bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Succulent plant diversity as natural capital
Authors: Grace Olwen M. 
Published: March 2019

Societal Impact StatementDrought‐tolerant plants are increasingly recognized as a resource to mitigate the consequences of climate change. Succulent plants use stored water to sustain metabolism during regular droughts; succulence is a highly successful adaptation that has evolved in thousands of species throughout the plant kingdom. Desert (xeromorphic) succulent species are a potentially relevant resource to manage environments and energy supply in the hottest and driest places. However, many species are threatened with extinction or could become invasive outside their natural range. This review highlights research needed to develop desert succulents as a sustainable resource in a carbon economy.SummaryDrought and increased temperature of the Earth's surface pose significant social and economic challenges under the anticipated effects of climate change. The presence of a reservoir of water to sustain metabolism under drought conditions is a conceptually simple, but remarkably complex, adaptation in the plant kingdom known broadly as succulence. The trait has arisen repeatedly among flowering plant lineages: thousands of succulent species representing immense taxonomic diversity are found on all continents except the polar regions. The phylogenetic diversity and ecological adaptations of desert‐adapted (xeromorphic) succulent plants could be particularly relevant resources to meet the challenges of environmental change, in applications as varied as bioenergy, urban greening, and high‐value products. However, a more complex picture is emerging in which xeromorphic succulents endemic to arid and semi‐arid regions could be at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and exploitation, while others could become invasive if introduced outside their natural range, thus compounding an existing problem of invasive succulent plant species. This review aims to summarize the state of current knowledge of xeromorphic succulent plants as a resource, draw attention to conservation concerns, and examine the potential for their unique traits to be harnessed in a climate change‐resilient world.
Synthesis of bis‐Isoxazole‐bis‐Ethylene Dinitrate and bis‐Isoxazole‐tetra‐Ethylene Tetranitrate: Potential Energetic Plasticizers
Authors: Wingard Leah A. , Sausa Rosario C. , Guzmán Pablo E. , Pesce‐Rodriguez Rose , Sabatini Jesse , Drake Gregory W. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe syntheses and characterizations of two new energetic compounds based on a bis‐isoxazole scaffold are presented. The syntheses employ a metal‐free [3+2] cycloaddition of an alkyne and a nitrile oxide. In addition, we report the molecular structure of these compounds as determined by single crystal x‐ray diffractometry. Both materials have favourable sensitivity properties and low melting points. Their energetic properties indicate potential use as propellant plasticizers.
Decentralized tube‐based model predictive control of uncertain nonlinear multiagent systems
Authors: Nikou Alexandros , Dimarogonas Dimos V. 
Published: March 2019

SummaryThis paper addresses the problem of decentralized tube‐based nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) for a general class of uncertain nonlinear continuous‐time multiagent systems with additive and bounded disturbance. In particular, the problem of robust navigation of a multiagent system to predefined states of the workspace while using only local information is addressed under certain distance and control input constraints. We propose a decentralized feedback control protocol that consists of two terms: a nominal control input, which is computed online and is the outcome of a decentralized finite horizon optimal control problem that each agent solves at every sampling time, for its nominal system dynamics; and an additive state‐feedback law which is computed offline and guarantees that the real trajectories of each agent will belong to a hypertube centered along the nominal trajectory, for all times. The volume of the hypertube depends on the upper bound of the disturbances as well as the bounds of the derivatives of the dynamics. In addition, by introducing certain distance constraints, the proposed scheme guarantees that the initially connected agents remain connected for all times. Under standard assumptions that arise in nominal NMPC schemes, controllability assumptions, communication capabilities between the agents, it is guaranteed that the multiagent system is input‐to‐state stable with respect to the disturbances, for all initial conditions satisfying the state constraints. Simulation results verify the correctness of the proposed framework.
Pushing for speed or scope? Pharmaceutical lobbying and Food and Drug Administration drug review
Authors: Barber Benjamin , Diestre Luis 
Published: March 2019

Research SummaryWe argue firms implementing political activities face a fundamental trade‐off between the content and the speed of public officials' decisions. Firms can use their political capital to speed up public officials' decisions at the expense of less customized content, or to push for more tailored content at the expense of speed. How do firms respond to this trade‐off? We argue firms' nonmarket strategies are determined by their market environment: they will push for content or speed depending upon the level of competitive pressures they face in the market. In the presence of high market pressures, firms are more likely to push for speed; whereas firms facing low market pressures are more likely to push for customized content.Managerial SummaryWe show evidence of a trade‐off between content and speed in the political arena looking at Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug approvals: lobbying for broader drugs leads to longer revisions, whereas lobbying to speed up the review process leads to narrower drugs. We explore how firms respond to this trade‐off in a sample of 540 new drug applications to the FDA from 1998 to 2015. We show firms' lobbying strategies depend upon the level of intellectual property (IP) protection behind their drugs: firms with high levels of IP protection are more likely to lobby for drug scope, whereas firms with low levels of IP protection are more likely to lobby for revision speed.
Hierarchical Porous SWCNT Stringed Carbon Polyhedrons and PSS Threaded MOF Bilayer Membrane for Efficient Solar Vapor Generation
Authors: Ma Xu , Fang Wenzhang , Guo Yi , Li Zhuoyi , Chen Danke , Ying Wen , Xu Zhen , Gao Chao , Peng Xinsheng 
Published: March 2019

AbstractInterfacial solar vapor generation is considered to be an efficient and eco‐friendly technology for harvesting solar energy and providing freshwater. However, the efficient and long‐term steady evaporation of seawater under 1 sun becomes a critical issue when it comes to practical applications. Based on this issue, a special double‐layer structure, which contains a metal–organic‐framework‐derived hierarchical porous carbon membrane (HPCM) for solar absorption and a polystyrene sulfonate (PSS)@Cu3(BTC)3•3H2O (HKUST‐1)/single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) (PHS) membrane for water supply and salt blocking, is designed in this work. The converted heat is utilized efficiently in situ to drive the evaporation of water‐trapped HPCM. The PHS membrane with PSS modified channels successfully prevents the deposition of salt. Due to the synergistic combination of the HPCM and PHS membranes, the device exhibits a remarkably high water evaporation rate of 1.38 kg m−2 h−1 and solar‐vapor generation efficiency of 90.8% under 1 sun.
Years of Life Lost for Older Patients After Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Mazzotti Federico , Cucchetti Alessandro , Claassen Yvette H. M. , Bos Amanda C. R. K. , Bastiaannet Esther , Ercolani Giorgio , Dekker Jan Willem T. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackgroundAn aging population combined with an increased colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence in the older population will increase its prevalence in the elderly, questioning how many years of life are lost (YLLs) in these patients.Patients and methodsData from 32,568 Dutch CRC patients ≥ 80 years were used to estimate the number of YLLs after diagnosis, using a reference age‐, sex‐ and year‐of‐onset‐matched cohort derived from national life tables. YLLs were additionally adjusted by comorbidities. Number needed to treat (NNT) was used as measure of surgical effect size.ResultsSurgery was applied in 74.9% of patients leading to 1.3 YLLs, being superior in 86.1% of cases with respect to alternative therapies (YLLs 4.8 years) and resulting in a number of two patients needed to operate to achieve one positive outcome. YLLs and NNTs depended on CRC stage, patient’ age and comorbidities. For Stage I–II patients in the best clinical conditions (80–85 years without comorbidities), YLLs increased up to 4.1 years after surgery and up to 8.8 years without surgery (NNT 3). For Stage III patients, the NNT of surgery varied between 2 when they were in the best clinical conditions and 4 when they were older with high comorbidities. In Stage IV patients, the NNT ranged between 6 and 31.ConclusionsYLLs represents a novel approach to evaluate CRC prognosis. Stage I–III surgical patients can have a life expectancy similar to that of general population, being the NNT of surgery reasonably small compared with alternatives. Personalized comorbidity data are needed to confirm present findings.
Near Eastern Landscapes and Declassified U2 Aerial Imagery
Authors: Hammer Emily , Ur Jason 
Published: March 2019

AbstractRecently declassified photographs taken by U2 spy planes in the 1950s and 1960s provide an important new source of historical aerial imagery useful for Eurasian archaeology. Like other sources of historical imagery, U2 photos provide a window into the past, before modern agriculture and development destroyed many archaeological sites. U2 imagery is older and in many cases higher resolution than CORONA spy satellite imagery, the other major source of historical imagery for Eurasia, and thus can expand the range of archaeological sites and features that can be studied from an aerial perspective. However, there are significant barriers to finding and retrieving U2 imagery of particular locales, and archaeologists have thus not yet widely used it. In this article, we aim to reduce these barriers by describing the U2 photo dataset and how to access it. We also provide the first spatial index of U2 photos for the Middle East. A brief discussion of archaeological case studies drawn from U2 imagery illustrates its merits and limitations. These case studies include investigations of prehistoric mass-kill hunting traps in eastern Jordan, irrigation systems of the first millennium BC Neo-Assyrian Empire in northern Iraq, and twentieth-century marsh communities in southern Iraq.
EPSILON-STRONGLY GROUPOID-GRADED RINGS, THE PICARD INVERSE CATEGORY AND COHOMOLOGY
Authors: NYSTEDT PATRIK , ÖINERT JOHAN , PINEDO HÉCTOR 
Published: March 2019

AbstractWe introduce the class of partially invertible modules and show that it is an inverse category which we call the Picard inverse category. We use this category to generalize the classical construction of crossed products to, what we call, generalized epsilon-crossed products and show that these coincide with the class of epsilon-strongly groupoid-graded rings. We then use generalized epsilon-crossed groupoid products to obtain a generalization, from the group-graded situation to the groupoid-graded case, of the bijection from a certain second cohomology group, defined by the grading and the functor from the groupoid in question to the Picard inverse category, to the collection of equivalence classes of rings epsilon-strongly graded by the groupoid.
Endogenous development of Cystoisospora belli in intestinal and biliary epithelium of humans
Authors: Dubey J. P. , Evason Kimberley J. , Walther Zenta 
Published: March 2019

AbstractCystoisospora(Isospora)belliis a coccidian parasite of humans. It can cause serious digestive disorders involving infection of intestines, biliary tract and gallbladder, especially in those with depressed immunity. It has a direct fecal–oral transmission cycle. After ingestion of sporulated oocysts, the parasite multiplies asexually and sexually within host epithelial cells, resulting in unsporulated oocysts that are excreted in feces. The details of asexual and sexual stages are not known and certain inclusions in epithelial cells in biopsy samples have been erroneously identified recently asC. belli. Here, we provide details of developmental stages ofC. belliin two patients, in duodenal biopsy of one and biliary epithelium of the other. Immature and mature asexual stages (schizonts/meronts) were seen in epithelial cells. The merozoites were seen singly, in pairs and in groups in single parasitophorous vacuole (pv) in host cytoplasm. Immature and mature meronts were seen together in the same pv; up to eight nuclei were seen in meronts that retained elongated crescent shape; round multinucleated schizonts, seen in other coccidians, were not found. Meronts were up to 25µm long and contained up to ten merozoites that were 8–11µm long. The merozoites and meronts contained PAS-positive granules. Microgamonts (male) contained up to 30 nuclei that were arranged at the periphery and had condensed chromatin; 1–3 PAS-positive, eosinophilic, residual bodies were left when microgametes were formed. The microgametes were 4µm long and PAS-negative. All stages of macrogamonts, including oocysts were PAS-positive. The detailed description of the life cycle stages ofC. bellireported here should facilitate in histopathologic diagnosis of this parasite.
The prevalence of agranulocytosis and related death in clozapine-treated patients: a comprehensive meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Li Xiao-Hong , Zhong Xiao-Mei , Lu Li , Zheng Wei , Wang Shi-bin , Rao Wen-wang , Wang Shuai , Ng Chee H. , Ungvari Gabor S. , Wang Gang , Xiang Yu-Tao 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackgroundClozapine treatment increases the risk of agranulocytosis, but findings on the epidemiology of agranulocytosis have been inconsistent. This meta-analysis examined the prevalence of agranulocytosis and related death in clozapine-treated patients.MethodsA literature search in the international (PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE) and Chinese (WanFang, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Sinomed) databases was conducted. Prevalence estimates of agranulocytosis and related death in clozapine-treated patients were synthesized with the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program using the random-effects model.ResultsThirty-six studies with 260 948 clozapine-treated patients published between 1984 and 2018 were included in the meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of agranulocytosis and death caused by agranulocytosis were 0.4% (95% CI 0.3–0.6%) and 0.05% (95% CI 0.03–0.09%), respectively. The prevalence of agranulocytosis was moderated by sample size, study quality, year of publication, and that of data collection.ConclusionsThe prevalence of clozapine-associated agranulocytosis is low. Agranulocytosis-related death appears rare.
Hospitalisations with infections related to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria from the French nationwide hospital discharge database, 2016
Authors: Opatowski M. , Tuppin P. , Cosker K. , Touat M. , De Lagasnerie G. , Guillemot D. , Salomon J. , Brun-Buisson C. , Watier L. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractMassive use of antibiotics has led to increased bacterial resistance to these drugs, making infections more difficult to treat. Few studies have assessed the overall antimicrobial resistance (AMR) burden, and there is a paucity of comprehensive data to inform health policies. This study aims to assess the overall annual incident number of hospitalised patients with AMR infection in France, using the National Hospital Discharge database. All incident hospitalisations with acute infections in 2016 were extracted. Infections which could be linked with an infecting microorganism were first analysed. Then, an extrapolation of bacterial species and resistance status was performed, according to age class, gender and infection site to estimate the total number of AMR cases. Resistant bacteria caused 139 105 (95% CI 127 920–150 289) infections, resulting in a 12.3% (95% CI 11.3–13.2) resistance rate. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were the most common resistant bacteria (>50%), causing respectively 49 692 (95% CI 47 223–52 142) and 19 493 (95% CI 15 237–23 747) infections. Although assumptions are needed to provide national estimates, information from PMSI is comprehensive, covering all acute bacterial infections and a wide variety of microorganisms.
The health and economic impact of acute gastroenteritis in Belgium, 2010–2014
Authors: Papadopoulos Theofilos , Klamer Sofieke , Jacquinet Stephanie , Catry Boudewijn , Litzroth Amber , Mortgat Laure , Mamouris Pavlos , Rebolledo Javiera , Vaes Bert , Van Cauteren Dieter , Van der Heyden Johan , Beutels Philippe , Devleesschauwer Brecht 
Published: March 2019

AbstractAcute gastroenteritis (AGE) remains a common condition in both low- and high-income countries. In Belgium, however, there is currently a lack of information on the societal health and economic impact of AGE. We conducted a retrospective study using mortality and cause-of-death data, hospital data, primary care data, health interview survey data and other published data. We estimated the burden of illness during a 5-year period (2010–2014) in Belgium in terms of deaths, patients admitted to hospitals, patients consulting their general practitioner (GP) and cases occurring in the community. We further quantified the health impact in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the economic impact in terms of cost-of-illness estimates. We estimated 343 deaths, 27 707 hospitalised patients, 464 222 GP consultations and 10 058 741 episodes occurring in the community (0.91 cases/person) on average per year. AGE was associated with 11 855 DALYs per year (107 DALY per 100 000 persons). The economic burden was estimated to represent direct costs of €112 million, indirect costs of €927 million (90% of the total costs) and an average total cost of €103 per case and €94 per person. AGE results in a substantial health and economic impact in Belgium, justifying continued mitigation efforts.
10 Pharmacodynamics and Tolerability of Intranasally Administered Immediate-Release Amphetamine Sulfate Among Recreational Intranasal StimulantUsers
Authors: Setnik Beatrice , Caras Steve , Sharpe Terrilyn , Faraone Stephen V. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractStudy ObjectiveDespite increased nonmedical use of ADHD prescription stimulants, there are limited data to inform selection of intranasal doses for abuse-potential evaluations. This study determined a dose of amphetamine sulfate that is tolerable and distinguishable from placebo on pharmacodynamic (PD) measures.MethodsIn this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study, healthy, nondependent, recreational stimulant users received a single intranasal dose of amphetamine sulfate (20, 30, or 40mg ; n=6 per group) or placebo (n=2 per group). PD and safety were assessed pre-dose and ≤24hours post-dose. Drug Liking was measured using a bipolar Visual Analogue Scale (VAS; 0–100). Dose selection criteria were complete dose insufflation (≥95%); demonstration of peak Drug Liking ≥75 points, and ≥15 points greater than placebo in ≥3 participants receiving active drug; and tolerability.ResultsPeak Drug Liking criteria were met in the 20-, 30-, and 40-mg groups by 2, 0, and 6 participants, respectively. Mean (SD) peak Drug Liking was 62 (13.0), 71 (17.8), and 93 (8.7) for amphetamine sulfate versus 54 (3.5), 76 (34.6), and 51 (0) for placebo in the 20-, 30-, and 40-mg groups, respectively. Thirteen participants experienced mild AEs (n=1, 4, 6, and 1 in 20-, 30-, 40-mg, and placebo groups, respectively), there were no serious or clinically significant AEs. The most common AE was nostril burning sensation (active drug, n=7). There were no instances of an incompletely insufflateddose.ConclusionA 40-mg intranasal dose produced distinguishable PD effects and was well tolerated. This dose has been selected for further abuse-potential evaluations.Funding Acknowledgements: This study was funded by Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LLC.
29 Cryptococcal Meningitis Leading to Fatal Outcomes in Immunocompetent Patients: A Case Study and Review of Literature
Authors: Ramirez-Ramos Cristhian Felipe , Salinas-Cortes Diego , Rivera-Marin Juan Diego , Peralta-Agudelo Maria , Escobar-Montealegre Freddy 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIntroductionCryptococcal Meningitis is a fungal infectious disease of worldwide distribution, primarily associated with underlying immunosuppression conditions such as HIV infection, glucocorticoid treatment, status post organ transplantation and oncological treatments. Prevalence is particularly high in third-world countries where it constitutes one of the primary causes of central nervous system infections and may carry fatal outcomes. We present two cases of Cryptococcal Meningitis that portray the vast spectrum of clinical presentations associated with Cryptococcal Meningitis as well as relevant diagnostic and therapeutic implications.MethodsCase study - These adult otherwise healthy patients presented at a public urban university hospital in southern Colombia. Both had an unusual clinical course and suffered fatal outcomes despite being seemingly immunocompetent at baseline. A diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis could have been considered a cause of immunosuppression in one of the patients and the diagnostic work-up for the other patient revealed no evidence of immunological deficiency.DiscussionCryptococcal Meningitis affecting immunocompetent individuals has been increasingly reported in recent years. Furthermore, outcomes in this population are particularly worse than those generally affected by the disease. A review of the literature related to the possible immunological mechanisms’ underlying the presented clinical course is included. We emphasize the importance of considering Cryptococcus spp. as a possible etiologic agent among differential diagnoses upon encountering suggestive meningeal conditions in immunocompetent patients.Key words: Cryptococcus neoformans, Meningitis, ImmunocompetentFunding: None.