bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of long‐term clarithromycin therapy on prevention of pneumonia in older adults: A randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Yamasue Mari , Komiya Kosaku , Yoshikawa Hiroki , Kohno Yoshihisa , Imamura Yoshifumi , Otani Satoshi , Shigenaga Takehiko , Koga Hironobu , Kishi Kenji , Ichimiya Tomoku , Tanaka Hironori , Hara Kanako , Noguchi Shingo , Yatera Kazuhiro , Mukae Hiroshi , Hiramatsu Kazufumi , Kadota Jun‐Ichi 
Published: August 2019

AimPneumonia in older adults is increasingly recognized as a healthcare issue in countries with an aging population. Long‐term macrolide therapy reduces exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases, but its effects on the prevention of pneumonia have not been determined.MethodsWe carried out a randomized, controlled trial to test the effect of long‐term clarithromycin therapy on the prevention of pneumonia among older adults. People aged ≥65 years who had recovered from pneumonia within the previous 3 months were recruited and randomly allocated to a long‐term, low‐dose clarithromycin (CAM) therapy group (n = 13) or a control group (n = 15).ResultsBoth groups were followed up until recurrence of pneumonia. The median follow‐up period was 251 days (95% CI 171–330) in the CAM group and 132 days (95% CI 67–196) in the control group (P = 0.627). The recurrence rate of pneumonia was two out of 13 (15%) in the CAM group and five out of 15 (33%) in the control group (P = 0.268). The median time to recurrence of pneumonia was 315 days (95% CI 249–382) in the CAM group and 260 days (95% CI 184–335) in the control group (P = 0.260). None of the differences between groups were statistically significant.ConclusionsNo statistically significant suppressive effects of long‐term, low‐dose macrolide therapy on the development of pneumonia among older people were found in this small sample. A large‐scale, randomized, controlled study is required. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1006–1009.
Groundwater Complexity in Urban Catchments: Shenzhen, Southern China
Authors: Lancia Michele , Zheng Chunmiao , He Xin , Lerner David N. , Andrews Charles 
Published: August 2019

AbstractGroundwater interactions with surface water and sewers in an urban setting are complex, and classic hydrogeological approaches must be combined with anthropogenic elements to characterize them. The level of detail needed to understand these interactions is illustrated by the analysis of an urban subcatchment in the megacity of Shenzhen in southern China that has had a drastic urban expansion in the last 40 years. The study area is characterized by the Yanshanian granite that is widespread across southern‐eastern China. The urban setting is studied using multitemporal analysis of satellite images, borehole investigations and field surveys. Given the local hydrostratigraphy, a conceptual model was developed to identify the physical and anthropogenic factors that regulate the urban groundwater system. Based on the conceptual model and the data collected from the field or compiled from the literature, the average annual effective recharge is estimated to be 290 mm/year, after the urbanization process. From rural to urban conditions, it is estimated that the effective recharge increased by 170% and sewers intercept at least 23% of the effective recharge. Groundwater captured by sewers reduces river flows and increases the required capacity and costs for waste water treatment plants.
Vaccine‐induced gastric CD4+ tissue‐resident memory T cells proliferate in situ to amplify immune response against Helicobacter pylori insult
Authors: Xu Ningyin , Ruan Guojing , Liu Wei , Hu Chupeng , Huang An , Zeng Zhiqin , Luo Shuanghui , Zhang Zhenxing , Fan Menghui , Ye Feng , Xi Tao , Xing Yingying 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundTissue‐resident memory T cells accelerate the clearance of pathogens during recall response. However, whether CD4+ TRM cells themselves can provide gastric immunity is unclear.Materials and methodsWe established a parabiosis model between the enhanced green fluorescent protein and wild‐type mice that the circulation system was shared, and the wild‐type partner was vaccinated with H pylori vaccine composed of CCF and silk fibroin in gastric subserous layer to induce gastric EGFP+ CD4+ TRM cells. Antigen‐specific EGFP+ CD4+ T cells and proliferous TRM cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The colonization of H pylori was detected by quantitative real‐time PCR. EGFP+ CD4+ TRM cells and the inflammation of the stomach were observed by histology.ResultsA parabiosis animal model was employed to identify the cells that introduced by vaccination in GSL. Antigen‐specific EGFP+ CD4+ T cells could be detected at day 7 post‐vaccination. Thirty days later, EGFP+ CD4+ TRM cells were established with a phenotype of CD69+ CD103‐. Of note, we found that when circulating lymphocytes were depleted by FTY720 administration, these TRM cells could proliferate in situ and differentiate into effector Th1 cells after H pylori challenge. A decrease in H pylori colonization was observed in the vaccinated mice but not unvaccinated mice. Further, we found that although FTY720 was administrated, mounted pro‐inflammatory myeloid cells still emerged in the stomach of the vaccinated mice, which might contribute to the reduction of H pylori colonization.ConclusionsOur study reveals that H pylori vaccine‐induced CD4+ TRM cells can proliferate and differentiate in situ to enhance gastric local immunity during recall response.
Reflecting on shared decision making: A reflection‐quantification study
Authors: Kunneman Marleen , LaVecchia Christina M. , Singh Ospina Naykky , Abu Dabrh Abd Moain , Behnken Emma M. , Wilson Patrick , Branda Megan E. , Hargraves Ian G. , Yost Kathleen J. , Frankel Richard M. , Montori Victor M. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundReflecting (“stop‐and‐think”) before rating may help patients consider the quality of shared decision making (SDM) and mitigate ceiling/halo effects that limit the performance of self‐reported SDM measures.MethodsWe asked a diverse patient sample from the United States to reflect on their care before completing the 3‐item CollaboRATE SDM measure. Study 1 focused on rephrasing CollaboRATE items to promote reflection before each item. Study 2 used 5 open‐ended questions (about what went well and what could be improved upon, signs that the clinician understood the patient's situation, how the situation will be addressed, and why this treatment plan makes sense) to invite reflection before using the whole scale. A linear analogue scale assessed the extent to which the plan of care made sense to the patient.ResultsIn Study 1, 107 participants completed surveys (84% response rate), 43 (40%) rated a clinical decision of which 27 (63%) after responding to reflection questions. Adding reflection lowered CollaboRATE scores (“less” SDM) and reduced the proportion of patients giving maximum (ceiling) scores (not statistically significant). In Study 2, 103 of 212 responders (49%) fully completed the version containing reflection questions. Reflection did not significantly change the distribution of CollaboRATE scores or of top scores. Participants indicated high scores on the sense of their care plan (mean 9.7 out of 10, SD 0.79). This rating was weakly correlated with total CollaboRATE scores (rho = .4, P = .0001).ConclusionReflection‐before‐quantification interventions may not improve the performance of patient‐reported measures of SDM with substantial ceiling/halo effects.
Who’s About to Leave? A Global Survey of Aspirations and Intentions to Migrate
Authors: Migali Silvia , Scipioni Marco 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThis article analyses aspirations and intentions to migrate based on Gallup World Poll for the period 2010–2015. We estimate individual‐level traits associated with aspirations and intentions to migrate across groups of countries in different regions and with different income levels. This paper brings together previous hypotheses regarding migration aspirations and tests them under several specifications, while keeping separate findings according to migration aspirations and intentions to appreciate differences between them. Being dissatisfied with one’s own standard of living is associated with a higher probability of desiring to move, while the relation with the actual preparation to migrate is less clear. Some individual traits remain significant across (almost) all specifications: being male, foreign‐born, highly educated, and having networks abroad are associated with higher probability of preparing for international migration. Aspects related to one’s economic situation are not consistently significant across specifications, signalling the importance of contextual analyses for these factors.
Multivariate Small Area Estimation of Multidimensional Latent Economic Well‐being Indicators
Authors: Moretti Angelo , Shlomo Natalie , Sakshaug Joseph W. 
Published: August 2019

SummaryFactor analysis models are used in data dimensionality reduction problems where the variability among observed variables can be described through a smaller number of unobserved latent variables. This approach is often used to estimate the multidimensionality of well‐being. We employ factor analysis models and use multivariate empirical best linear unbiased predictor (EBLUP) under a unit‐level small area estimation approach to predict a vector of means of factor scores representing well‐being for small areas. We compare this approach with the standard approach whereby we use small area estimation (univariate and multivariate) to estimate a dashboard of EBLUPs of the means of the original variables and then averaged. Our simulation study shows that the use of factor scores provides estimates with lower variability than weighted and simple averages of standardised multivariate EBLUPs and univariate EBLUPs. Moreover, we find that when the correlation in the observed data is taken into account before small area estimates are computed, multivariate modelling does not provide large improvements in the precision of the estimates over the univariate modelling. We close with an application using the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions data.
Sleep monitoring of an Asian elephant Elephas maximus calf at Night Safari, Singapore: testing whether sleep time is a significant predictor of cortisol or the onset of positive elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus viraemia
Authors: Kalirathinam U. K. , Elangkovan S. , Kawi J. , Cabana F. 
Published: August 2019

A number of methods for measuring the welfare of elephants in human care have been used within zoological associations and rescue centres worldwide. The measurement of glucocorticoids in relation to stress has been particularly well validated. Measuring stress is especially important for Asian elephant Elephas maximus calves between one and 8 years of age which are highly susceptible to developing elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) haemorrhagic disease. Sleep monitoring has been used as a possible means of assessing the welfare state of animals, although the efficacy of this method has not been validated. Our aim was to test whether sleep time or cortisol provided the most significant predictor for the onset of positive EEHV blood viraemia in a 2 year‐old calf at Night Safari, Singapore. Faecal samples were collected twice per week and assayed for glucocorticoids. Using closed‐circuit television, the time the calf slept each night was measured between December 2017 and September 2018. Sleep was not a predictor of viraemia nor of cortisol concentration in this study. However, cortisol appeared to be related to the occurrence of viraemia.
Sorption isotherms of ready‐to‐puff preconditioned brown rice: Development of classical models and artificial neural network approach
Authors: Mahanti Naveen K. , Chakraborty Subir K. , Babu V. Bhusana 
Published: August 2019

AbstractMoisture sorption isotherm data of ready‐to‐puff preconditioned brown rice shall enable in finding solutions for prolonging the period between preconditioning and puffing. Designed full factorial experiments were conducted with ready‐to‐puff preconditioned brown rice at five different salt concentrations (SC) ranging 0–4%, varying temperature (T), 20–30°C within eight levels of moisture content (MC), and 3–25% to obtain sorption isotherms. Preconditioning was carried out at 75(±3)°C using a fluidized bed dryer to attain a final MC of 11%, optimum for puffing. Water activity (aw) of the sample increased with increasing T and decreased with increasing SC. The individual and interaction effects of T, SC, and MC on aw are highly significant (p < .001). The experimental sorption data at each SC were fitted with the traditional model at a given temperature. All the models were statistically (p < .001) significant. A feedforward artificial neural network model was developed with three input variables T, SC, and MC as the input layer and aw as the output layer. Inter‐relationship among the process variables is explained better by artificial neural network (R2 = 0.991) and second‐order model (R2 = 0.973) as compared with traditional models, which are limited in their ability to express the relationship among the variables.Practical ApplicationsThe key to quality puffed rice is the preconditioning process during its manufacture. During preconditioning, salts and moisture penetrate the rice matrix to give a desirable product. The preconditioned rice should be immediately processed, else absorption or desorption of moisture from the atmospheric air takes place. This leads to finished puffed rice with compromised quality. Liberty of using the preconditioned rice for further processing will wrest upon the processor if suitable packaging is provided to this rice. Extensive knowledge of moisture sorption isotherms is required for designing such packaging material and conditions. The present study is carried out to study the sorption isotherm of ready‐to‐puff preconditioned brown rice. The information available in the present study is useful for food industries to develop a suitable packaging material for time‐independent use of preconditioned rice.
An efficient method to clone TAL effector genes from Xanthomonas oryzae using Gibson assembly
Authors: Li Chenhao , Ji Chonghui , Huguet‐Tapia José C. , White Frank F. , Dong Hansong , Yang Bing 
Published: August 2019

SummaryTranscription Activator‐Like effectors (TALes) represent the largest family of type III effectors among pathogenic bacteria and play a critical role in the process of infection. Strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and some strains of other Xanthomonas pathogens contain large numbers of TALe genes. Previous techniques to clone individual or a complement of TALe genes through conventional strategies are inefficient and time‐consuming due to multiple genes (up to 29 copies) in a given genome, and technically challenging due to the repetitive sequences (up to 33 nearly identical 102‐nucleotide repeats) of individual TALe genes. Thus, only a limited number of TALe genes have been molecularly cloned and characterized, and the functions of most TALe genes remain unknown. Here, we present an easy and efficient cloning technique to clone TALe genes selectively through in vitro homologous recombination and single‐strand annealing, and demonstrate the feasibility of this approach with four different Xoo strains. Based on the Gibson assembly strategy, two complementary vectors with scaffolds that can preferentially capture all TALe genes from a pool of genomic fragments were designed. Both vector systems enabled cloning of a full complement of TALe genes from each of four Xoo strains and functional analysis of individual TALes in rice in approximately 1 month compared to 3 months by previously used methods. The results demonstrate a robust tool to advance TALe biology and a potential for broad usage of this approach to clone multiple copies of highly competitive DNA elements in any genome of interest.
Development of colchicine‐induced tetraploid St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) lines
Authors: Carbajal Esdras M. , Zuleta M. Carolina , Swayzer Luellen , Schwartz Brian M. , Chavarro Maria Carolina , Ballen‐Taborda A. Carolina , Milla‐Lewis Susana R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractSt. Augustinegrass is well suited for lawns and commercial landscapes. While many genotypes are cross‐fertile, all cultivars are propagated vegetatively in sod production. To ensure varietal purity, development of sterile triploid hybrids by crossing tetraploid and diploid genotypes has been successfully used in other warm‐season turfgrasses. Applying this model in St. Augustinegrass would be beneficial to sod producers and turf managers who require purity for certification and uniformity for performance, respectively. This study was conducted to develop colchicine‐induced tetraploid lines of St. Augustinegrass. Seeds of cultivar ‘Raleigh’ were treated with four colchicine concentrations at four exposure times. A non‐treated control was included among the treatments. Seedlings that germinated were screened for genome size changes using flow cytometry. Line DSA 13005 and two progeny lines derived through selfing, DSA 16001 and DSA 16016, were corroborated as tetraploids (2n = 4x = 36) through chromosome counts. These lines will be used in future breeding efforts to attempt development of sterile triploid cultivars of St. Augustinegrass.
Arguing from Experience: Travelees versus Travelers in Early Modern Exchanges
Authors: Bracewell Wendy 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHow and why did early modern European ‘travelees’ dispute the accounts of their societies by foreign travel writers? A surprising number did so, challenging travelers’ claims to authority while countering foreign characterizations of their societies as fundamentally different from those of the travelers. This article examines several such rebuttals, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, as new sources for the cultural history of travel as experience. The travelees’ key criticism was that of the travelers’ epistemological limitations. Both travelers and travelees agreed on the importance of eyewitness experience as the basis for knowledge; but travelees effectively argued that even accurate reports of travel experience could be unreliable as the basis for ethnographic knowledge, since foreign travelers lacked the cultural competence to interpret their experiences. In turn, the travelees discussed here put forward their own alternative views of their societies, based on insider knowledge, as more authoritative and reliable. These travelees legitimated their counter‐narratives according to the same standards and protocols as their opponents, arguing for the commensurability of nature, of European cultures and of experience. The reception of their rebuttals suggests, however, that their critics judged such travelee‐polemicists by different standards than they did travelers from their own cultural context.
The problem of credibility in early modern travel
Authors: Carey Daniel 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe problem of establishing and evaluating the credibility of travel narratives remained endemic in the early modern period, both for authors of accounts and their readers. Writers of ‘authentic’ reports needed to secure and defend their reliability in the face of doubts that they enjoyed a license to ‘lie by authority’ as a familiar proverb held. This essay investigates the strategies they employed for doing so, and the position of readers relying on a form grounded in ostensible eyewitness that they could not verify for themselves. However tempting it might have been to respond with scepticism and to consign this source of testimony to the farther removes of respectability, it constituted vital source material for cosmographers, historians, and anyone concerned to know the world and its diversity. Natural historians formed part of this constituency, and in the Royal Society figures like Robert Boyle and Henry Oldenburg developed protocols and practices for improving the accuracy of observation. The risk of error did not disappear, but it could at least be managed.
Finite‐size corrections at the hard edge for the Laguerre β ensemble
Authors: Forrester Peter J. , Trinh Allan K. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA fundamental question in random matrix theory is to quantify the optimal rate of convergence to universal laws. We take up this problem for the Laguerre β ensemble, characterized by the Dyson parameter β, and the Laguerre weight , in the hard edge limit. The latter relates to the eigenvalues in the vicinity of the origin in the scaled variable . Previous work has established the corresponding functional form of various statistical quantities—for example, the distribution of the smallest eigenvalue, provided that . We show, using the theory of multidimensional hypergeometric functions based on Jack polynomials, that with the modified hard edge scaling , the rate of convergence to the limiting distribution is , which is optimal. In the case , general the explicit functional form of the distribution of the smallest eigenvalue at this order can be computed, as it can for and general . An iterative scheme is presented to numerically approximate the functional form for general .
Contexts and Constraints on Use
Authors: Georgi Geoff 
Published: August 2019

AbstractOne requirement of a theory of meaning for a natural language such as English is that it generate constraints on what speakers can use expressions to strictly and literally say or assert. Yet one significant recent philosophical defence of formal semantics, based on the technical innovations in semantics due to Kaplan, does not satisfy this requirement. On such a theory, meaning is a function from contexts to contents. But contexts in a Kaplanian theory are not uses of indexicals. Thus without some further bridge principle linking uses of indexicals to the contexts of a Kaplanian theory, functions from contexts to content do not determine any constraints on what an indexical can be used to strictly and literally say or assert. A great deal of recent work on Kaplanian theories has been dedicated to identifying the correct bridge principle in response to this challenge, but such work is doomed to fail. I argue that appeal to any such bridge principle in defence of a Kaplanian theory leads to an unacceptably weak account of the role of formal semantics in the study of human linguistic communication.