bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The lived experience of adolescent users of mental health services in Vienna, Austria: A qualitative study of personal recovery
Authors: Schneidtinger Cornelia , Haslinger‐Baumann Elisabeth
Published: July 2019

Problem

In Austria, one in four adolescents suffers from a mental health problem, yet there is a lack of adequate care structures. Therefore, the personal recovery of these adolescents is of particular interest. The aim of the study was to explore, from a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (CAPMHN) perspective, how adolescent users of mental health services in Vienna, Austria experienced personal recovery after a stay in hospital, and to discover what had influenced the personal recovery of adolescent users of mental health services in Vienna.

Methods

Ten episodic interviews with adolescents were conducted. Nine of them were analyzed following the content analysis of Mayring (2015).

Findings

The findings of the survey indicate that the personal recovery of the participants was influenced by personal and external factors. Personal factors were the subjective experience of illness and recovery, optimism, resources, and ambivalence. External factors were family, peers, and treatment. The findings suggest that personal recovery of adolescents with a mental health problem is affected by youth‐specific aspects.

Conclusions

CAPMHNs can support the personal recovery of adolescent users of mental health services, so providing recovery‐oriented care, adequate care structures, and specific nursing skills is crucial.
Atrial arrhythmias in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: Prevalence, echocardiographic predictors, and treatment
Authors: Cardona‐Guarache Ricardo , Åström‐Aneq Meriam , Oesterle Adam , Asirvatham Roshini , Svetlichnaya Jana , Marcus Gregory M. , Gerstenfeld Edward P. , Klein Liviu , Scheinman Melvin M.
Published: July 2019

Introduction

The clinical role of atrial arrhythmias (AA) in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and the echocardiographic variables that predict them are not well defined. We describe the prevalence, types, echocardiographic predictors, and management of AA in patients with ARVC.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated medical records of 117 patients with definite ARVC (2010 Task Force Criteria) from two tertiary care centers. We identified those patients with sustained AA (>30 seconds), including atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), and atrial tachycardia (AT). We collected demographic, genetic, and clinical data. The median follow‐up was 3.4 years (interquartile range = 2.0‐5.7).

Results

Total 26 patients (22%) had one or more types of AA: AF (n = 19), AFL (n = 9), and AT (n = 8). We performed genetic testing on 84 patients with ARVC (71.8%). Two patients with AA (8%) had peripheral emboli, and one patient (4%) suffered inappropriate implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator shock. We performed catheter ablation of AA in eight patients (31%), with no procedural complications. Right atrial area and left atrial volume index were independently associated with increased odds of AA; odds ratio (OR), 1.1 (95% confidence interval [CI]:1.02‐1.16) (P = .01) and OR, 1.1 (95% CI:1.03‐1.15) (P = .003), respectively. An increase in tricuspid annular plane peak systolic excursion was independently associated with reduced odds; OR, 0.3 (95% CI: 0.1‐0.94) (P = .003).

Conclusions

Atrial arrhythmias (AA) are common in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Inappropriate shocks and systemic emboli may be associated with AA. Atrial size and right ventricular dysfunction may help identify patients with ARVC at increased odds of AA.
The ECJ's Construction of an EU Mobility Regime‐Judicialization and the Posting of Third‐country Nationals
Authors: Mussche Ninke , Lens Dries
Published: July 2019

The role of the Court of Justice in furthering the integration of the European Union is an unresolved topic of debate. This article contributes to the judicialization debate by assessing the impact of the Vander Elst Case‐law, which allowed third‐country nationals (TCNs) to be posted freely across the EU without work permits in the countries of posting. Based on Belgian posting data, we demonstrate that the ECJ introduced a mobility regime that is growing in importance and even outnumbers classical labour migration. We argue that judicialization not only results in ‘codification' of its case‐law or ‘modification' of it, but also in ‘Direct Design', whereby the Court creates new economic realities all by itself. While this regime further lessens the migration sovereignty of member states, the rising use of posting indicates at the same time the increasing role of the free movement of services in developing a single European labour market.
Comparing point shear wave elastography (ElastPQ) and transient elastography for diagnosis of fibrosis stage in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Leong Wai Ling , Lai Lee Lee , Nik Mustapha Nik Raihan , Vijayananthan Anushya , Rahmat Kartini , Mahadeva Sanjiv , Chan Wah Kheong
Published: July 2019

Background and Aim

Transient elastography (TE) and point shear wave elastography (pSWE) are noninvasive methods to diagnose fibrosis stage in patients with chronic liver disease. The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy of the two methods to diagnose fibrosis stage in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to study the intra‐observer and inter‐observer variability when the examinations were performed by healthcare personnel of different backgrounds.

Methods

Consecutive NAFLD patients who underwent liver biopsy were enrolled in this study and had two sets each of pSWE and TE examinations by a nurse and a doctor on the same day of liver biopsy procedure. The medians of the four sets of pSWE and TE were used for evaluation of diagnostic accuracy using area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Intra‐observer and inter‐observer variability was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients.

Results

Data for 100 NAFLD patients (mean age 57.1 ± 10.2 years; male 46.0%) were analyzed. The AUROC of TE for diagnosis of fibrosis stage ≥ F1, ≥ F2, ≥ F3, and F4 was 0.89, 0.83, 0.83, and 0.89, respectively. The corresponding AUROC of pSWE was 0.80, 0.72, 0.69, and 0.79, respectively. TE was significantly better than pSWE for the diagnosis of fibrosis stages ≥ F2 and ≥ F3. The intra‐observer and inter‐observer variability of TE and pSWE measurements by the nurse and doctor was excellent with intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.96.

Conclusion

Transient elastography was significantly better than pSWE for the diagnosis of fibrosis stage ≥ F2 and ≥ F3. Both TE and pSWE had excellent intra‐observer and inter‐observer variability when performed by healthcare personnel of different backgrounds.
Ruminal microbiota composition associated with ruminal fermentation parameters and milk yield in lactating buffalo in Guangxi, China—A preliminary study
Authors: Zou Caixia , Gu Qichao , Zhou Xiaokang , Xia zhongsheng , Muhammad Wasim I. , Tang Qingfeng , Liang Mingzhen , Lin Bo , Qin Guangsheng
Published: July 2019

The ruminal microbiota of 15 dairy buffalo was characterized using high‐throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results showed that Bacteroidetes was the dominant bacterial phylum in all rumen samples, followed by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Tenericutes and Verrucomicrobia. Butyrivibrio was positively correlated with average milk fat yield (R = 0.55; p = 0.03), average milk total solid yield (R = 0.56; p = 0.03) and standard milk yield (R = 0.52; p = 0.05). Acinetobacter were positively correlated with average milk protein yield (R = 0.56; p = 0.03), average milk total solid yield (R = 0.60; p = 0.02) and standard milk yield (R = 0.57; p = 0.03). Acetobacter was positively correlated with acetate (R = 0.63; p = 0.01), propionate content (R = 0.55; p = 0.03), butyrate content (R = 0.61; p = 0.02) and total VFA (R = 0.62; p = 0.01). The phyla Proteobacteria (R = 0.53; p = 0.04) and genus Prevotella (R = 0.52; p = 0.05) were positively correlated with butyrate content. Correlation analysis suggested that increased Butyrivibrio and Acinetobacter residing in the buffalo rumen could improve milk performance.
From the Halls of Congress to K Street: Government Experience and its Value for Lobbying
Authors: Ban Pamela , Palmer Maxwell , Schneer Benjamin
Published: July 2019

Lobbying presents an attractive postcongressional career, with some former congressional members and staffers transitioning to lucrative lobbying careers. Precisely why congressional experience is valued is a matter of ongoing debate. Building on research positing a relationship between political uncertainty and demand for lobbyists, we examine conditions under which lobbyists with past congressional experience prove most valuable. To assess lobbyist earnings, we develop a new measure, Lobbyist Value Added, that reflects the marginal contribution of each lobbyist on a contract, and show that previous measures understate the value of high‐performing lobbyists. We find that former staffers earn revenues above their peers during times of uncertainty, and former members of Congress generate higher revenue overall, which we identify by comparing revenues generated by individuals who narrowly won election to those who narrowly lost. These findings help characterize when lobbyists with different skillsets prove most valuable and the value added by government experience.
Using dust shed from asteroids as microsamples to link remote measurements with meteorite classes
Authors: Cohen B. A. , Szalay J. R. , Rivkin A. S. , Richardson J. A. , Klima R. L. , Ernst C. M. , Chabot N. L. , Sternovsky Z. , Horányi M.
Published: July 2019

Given the compositional diversity of asteroids, and their distribution in space, it is impossible to consider returning samples from each one to establish their origin. However, the velocity and molecular composition of primary minerals, hydrated silicates, and organic materials can be determined by in situ dust detector instruments. Such instruments could sample the cloud of micrometer‐scale particles shed by asteroids to provide direct links to known meteorite groups without returning the samples to terrestrial laboratories. We extend models of the measured lunar dust cloud fromLADEEto show that the abundance of detectable impact‐generated microsamples around asteroids is a function of the parent body radius, heliocentric distance, flyby distance, and speed. We use Monte Carlo modeling to show that several tens to hundreds of particles, if randomly ejected and detected during a flyby, would be a sufficient number to classify the parent body as an ordinary chondrite, basaltic achondrite, or other class of meteorite. Encountering and measuring microsamples shed from near‐Earth and Main Belt asteroids, coupled with complementary imaging and multispectral measurements, could accomplish a thorough characterization of small, airless bodies.
Tracing the Roots of Constructive Conflict Management in Family Firms
Authors: Alvarado-Alvarez Cristina , Armadans Immaculada , Parada María José
Published: July 2019

The overlap between family and business systems creates a particular bundle of resources, which is a specific familiness that may determine how family firms positively or negatively manage their conflicts. In this article, we review the current research on conflict management and family firms and suggest theoretical propositions about the influence of familiness in constructive conflict management in family firms. We propose that specific levels of structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions of familiness configure a specific arrangement of resources that we conceptualized as collaborative familiness, which enhances constructive conflict. We discuss the main implications of this conceptualization in terms of its theoretical contributions, further research, and practice.
Back to the future: A retrospective assessment of model‐based scenarios for the management of the shrimp fishery in French Guiana facing global change
Authors: Blanchard Fabian , Chaboud Christian , Thébaud Olivier
Published: July 2019

While the number of models dedicated to predicting the consequences of alternative resource management strategies has increased, instances in which authors look back at past predictions to learn from discrepancies between these and observed developments are scarce. In the past decades, the French Guiana shrimp fishery has experienced shrimp market globalization and decreasing levels of shrimp recruitment due to environmental changes. In 2006, a bio‐economic model of this fishery was developed to simulate its possible responses to economic and environmental scenarios up to 2016. Here, we compare here these predictions to the observed trajectories. While the number of active vessels corresponds to that which was predicted, the estimated shrimp stock does not. Important driving factors had not been anticipated, including a general strike, natural disasters, and the end of the global financial crisis. These results show the importance of participative approaches involving stakeholders in the co‐construction and shared representation of scenarios.

Recommendations for resource managers

Effective fisheries resources management and a fortiori, the capacity of the fisheries to adapt to global change, requires understanding of both ecological and economics dynamics.

The temporal trajectory of the trawling shrimp fisheries has been well monitored, and the decline of both stock and fleet is understood regarding ecological and economic changes: Changes in the environmental conditions of shrimp recruitment, and oil price increase and selling price decrease.

However, our bio‐economic modeling work showed that, even with a good understanding of the dynamics explaining past trajectories, unpredictable events (strike, natural disasters…) have acted as other key driving factors altering the capacity of the model to represent possible futures.

These results led us to recommend a better integration of the expertise of social and political scientists in developing models of bio‐economic systems to increase the quality of scenario predictions, and to argue for more participative approaches involving the stakeholders.
Cardiac output‐guided hemodynamic therapy for adult living donor kidney transplantation in children under 20 kg: A pilot study
Authors: Voet Marieke , Nusmeier Anneliese , Lerou Jos , Luijten Josianne , Cornelissen Marlies , Lemson Joris
Published: July 2019

Background

A living‐donor (adult) kidney transplantation in young children requires an increased cardiac output to maintain adequate perfusion of the relatively large kidney. To achieve this, protocols commonly advise liberal fluid administration guided by high target central venous pressure. Such therapy may lead to good renal outcomes, but the risk of tissue edema is substantial.

Aims

We aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of the transpulmonary thermodilution technique to measure cardiac output in pediatric recipients. The second aim was to evaluate whether a cardiac output‐guided hemodynamic therapy algorithm could induce less liberal fluid administration, while preserving good renal results and achieving increased target cardiac output and blood pressure.

Methods

In twelve consecutive recipients, cardiac output was measured with transpulmonary thermodilution (PiCCO device, Pulsion). The algorithm steered administration of fluids, norepinephrine and dobutamine. Hemodynamic values were obtained before, during and after transplantation. Results are given as mean (SD) [minimum‐maximum].

Results

Age and weight of recipients was 3.2 (0.97) [1.6‐4.9] yr and 14.1 (2.4) [10.4‐18] kg, respectively. No complications related to cardiac output monitoring occurred. After transplantation, cardiac index increased with 31% (95% CI = 15%‐48%). Extravascular lung water and central venous pressure did not change. Fluids given decreased from 158 [124‐191] mL kg−1 in the first 2 patients to 80 (18) [44‐106] mL kg−1 in the last 10 patients. The latter amount was 23 mL kg−1 less (95% CI = 6‐40 mL kg−1) than in one recent study, but similar to that in another. After reperfusion, all patients received norepinephrine (maximum dose 0.45 (0.3) [0.1‐0.9] mcg kg−1 min−1). Patient and graft survivals were 100% with excellent kidney function at 6 months post‐transplantation.

Conclusion

Transpulmonary thermodilution‐cardiac output monitoring appeared to be safe and feasible. Using the cardiac output‐guided algorithm led to excellent renal results with a trend toward less fluids in favor of norepinephrine.
Social support and treatment adherence in patients with end‐stage renal disease: A systematic review
Authors: Sousa Helena , Ribeiro Oscar , Paúl Constança , Costa Elísio , Miranda Vasco , Ribeiro Fernando , Figueiredo Daniela
Published: July 2019

Successful dialysis in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) largely depends on the patients’ ability to adhere to several clinical requirements and life‐style changes. Social support has been consistently linked to better health outcomes in a number of chronic diseases. The current study presents a systematic review of the literature on the relationship between social support and treatment adherence in ESRD. The search was performed on Web of Science, PsycInfo, ScienceDirect, and Scopus from January 19 to May 15, 2019. Two hundred and twenty‐four records were identified. After quality assessment, 17 studies were included for qualitative synthesis. This review comprised a total of 2362 patients. Most patients were on hemodialysis (97.5%) for an average of 58.2 months. Results suggested an overall pattern of mixed findings regarding the association between social support and treatment adherence. Adherence to fluid restrictions was the type of adherence with more significant associations with social support (63%). Mixed results were found for adherence to dialysis sessions (50%) and to medication (50%). Associations between adherence to diet restrictions and social support were found in 44% of the included studies. No significant associations were found between social support and adherence to follow‐up consults. All of the included studies combining several types of adherence into an overall score found significant associations with social support. Findings suggested that it might be particularly beneficial to focus future research and clinical efforts toward social support from family, significant others, and health professionals, to improve patient's with ESRD treatment adherence.
Human errors in manual techniques for ABO/D grouping are associated with potentially lethal outcomes
Authors: Mistry H. , Poles D. , Watt A. , Bolton‐Maggs P. H. B. ,   on behalf of the SHOT Steering Group
Published: July 2019

Aims/Objectives

To review if ABO/D grouping errors are more likely to occur with manual intervention compared to automation.

Background

Human errors in manual pre‐transfusion testing may result in ABO/D‐incompatible transfusions and catastrophic outcomes. Accurate ABO/D grouping is a critical part of pre‐transfusion testing.

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis of reports made to Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) between January 2004 and December 2016 where ABO/D grouping errors led to the transfusion of an incorrect blood component to review if errors are more likely to occur with manual intervention compared to automation.

Results

In 148 of 158 (93%) ABO/D grouping errors, manual intervention took place. In the remaining 10, causes were not reported. No errors occurred with full automation. Interpretation errors occurred in 86 of 148 (58%) and 42 of 148 (28%) transcription errors, and in 20 of 148, wrong or no samples were selected. Of 148 errors, 21 (14%) resulted in ABO‐incompatible transfusion, with one death in 2004 due to an interpretation error in a manual ABO group. In 30 of 148 (20%), D‐positive red cells were given to D‐negative recipients, where three women of child‐bearing potential became sensitised and developed anti‐D. ABO grouping errors have reduced from 18 of 539 (3%) of total reports analysed in 2004 (3·3%) to 3 of 3091 (0·10%) in 2016.

Conclusions

Where manual testing cannot be avoided, results should be confirmed using automated techniques as soon as possible, and a back‐up process should be available 24/7. SHOT data confirm that manual interventions are prone to human error, especially in transcription and interpretation, and demonstrate a continuing need for appropriate serological knowledge and understanding by transfusion laboratory staff to underpin safety provided by automation and information technology (IT).
TEMPRANILLO is a direct repressor of the microRNA miR172
Authors: Aguilar‐Jaramillo Andrea E. , Marín‐González Esther , Matías‐Hernández Luis , Osnato Michela , Pelaz Soraya , Suárez‐López Paula
Published: July 2019

In the age‐dependent pathway, microRNA 156 (miR156) is essential for the correct timing of developmental transitions. miR156 negatively regulates several SPL genes, which promote the juvenile‐to‐adult and floral transitions in part through upregulation of miR172. The transcriptional repressors TEMPRANILLO1 (TEM1) and TEM2 delay flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana at least through direct repression of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and gibberellin biosynthetic genes, and have also been reported to participate in the length of the juvenile phase. Levels of TEM mRNA and miR156 decrease gradually, allowing progression through developmental phases. Given these similarities, we hypothesized that TEMs and the miR156/SPL/miR172 module could act through a common genetic pathway. We analyzed the effect of TEMs on levels of miR156, SPL and miR172, tested binding of TEMs to these genes using chromatin immunoprecipitation and analyzed the genetic interaction between TEMs and miR172. We found that TEMs played a stronger role in the floral transition than in the juvenile‐to‐adult transition. TEM1 repressed MIR172A, MIR172B and MIR172C expressions and bound in vivo to at least MIR172C sequences. Genetic analyses indicated that TEMs affect the regulation of developmental timing through miR172.
Modified-Nano-Adsorbents for Nitrate Efficient Removal: A Review
Authors: Suzaimi N. D. , Goh P. S. , Malek N. A. N. N.
Published: July 2019

Excessive nitrate discharge into the aquatic environment from human activities is the main contributor to groundwater and surface water contamination. Its toxicity in water is a serious concern as it gives huge impacts on aquatic life since it damages the ecosystem and water sources around the globe. Recently, the development of nanomaterials as nano-adsorbent makes adsorption the most attractive solution among them. Nano-adsorbents pose high efficiency to remove pollutants from aqueous media. The exclusive chemical and structural properties of the developed nano-adsorbents are the determinative effects of nitrate adsorption performance. In this mini review, the state-of-the-art development of nano-adsorbents and nano-adsorbents-modified membranes for nitrate from water is discussed, and some challenges faced in this field are also highlighted.
Flame Edge Dynamics and Interaction in a Multinozzle Can Combustor With Fuel Staging
Authors: Doleiden Daniel , Culler Wyatt , Tyagi Ankit , Peluso Stephen , O'Connor Jacqueline
Published: July 2019

The characterization and mitigation of thermoacoustic combustion instabilities in gas turbine engines are necessary to reduce pollutant emissions, premature wear, and component failure associated with unstable flames. Fuel staging, a technique in which the fuel flow to a multinozzle combustor is unevenly distributed between the nozzles, has been shown to mitigate the intensity of self-excited combustion instabilities in multiple nozzle combustors. In our previous work, we hypothesized that staging suppresses instability through a phase-cancelation effect in which the heat release rate from the staged nozzle oscillates out of phase with that of the other nozzles, leading to destructive interference that suppresses the instability. This previous theory, however, was based on chemiluminescence imaging, which is a line-of-sight integrated technique. In this work, we use high-speed laser-induced fluorescence to further investigate instability suppression in two staging configurations: center-nozzle and outer-nozzle staging. An edge-tracking algorithm is used to compute local flame edge displacement as a function of time, allowing instability-driven edge oscillation phase coherence and other instantaneous flame dynamics to be spectrally and spatially resolved. Analysis of flame edge oscillations shows the presence of convecting coherent fluctuations of the flame edge caused by periodic vortex shedding. When the system is unstable, these two flame edges oscillate together as a result of high-intensity longitudinal-mode acoustic oscillations in the combustor that drive periodic vortex shedding at each of the nozzle exits. In the stable cases, however, the phase between the oscillations of the center and outer flame edges is greater than 90 deg (∼114 deg), suggesting that the phase-cancelation hypothesis may be valid. This analysis allows a better understanding of the instantaneous flame dynamics behind flame edge oscillation phase offset and fuel staging-based instability suppression.
Galectin-3 initiates epithelial-stromal paracrine signaling to shape the proteolytic microenvironment during corneal repair
Authors: AbuSamra Dina B. , Mauris Jérôme , Argüeso Pablo
Published: July 2019

Epithelia-fibroblast contact promotes paracrine signaling that stimulates matrix remodeling during corneal repair.
Intra- and Interspecies Variability of Single-Cell Innate Fluorescence Signature of Microbial Cell
Authors: Yawata Yutaka , Kiyokawa Tatsunori , Kawamura Yuhki , Hirayama Tomohiro , Takabe Kyosuke , Nomura Nobuhiko
Published: July 2019

A cell’s innate fluorescence signature is an assemblage of fluorescence signals emitted by diverse biomolecules within a cell. It is known that the innate fluoresce signature reflects various cellular properties and physiological statuses; thus, they can serve as a rich source of information in cell characterization as well as cell identification. However, conventional techniques focus on the analysis of the innate fluorescence signatures at the population level but not at the single-cell level and thus necessitate a clonal culture. In the present study, we developed a technique to analyze the innate fluorescence signature of a single microbial cell. Using this novel method, we found that even very similarly shaped cells differ noticeably in their autofluorescence features, and the innate fluorescence signature changes dynamically with growth phases. We also demonstrated that the different cell types can be classified accurately within a mixed population under a microscope at the resolution of a single cell, depending solely on the innate fluorescence signature information. We suggest that single-cell autofluoresce signature analysis is a promising tool to directly assess the taxonomic or physiological heterogeneity within a microbial population, without cell tagging.
Cooccurrence of Broad- and Narrow-Host-Range Viruses Infecting the Bloom-Forming Toxic Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa
Authors: Morimoto Daichi , Tominaga Kento , Nishimura Yosuke , Yoshida Naohiro , Kimura Shigeko , Sako Yoshihiko , Yoshida Takashi
Published: July 2019

The bloom-forming toxic cyanobacterium
Microcystis aeruginosa
is thought to have diversified its population through the interactions between host and viruses in antiviral defense systems. However, current knowledge of viral genomes and infection programs is limited to those of
Microcystis
virus Ma-LMM01, which was a narrow host range in which it can escape from the highly abundant host defense systems. Our metagenomic approaches unveiled the cooccurrence of narrow- and broad-host-range
Microcystis
viruses, which included fifteen viral genomic fragments from
Microcystis
blooms that were classified into three groups. Interestingly,
Microcystis
antiviral defense genes were expressed against viral infection in the environment, unlike what was seen in a culture experiment with Ma-LMM01. Given that viruses with a broad host range often induce antiviral responses within alternative hosts, our findings suggest that antiviral responses inhibit viral reproduction, especially that of broad-range viruses like those in group II. This paper augments our understanding of the interactions between
M. aeruginosa
and its viruses and fills an important knowledge gap.
Single Cells Exhibit Differing Behavioral Phases during Early Stages of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Swarming
Authors: Madukoma Chinedu S. , Liang Peixian , Dimkovikj Aleksandar , Chen Jianxu , Lee Shaun W. , Chen Danny Z. , Shrout Joshua D.
Published: July 2019

Numerous bacteria exhibit coordinated swarming motion over surfaces. It is often challenging to assess the behavior of single cells within swarming communities due to the limitations of identifying, tracking, and analyzing the traits of swarming cells over time. Here, we show that the behavior of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
swarming cells can vary substantially in the earliest phases of swarming. This is important to establish that dynamic behaviors should not be assumed to be constant over long periods when predicting and simulating the actions of swarming bacteria.
Bacterial Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Synthase mRNA Is Targeted by Activating and Repressing Small RNAs
Authors: Bianco Colleen M. , Fröhlich Kathrin S. , Vanderpool Carin K.
Published: July 2019

Small RNAs (sRNAs) in bacteria are abundant and play important roles in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, particularly under stress conditions. Some mRNAs are targets for regulation by multiple sRNAs, each responding to different environmental signals. Uncovering the regulatory mechanisms governing sRNA-mRNA interactions and the relevant conditions for these interactions is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we discovered that multiple sRNAs control membrane lipid composition by regulating stability of a single mRNA target. The sRNA-dependent regulation occurred in response to changing pH and was important for cell viability under acid stress conditions. This work reveals yet another aspect of bacterial physiology controlled at the posttranscriptional level by sRNA regulators.
Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) bZIP Factor Upregulates the Expression of ICAM-1 To Facilitate HTLV-1 Infection
Authors: Fazio Ana Laura , Kendle Wesley , Hoang Kimson , Korleski Erica , Lemasson Isabelle , Polakowski Nicholas
Published: July 2019

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes a variety of diseases, ranging from a fatal form of leukemia to immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. These diseases occur rarely, arising from one or a small subset of virally infected cells infrequently evolving into a pathogenic state. Thus, the process of HTLV-1 cell-to-cell transmission within the host helps influence the probability of disease development. HTLV-1 primarily infects T cells and initially spreads within this cell population when virally infected T cells dock to uninfected target T cells and then transfer HTLV-1 virus particles to the target cells. Here we found that the viral protein HTLV-1 bZIP factor (HBZ) promotes infectivity. HBZ accomplishes this task by increasing the surface abundance of a cellular adhesion protein known as intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), which helps initiate and stabilize contact (docking) between infected and target T cells. These results define a novel and unexpected function of HBZ, diverging from its defined functions in cellular survival and proliferation.
Adaptation to Adversity: the Intermingling of Stress Tolerance and Pathogenesis in Enterococci
Authors: Gaca Anthony O. , Lemos José A.
Published: July 2019

Enterococcusis a diverse and rugged genus colonizing the gastrointestinal tract of humans and numerous hosts across the animal kingdom. Enterococci are also a leading cause of multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired infections. In each of these settings, enterococci must contend with changing biophysical landscapes and innate immune responses in order to successfully colonize and transit between hosts.
Seismic stratigraphy of the Sabrina Coast shelf, East Antarctica: Early history of dynamic meltwater-rich glaciations
Authors: Montelli Aleksandr , Gulick Sean P.S. , Fernandez Rodrigo , Frederick Bruce C. , Shevenell Amelia E. , Leventer Amy , Blankenship Donald D.
Published: July 2019

High-resolution seismic data from the Sabrina Coast continental shelf, East Antarctica, elucidate the Cenozoic evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Detailed seismic stratigraphic and facies analysis reveal the Paleogene to earliest Pliocene glacial evolution of the Aurora Basin catchment, including at least 12 glacial expansions across the shelf indicated by erosional surfaces and chaotic acoustic character of strata. Differences in facies composition and seismic architecture reveal several periods of ice-free conditions succeeded by glacial expansions across the shelf. A deep (∼100 m), undulating erosional surface suggests the initial appearance of grounded ice on the shelf. Following the initial ice expansion, the region experienced an interval of open-marine to ice-distal conditions, marked by an up to 200-m-thick sequence of stratified sediments. At least three stacked erosional surfaces reveal major cross-shelf glacial expansions of regional glaciers characterized by deep (up to ∼120 m) channel systems associated with extensive subglacial meltwater. The seismic character of the sediments below the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene regional unconformity indicates intervals of glacial retreat interrupted by advances of temperate, meltwater-rich glacial ice from the Aurora Basin catchment. Our results document the Paleogene to late Miocene glacial history of this climatically sensitive region of East Antarctica and provide an important paleoenvironmental context for future scientific drilling to constrain the regional climate and timing of Cenozoic glacial variability.
Freshwater input, upwelling, and the evolution of Caribbean coastal ecosystems during formation of the Isthmus of Panama
Authors: Grossman Ethan L. , Robbins John A. , Rachello-Dolmen Paola G. , Tao Kai , Saxena Divya , O’Dea Aaron
Published: July 2019

Caribbean biota underwent major ecological and evolutionary transformation in the Pliocene–Pleistocene, but a lack of detailed paleoenvironmental reconstruction prevents thorough resolution of cause and effect. We quantify levels of upwelling and freshwater input into Caribbean coastal shelf ecosystems over the last ∼6 m.y. with >3300 stable isotope measurements from 74 fossil serially sampled gastropods by normalizing δ18O values to open-ocean δ18O from planktonic foraminifera. We find that the influence of Pacific-like upwelling in the southwestern Caribbean was low after 4.25 Ma but coastal ecosystems were heavily influenced by seasonal freshening until ca. 2.5 Ma, after which time low-freshwater conditions were established. The origination of modern oligotrophic coastal conditions was therefore a result of oceanographic change causing declining upwelling, and declining nutrients from terrestrial sources. We speculate that a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, associated with Northern Hemisphere glaciation, reduced rainfall and terrestrial nutrient input and contributed to biotic turnover in the southwestern Caribbean, including the proliferation of modern reef communities.
Improving the wait time to admission by reducing bed rejections
Authors: Shen Yuzeng , Lee Lin Hui
Published: July 2019

Congestion at the emergency department (ED) is associated with increased wait times, morbidity and mortality. We have identified prolonged wait time to admission as a significant contributor to ED congestion. One of the main contributors to prolonged wait time to admission was due to rejections by ward staff for the beds allocated to newly admitted patients by the Bed Management Unit (BMU). We have identified this as a systemic issue and through this quality improvement effort, seek to reduce the incidence of bed rejections for all admitted patients by 50% from 9% to 4.5% within 6 months. We used PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycles to implement a series of interventions, such as updating legacy categorisation of wards, instituting a ‘no rejects’ policy and performing ward level audits. Compared with baseline, there was reduction in rejected BMU allocation requests from 9% to 5% (p<0.01). The monthly percentage of patients with at least one rejection dropped from an average of 7% to 4% (p<0.01). With reduction in the number of rejections, the average wait time to the final request acknowledged by the ward for all admission sources decreased from 2 hours 19 min to 1 hour (p<0.01), thereby allowing the overall wait time to admission to decrease by 68 min, from 5 hours 13 min to 4 hours 5 min. Improvements in the absolute duration and variance of wait times were sustained. Although the team’s initial impetus was to improve ED wait times, this hospital-wide effort improved wait times across all admission sources. There has been a resultant increase in ownership of the admissions process by both nursing and BMU staff. With the conclusion of this effort, we are looking to further reduce the wait time to admission by optimising the current bed allocation logic through another quality improvement effort.
Safety at the edge: a safety framework to identify edge conditions in the future transportation system with highly automated vehicles
Authors: Ryerson Megan S , Long Carrie S , Scudder Kristen , Winston Flaura K
Published: July 2019

Automated driving systems (ADS) have the potential for improving safety but also pose the risk of extending the transportation system beyond itsedge conditions, beyond the operating conditions (operational design domain (ODD)) under which a given ADS or feature thereof is specifically designed to function. The ODD itself is a function of the known bounds and the unknown bounds of operation. Theknown boundsare those defined by vehicle designers; theunknown boundsarise based on a person operating the system outside the assumptions on which the vehicle was built. The process of identifying and mitigating risk of possible failures at the edge conditions is a cornerstone of systems safety engineering (SSE); however, SSE practitioners may not always account for the assumptions on which their risk mitigation resolutions are based. This is a particularly critical issue with the algorithms developed for highly automated vehicles (HAVs). The injury prevention community, engineers and designers must recognise that automation has introduced a fundamental shift in transportation safety and requires a new paradigm for transportation epidemiology and safety science that incorporateswhatedge conditions exist andhowthey may incite failure. Towards providing a foundational organising framework for the injury prevention community to engage with HAV development, we propose a blending of two classic safety models: the Swiss Cheese Model, which is focused on safety layers and redundancy, and the Haddon Matrix, which identifies actors and their responsibilities before, during and after an event.
Moral ambivalence towards the Cancer Drugs Fund
Authors: Epanomeritakis Ilias Ektor
Published: July 2019

The UK’s Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) was introduced in 2010 following the Conservative Party’s promise to address the fact that numerous efficacious cancer drugs were not available because of their cost ineffectiveness, as deduced by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. While, at face value, this policy appears only to promote the UK’s public welfare, a deeper analysis reveals the ethically unjustifiable inconsistencies that the CDF introduces; where is the analogous fund for other equally severe diseases? Have the patients without cancer been neglected simply due to the fear-inducing advertising and particularly ferocious speech which surrounds cancer? The CDF is unjustifiable when challenged by such questions. However, it is troubling to think that the CDF might be repealed in order to abolish these ethical concerns. Intuitively, one feels uncomfortable stripping the cancer patient of their benefits just so that they might be on an equally pessimistic footing with others. In the present essay, I argue that, although there are no ethically justifiable grounds for the CDF’s introduction, its removal would be inappropriate. Following this realisation, I investigate whether the procedural steps of the CDF itself—theoretically removed from the context of resource distribution for all disease types—represent an ethically justifiable system. I believe that the answer is yes, given the CDF’s conformity to accountability for reasonableness, a robust framework of procedural justice, which continuously improves the ethical and epistemological standards of the policies to which it is applied.
Rotational impact on nanoscale particles Fe2O4, NiZnFe2O4, MnZnFe2O4 suspended in C2H6O2 confined between two stretchable disks: a computational study
Authors: Maraj E.N. , Shaiq Shakil
Published: July 2019

This communication addresses the fluid and heat transfer flanked by two stretchable rotating disks influenced by the induced magnetic field. The fluid flows due to the rotation of the stretchable disks enclosing a nanofluid having nanoparticles of three distinct ferrite compounds. The mathematical formulation of the problem is performed in a cylindrical coordinate system. Similarity analysis is applied for the sake of simplification. The velocity, pressure, induced magnetic field, and temperature distributions accompanied by surface drag force and heat flux are computed numerically by employing implicit finite difference algorithm. Effects of important emerging parameters are addressed through graphs and tables. Some pivotal findings include that magnetic parameter and reciprocal magnetic Prandtl number contribute to increasing fluid pressure near the lower disk and the opposite trend is reported in the vicinity of the upper disk. The present investigation is a benchmark problem that has a promising future in geophysics, oil refinery, and the chemical processing industry.
New singular soliton solutions to the longitudinal wave equation in a magneto-electro-elastic circular rod with M-derivative
Authors: Baskonus H. M. , Gómez-Aguilar J. F.
Published: July 2019

In this paper, using the Bernoulli sub-equation function method, we obtain new dark, complex and singular soliton solutions for the longitudinal wave equation in a magneto-electro-elastic circular rod with [Formula: see text]-derivative. Many new complex singular soliton solutions are successfully extracted. For better understanding of physical meanings, we plotted 2D and 3D graphs along with contour simulations.
Resonant frequencies of a charged scalar field in the Garfinkle–Horowitz–Strominger dilaton black hole
Authors: Vieira H. S. , Bezerra V. B. , Muniz C. R. , Cunha M. S.
Published: July 2019

We use the exact analytical solution of the radial part of the Klein–Gordon equation describing a charged massive scalar field in the electrically charged Garfinkle–Horowitz–Strominger dilaton black hole spacetime, given in terms of the confluent Heun functions, to study the physical phenomena related to resonant frequencies associated with this field, and also to examine some aspects related to its Hawking radiation. The special case of a Schwarzschild spacetime is also considered.
EXPERIMENT AND MODELING OF SEATED HUMAN BODY EXPOSED TO LARGE-MAGNITUDE VIBRATION IN SIX SINGLE DIRECTIONS
Authors: LUO SHUANG , SHU HONGYU , CHEN XIANBAO
Published: July 2019

This paper is to perform experiment, modeling and parameter identification for the seated human bodies to provide insight into transmissibilities to the thigh and the chest, and estimate the indistinct spring and damping constants at human-seat interface. A test bench was designed, and a series of experiments was conducted with 15-seated subjects exposed to low-frequency and large-magnitude vibrations individually in roll, pitch, yaw, fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical axes. Transmissibilities were measured for each subject over the frequency range 0.5–8[Formula: see text]Hz. A 12-degree-of-freedom (DOF) biomechanical model was proposed and was subsequently simplified to six 2-DOF models to describe the experimental results in the corresponding directions. Translational and rotational spring and damping coefficients in six directions were identified via a genetic algorithm. Sensitivity tests were carried out and the influences of the spring and damping coefficients on the principal resonance frequencies and the peak moduli of the transmissibilities were exhibited.
CONTINUOUS MOTION AND TIME-VARYING STIFFNESS ESTIMATION OF THE HUMAN ELBOW JOINT BASED ON SEMG
Authors: LI KEXIANG , LIU XUAN , ZHANG JIANHUA , ZHANG MINGLU , HOU ZIMIN
Published: July 2019

The flexibility of body joints plays an important role in daily life, particularly when performing high-precision rapid pose switching. Importantly, understanding the characteristics of human joint movement is necessary for constructing robotic joints with the softness of humanoid joints. A novel method for estimating continuous motion and time-varying stiffness of the human elbow joint was proposed in the current study, which was based on surface electromyography (sEMG). We used the Hill-based muscle model (HMM) to establish a continuous motion estimation model (CMEM) of the elbow joint, and the genetic algorithm (GA) was used to optimize unknown parameters. Muscle short-range stiffness (SRS) was then used to characterize muscle stiffness, and a joint kinetic equation was used to express the relationship between skeletal muscle stiffness and elbow joint stiffness. Finally, we established a time-varying stiffness estimation model (TVSEM) of the elbow joint based on the CMEM. In addition, five subjects were tested to verify the performance of the CMEM and TVSEM. The total average root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of the CMEM with the optimal trials were 0.19[Formula: see text]rad and 0.21[Formula: see text]rad and the repeated trials were 0.24[Formula: see text]rad and 0.25[Formula: see text]rad, with 1.25-kg and 2.5[Formula: see text]kg-loads, respectively. The values of elbow joint stiffness ranged from 0–40[Formula: see text]Nm/rad for different muscle activities, which were estimated by the TVSEM.
De Morgan Dual Nominal Quantifiers Modelling Private Names in Non-Commutative Logic
Authors: Horne Ross , Tiu Alwen , Aman Bogdan , Ciobanu Gabriel
Published: July 2019

This article explores the proof theory necessary for recommending an expressive but decidable first-order system, named MAV1, featuring a De Morgan dual pair of nominal quantifiers. These nominal quantifiers called “new” and “wen” are distinct from the self-dual Gabbay-Pitts and Miller-Tiu nominal quantifiers. The novelty of these nominal quantifiers is they are polarised in the sense that “new” distributes over positive operators while “wen” distributes over negative operators. This greater control of bookkeeping enables private names to be modelled in processes embedded as formulae in MAV1. The technical challenge is to establish a cut elimination result from which essential properties including the transitivity of implication follow. Since the system is defined using the calculus of structures, a generalisation of the sequent calculus, novel techniques are employed. The proof relies on an intricately designed multiset-based measure of the size of a proof, which is used to guide a normalisation technique called
splitting
. The presence of equivariance, which swaps successive quantifiers, induces complex inter-dependencies between nominal quantifiers, additive conjunction, and multiplicative operators in the proof of splitting. Every rule is justified by an example demonstrating why the rule is necessary for soundly embedding processes and ensuring that cut elimination holds.