bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Limiting the high impacts of Amazon forest dieback with no-regrets science and policy action
Authors: Lapola David M. , Pinho Patricia , Quesada Carlos A. , Strassburg Bernardo B. N. , Rammig Anja , Kruijt Bart , Brown Foster , Ometto Jean P. H. B. , Premebida Adriano , Marengo José A. , Vergara Walter , Nobre Carlos A.
Published: November 2018

Large uncertainties still dominate the hypothesis of an abrupt large-scale shift of the Amazon forest caused by climate change [Amazonian forest dieback (AFD)] even though observational evidence shows the forest and regional climate changing. Here, we assess whether mitigation or adaptation action should be taken now, later, or not at all in light of such uncertainties. No action/later action would result in major social impacts that may influence migration to large Amazonian cities through a causal chain of climate change and forest degradation leading to lower river-water levels that affect transportation, food security, and health. Net-present value socioeconomic damage over a 30-year period after AFD is estimated between US dollar (USD) $957 billion (×10
9
) and $3,589 billion (compared with Gross Brazilian Amazon Product of USD $150 billion per year), arising primarily from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Costs of acting now would be one to two orders of magnitude lower than economic damages. However, while AFD mitigation alternatives—e.g., curbing deforestation—are attainable (USD $64 billion), their efficacy in achieving a forest resilience that prevents AFD is uncertain. Concurrently, a proposed set of 20 adaptation measures is also attainable (USD $122 billion) and could bring benefits even if AFD never occurs. An interdisciplinary research agenda to fill lingering knowledge gaps and constrain the risk of AFD should focus on developing sound experimental and modeling evidence regarding its likelihood, integrated with socioeconomic assessments to anticipate its impacts and evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of mitigation/adaptation options.
Expression of ABCA4 in the retinal pigment epithelium and its implications for Stargardt macular degeneration
Authors: Lenis Tamara L. , Hu Jane , Ng Sze Yin , Jiang Zhichun , Sarfare Shanta , Lloyd Marcia B. , Esposito Nicholas J. , Samuel William , Jaworski Cynthia , Bok Dean , Finnemann Silvia C. , Radeke Monte J. , Redmond T. Michael , Travis Gabriel H. , Radu Roxana A.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Recessive Stargardt macular degeneration (STGD1) and a subset of cone–rod dystrophies are caused by mutations in the
Abca4
gene. The ABCA4 protein is a flippase in photoreceptor cells that helps eliminate retinaldehyde, a toxic photoproduct of vision. Here we found that ABCA4 is additionally present in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of mice at approximately 1% of its abundance in the neural retina. Genetically modified mice that express ABCA4 in RPE but not in photoreceptor cells showed partial rescue of both the lipofuscin accumulation and photoreceptor degeneration observed in
Abca4

−/−

mice and in STGD1 patients. These observations suggest that ABCA4 in the RPE prevents photoreceptor degeneration in
Abca4

−/−

mice and possibly in STGD1 patients.
Cultural impediments to learning to cooperate: An experimental study of high- and low-caste men in rural India
Authors: Brooks Benjamin A. , Hoff Karla , Pandey Priyanka
Published: November 2018

We report experimental findings on how individuals from different cultures solve a repeated coordination game of common interest. The results overturn earlier findings that fixed pairs are almost assured to coordinate on an efficient and cooperative equilibrium. Subjects in the prior experiments were US university students, whereas the subjects in our study are men drawn from high and low castes in rural India. Most low-caste pairs quickly established an efficient and cooperative convention, but most high-caste pairs did not. The largest difference in behavior occurred when a player suffered a loss because he had tried to cooperate but his partner did not: In this situation, high-caste men were far less likely than low-caste men to continue trying to cooperate in the next period. Our interpretation is that for many high-caste men, the loss resulting from coordination failure triggered retaliation. Our results are robust to controls for education and wealth, and they hold by subcaste as well as by caste status. A survey we conducted supports the ethnographic evidence that more high-caste than low-caste men prefer to retaliate against a slight. We find no evidence that caste differences in trust or self-efficacy explain the caste gap in cooperation in our experiment. Our findings are of general interest because many societies throughout the world have cultures that lead individuals to (mis)perceive some actions as insults and to respond aggressively and dysfunctionally.
Face cells in orbitofrontal cortex represent social categories
Authors: Barat Elodie , Wirth Sylvia , Duhamel Jean-René
Published: November 2018

Significance

We show that the orbitofrontal cortex contains cells that first discriminate face from nonface stimuli, then categorize faces by their intrinsic sociodemographic and emotional content. In view of the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in reward processing, decision making, and social behavior, our detailed characterization of these cells sheds light on mechanisms by which of social categories are represented in this region. These data articulate a more comprehensive view of the neural architecture for processing face information, one including areas far beyond the core occipitotemporal regions.
Peculiarly pleasant weather for US maize
Authors: Butler Ethan E. , Mueller Nathaniel D. , Huybers Peter
Published: November 2018

Significance

Over the course of the 20th century, US maize yields have improved by more than a factor of five. Whereas this trend is often attributed exclusively to technological improvements, here, we also identify contributions from improved temperatures during the growing season. More than one-quarter of the increase in crop yield since 1981 is estimated to result from trends toward overall warmer conditions, but with cooling of the hottest growing-season temperatures, and from adjustments in crop timing toward earlier planting and longer maturation varieties.
Behavior-dependent
cis
regulation reveals genes and pathways associated with bower building in cichlid fishes
Authors: York Ryan A. , Patil Chinar , Abdilleh Kawther , Johnson Zachary V. , Conte Matthew A. , Genner Martin J. , McGrath Patrick T. , Fraser Hunter B. , Fernald Russell D. , Streelman J. Todd
Published: November 2018

Significance

We do not fully understand how behavior evolves. Here we investigate the genomic basis of bower building among Lake Malawi cichlid fishes. Males construct bowers of two major types, pits and castles, to attract females in mating displays. Thousands of genetic variants are strongly associated with divergence in bower behavior. Remarkably, F
1
hybrids of pit-digging and castle-building species perform sequential construction of first pit and then castle bowers. Analysis of brain gene expression in hybrids showed behavior-dependent allele-specific expression with preferential expression of pit-digging alleles during pit digging and castle-building alleles during castle building. Our results suggest that behaviors evolve via complex genetic architectures featuring
cis
-regulatory differences whose effects on gene expression are specific and context dependent.
Autocrine signaling by anAplysianeurotrophin forms a presynaptic positive feedback loop
Authors: Jin Iksung , Udo Hiroshi , Nicholls Russell , Zhu Huixiang , Kandel Eric R. , Hawkins Robert D.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Whereas short-term plasticity is often initiated on one side of the synapse, long-term plasticity involves coordinated changes on both sides, implying extracellular signaling. We have investigated the possible signaling role of anAplysianeurotrophin (ApNT) and found that it acts as a presynaptic autocrine signal, which forms part of a positive feedback loop that drives consolidation of learning-related synaptic plasticity.
Arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides induce membrane multilamellarity and subsequently enter via formation of a fusion pore
Authors: Allolio Christoph , Magarkar Aniket , Jurkiewicz Piotr , Baxová Katarína , Javanainen Matti , Mason Philip E. , Šachl Radek , Cebecauer Marek , Hof Martin , Horinek Dominik , Heinz Veronika , Rachel Reinhard , Ziegler Christine M. , Schröfel Adam , Jungwirth Pavel
Published: November 2018

Significance

The passive translocation mechanism of arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides has puzzled the scientific community for more than 20 y. In this study we propose a hitherto unrecognized mechanism of passive cell entry involving fusion of multilamellar structures generated by the cell-penetrating peptides. The geometry of entry for this mechanism is completely different from previously suggested direct translocation mechanisms, leading to another paradigm for designing molecular carriers for drug delivery to the cell.
Site-selective chemoenzymatic glycoengineering of Fab and Fc glycans of a therapeutic antibody
Authors: Giddens John P. , Lomino Joseph V. , DiLillo David J. , Ravetch Jeffrey V. , Wang Lai-Xi
Published: November 2018

Significance

A chemoenzymatic method was developed that permits site-selective Fab and Fc glycan remodeling of intact antibodies. Thus, homogeneous glycoforms of cetuximab were generated in which the immunogenic Fab N-glycans and the less active core-fucosylated Fc N-glycans were precisely remodeled to a desired sialylated N-glycan and an optimal nonfucosylated complex N-glycan, respectively. The glycoengineered cetuximab showed increased affinity for the FcγIIIa receptor and significantly enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity. This approach opens a new avenue to manipulating antibody glycosylations to produce specific homogeneous glycoforms useful for functional studies and therapeutic applications.
Bronze Age population dynamics and the rise of dairy pastoralism on the eastern Eurasian steppe
Authors: Jeong Choongwon , Wilkin Shevan , Amgalantugs Tsend , Bouwman Abigail S. , Taylor William Timothy Treal , Hagan Richard W. , Bromage Sabri , Tsolmon Soninkhishig , Trachsel Christian , Grossmann Jonas , Littleton Judith , Makarewicz Cheryl A. , Krigbaum John , Burri Marta , Scott Ashley , Davaasambuu Ganmaa , Wright Joshua , Irmer Franziska , Myagmar Erdene , Boivin Nicole , Robbeets Martine , Rühli Frank J. , Krause Johannes , Frohlich Bruno , Hendy Jessica , Warinner Christina
Published: November 2018

Recent paleogenomic studies have shown that migrations of Western steppe herders (WSH) beginning in the Eneolithic (ca. 3300–2700 BCE) profoundly transformed the genes and cultures of Europe and central Asia. Compared with Europe, however, the eastern extent of this WSH expansion is not well defined. Here we present genomic and proteomic data from 22 directly dated Late Bronze Age burials putatively associated with early pastoralism in northern Mongolia (ca. 1380–975 BCE). Genome-wide analysis reveals that they are largely descended from a population represented by Early Bronze Age hunter-gatherers in the Baikal region, with only a limited contribution (∼7%) of WSH ancestry. At the same time, however, mass spectrometry analysis of dental calculus provides direct protein evidence of bovine, sheep, and goat milk consumption in seven of nine individuals. No individuals showed molecular evidence of lactase persistence, and only one individual exhibited evidence of >10% WSH ancestry, despite the presence of WSH populations in the nearby Altai-Sayan region for more than a millennium. Unlike the spread of Neolithic farming in Europe and the expansion of Bronze Age pastoralism on the Western steppe, our results indicate that ruminant dairy pastoralism was adopted on the Eastern steppe by local hunter-gatherers through a process of cultural transmission and minimal genetic exchange with outside groups.
Human-like hyperplastic prostate with low ZIP1 induced solely by Zn deficiency in rats
Authors: Fong Louise Y. , Jing Ruiyan , Smalley Karl J. , Wang Zi-Xuan , Taccioli Cristian , Fan Sili , Chen Hongping , Alder Hansjuerg , Huebner Kay , Farber John L. , Fiehn Oliver , Croce Carlo M.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Prostate cancer in man is associated with Zn loss, citrate metabolite reduction, overexpression of the miR-183-96-182 cluster, and regulation of Zn homeostasis through Zn transporter suppression. Our mechanistic study shows that a low-Zn diet upregulates this miR cluster in Zn-deficient middle-aged rat prostate, with ZIP1 mRNA/protein downregulation and a citrate-oxidizing metabolic phenotype, linking citrate reduction directly to prostatic Zn loss. The findings of this study show that the transcriptional and metabolic signal pathways induced by Zn deficiency in rats and almost certainly in men are critical for the development of human and rat prostate cancer and provide a strong rationale for including Zn supplementation in clinical trials to reduce the prostate cancer burden in the human population.
An abundance of developmental anomalies and abnormalities in Pleistocene people
Authors: Trinkaus Erik
Published: November 2018

Significance

The patterns and incidences of developmental abnormalities and anomalies through Pleistocene human evolution may provide insights into issues of survival, stress, consanguinity, and mortuary behavior among these foraging populations. A synthesis of these developmental variants through the
Homo
fossil record provides 75 cases from 66 individuals, an exceptional total given the small paleontological samples. These are primarily from the past 200,000 years, given better preservation through burial, but are known from up to 1.5 million years ago. One-third of them have moderately low probabilities (
P
< 0.05), yet 14% are very rare (
P
< 0.0001), and 19% have no known etiology. No single factor accounts for the extremely low cumulative probability of finding these abnormalities, but this raises questions concerning the natures of Pleistocene human populations.
An interface design for urban recreational walking: A practice-based case study
Authors: Dixon Brian
Published: November 2018

GPS-enabled mobile maps are now commonly used to wayfind in urban locations. Though increasingly efficient and more widely available, little attention has been paid to how novel approaches to the design of the visual interface may support particular user-experiences. This article presents the results of a practice-based study focusing on the design of an interface which allows walkers to maintain an awareness of the surrounding environment as they wayfind. Through an iterative process, a mixed-fidelity working prototype was developed and tested in a field setting. Results indicate that the interface promoted a high level of awareness of the surrounding environment.
Introduction
Authors: Álvarez López Laura , Ornelas de Avelar Juanito
Published: November 2018

This chapter introduces the idea of a continuum of Portuguese in Africa and Brazil. It further identifies the common research
questions, presenting earlier studies and discussing current gaps in research about Brazilian and African varieties of
Portuguese. A detailed overview of the book explains how each of the contributions works towards informing these questions.
Finally, in the final remarks, the authors suggest further research questions, and put forward the necessity of developing a
corpus that includes a diversity of points along the Afro-Brazilian continuum, i.e. datasets with the potential to inspire
comprehensive descriptions as well as fine-tuned analyses of the linguistic properties and sociohistorical settings of the
continuum. Moreover, this introduction signals the need for supplementary research on exactly which linguistic groups have
cohabited where, and in which conditions, and for further exploration of the weight that each of the languages in a particular
setting has had in the competition created by each contact situation.
From creoles to Portuguese
Authors: Hagemeijer Tjerk
Published: November 2018

The small island state of São Tomé and Príncipe, located in the Gulf of Guinea in West-Africa, is a linguistically unparalleled case in Africa in the sense that the former colonial language, Portuguese, has become the dominant native language of its population over time, replacing the historically dominant autochthonous creole languages. The aim of this chapter is to analyze the historical and sociolinguistic aspects that led to widespread shift to and nativization of Portuguese in this country.
The agreement continuum in urban samples of African, Brazilian and European varieties of Portuguese
Authors: Brandão Silvia Figueiredo , Vieira Silvia Rodrigues
Published: November 2018

Our aim is to contrast number expression in nominal phrases (NPs) and in verbal phrases (VPs), taking into consideration variationist analysis of Brazilian Portuguese (BP), European Portuguese (EP), and Portuguese spoken in São Tomé (STP) and in Mozambique (MP). Building on sociolinguistic principles, the analysis shows that two patterns of agreement characterise varieties of Portuguese: a variable rule of plural marking, even if in differing degrees, in the non-European urban varieties versus a categorical (NP internal agreement) or semi-categorical one (P6 verbal agreement) in EP. Finally, the results allow us to propose a continuum of nominal and verbal agreement patterns in the four urban varieties, based on greater or lesser rates of plural marking and on levels of education.
Health metaphors and embodiment in Arab economic discourse
Authors: Domaradzki Mikolaj
Published: November 2018

This article is a corpus-based study that examines selected economic metaphors in Arabic with a view to ascertaining whether their presence in a non-Indo-European language can be explained in terms of universal embodied cognition. When exploring the relationship between certain bodily experiences and the corresponding metaphorical expressions in Arabic this paper addresses the following research questions: (1) What is the role of embodiment in Arab economic discourse? (2) Is Arab economic discourse in any way similar to its English counterpart? (3) If so, could any of these similarities be due to the influence of English? (4) If so, does that pose a challenge to the embodiment hypothesis?
English as a lingua franca in Europe: The identification of L1 and L2 accents
Authors: Kristiansen Gitte , Zenner Eline , Geeraerts Dirk
Published: November 2018

While empirical research on attitudes towards languages and linguistic varieties has become increasingly popular from the 1960s onwards (e.g.Lambert, Hodgson, Gardner, & Fillenbaum, 1960), experimental investigations into the ability to correctlyidentifythe origin of speakers are in comparison still relatively scarce. We know that the ability to correlate a stretch of uncategorised speech (token) with a series of models (types) is experientially acquired in early childhood (e.g.Kristiansen, 2010), but how similar are those abilities in adulthood and across European nations? English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has become an integral part of the linguistic reality in Europe (and of the linguistic scenario in the entire world) (e.g.Jenkins, Baker, & Dewey, 2018). Whenever we communicate with anyone who is not a speaker of our own native language in any European country, most of the time we communicate in English. But does our L1 accent still shine through? Will we be recognised (and in most cases probably also stereotypically judged) on the basis of just a short stretch of speech when we communicate in ELF? In Part I of this paper we outline the design of the first large-scale pan-European project on L1 and L2 identifications of ELF in Europe, including 785 respondents from 8 countries. Exploratory analyses confirm the hypothesis that statistically significant asymmetries would show up across different European countries or regions. In Part II of this paper we then aim to explain these asymmetries through a multifactorial statistical analysis (Geeraerts, Grondelaers, & Speelman, 1999;Tagliamonte & Baayen, 2012;Speelman, Heylen, & Geeraerts, 2018).
The justification of grammatical categories
Authors: Reid Wallis
Published: November 2018

What is the theoretical justification for positing such constructs as conjugation classes, declension classes, parts of speech, grammatical gender, and agreement rules? This paper argues that no grammatical category or construct should be taken as an a priori given; each must be justified by the demonstration that it solves a distributional problem. This is the core analytical principle upon which Columbia School linguistics rests, and it is responsible for much that is innovative in Ricardo Otheguy’s grammatical and sociolinguistic research. The novel analytical consequences of this principle will be illustrated by applying it to the distributional problem of the different co-occurrence patterning of such apparent synonyms as blanca and blanco in Spanish.
Spooky grammatical effects
Authors: Davis Joseph
Published: November 2018

Linguistic constructs often correspond to nothing concrete: Descriptivists’ zero morpheme, generativists’ trace, variationists’ null instantiation, and Columbia School’s null signal. These represent structural relations with no phonetic substance. Columbia School has posited, moreover, three types of relatively insubstantial semantic structure: The residual member and the including member are semantic value oppositions within a grammatical system, each defined by the system’s other members. In the opposition of substance, in my own work, two signals share a value from one semantic substance, but only one of them bears a meaning from an additional semantic substance. All of these constructs are justified by distributional facts within theoretical paradigms. It is possible, too, to distinguish between all of the above and absence.
Ditransitives and the English System of Degree of Control
Authors: Stern Nancy
Published: November 2018

The English System of Degree of Control (Diver, 1984) is a Columbia School hypothesis that posits invariant meanings for word order signals in what are traditionally called transitive and ditransitive sentences. In this paper, the Control System is shown to account for speakers’ choices between two constructions that seem, on introspection, to be equivalent: push the wall and give the wall a push. The Control meanings do not only describe a set of uses. Instead, by distinguishing between the linguistic system, on the one hand, and its use, on the other, the meanings of the Control System provide an explanation for the distribution of forms and the choices that speakers make in order to meet their communicative goals.
Bilingual acquisition
Authors: Silva-Corvalán Carmen
Published: November 2018

In the context of heritage languages, the term incomplete acquisition implies that the bilingual child has acquired a language system that is different from that of the providers of language input. The notion of incomplete acquisition has recently been criticized. For example, some scholars argue that grammars cannot be incomplete. This chapter addresses the critiques of the concept of incompleteness and shows, in contrast, that the outcome of reduced exposure and production of a minority language in simultaneous bilingual acquisition indeed reflects the incomplete acquisition of some aspects of the input language. I argue that incompleteness is not a mechanism, but an acquisitional outcome or a stage in language development.
Negation in Functional Discourse Grammar
Authors: Hengeveld Kees , Mackenzie J. Lachlan
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this chapter is to show that the model of Functional Discourse Grammar can be used to provide a detailed classification of expressions of negation by taking its hierarchical, layered structure as the point of departure. The chapter thus follows up on ideas first launched in Dik (1997) concerning the various layers of Functional Grammar at which polarity operators can apply. FDG has introduced a number of additional layers which can also host the negative operator to those recognized in FG, and it has furthermore introduced the distinction between the Representational (semantic) and Interpersonal (pragmatic) Levels. We will argue that operators with a negative value can be found at all layers of both the Interpersonal and the Representational Levels. We illustrate all these types and show how their scope properties and their formal manifestation and behaviour warrant their identification in the grammar.
Premodification in evaluative of-binominal noun phrases
Authors: ten Wolde Elnora
Published: November 2018

Premodification patterns play a central role in the analysis of the evaluative binominal noun phrase (EBNP; a beast of a man). This is, on the one hand, because the EBNP sometimes demonstrates non-canonical premodification: modifiers in front of the first noun can be selected by the second noun (e.g. a bitchy iceberg of a woman), and, on the other hand, because some of the EBNPs have evolved into evaluative modifiers (EMs; a beastuva day), with [N1 of a] integrating itself into the pre-existing premodification patterns. In the context of the premodification distinctions relevant to the evaluative of-binominal family, this study will juxtapose a hierarchical, Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG; Hengeveld & Mackenzie 2008; Keizer 2015) analysis of the premodification patterns against those of a linear zone-based, Construction Grammar (Ghesquière 2014) approach to premodification. In particular, this chapter, using corpus data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the Corpus of Historical American English, compares the categories proposed by each theory and discusses to what extent each model is able to account for the shifting premodification patterns found in the evaluative of-binominal family. This chapter concludes that although a zone-based account can, to a great extent, model these differences, this form of model does not provide an explanation as to why these changes have taken place. On the other hand, FDG can model and provide an explanation for the irregular premodification patterns, and captures the critical distinction between pragmatic and semantic modifiers, which also plays a role in this explanation. This study also provides evidence that the [N1 of a] chunk has integrated into pre-existing premodification patterns, and that, therefore, an integration of these two approaches to modeling premodification may be possible.
Introduction to Discourse Studies
Authors: Renkema Jan , Schubert Christoph
Published: November 2018

This new edition of Introduction to Discourse Studies (IDS) is a thoroughly revised and updated version of this successful textbook, which has been published in four languages and has become a must-read for anyone interested in the analysis of texts and discourses. Supported by an international advisory board of 14 leading experts, it deals with all main subdomains in discourse studies, from pragmatics to cognitive linguistics, from critical discourse analysis to stylistics, and many more. The book approaches major issues in this field from the Anglo-American and European as well as the Asian traditions. It provides an ‘academic toolkit’ for future courses on discourse studies and serves as a stepping stone to the independent study of professional literature. The chapters are subdivided in modular sections that can be studied separately. The pedagogical objectives are further supported by

over 500 index entries covering frequently used concepts that are accurately defined with examples throughout the text;more than 150 test-yourself questions, all elaborately answered, which are ideal for self-study;nearly 100 assignments that provide ample material for lecturers to focus on specific topics in their courses.

Jan Renkema is Emeritus Professor of Discourse Quality at the Department of Communication and Information Sciences at Tilburg University, The Netherlands. He is also editor of Discourse, of Course (2009) and author of The Texture of Discourse (2009). In 2009, a Chinese edition of Introduction to Discourse Studies was published by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.

Christoph Schubert is Full Professor of English Linguistics at Vechta University, Germany. He is author of an Introduction to English text linguistics (2nd ed. 2012) and co-editor of Pragmatic Perspectives on Postcolonial Discourse (2016) and Variational Text Linguistics (2016).
Feasibility of infant hearing screening from a developing country context
Authors: Kanji Amisha , Khoza-Shangase Katijah , Petrocchi-Bartal Luisa , Harbinson Shannon
Published: November 2018

Purpose:

To explore the feasibility of infant hearing screening from a developing country context.

Methods:

A descriptive research design was employed, using a combination of surveys, questionnaires and face-to-face semi-structured interviews; as well as conduction of audiological measures such as otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and automated auditory brainstem responses (AABR) during hearing screening. Participants comprised low–risk neonates, high-risk neonates and primary health care nursing managers.

Results:

Findings indicated that (1) screening at the Midwife Obstetric Unit 3-day assessment clinic may be more practical; (2) screening at primary health care clinics is not feasible until the identified barriers are addressed and; (3) factors such as ambient noise levels, availability of space for screening and time of discharge influence the practicability and efficiency of screening within a hospital context.

Conclusion:

There are a number of factors which influence the practicability and efficiency of newborn hearing screening. Each of these factors may vary depending on the level of healthcare setting and may either facilitate or act as barriers toward the implementation of newborn hearing screening in the South African context.
The application of mobile edge computing in agricultural water monitoring system
Authors: Fan D H , Gao S
Published: November 2018

The intelligent construction and development of traditional agricultural water production process has become an important pillar industry in China’s coastal areas. With the application of IoT technology, the agricultural water monitoring process can manage the data collected by the sensor system in real time. In this paper, a data link management solution is proposed in combination with advanced Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) technology, which effectively realizes the sinking of business anchor points and greatly reduces the business response time. The practical application shows that the scheme realizes the network and intelligence of agricultural water monitoring system management, and has broad market prospect.
Estimation of diffusion coefficients of ascorbate-based ions at infinite dilution through electrolytic conductivity measurements
Authors: Soriano A N , Dollente K G R , Tabaquero R J D , Adornado A P
Published: November 2018

Ascorbic acid is a naturally-occurring organic compound that has high water solubility. One significant parameter that can describe the mobility and transport of ascorbic acid and its mineral salts in water systems is the diffusion coefficient. Molar conductivity data were determined from electrolytic conductivity data measured at different concentrations of ascorbate-based ions (dilute region) and temperatures (293.15 to 313.15 K). From these data, the infinite dilution diffusion coefficients of the ascorbic acid and mineral salts in water were estimated using the Nernst-Haskell Equation. The Nernst-Einstein Equation was used to predict the infinite dilution self-diffusion coefficients of the representative ascorbate-based ions ([H+], [Na+], and [Ca2+]). For most temperatures and concentrations considered, the Ca2+ cation had the highest molar conductivity but the [H+] cation had the highest correlated infinite dilution self-diffusion coefficient of 11.4105 × 10−9 m2/s at 313.15 K. The [Na+] and [Ca2+] cations had values of correlated infinite dilution self-diffusion coefficient of 2.6263 × 10−9 m2/s and 2.4045 × 10−9 m2/s at 313.15 K, respectively. The molar conductivity and diffusion coefficient of the ions at infinite dilution were in the order of [H+] > [Na+] > [Ca2+]. It was found that an increase in temperature also increases the diffusion coefficient. This study was able to estimate infinite dilution diffusion coefficient data for ascorbate-based ions. Thus, the results of this study can serve as a basis and reference for future researches to have a better understanding of the fate and transport of ascorbate-based ions in the environment.
Prediction of self-diffusion coefficients of ions from various livestock antibiotics in water at infinite dilution
Authors: Soriano A N , Bonifacio P B , Adamos K G , Adornado A P
Published: November 2018

The development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to the existence and fate of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds (PHAC) used to treat bacterial diseases in humans as well as veterinary medicine to prevent disease in animals such as poultry, cattle, swine, and fish during animal food production and as growth promoters like antibiotics entering the environment turned out to be a problem when not removed in a normal wastewater treatment plant as it has increased effects on the disturbance of the natural bacterial ecosystem, presence of it in the effluent of sewage treatment plants as well as to surface and groundwater, and concerns for human health. Fate and transport of particles is an important matter that describe their physical form and behavior in different media with primary concern of determining the transport speed and combined effects of the chemicals in their discharge environments. In order to predict the fate and transport in the environment, one important parameter that indicates how individual molecules and ions move through a medium under a concentration gradient at a certain pressure and temperature is the diffusion coefficient. In relation to the previously published work on diffusion coefficient of various livestock antibiotics at infinite dilution, the present work extended the calculation to determine the self-diffusion coefficient of constituent ions from the studied antibiotics using the Nernst-Einstein Equation. Other parameters such as activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and hydrodynamic radius needed in describing the infinite dilution diffusion behavior were also calculated using Arrhenius-type equation and Stokes-Einstein Equation, respectively. The results may provide an adequate understanding of the mobility and behavior of these constituent ions from these livestock antibiotics when present in environmental water system, which may be of help for future studies for the removal of these antibiotics which can lead to the microbial resistance bacteria.
Therapeutic Alliance Between Dietitians and Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: The Effect of Training in a Health Behavior Change Intervention
Authors: Murray Rebecca , Baker Amanda , Halpin Sean , Britton Ben , McCarter Kristen , Palazzi Kerrin , Beck Alison K
Published: November 2018

Background

The relationship between a clinician and their client—the “therapeutic alliance” is a robust predictor of outcome in healthcare settings; yet, few interventions to improve alliance have been tested. Motivational interviewing is a client-centered approach that embodies many principles and strategies consistent with a strong therapeutic alliance.

Purpose

To examine whether alliance is enhanced by training dietitians to deliver a motivational interviewing informed health behavior change intervention (“Eating as Treatment”; EAT) as part of routine consultations with patients with head and neck cancer. The predictive ability of motivational interviewing techniques was also assessed.

Methods

A secondary analysis of the EAT stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted. Patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy (n = 307) were treated by radiotherapy dietitians (n = 29) during the control (Treatment as Usual) or intervention (EAT) phase. Alliance was rated during the first and final weeks of radiotherapy, and again 4 and 12 weeks post-radiotherapy. Dietetic sessions were audiotaped. Week one sessions were objectively rated for dietitians’ use of motivational interviewing techniques.

Results

Generalized linear-mixed effects regressions found no effect of EAT on dietitian-rated alliance (p = .237). After excluding outliers, patient-rated alliance was 0.29 points lower after EAT training (p = .016). Post hoc analyses revealed lower patient ratings on perceived support and dietitian confidence. Hierarchical multiple regressions found that no specific motivational interviewing techniques predicted patient-rated alliance. Dietitian acknowledgment of patient challenges was related to dietitian-rated alliance (β =.15, p =.035).

Conclusions

Patient and dietitian ratings of alliance were high after EAT training, but not significantly improved. Further research is needed to better understand the differential impact of intervention training and delivery on patient and clinician ratings of therapeutic alliance.

Clinical Trial information

Trial registration number ACTRN12613000320752
Does Public Sector Outsourcing Decrease Public Employment? Empirical Evidence from OECD Countries
Authors: Potrafke Niklas
Published: November 2018

I examine the extent to which public sector outsourcing relates to public employment in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. I use new panel data on public sector outsourcing. The sample includes 26 countries over the period 2009–2015. Contrary to common expectations, the results do not suggest that public sector outsourcing expenditure was negatively related to public employment in the full sample. The relation between public sector outsourcing and public employment, however, does vary across countries. If anything, the growth in public sector outsourcing in period t − 1 was positively correlated with the growth in public employment in period t. When public sector outsourcing gives rise to regrouping public employees but not reducing public employment, outsourcing may even increase inefficiencies in the public sector. (JEL codes: L33, J45, P16, C23).
Pharmacogenomic clinical decision support design and multi-site process outcomes analysis in the eMERGE Network
Authors: Herr Timothy M , Peterson Josh F , Rasmussen Luke V , Caraballo Pedro J , Peissig Peggy L , Starren Justin B
Published: November 2018

To better understand the real-world effects of pharmacogenomic (PGx) alerts, this study aimed to characterize alert design within the eMERGE Network, and to establish a method for sharing PGx alert response data for aggregate analysis. Seven eMERGE sites submitted design details and established an alert logging data dictionary. Six sites participated in a pilot study, sharing alert response data from their electronic health record systems. PGx alert design varied, with some consensus around the use of active, post-test alerts to convey Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium recommendations. Sites successfully shared response data, with wide variation in acceptance and follow rates. Results reflect the lack of standardization in PGx alert design. Standards and/or larger studies will be necessary to fully understand PGx impact. This study demonstrated a method for sharing PGx alert response data and established that variation in system design is a significant barrier for multi-site analyses.
Validation of Minimal Residual Disease as Surrogate Endpoint for Event-Free Survival in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Galimberti Stefania , Devidas Meenakshi , Lucenti Ausiliatrice , Cazzaniga Giovanni , Möricke Anja , Bartram Claus R , Mann Georg , Carroll William , Winick Naomi , Borowitz Michael , Wood Brent , Basso Giuseppe , Conter Valentino , Zimmermann Martin , Suciu Stefan , Biondi Andrea , Schrappe Martin , Hunger Stephen P , Valsecchi Maria Grazia
Published: November 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to assess whether minimal residual disease (MRD) at the end of induction front-line treatment can serve as a surrogate endpoint for event-free survival (EFS) in childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Methods

The analysis was based on individual data of 4830 patients from two large phase III trials that asked a randomized question on the effect of different corticosteroids (dexamethasone vs prednisone) during induction chemotherapy on EFS. The association between MRD classified in three ordered categories [negative = 0, low positive = (>0 and <5 × 10−4), and positive = (≥5 × 10-4)] and EFS at the individual and trial levels was evaluated with the meta-analytic approach based on the Plackett copula model. Centers within trial were grouped according to geographical area, and a total of 28 units were identified for the analysis.

Results

MRD at the end of induction was a poor surrogate for treatment effect on EFS at the trial level, with Rtrial2 = 0.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.00 to 0.29), whereas at the individual level it was strongly associated with EFS, with an odds ratio of 3.90 (95% CI = 3.35 to 4.44) of failure for patients with higher compared with lower MRD levels. Additional sensitivity and relevant subgroup analyses confirmed these findings at both trial- and patient-level association.

Conclusions

Although MRD is a robust biomarker highly predictive of outcome for individual patients, clinicians and regulatory bodies should be cautious in using early MRD response in the context of complex multiagent acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapy as an early surrogate endpoint to predict the effect of a randomized treatment intervention on long-term EFS.
Types of yeasts that cause vulvovaginal candidiasis in chronic users of corticosteroids
Authors: Farhan Mohammed A , Moharram Ahmed M , Salah Tareq , Shaaban Omar M
Published: November 2018

The current study aims to compare between the types of yeasts that cause vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in women using corticosteroid medication compared to nonusers and estimate their sensitivity to available commercial antifungal agents. In a descriptive analytical cross-sectional study, we recruited 41 chronic corticosteroid users diagnosed clinically to have VVC from Women's Health Hospital, Assiut University, Egypt. Forty-seven age-matched women with VVC were recruited as a control group. Full history and clinical examination were performed. Vaginal sterile swab obtained from the vagina of each participant was subjected to direct Gram-stained smear examination as well as a culture on Sabouraud's glucose agar and HiCrome Candida agar. Further identification of the isolates was done using traditional methods. Fifty out of 88 samples (56.8%) were positive in culture including 25 samples (61%) from corticosteroid users group and 25 (53.2%) from noncorticosteroid users with no statistically significant difference (P = .302). The chronic corticosteroid users had more incidence of recurrent VVC as compared to nonusers (65.9% vs 40.4%, respectively) (P = .015). There was a significantly higher rate of non-Candida albicans (NCA) infections in corticosteroid users compared with nonusers (48% vs 20%, respectively) (P = .036). A higher significant difference in resistance of the isolates against clotrimazole (P = .003) and ketoconazole (P = .017) was demonstrated in corticosteroid users compared to nonusers. Thus, chronic corticosteroid use causes frequent attacks of VVC and increases the frequency of infection by NCA strains. Also, it increases resistance to common antifungal agents especially azole group.
Chlorhexidine Showers are Associated With a Reduction in Surgical Site Infection Following Spine Surgery: An Analysis of 4266 Consecutive Surgeries
Authors: Chan Andrew K , Ammanuel Simon G , Chan Alvin Y , Oh Taemin , Skrehot Henry C , Edwards Caleb S , Kondapavulur Sravani , Miller Catherine A , Nichols Amy D , Liu Catherine , Dhall Sanjay S , Clark Aaron J , Chou Dean , Ames Christopher P , Mummaneni Praveen V
Published: November 2018

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication following spinal surgery. Prevention is critical to maintaining safe patient care and reducing additional costs associated with treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the efficacy of preoperative chlorhexidine (CHG) showers on SSI rates following fusion and nonfusion spine surgery.

METHODS

A mandatory preoperative CHG shower protocol was implemented at our institution in November 2013. A cohort comparison of 4266 consecutive patients assessed differences in SSI rates for the pre- and postimplementation periods. Subgroup analysis was performed on the type of spinal surgery (eg, fusion vs nonfusion). Data represent all spine surgeries performed between April 2012 and April 2016.

RESULTS

The overall mean SSI rate was 0.4%. There was no significant difference between the pre- (0.7%) and postimplementation periods (0.2%; P = .08). Subgroup analysis stratified by procedure type showed that the SSI rate for the nonfusion patients was significantly lower in the post- (0.1%) than the preimplementation group (0.7%; P = .02). There was no significant difference between SSI rates for the pre- (0.8%) and postimplementation groups (0.3%) for the fusion cohort (P = .21). In multivariate analysis, the implementation of preoperative CHG showers were associated with significantly decreased odds of SSI (odds ratio = 0.15, 95% confidence interval [0.03-0.55], P < .01).

CONCLUSION

This is the largest study investigating the efficacy of preoperative CHG showers on SSI following spinal surgery. In adjusted multivariate analysis, CHG showering was associated with a significant decrease in SSI following spinal surgery.
Health-related quality of life and costs in Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors: Miyamoto Samira T , Valim Valéria , Fisher Benjamin A
Published: November 2018

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has an increasing role in medical decision-making. This review of the literature aims to provide an overview on HRQoL, costs, and work disability in SS, a disease characterized by focal lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands with no therapeutics of proven immunomodulatory potential. HRQoL is markedly reduced in SS in multiple studies across many countries when compared with HRQoL in healthy controls. The reduction in HRQoL is similar to that observed in other chronic diseases such as RA, SLE, FM and, interestingly, non-SS sicca syndrome. Impaired HRQoL in SS has been found to be associated with fatigue, pain/articular involvement, ocular and oral involvement, pruritus, sexual dysfunction, impaired sleep, pulmonary manifestations, psychological dysfunction and impaired physical function. Until now, no therapeutic has been shown to improve HRQoL in an adequately powered double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trial. Although primary SS does not, in general, impair life expectancy and is often inappropriately considered a benign ‘nuisanvce’ disease for those patients without systemic manifestations, the associated costs and work disability are striking. This, together with the significant reduction in HRQoL, strongly argues for the development of new therapeutic approaches to manage this neglected disease.