result, though homophobic mobilization by religious conservatives usually forged a degree of unity on the need to resist, blurring boundaries between radicalism and reform. In the process, activists were laying the groundwork for political gains in later decades, even in the face of the AIDS epidemic and a religious right itself more linked than ever in transnational networks.
Threats, Warnings, and Assertions
Authors: Liberto Hallie
Published: June 2019

This article explores warnings and threats through the lens of popular illocutionary taxonomies. It argues that if we tap into moral philosophy to help carve out some important distinctions between types of warnings and threats, we find that these more specific concepts do constitute illlocutions. It shows that the principles used by John Searle, Kent Bach, and John Harnish to differentiate the categories of illocutions can be employed to analyze warnings and threats. When unconditional, warnings generally have what Searle calls an assertive illocutionary point, and threats a commissive (commitment-making) illocutionary point. However, the best way to explain conditional threats or warnings is through a combination of illocutions. The article concludes by describing a specific type of threat: noncommittal threats. It argues that noncommittal threats, unlike all other threats, involve assertions.
Ethical Dimensions of Assertion
Authors: Cuneo Terence
Published: June 2019

This article considers the ethical dimensions of acts of assertion. Acts of assertion often have moral features, such as being wrong. In this regard, they are like many other familiar acts such as invasions of privacy and inflictions of bodily harm, which are also often wrong. But might assertion have an even more intimate link to moral reality than these other actions? Might it be that how things are ethically explains how it is that we could perform illocutionary acts such as asserting? A version of what the author calls the normative theory of speech answers in the affirmative. This view maintains that the performance of illocutionary acts such as asserting not only often have moral properties, such as being morally wrong, but also that there are cases in which moral facts explain (in part) how it is that agents can perform these acts. The article presents the rudiments of the normative theory of speech, paying attention to why it maintains that moral facts are among the features that explain how it is that we can assert. Along the way, the author points to some interesting metaethical implications of the position.
“Of Sound Mind and Body”
Authors: Vandervort Frank E. , Palusci Vincent J.
Published: June 2019

Substance abuse is a major medical and social problem. Estimates suggest that each year some 15 percent of the 4 million babies born in the United States are exposed to drugs or alcohol. Research demonstrates that exposure to these substances is harmful to the children in both the short term and across their developmental trajectory. This chapter summarizes the harms that might result from such prenatal exposure and considers the ways that both federal and state law respond to this. The chapter argues for universal drug testing of newborns in an effort to ascertain whether they have been prenatally exposed to such substances so that treatment and other services can be provided.
Legislation In Search of “Good-Enough” Care Arrangements for the Child
Authors: van IJzendoorn Marinus H. , Bakermans-Kranenburg Marian J. , Duschinsky Robbie , Skinner Guy C. M.
Published: June 2019

Attachment is the inborn bias of human children to seek the availability of familiar caregivers in times of stress. It has been observed from ancient times and in many cultures, and scaffolds further physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development. The security of these relationships is shaped by the continuity and quality of the child-rearing environment, and is independent of biological ties to the caregiver. In this chapter, the child’s right to a “good-enough”—that is, at least minimally adequate but not necessarily ‘best’--family life and the importance of a stable network of attachment relationships is highlighted. Legal issues raised by multi-parent care, including questions around the use of attachment-based assessments for custody decisions, are addressed. Attachment theory is well equipped to inform what caregiving arrangements children need, and legislators, judges, and lawyers may consult it as a source of insight into “good-enough” care arrangements in the interest of the child.