bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oral Toxicity of Cold Plasma‐Treated Edible Films for Food Coating
Authors: Han Sung Hee , Suh Hyung Joo , Hong Ki Bae , Kim Su Yeon , Min Sea C. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractNo prior research has investigated whether the cold plasma treatment (CPT) resulted in the formation of toxic compounds. Therefore, this study carried out the experiment to check the safety of edible films treated with cold plasma by examining their acute and subacute oral toxicity in a rat model. Single‐dose acute (5000 mg/kg body weight) and 14‐d subacute (1000 mg/kg body weight/day) oral toxicity of cold plasma‐treated edible films was assessed for male and female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats. Rats administered 5000 mg/kg of edible film did not show the signs of acute toxicity or death after 14 d of observation. Similarly, no signs of acute toxicity or death were recorded during 14 d in rats administered 1000 mg/kg/day of edible film treated with cold plasma. Although changes in the levels of several blood components (hematocrit, hemoglobin, bilirubin, creatinine, and aspartate aminotransferase) of samples were observed, the changes compared to the control were considered to be toxicologically irrelevant as their levels were within normal physiological ranges. Macroscopic analysis showed there were no changes in color or texture of representative liver sections of SD rats following the oral administration of edible films with CPT (F‐CP) or without CPT (F‐NT). The results demonstrate that the cold plasma‐treated edible film possessed very low toxicity, suggesting that CPT does not generate harmful by‐products in the edible film.
Resources for phylogenomic analyses of Australian terrestrial vertebrates
Authors: Bragg Jason G. , Potter Sally , Bi Ke , Catullo Renee , Donnellan Stephen C. , Eldridge Mark D. B. , Joseph Leo , Keogh J. Scott , Oliver Paul , Rowe Kevin C. , Moritz Craig 
Published: November 2016

AbstractHigh‐throughput sequencing methods promise to improve our ability to infer the evolutionary histories of lineages and to delimit species. These are exciting prospects for the study of Australian vertebrates, a group comprised of many globally unique lineages with a long history of isolation. The evolutionary relationships within many of these lineages have been difficult to resolve with small numbers of loci, and we now know that many lineages also exhibit substantial cryptic diversity. Here, we present a set of phylogenetically diverse transcriptome resources to enable exon‐based sequence capture studies of Australian vertebrates, including transcriptome sequences for four species of birds, four frogs, seven lizards and seven mammals. We also use exon data from the marsupial transcriptomes we generated to examine an approach for choosing a moderate number (dozens or hundreds) of phylogenetically informative exons based on a single transcriptome sequence, and a relatively distant reference genome.
Female audit committee members and their influence on audit fees
Authors: Aldamen Husam , Hollindale Janice , Ziegelmayer Jennifer L. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractWe test the relationship between female representation on the audit committee and audit fees for 624 Australian companies in the year 2011. A positive relationship is found, leading to the conclusion that female presence on audit committees influences the quality of the external audit. Further, we find that gender is the significant audit committee characteristic in predicting audit quality and that women on the audit committee strengthen the positive relationship between firm size and audit fees, and between risk and audit fees. Conversely, we find that female representation dampens the positive relationship between complexity and audit fees.
Effect of chronic glomerulonephritis on the semen quality and cytokines in the semen of infertile males
Authors: Zhang Huina , Ying Yingfen , Chen Yilu , Lu Xiaosheng , Huang Yonggang 
Published: November 2016

ProblemThe effects of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) on semen quality and cytokine levels in the semen of infertile males remain undetermined.Method of studyFifty‐eight semen samples from normal males and CGN males with and without infertility, respectively, were analyzed.ResultsSemen volume, semen pH, sperm density, percentage of forward movement of sperm, sperm activate rate, sperm survival rate, and rate of normal sperm morphology of infertility males with CGN were significantly lower than those of CGN males without infertility and normal males (P<.05). In addition, the blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels and interleukin (IL)‐17 and IL‐18 levels in infertility males with CGN were significantly higher than those of CGN males without infertility and normal males (P<.05).ConclusionsCGN increased the blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels, which induced abnormal expression of IL‐17 and IL‐18, and negatively affected male semen quality and might result in male infertility.
Hope in Hebron: The Political Affects of Activism in a Strangled City
Authors: Griffiths Mark 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe negative affects of this violent occupation—fear, threat, humiliation—quell hope, setting limits on the potentials of political agency. This article documents the corporeality of the Occupation in Hebron, evoking the body as materially contingent to explore agential capacities within the delimiting affects of the violent sensorium. Drawing on fieldwork with Palestinian activists engaged in providing political tours of Hebron, I argue that by reappropriating the violent affects of occupation, this form of activism demonstrates agency that resists “political depression”. Theoretically, I argue further, at hand is an empirical account of the “autonomy of affect” giving rise to critical hope amid a sensorium of fear. The research presented, therefore, contributes to addressing a key question for resistance in Palestine (and beyond): how fear—a predominant affective register of contemporary politics—might be harnessed towards (renewed) political agency and resistance to oppression.
Numerical Analyses for Low Reynolds Flow in a Ventricular Assist Device
Authors: Lopes Guilherme , Bock Eduardo , Gómez Luben 
Published: November 2016

AbstractScientific and technological advances in blood pump developments have been driven by their importance in cardiac patient treatments and in the expansion of life quality in assisted people. To improve and optimize the design and development, numerical tools were incorporated into the analyses of these mechanisms and have become indispensable in their advances. This study analyzes the flow behavior with low impeller Reynolds number, for which there is no consensus on the full development of turbulence in ventricular assist devices (VAD). For supporting analyses, computational numerical simulations were carried out in different scenarios with the same rotation speed. Two modeling approaches were applied: laminar flow and turbulent flow with the standard, RNG and realizable κ − ε; the standard and SST κ − ω models; and Spalart–Allmaras models. The results agree with the literature for VAD and the range for transient flows in stirred tanks with an impeller Reynolds number around 2800 for the tested scenarios. The turbulent models were compared, and it is suggested, based on the expected physical behavior, the use of
RNG, standard and SST
, and Spalart–Allmaras models to numerical analyses for low impeller Reynolds numbers according to the tested flow scenarios.
Randomised clinical trial: exploratory phase 2 study of ONO‐2952 in diarrhoea‐predominant irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Whitehead W. E. , Duffy K. , Sharpe J. , Nabata T. , Bruce M. 
Published: November 2016

SummaryBackgroundONO‐2952 is a novel and selective inhibitor of translocator protein 18 kDa that reduces stress‐induced defecation and visceral hyperalgesia in rat models.AimTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of ONO‐2952 in females with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea in an exploratory proof‐of‐concept study.MethodsA randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study was conducted at 49 US centres. Two hundred subjects with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (Rome III criteria) were randomised to ONO‐2952 20 mg, or 60 mg, or placebo. Subjects recorded irritable bowel syndrome symptoms daily during a 2‐week baseline period, the 4‐week treatment period and for 4 weeks post‐treatment. The co‐primary endpoints were change from baseline to week 4 in abdominal pain, stool consistency and stool frequency.ResultsImprovements in irritable bowel syndrome symptoms were seen with ONO‐2952 over placebo in per‐protocol analyses for all three co‐primary endpoints, but these did not reach statistical significance at the 5% level. The largest improvement was seen with ONO‐2952 60 mg. ONO‐2952 was well tolerated with a safety profile similar to that of placebo. Most adverse events were mild or moderate in severity and not treatment related.ConclusionONO‐2952 showed evidence of clinical efficacy in reducing irritable bowel syndrome‐related symptoms in female subjects with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea, and further evaluation is, therefore, warranted to assess its potential as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (NCT01844180).
Selection for high and low oxygen consumption‐induced differences in maintenance energy requirements of mice
Authors: Darhan Hongyu , Kikusato Motoi , Toyomizu Masaaki , Roh Sang‐gun , Katoh Kazuo , Sato Masahiro , Suzuki Keiichi 
Published: November 2016

AbstractMaintenance energy requirements (MER) of mice selected for high (H) or low (L) oxygen consumption (OC) were compared. Forty‐four mice from H and L OC lines were weaned at 3 weeks and divided into four experimental groups: group A were sacrificed at 4 weeks; group B were fed ad libitum, and groups C and D were fed 2.8 and 2.4 g/day, respectively, from 4 to 8 weeks of age. Groups B–D were sacrificed at 8 weeks. Chemical components were estimated for all groups. MER was estimated using a model that partitioned metabolizable energy intake into that used for maintenance, and protein and fat deposition. The feed conversion ratio for the B group was significantly higher in the H than in the L line. Feed intake for metabolic energy content per metabolic body size was significantly also higher in the H line, whereas accumulated energy content per metabolic body size was significantly higher in the L line. MER of the H line was greater than that of the L line (P < 0.10). These results suggest that selection for H or L OC produced differences in chemical components, feed efficiency, and MER between the H and L lines.
The efficacy and safety of continued hydroxycarbamide therapy versus switching to ruxolitinib in patients with polycythaemia vera: a randomized, double‐blind, double‐dummy, symptom study (RELIEF)
Authors: Mesa Ruben , Vannucchi Alessandro M. , Yacoub Abdulraheem , Zachee Pierre , Garg Mamta , Lyons Roger , Koschmieder Steffen , Rinaldi Ciro , Byrne Jennifer , Hasan Yasmin , Passamonti Francesco , Verstovsek Srdan , Hunter Deborah , Jones Mark M. , Zhen Huiling , Habr Dany , Martino Bruno 
Published: November 2016

SummaryThe randomized, double‐blind, double‐dummy, phase 3b RELIEF trial evaluated polycythaemia vera (PV)‐related symptoms in patients who were well controlled with a stable dose of hydroxycarbamide (also termed hydroxyurea) but reported PV‐related symptoms. Patients were randomized 1:1 to ruxolitinib 10 mg BID (n = 54) or hydroxycarbamide (prerandomization dose/schedule; n = 56); crossover to ruxolitinib was permitted after Week 16. The primary endpoint, ≥50% improvement from baseline in myeloproliferative neoplasm ‐symptom assessment form total symptom score cytokine symptom cluster (TSS‐C; sum of tiredness, itching, muscle aches, night sweats, and sweats while awake) at Week 16, was achieved by 43·4% vs. 29·6% of ruxolitinib‐ and hydroxycarbamide‐treated patients, respectively (odds ratio, 1·82; 95% confidence interval, 0·82–4·04; P = 0·139). The primary endpoint was achieved by 34% of a subgroup who maintained their hydroxycarbamide dose from baseline to Weeks 13–16. In a post hoc analysis, the primary endpoint was achieved by more patients with stable screening‐to‐baseline TSS‐C scores (ratio ≤ 2) receiving ruxolitinib than hydroxycarbamide (47·4% vs. 25·0%; P = 0·0346). Ruxolitinib treatment after unblinding was associated with continued symptom score improvements. Adverse events were primarily grades 1/2 with no unexpected safety signals. Ruxolitinib was associated with a nonsignificant trend towards improved PV‐related symptoms versus hydroxycarbamide, although an unexpectedly large proportion of patients who maintained their hydroxycarbamide dose reported symptom improvement.
36‐month data for the AdVance XP® male sling: results of a prospective multicentre study
Authors: Bauer Ricarda M. , Grabbert Markus T. , Klehr Benedikt , Gebhartl Peter , Gozzi Christian , Homberg Roland , May Florian , Rehder Peter , Stief Christian G. , Kretschmer Alexander 
Published: November 2016

ObjectivesTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of the AdVance XP® sling (Boston Scientific, formerly American Medical Systems) in male stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after radical prostatectomy in a prospective multicentre study, as in recent years several studies have shown the effectiveness and safety of the AdVance sling for treating male SUI and in 2010 the second‐generation AdVance XP was introduced with several changes in the sling design and a new needle shape.Patients and MethodsIn all, 115 patients were included. Patients with nocturnal UI, previous UI surgery, previous radiotherapy and a coaptive zone of <1 cm in the preoperative repositioning test were excluded. Postoperatively, a standardised 24‐h pad test, quality‐of‐life scores [International Quality of Life score (IQOL) and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire short form (ICIQ‐UI SF)], visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, five‐item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF‐5), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI‐I) score, were performed. All patients with a 0–5 g pad test were defined as cured and improved with a reduction of urine loss of >50%. All others were classified as failures. Significance analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon test.ResultsThe mean (median) preoperative urine loss in the 24‐h pad test was 272.0 (272.0) g. After a follow‐up of 3 months (114 patients), 64.9% of the patients were cured and 31.6% had an improved continence status. The mean urine loss decreased significantly to 34.9 g (P < 0.001), with a mean VAS score of 0.5, and mean PGI‐I of 1.5. After a follow‐up of 24 months (80 patients), 68.8% of the patients were cured and 22.5% had improved. The mean urine loss decreased significantly to 19.1 g (P < 0.001), with a mean VAS score of 0.3, and mean PGI‐I of 1.5. After a follow‐up of 36 months (47 patients), 66.0% of the patients were cured and 23.4% had improved. The mean urine loss decreased significantly to 21.8 g (P < 0.001), with a mean VAS score of 0.0, and mean PGI‐I of 1.6. The mean IQOL and ICIQ‐UI SF improved significantly (both P < 0.001) after 36 months. There were no significant postoperative changes in IIEF‐5 and IPSS. No intraoperative and no long‐term complications occurred. No erosion or explanations occurred.ConclusionThe AdVance XP shows good and stable effectiveness and low complication rates even at a mid‐term follow‐up of up to 36 months.
Management and outcomes of patients with renal medullary carcinoma: a multicentre collaborative study
Authors: Shah Amishi Y. , Karam Jose A. , Malouf Gabriel G. , Rao Priya , Lim Zita D. , Jonasch Eric , Xiao Lianchun , Gao Jianjun , Vaishampayan Ulka N. , Heng Daniel Y. , Plimack Elizabeth R. , Guancial Elizabeth A. , Fung Chunkit , Lowas Stefanie R. , Tamboli Pheroze , Sircar Kanishka , Matin Surena F. , Kimryn Rathmell W. , Wood Christopher G. , Tannir Nizar M. 
Published: November 2016

ObjectiveTo describe the management strategies and outcomes of patients with renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) and characterise predictors of overall survival (OS).Patients and MethodsRMC is a rare and aggressive malignancy that afflicts young patients with sickle cell trait; there are limited data on management to date. This is a study of patients with RMC who were treated in 2000–2015 at eight academic institutions in North America and France. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate OS, measured from initial RMC diagnosis to date of death. Cox regression analysis was used to determine predictors of OS.ResultsIn all, 52 patients (37 males) were identified. The median (range) age at diagnosis was 28 (9–48) years and 49 patients (94%) had stage III/IV. The median OS for all patients was 13.0 months and 38 patients (75%) had nephrectomy. Patients who underwent nephrectomy had superior OS compared to patients who were treated with systemic therapy only (median OS 16.4 vs 7.0 months, P < 0.001). In all, 45 patients received chemotherapy and 13 (29%) had an objective response; 28 patients received targeted therapies, with 8‐week median therapy duration and no objective responses. Only seven patients (13%) survived for >24 months.ConclusionsRMC carries a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy provides palliation and remains the mainstay of therapy, but <20% of patients survive for >24 months, underscoring the need to develop more effective therapy for this rare tumour. In this study, nephrectomy was associated with improved OS.
Extending Previous cG×I Findings on 5‐HTTLPR's Moderation of Intervention Effects on Adolescent Substance Misuse Initiation
Authors: Schlomer Gabriel L. , Cleveland H. Harrington , Feinberg Mark E. , Wolf Pedro S. A. , Greenberg Mark T. , Spoth Richard L. , Redmond Cleve , Tricou Eric P. , Vandenbergh David J. 
Published: November 2016

This study addresses replication in candidate gene × environment interaction (cG×E) research by investigating if the key findings from Brody, Beach, Philibert, Chen, and Murry (2009) can be detected using data (N = 1,809) from the PROSPER substance use preventive intervention delivery system. Parallel to Brody et al., this study tested the hypotheses that substance misuse initiation would increase faster from age 11 to age 14 and be higher at age 14 among: (a) 5‐HTTLPR short carrier adolescents versus long homozygotes, (b) control versus intervention adolescents, and (c) 5‐HTTLPR short carriers in the control condition versus all other participants. The hypotheses were generally supported and results were consistent with Brody et al.'s cG×I finding. Results are discussed in light of replication issues in cG×E research and implications for intervention.
Legal Rule and Tribal Politics: The US Army and the Taliban in Afghanistan (2001–13)
Authors: Baczko Adam 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTThis article investigates the implications of two competing modes of governance, those of the US Army and the Taliban, through the lens of the relations between property, citizenship and political authority in Kunar, Afghanistan, between 2001 and 2013. To account for the political struggle in the province, the author outlines two models of governance: a political one based on mediation and conciliation, which the US Army applied; and a legal one promoting direct relations between the rulers and the ruled, upheld by the Taliban. After looking at the political dynamics in Kunar since the nineteenth century and since 2001, I argue that it is paradoxically the Taliban that placed itself in continuity with the state, while the US Army played tribal politics and undermined the legitimacy of the regime it had helped to install in Kabul. Kunar is a case of an armed confrontation in which different militarized groups compete to impose their rule by controlling space and access to landed property.
The Securitization of the Kurdish Minority in Turkey: Ontological Insecurity and Elite's Power Struggle as Reasons of the Recent Re‐Securitization
Authors: Geri Maurizio 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThis article analyzes the treatment of the Kurdish minority by the government of Turkey. The uninterrupted power of the AKP (Justice and Development Party/Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) that since 2002 has created a de facto dominant party democracy (today going toward totalitarianism) and is implementing a strategy of securitization (Buzan, Waever, & de Wilde, 1998) of the issue of the Kurdish minority since the interruption of the ceasefire with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) in July 2015. The article argues that this strategy has been implemented for three main reasons: the reduced ontological security (Giddens, 1991) of Turkey because of the recent violent conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the risk of loss of power of the ruling party and the elites (Snyder, 2000) because of the recent entrance in the Parliament by the HDP (People's Democratic Party, a pro‐Kurdish party), and the ideological threat posed by HDP to the AKP regime (a left‐wing progressive ideology opposed to the moderate Islamist ideology of AKP). The purpose of this study is to fill a research gap in the area of why the post‐July 2015 era constitutes a new context shaping the AKP's perception and management of the Kurdish issue. The methodology followed in this research is a qualitative case study analysis based on process tracing of the recent Turkish treatment of the Kurdish minority and, in particular, the recent events of the second part of 2015 and the beginning of 2016. The article starts with a brief historical overview of Turkish democracy and a theoretical overview on the securitization theory. Then, it analyzes the past and current securitization of the Kurdish issue, arguing that the causes of the recent intensification of this securitization since the summer of 2015 have to be found in these three factors: the low level of ontological security of the state; the fear of losing the power by the AKP ruling elite; and the threat to the political ideology of the AKP posed by the HDP.
Cancer: A disease at the crossroads of trade‐offs
Authors: Jacqueline Camille , Biro Peter A. , Beckmann Christa , Moller Anders Pape , Renaud François , Sorci Gabriele , Tasiemski Aurélie , Ujvari Beata , Thomas Frédéric 
Published: November 2016

AbstractCentral to evolutionary theory is the idea that living organisms face phenotypic and/or genetic trade‐offs when allocating resources to competing life‐history demands, such as growth, survival, and reproduction. These trade‐offs are increasingly considered to be crucial to further our understanding of cancer. First, evidences suggest that neoplastic cells, as any living entities subject to natural selection, are governed by trade‐offs such as between survival and proliferation. Second, selection might also have shaped trade‐offs at the organismal level, especially regarding protective mechanisms against cancer. Cancer can also emerge as a consequence of additional trade‐offs in organisms (e.g., eco‐immunological trade‐offs). Here, we review the wide range of trade‐offs that occur at different scales and their relevance for understanding cancer dynamics. We also discuss how acknowledging these phenomena, in light of human evolutionary history, may suggest new guidelines for preventive and therapeutic strategies.