bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systematic review: chronic viral hepatitis and metabolic derangement
Authors: Wang Chia‐Chi , Cheng Pin‐Nan , Kao Jia‐Horng
Published: November 2019

Background

The liver has a critical role in the metabolism of glucose and lipids. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to a spectrum of liver disease including chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has a rising incidence owing to an epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease is a liver manifestation of MetS and has become the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide.

Aim

To summarise the interplay among hepatitis viruses, MetS and its components.

Methods

We searched the literature about HBV, HCV infection, MetS, fatty liver and its components from PubMed.

Results

With respect to the viral replication cycle, lipids are important mediators between viral entry and hepatocyte in HCV infection, but not in HBV infection. Thus, HCV infection is inversely associated with hyperlipidaemia and lipid rebound occurs following sustained viral response induced by interferon‐based therapy or direct antiviral agents. In addition, HCV infection is positively associated with insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, MetS and the risk of T2DM and atherosclerosis. In contrast, HBV infection may protect infected subjects from the development of MetS and hepatic steatosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that HBV infection is inversely associated with lipid metabolism, and exhibits no conclusive association with insulin resistance or the risk of T2DM and arteriosclerosis.

Conclusions

In patients with viral hepatitis and concurrent metabolic diseases, a multidisciplinary approach should be given rather than simply antiviral treatment.
Pivot Toward China: A Critical Analysis of the Philippines' Policy Shift on the South China Sea Disputes
Authors: Manantan Mark Bryan F.
Published: November 2019

This article investigates the Philippines' puzzling reversal of its position against China following its victory in the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on maritime claims in the South China Sea. Instead of asserting its de jure sovereign rights, which were reaffirmed by the PCA's decision, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte instead opted to build stronger relations with China. Proposing a burden sharing analytical approach, the article argues that the Philippines is using China as leverage in its alliance with the United States. By exploiting the “China Card” and downplaying the arbitration case, the Philippines has extracted concessions from Beijing and Washington. In capitalizing on the Sino‐American rivalry, Manila has reaffirmed its strategic value within the U.S.‒Philippines alliance while benefitting more visibly from Chinese foreign aid and investment pledges. However, the Philippines’ policy posture vis‐à‐vis China reflects short‐term diplomatic and economic tactics rather than an enduring strategic reorientation away from the United States.
Direct oral anticoagulants uptake and an oral anticoagulation paradox
Authors: Kennedy Cormac , Ni Choitir Caitriona , Clarke Sarah , Bennett Kathleen , Barry Michael
Published: November 2019

Oral anticoagulation (OAC) for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation is underutilised. One of the impediments to warfarin therapy is the frequent monitoring required, usually at a specialised warfarin clinic. The advent of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) facilitates OAC therapy without an onerous monitoring regimen. This benefit may result in the more significant adoption of DOACs in areas without a warfarin clinic. This study analysed national administrative data for reimbursed pharmacy claims to assess OAC prescribing from 2010 to 2017 and compared the use of DOACs in areas with warfarin clinics compared to those without. Over the study period, the number of patients on OAC increased by 84%, due to a rapid increase in DOAC prescribing. The findings demonstrate that DOACs have resulted in an increase in the overall uptake of OAC therapy in Ireland. However, the increased utilisation was not evidently related to populations underserved by warfarin clinics.
Morphine‐induced RACK1‐dependent autophagy in immortalized neuronal cell lines
Authors: Liu Li‐Tao , Song Ying‐Qi , Chen Xue‐Shen , Liu Yin , Zhu Jie‐Jun , Zhou Li‐Ming , Xu Shi‐Jun , Wan Li‐Hong
Published: November 2019

Background and Purpose

Autophagy is a critical cellular catabolic process in cell homoeostasis and brain function. Recent studies indicate that receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1) is involved in autophagosome formation in Drosophila and mice, and that it plays an essential role in morphine‐associated memory. However, the exact mechanism of the role of RACK1 in morphine‐induced autophagy is not fully understood.

Experimental Approach

SH‐SY5Y cells were cultured and morphine, rapamycin, 3‐methyladenine and RACK1 siRNA were used to evaluate the regulation of RACK1 protein in autophagy. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to assess protein expression.

Key Results

Activation of autophagy (i.e. autophagosome accumulation and an increase in the LC3‐II/LC3‐I ratio) induced by morphine contributes to the maintenance of conditioned place preference (CPP) memory in mice. Moreover, morphine treatment significantly increased Beclin‐1 expression and decreased the p‐mTOR/mTOR and SQSTM1/p62 levels, whereas knockdown of RACK1 prevented morphine‐induced autophagy in vitro. Furthermore, we found that in the mouse hippocampus, knockdown of RACK1 also markedly suppressed morphine‐induced autophagy (decreased LC3‐II/LC3‐I ratio and increased p‐mTOR/mTOR ratio). Importantly, morphine‐induced autophagy in a RACK1‐dependent manner. Conversely, morphine‐induced RACK1 upregulation in vitro is partially inhibited by autophagy feedback.

Conclusions and Implications

Our findings revealed a critical role for RACK1‐dependent autophagy in morphine‐promoted maintenance of CPP memory in mice and supported the notion that control of RACK1‐dependent autophagic pathways may become an important target for novel therapeutics for morphine‐associated memory.
Metabarcoding reveals diet diversity in an ungulate community in Thailand
Authors: McShea William J. , Sukmasuang Ronglarp , Erickson David L. , Herrmann Valentine , Ngoprasert Dusit , Bhumpakphan Naris , Davies Stuart J.
Published: November 2019

The diverse large mammal communities found in Asian dry forests and savannas should segregate based on their diet selection. We examined the diet composition of sympatric ungulate species using metabarcoding to determine whether their diet was segregated and whether obvious attributes (i.e., body size, phylogeny, ecology) explained the structure. We collected fecal samples from eight ungulate species in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in the western forest complex of Thailand. The fecal collections occurred around a plot where all woody species were codified within a genetic barcode library, and this library was supplemented with samples from plant species known to be consumed by these species. Of 273 plant species tested, at least 93 were found within the fecal samples. Over half of the identified species were not previously known by experts as forage species. All ungulate species showed a strong consumption of grasses and forbs. For the three species with sufficient sample size (sambar, banteng, and guar), there were seasonal differences in their diet, with each showing increased occurrence of woody plants during the dry season. The pattern of forage consumption did not follow obvious paradigms of body size or taxonomy, with significant diet differences found in two similar‐sized bovids (gaur, banteng), while the diet of sambar was more similar to bovids than to the other deer species. Asian ungulates differ in their forage consumption and metabarcoding should allow for testing of diet shifts in response to seasonal rains and fires which dominate the phenology of Asian dry forests and savannas.
A topic‐based term frequency normalization framework to enhance probabilistic information retrieval
Authors: Jian Fanghong , Huang Jimmy X. , Zhao Jiashu , Ying Zhiwei , Wang Yuqi
Published: November 2019

Many well‐known probabilistic information retrieval models have shown promise for use in document ranking, especially BM25. Nevertheless, it is observed that the control parameters in BM25 usually need to be adjusted to achieve improved performance on different data sets; additionally, the assumption in BM25 on the bag‐of‐words model prevents its direct utilization of rich information that lies at the sentence or document level. Inspired by the above challenges with respect to BM25, we first propose a new normalization method on the term frequency in BM25 (called BM25QL in this paper); in addition, the method is incorporated into CRTER2, a recent BM25‐based model, to construct CRTER2QL. Then, we incorporate topic modeling and word embedding into BM25 to relax the assumption of the bag‐of‐words model. In this direction, we propose a topic‐based retrieval model, TopTF, for BM25, which is then further incorporated into the language model (LM) and the multiple aspect term frequency (MATF) model. Furthermore, an enhanced topic‐based term frequency normalization framework, ETopTF, based on embedding is presented. Experimental studies demonstrate the great effectiveness and performance of these methods. Specifically, on all tested data sets and in terms of the mean average precision (MAP), our proposed models, BM25QL and CRTER2QL, are comparable to BM25 and CRTER2 with the best b parameter value; the TopTF models significantly outperform the baselines, and the ETopTF models could further improve the TopTF in terms of the MAP.
Brain tumor diagnosis based on artificial neural network and a chaos whale optimization algorithm
Authors: Gong Shu , Gao Wei , Abza Francis
Published: November 2019

Accurate and early detection of the brain tumor region has a great impact on the choice of treatment, its success rate, and the follow‐up of the disease process over time. This study presents a new bioinspired technique for the early detection of the brain tumor area to improve the chance of completely healing. The study presents a multistep technique to detect the brain tumor area. Herein, after image preprocessing and image feature extraction, an artificial neural network is used to determine the tumor area in the image. The method is based on using an improved version of the whale optimization algorithm for optimal selection of the features and optimizing the artificial neural network weights for classification. Simulation results of the proposed method are applied to FLAIR, T1, and T2 datasets and are compared with different algorithms. Three performance indexes including correct detection rate, false acceptance rate, and false rejection rate are selected for the system performance analysis. Final results showed the superiority of the proposed method toward the other similar methods.
1% Tetracaine hydrochloride injection pure solution aerosol inhalation combined with oral administration of dyclonine hydrochloride mucilage as upper airway anesthesia for bronchoscopy: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Wang Ning , Jin Faguang , Liu Wei , Dang ShaoKang , Wang Yan , Yan Yan , Wu GuanPing
Published: November 2019

Background

During the bronchoscopy process, successful passage of the tracheoscope through the glottis can affect the following procedure of bronchoscopy. Therefore, safer, more effective and less painful anesthesia methods are particularly important for the bronchoscopy success rate.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of 1% tetracaine hydrochloride injection pure solution aerosol inhalation combined with oral administration of dyclonine hydrochloride mucilage during bronchoscopy.

Methods

Patients who need bronchoscopy or bronchoscope treatment were randomly assigned to two groups; group A received pure tetracaine hydrochloride injection solution (3 mL of 1% tetracaine hydrochloride) aerosol inhalation combined with oral 5 mL of dyclonine hydrochloride mucilage and group B received diluted tetracaine hydrochloride injection (3 mL of 1% tetracaine hydrochloride injection + 3 mL of sterile water for injection) aerosol inhalation combined with oral 5 mL of dyclonine hydrochloride mucilage. The anesthetic effect and adverse reactions of these groups were observed and compared.

Result

A total of 523 patients were randomized. The results showed that patient's tolerance, cough response, glottis opening during the bronchoscope into the glottis and the time required to the tracheoscope pass through the glottis were obviously significantly better in group A than in group B. Vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate and pulse oxygen saturation were more stable in group A than in group B.

Conclusion

The 1% tetracaine hydrochloride injection pure liquid aerosol inhalation combined with oral administration of dyclonine hydrochloride mucilage as upper airway anesthesia is effective and safe for bronchoscopy. This method of local anesthesia is worthy of clinical application.
Parental Financial Socialization: Is Too Much Help Leading to Debt Ignorance among College Students?
Authors: Letkiewicz Jodi C. , Lim HanNa , Heckman Stuart J. , Montalto Catherine P.
Published: November 2019

Evidence suggests that college students are unaware of their debt obligations. This study utilized the National Student Financial Wellness Study to examine whether aspects of financial parenting contribute to debt ignorance among college students. Reliance on parents for advice, parental financial support, and credit card payment responsibility were positively associated with ignorance of debt. Financial knowledge and working while in college reduced the likelihood of debt ignorance. We discuss implications for how parents can help their children become financially responsible young adults.
Predicting hedge fund performance when fund returns are skewed
Authors: Heuson Andrea J. , Hutchinson Mark C. , Kumar Alok
Published: November 2019

We show that fund‐specific return skewness is associated with managerial skill and future hedge fund performance. Specifically, skewness in fund returns reflects managerial skill in avoiding large drawdowns. Using a new measure of investment skill that accounts for this managerial ability, we demonstrate that traditional performance measures underestimate (overestimate) managerial performance when returns exhibit positive (negative) fund‐specific skewness. Our new measure is particularly valuable during periods of economic crisis, when the annual risk‐adjusted outperformance is 5.5%.
Multivariate analysis of factors related to the absence of musculoskeletal degenerative disease in middle‐aged and older people
Authors: Imagama Shiro , Ando Kei , Kobayashi Kazuyoshi , Machino Masaaki , Tanaka Satoshi , Morozumi Masayoshi , Kanbara Shunsuke , Ito Sadayuki , Inoue Taro , Seki Taisuke , Ishizuka Shinya , Nakashima Hiroaki , Ishiguro Naoki , Hasegawa Yukiharu
Published: November 2019

Aim

Musculoskeletal degenerative disease (MSD; osteoporosis, knee arthritis and lumbar spondylosis) decreases the quality of life (QOL) of older people. The objective of the present study was to identify the factors related to the absence of MSD in multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Methods

The participants were 1034 volunteers (444 men, 590 women, mean age 63.5 years) in the Yakumo study. Osteoporosis (percentage of young adult mean ≤70%), knee arthritis (Kellgren–Lawrence grade ≥2), and lumbar spondylosis (Nathan class ≥3) were prospectively examined. Participants were divided into those with and without MSD. Age, sex, body mass index, muscle strength, gait ability, pain, body balance, spinal sagittal alignment, geriatric syndrome (locomotive syndrome, frailty and sarcopenia) and QOL (Short Form Health Survey) were compared between these groups to identify the factors associated with the absence of MSD.

Results

Significantly lower age, body mass index and pain; higher gait speed, grip and back muscle strength; more stable body balance; better sagittal spinal alignment; and lower rates of locomotive syndrome, frailty and sarcopenia were observed in the group without MSD (n = 445, 43%), with significantly better QOL (P < 0.0001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex, lower body mass index (odds ratio [OR] 1.10, P < 0.001), lower spinal inclination (OR 1.08, P < 0.01), higher back muscle strength (OR 1.01, P < 0.05), no locomotive syndrome (OR 1.80, P < 0.05) and good body balance (OR: 1.12, P < 0.05) were significant factors for the absence of MSD.

Conclusions

Factors related to an absence of MSD are also related to good QOL, and should be a focus of health interventions in healthy middle‐aged and older people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1141–1146.
Emicizumab prophylaxis in patients with haemophilia A with and without inhibitors
Authors: Ebbert Patrick T. , Xavier Frederico , Seaman Craig D. , Ragni Margaret V.
Published: November 2019

Introduction

Emicizumab is a bispecific monoclonal antibody that mimics factor VIII (FVIII) by binding to factors IXa and X to promote hemostasis in haemophilia A (HA) and HA with inhibitors (HA‐I). As emicizumab differs biochemically from FVIII, there is interest in its real‐world haemostatic efficacy.

Aim

To describe real‐world patient experience with emicizumab by retrospective chart review.

Methods

We reviewed medical records of patients cared for at the Hemophilia Center of Western PA, who initiated emicizumab following its licensure, and on whom bleeding events and factor use were available. Comparisons between groups were done by Student's t test for continuous data and by chi‐square or Fisher's exact test for discrete data.

Results

A total of 42 patients whose charts were reviewed included 18 (42.9%) with HA and 24 (52.1%) with HA‐I. Groups were similar in age, 17 (40.5%) <18 years, race, and haemophilia severity, and initiated weekly subcutaneous emicizumab 1.5 mg/kg, following 4‐week induction. Fourteen (33.3%) experienced at least one breakthrough bleed, of which 11 (44.0%) were joint bleeds, with an annualized bleed rate (ABR), 0.9 ± 0.3, not different between groups, P = .251. Surgical procedures were performed in 10 (23.8%), of whom 4 (40.0%) had postoperative bleeding and one developed postoperative thrombosis in association with FEIBA despite emicizumab discontinuation 1 month preoperatively. Local skin reactions occurred in three and headache in one. Overall, 85.0% of those who rated their health indicated it was improved.

Discussion

Despite breakthrough bleeds and postoperative thrombosis associated with emicizumab, most HA and HA‐I experienced improved health.
In silico prediction of potential miRNA‐disease association using an integrative bioinformatics approach based on kernel fusion
Authors: Guan Na‐Na , Wang Chun‐Chun , Zhang Li , Huang Li , Li Jian‐Qiang , Piao Xue
Published: November 2019

Accumulating experimental evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) have a huge impact on numerous critical biological processes and they are associated with different complex human diseases. Nevertheless, the task to predict potential miRNAs related to diseases remains difficult. In this paper, we developed a Kernel Fusion‐based Regularized Least Squares for MiRNA‐Disease Association prediction model (KFRLSMDA), which applied kernel fusion technique to fuse similarity matrices and then utilized regularized least squares to predict potential miRNA‐disease associations. To prove the effectiveness of KFRLSMDA, we adopted leave‐one‐out cross‐validation (LOOCV) and 5‐fold cross‐validation and then compared KFRLSMDA with 10 previous computational models (MaxFlow, MiRAI, MIDP, RKNNMDA, MCMDA, HGIMDA, RLSMDA, HDMP, WBSMDA and RWRMDA). Outperforming other models, KFRLSMDA achieved AUCs of 0.9246 in global LOOCV, 0.8243 in local LOOCV and average AUC of 0.9175 ± 0.0008 in 5‐fold cross‐validation. In addition, respectively, 96%, 100% and 90% of the top 50 potential miRNAs for breast neoplasms, colon neoplasms and oesophageal neoplasms were confirmed by experimental discoveries. We also predicted potential miRNAs related to hepatocellular cancer by removing all known related miRNAs of this cancer and 98% of the top 50 potential miRNAs were verified. Furthermore, we predicted potential miRNAs related to lymphoma using the data set in the old version of the HMDD database and 80% of the top 50 potential miRNAs were confirmed. Therefore, it can be concluded that KFRLSMDA has reliable prediction performance.
Long‐term outcome of cats with acquired myasthenia gravis without evidence of a cranial mediastinal mass
Authors: Mignan Thomas , Garosi Laurent , Targett Mike , Lowrie Mark
Published: November 2019

Background

Acquired myasthenia gravis (AMG) is increasingly recognized in cats, yet information regarding the natural history of the disease, treatment, and outcome including occurrence of immune and spontaneous remission remains limited.

Objective

To determine the long‐term outcome of cats with AMG without evidence of a cranial mediastinal mass (CMM).

Animals

Eight cats diagnosed with AMG without evidence of a CMM.

Methods

Retrospective case series. The medical records of cats diagnosed with AMG between 2005 and 2018 from 2 veterinary referral hospitals were reviewed for inclusion. Inclusion criteria consisted of a diagnosis of AMG, thoracic imaging, serum biochemistry including measurement of creatine kinase, and a CBC. Exclusion criteria were the presence of an identifiable CMM, or administration of methimazole or carbimazole.

Results

All cats had an excellent long‐term outcome, achieving immune remission within 6 months of diagnosis, including 4 cats that did not receive any treatment and whose natural course of disease involved spontaneous remission. Clinical presentation was heterogeneous, and skeletal muscle weakness and fatigability induced or exacerbated by the wheelbarrow exercise stress test were the most consistent abnormalities associated with AMG.

Conclusion and Clinical Importance

Cats diagnosed with AMG without evidence a CMM have a favorable outcome and frequently achieve immune remission. Moreover, the natural history of AMG in cats includes spontaneous remission when there is no evidence of a CMM. Attempting to rule out the presence of a CMM therefore refines prognosis, and treatment is not always necessary in this disease population.
Atypical capillary malformations with subsequent diplegia: A difficult case of capillary malformation‐arteriovenous malformation syndrome
Authors: Plumptre Isabella , Robertson Fergus , Rennie Adam , James Greg , Syed Samira B.
Published: November 2019

Capillary malformation‐arteriovenous malformation syndrome (CM‐AVM) is a rare condition associated with mutations in the genes RASA1 and EPHB4. We present a challenging case of CM‐AVM in a 17‐month‐old boy with permanent diplegia from an undiagnosed arteriovenous malformation underlying a large atypical capillary malformation over the lower thoracic spine. This case demonstrates that clinicians should have a low threshold for neuroimaging in the context of new neurologic symptoms in patients with atypical capillary malformations.
Fusarium pseudograminearum as an emerging pathogen of crown rot of wheat in eastern China
Authors: Deng Y. Y. , Li W. , Zhang P. , Sun H. Y. , Zhang X. X. , Zhang A. X. , Chen H. G.
Published: November 2019

Fusarium crown rot of wheat has been spreading in the Huanghuai wheat‐growing area in China since 2010, leading to a potential yield loss. To investigate the pathogens associated with this disease in Jiangsu and Shandong provinces in recent years, 617 Fusarium isolates were isolated from nine sites in these two provinces between 2014 and 2016. Of these isolates, 372 were identified as Fusarium pseudograminearum, and the remaining isolates were identified as F. asiaticum and F. graminearum, suggesting that F. pseudograminearum is becoming a predominant causative pathogen of crown rot of wheat in eastern China. Trichothecene gene detection and chemical analyses of trichothecenes indicated that the F. pseudograminearum isolates belonged to the 3‐ADON or 15‐ADON chemotype, and one isolate had the NIV genotype but produced no detectable NIV. 3‐ADON isolates were predominant in Jiangsu, whereas 15‐ADON isolates were prevalent in Shandong. The mating type of the F. pseudograminearum isolates were identified. MAT‐1 and MAT‐2 existed, but in most collections, particularly those in Jiangsu, the ratios of the two mating types deviated significantly from an expected 1:1 ratio. The reason for the occurrence of F. pseudograminearum is hypothesized, and the chemotype and mating type distribution of this species in these two provinces are analysed.
The uses of history in religious controversies from Erasmus to Baronio
Authors: Bauer Stefan
Published: November 2019

The uses of history in religious controversies from Erasmus to Baronio (special issue)
Reformatio or restauratio? The rehabilitation of Pope Gregory VII in Catholic historiography after Trent
Authors: Giuliani Gianmarco
Published: November 2019

This essay highlights the role played by Pope Gregory VII (r. 1073–85) in the confessional historiography of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A pivotal figure in ecclesiastical history, this medieval pope was the subject of lively historical debate. The Lutheran Magdeburg Centuries assessed Gregory as the best example of the increasing dominion of the Antichrist’s spirit in the Latin Church, and this view was generally shared by all Protestant scholars. The eleventh volume of the Annales ecclesiastici (Ecclesiastical Annals, 1605) by Caesar Baronio was the major attempt to rehabilitate Gregory’s status, in particular broadening the richness of contemporary sources. Baronio succeeded in creating a new critical account of Gregory. Contrary to the Protestant apocalyptic view, Gregory was not the symbol of the end of the first Christian millennium; instead, he safeguarded the apostolic purity of the Church. Baronio became a spokesman for the Doctrina Hildebrandina, a doctrine sanctioned by the decrees of the Council of Trent (1545–63) and reinforced by subsequent Catholic theologians. What emerges is, above all, a certain uniformity of historical method in all confessional parties. In addition, the pontificate of Gregory VII represented a crucial turning point in the Catholic interpretation of history as well as in the Protestant one.
A pilot study of parents’ experiences of reflexology treatment for infants with colic in Finland
Authors: Hannula Leena , Puukka Pauli , Asunmaa Marjut , Mäkijärvi Markku
Published: November 2019

Background

Many infants under 4 months suffer from infantile colic. Infants with colic cry a lot, appear to be in pain, and it is difficult to sooth them. Colic is a painful condition for the infant and very stressful to parents. Parents in Finland get advice to try reflexology treatment for their infant, but there are no studies in Finland to support this advice.

Aim

The aim of the pilot study was to treat infants with reflexology and find out parents’ experiences of the effects of the treatment on colic symptoms and parental stress.

Method

A total of 33 parents of 35 infants diagnosed with colic participated to the pilot study. Three certified reflexologists with health care education background and extensive experience in infant reflexology were trained to give the reflexology treatment in a standardised manner. They treated each infant 3–4 times. The whole body reflexology treatment session consisted of gentle pressure treatment of soles and feet, hands, head, face, ears, back, neck and whole stomach area. One treatment session lasted about 20–30 minutes, and treatments were delivered within 8–12 days. The data were collected from the parents with semi‐structured questionnaires.

Results

The series of the treatments helped reduce the suffering of all the babies with infant colic. The colic symptoms disappeared on 43% of infants and decreased on the remaining 57%. The parents reported having pleasant experiences with the treatment, regardless whether the colic symptoms disappeared or continued. Parents stated that the treatment reduced the most typical colic symptoms; infants’ body tension, colic crying and restless movements, poor sleep quality and irregular bowel movements.

Conclusions

Reflexology treatment seems to be a safe and effective way to treat infants with colic when conducted by a health care professional with reflexology training and experience.
Measuring cross‐country material wellbeing and inequality using consumer durables
Authors: Grimes Arthur , Hyland Sean
Published: November 2019

We measure the mean and inequality in country material wellbeing based on households’ consumer durables, using household‐level data from OECD’s PISA surveys for 40 countries over 2000–2012. Our consumption‐based measures capture aspects of material wellbeing not captured fully by income‐based measures. For 2012, tests show that the consumption‐based metrics are more closely associated with objective mortality‐related outcomes than are income‐based measures; in 2000 (and over 2000–2012) each set of measures adds information relative to the other. The consumption‐based measures may be particularly useful in revealing where income‐based measures provide inaccurate indications of the mean and/or inequality in household living standards.
Importance of a verification test to accurately assess V̇O2max in unfit individuals with obesity
Authors: Moreno‐Cabañas Alfonso , Ortega Juan F. , Morales‐Palomo Felix , Ramirez‐Jimenez Miguel , Mora‐Rodriguez Ricardo
Published: November 2019

Background

To determine the trustworthiness of graded exercise test to exhaustion (GXT) to assess maximal oxygen uptake () in metabolic syndrome individuals with obesity and poor cardiorespiratory fitness.

Methods

was assessed in 100 metabolic syndrome adults (57 ± 8 years; 34% women), with obesity (BMI 32 ± 5 kg·m−2) using GXT followed by supramaximal constant‐load verification test (VerT) at 110% of maximal GXT work rate. data from GXT and VerT were compared using paired t test and plotted for Bland‐Altman analysis. GXT sensitivity and specificity to detect were also calculated.

Results

Seventy individuals did not achieve plateau during GXT. GXT underestimated in 40 subjects. In these subjects, the magnitude of underestimation with GXT was 9% (167 mLO2·min−1; P < .001). In the whole sample (n = 100), bias error differences between GXT and VerT was 63 mLO2·min−1 (3% underestimation). This error was constant regardless of differences in fitness levels among individuals (R = −0.07; homoscedasticity). GXT results were unreliable in 62% of the sample with 16% of false‐positive and 46% of false‐negative results. Sensitivity and specificity of GTX to assess were low (ie, 23% and 60%, respectively).

Conclusion

Our data indicate that the magnitude (3%‐9%) and prevalence (40% of subjects) of underestimation with the use of a GXT alone is high in a large sample of unfit metabolic syndrome individuals with obesity. Our data advocate for the need of using VerT after GXT to avoid significant cardiorespiratory fitness underestimation in metabolic syndrome individuals with obesity and low fitness level.
The Sino‐North Korea international economic relationship and the economic development of North Korea
Authors: Mah Jai S.
Published: November 2019

The North Korean government has tried to promote export and attract foreign direct investment (FDI) since the 1990s. Sino‐North Korea trade values jumped during the 2000s, and China became North Korea's largest trade partner. China's FDI in North Korea began to increase abruptly since the late 2000s. The mining sector led China's investment in and import from North Korea. Although China has dominated any other country in FDI inflows and international trade with North Korea, the former's contribution to the economic development of the latter has not been so substantial in the light of the composition of international trade and FDI inflows. To materialise the potential of Sino‐North Korea trade and Chinese firms' investment in North Korea further, it is essential to improve North Korea's diplomatic relationship with China. In addition, the North Korean government needs to pay attention to upgrading the structure and composition of bilateral trade and FDI inflows from China.
Outer retinal degeneration in two closely related Goeldi's monkeys (Callimico goeldii)
Authors: Kosec Goran , Kafarnik Christiane , Sayers Ghislaine , Scurrell Emma Jane , Carter Wallace James
Published: November 2019

This case report comprises studies of four Goeldi's monkeys (Callimico goeldii) from the same enclosure. Globe samples from two related C goeldii (the female C goeldii and her male offspring) were available for a histopathological evaluation. Both cases presented histopathologically evident outer retinal degeneration with differences in severity. There was marked outer retinal atrophy characterized by loss of the outer and inner photoreceptor segments, and depletion of the outer retinal nuclear layer. Furthermore, we report a reduction in the thickness of the outer retinal plexiform, inner retinal nuclear layer, and inner retinal plexiform layer in these C goeldii monkeys. To the authors’ knowledge, these findings have not yet been reported in wild‐ or captive‐bred population of C goeldii.
Focal/multifocal and geographic retinal dysplasia in the dog—In vivo retinal microanatomy analyses
Authors: Iwabe Simone , Dufour Valerie L. , Guzmán José M. , Holle Dolores M. , Cohen Julie A. , Beltran William A. , Aguirre Gustavo D.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

To examine the in vivo microanatomy of retinal folds and geographic lesions in dogs with acquired or inherited retinal dysplasia.

Material and methods

Thirteen dogs had retinal microanatomy evaluation under general anesthesia using cSLO/sdOCT; two eyes had noninherited multifocal retinal folds, five had inherited multifocal retinal folds (drd1 or drd2), and 10 geographic retinal dysplasia. Retinas from two drd2 carrier dogs were examined by histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) after in vivo imaging.

Results

Retinal folds are the common feature of acquired focal/multifocal or geographic retinal dysplasia, are indistinguishable structurally from those associated with syndromic oculoskeletal dysplasia, and represent outer nuclear layer invaginations and rosettes visible by sdOCT. In dogs heterozygous for oculoskeletal dysplasia, the folds form clusters in a perivascular distribution along superior central vessels. IHC confirmed photoreceptor identity in the retinal folds. The geographic dysplasia plaques are not focally detached, but have inner retinal disorganization and intense autofluorescence in cSLO autofluorescence mode that is mainly limited to the geographic lesion, but is not uniform and in some extends beyond the plaques.

Conclusion

We propose that the autofluorescent characteristic of the geographic lesions is associated with an inner retinal disruption associated with perivascular or infiltrating macrophages and phagocytosis of cellular debris. As well, we suggest restructuring the examination forms to distinguish the folds that are sporadically distributed from those that have a perivascular distribution as the latter likely represent carriers for drd. In this latter group, DNA testing would be a helpful tool to provide specific breeding advice.
Numerical study of the surface and subsurface vortices suppression in a rectangular pump basin using anti‐vortex devices
Authors: Safarzadeh Akbar , Talebi Mina , Mohajeri Seyed Hossein
Published: November 2019

The present study reports the results of high‐resolution free surface Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations of the three‐dimensional (3D) flow field in a rectangular pump intake system. The numerical simulations are composed of various scenarios without/with various anti‐vortex devices (AVDs) to suppress the surface and subsurface vortices around the pipe. For this purpose, after performing a comparison between the streamlines of a benchmark test case and the data available in the literature, the 3D vortical structures around the pipe and inside of the basin have been visualized using the Q‐criterion. In addition, the circulation and swirl angle indices inside the pipe are implemented for evaluating the performance of different types of AVDs. The results showed that the surface vortices cause low frequency oscillations in the pump inlet. In this case, the use of a curtain wall controls the surface vortices and eliminates low frequency and high amplitude oscillations in the pump inlet. Examining various cases with AVDs shows that none of the scenarios with AVDs could fully control the surface and submerged vortices. Due to this fact, a novel geometry for the pump basin is introduced which suppresses the entire free surface, submerged and floor vortices.
Environmental and cultured cyanobacteria as sources of Aedes aegypti larvicides
Authors: Ayala Farja I , Becerra Laura M , Quintana Jairo , Bayona Lina M , Ramos Freddy A , Puyana Mónica , Duque Fredy , Castellanos Leonardo
Published: November 2019

In tropical countries, the control of the mosquito Aedes aegypti is a public health priority due to its role as a vector of important viral diseases. Marine cyanobacteria are recognized as abundant sources of bioactive compounds, and they constitute a potential source of insecticides useful for controlling mosquito populations and preventing epidemic outbreaks. We collected 30 benthic cyanobacterial mats in Providencia and Rosario islands (in the Colombian Caribbean) belonging to the genera Phormidium, Symploca, Oscillatoria, Lyngbya, Pseudoanabaena, Leptolyngbya, Moorea, and Dapis. Fractions of organic extracts from the most abundant environmental samples were evaluated in three bioassays, assessing (i) larvicidal activity against A. aegypti, (ii) toxicity against the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) nauplii, and (iii) acetylcholinesterase inhibition. Non-polar fractions exhibited larvicidal activity. The polar fraction from one Dapis pleuosa extract showed larvicidal activity without being toxic against A. salina nauplii. Extracts from Moorea producens exhibited the greatest toxicity against A. aegypti larvae and A. salina nauplii. From 23 cultured cyanobacterial samples, only five grew under laboratory conditions and produced enough biomass to yield organic extracts. Of these, three extracts showed strong larvicidal activity, but only the extract from Phormidium tenue showed reduced toxicity against A. salina nauplii. We detected variation among the chemical profiles and larvicidal activity of cyanobacterial consortia depending on sites and dates of collection. Our findings suggest that despite variation in chemical profiles, extracts of marine benthic cyanobacteria can be further developed as effective control agents against insect vectors, in their larval stages. The culture of marine benthic cyanobacteria needs to be further explored to provide enough biomass leading to the identification of bioactive compounds with public health applications.
Structural and optical study of alternating layers of In and GaAs prepared by magnetron sputtering
Authors: Torres-Jaramillo Santiago , Pulzara-Mora Camilo , Bernal-Correa Roberto , Venegas de la Cerda Miguel , Gallardo-Hernández Salvador , López-López Máximo , Pulzara-Mora Álvaro
Published: November 2019

Currently, the obtention of nano-structures based on III-V materials is expensive. This calls for novel and inexpensive nanostructure manufacturing approaches. In this work we report on the manufacture of a nanostructures consisting of alternating layers of In and GaAs on a silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering. Furthermore, we characterized the produced nanostructures using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), X-ray diffraction analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. SIMS revealed variation in the concentration of In atoms across In/GaAs/In interphases, and X-ray diffraction revealed planes corresponding to phases associated with GaAs and InAs due to In interfacial diffusion across GaAs layers. Finally, in order to study the composition and crystalquality of the manufactured nanostaructures, Raman spectra were taken using laser excitation lines of 452 nm, 532 nm, and 562 nm at different points across the nanostructures.This allowed to determine the transverse and longitudinal optical modes of GaAs and InAs,characteristic of a two-mode behavior. An acoustic longitudinal vibrational mode LA(Γ) of GaAs and an acoustic longitudinal mode activated by disorder (DALA) were observed. These resulted from the substitution of Ga atoms for In atoms in high concentrations due to the generation of Ga(VGa) and/or Arsenic(VAs) vacancies.This set of analyses show that magnetron sputtering can be aviable and relatively low-cost technique to obtain this type of semiconductors.
Design of a Command-Shaping Scheme for Mitigating Residual Vibrations in Dielectric Elastomer Actuators
Authors: Sharma Atul Kumar
Published: November 2019

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are a class of highly deformable electroactive polymers (EAPs) employed for electromechanical transduction technology. When electrostatically actuated dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are subjected to an input signal comprising multiple Heaviside voltage steps, the emerging inherent residual vibrations may limit their motion accuracy in practical applications. In this paper, the systematic development of a command-shaping scheme is proposed for controlling residual vibrations in an electrically driven planar DEA. The proposed scheme relies on invoking the force balance at the point of maximum lateral stretch in an oscillation cycle to bring the actuator to a stagnation state followed by the application of an additional electric input signal of predetermined magnitude at a specific time. The underlying concept of the proposed control scheme is articulated for a single Heaviside step input-driven actuator and further extended to the actuator subjected to the multistep input signal. The equation governing the dynamic motion of the actuator is derived using the principle of virtual work. The devised dynamic model of the actuator incorporates the effects of strain stiffening of elastomer and viscous energy dissipation. The nonlinear dynamic governing equation is solved using matlab ode solver for extracting the dynamic response of the actuator. The applicability of the devised command-shaping control scheme is illustrated by taking a wide range of parameters including variations in the extent of equilibrium state sequences, damping, and polymer chain extensibility. The proposed scheme is found to be adaptable in controlling the vibrations of the actuator for any desired equilibrium state. The results presented in this paper can find its potential application in the design of an open-loop control system for DEAs.
Photoassisted atomic layer deposition of oxides employing alkoxides as single-source precursors
Authors: Miikkulainen Ville , Väyrynen Katja , Mizohata Kenichiro , Räisänen Jyrki , Vehkamäki Marko , Ritala Mikko
Published: November 2019

Photoassisted atomic layer deposition (photo-ALD) is a variant of an ALD process where photons of ultraviolet or visible range are utilized to supply energy to, and to modify, the ALD surface reactions. In this paper, the authors report photo-ALD processes for titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, and tantalum oxides by employing the corresponding liquid, volatile metal alkoxides as precursors in a single-source approach, i.e., without any additional reactant. The ALD reactor was equipped with a light source delivering photons over a continuous spectrum between 190 and 800 nm in wavelength. The deposition sequence consisted of a precursor pulse, a purge, a photon exposure, and another purge. The process characteristics and film properties were explored. Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 films were amorphous, whereas TiO2, ZrO2, and HfO2 showed an amorphous and polycrystalline structure, depending on the deposition conditions. With photo-ALD, area-selective deposition is realized by shadow masking. The character of the growth process, i.e., whether the chemistry is driven by photolytic or photothermal mechanism, is discussed based on deposition experiments with patterned substrates and optical filtering. Electrical characterization of photo-ALD HfO2 shows promising dielectric properties.
Morphology and emission characteristics of an HfC〈110〉 thermal-field electron source
Authors: Shook David W. , Swanson Lynwood W. , Bahm Alan S. , Wambeke Jessica R. , Schwind Gregory A.
Published: November 2019

The emission characteristics and morphology of three ⟨110⟩ oriented HfC field emitters operated at elevated temperatures and electric field were investigated. During operation, a ridge is formed at the emitter apex due to the growth and intersection of either two {111} or two {100} planes. The latter planes were the primary facets that formed during operation. Modeling analysis showed that for a surface energy ratio of γ111/γ100=1.15, a vertex forms at the apex and for γ111/γ100≠1.15, the ridge would rotate from a ⟨110⟩ direction (for γ111/γ100<1.15) to a ⟨100⟩ crystal direction (for γ111/γ100>1.15). For a well aligned HfC⟨110⟩ emitter, it appeared from the preferred ridge alignment that γ111/γ100>1.15. For a large radius emitter with a ridge length of >40nm, the emission distribution was a twofold symmetric “bow tie” shape with the maximum angular intensity (I′) at the corners of the ridge structure. For a smaller radius emitter with a ridge length of <40nm, the emission distribution was a single oblong shaped pattern with the maximum I′ at the center. Axial work function values at 1600 K ranged from 3.0 eV for the ridge formed along the ⟨100⟩ direction to 3.8 eV for the ridged formed along the ⟨110⟩ direction. Axial values of the full width at half maximum of the energy distribution increased from 1.0 to 4.0 eV as I′ increased from 0.08 to 7.0 mA/sr. Low frequency axial current fluctuations for emitters with a large emitting area at T=1600K were 3%–7% and increased to 15% for emitters with a smaller emitting area.
Predictors of Mortality in Bloodstream Infections Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Impact of Antimicrobial Resistance and Bacterial Virulence
Authors: Recio Raúl , Mancheño Mikel , Viedma Esther , Villa Jennifer , Orellana María Ángeles , Lora-Tamayo Jaime , Chaves Fernando
Published: November 2019

Whether multidrug resistance (MDR) is associated with mortality in patients with
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
bloodstream infections (BSI) remains controversial. Here, we explored the prognostic factors of
P. aeruginosa
BSI with emphasis on antimicrobial resistance and virulence. All
P. aeruginosa
BSI episodes in a 5-year period were retrospectively analyzed.
Comparison of Different Commercially Available Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays with Immunofluorescence Test for Detection of Phase II IgG and IgM Antibodies to
Coxiella burnetii
Authors: Dangel Larissa , Koempf Daniela , Fischer Silke F.
Published: November 2019

Several commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of phase II IgG or IgM antibodies against
Coxiella burnetii
were compared. In addition, an indirect immunofluorescence test was used as a confirmation test. In all, 70 serum samples for IgG and 43 serum samples for IgM were tested. The ELISAs showed large differences in sensitivity and specificity, which led to a partially high ratio of false-negative determinations.
Complete Genome Sequences of Two Avilamycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Strains Isolated from Chicken in the United States
Authors: Zhao S. , Li C. , Mukherjee S. , Hsu C. H. , Singh R. , Gilbert J. , McDermott P.
Published: November 2019

Avilamycin-resistant
Enterococcus
spp. have never been reported in the United States. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of two avilamycin-resistant (Avi
r
)
Enterococcus faecium
strains isolated from a retail chicken and a cecal sample from a young chicken. Both isolates are multidrug resistant (MDR) and carry
emtA
on MDR plasmids.