bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of multiple primary lung cancer
Authors: Li Xin , Hu Bin , Li Hui , You Bin
Published: September 2019

Artificial intelligence (AI) based on deep learning, convolutional neural networks and big data has been increasingly effective in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple primary pulmonary nodules. In comparison to previous imaging systems, AI measures more objective parameters such as three‐dimensional (3D) volume, probability of malignant nodules, and possible pathological patterns, making the access to the properties of nodules more objective. In our retrospective study, a total of 53 patients with synchronous and metachronous multiple pulmonary nodules were enrolled of which 33 patients were confirmed by pathological tests to have primary binodules, and nine to have primary trinodules. A total of 15 patients had only one focus removed. The statistical results showed that the agreement in the AI diagnosis and postoperative pathological tests was 88.8% in identifying benign or malignant lesions. In addition, the probability of malignancy of benign lesions, preinvasive lesions (AAH, AIS) and invasive lesions (MIA, IA) was totally different (49.40±38.41% vs 80.22±13.55% vs 88.17±17.31%). The purpose of our study was to provide references for the future application of AI in the diagnosis and follow‐up of multiple pulmonary nodules. AI may represent a relevant diagnostic aid that shows more accurate and objective results in the diagnosis of multiple pulmonary nodules, reducing the time required for interpretation of results by directly displaying visual information to doctors and patients and together with the clinical conditions of MPLC patients, offering plans for follow‐up and treatment that may be more beneficial and reasonable for patients. Despite the great application potential in pneumosurgery, further research is needed to verify the accuracy and range of the application of AI.
layeranalyzer: Inferring correlative and causal connections from time series data in r
Authors: Reitan Trond , Liow Lee Hsiang
Published: September 2019

Distinguishing correlative and causal connections among time series is an important challenge in evolutionary biology, ecology, macroevolution and palaeobiology.

Here, we present layeranalyzer, an r package that uses linear stochastic differential equations as a tool for parametrically describing evolutionary and ecological processes and for modelling temporal correlation and Granger causality between two or more time series.

We describe the basic functions in layeranalyzer and briefly discuss modelling strategies by demonstrating our tool with three disparate case studies. First, we model a single time series of phenotypic evolution in a bird species; second, we extract cyclical connections in the well‐known hare‐lynx dataset; third, we infer the correlative and causal connections among the genus origination and extinction rates of brachiopods and bivalves.

We summarize the advantages and limitations of using linear stochastic differential equations and layeranalyzer for studying correlative and causal connections.
Unraveling the Mechanisms of Behaviors Associated With AUDs Using Flies and Worms
Authors: Scholz Henrike
Published: September 2019

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are very common worldwide and negatively affect both individuals and societies. To understand how normal behavior turns into uncontrollable use of alcohol, several approaches have been utilized in the last decades. However, we still do not completely understand how AUDs evolve or how they are maintained in the brains of affected individuals. In addition, efficient and effective treatment is still in need of development. This review focuses on alternative approaches developed over the last 20 years using Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila) and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as genetic model systems to determine the mechanisms underlying the action of ethanol (EtOH) and behaviors associated with AUDs. All the results and insights of studies over the last 20 years cannot be comprehensively summarized. Thus, a few prominent examples are provided highlighting the principles of the genes and mechanisms that have been uncovered and are involved in the action of EtOH at the cellular level. In addition, examples are provided of the genes and mechanisms that regulate behaviors relevant to acquiring and maintaining excessive alcohol intake, such as decision making, reward and withdrawal, and/or relapse regulation. How the insight gained from the results of Drosophila and C. elegans models can be translated to higher organisms, such as rodents and/or humans, is discussed, as well as whether these insights have any relevance or impact on our understanding of the mechanisms underlying AUDs in humans. Finally, future directions are presented that might facilitate the identification of drugs to treat AUDs.
Managing atopic dermatitis with systemic therapies in adults and adolescents: An Australian/New Zealand narrative
Authors: Rademaker Marius , Agnew Karen , Andrews Megan , Baker Christopher , Foley Peter , Gebauer Kurt , Gupta Monisha , Rubel Diana M. , Somerville Colin , Sullivan John , Wong Li‐Chuen
Published: September 2019

With the rapid development of new, targeted therapies for the treatment of moderate/severe atopic dermatitis, it is opportune to review the available conventional systemic agents. We assess the published evidence for systemic therapies for atopic dermatitis and amalgamate this with real‐world experience. Discussions are centred on when systemic therapy should be considered, which drug(s), what dose, how to sequence or combine these therapies, how long they should be continued for and what is considered success.
Financial Coaching and the Nudge: Examining Local Spaces of Market Agencement
Authors: Martinez Miranda J.
Published: September 2019

Financial coaching is intensive, long‐term counselling intended to foster “financial capability”, defined as a state of heightened self‐efficacy and knowledge that facilitates the exercise of financial agency. Coaching is a behaviourist technology intended to intervene in the cognition and affect of subjects, and that relates to neoliberal imperatives to fashion disciplined market‐oriented subjects. However, it can also be understood as a contested element of envisioned financial agencements used by local organisations to shield vulnerable financial consumers from financial predation. Analysis of policy documents and interviews is used to capture the meanings attached to financial coaching by local actors, and to offer a more textured, affectively complex description of the dilemmas of inclusion confronting financial consumers who experience the terrain of everyday consumer finance as predatory.
A formal classification of the Lygeum spartum vegetation of the Mediterranean Region
Authors: Marcenò Corrado , Guarino Riccardo , Mucina Ladislav , Biurrun Idoia , Deil Ulrich , Shaltout Kamal , Finckh Manfred , Font Xavier , Loidi Javier
Published: September 2019

Aims

We examined all available literature and some unpublished data on the We examined all available literature and some unpublished data on the grasslands dominated by Lygeum spartum from Southern Europe and North Africa to produce a formalised classification of this vegetation and to identify the main factors determining its plant species composition.

Location

Mediterranean Basin and Iberian Peninsula.

Methods

We used a dataset of 728 relevés, which were resampled to reduce unbalanced sampling effort, resulting in a dataset of 568 relevés and 846 taxa. We classified the plots by TWINSPAN, interpreted the resulting pools, and used them to develop formal definitions of phytosociological alliances characterised by L. spartum vegetation. The definitions were included in an expert system to assist automatic vegetation classification. We related the alliances to climatic factors and described their biogeographical features and ecological preferences. The floristic relationships between these alliances were analysed and visualised using distance‐based redundancy analysis.

Results

We defined eleven alliances of L. spartum vegetation, including the newly described Launaeo laniferae–Lygeion sparti from SW Morocco and the Noaeo mucronatae–Lygeion sparti from the Algerian highlands and NE Morocco. Biogeographical, climatic, and edaphic factors were revealed as putatively driving the differentiation between the alliances. Vegetations of clayey slopes and inland salt basins displayed higher variability in comparison with those of coastal salt marshes.

Main conclusions

A comprehensive formal classification, accompanied by an expert system, of the grasslands from Southern Europe and North Africa dominated by Lygeum spartum vegetation was formulated. Eleven phytosociological alliances were recognised, whose plant species composition is influenced by biogeographic, climatic, and edaphic drivers. The expert system, containing formal definitions of the phytosociological alliances, will assist in identifying the syntaxonomic position of new datasets.
Excessive occlusal load on chemically modified and moderately rough titanium implants restored with cantilever reconstructions. An experimental study in dogs
Authors: Lima Luiz A. , Bosshardt Dieter D. , Chambrone Leandro , Araújo Mauricio G. , Lang Niklaus P.
Published: September 2019

Objective

To evaluate the outcomes of excessively loaded implants.

Material and Methods

In five dogs, all mandibular premolars were extracted. After 3 months, six implants (three SLA® and three SLActive®) were placed (S). After 4 weeks, implants were restored: one single crown with stable occlusal contacts (SC), one crown and a cantilever unit with excessive occlusal contacts (OL), and a non‐loaded implant (NL). Bleeding‐on‐probing (BoP), attachment level (AL), mucosal margin (GM) were assessed. Resonance frequency analysis (RFA) was assessed weekly. Standardized X‐rays were taken at S, 4 and 24 weeks.

Results

Similar findings were observed for SLA® and SLActive® implants regarding PlI, GI, GM, AL, and BL. No significant differences were detected between baseline and 24‐weeks or between treatment modalities for all clinical parameters (p > .05). Six months after loading, RFA values were significantly greater than at implant placement. No significant differences between treatment modalities were found. Linear radiographic measurements yielded similar results between SLA® and SLActive® implants. SLA® OL implants yielded a statistically significant gain on peri‐implant bone density over all other groups (p = .012). Radiographic results were confirmed by descriptive histology. Technically, loosened occlusal screws occurred in 13.3% (SC = 3.3%; OL = 10%), while abutment fractures totalized 23.3% (SC = 6.6%; OL = 16.6%).

Conclusions

Excessive occlusal load applied to implants (SLA® or SLActive®) restored with cantilevers did not cause loss of osseointegration or significant changes in their clinical, radiographic, or histologic outcomes. Early excessive occlusal load on SLA® implants promoted a gain in peri‐implant bone density. Excessively loaded implants showed more technical complications.
Symmetric patterns with different luminance polarity (anti‐symmetry) generate an automatic response in extrastriate cortex
Authors: Makin Alexis D. J. , Rampone Giulia , Bertamini Marco
Published: September 2019

People can quickly detect bilateral reflection in an image. This is true when elements of the same luminance are matched on either side of the axis (symmetry) and when they have opposite luminance polarity (anti‐symmetry). Using electroencephalography, we measured the well‐established sustained posterior negativity (SPN) response to symmetry and anti‐symmetry. In one task, participants judged the presence or absence of regularity (Regularity Discrimination Task). In another, they judged the presence or absence of rare colored oddball trials (Colored Oddball Task). Previous work has concluded that anti‐symmetry is only detected indirectly, through serial visual search of element locations. This selective attention account predicts that the anti‐symmetry SPN should be abolished in the Colored Oddball Task because there is no need to search for anti‐symmetry. However, this prediction was not confirmed: The symmetry and anti‐symmetry SPN waves were not modulated by task. We conclude that at least some forms of anti‐symmetry can be extracted from the image automatically, in much the same way as symmetry. This is an important consideration for models of symmetry perception, which must be flexible enough to accommodate opposite luminance polarity, while also accounting for the fact anti‐symmetry is often perceptually weaker than symmetry.
Relational Affliction: Reconceptualizing “Mass Hysteria”
Authors: Seale‐Feldman Aidan
Published: September 2019

An ethnographic exploration of “mass hysteria” in Nepal reconsiders existing anthropological treatments of this form of affliction as gendered resistance. In Nepal, affected communities and girls dispute psychosocial counselors and anthropologists on conceptual grounds. These conflicts revolve around two distinct understandings of the subject of affliction. The subject of “mass hysteria” takes a liberal feminist form in which symptoms reveal resistance to power, while for the subject afflicted by ghosts and spirits, bhut‐pret laagne, symptoms reveal the intertwined relationality between bodies and the world. I argue that by shifting attention away from questions of resistance, desire, and truth of the individual, we find that the concepts of chopne and bhut‐pret laagne are concerned with the transfer, sharing, and relationality of affliction. By placing Nepali and Euro‐American conceptualizations in dialogue, haunting is approached not as idiom or metaphor but as an analytic with which to construct new conceptual frameworks.[Nepal, hysteria, haunting, relationality]
Evaluating genomic data for management of local adaptation in a changing climate: A lodgepole pine case study
Authors: Mahony Colin R. , MacLachlan Ian R. , Lind Brandon M. , Yoder Jeremy B. , Wang Tongli , Aitken Sally N.
Published: September 2019

We evaluate genomic data, relative to phenotypic and climatic data, as a basis for assisted gene flow and genetic conservation. Using a seedling common garden trial of 281 lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) populations from across western Canada, we compare genomic data to phenotypic and climatic data to assess their effectiveness in characterizing the climatic drivers and spatial scale of local adaptation in this species. We find that phenotype‐associated loci are equivalent or slightly superior to climate data for describing local adaptation in seedling traits, but that climate data are superior to genomic data that have not been selected for phenotypic associations. We also find agreement between the climate variables associated with genomic variation and with 20‐year heights from a long‐term provenance trial, suggesting that genomic data may be a viable option for identifying climatic drivers of local adaptation where phenotypic data are unavailable. Genetic clines associated with the experimental traits occur at broad spatial scales, suggesting that standing variation of adaptive alleles for this and similar species does not require management at scales finer than those indicated by phenotypic data. This study demonstrates that genomic data are most useful when paired with phenotypic data, but can also fill some of the traditional roles of phenotypic data in management of species for which phenotypic trials are not feasible.
Towards a critical governance framework: Unveiling the political and justice dimensions of urban food partnerships
Authors: Moragues‐Faus Ana
Published: September 2019

Current governance configurations have been signalled as a key driver for, but also a potential solution to, food insecurity and sustainability challenges. In this context, cities are becoming key transition spaces where new food governance systems are being fashioned, creating “spaces of deliberation” that bring together civil society, private actors, and local governments. To date, food governance analyses have been mostly aligned with an optimistic philosophy that in many instances overlooks conflicts of interest, winners and losers of different arrangements, and institutional deadlocks. A critical account of these new governance mechanisms is particularly relevant to incorporate fully the political dimension inherent in the production of and access to food. By studying the emergence and functioning of eight food partnerships in the UK, this paper aims to advance the conceptualisation and practice of a critical governance perspective. The paper combines three approaches in a new framework: political ecology, post‐political scholarship, and participative justice. This innovative lens allows us to navigate how different partnerships mobilise notions of equality, participation, and inclusion; co‐produce knowledge, values, and reflexivity within governance spaces; and create different forms of connectivity and autonomy to transform urban foodscapes. The analysis highlights how food partnerships expand beyond formal governance mechanisms and are actively (re)shaped by different agencies and relationships. This raises the need to explore the transformative capacity of everyday politics; that is, how it can contribute to developing more inclusive, equitable, and emancipatory urban foodscapes. At a time of increasing health and social inequalities, urban and food governance studies would benefit from exploring new ways of effectively championing the knowledges, needs, and experiences of those still living “at the margins.”
Integrating sketch mapping and hot spot analysis to enhance capacity for community‐level flood and disaster risk management
Authors: Brandt Katerina , Graham Lain , Hawthorne Timothy , Jeanty Julia , Burkholder Brenner , Munisteri Christine , Visaggi Christy
Published: September 2019

This community‐based research aims to enhance local‐level flood management by utilising participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) methods to capture the spatial dimensions of community member flooding concerns in Hopkins Village, Belize. We offer a mixed methodology, applying participatory sketch mapping as a way to collect local knowledge about community perceptions of flooding in this data‐scarce context. We combine this local knowledge with quantitative geostatistical hot spot analysis of basic village infrastructure characteristics to reveal insights about community perceptions of and response to flood risk. The significance of this research lies in the application of PGIS methods to create two different primary datasets, which when analysed together offer a more complete story about community understanding and needs for flood management. One set of data (more qualitative in nature) originated from sketch maps with community members and answers descriptive questions about how people spatially conceptualise hydro‐meteorological hazards within their community. The other (more quantitative in nature) is the village's first publicly accessible infrastructure dataset (including information on building structures, roads, and drainage infrastructure) digitised by our research team from high‐resolution drone imagery. Attributes for the infrastructure dataset were developed in collaboration with community members to reflect their desires for data and information suited to conduct flood vulnerability assessment. Application of thematic coding and hot spot analysis to the data reveals concerns about hazards within their community and the measures they have taken to protect themselves in the absence of resources to develop community‐wide mitigation plans. Our work offers contributions to the participatory GIS literature by providing an example of sketch mapping methods to facilitate multi‐level management of community‐level flood risk in a data‐scarce setting, and demonstrating the multiple benefits of applied participatory GIS methods as a means of overcoming data scarcity.
‘It's Knowing the Right Things to Say and Do’: Challenges and Opportunities for Trauma‐informed Practice in the Prison Context
Authors: VASWANI NINA , PAUL SALLY
Published: September 2019

The relevance of trauma‐informed practice (TIP) across the workforce, especially in a trauma‐laden environment such as prison, has gained credence. Little is documented, however, on the practicalities of responding to trauma within custodial institutions where the potential for retraumatisation and the tension between care and control are complicating factors. This article explores the views of over 200 prison staff on the adoption of a trauma‐informed approach for young people in custody. It identifies a gap between vision and practice and, while acknowledging that prisons can become more ‘trauma‐aware’, disputes the notion that true TIP is possible within current custodial contexts.
Increased serum level and impaired response to glucose fluctuation of asprosin is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zhang Xinyue , Jiang Hui , Ma Xiaojing , Wu Hongyan
Published: September 2019

Aims/Introduction

Asprosin is a novel secreted adipokine that is induced by fasting and promotes hepatic glucose release. In healthy humans, circulating asprosin shows circadian oscillation with an acute drop coinciding with the onset of eating. The present study investigated whether this circadian oscillation still exists in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Materials and Methods

We recruited 60 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 60 individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). All participants completed a 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test. Fasting and 2‐h postprandial serum asprosin concentrations were measured by the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method. Partial correlation coefficients were calculated to analyze the relationships between serum asprosin level and parameters of glucose metabolism. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association of serum asprosin level with diabetes.

Results

Both fasting and postprandial asprosin levels were significantly higher in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The postprandial asprosin level was apparently lower than fasting asprosin level in individuals with NGT. The fasting asprosin level closely correlated with type 2 diabetes mellitus after multiple adjustment (odds ratio 2.329, P = 0.023). Asprosin correlated negatively with change in blood glucose (r = −0.502, P < 0.001) and change in C‐peptide (r = −0.467, P < 0.001) in individuals with NGT, but not in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

Conclusions

Serum asprosin level decreased coinciding with the onset of the oral glucose tolerance test in individuals with NGT, whereas this circadian oscillation was disturbed in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. The impaired response of asprosin to glucose fluctuation in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients might be one of the reasons for the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The adaptive value of epigenetic mutation: Limited in large but high in small peripheral populations
Authors: Smithson Mark W. , Dybdahl Mark F. , Nuismer Scott L.
Published: September 2019

The fate of populations during range expansions, invasions and environmental changes is largely influenced by their ability to adapt to peripheral habitats. Recent models demonstrate that stable epigenetic modifications of gene expression that occur more frequently than genetic mutations can both help and hinder adaptation in panmictic populations. However, these models do not consider interactions between epimutations and evolutionary forces in peripheral populations. Here, we use mainland–island mathematical models and simulations to explore how the faster rate of epigenetic mutation compared to genetic mutations interacts with migration, selection and genetic drift to affect adaptation in peripheral populations. Our model focuses on cases where epigenetic marks are stably inherited. In a large peripheral population, where the effect of genetic drift is negligible, our analyses suggest that epimutations with random fitness impacts that occur at rates as high as 10–3 increase local adaptation when migration is strong enough to overwhelm divergent selection. When migration is weak relative to selection and epimutations with random fitness impacts decrease adaptation, we find epigenetic modifications must be highly adaptively biased to enhance adaptation. Finally, in small peripheral populations, where genetic drift is strong, epimutations contribute to adaptation under a wider range of evolutionary conditions. Overall, our results suggest that epimutations can change outcomes of adaptation in peripheral populations, which has implications for understanding conservation and range expansions and contractions, especially of small populations.
Dynamic mechanical analysis of novel cosmeceutical facial creams containing nano‐encapsulated natural plant and fruit extracts
Authors: Kalouta Kleopatra , Eleni Panagiota , Boukouvalas Christos , Vassilatou Katerina , Krokida Magdalini
Published: September 2019

Background

Cosmetic industry following the recent trends in the relative market has turned its interest in the formation of cosmeceutical products containing natural bioactive ingredients. Natural extracts may reveal undesirable sensory characteristics due to their composition. Encapsulation and nanotechnology are the most promising methods to overcome these drawbacks, opening up new perspectives for the future of cosmeceutical industry.

Aims

The purpose of this study was the use of nano‐encapsulated plant and fruit extracts to formulate cosmeceutical facial creams with acceptable rheological characteristics.

Methods

Electrohydrodynamic process was used to encapsulate pomegranate and tea tree oil extracts and incorporate them in facial cosmetic creams. All the formulations including those without additives, were stored at three different temperatures. Subsequently, rheological oscillatory tests (frequency sweep tests) were performed using the dynamic mechanical analysis method in order to evaluate alterations in storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G''), and complex viscosity (η*).

Results

Dynamic mechanical analysis, showed that all formulations are suitable for application in cosmetic industry, while changes due to storage period or the storage temperature were negligible.

Conclusion

The addition of the selected extracts' nanofibers to formulate cosmeceutical facial creams, developed products with acceptable rheological characteristics that could be decisive for the cosmetics industry.
Clinical experience on follicular unit extraction megasession for severe androgenetic alopecia
Authors: Li Kai‐Tao , Qu Qian , Fan Zhe‐Xiang , Wang Jin , Liu Fang , Hu Zhi‐Qi , Miao Yong
Published: September 2019

Background

Severe androgenetic alopecia has significant impact on patients’ self‐image and emotional health. As the most advanced way to achieve the growth of a full head of hair in shortest period of time, the megasession hair transplant procedure is a promising treatment for severe androgenetic alopecia.

Aims

To introduce the procedure and technical details of follicular unit extraction megasession and to evaluate the surgery outcome.

Method

A total of 273 male patients undergoing follicular unit extraction (FUE) megasession between 2016 and 2018 were included in our study. The extraction was performed using 1.0 mm punch. The BASP classification degree of patient hair loss, the number of extracted hair, surgery consuming time, and graft survival rate were recorded. We finally evaluated patients’ satisfaction with surgery outcomes.

Results

Ages of patients ranged from 28 to 53 years, with a mean of 42 years (SD, 8.42). All of them were at C3 and U1 degree of BA type hair loss according to the BASP classification. The number of follicular units transplanted was between 3000 and 6000, with surgery duration range from 6 hours to 12 hours and graft survival rate varies from 93.5% to 96.6%. A total of 81% of them were satisfied with the outcomes, 19% of them had a second procedure performed to provide further hair density. None of them had infection after the surgery.

Conclusion

Compared with multi‐stage hair transplantation, FUE megasession has the advantages of reducing operation frequency and overall surgery duration. Thus, FUE megasession is an appealing treatment option for severe AGA patients, who expect to a more desirable natural and esthetically pleasing result in a one‐stage operation.
Coconut malformation: An emerging disease caused by Fusarium proliferatum in southern Iran
Authors: Goudarzi Azadeh , Askari Seyahooei Majeed , Bagheri Abdoolnabi
Published: September 2019

Symptoms of vegetative malformation were observed on coconut palms (Cocos nucifera L.) in the Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas and Minab, in Hormozgan province, southern Iran. The symptoms included misshapen and dwarfed leaves with shortened, thickened and tightened leaflets in wavy and zigzag form. The aim of this study was to identify the causal pathogen of coconut palm malformation and complete Koch's postulates for putative pathogen. Small pieces of surface‐disinfested malformed vegetative tissues of coconut palms were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Fusarium isolates were permanently obtained from the symptomatic tissues. Sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1–5.8S‐ITS2) and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF‐1α) gene were used for molecular identification of the isolates. BLAST search of the sequences showed 99%–100% identity to several Fusarium proliferatum strains in the GenBank, FUSARIUM‐ID and Fusarium MLST databases. A phylogeny inferred using individual sequence data from ITS region and TEF‐1α gene placed our isolates together with the other F. proliferatum sequences retrieved from the GenBank. Pathogenicity tests were carried out using one‐year‐old healthy coconut palm seedlings and conidial suspensions (106 conidia/ml) of the F. proliferatum isolates. The first visible symptoms appeared on newly produced leaves of the inoculated seedlings during the 16th week after inoculation, wherease no disease symptoms were observed on the control plants until the end of the experiment. Reisolation from symptomatic tissues of the inoculated seedlings yielded isolates of F. proliferatum with morphological and molecular characteristics identical to those of the isolates used for inoculations. This is the first report of coconut palm malformation caused by F. proliferatum worldwide.
Role of Porphyromonas gingivalis in oral squamous cell carcinoma development: A systematic review
Authors: Lafuente Ibáñez de Mendoza Irene , Maritxalar Mendia Xabier , García de la Fuente Ana María , Quindós Andrés Guillermo , Aguirre Urizar José Manuel
Published: September 2019

Objective

The target of the current systematic review is to gather and synthesize the most recent scientific information about the role of Porphyromonas gingivalis in the molecular pathways of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity, with a poor prognosis and a low survival rate. Etiology is multifactorial but consumption of tobacco and alcohol is the most important risk factors. P gingivalis is a Gram‐negative anaerobic bacterium commonly found in oral microbiota that has been linked to periodontal disease (PD), and recently to OSCC. However, its association with OSCC development is not well defined.

Material and methods

A bibliographic research was carried out selecting articles published until 2019, on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, with the keywords “Porphyromonas gingivalis,” “oral cancer,” “oral squamous cell carcinoma,” and “periodontal pathogen.”

Results

Seventeen articles, 14 in vitro and three in animal models, were selected. Models mimicking OSCC were OSCC pre‐established cell lines (11 studies), OSCC/ healthy human biopsies (three studies), and animals with OSCC (three studies). P gingivalis strains used to cause infection in these studies were ATCC 33277, 381, and W83.

Conclusions

Porphyromonas gingivalis could play an important role in OSCC development and could be involved in three different stages: epithelial‐mesenchymal transition of malignant cells, neoplastic proliferation, and tumor invasion. Current findings emphasize the convenience of treatment and control approaches of PD as part of the primary prevention of OSCC.
Structure and mode of action of a novel antibacterial peptide from the blood of Andrias davidianus
Authors: Pei J. , Chen D. , Jin W. , Geng J. , Wang W. , Zhang S. , Yue T. , Zhang H.
Published: September 2019

Andrias davidianus is widely recognized in traditional medicine as a cure-all to treat a plethora of ailments. In a previous study, a novel antibacterial peptide named andricin B was isolated from A. davidianus blood. In this study, we investigated andricin B structure and its mode of action. Circular dichroism spectra suggested that andricin B adopts a random coil state in aqueous solution and a more rigid conformation in the presence of bacteria. Moreover propidium iodide/fluorescein diacetate double staining indicated that bacteria treated with andricin B were not immediately eliminated. Rather, there is a gradual bacterial death, followed by a sublethal stage. Scanning electronic microscope imaging indicates that andricin B might form pores on cell membranes, leading to the release of cytoplasmic contents. These results were consistent with flow cytometry analysis. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggests that andricin B induces changes in the chemical properties in the areas surrounding these “pores” on the cell membranes.

Significance and Impact of the Study

The results of this study suggested the new perspectives about the mode of action of antimicrobial peptide (AMP) active against sensitive bacteria. The AMP was able to be in a random coiled state in aqueous solution but to change to a more rigid one in the presence of sensitive bacteria. Exposure to AMP might not lead to immediate death of treated bacteria, rather bacteria concentration decreased gradually flattening at a sublethal stage. These findings will help people to understand better how the AMPs activate against sensitive bacteria.
The H3K4 demethylase Jar1 orchestrates ROS production and expression of pathogenesis‐related genes to facilitate Botrytis cinerea virulence
Authors: Hou Jie , Feng Hui‐Qiang , Chang Hao‐Wu , Liu Yue , Li Gui‐Hua , Yang Song , Sun Chen‐Hao , Zhang Ming‐Zhe , Yuan Ye , Sun Jiao , Zhu‐Salzman Keyan , Zhang Hao , Qin Qing‐Ming
Published: September 2019

Histone 3 Lysine 4 (H3K4) demethylation is ubiquitous in organisms, however the roles of H3K4 demethylase JARID1(Jar1)/KDM5 in fungal development and pathogenesis remain largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that Jar1/KDM5 in Botrytis cinerea, the grey mould fungus, plays a crucial role in these processes.

The BcJAR1 gene was deleted and its roles in fungal development and pathogenesis were investigated using approaches including genetics, molecular/cell biology, pathogenicity and transcriptomic profiling.

BcJar1 regulates H3K4me3 and both H3K4me2 and H3K4me3 methylation levels during vegetative and pathogenic development, respectively. Loss of BcJAR1 impairs conidiation, appressorium formation and stress adaptation; abolishes infection cushion (IC) formation and virulence, but promotes sclerotium production in the ΔBcjar1 mutants. BcJar1 controls reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and proper assembly of Sep4, a core septin protein and virulence determinant, to initiate infection structure (IFS) formation and host penetration. Exogenous cAMP partially restored the mutant appressorium, but not IC, formation. BcJar1 orchestrates global expression of genes for ROS production, stress response, carbohydrate transmembrane transport, secondary metabolites, etc., which may be required for conidiation, IFS formation, host penetration and virulence of the pathogen.

Our work systematically elucidates BcJar1 functions and provides novel insights into Jar1/KDM5‐mediated H3K4 demethylation in regulating fungal development and pathogenesis.
Novel PITX2 mutations identified in Axenfeld–Rieger syndrome and the pattern of PITX2‐related tooth agenesis
Authors: Fan Zhuangzhuang , Sun Shichen , Liu Haochen , Yu Miao , Liu Ziyuan , Wong Sing‐Wai , Liu Yang , Han Dong , Feng Hailan
Published: September 2019

Objectives

To investigate the mutations in patients with Axenfeld–Rieger syndrome (ARS) and the pattern of PITX2‐related tooth agenesis.

Methods

Whole‐exome sequencing (WES) and copy number variation (CNV) array were used to screen the mutations in four ARS probands. After Sanger sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) validation, secondary structure prediction and dual‐luciferase assay were employed to investigate the functional impact. Eighteen PITX2‐mutated patients with definite dental records were retrieved from our database and literatures, and the pattern of PITX2‐related tooth agenesis was analyzed.

Results

A novel de novo segmental deletion of chromosome 4q25 (GRCh37/hg19 chr4:111, 320, 052–111, 754, 236) encompassing PITX2 and three novel PITX2 mutations c.148C > T, c.257G > A, and c.630insCG were identified. Preliminary functional studies indicated the transactivation capacity of mutant PITX2 on Distal‐less homeobox 2 (DLX2) promoter was compromised. The maxillary teeth showed significantly higher rate of agenesis (57.94%) than the mandibular teeth (44.05%). The most often missing teeth were upper lateral incisors (83.33%) and upper second premolars (69.44%). Teeth with the least agenesis rate were the lower second molars (19.44%) and lower first molars (8.33%).

Conclusions

We identified a novel 4q25 microdeletion including PITX2 and three novel PITX2 mutations, and statistically analyzed the PITX2‐related tooth agenesis pattern.
Translating literature into English in the twenty‐first century
Authors: Dalvai Marion
Published: September 2019

Since the turn of the millennium, the translation community has initiated several projects aimed at increasing the visibility of contemporary international literature in English translation. This article is an overview and evaluation of these initiatives and will analyse several interlinked matters: (1) reports and manifestos on translation; (2) two projects that seek to collect and interpret data regarding translated literature available in English; (3) marketing tools developed by cultural institutions, foundations and small publishing houses with a major or exclusive focus on translated texts, and their use of new and old technologies aimed at attracting an audience for what still seems a niche market in the English‐speaking world. While the opportunities for promoting translation have been widely exploited, there has been little in the way of a systematic effort to generate and publish reliable data on the state of the market for translations into English. It is therefore timely to review those efforts that exist, to ask what light these fact‐finding initiatives shed on the market for literary translations into English, and to consider how these initiatives might be further developed or replaced in the decades to come.
On Liking Aesthetic Value
Authors: Gorodeisky Keren
Published: September 2019

According to tradition, aesthetic value is non‐contingently connected to a certain feeling of liking or pleasure. Is that true? Two answers are on offer in the field of aesthetics today: 1. The Hedonist answers: Yes, aesthetic value is non‐contingently connected to pleasure insofar as this value is constituted and explained by the power of its possessors to please (under standard conditions). 2. The Non‐Affectivist answers: No. At best, pleasure is contingently related to aesthetic value. The aim of this paper is to point to a blind spot in the dialectic between these two standard positions by defending a third neglected answer to the question above, the answer of the Value‐Meriting‐Pleasure [VMP] advocate. According to this answer, a certain kind of (cognitive and responsive) pleasure is connected to aesthetic value non‐contingently, but also non‐hedonically. VMP is the view that objects of aesthetic value are non‐contingently related to pleasure insofar as they merit a certain kind of pleasure. But, pace the hedonist, those objects are valuable (those that are to be engaged with etc.) neither on account of their capacity to give pleasure nor on account of the hedonic value of the attitude they merit.
Linking Decision Theory and Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment: Tradeoffs Between Compliance and Efficacy for Waterborne Disease Interventions
Authors: Hayashi Michael A. L. , Eisenberg Marisa C. , Eisenberg Joseph N. S.
Published: September 2019

Achieving health gains from the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals of universal coverage for water and sanitation will require interventions that can be widely adopted and maintained. Effectiveness—how an intervention performs based on actual use—as opposed to efficacy will therefore be central to evaluations of new and existing interventions. Incomplete compliance—when people do not always use the intervention and are therefore exposed to contamination—is thought to be responsible for the lower‐than‐expected risk reductions observed from water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions based on their efficacy at removing pathogens. We explicitly incorporated decision theory into a quantitative microbial risk assessment model. Specifically, we assume that the usability of household water treatment (HWT) devices (filters and chlorine) decreases as they become more efficacious due to issues such as taste or flow rates. Simulations were run to examine the tradeoff between device efficacy and usability. For most situations, HWT interventions that trade lower efficacy (i.e., remove less pathogens) for higher compliance (i.e., better usability) contribute substantial reductions in diarrheal disease risk compared to devices meeting current World Health Organization efficacy guidelines. Recommendations that take into account both the behavioral and microbiological properties of treatment devices are likely to be more effective at reducing the burden of diarrheal disease than current standards that only consider efficacy.
Assessment of oral health status of children with Leukemia: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Kapoor Gauri , Goswami Mridula , Sharma Sadhna , Mehta Anurag , Dhillon Jatinder Kaur
Published: September 2019

Aim

The present study was conducted with an aim to assess the oral hygiene status, gingival health status, and prevalence of dental caries, oral mucositis and xerostomia among children with leukemia and compare it with healthy children.

Methods and Results

A total sample size of 220 children with 110 children with Leukemia of subtype acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) undergoing treatment and 110 healthy children in the age group of 3‐14 years was selected. Evaluation of caries status using dmft/DMFT indices, oral hygiene status using OHI‐S and plaque index by Sillness and Loe, gingival health status using modified gingival index, oral mucositis as per WHO oral toxicity scale, xerostomia as per common terminology criteria for adverse events for dry mouth, and salivary pH using pH paper strips was done. Results revealed a lower prevalence of dental caries, good oral hygiene and mild gingivitis in children with ALL when compared to healthy children. Oral mucositis was found to occur only in children with ALL and a reduced salivary flow rate and reduced salivary pH were seen in these children when compared to healthy children.

Conclusion

It was concluded that children with ALL undergoing treatment and following an oral care protocol presented with a good Oral Health Status when compared with healthy children.
Uncertainty Propagation Through a Simulation of Industrial High Pressure Die Casting
Authors: Fu Jiahong , Coleman John , Poole Gregory , Krane Matthew John M. , Marconnet Amy
Published: September 2019

While numerical models are often used in industry to evaluate the transport phenomena in solidification processes, the uncertainty in the results propagated from uncertain input parameters is rarely considered. In this work, in order to investigate the effects of input uncertainty on the outputs of high pressure die casting (HPDC) simulations, the Center for Prediction of Reliability, Integrity, and Survivability of Microsystems (PRISM) uncertainty quantification (PUQ) framework was applied. Three uncertainty propagation trials investigate the impact of uncertainty in metal material properties, thermal boundary conditions, and a modeling parameter on outputs of interest, such as fraction liquid at different times in the process cycle and shrinkage porosity volume, in an industrial A380 aluminum alloy HPDC process. This quantification of the output uncertainty establishes the reliability of the simulation results and can inform process design choices, such as the determination of the part ejection time. The results are most sensitive to the uncertainty in the interfacial heat transfer (for both outputs of interest) and the feeding effectivity (FE) (a model parameter controlling porosity formation determination), while the other heat transfer boundary conditions, model parameters, and all the properties play a secondary role in output uncertainty.
Flow Visualization of Microscale Effusion and Transpiration Cooling on Semi-cylinder for Gas Turbine Cooling Application
Authors: Shin Dong Hwan , Kim Yeonghwan , Kim Jin Sub , Kang Do Won , Sohn Jeong-Lak , Lee Jungho
Published: September 2019

Effusion and transpiration cooling can be an attractive method of air cooling for the next generation high-efficient gas turbine which has a very hot gas temperature over 1,600°C (TRIT). For higher effectiveness of air cooling for a gas turbine vane and blade, the air-cooled flow through effusion-holes and porous metal surface should not penetrate into the mainstream flow but still remain within the thermal boundary layer. The present visualization study examines flow behavior of microscale effusion and transpiration cooling on semi-cylinder. The secondary flow issued from the effusion-holes and porous metal surface is visualized by a smoke-tube method which consists of oil droplet generator, diode pumped solid state (DPSS) laser and highspeed imaging. The flow visualization of microscale effusion and transpiration cooling on semi-cylinder is characterized with various blowing ratios. It is found that the transpiration cooling consumes less coolant air than effusion cooling and has better cooling effectiveness based on the same flow rate of coolant air. Visual criteria can be provided to maintain the effusion and transpiration cooling on semi-cylinder for gas turbine cooling application.

[This work was supported by the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) grant funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea (Grant No. KIMM-NK219B).]