bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association study of polymorphisms within inflammatory genes and methylation status in treatment response in major depression
Authors: Draganov Metodi , Arranz María Jesús , Salazar Juliana , de Diego-Adeliño Javier , Gallego-Fabrega Cristina , Jubero Míriam , Carceller-Sindreu Mar , Portella Maria J. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackground:Although pharmacogenetics for major depressive disorder (MDD) is gaining momentum, the role of genetics in differences in response to antidepressant treatment is controversial, as they depend on multifactorial and polygenic phenotypes. Previous studies focused on the genes of the serotonergic system, leaving apart other pathological factors such as the inflammatory pathway. The main objective of the study was to assess whether treatment response might be associated with specific inflammation-related genetic variants or their methylation status.Methods:41 SNPs in 8 inflammatory genes: interleukin (IL) 1-β, IL2, IL6, IL6R, IL10, IL18, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ were genotyped in 153 patients with MDD, who were evaluated with the Mausdley Staging Method to determine treatment response profiles. Pyrosequencing reactions and methylation quantification were performed in a PyroMark Q24 in 5 selected CpG islands of IL1- β, IL6 and IL6R. Linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted, including age and gender as covariates using PLINK 1.07.Results:Allelic distribution of IL1- β rs1143643 was significantly associated with MSM scores (FDR corrected p = 0.04). Allelic distribution of IL6R rs57569414 showed a trend towards significance with MSM scores (p = 0.002; FDR corrected p = 0.07). Haplotype analyses showed associations between allelic combinations of IL1-β and IL10 with treatment response (FDR corrected p < 0.01). Methylation percentage of treatment responders was only higher in an IL6R CpG island (p < 0.05).Conclusions:These exploratory findings suggest that IL1-β and, marginally, IL6R polymorphisms may affect treatment response in major depression. If confirmed, these results may account for the heterogeneous phenotypes of major depression that underlie differences in treatment response.
Clinically Meaningful Change in Sexual Desire in the Psychosexual Daily Questionnaire in Older Men from the TTrials
Authors: Stephens-Shields Alisa J. , Wang Christina , Preston Peter , Snyder Peter J. , Swerdloff Ronald S. 
Published: May 2019

Abstract

Background
A recent study of older men participating in the Testosterone Trials (TTrials) defined a clinically meaningful change in the Psychosexual Daily Questionnaire (PDQ) question 4 in hypogonadal men age ≥65 years. This study defines clinically meaningful change in the same population for sexual desire assessed by PDQ question 1.

Aim
To determine a clinically meaningful change in the answers to question 1 of the PDQ in hypogonadal older men.

Methods
Participants in the Sexual Function Trial of the TTrials were randomly divided into a training and test set. Anchor-based methods, including regression analysis, receiver operating characteristic curves, and empirical cumulative distribution functions, were used to determine a clinically meaningful change on question 1 in the training set, and the selected threshold was evaluated in the test set for an effect of testosterone treatment.

Results
A clinically meaningful increase in question 1 of the PDQ was determined to be ≥0.7 points.

Clinical Implications
Question 1 of the PDQ can be used to assess sexual desire in response to testosterone treatment.

Strengths & Limitations
Data were obtained from a single large study of older hypogonadal men.

Conclusion
Clinically meaningful improvement of sexual desire is a change of ≥0.7 in the score of question 1 of the PDQ.
Measuring team science: Associations between a clinical-translational science institute and investigator ego networks
Authors: Kabo Felichism W. , Mashour George A. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) institutes have been created, in part, to have a positive impact on collaboration and team science. This study is the first to examine the associations between a CTSA hub, the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR), and investigators’ ego networks. We ran cross-sectional and panel models of the associations between consulting with MICHR and the ego network measure of two-step reach (TSR) – that is, colleagues of colleagues reachable in two steps – from a network of 2161 investigators who had co-submitted a grant proposal to an external sponsor in 2006. Our analyses covered the period 2004–2012, although some model specifications covered the shorter time period 2006–2010. Consulting with MICHR had positive associations with the size of and changes in an investigator’s TSR across and over time, even controlling for research productivity and organizational affiliation. For example, over the period 2006–2010 an investigator who consulted with MICHR reached 44 more individuals than a non-consulting investigator. This study expands our understanding of the indirect impacts that clinical and translational science institutes have on investigators’ scientific networks. This network-based approach might be useful in quantifying the impact of team science initiatives at the university level.
Identification of functional missense single-nucleotide polymorphisms in TNFAIP3 in a predominantly Hispanic population
Authors: Zhang Bing , Nakamura Brooke Naomi , Perlman Aryeh , Alipour Omeed , Abbasi Sadeea Qureshi , Sohn Peter , Gulati Alakh , Moore Graham , Hwang Caroline , Sheibani Sarah , Zarchy Thomas , Shao Ling 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackground:Tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3) is a multifunctional ubiquitin binding and editing enzyme that regulates inflammation. Genetic studies have implicated polymorphisms within the TNFAIP3 locus to the development of numerous immune-related diseases. This study evaluated the frequencies of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) within the exonic regions of the TNFAIP3 gene and an associated point mutation from the Illumina array among a predominantly Hispanic cohort.Methods:Genomic DNA was obtained from 721 participants and sequencing of all TNFAIP3 exons and an intergenic point mutation (rs6920220) was performed. In-vitro functional assessment was performed by transfecting mutated TNFAIP3 constructs into TNFAIP3 knockout cells containing the NF-kB luciferase reporter and stimulating with TNFα. Comparative statistics were performed with Student’s t-test for continuous variables and chi-squared test for categorical variables.Results:Sequencing revealed two missense SNPs, rs146534657:A>G and rs2230926:T>G, both within exon 3 of TNFAIP3, which encodes the protein’s deubiquitinating enzymatic domain. Frequencies of all three point mutations differed significantly across racial groups (χ2-test, P = 0.014 to P < 0.001). Compared to Caucasians, rs146534657:A>G was overrepresented among Hispanics (odds ratio (OR) [95% CI] 4.05 [1.24−13.18]), and rs2230926:T>G was more prevalent among African-Americans (OR [95% CI] 3.65 [1.58−8.43]). In-vitro assays confirm rs146534657:A>G and rs2230926:T>G decrease the ability of TNFAIP3 to abrogate NF-κB activation by 2-fold (P < 0.01) and 1.7-fold (P < 0.01), respectively.Conclusions:This study reports the frequency of rs146534657:A>G among Hispanics and is the first to evaluate its potential physiologic impact, establishing a basis for future research as a potential biomarker among this population.
Equilibrium states for a class of skew products
Authors: CARVALHO MARIA , PÉREZ SEBASTIÁN A. 
Published: May 2019

We consider skew products on $M\times \mathbb{T}^{2}$, where $M$ is the two-sphere or the two-torus, which are partially hyperbolic and semi-conjugate to an Axiom A diffeomorphism. This class of dynamics includes the open sets of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}$-non-stable systems introduced by Abraham and Smale [Non-genericity of Ł-stability. Global Analysis (Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Mathematics, XIV (Berkeley 1968)). American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1970, pp. 5–8.] and Shub [Topological Transitive Diffeomorphisms in$T^{4}$ (Lecture Notes in Mathematics, 206). Springer, Berlin, 1971, pp. 39–40]. We present sufficient conditions, both on the skew products and the potentials, for the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium states, and discuss their statistical stability.
Échos d’Arabie. Le Pèlerinage à La Mecque de Mansa Musa (724–725/1324–1325) d’après des Nouvelles Sources
Authors: Collet Hadrien 
Published: May 2019

Résumé:Le pèlerinage de Mansa Musa, plus grand sultan du Mali, en 724/1324, est l’un des événements les plus célèbres du Moyen Âge africain. Le souverain est lui-même devenu, ces dernières années, une figure de l’histoire mondiale. Pourtant, des pans entiers de cet événement restent inconnus, notamment son voyage et séjour dans la péninsule Arabique. Cette étude se focalise sur son voyage depuis Le Caire vers La Mecque, à l’aller comme au retour, et à son séjour dans la ville sainte à l’occasion de son pèlerinage. Au travers de la présentation et de la discussion de nouvelles sources, j’apporte des éclairages nouveaux sur cet épisode fameux, dont la trame reste paradoxalement encore nébuleuse par endroits.
Use of a cohorting-unit and systematic surveillance cultures to control aKlebsiella pneumoniaecarbapenemase (KPC)–producing Enterobacteriaceae outbreak
Authors: Reeme Allison E. , Bowler Sarah L. , Buchan Blake W. , Graham Mary Beth , Behrens Elizabeth , Singh Siddhartha , Hong Johnny C. , Arvan Jennifer , Hyke Joshua W. , Palen Louis , Savage Sabrina , Seliger Heather , Huerta Susan , Ledeboer Nathan A. , Kotay Shireen , Mathers Amy J. , Cooper Vaughn S. , Mustapha Mustapha Munir , Mettus Roberta T. , Doi Yohei , Munoz-Price L. Silvia 
Published: May 2019

AbstractObjective:Describe the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of an outbreak ofKlebsiella pneumoniaecarbapenemase (KPC)–producing organisms and the novel use of a cohorting unit for its control.Design:Observational study.Setting:A 566-room academic teaching facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Patients:Solid-organ transplant recipients.Methods:Infection control bundles were used throughout the time of observation. All KPC cases were intermittently housed in a cohorting unit with dedicated nurses and nursing aids. The rooms used in the cohorting unit had anterooms where clean supplies and linens were placed. Spread of KPC-producing organisms was determined using rectal surveillance cultures on admission and weekly thereafter among all consecutive patients admitted to the involved units. KPC-positive strains underwent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and whole-genome sequencing.Results:A total of 8 KPC cases (5 identified by surveillance) were identified from April 2016 to April 2017. After the index patient, 3 patients acquired KPC-producing organisms despite implementation of an infection control bundle. This prompted the use of a cohorting unit, which immediately halted transmission, and the single remaining KPC case was transferred out of the cohorting unit. However, additional KPC cases were identified within 2 months. Once the cohorting unit was reopened, no additional KPC cases occurred. The KPC-positive species identified during this outbreak includedKlebsiella pneumoniae,Enterobacter cloacaecomplex, andEscherichia coli. blaKPCwas identified on at least 2 plasmid backbones.Conclusions:A complex KPC outbreak involving both clonal and plasmid-mediated dissemination was controlled using weekly surveillances and a cohorting unit.
Post-Cold War autocratization: trends and patterns of regime change opposite to democratization
Authors: Cassani Andrea , Tomini Luca 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe so-called third wave of democratization is over and scholars are increasingly alert to the apparently growing number of regime changes in the opposite direction. However, there is little agreement concerning how many distinct forms these processes can take, and even less systematic cross-regional analysis of the phenomenon, which diminishes our ability to seize its actual import. Accordingly, this article pursues a twofold goal. First, we present a framework for the analysis of the processes opposite to democratization. Specifically, we build on the notion of ‘autocratization’, identify similarities and differences between the various forms it can take, and catalogue how it can happen. Second, we provide new data on post-Cold War cases across the world and use these data to map the prevailing trends. The analysis confirms the increasing empirical relevance of the phenomenon, and reveals the existence of a few geographical and historical patterns in the forms and modes of contemporary autocratization.
Territorialities, spatial inequalities and the formalization of land rights in Central Benin
Authors: Delville Philippe Lavigne , Moalic Anne-Claire 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe formalization of ‘informal’ customary land rights is at the core of current rural land policies in Africa. The dubious impacts of such policies on agricultural production, and the recomposition of land rights and governance they cause, have been studied widely. But their territorial dimensions are hardly acknowledged. Studying the implementation of a rural land rights formalization project in central Benin, this article highlights the links between territorialization and plot-level land rights formalization. It first unpacks the notion of the village and presents a conceptual framework for analysing the superimposition of and contradiction between customary and administrative territories. Using two case studies, it then examines the conflicts that arise during formalization operations and their outcomes in terms of the mapping of land rights and political and administrative change. This article shows how the political organization of the territory and the socio-spatial inequalities resulting from the history of settlement shape the results of plot-level land rights registration (which explains why large parts of village territories have not been registered), and, in turn, how these registration operations lead to new territorialization processes and increase the heterogeneity of land tenure rights within the territory.
Wandering women: the work of Congolese transnational traders
Authors: Braun Lesley Nicole 
Published: May 2019

AbstractCongolesecommerçantes, or transnational women traders, travel abroad to cities such as Guangzhou in search of affordable products to import to Kinshasa. Without any support from local banks, women must search for the means to finance their trips and navigate a complex bureaucracy governed by unpredictable customs tariffs. Just as men rely on their social networks to ensure the success of their business activities, women traders must also forge relationships with people in positions of power. However, a woman's social network, linked to her business activities, invites assumptions about her sexual morality. Men working within the country's unstable economic landscape are celebrated for their ingenuity and ability to ‘work the system’, while a woman's sexual morality is perceived as being affected by, and bound up in, Kinshasa's corrupt business matrices. Transnationalcommerçantesare thus not only an important part of the economic milieu, largely governed by patron–client relationships; but are also representative of changing gender dynamics in Kinshasa. Based on multi-site fieldwork in Kinshasa and Guangzhou, this article explores the moral anxieties associated with women's transnational trade, anxieties that relate to broader issues about the politics of social networks within local bureaucratic infrastructures.
The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance as a Human Rights Instrument
Authors: Niyungeko Gérard 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAccording to various provisions of the Protocol Establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the court has jurisdiction over the interpretation and / or application of human rights instruments ratified by the states concerned. This article considers whether, in terms of those provisions, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) is a relevant human rights instrument over which the court can exercise its jurisdiction. It aims to consider the contours of the main question posed and clarify the relevant aspects in light not only of the court's jurisprudence but also of the overall legal framework of the African Union. In this regard, before drawing appropriate conclusions, it addresses three main questions. What is a human rights instrument? Which elements in the ACDEG clearly relate to human rights? And, what is the court's approach on the issue?
Prevalence and multilocus genotyping of potentially zoonotic Giardia duodenalis in pigs in Shanghai, China
Authors: Liu Hua , Xu Ning , Yin Jianhai , Yuan Zhongying , Shen Yujuan , Cao Jianping 
Published: May 2019

AbstractGiardia duodenalis is a common intestinal parasite in humans and other mammals, and it causes major public and veterinary health problems worldwide. China is a major pig-raising country, and studies on Giardia in pigs have important public health significance. The present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Giardia and assess its genetic characterization. A total of 93 samples were collected from two farms in Shanghai. The presence of Giardia was determined using PCR and sequence analysis of glutamate dehydrogenase, beta-giardin and triose phosphate isomerase genes. The average prevalence of G. duodenalis infection was 26.88% (25/93) in the pigs, with 28.13% (18/64) in farm 1 vs 24.14% (7/29) in farm 2. All the PCR-positive products were successfully sequenced, and assemblage E was more prevalent. Zoonotic assemblages A and B and canine-specific assemblage C were identified in farm 1, whereas, only assemblage E was detected in farm 2. Interestingly, two pig isolates showed 100% homology with human-derived isolates from Australia and China at the bg and tpi loci respectively. Pigs infected with Giardia infect humans by polluting the environment; whether pigs are a potential environmental source of the human pathogen in China requires more epidemiological data.
Dynamic interpersonal therapy for moderate to severe depression: a pilot randomized controlled and feasibility trial
Authors: Fonagy Peter , Lemma Alessandra , Target Mary , O'Keeffe Sally , Constantinou Matthew P. , Ventura Wurman Tamara , Luyten Patrick , Allison Elizabeth , Roth Anthony , Cape John , Pilling Stephen 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundImproving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services treat most patients in England who present to primary care with major depression. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is one of the psychotherapies offered. Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) is a psychodynamic and mentalization-based treatment for depression. 16 sessions are delivered over approximately 5 months. Neither DIT's effectiveness relative to low-intensity treatment (LIT), nor the feasibility of randomizing patients to psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioural treatments (CBT) in an IAPT setting has been demonstrated.Methods147 patients were randomized in a 3:2:1 ratio to DIT (n = 73), LIT (control intervention; n = 54) or CBT (n = 20) in four IAPT treatment services in a combined superiority and feasibility design. Patients meeting criteria for major depressive disorder were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment (3 months) and post-treatment (6 months) using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and other self-rated questionnaire measures. Patients receiving DIT were also followed up 6 months post-completion.ResultsThe DIT arm showed significantly lower HRSD-17 scores at the 6-month primary end-point compared with LIT (d = 0.70). Significantly more DIT patients (51%) showed clinically significant change on the HRSD-17 compared with LIT (9%). The DIT and CBT arms showed equivalence on most outcomes. Results were similar with the BDI-II. DIT showed benefit across a range of secondary outcomes.ConclusionsDIT delivered in a primary care setting is superior to LIT and can be appropriately compared with CBT in future RCTs.
NET NUTRITION INEQUALITY IN ARGENTINA, 1875–1950: NEW EVIDENCE AND SOME CONJECTURES
Authors: Salvatore Ricardo D. 
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACTUsing the coefficient of variations for heights, this paper examines the evolution of net nutrition inequality in Argentina from 1875 to 1950. It uses various samples of recruits and soldiers, previously gathered by the author. Evidence points to two important findings: (a) export-led growth led to stable or declining net-nutrition inequality; while import-substituting industrialisation generated significant net nutrition inequality; and (b) the highest levels of inequality in net nutrition took place during this latter phase in large urban, industrialised areas.
THE NORTH–SOUTH DIVIDE: REAL WAGES AND WELFARE IN BRAZIL DURING THE EARLY 20THCENTURY
Authors: Zamberlan Pereira Thales Augusto 
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACTWhat was the degree of Brazil's regional inequality in living standards during the first decades of the 20thcentury? This paper presents municipal and state information on wages and prices in order to build welfare ratios for skilled and unskilled workers between 1912 and 1940. Despite the significant differences in nominal wages and costs of living throughout the country, real wage differentials remained lower than those estimated by earlier studies. Williamson (1999) argued that real wages in the Southeast were approximately six times higher than in the Northeast during the 1930s. The new evidence in this paper suggests that wages were on average only 1.5 times higher.
Towards the corpus revolution? Bridging the research–practice gap
Authors: Chambers Angela 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAlthough there is a large and increasing body of research on the use of corpus data by language teachers and learners, the language teachers in question are also the researchers reporting on their use of corpora with their own learners. There is thus a gap, which this plenary speech addresses, between this research and the practice of language teachers who are not corpus linguists. After a brief account of the successful integration of corpus data in the production of language learning resources such as dictionaries, grammars and course books, the potential benefits of having direct access to corpora by teachers and learners are discussed. Following this, a number of publications on the use of corpora in the language classroom, both in higher education and at secondary level, are examined, focussing on how easy or difficult it would be for teachers to replicate the use of corpus data in their own classrooms. This leads to a final section where possible solutions to the research–practice gap are considered, involving language teacher education, publishers of course books, and research involving the use of corpora in the classroom by language teachers who are not also corpus linguists.
Snap-fit Assembly Process with Industrial Robot Including Force Feedback
Authors: Rónai László , Szabó Tamás 
Published: May 2019

SummaryThis paper investigates a battery snap-in operation performed by an industrial robot. The snap-fit phenomenon is experienced during the insertion of batteries into the battery holder. In order to understand the nature of the snap-fit phenomenon, the large displacement but small deformation theory is used to model the insertion operation. The stability of equilibrium points is analysed in order to determine the so-called trip point. The purpose of the investigation is to augment the displacement control of the robot with force feedback. A microcontroller-based measurement system is implemented to provide the force feedback. The proposed method is valid for a class of snap-fit problems not only for the investigated specific one.