bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimized sampling protocol for mass spectrometry-based metabolomics in Streptomyces
Authors: Liu Xiaoyun , Wang Tong , Sun Xiaojuan , Wang Zejian , Tian Xiwei , Zhuang Yingping , Chu Ju 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
In quantitative metabolomics studies, the most crucial step was arresting snapshots of all interesting metabolites. However, the procedure customized for Streptomyces was so rare that most studies consulted the procedure from other bacteria even yeast, leading to inaccurate and unreliable metabolomics analysis. In this study, a base solution (acetone: ethanol = 1:1, mol/mol) was added to a quenching solution to keep the integrity of the cell membrane. Based on the molar transition energy (ET) of the organic solvents, five solutions were used to carry out the quenching procedures. These were acetone, isoamylol, propanol, methanol, and 60% (v/v) methanol. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report which has utilized a quenching solution with ET values. Three procedures were also adopted for extraction. These were boiling, freezing–thawing, and grinding ethanol. Following the analysis of the mass balance, amino acids, organic acids, phosphate sugars, and sugar alcohols were measured using gas chromatography with an isotope dilution mass spectrometry. It was found that using isoamylol with a base solution (5:1, v/v) as a quenching solution and that freezing–thawing in liquid nitrogen within 50% (v/v) methanol as an extracting procedure were the best pairing for the quantitative metabolomics of Streptomyces ZYJ-6, and resulted in average recoveries of close to 100%. The concentration of intracellular metabolites obtained from this new quenching solution was between two and ten times higher than that from 60% (v/v) methanol, which until now has been the most commonly used solution. Our findings are the first systematic quantitative metabolomics tools for Streptomyces ZYJ-6 and, therefore, will be important references for research in fields such as 13C based metabolic flux analysis, multi-omic research and genome-scale metabolic model establishment, as well as for other Streptomyces.
Optimal analysis conditions for sperm motility parameters with a CASA system in a passerine bird, Passer montanus
Authors: Yang Ying , Zhang Yingmei , Ding Jian , Ai Shiwei , Guo Rui , Bai Xiaojuan , Yang Wenzhi 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBackgroundSperm motility parameters, which can be measured objectively and repeatedly by a computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) system, are important indicators of sperm quality. However, the sperm motility parameters assessed by a CASA system can be affected by various factors, including instrument components and settings, sperm preparation or analysis procedures. To date, no standardized protocol is available that would permit to assess sperm kinetic characteristics in passerine birds and this lack precludes any comparison of sperm swimming ability and sperm quality across species.MethodsIn this study, we chose the Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) as the object to evaluate sperm motility parameters, including sperm motility, sperm velocity and sperm movement trajectory, at different analysis time, temperatures and pH using the WLJY-9000 CASA system.ResultsSperm motility parameters remained statistically unchanged at 1‒9 min. Progressive motility was similar at 38 °C and 40 °C, but a greater percentage of slow progressive sperm was detected at 38 °C compared to 40 °C and 42 °C. Additionally, progressive motility was lower and immotility was higher at 42 °C than 38 °C and/or 40 °C (close to the body temperature of the Tree Sparrow). The percentages of rapid progressive sperm, progressive sperm and immotile sperm were statistically similar at pH 7.0, 7.5 and 8.0 with the exception of lower percentage of progressive sperm at pH 7.0 compared to pH 7.5. In addition, slower sperm velocity and worse sperm movement trajectory were found at pH 6.0 and 9.0 than those at pH 8.0, 7.5 or 7.0.ConclusionsOur study indicates that the ideal conditions for sperm motility parameters assessment in Tree Sparrow are obtained between 1 and 9 min after dilution, an environment at body temperature (40 °C) and a pH around 7.5‒8.0. The results of this study provide a reference for the evaluation of sperm characteristics and sperm quality using a CASA system in passerine birds.
Intractable hyperkalemia caused by hepatic infarction developed during laparoscopic gastrectomy in a patient with end-stage renal failure: a case report
Authors: Takeyama Eriko , Nishimura Nobuyuki , Amano Eizo , Shibuya Hiromi 
Published: September 2019

Abstract

Background
Patients with renal failure are susceptible to electrolyte disturbances including life-threatening hyperkalemia, and intraoperative hepatic damage exacerbates it. We report a case on hemodialysis who developed intraoperative remarkable hyperkalemia caused by hepatic damage during laparoscopic gastrectomy.

Case presentation
A 48-year-old man underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. He had been on hemodialysis for chronic renal failure. Serum K+ continued to increase to a maximum level of 7.4 mEq/L, despite the infusion of glucose with insulin during surgery. Postoperative computed tomography revealed hepatic infarction. Combined with increased hepatic enzymes, hepatic infarction caused by intraoperative mechanical traction would have exacerbated hyperkalemia.

Conclusions
We report a case on hemodialysis who developed intraoperative hyperkalemia due to hepatic damage. Our case highlights hepatic damage during laparoscopic gastrectomy as a potential cause of hyperkalemia.
Multi-slice CT coronary angiography assessment of remodeling index in patients with low- to intermediate-risk stable angina
Authors: Mostafa Shaimaa A. , Aboelazem Tarek , Sanad Osama , Abdelghafar Haytham , Azam Ahmed 
Published: September 2019

Abstract

Background
Early identification of vulnerable plaques by remodeling index prior to rupture and development of acute event is of considerable importance especially by a reliable non-invasive method as CT coronary angiography (CTA), so we aim to evaluate coronary artery remodeling index in patients with low- to intermediate-risk stable angina by CTA.

Results
This single-center, cross-sectional, observational study included 150 patients with stable angina with normal resting ECG, negative markers, normal systolic function by 2D echocardiography (EF > 50%), and without regional wall motion abnormality at rest who were referred to MSCT evaluation of the coronary artery tree; the mean age was 56.8 ± 6.4 years, 83.3% had one-vessel disease, and 16.7% had two-vessel diseases. The mean remodeling index (RI) was 1.04 ± 0.28, 38% had significant positive remodeling, LAD was the most affected vessel (55.3), and proximal lesions were predominant in 48.5%; there was a statistically significant positive correlation between RI and cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, duration of DM, HBA1c, and plaque burden (P < 0.001) and a statistically significant negative correlation with HDL (P < 0.001). Predictors of higher RI were positive family history, diabetes mellitus, low HDL, HBA1c, and plaque burden% (P < 0.001). Patients with remodeling index > 1.1 were diabetic, hypertensive, smoker, with longer duration of diabetes mellitus, higher HBA1c, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, plaque burden, wall lumen ratio, stenosis area, and lower HDL.

Conclusion
CTA was able to detect the presence and extent of early, non-obstructive but significant coronary artery-positive remodeling in patients with low- to intermediate-risk stable angina patients.

Trial registration
NCT03963609, 22 May 2019
Dangerous Fiction and Obscene Images
Authors: Sun Liying , Hockx Michel 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
The magazine Meiyu 眉語 (Eyebrow Talk), published from 1914 to 1916 and edited by Gao Jianhua 高劍華, was China's first literary magazine edited by a woman and targeted at a female audience. It was also the first modern magazine to pay extensive attention to nudity and to physical and romantic intimacy through at times carefully considered juxtapositions of texts and images. In addition, it was the first Chinese magazine to be banned on the basis of obscenity legislation introduced during the early Republic. The committee that banned Meiyu was led by Zhou Shuren 周樹人, who later became known as the author Lu Xun 魯迅, and his disparaging reminiscence about Meiyu caused the magazine to be all but forgotten for nearly a century. In this article, the authors use a wide variety of archival material to reconstruct the complex publishing history of the magazine, as well as the processes and cultural standards involved in its banning. This is followed by a close analysis of aspects of the contents of Meiyu, especially the interaction between texts and images in the representation of nudity, intimacy, and coupledom.
Misfit
Authors: van Crevel Maghiel 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBattlers poetry (dagong shige 打工詩歌), a genre whose name has mostly been rendered in English as “migrant worker poetry” to date, presents an important development in Chinese literature since the 2000s. Written by members of a new precariat that plays a key role in China's economic growth, this poetry speaks to the plight of its constituency. Xu Lizhi 許立志 (1990–2014) is one of its best-known authors, whose rise to fame was triggered if not caused by his suicide. While it is impossible to conduct a real discussion of Xu's work without referring to his suicide and the story of the migrant workers, his status as a figurehead of battlers poetry at large raises questions because what he wrote is arguably not very representative of the genre at all. These observations lead to a discussion of the way battlers poetry has been framed in Chinese critical discourse, where it is often said to have high social significance but low aesthetic value. This convenient dyad is unsatisfying in that it simplifies the text's relation to reality—which is more highly charged for battlers poetry than for many other literary genres.
Utopian Dream and Dark Consciousness
Authors: Wang David Der-wei 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
This article seeks to analyze the contested conditions of modern and contemporary Chinese utopia, as a political treatise, a literary genre, and a social imaginary. It takes a historical perspective from which to describe the rise of utopia in the late Qing era and ponders the contradictions and confluences of its narrative and intellectual paradigms. It proposes that we engage with “dark consciousness,” an idea that deals with the polemics of crisis and contingency ingrained in Chinese thought, in light of modern Chinese literary sources. The last part turns to the scene of the new millennium, observing the dystopian and heterotopian inclinations in fictional practice as opposed to the utopian aspiration in political discourse.
Names Deeply Chiseled
Authors: Yeh Michelle 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
This article provides the first comprehensive study of the use of ancient Greek and Roman allusions and motifs in the poetry of Yang Mu. By focusing on representative works from Yang's oeuvre, the study sheds light on how the poet's appropriations of Greco-Roman materials are a powerful and creative expression of his poetics as a whole. Going beyond the traditional model of influence study, the article proposes a theoretical framework of cross-cultural intertextuality, creative rewriting, and cultural translation.
Ways of Seeing China through Isaac Julien's Ten Thousand Waves
Authors: Zhang Yingjin 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
This article examines ways of seeing China in Isaac Julien's nine-screen film installation Ten Thousand Waves (2010), which represents a migratory aesthetic based on evocative translocality and mobile spectatorship. As Julien reconstructs the legend of compassionate Mazu (played by Maggie Cheung) and memories of Old and New Shanghai (both enacted by Zhao Tao), his screen images and sounds enter a constant circulation and form an intriguing multidirectional dialogue across a variety of media and genres: cinema, art photography, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and star performance. In addition to evaluating new concepts and new techniques at work in the cross-fertilization of cinema and other visual media in the new millennium, this article complicates Julien's celebrated political poetics by highlighting his problematic reception by ethnic Chinese spectators and by reckoning with the specter of orientalism that refuses to go away despite his previously audacious repudiation of stereotypes and clichés and his professed engagement with cosmopolitanism and globalization.
Individual Solubilization Behavior of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) in Water and Its Analyses Using Regression Approach and Computational Simulations
Authors: Toshimitsu Fumiyuki , Ishimaru Wataru , Nakashima Naotoshi 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Flavin analogues are dispersants of carbon nanotubes. We report the finding that riboflavin, which is a nutrient that is much less expensive than a flavin mononucleotide, is a good SWNT dispersant in water. We carried out a temperature dependence test of the solubilization of SWNTs, and propose a possible solubilization mechanism based on a regression analysis. We assume that the linear and lognormal components for the solubilized SWNTs can be explained by nonspecific and specific interactions between the riboflavin and the SWNTs, respectively. We also carried out computational calculations (molecular dynamics simulations) on this SWNT solubilization by which we proposed a suitable complex structure of the SWNT that provided the number of adsorbed flavin molecules via hydrogen bonding on the tubes.
Análise Bibliométrica do Panorama de Publicações sobre Métodos, Modelos, Processos e Sistemas de Gestão da Performance Organizacional
Authors: Ferreira Juliana Duarte , Wagner Adriano 
Published: September 2019

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo delinear um panorama da produção científica sobre gestão de performance, para analisar métodos, modelos, processos e sistemas. Utilizou-se a análise bibliométrica como método de pesquisa. Os dados foram extraídos da base de dados denominada Web of Science. Os resultados apontam que os anos com mais publicações são 2009 e 2013, e que não há autores que concentram um expressivo número de publicações, existe, sim, uma distribuição quase igualitária entre as universidades cujos autores mais estudaram o assunto. Estados Unidos, Inglaterra e Bélgica são os países em que houve maior quantidade de publicação dos artigos. O periódico que detém o maior número de publicações é o International Journal of Human Resource Management; os editores que mais tiveram publicações são Routledge Journals e Emerald Group Publishing Limited, e todos os artigos se encontram na categoria Management e na área Business & Economics da Web of Science.
Validation of EuroSCORE II in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery at the National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur: a retrospective review.
Authors: Musa Ahmad Farouk , Cheong Xian Pei , Dillon Jeswant , Nordin Rusli Bin 
Published: September 2019

Background: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk (EuroSCORE) II was developed in 2011 to replace the aging EUROScore for predicting in-house mortality after cardiac surgery. Our aim was to validate EuroSCORE II in Malaysian patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at our Institute.Methods: A retrospective single-center study was performed. A database was created to include EuroSCORE II values and actual mortality of 1718 patients undergoing CABG surgery in Malaysia from 1st January to 31st December 2016. The goodness-of-fit of EuroSCORE II was determined by the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and discriminatory power with the areas under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC).Results:Observed mortality rate was 4.66% (80 out of 1718 patients). The median EuroSCORE II value was 2.06% (Inter Quartile Range: 1.94%) (1st quartile: 1.45%, 3rd quartile: 3.39%). The AUC for EuroSCORE II was 0.7 (95% CI 0.640 – 0.759) indicating good discriminatory power. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test did not show significant difference between expected and observed mortality in accordance to the EuroSCORE II model (Chi-square = 13.758, p = 0.089) suggesting good calibration of the model in this population. Cross-tabulation analysis showed that there is slight overestimation of EuroSCORE II in low-risk groups (0-10%) and slight underestimation in high-risk groups (>20%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, total hospital stay, serum creatinine and critical pre-operative state are significant predictors of mortality post-CABG surgery.Conclusion: This study indicated that the EuroSCORE II is a good predictor of post-operative mortality in the context of Malaysian patients undergoing CABG surgery. Our study also showed that certain independent variables might possess higher weightage in predicting mortality among this patient group. Therefore, it is suggested that EuroSCORE II can be safely used for risk assessment while ideally, clinical consideration should be applied on an individual basis.
Statistical models for the deterioration of kidney function in a primary care population: A retrospective database analysis
Authors: Oke Jason L , Feakins Benjamin G , Schlackow Iryna , Mihaylova Borislava , Simons Claire , O'Callaghan Chris A , Lasserson Daniel S , Hobbs F D Richard , Stevens Richard J , Perera Rafael 
Published: September 2019

Background: Evidence for kidney function monitoring intervals in primary care is weak, and based mainly on expert opinion. In the absence of trials of monitoring strategies, an approach combining a model for the natural history of kidney function over time combined with a cost-effectiveness analysis offers the most feasible approach for comparing the effects of monitoring under a variety of policies. This study aimed to create a model for kidney disease progression using routinely collected measures of kidney function. Methods: This is an open cohort study of patients aged ≥18 years, registered at 643 UK general practices contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2014. At study entry, no patients were kidney transplant donors or recipients, pregnant or on dialysis. Hidden Markov models for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) stage progression were fitted to four patient cohorts defined by baseline albuminuria stage; adjusted for sex, history of heart failure, cancer, hypertension and diabetes, annually updated for age. Results: Of 1,973,068 patients, 1,921,949 had no recorded urine albumin at baseline, 37,947 had normoalbuminuria (<3mg/mmol), 10,248 had microalbuminuria (3–30mg/mmol), and 2,924 had macroalbuminuria (>30mg/mmol). Estimated annual transition probabilities were 0.75–1.3%, 1.5–2.5%, 3.4–5.4% and 3.1–11.9% for each cohort, respectively. Misclassification of eGFR stage was estimated to occur in 12.1% (95%CI: 11.9–12.2%) to 14.7% (95%CI: 14.1–15.3%) of tests. Male gender, cancer, heart failure and age were independently associated with declining renal function, whereas the impact of raised blood pressure and glucose on renal function was entirely predicted by albuminuria. Conclusions: True kidney function deteriorates slowly over time, declining more sharply with elevated urine albumin, increasing age, heart failure, cancer and male gender. Consecutive eGFR measurements should be interpreted with caution as observed improvement or deterioration may be due to misclassification.
Developing acceptable contraceptive methods: Mixed-method findings on preferred method characteristics from Burkina Faso and Uganda
Authors: Brunie Aurélie , Callahan Rebecca L. , Mackenzie Amelia , Kibira Simon P.S. , Wayack-Pambè Madeleine 
Published: September 2019

Background: Unmet need remains high in developing regions. New contraceptive technologies may improve uptake and use. This study examines desirable product characteristics. Methods: We added a module to the female questionnaire of the PMA2020 surveys in Burkina Faso and Uganda and conducted 50 focus group discussions (FGDs) with women, 10 FGDs with men, and 37 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with providers across the two countries. FGDs with women and IDIs with providers included a semi-structured ranking exercise on pre-selected product characteristics. Results: Effectiveness, duration, few side effects, cost, and access were the characteristics most commonly reported as important in choosing a method by survey respondents across both countries. Half or more of women surveyed in each country would like a method that lasts at least one year, while 65% in Burkina Faso and 40% in Uganda said they would use a method causing amenorrhea. Qualitative findings show that women want methods with minimal and predictable side effects. Reactions to increased bleeding were negative, especially in Burkina Faso, but perspectives on reduced bleeding were more mixed. Women and providers preferred methods that are discreet and not user-dependent, and associate duration with convenience of use. Some women in Uganda expressed concerns about the invasive nature of long-acting methods, and cost was an important consideration in both countries. In the ranking exercise, discreet use and few side effects often ranked high, while causing amenorrhea and not requiring a pelvic exam often ranked low. Conclusion: Product development should consider user preferences for success in these settings.
Oversight and Efficiency in Public Projects: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis
Authors: Calvo Eduard , Cui Ruomeng , Serpa Juan Camilo 
Published: September 2019

In the United States, 42% of public infrastructure projects report delays or cost overruns. To mitigate this problem, regulators scrutinize project operations. We study the effect of oversight on delays and overruns with 262,857 projects spanning 71 federal agencies and 54,739 contractors. We identify our results using a federal bylaw: if the project’s budget is above a cutoff, procurement officers actively oversee the contractor’s operations; otherwise, most operational checks are waived. We find that oversight increases delays by 6.1%–13.8% and overruns by 1.4%–1.6%. We also show that oversight is most obstructive when the contractor has no experience in public projects, is paid with a fixed-fee contract with performance-based incentives, or performs a labor-intensive task. Oversight is least obstructive—or even beneficial—when the contractor is experienced, paid with a time-and-materials contract, or conducts a machine-intensive task. This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.