bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Robust Mercury Methylation across Diverse Methanogenic Archaea
Authors: Gilmour Cynthia C. , Bullock Allyson L. , McBurney Alyssa , Podar Mircea , Elias Dwayne A. 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACT

Methylmercury (MeHg) production was compared among nine cultured methanogenic archaea that contain
hgcAB
, a gene pair that codes for mercury (Hg) methylation. The methanogens tested produced MeHg at inherently different rates, even when normalized to growth rate and Hg availability. Eight of the nine tested were capable of MeHg production greater than that of spent- and uninoculated-medium controls during batch culture growth.
Methanococcoides methylutens
, an
hgcAB

+

strain with a fused gene pair, was unable to produce more MeHg than controls. Maximal conversion of Hg to MeHg through a full batch culture growth cycle for each species (except
M. methylutens
) ranged from 2 to >50% of the added Hg(II) or between 0.2 and 17 pmol of MeHg/mg of protein. Three of the species produced >10% MeHg. The ability to produce MeHg was confirmed in several
hgcAB

+

methanogens that had not previously been tested (
Methanocella paludicola
SANAE,
Methanocorpusculum bavaricum
,
Methanofollis liminatans
GKZPZ, and
Methanosphaerula palustris
E1-9c). Maximal methylation was observed at low sulfide concentrations (<100 μM) and in the presence of 0.5 to 5 mM cysteine. For
M. hollandica
, the addition of up to 5 mM cysteine enhanced MeHg production and cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner. As observed for bacterial Hg methylators, sulfide inhibited MeHg production. An initial evaluation of sulfide and thiol impacts on bioavailability showed methanogens responding to Hg complexation in the same way as do
Deltaproteobacteria
. The mercury methylation rates of several methanogens rival those of the better-studied Hg-methylating sulfate- and iron-reducing
Deltaproteobacteria
.

IMPORTANCE
Archaea
, specifically methanogenic organisms, play a role in mercury methylation in nature, but their global importance to MeHg production and the subsequent risk to ecosystems are not known. Methanogenesis has been linked to Hg methylation in several natural habitats where methylmercury production incurs risk to people and ecosystems, including rice paddies and permafrost. In this study, we confirm that most methanogens carrying the
hgcAB
gene pair are capable of Hg methylation. We found that methylation rates vary inherently among
hgcAB

+

methanogens but that several species are capable of MeHg production at rates that rival those of the better-know Hg-methylating sulfate- and iron-reducing bacteria. Methanogens may need to be considered equally with sulfate and iron reducers in evaluations of MeHg production in nature.
Poverty reduction and equity benefits of introducing or scaling up measles, rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study
Authors: Riumallo-Herl Carlos , Chang Angela Y , Clark Samantha , Constenla Dagna , Clark Andrew , Brenzel Logan , Verguet Stéphane 
Published: April 2018

IntroductionBeyond their impact on health, vaccines can lead to large economic benefits. While most economic evaluations of vaccines have focused on the health impact of vaccines at a national scale, it is critical to understand how their impact is distributed along population subgroups.MethodsWe build a financial risk protection model to evaluate the impact of immunisation against measles, severe pneumococcal disease and severe rotavirus for birth cohorts vaccinated over 2016–2030 for three scenarios in 41 Gavi-eligible countries: no immunisation, current immunisation coverage forecasts and the current immunisation coverage enhanced with funding support. We distribute modelled disease cases per socioeconomic group and derive the number of cases of: (1) catastrophic health costs (CHCs) and (2) medical impoverishment.ResultsIn the absence of any vaccine coverage, the number of CHC cases attributable to measles, severe pneumococcal disease and severe rotavirus would be approximately 18.9 million, 6.6 million and 2.2 million, respectively. Expanding vaccine coverage would reduce this number by up to 90%, 30% and 40% in each case. More importantly, we find a higher share of CHC incidence among the poorest quintiles who consequently benefit more from vaccine expansion.ConclusionOur findings contribute to the understanding of how vaccines can have a broad economic impact. In particular, we find that immunisation programmes can reduce the proportion of households facing catastrophic payments from out-of-pocket health expenses, mainly in lower socioeconomic groups. Thus, vaccines could have an important role in poverty reduction.
Impact of a health system strengthening intervention on maternal and child health outputs and outcomes in rural Rwanda 2005–2010
Authors: Thomson Dana R , Amoroso Cheryl , Atwood Sidney , Bonds Matthew H , Rwabukwisi Felix Cyamatare , Drobac Peter , Finnegan Karen E , Farmer Didi Bertrand , Farmer Paul E , Habinshuti Antoinette , Hirschhorn Lisa R , Manzi Anatole , Niyigena Peter , Rich Michael L , Stulac Sara , Murray Megan B , Binagwaho Agnes 
Published: April 2018

IntroductionAlthough Rwanda’s health system underwent major reforms and improvements after the 1994 Genocide, the health system and population health in the southeast lagged behind other areas. In 2005, Partners In Health and the Rwandan Ministry of Health began a health system strengthening intervention in this region. We evaluate potential impacts of the intervention on maternal and child health indicators.MethodsCombining results from the 2005 and 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys with those from a supplemental 2010 survey, we compared changes in health system output indicators and population health outcomes between 2005 and 2010 as reported by women living in the intervention area with those reported by the pooled population of women from all other rural areas of the country, controlling for potential confounding by economic and demographic variables.ResultsOverall health system coverage improved similarly in the comparison groups between 2005 and 2010, with an indicator of composite coverage of child health interventions increasing from 57.9% to 75.0% in the intervention area and from 58.7% to 73.8% in the other rural areas. Under-five mortality declined by an annual rate of 12.8% in the intervention area, from 229.8 to 83.2 deaths per 1000 live births, and by 8.9% in other rural areas, from 157.7 to 75.8 deaths per 1000 live births. Improvements were most marked among the poorest households.ConclusionWe observed dramatic improvements in population health outcomes including under-five mortality between 2005 and 2010 in rural Rwanda generally and in the intervention area specifically.
ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon autograft and accelerated brace-free rehabilitation: a systematic review of clinical outcomes
Authors: Janssen Rob P A , van Melick Nicky , van Mourik Jan B A , Reijman Max , van Rhijn Lodewijk W 
Published: April 2018

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical outcomes after hamstring tendon autograft ACL reconstruction (ACLR) with accelerated, brace-free rehabilitation.DesignSystematic review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.Data sourcesEmbase, MEDLINE Ovid, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL and Google scholar from 1 January 1974 to 31 January 2017.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudy designs reporting outcomes in adults after arthroscopic, primary ACLR with hamstring autograft and accelerated, brace-free rehabilitation.ResultsTwenty-four studies were included in the review. The clinical outcomes after hamstring tendon autograft ACLR with accelerated brace-free rehabilitation were the following: (1) early start of open kinetic exercises at 4 weeks in a limited range of motion (ROM, 90°−45°) and progressive concentric and eccentric exercises from 12 weeks did not alter outcomes, (2) gender and age did not influence clinical outcomes, (3) anatomical reconstructions showed better results than non-anatomical reconstructions, (4) there was no difference between single-bundle and double-bundle reconstructions, (5) femoral and tibial tunnel widening occurred, (6) hamstring tendons regenerated after harvest and (7) biological knowledge did not support return to sports at 4–6 months.ConclusionsAfter hamstring tendon autograft ACLR with accelerated brace-free rehabilitation, clinical outcome is similar after single-bundle and double-bundle ACLR. Early start of open kinetic exercises at 4 weeks in a limited ROM (90°−45°) and progressive concentric and eccentric exercises from 12 weeks postsurgery do not alter clinical outcome. Further research should focus on achievement of best balance between graft loading and graft healing in the various rehabilitation phases after ACLR as well as on validated, criterion-based assessments for safe return to sports.Level of evidenceLevel 2b; therapeutic outcome studies.
Performance of HYDRUS-1D for simulating water movement in water-repellent soils
Authors: Wang Xiaofang , Li Yi , Wang Yichen , Liu Chuncheng 
Published: April 2018

Soil water repellency affects soil water movement during infiltration significantly. The HYDRUS software has been popularly applied in soil water dynamics simulation for many years, but its performance in water-repellent (WR) soils has not been assessed thoroughly. Our objectives are to assess the performance of HYDRYUS-1D for cumulative infiltration (CI), wetting front (Zf), and volumetric soil water content (θv) during horizontal imbibition and vertical infiltration in wettable, slightly WR, and strongly WR soils. The key parameters of α and n in water retention curves were inversely estimated by RETension Curve software. The α and n were calibrated inversely until the observed data fitted the simulated values well enough. The α and n were then used for validation using three statistical parameters including relative root-mean-square error, R2, and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient. The performances of calibration and validation for wettable, slightly, and strongly WR soils were good enough to be used for further simulations (RRMSE ≤20.2% for calibration and ≤21.1% for validation). Soil water movements for strongly WR soils of variable ponded depth during vertical infiltration were simulated. For Lou soil, as the ponded depth increased from 4 to 10 cm, the CI and Zfincreased 2.08 and 5.5 cm, respectively. The simulations for the other three soils also showed gradually increased CI and Zfvalues. In conclusion, the performances of HYDRUS-1D in four different soil types with changing WR levels were good, which confirmed the application of HYDRUS-1D in WR soils.
Effect of the cosmological constant on halo size
Authors: Kulchoakrungsun Ekapob , Lam Adrian , Lowe David A. 
Published: April 2018

In this work, we consider the effect of the cosmological constant on galactic halo size. As a model, we study the general relativistic derivation of orbits in the Schwarzschild–de Sitter metric. We find that there exists a length scale [Formula: see text] corresponding to a maximum size of a circular orbit of a test mass in a gravitationally bound system, which is the geometric mean of the cosmological horizon size squared and the Schwarzschild radius. This agrees well with the size of a galactic halo when the effects of dark matter are included. The size of larger structures such as galactic clusters and superclusters are also well-approximated by this scale. This model provides a simplified approach to computing the size of such structures without the usual detailed dynamical models. Some of the more detailed approaches that appear in the literature are reviewed, and we find the length scales agree to within a factor of order one. Finally, we note the length scale associated with the effects of MOND or Verlinde’s emergent gravity, which offer explanations of the flattening of galaxy rotation curves without invoking dark matter, may be expressed as the geometric mean of the cosmological horizon size and the Schwarzschild radius, which is typically 100 times smaller than [Formula: see text].
High-frequency performance for a spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph
Authors: Huang Fang Sheng , Feng Zhi Hua , Ma Yu Ting , Pan Qiao Sheng , Zhang Lian Sheng , Liu Yong Bin , He Liang Guo 
Published: April 2018

Piezoelectric cantilever is suitable as an actuator for micro-flapping-wing aircraft. Higher resonant frequency brings about stronger flight energy, and the flight amplitude can be compensated by displacement–amplification mechanism, such as lever. To obtain a higher resonant frequency, straight piezoelectric bimorph was rolled into spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph with identical effective length in this study, which is verified in COMSOL simulations. Simulation results show that compared with the straight piezoelectric bimorph, the spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph with two turns has higher inherent frequencies (from 204.79 Hz to 504.84 Hz in terms of axial oscillation mode, and from 319.77 Hz to 704.48 Hz in terms of tangential torsional mode). The spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph is fabricated by a precise laser cutting process and consists of two turns with effective length of 60 mm, width of 2.5 mm, and thickness of 1.6 mm, respectively. With the excitation voltage of 100 Vpp applying an electric field across the thickness of the bimorph, the tip displacement of the actuator in the axial oscillation and tangential torsional modes are 85 [Formula: see text]m and 15 [Formula: see text]m, respectively.
Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Acquired Thrombocytopenia After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Groves Elliott M. , Bhatt Deepak L. , Steg Philippe Gabriel , Deliargyris Efthymios N. , Stone Gregg W. , Gibson C. Michael , Hamm Christian W. , Mahaffey Kenneth W. , White Harvey D. , Angiolillo Dominick J. , Prats Jayne , Harrington Robert A. , Price Matthew J. ,   on behalf of the CHAMPION Investigators*
Published: April 2018

Background—
The influence of cangrelor on the incidence and outcomes of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) thrombocytopenia is not defined. We aimed to explore the incidence, predictors, and clinical impact of thrombocytopenia after PCI in cangrelor-treated patients.

Methods and Results—

This was a pooled, patient-level analysis of the CHAMPION trials (Cangrelor Versus Standard Therapy to Achieve Optimal Management of Platelet Inhibition), which compared cangrelor with clopidogrel for prevention of thrombotic complications during and after PCI. Acquired thrombocytopenia was defined as either a drop in platelet count to <100 000 after PCI or a drop of >50% between baseline and a follow-up. The main efficacy outcome was major adverse cardiac events. The primary safety outcome was noncoronary artery bypass grafting–related Global Utilization of Streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Occluded Coronary Arteries–defined severe bleeding at 48 hours. Patients (23 783) were enrolled, and 3009 (12.7%) received a GPI (glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor). Acquired thrombocytopenia occurred in 200 patients (0.8%). The adjusted rate of major adverse cardiovascular events at 48 hours was significantly higher in patients who developed thrombocytopenia compared with those who did not (odds ratio, 3.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.89–4.69;
P
<0.001), as was major bleeding (odds ratio, 14.71; 95% confidence interval, 5.96–36.30;
P
<0.001). GPI use was the strongest independent predictor of acquired thrombocytopenia (odds ratio, 2.93; 95% confidence interval, 2.15–3.97;
P
<0.0001). There was no difference in the rate of acquired thrombocytopenia in patients randomized to cangrelor or clopidogrel.

Conclusions—
Acquired thrombocytopenia after PCI is strongly associated with substantial early morbidity and mortality, as well as major bleeding. GPI use is a significant predictor of thrombocytopenia. Cangrelor is not associated with acquired thrombocytopenia, and its clinical efficacy and safety is consistent irrespective of thrombocytopenia occurrence.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifiers: NCT00305162, NCT00385138, and NCT01156571.
Do Downscaled General Circulation Models Reliably Simulate Historical Climatic Conditions?
Authors: Bock Andrew R. , Hay Lauren E. , McCabe Gregory J. , Markstrom Steven L. , Atkinson R. Dwight 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe accuracy of statistically downscaled (SD) general circulation model (GCM) simulations of monthly surface climate for historical conditions (1950–2005) was assessed for the conterminous United States (CONUS). The SD monthly precipitation (PPT) and temperature (TAVE) from 95 GCMs from phases 3 and 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3 and CMIP5) were used as inputs to a monthly water balance model (MWBM). Distributions of MWBM input (PPT and TAVE) and output [runoff (RUN)] variables derived from gridded station data (GSD) and historical SD climate were compared using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test For all three variables considered, the KS test results showed that variables simulated using CMIP5 generally are more reliable than those derived from CMIP3, likely due to improvements in PPT simulations. At most locations across the CONUS, the largest differences between GSD and SD PPT and RUN occurred in the lowest part of the distributions (i.e., low-flow RUN and low-magnitude PPT). Results indicate that for the majority of the CONUS, there are downscaled GCMs that can reliably simulate historical climatic conditions. But, in some geographic locations, none of the SD GCMs replicated historical conditions for two of the three variables (PPT and RUN) based on the KS test, with a significance level of 0.05. In these locations, improved GCM simulations of PPT are needed to more reliably estimate components of the hydrologic cycle. Simple metrics and statistical tests, such as those described here, can provide an initial set of criteria to help simplify GCM selection.
Validating Conspiracy Beliefs and Effectively Communicating Scientific Consensus
Authors: Bolsen Toby , Druckman James N. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
A central challenge to effectively communicating scientific consensus is that people often reject information counter to their prior beliefs. People who believe that human-induced climate change is a hoax, for instance, may dismiss scientific consensus messages that human activity is a primary cause of climate change. We argue that such people can be persuaded, however. We hypothesize that validating an individual’s belief about the existence of conspiracies makes him or her more likely to accept contrary scientific consensus information. We present experimental evidence that such validation leads individuals who previously believed human-induced climate change is a hoax to become more believing in human-induced climate change following exposure to scientific consensus information.
Do health professionals tell patients what they want to know about their medicines?
Authors: Young Amber , Tordoff June , Leitch Sharon , Smith Alesha 
Published: April 2018

Background: Discussing medicines with patients is the responsibility of prescribers and pharmacists. However, it is not well known whether patients are given the information they want or whether information provision continues when medicines are taken long-term. Objective: To determine how often general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists provide verbal information to patients about their medicines, and compare the information given with what patients want to know. Design: Cross-sectional surveys. Setting: New Zealand primary healthcare. Method: Two questionnaires were developed and sent to a sample of pharmacists and GPs, and chi-squared analysis was carried out. Open responses were analysed qualitatively to detect further ideas. Results: A total of 119 pharmacists and 150 GPs responded. For new medicines, significantly more GPs than pharmacists reported giving verbal information all of the time. Significantly more GPs than pharmacists reported discussing most counselling points all or most of the time. Pharmacists were more likely than GPs to discuss counselling points only when requested to by patients. For repeat medicines, significantly more GPs than pharmacists were likely to consider counselling points very important. Conclusion: Patients may not be receiving the information they want to know about their medicines, and there may be an overall lack of verbal communication about medicines with patients. Some information will only be discussed if the patient actively requests it; the likelihood of this increases with repeat medicines. The use of counselling aids and tools, such as a medicine information leaflet, could help healthcare providers provide patients with the information they need.
Adults with intellectual disabilities: Case studies using everyday technology to support daily living skills
Authors: Golisz Kathleen , Waldman-Levi Amiya , Swierat Richard P , Toglia Joan 
Published: April 2018

Introduction Adults with intellectual developmental disorders may have difficulties undertaking activities of daily living. This study aimed to identify changes in independence in activities of daily living following learning support using individualized everyday technologies. Method A double-baseline case study design explored the use of everyday technology applications and devices to support functional performance of three men aged 32, 33, and 55 years, with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. Performance of selected tasks was video-recorded and analysed on four occasions for each participant. Baselines were recorded twice before intervention to ensure the participant’s performance of the selected task was consistent. The intervention video was recorded at the midpoint of the participant’s engagement in the study. Post-intervention video was recorded approximately 1 month after the intervention ended. Results All three participants’ functional performance of an activity of daily living task improved in accuracy and efficiency as cues from support workers were gradually faded. After the learning support ceased, technology continued to provide environmental support of participants’ ongoing independence and efficient performance of the activity. Conclusion Everyday technology applications and devices can be utilized together with a guided and structured client-centred approach and task-specific training with individuals with disability and learning difficulties.