bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring Genetic Variation that Influences Brain Methylation in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Pineda-Cirera Laura , Shivalikanjli Anu , Cabana-Domínguez Judit , Demontis Ditte , Rajagopal Veera M. , Børglum Anders D , Faraone Stephen V. , Cormand Bru , Fernàndez-Castillo Noèlia
Published: September 2018

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetics is crucial to lasting changes in gene expression in the brain. Recent studies suggest a role for DNA methylation in ADHD. We explored the contribution to ADHD of allele-specific methylation (ASM), an epigenetic mechanism that involves SNPs correlating with differential levels of DNA methylation at CpG sites. We selected 3,896 tagSNPs reported to influence methylation in human brain regions and performed a case-control association study using the summary statistics from the largest GWAS meta-analysis of ADHD, comprising 20,183 cases and 35,191 controls. We identified associations with eight tagSNPs that were significant at a 5% False Discovery Rate (FDR). These SNPs correlated with methylation of CpG sites lying in the promoter regions of six genes. Since methylation may affect gene expression, we inspected these ASM SNPs together with 52 ASM SNPs in high LD with them for eQTLs in brain tissues and observed that the expression of three of those genes was affected by them. ADHD risk alleles correlated with increased expression (and decreased methylation) of ARTN and PIDD1 and with a decreased expression (and increased methylation) of C2orf82. Furthermore, these three genes were predicted to have altered expression in ADHD, and genetic variants in C2orf82 correlated with brain volumes. In summary, we followed a systematic approach to identify risk variants for ADHD that correlated with differential cis-methylation, identifying three novel genes contributing to the disorder.
Phosphoproteomics of Arabidopsis Highly ABA-Induced1 identifies AT-Hook Like10 phosphorylation required for stress growth regulation
Authors: Wong Min May , Bhaskara Govinal Badiger , Wen Tuan-Nan , Lin Wen-Dar , Nguyen Thao Thi , Chong Geeng Loo , Verslues Paul E.
Published: September 2018

The Clade A protein phosphatase 2C Highly ABA-Induced 1 (HAI1) plays an important role in stress signaling yet little information is available on HAI1-regulated phosphoproteins. Quantitative phosphoproteomics identified phosphopeptides of increased abundance inhai1-2in unstressed plants and in plants exposed to low water potential (drought) stress. The identity and localization of the phosphoproteins as well as enrichment of specific phosphorylation motifs indicated that these phosphorylation sites may be regulated directly by HAI1 or by HAI1-regulated kinases including Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MPKs), Sucrose-non fermenting Related Kinase 2 (SnRK2s) or Casein Kinases. One of the phosphosites putatively regulated by HAI1 was S313/S314 of AT Hook-Like10 (AHL10), a DNA binding protein of unclear function. HAI1 could directly dephosphorylate AHL10in vitroand the level ofHAI1expression affected the abundance of phosphorylated AHL10in vivo.AHL10 S314 phosphorylation was critical for restriction of plant growth under low water potential stress and for regulation of Jasmonic Acid and Auxin-related gene expression as well as expression of developmental regulators includingShootmeristemless(STM). These genes were also mis-regulated inhai1-2. AHL10 S314 phosphorylation was required for AHL10 complexes to form foci within the nucleoplasm, suggesting that S314 phosphorylation may control AHL10 association with the nuclear matrix or with other transcriptional regulators. These data identify a set of HAI1-affected phosphorylation sites, show that HAI1-regulated phosphorylation of AHL10 S314 controls AHL10 function and localization and also indicate that HAI1-AHL10 signaling coordinates growth with stress and defense responses.
Primary Target Prediction of Bioactive Molecules from Chemical Structure
Authors: Forouzesh Abed , Foroushani Sadegh Samadi , Forouzesh Fatemeh , Zand Eskandar
Published: September 2018

There are various tools for computational target prediction of bioactive molecules from a chemical structure in a machine-readable material but these tools can’t distinguish a primary target from other targets. Also, due to the complex nature of bioactive molecules, there has not been a method to predict a target and or a primary target from a chemical structure in a non-digital material (for example printed or hand-written documents) yet. In this study, an attempt to simplify primary target prediction from a chemical structure was resulted in developing an innovative method based on the minimum structure which can be used in both formats of non-digital and machine-readable materials. A minimum structure does not represent a real molecule or a real association of functional groups, but is a part of a molecular structure which is necessary to ensure the primary target prediction of bioactive molecules. Structurally related bioactive molecules with the minimum structure were considered as neighbor molecules of the query molecule. The known primary target of the neighbor molecule is used as a reference for predicting the primary target of the neighbor molecule with an unknown primary target. In results, we confirmed the usefulness of our proposed method for primary target prediction in 548 drugs and pesticides involved in four primary targets by eight minimum structures.
Utilisation of staphylococcal immune evasion protein Sbi as a novel vaccine adjuvant
Authors: Yang Y. , Back CR. , Gräwert MA. , Wahid AA. , Denton H. , Kildani R. , Paulin J. , Wörner K. , Kaiser W. , Svergun DI. , Sartbaeva A. , Watts AG. , Marchbank KJ. , van den Elsen JMH
Published: September 2018

Co-ligation of the B cell antigen receptor with complement receptor 2 on B-cells via a C3d-opsonised antigen complex significantly lowers the threshold required for B cell activation. Consequently, fusions of antigens with C3d polymers have shown great potential in vaccine design. However, these linear arrays of C3d multimers do not mimic the natural opsonisation of antigens with C3d. Here we investigate the potential of using the unique complement activating characteristics of Staphylococcal immune-evasion protein Sbi to develop a pro-vaccine approach that spontaneously coats antigens with C3 degradation products in a natural way. We show that Sbi rapidly triggers the alternative complement pathway through recruitment of complement regulators, forming a tripartite complex that acts as a competitive antagonist of factor H, resulting in enhanced complement consumption. These functional results are corroborated by the structure of this complement activating Sbi-III-IV:C3d:FHR-1 complex. Finally, we demonstrate that Sbi, fused withMycobacterium tuberculosisantigen Ag85b, causes efficient opsonisation with C3 fragments, thereby enhancing the immune response significantly beyond that of Ag85b alone, providing proof of concept for our pro-vaccine approach.
Inducing rapid seed germination of native cool season grasses with solid matrix priming and seed extrusion technology
Authors: Madsen Matthew D. , Svejcar Lauren , Radke Janae , Hulet April
Published: September 2018

There is a need to develop effective techniques for establishing native vegetation in dryland ecosystems. We developed a novel treatment that primes seeds in a matrix of absorbent materials and bio-stimulants and then forms the mixture into pods for planting. In the development process, we determined optimal conditions for priming seeds and then compared seedling emergence from non-treated seeds, non-primed-seed pods, and primed-seed pods. Emergence trials were conducted on soils collected from a hillslope and ridgetop location on the Kaibab Plateau, Arizona, USAPoa fendlerianaandPseudoroegneria spicatawere used as test species. Seeds were primed from −0.5 to −2.5 MPa for up to 12 d. Seeds primed under drier conditions (−1.5 to −2.5 MPa) tended to have quicker germination. Days to 50% emergence for primed-seed pods was between 66.2 to 82.4% faster (5.2 to 14.5 d fewer) than non-treated seeds. Seedling emergence from primed-seed pods forP. fendlerianawas 3.8-fold higher than non-treated seeds on the ridgetop soil, but no difference was found on the other soil. Final density ofP. spicataprimed-seed pods were 2.9 to 3.8-fold higher than non-treated seeds. Overall, primed-seed pods show promise for enhancing germination and seedling emergence, which could aid in native plant establishment.
Vascular effects on the BOLD response and the retinotopic mapping of hV4
Authors: Taylor H.G. Boyd , Puckett A.M. , Isherwood Z.J. , Schira M.M.
Published: September 2018

Despite general acceptance that the retinotopic organisation of human V4 (hV4) takes the form of a single, uninterrupted ventral hemifield, measured retinotopic maps of this visual area are often incomplete. Here, we test hypotheses that artefact from draining veins close to hV4 cause inverted BOLD responses that may serve to obscure a portion of the lower visual quarterfield — including the lower vertical meridian — in some hemispheres. We further test whether correcting such responses can restore the ‘missing’ retinotopic coverage in hV4. Subjects (N=11) viewed bowtie, ring, drifting bar and full field flash stimuli. Functional EPIs were acquired over approximately 1.5h and analysed to reveal retinotopic maps of early visual cortex, including hV4. Normalised mean maps (which show the average EPI signal amplitude) were constructed by voxel-wise averaging of the EPI time course and used to locate venous eclipses, which can be identified by a decrease in the EPI signal caused by deoxygenated blood. Inverted responses are shown to cluster in these regions, and correcting these responses improves maps of hV4 in some hemispheres, including restoring a complete hemifield map in one. A leftwards bias was found in which 11/11 hV4 maps in the left hemisphere were classified as incomplete, while this was the case in only 3/11 right hemisphere maps. Incomplete hV4 maps did not correspond with venous artefact in many instances, with incomplete maps being present in the absence of a venous eclipse and complete maps coexisting with a proximate venous eclipse. We also show that mean maps of upper surfaces (near the boundary between cortical grey matter and CSF) provide highly detailed maps of veins on the cortical surface. Results suggest that venous eclipses and inverted voxels can explain some incomplete hV4 maps, but cannot explain the remainder nor the leftwards bias in hV4 coverage reported here.
Munc18-1 catalyzes neuronal SNARE assembly by templating SNARE association
Authors: Jiao Junyi , He Mengze , Port Sarah A. , Baker Richard W. , Xu Yonggang , Qu Hong , Xiong Yujian , Wang Yukun , Jin Huaizhou , Eisemann Travis J. , Hughson Frederick M. , Zhang Yongli
Published: September 2018

Sec1/Munc18-family (SM) proteins are required for SNARE-mediated membrane fusion, but their mechanism(s) of action remain controversial. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy, we found that the SM protein Munc18-1 catalyzes step-wise zippering of three synaptic SNAREs (syntaxin, VAMP2, and SNAP-25) into a four-helix bundle. Catalysis requires formation of an intermediate template complex in which Munc18-1 juxtaposes the N-terminal regions of the SNARE motifs of syntaxin and VAMP2, while keeping their C-terminal regions separated. Next, SNAP-25 binds the templated SNAREs to form a partially-zippered SNARE complex. Finally, full zippering displaces Munc18-1. Munc18-1 mutations modulate the stability of the template complex in a manner consistent with their effects on membrane fusion, indicating that chaperoned SNARE assembly is essential for exocytosis. Two other SM proteins, Munc18-3 and Vps33, similarly chaperone SNARE assembly via a template complex, suggesting that SM protein mechanism is conserved.
A fast X-ray-diffraction-based method for the determination of crystal size distributions (FXD-CSD)
Authors: Neher Sigmund H. , Klein Helmut , Kuhs Werner F.
Published: September 2018

A procedure for a fast X-ray-diffraction-based crystal size distribution analysis, named FXD-CSD, is presented. The method enables the user, with minimal sample preparation, to determine the crystal size distribution (CSD) of crystalline powders or polycrystalline materials, derivedviaan intensity scaling procedure from the diffraction intensities of single Bragg spots measured in spotty diffraction patterns with a two-dimensional detector. The method can be implemented on any single-crystal laboratory diffractometer and any synchrotron-based instrument with a fast-readout two-dimensional detector and a precise sample scanning axis. The intensity scaling is achievedviathe measurement of areferencesample with known CSD under identical conditions; the only other prerequisite is that the structure (factors) of bothsampleandreferencematerial must be known. The data analysis is done with a software package written in Python. A detailed account is given of each step of the procedure, including the measurement strategy and the demands on the spottiness of the diffraction rings, the data reduction and the intensity corrections needed, and the data evaluation and the requirements for the reference material. Using commercial laboratory X-ray equipment, several corundum crystal size fractions with precisely known CSD were measured and analysed to verify the accuracy and precision of the FXD-CSD method; a comparison of known and deduced CSDs shows good agreement both in mean size and in the shape of the size distribution. For the used material and diffractometer setup, the crystal size application range is one to several tens of micrometres; this range is highly material and X-ray source dependent and can easily be extended on synchrotron sources to cover the range from below 0.5 µm to over 100 µm. FXD-CSD has the potential to become a generally applicable method for CSD determination in the field of materials science and pharmaceutics, including development and quality management, as well as in various areas of fundamental research in physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, crystallography, the geological sciences and bio-crystallization. It can be used also underin situconditions for studying crystal coarsening phenomena, and delivers precise and accurate CSDs, permitting experimental tests of various theories developed to predict their evolution.
X-ray measurement of triaxial residual stress on machined surfaces by the cosα method using a two-dimensional detector
Authors: Tanaka Keisuke
Published: September 2018

In recent years, the cosα method has attracted engineers as a new method of X-ray stress measurement using the whole Debye–Scherrer (D–S) ring recorded on a two-dimensional detector. The principle of the cosα method was first proposed by Taira, Tanaka & Yamasaki [J. Soc. Mater. Sci. Jpn, (1978), 27, 251–256] for in-plane biaxial stress analysis and later extended by Sasaki and co-workers [Sasaki & Hirose (1995). Trans. Jpn Soc. Mech. Eng. Part A, 61, 2288–2295; Sasaki, Takahashi, Sasaki & Kobayashi (2009). Trans. Jpn Soc. Mech. Eng. Part A, 75, 219–227] to the triaxial state of stress. The method proposed by Sasaki and co-workers utilizes several D–S rings taken at different incident angles of X-rays in order to determine triaxial stresses. In the present paper, the cosα method was applied to measure triaxial residual stresses of uni-directionally machined surfaces of a carbon steel made by grinding, milling and planing. A recommended procedure for experimental measurements of in-plane normal and shear stresses and out-of-plane shear stress is proposed, together with a new method for determination of the out-of-plane normal stress. The tilt angle of X-ray incidence for stress determination is recommended to be larger than 35°, where the stress constant is low and the stress sensitivity is high. Normal incidence is recommended for the determination of out-of-plane shear stresses. The out-of-plane shear stress along the cutting direction was characteristic of uni-directionally machined surfaces and increased with cutting severity in the order of grinding, milling and planing. The in-plane normal stress was compressive for ground and milled surfaces, and the magnitude of compression was larger in the direction perpendicular to the cutting direction. On the basis of the stress values measured under different tilt angles, it is suggested that the magnitude of in-plane normal residual stress increases near the surface. The out-of-plane normal stress determined by the new method indicated a small compression.
Time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy on Al–Cu alloys – from solute copper to stable precipitates
Authors: Petschke Danny , Lotter Frank , Bläss Elischa , Staab Torsten E. M.
Published: September 2018

Although binary aluminium alloys seem to be uninteresting and well known, some aspects of their precipitation sequence – especially the early stages immediately after quenching – are still not well understood. Since the Al–Cu system is the basis for many ternary and quaternary high-strength alloys with application in the aviation sector, it is important to understand this binary system in detail. This problem is here tackled by a unique combination of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray absorption fine structure measurements, where relaxed atomic coordinates for simulation of the spectra have been obtained by ab initio calculations. Thereby, it is possible to attribute any exo- or endothermal peak to a certain type of precipitate, even though formation and dissolution regions have a large overlap in this system. This unique combination of experimental and numerical methods allows one to determine the local atomic environment around Cu atoms, thus following the formation and growth of Guinier–Preston zones, i.e. Cu platelets on {100} planes, during the precipitation process.
Janus face: the imperial but fragile presidency in South Korea
Authors: Bae Jin Seok , Park Sunkyoung
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the paradoxical pattern in which South Korean presidents enjoy imperial power early in their term, but became fragile and impotent as their term comes to an end.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the previous literature on Korean presidentialism, this paper introduces and critically compares several competing theories on the Korean presidency and its defects.

Findings

This paper finds that for Korean presidents, imperial governance and fragility represent two sides of the same coin, like a Janus face. These two seemingly competing descriptions of the Korean presidency are not actually contradictory.

Originality/value

This paper investigates how Korean presidents are imperial with regard to constitutional design as well as political behavior, and presents a logic of transformation from an imperial president to a fragile one, focusing on party politics and election cycles.
Screening ability of private insurers in the federal crop insurance program
Authors: Park Sangkyun
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the structure of the federal crop insurance program and test whether participating private insurers screen insurance buyers better than the federal agency.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper regresses the claim payout on the risk share of private insurers in insurance pools and other relevant variables. The claim payout should be negatively related with the private insurers’ risk share if private insurers screen insurance buyers better than the federal agency.

Findings

The payout rates are significantly lower for reinsurance funds with higher risk shares of AIPs, and the relationship between the two variables is not affected much by the aggregate yield (similar relationship in good crop years and bad crop years).

Practical implications

The federal government could improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of the crop insurance program by restructuring its delivery system.

Originality/value

The novel contributions of this paper include estimating the economic significance of private insurers’ screening advantage and showing that the economic significance is similar in good crop years and bad crop years.
A multilevel analysis of individual and organizational factors that influence the relationship between career development and job-performance improvement
Authors: Lee Yunsoo , Lee Jae Young
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate individual and organizational factors that influence the relationship between career development and job performance improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts multilevel analysis, using the 2013 Human Capital Corporate Panel data set compiled by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training.

Findings

Taking into consideration 572 employees over 61 companies, our findings reveal that job satisfaction and organizational commitment are significant individual factors that affect job performance through career development. Moreover, mentoring/coaching is found to be an organizational factor that influences job performance improvement through career development, while job rotation interferes with job performance through career development.

Research limitations/implications

The framework of the present study is consistent with the framework for organizational career development created by McDonald and Hite (2016), which emphasizes considering both organizational and individual factors together.

Practical implications

The results of this study provide empirical evidence and practical implications for leaders, line managers and human resource managers who are responsible for employees’ career development when they plan career development interventions.

Originality/value

This study offers a conceptual framework for career development, paying special attention to multi-level development.
Preservation of microbial DNA in marine sediments: insights from extracellular DNA pools
Authors: Torti Andrea , Jørgensen Bo Barker , Lever Mark Alexander
Published: September 2018

Marine sediments harbour extracellular DNA (exDNA) not associated with currently living organisms. Including this exDNA in genetic surveys may distort abundance and diversity estimates of living prokaryotic communities. We separately extract exDNA and intracellular DNA (inDNA) from 11 horizons in a 10‐m deep sediment core from Aarhus Bay (Denmark) that spans > 9000 years of Holocene sedimentation. We compare depth profiles of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene compositions to those of macrofaunal activity (bioturbation), sulfate and methane concentrations, sediment age and lithology. Among these variables, bioturbation shows the strongest relationship with the two DNA pools. In bioturbated surface sediments, the majority of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) present in exDNA is absent from inDNA, thus belonging to microorganisms that were not alive at the time of sampling. Below the bioturbation zone, the two DNA pools display a much higher phylogenetic similarity. At all depths, the majority of exDNA and inDNA sequences show highest sequence similarities to sediment microorganisms, a finding that is additionally supported by separate analyses on low‐ and high‐molecular weight exDNA. Our results indicate that in Aarhus Bay the vast majority of prokaryotic exDNA is turned over, thus not contributing to a genetic archive of past environmental change.
A measurement to assess transition, maintenance and satisfaction in the swinging lifestyle
Authors: Kimberly Claire
Published: September 2018

Researchers studying consensual non‐monogamous relationships have traditionally used theoretical lenses that were based on heteronormative, monogamous couples’ experiences. An exception to these theoretical models was a grounded theory formed by Kimberly and Hans (2017) that explored how swinging relationships were initiated and maintained. This study further tests this theory by having 273 self‐identified swingers complete a quantitative, online measurement based on the model’s concepts and themes. Results further supported that theoretical model with two notable exceptions: participants disagreed with having high self‐esteem prior to entering the swinging lifestyle and that men (rather than women) screened potential partners. Nevertheless, therapists can use the measurement as a tool to guide dialogue with couples that are interested in or are currently participating in a non‐monogamous relationship.
Modélisation de la prévision du stress financier du système bancaire des pays de l'UEMOA: Evidence empirique du rôle des facteurs institutionnels
Authors: Gbenou Kpégo Didier Anatole
Published: September 2018

Cet article examine le rôle des facteurs institutionnels dans la prévision du stress financier du système bancaire dans l'UEMOA. A cet égard, des modèles logit sur données de panel estimés par les maximums de vraisemblance conditionnelle et non conditionnelle, ont été utilisés. Les résultats montrent que la qualité des institutions, notamment la voix citoyenne et responsabilité, la stabilité politique, l'efficacité des pouvoirs publics, la qualité de la régulation et la maîtrise de la corruption réduisent la probabilité de l'occurrence du stress financier du système bancaire. Par contre, la détérioration du compte courant et la volatilité du PIB réel et du taux d'inflation augmentent cette probabilité. Ces résultats suggèrent de promouvoir des institutions structurées, fortes, stables et efficaces, pour assurer la résilience dudit système.
Selection of Higher Risk Pregnancies into Veterans Health Administration Programs: Discoveries from Linked Department of Veterans Affairs and California Birth Data
Authors: Shaw Jonathan G. , Joyce Vilija R. , Schmitt Susan K. , Frayne Susan M. , Shaw Kate A. , Danielsen Beate , Kimerling Rachel , Asch Steven M. , Phibbs Ciaran S.
Published: September 2018

Objective

To describe variation in payer and outcomes in Veterans’ births.

Data/Setting

Secondary data analyses of deliveries in California, 2000–2012.

Study Design

We performed a retrospective, population‐based study of all live births to Veterans (confirmed via U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) enrollment records), to identify payer and variations in outcomes among: (1) Veterans using VA coverage and (2) Veteran vs. all other births. We calculated odds ratios (aOR) adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, education, and obstetric demographics.

Methods

We anonymously linked VA administrative data for all female VA enrollees with California birth records.

Principal Findings

From 2000 to 2012, we identified 17,495 births to Veterans. VA covered 8.6 percent (1,508), Medicaid 17.3 percent, and Private insurance 47.6 percent. Veterans who relied on VA health coverage had more preeclampsia (aOR 1.4, CI 1.0–1.8) and more cesarean births (aOR 1.2, CI 1.0–1.3), and, despite similar prematurity, trended toward more neonatal intensive care (NICU) admissions (aOR 1.2, CI 1.0–1.4) compared to Veterans using other (non‐Medicaid) coverage. Overall, Veterans’ birth outcomes (all‐payer) mirrored California's birth outcomes, with the exception of excess NICU care (aOR 1.15, CI 1.1–1.2).

Conclusions

VA covers a higher risk fraction of Veterans’ births, justifying maternal care coordination and attention to the maternal–fetal impacts of Veterans’ comorbidities.
Ultrasound‐guided femoral nerve blocks are not superior to ultrasound‐guided fascia iliaca blocks for fractured neck of femur
Authors: Cooper Alannah L , Nagree Yusuf , Goudie Adrian , Watson Peter R , Arendts Glenn
Published: September 2018

Objective

To determine if an ultrasound‐guided femoral nerve block (FNB) is superior to an ultrasound‐guided fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) in providing pain relief to patients with a neck of femur or proximal femoral fracture.

Methods

A double‐blind randomised controlled trial was conducted. All participants received two blocks, one active and one placebo. An active FICB was administered to 52 participants and 48 participants received an active FNB.

Results

Analysis was completed on data collected from 100 participants. Most patients were elderly and the majority were female. Both FICB and FNB achieved clinically significant mean reductions in pain scores (2.62 for FICB and 2.3 for FNB). There was no significant difference in reduction in pain scores between the two cohorts, P = 0.408.

Conclusions

Ultrasound‐guided FNB is not superior to ultrasound‐guided FICB, with both facilitating an equivalent analgesia effect in patients with a neck of femur or proximal femur fracture.
The Influence of Ultrasound and Cultivar Selection on the Biocompounds and Physicochemical Characteristics of Dried Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) Snacks
Authors: Celejewska Karolina , Mieszczakowska‐Frąc Monika , Konopacka Dorota , Krupa Tomasz
Published: September 2018

The aim of the study was to characterize physical and chemical composition of four highbush blueberry cultivars (“Bluecrop,” “Late Blue,” “Chandler,” and “Elliot”). The assessment of ultrasound influence at the osmotic dehydration step and during hybrid drying on mass transfer and the nutritional quality of all cultivars was also done. The experiment consisted of two stages: (1) initial: optimization of osmotic dehydration procedure, (2) the main experiment including all stages of dried blueberry production (pretreatment, osmotic dehydration chosen in the initial stage, and drying). In both parts, the effect of US and cultivar were considered as factors influencing the most important quality indices. The osmotic dehydration, in the mixture (1:1) of sucrose solution and apple juice concentrate (65°Bx) at a fruit to syrup ratio 1:4, was carried out in water bath fitted with ultrasonic transducers (25 kHz, 27.8 W/L) at a temperature of 40°C for 150 min. After pretreatment osmo‐dehydrated fruits were subjected to drying in hybrid (microwave‐ultrasound‐convective) drum dryer. Regardless of the cultivar US had positive influence on mass transfer (up to 22% for intact and 12% for mechanically scratched) at the osmotic dehydration stage. Unfavorably, its action tend to decrease phenolic compounds content. The final effect, however, was strongly influenced by the choice of cultivar. With regard to ultrasound applied at the drying step, no explicit effect, either on the drying process efficiency or on final product quality, was identified. In the same processing conditions “Elliot” turned out to be the most promising to produce ready‐to‐eat fruit snacks in terms of the final product stability and bioactives content.

Practical Application

Hybrid drying was proposed as a novel approach in blueberry drying. Ultrasound application as a part of abovementioned drying technique is considered an efficient way of shortening drying time due to mass transfer intensification and the interaction with dehydrated tissue. However, no experiments studying the impact of ultrasound on various cultivars within one species were carried out. This study contributes to the understanding that appropriate cultivar selection in the production of ready‐to‐eat dried blueberry fruit is just as important as process parameters in obtaining an attractive product with a high level of natural bioactive compounds.
Margin trading and price efficiency: information content or price‐adjustment speed?
Authors: Lv Dayong , Wu Wenfeng
Published: September 2018

The literature offers contradictory views on the effect of margin‐trading activities on price efficiency. Based on data from a Chinese margin‐trading pilot programme in 2010, we separate price efficiency into information content and price‐adjustment speed and investigate the effect of margin‐trading activity on price efficiency. We find that after adding to the eligible list, pilot stocks experience a decrease in information content, but an increase in price‐adjustment speed. Furthermore, increased margin‐buying activities are associated with lower information content, but faster price adjustment. Our results reconcile the debate over the effect of margin trading on price efficiency.
Placebo effects in adult and adolescent patients with schizophrenia: combined analysis of nine RCTs
Authors: Kubo K. , Fleischhacker W. W. , Suzuki T. , Yasui‐Furukori N. , Mimura M. , Uchida H.
Published: September 2018

Objective

To examine characteristics of placebo responders and seek optimal criteria of early improvement with placebo for predicting subsequent placebo response in patients with schizophrenia.

Method

Data of 672 patients with schizophrenia randomized to placebo in nine double‐blind antipsychotic trials were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between placebo response at week 6 (i.e., a ≥ 25% reduction in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS] score) and gender, age, study locations, baseline PANSS total or Marder 5‐Factor scores, and per cent PANSS score reduction at week 1. Predictive power of improvement at week 1 for subsequent response was investigated; sensitivity and specificity of incremental 5% cutoff points between 5% and 25% reduction in the PANSS total score at week 1 were calculated.

Results

Per cent PANSS total score reduction at week 1 and lower PANSS Marder disorganized thought scores at baseline were significantly associated with subsequent placebo response. A 10% reduction in a per‐protocol analysis or a 15% reduction in last‐observation‐carried‐forward analysis in the PANSS total score at week 1 showed the highest predictive power.

Conclusion

These findings are informative to identify potential placebo responders at the earliest opportunity for optimal trial design for schizophrenia.
Rethinking Justice: Struggles For Environmental Commons and the Notion of Socio‐Ecological Justice
Authors: Yaka Özge
Published: September 2018

This article introduces a notion of socio‐ecological justice based on theoretically informed empirical research on community struggles against run‐of‐river hydropower plants in Turkey. Framing this particular case as representative of a broader movement for environmental commons, and adopting an action‐theoretical perspective, it translates the emergent justice claims produced by grassroots environmental movements to the conceptual vocabulary of the theory of justice. Using Fraser's tripartite model as a starting point, it explores possibilities of expanding the borders of justice as a concept. Maintaining the intrinsic relationship between social and ecological phenomena, it calls for rethinking “sociality” and “social justice” in the light of a relational ontology of human and non‐human worlds. The notion of socio‐ecological justice, thus, extends the community of justice, framing the relational existence of human and non‐human ecologies as a matter of justice.
Loneliness and Self‐Esteem in Children and Adolescents Affected by Parental HIV: A 3‐Year Longitudinal Study
Authors: Du Hongfei , Li Xiaoming , Chi Peilian , Zhao Shenran , Zhao Junfeng
Published: September 2018

Background

Sociometer theory posits that self‐esteem is a subjective monitor of the quality of one's interpersonal relationships. When people feel excluded by others, they may have negative relational evaluation about themselves—low self‐esteem. In the present study, we hypothesised and tested that feelings of loneliness among children and adolescents affected by parental HIV would decrease their self‐esteem over time; moreover, low self‐esteem would intensify feelings of loneliness.

Methods

We utilised longitudinal data from a sample of children and adolescents affected by parental HIV to estimate the reciprocal effects between self‐esteem and loneliness over time. The sample included 195 children and early adolescents affected by parental HIV (age range 7–15, Mage = 10.62, 82 females) who served as a control group in a large intervention study on psychological well‐being. Seven waves of longitudinal panel data were collected from participants in three years.

Results

In cross‐lagged panel models that tested the reciprocal effects of loneliness and self‐esteem, loneliness predicted decreased levels of self‐esteem over time; in addition, low self‐esteem predicted increased levels of loneliness over time.

Conclusions

These findings support sociometer theory and suggest that loneliness is a risk factor for children's and adolescents’ self‐esteem. The implications for improving vulnerable children's and adolescents’ psychological well‐being are discussed.
Transanal completion proctectomy with close rectal dissection and ileal pouch‐anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis
Authors: Levic Souzani Katarina , Nielsen Claus Buhl , Bulut Orhan
Published: September 2018

Introduction

Laparoscopic dissection in the pelvis is still a challenge. A transanal approach to rectal dissection allows better visualization during the dissection of the rectum and the creation of an anastomosis. Although initially used for patients with rectal cancer, the transanal approach may also have benefits in the surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of this study was to describe our initial experience with transanal completion proctectomy and ileal pouch‐anal anastomosis for UC.

Methods

This study included all consecutive patients who underwent transanal completion proctectomy and ileal pouch‐anal anastomosis for UC between September 2017 and February 2018.

Results

Eleven patients were included in the study; they had a median age of 30 years (range, 13–51 years). The median operative time was 285 min (range, 190–375 min). There were no intraoperative complications or conversions to open surgery. Postoperative complications occurred in only one patient (anastomotic leak), and the median length of hospital stay was 7 days (range, 5–37 days).

Conclusion

Our initial experience with transanal completion proctectomy and ileal pouch‐anal anastomosis shows promising results, demonstrating the feasibility of the transanal approach in patients with UC.
Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for mefloquine and its application alongside a clinical effectiveness model to select an optimal dose for prevention of malaria in young Caucasian children
Authors: Johnson Trevor N. , Cleary Yumi , Parrott Neil , Reigner Bruno , Smith James R. , Toovey Stephen
Published: September 2018

Aims

To predict the optimal chemoprophylactic dose of mefloquine in infants of 5–10 kg using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and clinical effectiveness models.

Methods

The PBPK model was developed in Simcyp version 14.1 and verified against clinical pharmacokinetic data in adults; the final model, accounting for developmental physiology and enzyme ontogeny was then applied in the paediatric population. The clinical effectiveness model utilized real‐world chemoprophylaxis data with stratification of output by age and including infant data from the UK population.

Results

PBPK simulations in infant populations depend on the assumed fraction of mefloquine metabolized by CYP3A4 (0.47, 0.95) and on the associated CYP3A4 ontogeny (Salem, Upreti). However, all scenarios suggest that a dose of 62.5 mg weekly achieves or exceeds the exposure in adults following a 250 mg weekly dose and results in a minimum plasma concentration of 620 ng ml–1, which is considered necessary to achieve 95% prophylactic efficacy. The clinical effectiveness model predicts a 96% protective efficacy from mefloquine chemoprophylaxis at 62.5 mg weekly.

Conclusions

The PBPK and clinical effectiveness models are mutually supportive and suggest a prophylactic dose of 62.5 mg weekly in the Caucasian 5–10 kg infant population travelling to endemic countries. This dual approach offers a novel route to dose selection in a vulnerable population, where clinical trials would be difficult to conduct.
Ethics and HIV prevention research: An analysis of the early tenofovir PrEP trial in Nigeria
Authors: Peterson Kristin , Folayan Morenike O.
Published: September 2018

In 2004, the first ever multi‐sited clinical trials studied the prospect of HIV biomedical prevention (referred to as pre‐exposure prophylaxis—‘PrEP’). The trials were implemented at several international sites, but many officially closed down before they completed. At most sites, both scientists and community AIDS advocates raised concerns over the ethics and scientific rationales of the trial. Focusing on the Nigerian trial site, we detail the controversy that emerged among mostly Nigerian research scientists who scrutinized the research design and protocol. While some of the disputes, especially those pertaining to community engagement mechanisms, were ultimately resolved in international fora and implemented in later PrEP trials, concerns over science rationales and assumptions were never addressed. We argue that scientific rationales should be treated as ethical concerns and suggest that such concerns should be deliberated at host sites before the trial protocol is finalized.
Ethnographic study of the use of interventions during the second stage of labor in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Altaweli Roa , McCourt Christine , Scamell Mandie , Curtis Tyler Katherine
Published: September 2018

Background

Routine use of medical interventions during labor has been identified as a clinical area for concern, since such routinized practice is not consistent with an evidence‐based approach to care and continues to increase despite efforts to encourage normal childbirth. Therefore, the aim of our study was to explore maternity health professionals’ use of interventions during the second stage of labor in two hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to understand what influences their decision‐making and practices.

Methods

This was an exploratory study using an ethnographic approach. Data collection methods included participant observations of 19 labors and births (n = 8 at City Hospital and n = 11 at King's Hospital) and semi‐structured interviews with 29 health care professionals. In addition, the hospital labor and delivery ward policies and guidelines from those hospitals were collected. Data were analyzed thematically.

Results

Medical interventions were used during the second stage of labor routinely, regardless of clinical indication. Three core influences that shaped the clinical decision‐making were identified as follows: (a) organizational culture, (b) a medical concept of birth, and (c) a hierarchical system of control. We suggest that the clinical decision‐making and routine practice in this setting arises out of the interface between these three core influences whereby hierarchical control and clinicians’ exercise of power and feelings of powerlessness are fundamental drivers for an organizational culture of medicalized childbirth, despite the differing models of childbirth which professionals described.

Conclusions

Clinical decisions relating to the use of interventions during childbirth are both complex and socially negotiated. The findings reflect the complexity of the use of interventions during the second stage of labor and the multiple influences on professionals’ practices. We have shown how three key influences interact to shape clinical decision‐making during the second stage of labor in this cultural setting and how the use of medical interventions can be analyzed as an illustration of the power dynamic in the maternity health care system. We suggest that written policies are insufficient to bring about evidence‐based practice and approaches to change need to take into account these different levels of influence.
The mismatch in distributions of vertebrates and the plants that they disperse
Authors: Dittel Jacob W. , Moore Christopher M. , Vander Wall Stephen B.
Published: September 2018

Little is known about how mutualistic interactions affect the distribution of species richness on broad geographic scales. Because mutualism positively affects the fitness of all species involved in the interaction, one hypothesis is that the richness of species involved should be positively correlated across their range, especially for obligate relationships. Alternatively, if mutualisms involve multiple mutualistic partners, the distribution of mutualists should not necessarily be related, and patterns in species distributions might be more strongly correlated with environmental factors. In this study, we compared the distributions of plants and vertebrate animals involved in seed‐dispersal mutualisms across the United States and Canada. We compiled geographic distributions of plants dispersed by frugivores and scatter‐hoarding animals, and compared their distribution of richness to the distribution in disperser richness. We found that the distribution of animal dispersers shows a negative relationship to the distribution of the plants that they disperse, and this is true whether the plants dispersed by frugivores or scatter‐hoarders are considered separately or combined. In fact, the mismatch in species richness between plants and the animals that disperse their seeds is dramatic, with plants species richness greatest in the in the eastern United States and the animal species richness greatest in the southwest United States. Environmental factors were corelated with the difference in the distribution of plants and their animal mutualists and likely are more important in the distribution of both plants and animals. This study is the first to describe the broad‐scale distribution of seed‐dispersing vertebrates and compare the distributions to the plants they disperse. With these data, we can now identify locations that warrant further study to understand the factors that influence the distribution of the plants and animals involved in these mutualisms.
Moth body size increases with elevation along a complete tropical elevational gradient for two hyperdiverse clades
Authors: Brehm Gunnar , Zeuss Dirk , Colwell Robert K.
Published: September 2018

The body size of an animal is probably its most important functional trait. For arthropods, environmental drivers of body size variation are still poorly documented and understood, especially in tropical regions. We use a unique dataset for two species‐rich, phylogenetically independent moth taxa (Lepidoptera: Geometridae; Arctiinae), collected along an extensive tropical elevational gradient in Costa Rica, to investigate the correlates and possible causes of body‐size variation. We studied 15 047 specimens (794 species) of Geometridae and 4167 specimens (308 species) of Arctiinae to test the following hypotheses: 1) body size increases with decreasing ambient temperature, as predicted by the temperature–size rule; 2) body size increases with increasing rainfall and primary productivity, as predicted from considerations of starvation resistance; and 3) body size scales allometrically with wing area, as elevation increases, such that wing loading (the ratio of body size to wing area) decreases with increasing elevation to compensate for lower air density.

To test these hypotheses, we examined forewing length as a proxy for body size in relation to ambient temperature, rainfall, vegetation index and elevation as explanatory variables in linear and polynomial spatial regression models. We analysed our data separately for males and females using two principal approaches: mean forewing length of species at each site, and mean forewing length of complete local assemblages, weighted by abundance.

Body size consistently increased with elevation in both taxa, both approaches, both sexes, and also within species. Temperature was the best predictor for this pattern (–0.98 < r < –0.74), whereas body size was uncorrelated or weakly correlated with rainfall and enhanced vegetation index. Wing loading increased with elevation. Our results support the temperature–size rule as an important mechanism for body size variation in arthropods along tropical elevational gradients, whereas starvation resistance and optimization of flight mechanics seem to be of minor importance.