bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention on Immune Markers of Exhaustion and Regulation
Authors: Attaher Oumar , Zaidi Irfan , Kwan Jennifer L , Issiaka Djibrilla , Samassekou Mamoudou B , Cisse Kadidia B , Coulibaly Barou , Keita Sekouba , Sissoko Sibiri , Traore Tiangoua , Diarra Kalifa , Diarra Bacary S , Dembele Adama , Kanoute Moussa B , Mahamar Almahamoudou , Barry Amadou , Fried Michal , Dicko Alassane , Duffy Patrick E 
Published: August 2019

Abstract

Background
Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is a novel strategy to reduce malaria infections in children. Infection with Plasmodium falciparum results in immune dysfunction characterized by elevated expression of markers associated with exhaustion, such as PD1 and LAG3, and regulatory CD4+FOXP3+ T cells.

Methods
In the current study, the impact of seasonal malaria chemoprevention on malaria-induced immune dysfunction, as measured by markers associated with exhaustion and regulatory T cells, was explored by flow cytometry.

Results
Children that received seasonal malaria chemoprevention had fewer malaria episodes and showed significantly lower fold changes in CD4+PD1+ and CD4+PD1+LAG3+ compared to those that did not receive SMC. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention had no observable effect on fold changes in CD8 T cells expressing PD1 or CD160. However, children receiving SMC showed greater increases in CD4+FOXP3+ T regulatory cells compared to children not receiving SMC.

Conclusions
These results provide important insights into the dynamics of malaria-induced changes in the CD4 T-cell compartment of the immune system and suggest that the reduction of infections due to seasonal malaria chemoprevention may also prevent immune dysfunction.

Clinical Trials Registration
NCT02504918.
Optimal lysine in diets for high-yielding lactating sows1
Authors: Hojgaard Camilla K , Bruun Thomas S , Theil Peter K 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
The objective of the current study was to determine the optimal concentration of dietary standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys required to maximize litter gain and minimize sow BW loss in modern high-yielding lactating sows when SID CP was kept constant across dietary treatments. A total of 396 parity 1 to 5 sows (L × Y, DanBred, Herlev, Denmark) were included in the study from day 3 after farrowing until weaning at day 26. Sows were allocated to 6 dietary treatments increasing in SID Lys concentration (6.19, 6.90, 7.63, 8.33, 9.04, and 9.76 g/kg). Diets were isoenergetic (14.04 MJ ME/kg as-fed). Litters were standardized to 14 piglets at day 3 ± 2 d postpartum. At day 3 ± 2 d and at day 26 ± 3 d in lactation, litter weight, and sow BW and back fat were registered. On a subsample of 72 parity 2 to 4 sows, litters were additionally weighed at days 10 and 17 ± 3 d, and milk and blood were sampled at day 3 ± 2 d, and 10, 17 and at 24 ± 3 d in lactation. For the 72 sows, body pools of fat and protein were also determined at days 3 ± 2 and 26 ± 3 d using the D2O dilution technique. All data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design using PROC MIXED in SAS. Furthermore, data were subjected to linear and quadratic polynomial contrasts. Variables with quadratic or linear effects or days in milk × treatment interactions were selected for analysis in PROC NLMIXED using linear broken-line models to evaluate optimal SID Lys concentrations. Only models that converged and the best fitting models were included. Average daily litter gain increased until a breakpoint at 8.11 g/kg of SID Lys (as-fed). At and above the breakpoint, multiparous and primiparous sows had litter gains of 3.36 and 2.93 kg/d, respectively. Weaning litter size (13.0 ± 0.1) was similar between the 6 dietary treatments (P = 0.28). Lactation sow BW loss was minimized to 0.17 kg/d at 9.05 g/kg of SID Lys and sow body protein loss was minimized to 0.23 kg at 9.22 g/kg of SID Lys. Linear broken-line analyses showed that for 3, 10, 17, and 24 DIM, plasma urea was minimized at 7.02, 8.10, 8.73, and 8.32 g/kg of SID Lys, respectively, and milk fat was maximized at 7.80 g/kg of SID Lys. In conclusion, in our conditions, high-yielding lactating sows required 8.11 g/kg of SID Lys to maximize litter gain and 9.05 g/kg of SID Lys to minimize sow BW loss. Based on plasma urea, the optimal dietary concentration of SID Lys was lowest in week 1, intermediate in week 2 and 4, and greatest in week 3 of lactation.
The rare case of De Garengeot hernia: femoral hernia containing perforated appendicitis
Authors: Ying Lei , Yahng Jeong-Moh John 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Femoral hernias account for ~4% of all groin hernias but are much more common in females, especially those over the age of 70. Risk of incarceration is overall low but can include structures such as bowel, omentum, bladder, ovary and very rarely, the appendix. The subset of femoral hernias containing the vermiform appendix is known as de Garengeot hernias. We describe a rare case of an 87-year-old female patient who presented with an incarcerated right femoral hernia confirmed on contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis, with subsequent open hernia reduction revealing a perforated necrotic appendix with pus contained in the hernia sac. Histopathology revealed acute appendicitis with increased stromal fibrosis suggestive of a chronic process. Pre-operative diagnosis of de Garengeot hernias remains challenging due to their non-specific presentation and attenuated clinical symptoms, and most diagnoses are made intraoperatively.
Knotted nasogastric tube: a rare, overlooked yet preventable complication
Authors: Monib Sherif , ElKorety Mohamed , Jibrin Umar , Dhungana Drishya , Thomson Simon 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Nasogastric tubes (NGTs) have long been used for various indications, most commonly to decompress the stomach of its contents in intestinal obstruction or after abdominal surgery, to provide enteral feeding or to allow enteral liquid medication administration. Recently greater importance has been given to the correct placement NGTs to avoid serious complications. We present a case of a spontaneously knotted NGT that was identified and safely removed without complications, but which may have resulted from suboptimal placement. We discuss this case to raise awareness of this complication and how to minimize the likelihood of it happening and improve patient outcome.
Case comment: responding to the implausible, incredible and highly improbable stories defendants tell: a Bayesian interpretation of the Venray murder ruling
Authors: Jellema Hylke 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn criminal trials, defendants often offer alternative explanations of the facts when they plead for their innocence. In its ruling on the Venray murder case, the Dutch Supreme Court dealt with the question when and how courts can reject such alternative explanations. According to the Supreme court, while courts should typically refer to evidence that refutes the explanation, they can also argue that the explanation ‘did not become plausible’ or that it is ‘not credible’. Finally, courts can state that an explanation is so ‘highly improbable’ that it requires no response. However, the Supreme Court did not explain these terms, leading to confusion about how they ought to be interpreted. This case comment offers a Bayesian interpretation according to which these three terms relate to (i) the posterior probability of the explanation, (ii) the credibility of the defendant, and (iii) how obvious it is that the explanation is improbable. This interpretation clarifies the Supreme Courts ruling and ties it to the criminal law system’s goals of error minimization and of producing understandable decisions efficiently.
Characteristics of solar wind rotation
Authors: Li K J , Feng W 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACT
Over 54 yr of hourly mean value of solar wind velocity from 1963 November 27 to 2017 December 31 are used to investigate characteristics of the rotation period of solar wind through autocorrelation analysis. Solar wind of high velocity is found to rotate faster than low-velocity wind, while its rotation rate increases with increasing velocity, but in contrast for solar wind of low velocity, its rotation rate decreases with increasing velocity. Our analysis shows that solar wind of a higher velocity statistically possesses a faster rotation rate for the entire solar wind. The yearly rotation rate of solar wind velocity does not follow the Schwable cycle, but it is significantly negatively correlated to yearly sunspot number when it leads by 3 yr. Physical explanations are proposed to these findings.
On the contamination of the global 21 cm signal from polarized foregrounds
Authors: Spinelli Marta , Bernardi Gianni , Santos Mario G 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Global (i.e. sky-averaged) 21 cm signal experiments can measure the evolution of the universe from the Cosmic Dawn to the Epoch of Reionization. These measurements are challenged by the presence of bright foreground emission that can be separated from the cosmological signal if its spectrum is smooth. This assumption fails in the case of single polarization antennas as they measure linearly polarized foreground emission - which is inevitably Faraday rotated through the interstellar medium. We investigate the impact of Galactic polarized foregrounds on the extraction of the global 21 cm signal through realistic sky and dipole simulations both in a low frequency band from 50 to 100 MHz, where a 21 cm absorption profile is expected, and in a higher frequency band (100 − 200 MHz). We find that the presence of a polarized contaminant with complex frequency structure can bias the amplitude and the shape of the reconstructed signal parameters in both bands. We investigate if polarized foregrounds can explain the unexpected 21 cm Cosmic Dawn signal recently reported by the EDGES collaboration. We find that unaccounted polarized foreground contamination can produce an enhanced and distorted 21 cm absorption trough similar to the anomalous profile reported by Bowman et al. (2018), and whose amplitude is in mild tension with the assumed input Gaussian profile (at ∼1.5σ level). Moreover, we note that, under the hypothesis of contamination from polarized foreground, the amplitude of the reconstructed EDGES signal can be overestimated by around 30%, mitigating the requirement for an explanation based on exotic physics.
Disc formation in magnetized dense cores with turbulence and ambipolar diffusion
Authors: Lam Ka Ho , Li Zhi-Yun , Chen Che-Yu , Tomida Kengo , Zhao Bo 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACT
Discs are essential to the formation of both stars and planets, but how they form in magnetized molecular cloud cores remains debated. This work focuses on how the disc formation is affected by turbulence and ambipolar diffusion (AD), both separately and in combination, with an emphasis on the protostellar mass accretion phase of star formation. We find that a relatively strong, sonic turbulence on the core scale strongly warps but does not completely disrupt the well-known magnetically induced flattened pseudo-disc that dominates the inner protostellar accretion flow in the laminar case, in agreement with previous work. The turbulence enables the formation of a relatively large disc at early times with or without AD, but such a disc remains strongly magnetized and does not persist to the end of our simulation unless a relatively strong AD is also present. The AD-enabled discs in laminar simulations tend to fragment gravitationally. The disc fragmentation is suppressed by initial turbulence. The AD facilitates the disc formation and survival by reducing the field strength in the circumstellar region through magnetic flux redistribution and by making the field lines there less pinched azimuthally, especially at late times. We conclude that turbulence and AD complement each other in promoting disc formation. The discs formed in our simulations inherit a rather strong magnetic field from its parental core, with a typical plasma-β of order a few tens or smaller, which is 2–3 orders of magnitude lower than the values commonly adopted in magnetohydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary discs. To resolve this potential tension, longer term simulations of disc formation and evolution with increasingly more realistic physics are needed.
WALTZ-DB 2.0: an updated database containing structural information of experimentally determined amyloid-forming peptides
Authors: Louros Nikolaos , Konstantoulea Katerina , De Vleeschouwer Matthias , Ramakers Meine , Schymkowitz Joost , Rousseau Frederic 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Transition of soluble proteins into insoluble amyloid fibrils is driven by self-propagating short sequence stretches. However, accurate prediction of aggregation determinants remains challenging. Here, we describe WALTZ-DB 2.0, an updated and significantly expanded open-access database providing information on experimentally determined amyloid-forming hexapeptide sequences (http://waltzdb.switchlab.org/). We have updated WALTZ-DB 2.0 with new entries, including: (i) experimental validation of an in-house developed dataset of 229 hexapeptides, using electron microscopy and Thioflavin-T binding assays; (ii) manual curation of 98 amyloid-forming peptides isolated from literature. Furthermore, the content has been expanded by adding novel structural information for peptide entries, including sequences of the previous version. Using a computational methodology developed in the Switch lab, we have generated 3D-models of the putative amyloid fibril cores of WALTZ-DB 2.0 entries. Structural models, coupled with information on the energetic contributions and fibril core stabilities, can be accessed through individual peptide entries. Customized filtering options for subset selections and new modelling graphical features were added to upgrade online accessibility, providing a user-friendly interface for browsing, downloading and updating. WALTZ-DB 2.0 remains the largest open-access repository for amyloid fibril formation determinants and will continue to enhance the development of new approaches focused on accurate prediction of aggregation prone sequences.
Political Investment Cycles of State-Owned Enterprises
Authors: Li Qingyuan , Lin Chen , Xu Li 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Using a large panel of more than 140,000 state-owned enterprises (SOEs), this study examines SOEs’ investment behavior surrounding 82 national elections in 25 European countries between 2001 and 2015. We find that SOEs increase their corporate investment by about 29% of the sample average during national election years. This effect is more pronounced in fixed timing and closely contested elections. The effect is also stronger in countries with low institutional quality, more centralized political systems, and state-controlled banking systems. In contrast, we find the matched non-SOEs significantly decrease their corporate investment during national election years. (JEL G18, G30, G32, E22)
Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Effect of filgotinib on health-related quality of life in active psoriatic arthritis: a randomized phase 2 trial (EQUATOR)
Authors: Orbai Ana-Maria , Ogdie Alexis , Gossec Laure , Tillett William , Leung Ying Ying , Gao Jingjing , Trivedi Mona , Tasset Chantal , Meuleners Luc , Besuyen Robin , Hendrikx Thijs , Coates Laura C 
Published: August 2019

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the effects of filgotinib, an oral, selective Janus kinase 1 inhibitor, on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease (PsAID)9 questionnaire in active PsA.MethodsPatients were randomized 1 : 1 to filgotinib 200 mg or placebo once daily for 16 weeks in EQUATOR, a multicentre, double-blind, phase 2 randomized controlled trial. HRQoL was assessed with PsAID9 at Weeks 4 and 16. Change from baseline in total and individual domain scores, plus the proportions of patients achieving minimal clinically important improvement (MCII; ⩾3 points) and patient-accepted symptom status (PASS; score &lt;4), were evaluated. Correlation with the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) was investigated.ResultsOne hundred and thirty-one patients were randomized to filgotinib or placebo. Filgotinib effects on PsAID9 were observed from Week 4. At Week 16, mean (s.d.) change from baseline in PsAID9 was –2.3 (1.8) and –0.8 (2.2) for filgotinib and placebo, respectively (least-squares mean of group difference –1.48 [95% CI –2.12, –0.84], P &lt; 0.0001), with significant improvements in all domains vs placebo. Significantly more patients on filgotinib achieved MCII (group difference 25.4% [95% CI 8.92, 39.99], P = 0.0022) and PASS (group difference 29.6% [95% CI 10.65, 45.60], P = 0.0018) at Week 16 vs placebo. Similar improvements in SF-36 were observed, with moderate to strong negative correlation between PsAID9 and SF-36.ConclusionFilgotinib significantly improved HRQoL vs placebo in patients with active PsA, as measured by PsAID9. To our knowledge, EQUATOR is the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate PsAID9.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show, NCT03101670.
Review of research on high-speed railway aerodynamics in China
Authors: Tian Hong-qi 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHigh-speed railway aerodynamics is the key basic science for solving the bottleneck problem of high-speed railway development. This paper systematically summarizes the aerodynamic research relating to China’s high-speed railway network. Seven key research advances are comprehensively discussed, including train aerodynamic drag-reduction technology, train aerodynamic noise-reduction technology, train ventilation technology, train crossing aerodynamics, train/tunnel aerodynamics, train/climate environment aerodynamics, and train/human body aerodynamics. Seven types of railway aerodynamic test platform built by Central South University are introduced. Five major systems for a high-speed railway network—the aerodynamics theoretical system, the aerodynamic shape (train, tunnel, and so on) design system, the aerodynamics evaluation system, the 3D protection system for operational safety of the high-speed railway network, and the high-speed railway aerodynamic test/computation/analysis platform system—are also introduced. Finally, eight future development directions for the field of railway aerodynamics are proposed. For over 30 years, railway aerodynamics has been an important supporting element in the development of China’s high-speed railway network, which has also promoted the development of high-speed railway aerodynamics throughout the world.
Structure of the germarium and female germ-cell clusters in Thulinius ruffoi (Bertolani, 1982) (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Parachela)
Authors: Janelt Kamil , Jezierska Marta , Student Sebastian , Poprawa Izabela 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThulinius ruffoi is a freshwater species that has the ability to reproduce via parthenogenesis. A meroistic polytrophic ovary is present in this species. Analyses of the germarium structure, and formation and organization of female germ-cell clusters were performed using light, confocal laser scanning, transmission electron and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy. The germarium is the small, anterior part of an ovary that contains putative germ-line stem cells. In the studied species, the female germ-cell clusters are large and branched. Only one cell in each cluster develops into an oocyte, while all the other cells become trophocytes. In this paper, we present the ﬁrst report on the presence of F-actin as a component of the intercellular bridges that connect the cells in the germ-cell cluster of T. ruffoi. Moreover, our results show that the female germ-cell clusters are formed as the result of both synchronous and asynchronous divisions and that their organization can vary not only between individuals of the investigated species, but also that clusters developing simultaneously within the same ovary can have a different spatial organization.
Bifocal Compression–Distraction for Combined Bone and Soft-Tissue Defects in Post-traumatic Tibial Nonunion
Authors: Thakeb Mootaz F. , Fayyad Tamer A. , ElGebeily Mohamed A. , Diab Ramy A. , El Zahlawy Hany , Sharafeldin Mohamed S. , Al Kersh Mohamed A. 
Published: August 2019

Objective:
To compare 2 distraction osteogenesis techniques in post-traumatic tibial nonunion patients with composite bone and soft-tissue defects.

Design:
Nonrandomized prospective, case series, single-center study.

Setting:
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Limb Reconstruction Unit, El-Helal hospital, Cairo, Egypt.

Participants:
Fifty post-traumatic tibial nonunion patients with composite bone and soft-tissue defects.

Intervention:
Twenty-five patients were treated using bone transport (BT) technique, and 25 patients were treated using acute shortening (AS) and distraction technique.

Outcome Measurements:
The external fixation index (EFI); functional and bone results; and complication rates.

Results:
All patients were followed for a minimum of 18 months after removal of their Ilizarov frame. AS and BT groups were followed up for a mean of 19.7 and 20.3 months, respectively. The mean bone gap after resection and debridement was 4 cm in AS group and 5.9 cm in BT group (P = 0.06). The mean EFI was statistically significant and lower in the AS group compared with BT group (P = 0.03). There were no other statistically significant differences between either intervention groups.

Conclusions:
Both techniques achieved comparable good to excellent results, and the differences in number of complications and ASAMI scores for bone or function were not statistically significant. Yet, it appears that the AS technique may be superior because it has a significantly lower EFI. This may not be feasible in all cases, however, because the AS technique is limited by the defect size and the condition of the surrounding soft tissues.

Level of Evidence:
Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Utilization During an Acute Cardiac Hospitalization
Authors: Pack Quinn R. , Priya Aruna , Lagu Tara , Pekow Penelope S. , Berry Robert , Atreya Auras R. , Ades Philip A. , Lindenauer Peter K. 
Published: August 2019

Background:
Inpatient cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) programs provide important services to hospitalized patients by delivering risk factor education, daily ambulation, and facilitation of referral to outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. However, little is known about ICR utilization or practice patterns.

Methods:
We examined the use of ICR, between January 2007 and June 2011, in a geographically and structurally diverse sample of US hospitals (Premier, Inc).

Results:
Among 458 hospitals, there were 1 343 537 admissions with a qualifying diagnosis for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. Formal ICR was available at 223 (49%) of these hospitals. Overall, patient utilization of ICR was low (21.2%) and varied by indication. Utilization was highest in those undergoing cardiac surgery (43.3%) and lowest in patients with medically managed myocardial infarction (15.6%) or heart failure (10.6%). A larger bed count, the presence of cardiac interventional services, and Midwest location were associated with increased likelihood of a hospital having an ICR program. In multivariable hierarchical analysis adjusting for known hospital characteristics among hospitals that provided ICR, multiple patient factors were associated with a lower likelihood of ICR utilization, including older age, more comorbidities, female sex, and Medicare insurance, but unspecified hospital characteristics explained the vast majority of the variability.

Conclusions:
We found substantial variation in the delivery of ICR across US hospitals and by patient condition. Overall, only a minority of eligible patients ever received ICR and fewer than half of hospitals treating cardiac patients provided formal ICR services. This substantial gap in the secondary prevention of heart disease warrants further investigation and intervention.