bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Determinants of Hypertension in India Based on the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline: Evidence from the India National Family Health Survey
Authors: Abariga Samuel A , Khachan Hamed , Al Kibria Gulam Muhammed 
Published: November 2019

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence and determinants of hypertension in India based on a new definition by the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (2017 ACC/AHA) Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults, and compare prevalence estimates with those of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC7).

METHODS
We used the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted in India (n = 212,007). We accounted for the sampling strategy by applying survey weights.

RESULTS
Prevalence of hypertension among Indians aged 15–49 years was 40.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 40.3–41.0) and 13.0% (95% CI: 12.8–13.2) based on 2017 ACC/AHA and JNC7 guidelines respectively. The overall absolute increase in prevalence was 27.6% (95% CI:27.3–27.9). The absolute changes in crude prevalence of hypertension between the JNC7 and 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines for men and women were 31.4% (95% CI: 30.9–31.9) and 23.7% (95% CI: 23.5–23.9), respectively. As per both guidelines, the overall prevalence was significantly higher among older people, age, male sex, overweight/obesity, higher wealth status, and urban residence.

CONCLUSION
Applying the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline to the Indian population led to a significant increase in the proportion of Indians with hypertension. There is also socioeconomic differences in the prevalence of hypertension as per both guidelines. Implementation and expansion of public health efforts for prevention and control strategies for hypertension is warranted.
scGEAToolbox: a Matlab toolbox for single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis
Authors: Cai James J 
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Motivation
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology has revolutionized the way research is done in biomedical sciences. It provides an unprecedented level of resolution across individual cells for studying cell heterogeneity and gene expression variability. Analyzing scRNA-seq data is challenging though, due to the sparsity and high dimensionality of the data.

Results
I developed scGEAToolbox—a Matlab toolbox for scRNA-seq data analysis. It contains a comprehensive set of functions for data normalization, feature selection, batch correction, imputation, cell clustering, trajectory/pseudotime analysis and network construction, which can be combined and integrated to building custom workflow. Although most of the functions are implemented in native Matlab, wrapper functions are provided to allow users to call the ‘third-party’ tools developed in Matlab or other languages. Furthermore, scGEAToolbox is equipped with sophisticated graphical user interfaces generated with App Designer, making it an easy-to-use application for quick data processing.

Availability and implementation
https://github.com/jamesjcai/scGEAToolbox.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Roles of Positive Psychology for Mental Health in UK Social Work Students: Self-Compassion as a Predictor of Better Mental Health
Authors: Kotera Y , Green P , Sheffield D 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Despite high shame about mental health symptoms among UK social work students, positive psychological approaches to their mental health have not been investigated in depth. Emotional resilience has been a core skill in social work practice; however, its relationship with mental health is still unclear. Therefore, the primary purposes of this cross-sectional study were to (i) examine the relationships between mental health and positive psychological constructs, namely resilience, self-compassion, motivation and engagement and (ii) determine predictors of mental health in UK social work students. An opportunity sampling of 116 UK social work students (102 females, 14 males; 96 undergraduates, 20 postgraduates) completed 5 measures about these constructs. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Mental health was associated with resilience, self-compassion and engagement. Self-compassion was a negative predictor, and intrinsic motivation was a positive predictor of mental health symptoms. Resilience did not predict mental health symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of self-compassion to the challenging mental health of UK social work students; they caution against the overuse and misunderstanding of resilience in the social work field.
Local cold adaption increases the thermal window of temperate mussels in the Arctic
Authors: Thyrring J , Tremblay R , Sejr M K 
Published: November 2019

AbstractSpecies expand towards higher latitudes in response to climate warming, but the pace of this expansion is related to the physiological capacity to resist cold stress. However, few studies exist that have quantified the level of inter-population local adaptation in marine species freeze tolerance, especially in the Arctic. We investigated the importance of cold adaptation and thermal window width towards high latitudes from the temperate to the Arctic region. We measured upper and lower lethal air temperatures (i.e. LT and LT50) in temperate and Arctic populations of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), and analysed weather data and membrane fatty acid compositions, following emersion simulations. Both populations had similar upper LT (~38 °C), but Arctic mussels survived 4°C colder air temperatures than temperate mussels (−13 vs. −9°C, respectively), corresponding to an 8% increase in their thermal window. There were strong latitudinal relationships between thermal window width and local air temperatures, indicating Arctic mussels are highly adapted to the Arctic environment where the seasonal temperature span exceeds 60°C. Local adaptation and local habitat heterogeneity thus allow leading-edge M. edulis to inhabit high Arctic intertidal zones. This intraspecific pattern provides insight into the importance of accounting for cold adaptation in climate change, conservation and biogeographic studies.
Screening Drought-Tolerant Native Plants for Attractiveness to Arthropod Natural Enemies in the U.S. Great Lakes Region
Authors: Gibson Daniel R , Rowe Logan , Isaacs Rufus , Landis Douglas A 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Arthropods provide a variety of critical ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes; however, agricultural intensification can reduce insect abundance and diversity. Designing and managing habitats to enhance beneficial insects requires the identification of effective insectary plants that attract natural enemies and provide floral resources. We tested the attractiveness of 54 plant species with tolerance to dry soils, contrasting perennial forbs and shrubs native to the Great Lakes region to selected non-native species in three common garden experiments in Michigan during 2015–2016. Overall, we found 32 species that attracted significantly more natural enemies than associated controls. Among these, Achillea millefolium and Solidago juncea were consistently among the most attractive plants at all three sites, followed by Solidago speciosa, Coreopsis tripteris, Solidago nemoralis, Pycnanthemum pilosum, and Symphyotrichum oolantangiense. Species which attracted significantly more natural enemies at two sites included: Asclepias syriaca, Asclepias tuberosa, Monarda fistulosa, Oligoneuron rigidum, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Dasiphora fruticosa, Ratibida pinnata, Asclepias verticillata, Monarda punctata, Echinacea purpurea, Helianthus occidentalis, Silphium integrifolium, Silphium terebinthinaceum, Helianthus strumosus, and Symphyotrichum sericeum. Two non-native species, Lotus corniculatus, and Centaurea stoebe, were also attractive at multiple sites but less so than co-blooming native species. Parasitic Hymenoptera were the most abundant natural enemies, followed by predatory Coleoptera and Hemiptera, while Hemiptera (Aphidae, Miridae, and Tingidae) were the most abundant herbivores. Collectively, these plant species can provide floral resources over the entire growing season and should be considered as potential insectary plants in future habitat management efforts.
Do the Quality and Quantity of Honey Bee-Collected Pollen Vary Across an Agricultural Land-Use Gradient?
Authors: Simanonok Michael P , Otto Clint R V , Smart Matthew D 
Published: November 2019

AbstractPollen is the source of protein for most bee species, yet the quality and quantity of pollen is variable across landscapes and growing seasons. Understanding the role of landscapes in providing nutritious forage to bees is important for pollinator health, particularly in areas undergoing significant land-use change such as in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) region of the United States where grasslands are being converted to row crops. We investigated how the quality and quantity of pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera L. [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) changed with land use and across the growing season by sampling bee-collected pollen from apiaries in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, USA, throughout the flowering season in 2015–2016. We quantified protein content and quantity of pollen to investigate how they varied temporally and across a land-use gradient of grasslands to row crops. Neither pollen weight nor crude protein content varied linearly across the land-use gradient; however, there were significant interactions between land use and sampling date across the season, particularly in grasslands. Generally, pollen protein peaked mid-July while pollen weight had two maxima in late-June and late-August. Results suggest that while land use itself may not correlate with the quality or quantity of pollen resources collected by honey bees among our study apiaries, the nutritional landscape of the NGP is seasonally dynamic, especially in certain land covers, and may impose seasonal resource limitations for both managed and native bee species. Furthermore, results indicate periods of qualitative and quantitative pollen dearth may not coincide.
Friendship and Female Education: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Bangladeshi Primary Schools
Authors: Hahn Youjin , Islam Asadul , Patacchini Eleonora , Zenou Yves 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
We randomly assigned 115 primary schools in Bangladesh to one of two settings: children studying in groups with friends and children studying in groups with peers. The groups consisted of four people with similar average cognitive abilities and household characteristics. While the achievement of male students was not affected by the group assignment, low-ability females with friends outperformed low-ability females working with peers by roughly 0.4 standard deviations of the test score distribution. This is not due to the fact that friends tend to be of the same gender or to a higher frequency of interactions among friends.
Changing Global Dynamics and International Competition Law: Considering China’s Potential Impact
Authors: Ng Wendy 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Competition law is increasingly international in its scope and application. Today, over 130 jurisdictions have competition law. Although most competition laws are national in scope and no formalized competition law-related rules apply globally, international norms for competition law have been created and fostered. These norms largely reflect the perspectives and approaches of the USA, European Union and developed countries more generally. However, developing countries now constitute the majority of competition law jurisdictions, and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – which all have competition laws – have risen as important economic powers. Whether and how these changing global dynamics will impact international competition law norms is an important issue that remains under-explored. This article considers this question by examining China and its competition law. It examines the extent to which China has adopted and incorporated international norms into its competition law and evaluates whether China’s approach to, and understanding of, competition law might challenge or change the development of international competition law norms in the future.
Illuminating the dynamic rare biosphere of the Greenland Ice Sheet's Dark Zone
Authors: Gokul Jarishma K , Cameron Karen A , Irvine-Fynn Tristram D L , Cook Joseph M , Hubbard Alun , Stibal Marek , Hegarty Matt , Mur Luis A J , Edwards Arwyn 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Greenland's Dark Zone is the largest contiguous region of bare terrestrial ice in the Northern Hemisphere and microbial processes play an important role in driving its darkening and thereby amplifying melt and runoff from the ice sheet. However, the dynamics of these microbiota have not been fully identified. Here we present joint 16S rRNA gene and 16S rRNA (cDNA) comparison of input (snow), storage (cryoconite), and output (supraglacial stream water) habitats across the Dark Zone over the melt season. We reveal that all three Dark Zone communities have a preponderance of rare taxa exhibiting high protein synthesis potential (PSP). Furthermore, taxa with high PSP represent highly connected ‘bottlenecks’ within community structure, consistent with their roles as metabolic hubs. Finally, low abundance-high PSP taxa affiliated with Methylobacterium within snow and stream water suggest a novel role for Methylobacterium in the carbon cycle of Greenlandic snowpacks, and importantly, the export of potentially active methylotrophs to the bed of the Greenland Ice Sheet. By comparing the dynamics of bulk and potentially active microbiota in the Dark Zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet we provide novel insights into the mechanisms and impacts of the microbial colonization of this critical region of our melting planet.
Ethnicity-specific and overlapping alterations of brain hydroxymethylome in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Qin Lixia , Xu Qian , Li Ziyi , Chen Li , Li Yujing , Yang Nannan , Liu Zhenhua , Guo Jifeng , Shen Lu , Allen Emily G , Chen Chao , Ma Chao , Wu Hao , Zhu Xiongwei , Jin Peng , Tang Beisha 
Published: November 2019

Abstract5-Methylcytosine (5mC), generated through the covalent addition of a methyl group to the fifth carbon of cytosine, is the most prevalent DNA modification in humans and functions as a critical player in the regulation of tissue and cell-specific gene expression. 5mC can be oxidized to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by ten–eleven translocation (TET) enzymes, which is enriched in brain. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, and several studies using the samples collected from Caucasian cohorts have found that epigenetics, particularly cytosine methylation, could play a role in the etiological process of AD. However, little research has been conducted using the samples of other ethnic groups. Here we generated genome-wide profiles of both 5mC and 5hmC in human frontal cortex tissues from late-onset Chinese AD patients and cognitively normal controls. We identified both Chinese-specific and overlapping differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs) with Caucasian cohorts. Pathway analyses revealed specific pathways enriched among Chinese-specific DhMRs, as well as the shared DhMRs with Caucasian cohorts. Furthermore, two important transcription factor-binding motifs, hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF2α) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α), were enriched in the DhMRs. Our analyses provide the first genome-wide profiling of DNA hydroxymethylation of the frontal cortex of AD patients from China, emphasizing an important role of 5hmC in AD pathogenesis and highlighting both ethnicity-specific and overlapping changes of brain hydroxymethylome in AD.
Brexit and the UN Security Council: declining British influence?
Authors: Gifkins Jess , Jarvis Samuel , Ralph Jason 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union has ramifications beyond the UK and the EU. This article analyses the impact of the Brexit referendum on the UK's political capital in the United Nations Security Council; a dimension of Brexit that has received little attention thus far. Drawing on extensive elite interviews we show that the UK has considerable political capital in the Council, where it is seen as one of the most effective actors, but the reputational costs of Brexit are tarnishing this image. With case-studies on the UK's role in Somalia and Yemen we show how the UK has been able to further its interests with dual roles in the EU and Security Council, and the risks posed by tensions between trade and human rights after Brexit. We also analyse what it takes to be influential within the Security Council and argue that more attention should be paid to the practices of diplomacy. Influence is gained via penholding, strong diplomatic skill and a well-regarded UN permanent representative. The UK accrues political capital as a leader on the humanitarian and human rights side of the Council's agenda, but this reputation is at risk as it exits the EU.
The Kauffman Skein Module at 1st Order
Authors: Marché Julien 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
For a three-manifold $M$ with boundary, we study the Kauffman module with indeterminate equal to $-1+\epsilon $ where $\epsilon ^2=0$. We conjecture an explicit relation between this module and the Reidemeister torsion of $M$, which we prove in particular cases. As a maybe-useful tool, we then introduce a notion of twisted self-linking and prove that it satisfies the Kauffman relations at 1st order. These questions come from considerations on asymptotics of quantum invariants.
Molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates present in tap water of public toilets
Authors: Kaur Rajanbir , Singh Drishtant , Kesavan Anup Kumar , Kaur Rajinder 
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Background
The present study was carried out to investigate the tap water quality of public toilets in Amritsar, Punjab, India.

Methods
Water samples from the taps of the public toilets were collected in sterile containers and physicochemical and bacteriological analysis was performed using standard methods. Also, genotypic and phenotypic characterization of the bacterial isolates was performed using different biochemical tests and 16S ribosomal RNA analysis. An antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using antibiotics based on their mode of action. A biofilm assay was performed to assess the adhesion potential of the isolates.

Results
A total of 25 bacterial isolates were identified from the water samples, including Acinetobacter junii, Acinetobacter pittii, Acinetobacter haemolyticus, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus marisflavi, Bacillus flexus, Bacillus oceanisediminis, Pseudomonas otitidis, Pseudomonas sp. RR013, Pseudomonas sp. RR021, Pseudomonas sp. RR022, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter cloacae. The results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test revealed that the antibiotics cefodroxil, aztreonam, nitrofurantoin, cefepime, ceftazidime and amoxyclav were found to be mostly ineffective against various isolates. The biofilm assay revealed the weak, moderate and strong biofilm producers among them.

Conclusions
The tap water in the public toilets was microbially contaminated and needs to be monitored carefully. The antibiotic susceptibility profile showed that of 25 bacterial isolates, 5 were multidrug resistant. Bacterial isolates exhibited strong to weak adhesion potential in the biofilm assay.
In vitro activity of ceftazidime/avibactam against isolates of carbapenem-non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae collected during the INFORM global surveillance programme (2015–17)
Authors: Spiliopoulou Iris , Kazmierczak Krystyna , Stone Gregory G 
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Objectives
To report data for ceftazidime/avibactam and comparators against meropenem-non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae collected globally (excluding centres in the USA) from 2015 to 2017 as part of the International Network For Optimal Resistance Monitoring (INFORM) surveillance programme.

Methods
MICs and susceptibility were determined using EUCAST broth microdilution methodology and EUCAST breakpoints. Isolates were screened to detect genes encoding β-lactamases using multiplex PCR assays. MBL-positive isolates were those in which one or more of the IMP, VIM and/or NDM genes were detected.

Results
A total of 1460 meropenem-non-susceptible isolates were collected and, of the agents on the panel, susceptibility was highest to ceftazidime/avibactam, colistin and tigecycline [73.0%, 77.0% (1081/1403) and 78.1%, respectively]. Ceftazidime/avibactam was not active against MBL-positive isolates (n=367); these isolates showed the highest rates of susceptibility to colistin (92.1%, 303/329), tigecycline (71.9%) and amikacin (46.6%). A total of 394 isolates were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam and, of the 369 isolates that were screened, 98.4% were found to carry a gene encoding an MBL enzyme. Among isolates that were identified as carbapenemase positive and MBL negative (n=910), susceptibility was highest to ceftazidime/avibactam (99.8%). Susceptibility was also highest to ceftazidime/avibactam among isolates that were carbapenemase negative and MBL negative (94/98, 95.9%).

Conclusions
These data highlight the need for continued surveillance of antimicrobial activity as well as the need for new antimicrobials to treat infections caused by meropenem-non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae, for which the options are extremely limited.
Agreement Forthcoming? A Comparison of EU, US, and Chinese RTAs in Times of Plurilateral E-Commerce Negotiations
Authors: Willemyns Ines 
Published: November 2019

ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the results of a study into the evolution of electronic commerce-related provisions in regional trade agreements (RTAs) and supplements them with a tripartite comparison of the e-commerce provisions in Chinese, EU, and US RTAs. As trade barriers related to electronic commerce are becoming ever more important in the global trade landscape and no explicit provisions exist at the multilateral level, it can be expected that WTO Members increasingly include provisions addressing such barriers, and electronic commerce more generally, at the bilateral and regional levels. This study applies a term-frequency analysis to the whole body of RTAs that contain e-commerce-related provisions, mapping the evolution of e-commerce chapters over time. Subsequently, a legal analysis is conducted on the e-commerce terms that were found in Chinese, EU, and US RTAs. Based on these Members’ position at the multilateral level, the e-commerce topics covered in their RTAs, and the nature of the provisions included, the paper aims to assess the convergences and divergences in their approach to e-commerce at the bilateral level and to draw lessons for the ongoing WTO plurilateral negotiations on the trade-related aspects of electronic commerce.