bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Geographic information science and the analysis of place and health
Authors: Mennis Jeremy , Yoo Eun‐Hye Enki 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe representation of place is a key theoretical advancement that geographic information science can offer to improve the understanding of environmental determinants of health, but developing robust computational representations of place requires a substantial departure from conventional notions of geographic representation in GIS. Unlike conventional GIS representations based on either objects or locations, we suggest that place representation should incorporate dynamic subjective, experiential, and relational aspects of place, as the influence of place on health behavior concerns not only the features that can be objectively observed at a particular location but also the environmental perceptions of the individual, as molded by biological, social, and experiential characteristics. In addition, assessments of environmental exposures on health outcomes should focus on individuals' time–activity patterns and microenvironment profiles, which form a potentially unique personalized exposure environment for each individual. Addressing these representational challenges via collaborative research has the potential to advance both geographic information science and health research.
EFFECT OF PROCESS PARAMETERS ON THE SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES AND ITS EFFECTS ON MICROBES
Authors: Yusof Faridah , Chowdhury Silvia , Sulaiman Nadzril , Faruck Mohammad Omer 
Published: April 2018

Metallic silver (Ag) and some Ag compounds have long being used to fight microbial infection even before the emergence of antibiotics in the form of drugs. But lately, one of the problems facing the medical world is the occurrence of drug resistance microbes. Therefore, actions must be taken to overcome the problem, one of which is to continue studies to develop new drugs, either synthetic or natural. The ultimate goal is to offer appropriate and efficient antimicrobial drugs to patients. In this regard, with the advent of nanotechnology, it is now possible to synthesize nano scale Ag which can be used in diverse medical applications. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of some important parameters towards the production of high yield Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) from silver salts by making use of reducing agent. One-Factor-at-a-Time (OFAT) design of experiment was conducted, involving five important synthesis parameters. Based on the analyses of its yellow color, absorption by UV-vis in the range of 350 to 420 nm wavelength and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at 420 nm, AgNPs produced were estimated to be in the range of 5 to 50 nm in diameter. Out of the five parameters tested, such as the concentration of silver nitrate (AgNO3), the initial pH of AgNO3 solution, the concentration of tri-sodium citrate (TSC), the reaction time between AgNO3 and TSC and stirring time (after reduction process), results showed that all factors except stirring time affect the production. Characterization of AgNPs, carried out using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), showed that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical with diameters less than 15 nm. Antimicrobial activity assays of AgNPs, carried out against selected microbes, namely Aspergillus niger, Microsporum canis and Staphylococcus aureus showed various degree of potencies.
The Effects of Walking Workstations on Biomechanical Performance
Authors: Grindle Daniel M. , Baker Lauren , Furr Mike , Puterio Tim , Knarr Brian , Higginson Jill 
Published: April 2018

Prolonged sitting has been associated with negative health effects. Walking workstations have become increasingly popular in the workplace. There is a lack of research on the biomechanical effect of walking workstations. This study analyzed whether walking while working alters normal gait patterns. A total of 9 participants completed 4 walking trials at 2.4 and 4.0 km·h−1: baseline walking condition, walking while performing a math task, a reading task, and a typing task. Biomechanical data were collected using standard motion capture procedures. The first maximum vertical ground reaction force, stride width, stride length, minimum toe clearance, peak swing hip abduction and flexion angles, peak swing and stance ankle dorsiflexion, and knee flexion angles were analyzed. Differences between conditions were evaluated using analysis of variance tests with Bonferroni correction (P ≤ .05). Stride width decreased during the reading task at both speeds. Although other parameters exhibited significant differences when multitasking, these changes were within the normal range of gait variability. It appears that for short periods, walking workstations do not negatively impact gait in healthy young adults.
Laboratory Evaluation of Low-Cost Wearable Sensors for Measuring Head Impacts in Sports
Authors: Tyson Abigail M. , Duma Stefan M. , Rowson Steven 
Published: April 2018

Advances in low-cost wearable head impact sensor technology provide potential benefits regarding sports safety for both consumers and researchers. However, previous laboratory evaluations are not directly comparable and do not incorporate test conditions representative of unhelmeted impacts. This study addresses those limitations. The xPatch by X2 Biosystems and the SIM-G by Triax Technologies were placed on a National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) headform with a Hybrid III neck which underwent impact tests using a pendulum. Impact conditions included helmeted, padded impactor to bare head, and rigid impactor to bare head to represent long- and short-duration impacts seen in helmeted and unhelmeted sports. The wearable sensors were evaluated on their kinematic accuracy by comparing results to reference sensors located at the headform center of gravity. Statistical tests for equivalence were performed on the slope of the linear regression between wearable sensors and reference. The xPatch gave equivalent measurements to the reference in select longer-duration impacts, whereas the SIM-G had large variance leading to no equivalence. For the short-duration impacts, both wearable sensors underpredicted the reference. This error can be improved with increases in sampling rate from 1 to 1.5 kHz. Follow-up evaluations should be performed on the field to identify error in vivo.
Sequence Type 273 Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Carrying
bla
NDM-1
and
bla
IMP-4
Authors: Liu Lu , Feng Yu , Long Haiyan , McNally Alan , Zong Zhiyong 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACT

A carbapenem-resistant
Klebsiella pneumoniae
isolate was recovered from human blood. Its whole-genome sequence was obtained using Illumina and long-read MinION sequencing. The strain belongs to sequence type 273 (ST273), which was found recently and caused an outbreak in Southeast Asia. It has two carbapenemase genes,
bla
NDM-1
(carried by an ST7 IncN self-transmissible plasmid) and
bla
IMP-4
(located on a self-transmissible IncHI5 plasmid). Non-KPC-producing ST237 may represent a lineage of carbapenem-resistant
K. pneumoniae
, which warrants further monitoring.
Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 and Interleukin-1R1 Signaling Contribute to Resistance to Coccidioides immitis
Authors: Viriyakosol Suganya , Walls Lorraine , Okamoto Sharon , Raz Eyal , Williams David L. , Fierer Joshua 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTRodents are a natural host for the dimorphic pathogenic fungiCoccidioides immitisandCoccidioides posadasii, and mice are a good model for human infection. Humans and rodents both express Dectin-1 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) on myeloid cells, and those receptors collaborate to maximize the cytokine/chemokine responses to spherules (the tissue form of the fungi) and to formalin-killed spherules (FKS). We showed that Dectin-1 is necessary for resistance to pulmonary coccidioidomycosis, but the importance of TLR2in vivois uncertain. Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is the adapter protein for TLR2 and -4, interleukin-1R1 (IL-1R1), and IL-18R1. MyD88/TRIF−/−and MyD88−/−mice were equally susceptible toC. immitisinfection, in contrast to C57BL/6 (B6) controls. Of the four surface receptors, only IL-1R1 was required for resistance toC. immitis, partially explaining the susceptibility of MyD88−/−mice. We also found that FKS stimulated production of IL-1Ra by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs), independent of MyD88 and Dectin-1. There also was a very high concentration of IL-1Ra in the lungs of infected B6 mice, supporting the potential importance of this regulatory IL-1 family protein in the largely ineffective response of B6 mice to coccidioidomycosis. These results suggest that IL-1R1 signaling is important for defense againstC. immitisinfection.
Coping with an Essential Poison: a Genetic Suppressor Analysis Corroborates a Key Function of c-di-AMP in Controlling Potassium Ion Homeostasis in Gram-Positive Bacteria
Authors: Commichau Fabian M. , Stülke Jörg 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTCyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP) is an important second messenger in bacteria. In mostFirmicutes, the molecule is required for growth in complex media but also toxic upon accumulation. In an article on their current study, Zarrella and coworkers present a suppressor analysis of aStreptococcus pneumoniaestrain that is unable to degrade c-di-AMP (T. M. Zarrella, D. W. Metzger, and G. Bai, J Bacteriol 200:e00045-18, 2018,https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00045-18). Their study identifies new links between c-di-AMP and potassium homeostasis and supports the hypothesis that c-di-AMP serves as a second messenger to report about the intracellular potassium concentrations.
Kaptive Web: User-Friendly Capsule and Lipopolysaccharide Serotype Prediction for Klebsiella Genomes
Authors: Wick Ryan R. , Heinz Eva , Holt Kathryn E. , Wyres Kelly L. 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACT

As whole-genome sequencing becomes an established component of the microbiologist's toolbox, it is imperative that researchers, clinical microbiologists, and public health professionals have access to genomic analysis tools for the rapid extraction of epidemiologically and clinically relevant information. For the Gram-negative hospital pathogens such as
Klebsiella pneumoniae
, initial efforts have focused on the detection and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance genes and clones. However, with the resurgence of interest in alternative infection control strategies targeting
Klebsiella
surface polysaccharides, the ability to extract information about these antigens is increasingly important. Here we present Kaptive Web, an online tool for the rapid typing of
Klebsiella
K and O loci, which encode the polysaccharide capsule and lipopolysaccharide O antigen, respectively. Kaptive Web enables users to upload and analyze genome assemblies in a web browser. The results can be downloaded in tabular format or explored in detail via the graphical interface, making it accessible for users at all levels of computational expertise. We demonstrate Kaptive Web's utility by analyzing >500
K. pneumoniae
genomes. We identify extensive K and O locus diversity among 201 genomes belonging to the carbapenemase-associated clonal group 258 (25 K and 6 O loci). The characterization of a further 309 genomes indicated that such diversity is common among the multidrug-resistant clones and that these loci represent useful epidemiological markers for strain subtyping. These findings reinforce the need for rapid, reliable, and accessible typing methods such as Kaptive Web. Kaptive Web is available for use at
http://kaptive.holtlab.net/
, and the source code is available at
https://github.com/kelwyres/Kaptive-Web
.
Nonenvelopment Role for the ESCRT-III Complex during Human Cytomegalovirus Infection
Authors: Streck Nicholas T. , Carmichael Jillian , Buchkovich Nicholas J. 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACT
Secondary envelopment of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) occurs through a mechanism that is poorly understood. Many enveloped viruses utilize the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) for viral budding and envelopment. Although there are conflicting reports on the role of the ESCRT AAA ATPase protein VPS4 in HCMV infection, VPS4 may act in an envelopment role similar to its function during other viral infections. Because VPS4 is normally recruited by the ESCRT-III complex, we hypothesized that ESCRT-III subunits would also be required for HCMV infection. We investigated the role of ESCRT-III, the core ESCRT scission complex, during the late stages of infection. We show that inducible expression of dominant negative ESCRT-III subunits during infection blocks endogenous ESCRT function but does not inhibit virus production. We also show that HCMV forms enveloped intracellular and extracellular virions in the presence of dominant negative ESCRT-III subunits, suggesting that ESCRT-III is not involved in the envelopment of HCMV. We also found that as with ESCRT-III, inducible expression of a dominant negative form of VPS4A did not inhibit the envelopment of virions or reduce virus titers. Thus, HCMV does not require the ESCRTs for secondary envelopment. However, we found that ESCRT-III subunits are required for efficient virus spread. This suggests a role for ESCRT-III during the spread of HCMV that is independent of viral envelopment.

IMPORTANCE
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a prevalent opportunistic pathogen in the human population. For neonatal and immunocompromised patients, HCMV infection can cause severe and possibly life-threatening complications. It is important to define the mechanisms of the viral replication cycle in order to identify potential targets for new therapies. Secondary envelopment, or acquisition of the membrane envelope, of HCMV is a mechanism that needs further study. Using an inducible fibroblast system to carefully control for the toxicity associated with blocking ESCRT-III function, this study determines that the ESCRT proteins are not required for viral envelopment. However, the study does discover a nonenvelopment role for the ESCRT-III complex in the efficient spread of the virus. Thus, this study advances our understanding of an important process essential for the replication of HCMV.
Interrelationships among plasma metabolites, production, and ovarian follicular function in dairy cows
Authors: Macmillan K. , Hayirli A. , Doepel L. , Dyck B.L. , Subramaniam E. , Ambrose D.J. , Colazo M.G. 
Published: April 2018

Associations of blood metabolites and production variables with ovarian function and parity, specifically, interval to first ovulation (IFO) and the incidence of ovarian cysts (OC) and multiple ovulation (MOV) at the first ovulation postpartum, were determined in lactating dairy cows. This retrospective study involved data on 169 Holstein cows from three studies on the same herd. Blood samples were taken weekly from week −1 to week 4, relative to calving, and transrectal ultrasonography was performed twice weekly from day 7 to day 60 postpartum. The overall IFO was 32.6 ± 1.9 d (mean ± SEM) and did not differ among lactations. Primiparous cows were at a greater risk of failing to ovulate before day 60 postpartum and cows in the third or greater lactation were at a higher risk for OC and MOV. Blood metabolites and production variables indicating a negative energy balance were associated with cows failing to ovulate before day 35 postpartum, but were not related with OC. Increased dry matter intake and milk yield, particularly in second lactation cows, were associated with a higher incidence of OC. While beta-hydroxybutyrate acid and insulin-like growth factor 1 were associated with MOV, the relationship was weak. Reducing negative energy balance is necessary to reduce IFO but may increase the incidence of MOV.
Design and Implementation of a Lattice-Based Public-Key Encryption Scheme
Authors: Lin Hui , Liu Dongsheng , Zhang Cong , Dong Yahui 
Published: April 2018

Due to its advantage of quantum resistance and the provable security under some worst-case hardness assumptions, lattice-based cryptography is being increasingly researched. This paper tries to explore and present a novel lattice-based public key cryptography and its implementation of circuits. In this paper, the LWE (learning with error) cryptography is designed for circuit realization in a practical way. A strategy is proposed to dramatically reduce the stored public key size from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], with only several additional linear feedback shift registers. The circuit design is implemented on Xilinx Spartan-3A FPGA and performs very well with limited resources. Only 125 slices and 8 BRAMs are occupied, and there are no complex operation devices such as multipliers or dividers, all the involved arithmetic operations are additions. This design is smaller than most hardware implementations of LWE or Ring-LWE cryptography in current state, while having an acceptable frequency at 111 MHz. Therefore, LWE cryptography can be practically realized, and its advantages of quantum resistance and simple implementation make the public key cryptography promising for some applications in devices such as smart cards.
Adoptive Immunotherapy Using PRAME-Specific T Cells in Medulloblastoma
Authors: Orlando Domenico , Miele Evelina , De Angelis Biagio , Guercio Marika , Boffa Iolanda , Sinibaldi Matilde , Po Agnese , Caruana Ignazio , Abballe Luana , Carai Andrea , Caruso Simona , Camera Antonio , Moseley Annemarie , Hagedoorn Renate S. , Heemskerk Mirjam H.M. , Giangaspero Felice , Mastronuzzi Angela , Ferretti Elisabetta , Locatelli Franco , Quintarelli Concetta 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most frequent malignant childhood brain tumor with a high morbidity. Identification of new therapeutic targets would be instrumental in improving patient outcomes. We evaluated the expression of the tumor-associated antigen PRAME in biopsies from 60 patients with medulloblastoma. PRAME expression was detectable in 82% of tissues independent of molecular and histopathologic subgroups. High PRAME expression also correlated with worse overall survival. We next investigated the relevance of PRAME as a target for immunotherapy. Medulloblastoma cells were targeted using genetically modified T cells with a PRAME-specific TCR (SLL TCR T cells). SLL TCR T cells efficiently killed medulloblastoma HLA-A*02+ DAOY cells as well as primary HLA-A*02+ medulloblastoma cells. Moreover, SLL TCR T cells controlled tumor growth in an orthotopic mouse model of medulloblastoma. To prevent unexpected T-cell–related toxicity, an inducible caspase-9 (iC9) gene was introduced in frame with the SLL TCR; this safety switch triggered prompt elimination of genetically modified T cells. Altogether, these data indicate that T cells genetically modified with a high-affinity, PRAME-specific TCR and iC9 may represent a promising innovative approach for treating patients with HLA-A*02+ medulloblastoma.
Significance: These findings identify PRAME as a medulloblastoma tumor-associated antigen that can be targeted using genetically modified T cells. Cancer Res; 78(12); 3337–49. ©2018 AACR.
Commodities in Action: Measuring Embeddedness and Imposing Values
Authors: Koponen Timothy M. 
Published: April 2018

Recent approaches in political economy look at the effects of technology and social values on economic action. Combining these approaches with those of economic anthropologists, this article poses that the way the economy is instituted can be understood by looking at reasons actors have for participating in actor-networks of production, distribution and consumption. Using the author's research on American recycling, this article first shows that much of the ‘making’ or instituting of the economy happens outside the market, through political machinations, contracts and standards. Second, it suggests that these relationships impose value upon goods differently than do market relations. The details of the recycling ‘chain’ show the ways actors shape the network and demonstrate that the social values that add ‘economic value’ to goods are not uniform, but are highly contextual. Starting from Mark Granovetter's notion of ‘social embeddedness’, the article explains that the measure of social embeddedness is not as important as the values imposed upon other actors through social structure in the economy. It calls for a close observation of economic action in the locales within which production takes place to understand better the ‘actions-at-a-distance’ where the politics of technology, social movements and power create the empirical, instituted economy. The central question for sociological theory can then be put as follows: How is it possible that subjective meanings become objective facticities? Or, in terms appropriate to the afore mentioned theoretical positions: How is it possible that human activity (Handeln) should produce a world of things (choses)?
Balint 2.0: A virtual Balint group for doctors around the world
Authors: Nease Donald E , Lichtenstein Albert , Pinho-Costa Luis , Hoedebecke Kyle 
Published: April 2018

Objective Balint groups have shown promise in addressing clinician–patient relationships, clinician burnout, referral practices, and psychological mindedness. However, their traditional format of in-person sessions limits their ability to meet the needs of clinicians practicing in locations without trained Balint leaders. We report on a pilot of an international, internet-based Balint group in collaboration between the World Organization of Family Doctors regional Young Doctors Movements and the International Balint Federation. Method Balint 2.0 arose through interest of the Young Doctors Movements leadership, who approached the International Balint Federation for assistance. Initial discussions and some trialing of videoconference platforms led to monthly group meetings over the internet. Surveys evaluated each individual session as well as quarterly progress of the group. Survey items were borrowed from existing surveys in use by the American and German Balint Societies. Results Session surveys demonstrated the effectiveness of the videoconferencing platform for convening a Balint group, with a majority of participants expressing agreement with survey items evaluating each session. Quarterly survey responses were more positive reflecting agreement with outcomes seen from in-person Balint groups. Conclusions The Balint 2.0 pilot has demonstrated the ability of a Balint group to successfully convene over the internet and reach the common outcomes of a Balint group meeting in-person. The Young Doctors Movements and International Balint Federation plan to expand this work based on this successful pilot. We hope that others may also be able to build on this success with the result that Balint groups are available to clinicians in areas where they might not otherwise be accessible.