bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complications After Tibial Tuberosity Osteotomy: Association With Screw Size and Concomitant Distalization
Authors: Johnson Alex A. , Wolfe Elizabeth L. , Mintz Douglas N. , Demehri Shadpour , Shubin Stein Beth E. , Cosgarea Andrew J.
Published: October 2018

Background:

Tibial tuberosity osteotomy (TTO) is a versatile procedure commonly used to treat patellar instability as well as to unload cartilage lesions. TTO with concomitant distalization (TTO-d) may be performed in patients with patella alta to stabilize the patella by helping it to engage in the trochlea earlier during flexion.

Purpose:

To identify and compare perioperative complications in patients who underwent TTO and those who underwent TTO-d and to analyze risk factors associated with these complications.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

We retrospectively identified perioperative complications and associated factors from medical records for 240 patients who underwent TTO with or without distalization performed by 2 surgeons at 2 institutions between 2009 and 2015. A musculoskeletal radiologist at each institution determined osteotomy union using a published grading system. Significance was set at P < .01.

Results:

Of the 240 patients, 153 (122 TTO, 31 TTO-d) had clinical and radiographic follow-up of at least 90 days or evidence of osseous union. Eighty-eight complications were identified in 71 of 153 (46%) patients: delayed union (n = 35); painful hardware (n = 32); deep vein thrombosis (n = 4); clinical nonunion, delayed range of motion, sensory deficit, and wound breakdown (n = 3 each); and broken screw, fascial hernia, hematoma, quadriceps dysfunction, and tibial fracture (n = 1 each). Thirteen of 35 delayed unions occurred in the TTO-d group ( P = .005). Painful hardware was more frequent in patients who received 4.5-mm screws (31/115) than in those who received 3.5-mm screws (1/38) ( P = .001). A reoperation was required in 38 of 153 patients (37 patients using 4.5-mm screws vs 1 patient using 3.5-mm screws; P < .001), primarily for screw removal (32/38).

Conclusion:

Minor complications, including delayed union and painful hardware, were common, but major complications such as tibial fracture, deep vein thrombosis, and clinical nonunion were rare. Delayed union was more frequent in the TTO-d group. The 3.5-mm screws were less painful and less likely to need removal than the 4.5-mm screws.
Long-term safety of pirfenidone: results of the prospective, observational PASSPORT study
Authors: Cottin Vincent , Koschel Dirk , Günther Andreas , Albera Carlo , Azuma Arata , Sköld C. Magnus , Tomassetti Sara , Hormel Philip , Stauffer John L. , Strombom Indiana , Kirchgaessler Klaus-Uwe , Maher Toby M.
Published: October 2018

Real-world studies include a broader patient population for a longer duration than randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and can provide relevant insights for clinical practice.

PASSPORT was a multicentre, prospective, post-authorisation study of patients who were newly prescribed pirfenidone and followed for 2 years after initiating treatment. Physicians collected data on adverse drug reactions (ADRs), serious ADRs (SADRs) and ADRs of special interest (ADRSI) at baseline and then every 3 months.Post hocstepwise logistic regression models were used to identify baseline characteristics associated with discontinuing treatment due to an ADR.

Patients (n=1009, 99.7% with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) had a median pirfenidone exposure of 442.0 days. Overall, 741 (73.4%) patients experienced ADRs, most commonly nausea (20.6%) and fatigue (18.5%). ADRs led to treatment discontinuation in 290 (28.7%) patients after a median of 99.5 days. Overall, 55 (5.5%) patients experienced SADRs, with a fatal outcome in six patients. ADRSI were reported in 693 patients, most commonly gastrointestinal symptoms (38.3%) and photosensitivity reactions/skin rashes (29.0%). Older age and female sex were associated with early treatment discontinuation due to an ADR.

Findings were consistent with the known safety profile of pirfenidone, based on RCT data and other post-marketing experience, with no new safety signals observed.
User-elicited dual-hand interactions for manipulating 3D objects in virtual reality environments
Authors: Nanjappan Vijayakumar , Liang Hai-Ning , Lu Feiyu , Papangelis Konstantinos , Yue Yong , Man Ka Lok
Published: October 2018

Virtual reality technologies (VR) have advanced rapidly in the last few years. Prime examples include the Oculus RIFT and HTC Vive that are both head-worn/mounted displays (HMDs). VR HMDs enable a sense of immersion and allow enhanced natural interaction experiences with 3D objects. In this research we explore suitable interactions for manipulating 3D objects when users are wearing a VR HMD. In particular, this research focuses on a user-elicitation study to identify natural interactions for 3D manipulation using dual-hand controllers, which have become the standard input devices for VR HMDs. A user elicitation study requires potential users to provide interactions that are natural and intuitive based on given scenarios. The results of our study suggest that users prefer interactions that are based on shoulder motions (e.g., shoulder abduction and shoulder horizontal abduction) and elbow flexion movements. In addition, users seem to prefer one-hand interaction, and when two hands are required they prefer interactions that do not require simultaneous hand movements, but instead interactions that allow them to alternate between their hands. Results of our study are applicable to the design of dual-hand interactions with 3D objects in a variety of virtual reality environments.
Characterization of pigments and binders in a mural painting from the Andean church of San Andrés de Pachama (northernmost of Chile)
Authors: Tomasini Eugenia P. , Cárcamo José , Castellanos Rodríguez Diana M. , Careaga Valeria , Gutiérrez Sebastián , Rúa Landa Carlos , Sepúlveda Marcela , Guzman Fernando , Pereira Magdalena , Siracusano Gabriela , Maier Marta S.
Published: October 2018

The Andean church of San Andrés de Pachama is located in the highland of the northernmost of Chile, near the limit with Bolivia and next to the Ruta de la Plata. This commercial route contributed in the past to the transport and commerce of various raw materials, such as silver, from the Andean mountains region to the Pacific Ocean coast and then to the European market. The walls inside the church are decorated with paintings from the end of the eighteenth century that reproduce religious motivs together with flowers, fruits, and birds. In this study, micro samples taken from one of the mural paintings have been analysed to acquire information on the artistic materials and the painting technique previous to the restoration of the paintings. Analysis by micro-Raman spectroscopy complemented with scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection allowed the identification of orpiment, vermilion, indigo, smalt, antlerite, hematite, carmine lake, and wood charcoal as pigments as well as gypsum as the ground layer. Lipidic and proteinaceous materials extracted from the microsamples were identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and indicated the use of a mixture of egg and siccative oil as binders and a secco painting technique involving animal glue as the plaster primer. Smalt and the prized cochineal lake are reported for the first time in an Andean colonial mural painting.
IL‐2Rα up‐regulation is mediated by latent membrane protein 1 and promotes lymphomagenesis and chemotherapy resistance in natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Wang Liang , Bi Xi‐wen , Zhu Yu‐jia , He Ying‐zhi , Lai Qiu‐yu , Xia Zhong‐jun , Cai Qing‐qing
Published: October 2018

Background

Natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is a highly aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphoma often resistant to chemotherapy. Serum level of soluble IL‐2 receptor α (IL‐2Rα) is elevated in NKTCL patients and correlates significantly with treatment response and survival. In the current study we examined the potential role of IL‐2Rα by over‐expressing IL‐2Rα in representative cell lines.

Methods

Levels of IL‐2Rα were evaluated in the human natural killer cell line NK‐92 and the NKTCL cell line SNK‐6. Lentiviral vectors were used to express latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) in NK‐92 cells, and IL‐2Rα in both NK‐92 and SNK‐6 cells. The biological effects of these genes on proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and chemosensitivity were analyzed.

Results

Expression of IL‐2Rα was significantly higher in SNK‐6 cells than in NK‐92 cells. Expressing LMP1 in NK‐92 cells remarkably up‐regulated IL‐2Rα levels, whereas selective inhibitorss of the proteins in the MAPK/NF‐κB pathway significantly down‐regulated IL‐2Rα. IL‐2Rα overexpression in SNK‐6 cells promoted cell proliferation by altering cell cycle distribution, and induced resistance to gemcitabine, doxorubicin, and asparaginase. These effects were reversed by an anti‐IL‐2Rα antibody.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that LMP1 activates the MAPK/NF‐κB pathway in NKTCL cells, up‐regulating IL‐2Rα expression. IL‐2Rα overexpression promotes growth and chemoresistance in NKTCL, making this interleukin receptor a potential therapeutic target.
Identification of Incidental Germline Mutations in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors Who Underwent Cell-Free Circulating Tumor DNA Sequencing
Authors: Slavin Thomas P. , Banks Kimberly C. , Chudova Darya , Oxnard Geoffrey R. , Odegaard Justin I. , Nagy Rebecca J. , Tsang Kar Wing Kevin , Neuhausen Susan L. , Gray Stacy W. , Cristofanilli Massimo , Rodriguez Angel A. , Bardia Aditya , Leyland-Jones Brian , Janicek Mike F. , Lilly Michael , Sonpavde Guru , Lee Christine E. , Lanman Richard B. , Meric-Bernstam Funda , Kurzrock Razelle , Weitzel Jeffrey N.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

To determine the potential for detection of incidental germline cancer predisposition mutations through cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analyses in patients who underwent solid tumor somatic mutation evaluation.

Patients and Methods

Data were evaluated from 10,888 unselected patients with advanced (stage III/IV) cancer who underwent Guardant360 testing between November 2015 and December 2016. The main outcome was prevalence of putative germline mutations identified among 16 actionable hereditary cancer predisposition genes.

Results

More than 50 cancer types were studied, including lung (41%), breast (19%), colorectal (8%), prostate (6%), pancreatic (3%), and ovarian (2%). Average patient age was 63.5 years (range, 18 to 95 years); 43% were male. One hundred and fifty-six individuals (1.4%) had suspected hereditary cancer mutations in 11 genes. Putative germline mutations were more frequent in individuals younger than 50 years versus those 50 years and older (3.0% v 1.2%, respectively; P < .001). Highest yields of putative germline findings were in patients with ovarian (8.13%), prostate (3.46%), pancreatic (3.34%), and breast (2.2%) cancer. Putative germline mutation identification was consistent among 12 individuals with multiple samples. Patients with circulating tumor DNA copy number variation and/or reversion mutations suggestive of functional loss of the wild-type allele in the tumor DNA also are described.

Conclusion

Detection of putative germline mutations from cfDNA is feasible across multiple genes and cancer types without prior mutation knowledge. Many mutations were found in cancers without clear guidelines for hereditary cancer genetic counseling/testing. Given the clinical significance of identifying hereditary cancer predisposition for patients and their families as well as targetable germline alterations such as in BRCA1 or BRCA2, research on the best way to validate and return potential germline results from cfDNA analysis to clinicians and patients is needed.
Associations of Pre- and Postdiagnosis Diet Quality With Risk of Mortality Among Men and Women With Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Guinter Mark A. , McCullough Marjorie L. , Gapstur Susan M. , Campbell Peter T.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Dietary patterns, indicators of overall diet quality, are associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence but less consistently with mortality among CRC survivors. We prospectively evaluated associations of diet quality pre- and postdiagnosis with risk of mortality among men and women with CRC.

Patients and Methods

In the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort, 2,801 participants were cancer free at baseline in 1992/1993 and subsequently diagnosed with invasive, nonmetastatic CRC during follow-up through June 2013. Pre- and postdiagnosis diet data were available for 2,671 and 1,321 participants, respectively, among whom 1,414 and 722 died. Concordance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), American Cancer Society nutrition guidelines (ACS-score), prudent, and Western dietary patterns was used to evaluate diet quality.

Results

Extreme scoring group comparisons showed that prediagnosis ACS-score was inversely associated with all-cause (hazard ratio high v low [HRHigh vLow], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.95) and CRC-specific (HRHigh vLow, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.54 to 1.03) mortality, whereas the Western diet score was associated with higher all-cause mortality (HRHigh vLow, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.64). For postdiagnosis diet, the ACS-score was associated with lower risk of all-cause (HRHigh vLow, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.83) and CRC-specific (HRHigh vLow, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.73) mortality, the DASH score was inversely associated with all-cause (HRHigh vLow, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.99) and CRC-specific (HRHigh vLow, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.89) mortality, and the prudent score was inversely associated with all-cause mortality (HRHigh vLow, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.93). Among participants with a low diet quality before diagnosis, improved DASH (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.92) and prudent (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.95) scores from pre- to postdiagnosis were inversely associated with CRC-specific mortality.

Conclusion

Dietary patterns reflective of high intakes of plant foods and low intakes of animal products before and after CRC diagnosis are associated with longer survival.
Hybridization between char species (Salvelinus alpinus and Salvelinus fontinalis): a fast track for novel allometric trajectories
Authors: Dupont Cyr Bernard-Antonin , Dufresne France , Christen Felix , Desrosiers Véronique , Proulx Émilie , Le François Nathalie R. , Vandenberg Grant W. , Blier Pierre U.
Published: October 2018

Hybridization between closely related species can generate genetic and phenotypic variation, providing valuable biological material to assess the physiological impact of the structural or functional variability of different organs. In the present study, we examined growth rates of various organs and whole body in brook char, Arctic char and their reciprocal hybrids over a period of 281 days. Parental species achieved significantly higher body mass than their hybrids. Hybridization significantly reduced the relative size of the heart, liver and spleen. The relative size of pyloric caeca did not differ among the four groups. The observed lower growth performance of the hybrids compared to parental species strongly suggests that divergence in the relative size of digestive organs, liver and heart partly dictate growth capacity. Our results also suggest that the increased variability achieved through hybridization may prove useful in a genetic selection program.
Daily changes in the electric behavior of weakly electric fish in nature persist in constant darkness and are socially synchronized
Authors: Migliaro Adriana , Moreno Victoria , Marchal Paul , Silva Ana
Published: October 2018

Daily rhythms allow anticipation of changes and allocation of energy to better cope with predictable events. Rhythms in behavior result from a complex combination of physiological processes timed by the nervous system and synchronized with external information. We aim at understanding how rhythmic behaviors arise in nature, exposed to cyclic environmental influences and social context. Gymnotus omarorum is a South American nocturnal pulse-type gymnotiform. Its electric behavior encodes information about species, sex, and physiological state. The rate of emission of the electric organ discharge (EOD-BR) is modulated by exploratory activity and by physical and social environmental stimuli. We show that the EOD-BR increases during the night in the natural habitat even in individuals maintained in constant darkness conditions. Locomotor activity is higher at night, however the nocturnal increase of EOD-BR still occurs in motionless fish demonstrating an independent origin for the locomotor and electric components of exploratory behavior. When fish are recorded in nature, social context exerts a synchronizing role on electric behavior. G. omarorum emerges as an exciting wild model for the study of daily rhythms arising in the complexity of the real world, integrating environmental, physical and social clues in the modulation of rhythmic behavior.
Improved dynamic monitoring of transcriptional activity during longitudinal analysis in the mouse brain
Authors: Heo Hwon , Jo Juyeong , Jung Jae In , Han Young-Min , Lee Seongsoo , kim Song Rae , Kwon Seung-Hae , Kim Kil-Nam , Hwang Byung Joon , Kee Yun , Lee Byoung Dae , Kang Dongmin , Her Song
Published: October 2018

Bioluminescence imaging has proven to be a highly sensitive technique for assessing in vitro transcriptional activity toward understanding gene regulation patterns; however, application of this technique is limited for brain research. In particular, the poor spatiotemporal resolution is a main hurdle for monitoring the dynamic changes of transcriptional activity in specific regions of the brain during longitudinal analysis of living animals. To overcome this limitation, in this study, we modified a lentivirus-based luciferase glucocorticoid receptor (GR) reporter by inserting destabilizing sequence genes, and then the reporter was stereotaxically injected in the mouse infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IL-PFC). Using this strategy, we could successfully pin-point and monitor the dynamic changes in GR activity in IL-PFC during normal stress adaptation. The modified reporter showed a 1.5-fold increase in temporal resolution for monitoring GR activity compared to the control with respect to the intra-individual coefficients of variation. This novel in vivo method has broad applications, as it is readily adaptable to different types of transcription factor arrays as well spanning wide target regions of the brain to other organs and tissues.
Short-term cortisol exposure alters cardiac hypertrophic and non-hypertrophic signalling in a time-dependent manner in rainbow trout
Authors: Nørstrud Karoline S. , Vindas Marco A. , Nilsson Göran E. , Johansen Ida B.
Published: October 2018

Cardiac disease is a growing concern in farmed animals, and stress has been implicated as a factor for myocardial dysfunction and mortality in commercial fish rearing. We recently showed that the stress hormone cortisol induces pathological cardiac remodelling in rainbow trout. Wild and farmed salmonids are exposed to fluctuations and sometimes prolonged episodes of increased cortisol levels. Thus, studying the timeframe of cortisol-induced cardiac remodelling is necessary to understand its role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in salmonids. We here establish that three weeks of cortisol exposure is sufficient to increase relative ventricular mass (RVM) by 20% in rainbow trout. Moreover, increased RVMs are associated with altered expression of hypertrophic and non-hypertrophic remodelling markers. Further, we characterized the time course of cortisol-induced cardiac remodelling by feeding rainbow trout cortisol-containing feed for 2, 7 and 21 days. We show that the effect of cortisol on expression of hypertrophic and non-hypertrophic remodelling markers is time-dependent and in some cases acute. Our data indicate that short-term stressors and life cycle transitions associated with elevated cortisol levels can potentially influence hypertrophic and non-hypertrophic remodelling of the trout heart.
TWE-PRIL reverse signaling suppresses sympathetic axon growth and tissue innervation
Authors: Howard Laura , Wosnitzka Erin , Okakpu Darian , White Matthew A. , Wyatt Sean , Davies Alun M.
Published: October 2018

TWE-PRIL is a naturally-occurring fusion protein of components of two TNF superfamily members: the extracellular domain of APRIL and the intracellular and transmembrane domains of TWEAK with no known function. Here we show that April−/− mice (which lack APRIL and TWE-PRIL) exhibited overgrowth of sympathetic fibers in vivo, and sympathetic neurons cultured from these mice had significantly longer axons than neurons cultured from wild type littermates. Enhanced axon growth from sympathetic neurons cultured from April−/− mice was prevented by expressing full-length TWE-PRIL in these neurons but not by treating them with soluble APRIL. Soluble APRIL, however, enhanced axon growth from the sympathetic neurons of wild type mice. siRNA knockdown of TWE-PRIL but not siRNA knockdown of APRIL alone also enhanced axon growth from wild type sympathetic neurons. Our work reveals the first and physiologically relevant role for TWE-PRIL and suggests that it mediates reverse signaling.
What is the hologenome concept of evolution?
Authors: Morris J. Jeffrey
Published: October 2018

All multicellular organisms are colonized by microbes, but a gestalt study of the composition of microbiome communities and their influence on the ecology and evolution of their macroscopic hosts has only recently become possible. One approach to thinking about the topic is to view the host–microbiome ecosystem as a “holobiont”. Because natural selection acts on an organism’s realized phenotype, and the phenotype of a holobiont is the result of the integrated activities of both the host and all of its microbiome inhabitants, it is reasonable to think that evolution can act at the level of the holobiont and cause changes in the “hologenome”, or the collective genomic content of all the individual bionts within the holobiont. This relatively simple assertion has nevertheless been controversial within the microbiome community. Here, I provide a review of recent work on the hologenome concept of evolution. I attempt to provide a clear definition of the concept and its implications and to clarify common points of disagreement.
Functional proteomic profiling reveals KLK13 and TMPRSS11D as active proteases in the lower female reproductive tract
Authors: Muytjens Carla M.J. , Yu Yijing , Diamandis Eleftherios P.
Published: October 2018

Background: Cervical-vaginal fluid (CVF) hydrates the mucosa of the lower female reproductive tract and is known to contain numerous proteases. The low pH of CVF (4.5 or below in healthy women of reproductive age) is a uniquely human attribute and poses a challenge for the proteolytic functioning of the proteases identified in this complex biological fluid. Despite the abundance of certain proteases in CVF, the proteolytic activity and function of proteases in CVF is not well characterized.

Methods: In the present study, we employed fluorogenic substrate screening to investigate the influence of pH and inhibitory compounds on the proteolytic activity in CVF. Activity-based probe (ABP) proteomics has evolved as a powerful tool to investigate active proteases within complex proteomes and a trypsin-specific ABP was used to identify active proteases in CVF.

Results: Serine proteases are among the most abundant proteins in the CVF proteome. Labeling human CVF samples with the trypsin-specific ABP revealed serine proteases transmembrane protein serine 11D and kallikrein-related peptidase 13 as active proteases in CVF. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the proteolytic activity in CVF is highly pH-dependent with an almost absolute inhibition of trypsin-like proteolytic activity at physiological pH levels.

Conclusions: These findings provide a framework to understand proteolytic activity in CVF. Furthermore, the present results provide clues for a novel regulatory mechanism in which fluctuations in CVF pH have the potential to control the catalytic activity in the lower female reproductive tract.
FDTool: a Python application to mine for functional dependencies and candidate keys in tabular data
Authors: Buranosky Matt , Stellnberger Elmar , Pfaff Emily , Diaz-Sanchez David , Ward-Caviness Cavin
Published: October 2018

Functional dependencies (FDs) and candidate keys are essential for table decomposition, database normalization, and data cleansing. In this paper, we present FDTool, a command line Python application to discover minimal FDs in tabular datasets and infer equivalent attribute sets and candidate keys from them. The runtime and memory costs associated with seven published FD discovery algorithms are given with an overview of their theoretical foundations. We conclude that FD_Mine is the most efficient FD discovery algorithm when applied to datasets with many rows (> 100,000 rows) and few columns (< 14 columns). This puts it in a special position to rule mine clinical and demographic datasets, which often consist of long and narrow sets of participant records. The structure of FD Mine is described and supplemented with a formal proof of the equivalence pruning method used. FDTool is a re-implementation of FD Mine with additional features added to improve performance and automate typical processes in database architecture. The experimental results of applying FDTool to 12 datasets of different dimensions are summarized in terms of the number of FDs checked, the number of FDs found, and the time it takes for the code to terminate. We find that the number of attributes in a dataset has a much greater effect on the runtime and memory costs of FDTool than does row count. The last section explains in detail how the FDTool application can be accessed, executed, and further developed.
Ambient and Indoor Air Pollution in Pregnancy and the risk of Low birth weight and Ensuing Effects in Infants (APPLE): A cohort study in Bangalore, South India
Authors: Shriyan Prafulla , Babu Giridhara R , Ravi Deepa , Ana Yamuna , van Schayck Onno CP , Thankachan Prashanth , Murthy GVS
Published: October 2018

Background: Exposure to air pollution (IAP) from the combustion of solid fuels is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Pregnant women exposed to higher pollutant levels are at higher risk of delivering a low-birth-weight (LBW) baby. There is a lack of standardized data regarding the levels and types of specific pollutants and how they impact LBW. We aim to prospectively assess the association between ambient and indoor air pollution levels in pregnancy and low birth weight and understand the subsequent risk of adiposity in these infants.

Methods: We will conduct a prospective cohort study of 516 pregnant women recruited before 18 weeks of gestation in the urban slums of Bangalore, who have voluntarily consented to participate. We will estimate the level of air pollutants including coarse particulate matter 10 ug/m3 (PM10 ), fine particulate matter 2.5 ug/m3(PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) parts per million (ppm) levels in both indoor and ambient environment. The follow-up of the delivered children will be done at delivery until the infant is two years old. The association between pollutants and LBW will be evaluated using logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders.Further, we will explore the mediation role of LBW in the hypothesized causal chain of air pollution and adiposity. Nested within a larger Maternal Antecedents of Adiposity and Studying the Transgenerational role of Hyperglycemia and Insulin (MAASTHI) cohort, we can estimate the absolute risk of having low birth weight caused by air pollution and other variables.

Discussion: Understanding the association between exposures to ambient and indoor air pollution and low birth weight is essential in India. LBW babies have a higher risk of developing obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) during adulthood. The results from this study can inform the efforts for controlling the air pollution-related chronic diseases in India.
Molecular systematics and character evolution in the lichen family Ramalinaceae (Ascomycota: Lecanorales)
Authors: Kistenich Sonja , Timdal Einar , Bendiksby Mika , Ekman Stefan
Published: October 2018

The Ramalinaceae is the fourth‐largest family of lichenized ascomycetes with 42 genera and 913 species exhibiting considerable morphological variation. Historically, generic boundaries in the Ramalinaceae were primarily based on morphological characters. However, molecular systematic investigations of subgroups revealed that current taxonomy is at odds with evolutionary relationships. Tropical members of the family remain particularly understudied, including the large genusPhyllopsora. We have generated and collected multilocus sequence data (mtSSU, nrITS, nrLSU,RPB1, RPB2) for 149 species associated with the Ramalinaceae and present the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the family. We used ancestral state reconstructions on our molecular family phylogeny to trace the evolution of character states. Our results indicate that the Ramalinaceae have arisen from an ancestor with long, multiseptate ascospores living in humid temperate forests, and that the phyllopsoroid growth form has evolved multiple times within the family. Based on our results using integrative taxonomy, we discuss sister‐relations and taxon‐delimitation within five well‐supported clades: TheBacidia, Biatora‐, Ramalina‐, Rolfidium‐, andToninia‐groups. We reduce six genera into synonymy and make 49 new nomenclatural combinations. The generaBacidia, Phyllopsora, PhyscidiaandToniniaare polyphyletic and herein split into segregates. We describe the two generaBellicidiaandParallopsoraand resurrect the generaBibbya, Kiliassia, Sporacestra, andThalloidima. According to our new circumscription, which also includes some additional changes, the family Ramalinaceae now comprises 39 genera.
Typification of species names in Dichondra (Convolvulaceae)
Authors: Delgado Geadelande Carolino , Staples George , Buril Maria Teresa
Published: October 2018

Dichondra is a genus of creeping and sprawling herbs with reniform leaves, entire leaf margins and inconspicuous flowers. It is included in the tribe Dichondreae (Convolvulaceae). Dichondra is a taxonomically complex genus with multiple unsolved nomenclatural problems. We propose lectotypes for Dichondra argentea, D. parvifolia, D. macrocalyx and D. sericea and a neotype for Demidofia repens, the basionym of Dichondra carolinensis.
Pollen characters and DNA sequence data converge on a monophyletic genus Iresine (Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllales) and help to elucidate its species diversity
Authors: Borsch Thomas , Flores‐Olvera Hilda , Zumaya Silvia , Müller Kai
Published: October 2018

Iresine is a neotropical genus of the Amaranthaceae with most of the species diversity in Mexico and Mesoamerica. It has suffered a complex classification history with considerably diverging views on the genus concept. We have carried out a phylogenetic analysis of Iresine and allied genera using sequence data of combined plastid introns (including the matK CDS) and spacers as well as ITS, and a dense sampling of species. Trees depict a clade of Iresine with Irenella and Woehleria deeply nested. This clade is sister to the remainder of Gomphrenoideae including Hebanthe and Trommsdorffia (≡ Pedersenia). One of two maximally supported subclades of Iresine comprises mostly species restricted to the Mexican highlands and adjacent areas, whereas the other subclade is composed of more widespread Mexican‐Mesoamerican taxa. Pollen grains of Iresine and relatives were examined using high‐resolution SEM, which yielded a matrix of 15 pollen characters. Ancestral character state reconstruction shows dodecahedral grains (in I. angustifolia and I. nigra) to have evolved within the Iresine clade, not involving the complete suite of character shifts associated with metareticulate pollen but just an increase of aperture diameter and a slight decrease of mesoporia width. To the contrary, four character state transformations occurred in the common ancestor of core Gomphrenoideae that led to metareticulate pollen (shifts to a distal orientation of punctae and microspines, to a sunken position of apertures relative to the distal part of mesoporia resulting in narrow mesoporia higher then wide, and a reduction in the diameter of mesoporia). The Iresine clade is characterized by pollen with well‐separated ektexinous aperture membrane bodies, rounded or triangular, and gradually tapering into a single spine. For the monophyletic genus Iresine, 35 species are currently accepted. We provide a taxonomic backbone (including one new combination, one new name and several lectotypifications) that also comments on the current understanding of species delimitation.
Linear-Quadratic Model for Planning Neutron Therapy with the Use of U-120 Cyclotron
Authors: Лисин Валерий , Lisin V.
Published: October 2018

Purpose: To estimate the feasibility of using linear-quadratic model (LQM) for planning neutron therapy regimens by the criterion of early radiation-induced reactions.

Material and methods: The LQM, which described the reaction of tissues to fractionated irradiation, was used. The results obtained were compared with similar results found on the basis of the TDF model successfully used for neutron therapy planning.

Results: The LQM parameters αn and βn for radiation induced skin damage were found. The dependence of a single dose of neutrons on the number of therapy sessions was obtained. This dependence was in good agreement with the analogous dependence found by the TDF model, which indicated the correctness of the method for calculating it. When using LQM for planning neutron therapy, the issue related with the time intervals between sessions was considered. For this purpose, the comparative calculations of the ratio of the total effect, determined by the LQM, and the TDF factor were carried out. The difference between the compared values did not exceed 6 %, thus allowing the time interval for planning neutron therapy using LQM to be excluded.

Two methods to control the damage to normal tissue using LQM were considered. The first method was based on the evaluation of part of the used tolerance of the irradiated tissue, and the second one was carried out by transferring the applied dose fractionation regimen of neutron therapy to the isoeffective standard regimen of photon therapy.

Conclusion: It was shown that LQM can be used for planning neutron therapy regimens in cancer patients by the criterion of early radiation-induced reactions. The results obtained extend the potential of radiobiological planning of neutron therapy and can serve as a basis for the development of the method of using LQM in prediction of late radiation-induced complications.
Teaching Younger Schoolchildren to Write Essays
Authors: Ожогина Н. , Ozhogina N.
Published: October 2018

The article reveals the practical experience of aneducator teaching younger schoolchildren to write compositions based on the use of activity-type technologies within the system of textbooks “Elementary School of the XXI Century”. The author examines the sequence of stages in the formation of younger schoolchildren’s ability to compose various creative texts. It emphasizes the contribution of various subjects of primary school to the development of children’s ability to fantasize and compose.
Constraint Generation for Two-Stage Robust Network Flow Problems
Authors: Simchi-Levi David , Wang He , Wei Yehua
Published: October 2018

In this paper, we propose new constraint generation (CG) algorithms for solving the two-stage robust minimum cost flow problem, a problem that arises from various applications such as transportation and logistics. To develop efficient algorithms under general polyhedral uncertainty sets, we repeatedly exploit the network-flow structure to reformulate the two-stage robust minimum cost flow problem as a single-stage optimization problem. The reformulation gives rise to a natural CG algorithm and, more importantly, leads to a method for solving the separation problem using a pair of mixed integer linear programs (MILPs). We then propose another algorithm by combining our MILP-based method with the column-and-constraint generation (C&CG) framework proposed by Zeng and Zhao . We establish convergence guarantees for both CG and C&CG algorithms. In computational experiments, we show that both algorithms are effective at solving two-stage robust minimum cost flow problems with hundreds of nodes.
At the Crossroads of Sustainability: The Natural Recompositioning of Architecture
Authors: Eufrasia Miguel
Published: October 2018

It is widely acknowledged that the mantra of sustainability has triggered a fundamental reversal in the core of design practice: If the original purpose of architecture was to protect humans from the destructive actions of nature, today it should protect nature from the damaging actions of humans. But sustainable design is far from being a coherent body of fully totalized ideas: it has a broad spectrum of disputing interpretations that oscillate between the deterministic models of energy control and technological efficiencies, and the moralistic and romantic approaches that attempt to see in nature and natural processes a fundamental way to de-escalate the global urban footprint and its associated patterns of consumption.

However, mainstream green design has been evolving by progressively absorbing the narrative of deep ecology. Nature has been being integrated into architecture literally, by inserting vegetation onto buildings; digitally, by bringing environmental data into the design process (climate records, wind streams, sun rotation and air flows are computed, modelled and effectually shape architectures), and transcendentally, by claiming that sustainable architecture nurtures “the existing and evolving connections between spiritual and material consciousness.” The acknowledgement of the inexorable affiliation between architecture and the environment is, of course, not exactly new. What is distinctive today is the reification of the role of nature in architecture as an ideological stance, now totally intertwined with state-of-art data processing and the market-driven tools brought by Natural Capitalism.

This paper will examine emblematic “green” buildings produced by leading architects such as Pelli Clarke Pelli, William McDonough, Stefano Boeri, Norman Foster and BIG in the light of Tim Morton’s, Slavoj Zizek and Bruno Latour’s critique of nature. It will illustrate how, despite being able to successfully forge new creative freedoms by exploring hybridizations between the domains of design and science, sustainability’s self-righteous “naturalistic” narrative is enabling a vision of the architect as an “expert manager” focused on producing projects of ecologic “beautification” while assumed to be “saving the world,” effectively depoliticizing the architectural practice. Nevertheless, these examples attest that there is a vast and fertile field of ideas to be explored and in this regard it is important to underline that we are still in the embryonic outset of the engagement of architecture with sustainability.
Global Connectivity and Function of Descending Spinal Input Revealed by 3D Microscopy and Retrograde Transduction
Authors: Wang Zimei , Maunze Brian , Wang Yunfang , Tsoulfas Pantelis , Blackmore Murray G.
Published: October 2018

The brain communicates with the spinal cord through numerous axon tracts that arise from discrete nuclei, transmit distinct functions, and often collateralize to facilitate the coordination of descending commands. This complexity presents a major challenge to interpreting functional outcomes from therapies that target supraspinal connectivity after injury or disease, while the wide distribution of supraspinal nuclei complicates the delivery of therapeutics. Here we harness retrograde viral vectors to overcome these challenges. We demonstrate that injection of AAV2-Retro to the cervical spinal cord of adult female mice results in highly efficient transduction of supraspinal populations throughout the brainstem, midbrain, and cortex. Some supraspinal populations, including corticospinal and rubrospinal neurons, were transduced with >90% efficiency, with robust transgene expression within 3 d of injection. In contrast, propriospinal and raphe spinal neurons showed much lower rates of retrograde transduction. Using tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy we present detailed visualizations of descending axons tracts and create a mesoscopic projectome for the spinal cord. Moreover, chemogenetic silencing of supraspinal neurons with retrograde vectors resulted in complete and reversible forelimb paralysis, illustrating effective modulation of supraspinal function. Retrograde vectors were also highly efficient when injected after spinal injury, highlighting therapeutic potential. These data provide a global view of supraspinal connectivity and illustrate the potential of retrograde vectors to parse the functional contributions of supraspinal inputs.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe complexity of descending inputs to the spinal cord presents a major challenge in efforts deliver therapeutics to widespread supraspinal systems, and to interpret their functional effects. Here we demonstrate highly effective gene delivery to diverse supraspinal nuclei using a retrograde viral approach and combine it with tissue clearing and 3D microscopy to map the descending projectome from brain to spinal cord. These data highlight newly developed retrograde viruses as therapeutic and research tools, while offering new insights into supraspinal connectivity.
Overconfidence Across Cultures
Authors: Moore Don A. , Dev Amelia S. , Goncharova Ekaterina Y.
Published: October 2018

Overconfidence is a robust cognitive bias with far-reaching implications, but prior research on cultural differences in overconfidence has been conflicting. We present two studies that measure the three forms of overconfidence across cultures, allowing us to paint a more complete picture of cross-cultural overconfidence than previous studies. In Study 1, we compare overconfidence among participants from cultures traditionally considered individualistic (the US and UK) with participants from cultures traditionally conceptualized as collectivistic (India and China). In Study 2, we employ a new task to compare overconfidence in participants from the US and India. Our first key result is the successful cross-cultural replication, in both studies, of the effect of task difficulty on overestimation and overplacement, which bolsters our faith that our measures operate similarly across cultures. Our second key finding is that, while we find evidence of higher overestimation in our Indian participants, neither overplacement nor overprecision show consistent cross-cultural differences. Taken as a whole, our results suggest that previous findings of increased overconfidence in participants from collectivistic cultures may not be as robust as previously reported.
Teaching Qualitative Inquiry in the Era of the Big Tent
Authors: Roulston Kathryn , Bhattacharya Kakali
Published: October 2018

Teachers of qualitative research tasked with conveying the complexity and diversity of paradigmatic difference to novice researchers face challenges, including how to convey complexity without misrepresenting topics, facilitating respectful and ethical dialogue among students, and finding sufficient time within the curriculum to examine multiple paradigms. This special issue presents articles that consider how teachers of qualitative inquiry envision and enact the teaching of qualitative research from a Big Tent perspective. These authors’ explorations of ways to pursue work with/across/within/against differences in worldviews and practices assume that this knowledge is critical for the preparation of the next generation of qualitative researchers who will engage in complex topics of inquiry that contribute to policy development and building just and equitable societies, as well as making theoretical and methodological advances.
Identity, Imprisonment, and Narrative Configuration
Authors: Hardie-Bick James
Published: October 2018

This article addresses the role of self-narratives for coping with the laws of captivity. By focusing on how confinement can disrupt narrative coherence, the intention is to examine the role of self-narratives for interpreting previous events and anticipating future actions. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary research on self-identity, imprisonment, and offender narratives, this article highlights how narrative reconstruction can alter our desires, commitments, behavior, beliefs, and values. By (re)telling a story about our lives, it is possible to reinterpret existing circumstances and make new connections between our past, present, and future selves. Whereas research suggests the importance of narrative reconstruction for protecting against a sense of meaninglessness, this article shows how self-narratives have the potential to be empowering and divisive. The final part of the article examines how the narratives inmates construct about themselves and others can serve to legitimize violence against other prisoners.
Jonestown on Television
Authors: Neal Lynn S.
Published: October 2018

This media review adds to existing scholarship about Peoples Temple by examining Jonestown’s presence in television history—from 1980 when actor Powers Boothe won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Jim Jones in the CBS-TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones to current programs in production by HBO and A&E. In addition to these docudramas, “Jonestown on Television” also addresses explicit and implicit references to Jonestown that have occurred on episodic television. Analyzing these television sources highlights how the events at Jonestown are being told, visualized, and remembered, and, as such, shaping Americans’ cultural memory of the past.
HIF 1 inhibits STAR transcription and testosterone synthesis in murine Leydig cells
Authors: Wang Xueting , Zou Zhiran , Yang Zhihui , Jiang Shan , Lu Yapeng , Wang Dan , Dong Zhangji , Xu Sha , Zhu Li
Published: October 2018

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF1) is a critical transcription factor involved in cell response to hypoxia. Under physiological conditions, its ‘a’ subunit is rapidly degraded in most tissues except testes. HIF1 is stably expressed in Leydig cells, which are the main source of testosterone for male, and might bind to the promoter region of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR), which is necessary for the testosterone synthesis, according to software analysis. This study aims to identify the binding sites of HIF1 onStarpromoter and its transcriptional regulation of STAR to affect testosterone synthesis. Testosterone level and steroid synthesis-related proteins were determined in male Balb/C mice exposed to hypoxia (8% O2). While HIF1 was upregulated, the testosterone level was significantly decreased. This was further confirmed byin vitroexperiments with rat primary Leydig cells or TM3 cells exposed to hypoxia (1% O2), CoCl2or DFX to raise HIF1. The decline of testosterone was reversed by pregnenolone but not cAMP, indicating the cholesterol transport disorder as the main cause. In agreement, STAR expression level was decreased in response to HIF1, while 3b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 17b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and p450scc did not exhibit significant changes. By ChIP, EMSA supershift and dual-luciferase reporter assays, HIF1 was found to bind to theStarpromoter region and repress the expression of STAR. Mutation assays identified three HIF1-binding sites on mouseStarpromoter. These findings indicate that HIF1 represses STAR transcription through directly binding to theStaarpromoter at −2082/−2078, −2064/−2060 and −1910/−1906, leading to the negative regulation of testosterone synthesis.