bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Agar plate‐based screening methods for the identification of polyester hydrolysis by Pseudomonas species
Authors: Molitor Rebecka , Bollinger Alexander , Kubicki Sonja , Loeschcke Anita , Jaeger Karl‐Erich , Thies Stephan 
Published: April 2019

SummaryHydrolases acting on polyesters like cutin, polycaprolactone or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are of interest for several biotechnological applications like waste treatment, biocatalysis and sustainable polymer modifications. Recent studies suggest that a large variety of such enzymes are still to be identified and explored in a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas. For activity‐based screening, methods have been established using agar plates which contain nanoparticles of polycaprolactone or PET prepared by solvent precipitation and evaporation. In this protocol article, we describe a straightforward agar plate‐based method using emulsifiable artificial polyesters as substrates, namely Impranil® DLN and liquid polycaprolactone diol (PLD). Thereby, the currently quite narrow set of screening substrates is expanded. We also suggest optional pre‐screening with short‐chain and middle‐chain‐length triglycerides as substrates to identify enzymes with lipolytic activity to be further tested for polyesterase activity. We applied these assays to experimentally demonstrate polyesterase activity in bacteria from the P. pertucinogena lineage originating from contaminated soils and diverse marine habitats.
Localized RNA interference therapy to eliminate residual lung cancer after incomplete microwave ablation
Authors: Cao Fei , Wan Chao , Xie Lin , Qi Han , Shen Lujun , Chen Shuanggang , Song Ze , Fan Weijun 
Published: April 2019

BackgroundThis study evaluated the safety and efficacy of localized injection of polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI)‐EGFR‐small interfering RNA (siRNA) nanocomposites as a treatment for residual lung cancer after incomplete microwave ablation (MWA).MethodsHuman lung cancer cell lines with high and low EGFR expression were selected for the study. The effects of PEG‐PEI‐EGFR‐siRNA nanocomposite transfection on the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of lung cancer cells were verified. Sixteen healthy ICR mice were injected into the lung to test the biological safety of the nanocomposites. In addition, 24 subcutaneous xenograft BALB/C nude mice with high EGFR expression were separated into four groups and then treated with an intratumoral injection of PEG‐PEI‐EGFR‐siRNA, PEG‐PEI‐normal control (NC)‐siRNA, PEG‐PEI‐EGFR‐siRNA after MWA, or PEG‐PEI‐NC‐siRNA after MWA. Tumor growth, pathological changes, and EGFR expression in each group were observed.ResultsPEG‐PEI‐EGFR‐siRNA nanocomposites were transfected to HCC 827 cells showing high EGFR expression and to H23 cells showing low EGFR expression. In HCC827 cells, downregulation of EGFR gene expression reduced cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, whereas cell apoptosis increased. In contrast, in H23 cells, no significant differences in those parameters were detected. No acute toxicity occurred in the ICR mice during the biosafety test. Localized injection of PEG‐PEI‐EGFR‐siRNA nanocomposites significantly inhibited the growth of human lung xenografts in mice and the growth of residual tumors after MWA.ConclusionPEG‐PEI‐EGFR‐siRNA nanocomposites may be a supplemental therapy strategy to treat residual lung cancer after incomplete MWA.
Osteogenic circulating endothelial progenitor cells are linked to electrocardiographic conduction abnormalities in rheumatic patients
Authors: Chan Yap‐Hang , Ngai Michael Cheong , Chen Yan , Wu Mei‐Zhen , Yu Yu‐Juan , Zhen Zhe , Lai Kevin , Cheung Tommy , Ho Lai‐Ming , Chung Ho‐Yin , Lau Chak‐Sing , Lau Chu‐Pak , Tse Hung‐Fat , Yiu Kai‐Hang 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundOsteogenic circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) play a pathogenic role in cardiovascular system degeneration through promulgating vasculature calcification, but its role in conduction disorders as part of the cardiovascular degenerative continuum remained unknown.AimTo investigate the role of osteocalcin (OCN)‐expressing circulating EPCs in cardiac conduction disorders in the unique clinical sample of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptible to both abnormal bone metabolism and cardiac conduction disorders.MethodsWe performed flow cytometry studies in 134 consecutive asymptomatic patients with rheumatoid arthritis to derive osteogenic circulating OCN‐positive (OCN+) CD34+KDR+ vs. CD34+CD133+KDR+ conventional EPC. Study endpoint was the prespecified combined endpoint of electrocardiographic conduction abnormalities.ResultsTotal prevalence of cardiac conduction abnormality was 9% (n = 12). All patients except one had normal sinus rhythm. One patient had atrial fibrillation. No patient had advanced atrioventricular (AV) block. Prevalence of first‐degree heart block (>200 ms), widened QRS duration (>120 ms) and right bundle branch block were 6.7%, 2.1%, and 2.2% respectively. Circulating osteogenic OCN+CD34+KDR+ EPCs were significantly higher among patients with cardiac conduction abnormalities (p = 0.039). Elevated OCN+CD34+KDR+ EPCs> 75th percentile was associated with higher prevalence of cardiac conduction abnormalities (58.3% vs. 20.02%, p = 0.003). Adjusted for potential confounders, elevated OCN+CD34+KDR+ EPCs> 75th percentile remained independently associated with increased risk of cardiac conduction abnormalities (OR = 4.4 [95%CI 1.2–16.4], p = 0.028). No significant relation was found between conventional EPCs CD34+CD133+KDR+ and conduction abnormalities (p = 0.36).ConclusionsElevated osteogenic OCN+CD34+KDR+ EPCs are independently associated with the presence of electrocardiographic conduction abnormalities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, unveiling a potential novel pathophysiological mechanism.
The Labor Progression Study: The use of oxytocin augmentation during labor following Zhang's guideline and the WHO partograph in a cluster randomized trial
Authors: Dalbye Rebecka , Bernitz Stine , Olsen Inge Christoffer , Zhang Jun , Eggebø Torbjørn Moe , Rozsa Daniella , Frøslie Kathrine Frey , Øian Pål , Blix Ellen 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIntroductionThis study aims to investigate the use of oxytocin augmentation during labor in nulliparous women following Zhang's guideline or the WHO partograph.Material and methodsThis is a secondary analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial in 14 birth‐care units in Norway, randomly assigned to either the intervention group, which followed Zhang's guideline, or to the control group, which followed the WHO partograph, for labor progression. The participants were nulliparous women who had a singleton full‐term fetus in a cephalic presentation and spontaneous onset of labor, denoted as group 1 in the Ten Group Classification System.ResultsBetween December 2014 and January 2017, 7277 participants were included. A total of 3219 women (44%) received augmentation with oxytocin during labor. Oxytocin was used in 1658 (42%) women in the Zhang group compared with 1561 (47%) women in the WHO group. The adjusted relative risk for augmentation with oxytocin was 0.98 (95% CI 0.84‐1.15; P = .8) in the Zhang vs WHO group, with an adjusted risk difference of −0.8% (95% CI −7.8 to 6.1). The participants in the Zhang group were less likely to be augmented with oxytocin before reaching 6 cm of cervical dilatation (24%) compared with participants in the WHO group (28%), with an adjusted relative risk of 0.84 (95% CI 0.75‐0.94; P = .003). Oxytocin was administered for almost 20 min longer in the Zhang group than in the WHO group, with an adjusted mean difference of 17.9 min (95% CI 2.7‐33.1; P = .021). In addition, 19% of the women in the Zhang group and 23% in the WHO group received augmentation with oxytocin without being diagnosed with labor dystocia.ConclusionsAlthough no significant difference in the proportion of oxytocin augmentation was observed between the 2 study groups, there were differences in how oxytocin was used. Women in the Zhang group were less likely to receive oxytocin augmentation before 6 cm of cervical dilatation. The duration of augmentation with oxytocin was longer in the Zhang group than in the WHO group.
Middle Powers in the Indo‐Pacific: Potential Pacifiers Guaranteeing Stability in the Indo‐Pacific?
Authors: Struye de Swielande Tanguy 
Published: April 2019

The article examines the potential of middle powers’ cooperation to establish communities of practice to reinforce their ability to influence world affairs. Illustrating the argument with three case studies—Australia, Indonesia, and South Korea—we assert that middle powers play key roles in structuring the world order. We test the following hypotheses: (i) middle powers do not look, nor do they need to look to great powers for leadership, and can influence events by forging new regional relationships; (ii) when leadership topples or tensions emerge between great powers, with a potential or nascent leadership vacuum, the initiative to guarantee the status quo (i.e., a liberal order) can be provided by middle powers. While rooted in IR theories, the research mostly builds upon the framework of communities of practice and management theories, linking them to highlight the importance of existing interactions, the opportunity for and advantage of greater cooperation and its potential systemic impact.
Conservation publications and their provisions to protect research participants
Authors: Ibbett Harriet , Brittain Stephanie 
Published: April 2019

AbstractSocial science methods are increasingly applied in conservation research. However, the conservation sector has received criticism for inadequate ethical rigor when research involves people, particularly when investigating socially sensitive or illegal behaviors. We conducted a systematic review to investigate conservation journals’ ethical policies when research involves human participants, and to assess the types of ethical safeguards documented in conservation articles. We restricted our review to articles that used social science methods to gather data from local people about a potentially sensitive behavior: hunting. Searches were conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar for research articles in English published from January 2000 to May 2018. Only studies conducted in countries in south and Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central and South America were considered. In total, 4456 titles and 626 abstracts were scanned, with 185 studies published in 57 journals accepted for full review. For each article, any information regarding ethical safeguards implemented to protect human participants was extracted. We identified an upward trend in the documentation of provisions to protect human participants. Overall, 55% of articles documented at least one ethical safeguard. However, often safeguards were poorly described. In total, 37% of journals provided ethics guidelines and required authors to report ethical safeguards in manuscripts, but a significant mismatch between journal policies and publication practice was identified. Nearly, half the articles published in journals that should have included ethics information did not. We encourage authors to rigorously report ethical safeguards in publications and urge journal editors to make ethics statements mandatory, to provide explicit guidelines to authors that outline journal ethical reporting standards, and to ensure compliance throughout the peer‐review process.
Experimenting with prequential variations for data stream learning evaluation
Authors: Hidalgo Juan I. González , Maciel Bruno I. F. , Barros Roberto S. M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractProcessing data streams requires new demands not existent on static environments. In online learning, the probability distribution of the data can often change over time (concept drift). The prequential assessment methodology is commonly used to evaluate the performance of classifiers in data streams with stationary and non‐stationary distributions. It is based on the premise that the purpose of statistical inference is to make sequential probability forecasts for future observations, rather than to express information about the past accuracy achieved. This article empirically evaluates the prequential methodology considering its three common strategies used to update the prediction model, namely, Basic Window, Sliding Window, and Fading Factors. Specifically, it aims to identify which of these variations is the most accurate for the experimental evaluation of the past results in scenarios where concept drifts occur, with greater interest in the accuracy observed within the total data flow. The prequential accuracy of the three variations and the real accuracy obtained in the learning process of each dataset are the basis for this evaluation. The results of the carried‐out experiments suggest that the use of Prequential with the Sliding Window variation is the best alternative.
The relationship between biological and psychosocial risk factors and resting‐state functional connectivity in 2‐month‐old Bangladeshi infants: A feasibility and pilot study
Authors: Turesky Ted K. , Jensen Sarah K.G. , Yu Xi , Kumar Swapna , Wang Yingying , Sliva Danielle D. , Gagoski Borjan , Sanfilippo Joseph , Zöllei Lilla , Boyd Emma , Haque Rashidul , Hafiz Kakon Shahria , Islam Nazrul , Petri William A. , Nelson Charles A. , Gaab Nadine 
Published: April 2019

AbstractChildhood poverty has been associated with structural and functional alterations in the developing brain. However, poverty does not alter brain development directly, but acts through associated biological or psychosocial risk factors (e.g. malnutrition, family conflict). Yet few studies have investigated risk factors in the context of infant neurodevelopment, and none have done so in low‐resource settings such as Bangladesh, where children are exposed to multiple, severe biological and psychosocial hazards. In this feasibility and pilot study, usable resting‐state fMRI data were acquired in infants from extremely poor (n = 16) and (relatively) more affluent (n = 16) families in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Whole‐brain intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) was estimated using bilateral seeds in the amygdala, where iFC has shown susceptibility to early life stress, and in sensory areas, which have exhibited less susceptibility to early life hazards. Biological and psychosocial risk factors were examined for associations with iFC. Three resting‐state networks were identified in within‐group brain maps: medial temporal/striatal, visual, and auditory networks. Infants from extremely poor families compared with those from more affluent families exhibited greater (i.e. less negative) iFC in precuneus for amygdala seeds; however, no group differences in iFC were observed for sensory area seeds. Height‐for‐age, a proxy for malnutrition/infection, was not associated with amygdala/precuneus iFC, whereas prenatal family conflict was positively correlated. Findings suggest that it is feasible to conduct infant fMRI studies in low‐resource settings. Challenges and practical steps for successful implementations are discussed.
When alien catfish meet—Resource overlap between the North American Ictalurus punctatus and immature European Silurus glanis in the Arno River (Italy)
Authors: Haubrock Phillip Joschka , Azzini Martina , Balzani Paride , Inghilesi Alberto Francesco , Tricarico Elena 
Published: April 2019

AbstractDue to the increasing globalisation and ongoing introduction of alien species specifically regarding European freshwater ecosystems, native and already present alien species will be confronted with competitors with unknown outcomes. One such case is the situation of the European catfish Silurus glanis introduced in the Arno River (Central Italy), a species sought after by anglers, which is facing competition from the later introduced alien North American channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Large catfish species are highly valued among anglers, but their interspecific interactions and potential ecosystem‐level impacts are still poorly known. We used stomach contents and stable isotope analyses to study niche partitioning between these two alien catfish species, coexisting in the Arno River. The results suggest partial niche segregation, with immature S. glanis showing a narrower dietary and isotopic niche and a slightly higher trophic position than I. punctatus. Monitoring the catfish population sizes, trophic niches and effects on lower trophic levels are essential for future management and mitigation of their potential impacts on invaded freshwater ecosystems.
Feeding in the frequency domain: coarser‐grained environments increase consumer sensitivity to resource variability, covariance and phase
Authors: Koussoroplis Apostolos‐Manuel , Schälicke Svenja , Raatz Michael , Bach Moritz , Wacker Alexander 
Published: April 2019

AbstractTheory predicts that resource variability hinders consumer performance. How this effect depends on the temporal structure of resource fluctuations encountered by individuals remains poorly understood. Combining modelling and growth experiments with Daphnia magna, we decompose the complexity of resource fluctuations and test the effect of resource variance, supply peak timing (i.e. phase) and co‐limiting resource covariance along a gradient from high to low frequencies reflecting fine‐ to coarse‐grained environments. Our results show that resource storage can buffer growth at high frequencies, but yields a sensitivity of growth to resource peak timing at lower ones. When two resources covary, negative covariance causes stronger growth depression at low frequencies. However, negative covariance might be beneficial at intermediate frequencies, an effect that can be explained by digestive acclimation. Our study provides a mechanistic basis for understanding how alterations of the environmental grain size affect consumers experiencing variable nutritional quality in nature.
Health‐related quality of life and health status in persons with haemophilia A with inhibitors: A prospective, multicentre, non‐interventional study (NIS)
Authors: Mahlangu Johnny , Oldenburg Johannes , Callaghan Michael U. , Shima Midori , Mancuso Maria Elisa , Trask Peter , Recht Michael , Garcia Claudia , Yang Renchi , Lehle Michaela , Macharia Harrison , Asikanius Elina , Levy Gallia G. , Kruse‐Jarres Rebecca , von Mackensen Sylvia 
Published: April 2019

IntroductionReal‐world data (RWD) on health‐related outcomes in persons with haemophilia A (PwHA) provide insights into patient needs and can guide clinical study design. A global, prospective, non‐interventional study (NIS; NCT02476942) collected detailed RWD on bleeding outcomes, health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and health status in PwHA treated per local routine clinical practice.AimTo report HRQoL and health status in the adult/adolescent PwHA with inhibitors cohort in the NIS.MethodsThis cohort enrolled PwHA aged ≥12 years with high‐titre factor VIII inhibitor history. Participants remained on their usual treatment (no protocol‐specified interventions). Health‐related outcomes: Haemophilia Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adults (Haem‐A‐QoL), Haemophilia‐specific Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children Short Form (Haemo‐QoL SF), EuroQol 5‐Dimensions 5‐Levels (EQ‐5D‐5L) index utility score (IUS) and visual analogue scale (EQ‐VAS).ResultsOne hundred three participants were enrolled on episodic (n = 75) or prophylactic treatment (n = 28); median (range) age, 31 (12‐75) years; median (range) observation time, 26 (4‐70) weeks. Haem‐A‐QoL scores indicated impairments in HRQoL aspects; comparable between episodic/prophylactic regimens and relatively consistent over time. Haemo‐QoL SF scores with both regimens varied over time, and appeared poorer with episodic than prophylactic treatment. IUS and EQ‐VAS were comparable between regimens, stable over time and lower on bleeding days. Mean proportions of missed work and school days were 16% and 23%, respectively; mean (standard deviation) number of days hospitalized was 3.2 (8.8) (comparable between groups).ConclusionsThese RWD demonstrate that PwHA with inhibitors have impaired HRQoL, despite standard treatment, and that more effective treatment options are needed.
From the voices of people with haemophilia A and their caregivers: Challenges with current treatment, their impact on quality of life and desired improvements in future therapies
Authors: Wiley Ryan E. , Khoury Charles P. , Snihur Adrian W. K. , Williams Marni , Page David , Graham Nicole , Laudenbach Lori , Milne‐Wren Cindy , Stoffman Jayson M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIntroductionHaemophilia A is a chronic disease requiring frequent intravenous infusions of recombinant factor VIII. Previous studies have shown that challenges associated with current treatments may have significant impacts on quality of life (QoL) that are as important as the health outcomes conferred by the therapy. Emerging therapeutic innovations offer the potential to mitigate treatment‐related challenges, and it is therefore important to develop a better understanding of patient and caregiver experiences with existing haemophilia A treatments in order to characterize the full value of new treatments.AimTo gather firsthand perspectives from people with haemophilia A (PWHA) and caregivers on the challenges with current treatment, their impact on QoL and desired improvements in future therapies.MethodsQualitative insights were gathered from 20 non‐inhibitor PWHA or caregivers of PWHA across Canada through one‐on‐one interviews; insights were further explored through focus group sessions to uncover overarching themes and prioritize issues with current treatments.ResultsPWHA and caregivers identified several challenges, including administration of intravenous infusions, coordination of treatment schedules and ensuring adequate medication and supplies. Participants described how these challenges impact psychosocial well‐being, physical health, personal/social life and work. Alternate modes of administration and longer‐lasting treatment effects were identified as desired improvements over current treatments.ConclusionThis study emphasizes the impact that existing haemophilia A treatments have on psychological well‐being, employment opportunities and adherence to treatment regimens. These considerations may help to inform decision‐making for policymakers and health systems around the true value of new therapies entering the haemophilia market.