bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Are you better? A multi‐centre study of patient‐defined recovery from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Authors: Llewellyn A. , McCabe C.S. , Hibberd Y. , White P. , Davies L. , Marinus J. , Perez R.G.S.M. , Thomassen I. , Brunner F. , Sontheim C. , Birklein F. , Schlereth T. , Goebel A. , Haigh R. , Connett R. , Maihöfner C. , Knudsen L. , Harden R.N. , Zyluk A. , Shulman D. , Small H. , Gobeil F. , Moskovitz P. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundComplex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) symptoms can significantly differ between patients, fluctuate over time, disappear or persist. This leads to problems in defining recovery and in evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.ObjectivesTo define recovery from the patients’ perspective and better understand their priorities for treatment approaches.MethodsEstablishing an international consortium, we used a 2‐Round Delphi‐based study in eight countries across Europe and North America. Participants ≥18 years who met, or had met, Budapest clinical criteria were included. Round 1 participants completed the statement: ‘I would/do consider myself recovered from CRPS if/because…’ alongside demographic and health questionnaires. Data were thematically organised and represented as 62 statements, from which participants identified and ranked their recovery priorities in Round 2.ResultsRound 1 (N = 347, 80% female, 91% non‐recovered) dominant ICF themes were: activities of daily living; bodily functions; external factors; participation and personal factors. The top five priority statements in Round 2 (N = 252) were: no longer having (1) CRPS‐related pain, (2) generalised pain and discomfort, (3) restricted range of movement, (4) need for medication, (5) stiffness in the affected limb. With very few exceptions, priorities were consistent, irrespective of patient demographics/geography. Symptoms affecting daily activities were among those most frequently reported.ConclusionsOur data showed a small number of themes are of highest importance to CRPS patients’ definition of recovery. Patients want their pain, movement restriction and reliance on medication to be addressed, above all other factors. These factors should therefore be foremost concerns for future treatment and rehabilitation programmes.Significance

Those with longstanding CRPS may no longer meet diagnostic criteria but still be symptomatic.

Defining recovery is therefore problematic in CRPS.

Our study has identified patients’ definition of recovery from CRPS, in order of priority, as relief from: their CRPS‐related pain, generalised pain, movement restriction, reliance on medication, and stiffness.
St. Kanzian tunnel chain – Current state of works
Authors: Herzeg Thomas , Moraus Thomas 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe railway line from Graz to Klagenfurt, section Mittlern–Althofen/Drau, is part of the Austrian high‐speed network and a partial section of the trans‐European railway network (TEN in the EU, Pan‐European corridor in the eastern countries). With the Koralmbahn line from Graz to Klagenfurt, capacity on the north‐south connection Vienna–Tarvis will be considerably increased and the journey times noticeably shortened. The St. Kanzian tunnel chain is the most important part of the section Mittlern‐Althofen/Drau in southern Carinthia, in the immediate vicinity of the tourist region of Klopeiner See/St. Kanzian. The St. Kanzian tunnel chain consists of six tunnels with lengths between 230 and 2,100 m, which are under construction by various methods. Despite the short distances between the tunnels, the inhomogeneous geological conditions ranging from silty‐sandy lacustrine sediments to phyllites are a great challenge. The topography also leads to consistently shallow overburden. The stated conditions lead to the necessity of extensive specialised civil engineering and ground improvement measures.
Recycling or landfill – Experience based on the example of Koralm Tunnel, contract KAT2 from design to construction
Authors: Tauer Andreas , Posch Helmut , Kager Matthias , Schubel Dietmar 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe construction of the approx. 33 km long, twin‐bore Koralm Tunnel will produce about 5 million m3 of tunnel spoil. For this reason, a maximum degree of recycling of the material and landfill within the area of the three construction contracts were already intended at the start of design work. This had to consider optimal cost‐effectiveness of the entire materials management with minimal environmental impact through the minimising of transport journeys and areas exploited as well as the saving resources as far as possible. Specifically for the design of contract KAT2, the production and demand of material had to be compared from design to construction, taking into account the landfill and recycling possibilities while observing the technical constraints and the regulations concerning the chemical properties of waste.
Autonomy in Tension: Reproduction, Technology, and Justice
Authors: King Louise P. , Zacharias Rachel L. , Johnston Josephine 
Published: December 2017

AbstractRespect for autonomy is a central value in reproductive ethics, but it can be a challenge to fulfill and is sometimes an outright puzzle to understand. If a woman requests the transfer of two, three, or four embryos during fertility treatment, is that request truly autonomous, and do clinicians disrespect her if they question that decision or refuse to carry it out? Add a commitment to justice to the mix, and the challenge can become more complex still. Is it unfair for insurance policies to exclude from coverage the costs of giving fertility to those who lack it or restoring fertility in those who have lost it? What does “just reproduction” look like in the face of multifarious understandings of both justice and autonomy and in light of increasingly complex and costly reproductive technologies?In today's dialogue about reproduction, medicine, and ethics in the United States, old ethical issues—such as whether women ought to be allowed to access pregnancy termination—are more contested than they have been in decades, while new technologies—like those used to edit the genes of human embryos—suggest that our species could face unprecedented questions about who should exist. As we considered the discussions accompanying these issues and contemplated a special report responding to them, we found ourselves consistently circling back to two ethical commitments: respect for autonomy and the pursuit of justice. As one of the nine essays in this collection asks, why should certain women receive help to establish a pregnancy while others are thrown in jail when they miscarry or their child is stillborn? Respect for autonomy is required where individuals have the ability to make fully informed and voluntary choices. Yet does respecting autonomy require acceding to all the choices of patients or consumers of medical care? We consider these and related questions in this special report from the Hastings Center Report.
Reduction of platinum (IV) ions to elemental platinum nanoparticles by anaerobic sludge
Authors: Simon‐Pascual Alvaro , Sierra‐Alvarez Reyes , Ramos‐Ruiz Adriana , Field Jim A 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe future supply of platinum group metals (PGM) is at risk because of their scarcity combined with a high demand. Thus recovery of platinum (Pt) from waste is an option worthy of study to help alleviate future shortages. This research explored the microbial reduction of platinum (Pt). The ability of anaerobic granular sludge to reduce Pt(IV) ions under different physiological conditions was studied.ResultsX‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses demonstrated the capacity of the microbial mixed culture to reduce Pt(IV) to Pt(0) nanoparticles, which were deposited on the cell‐surface and in the periplasmic space. Ethanol supported the biologically catalyzed Pt(IV) reduction, meanwhile other electron donors; hydrogen (H2) and formate, promoted the chemical reduction of Pt(IV) with some additional biological stimulation in the case of H2. A hypothesis is proposed in which H2 formed from the acetogenesis of ethanol is implicated in subsequent abiotic reduction of Pt(IV) indicating an integrated bio‐chemical process. Endogenous controls also resulted in slow Pt(IV) removal from aqueous solution. Selected redox mediators, exemplified by riboflavin, enhanced the Pt(IV) reduction rate.ConclusionThis study reported for the first time the ability of an anaerobic granular sludge to reduce Pt(IV) to elemental Pt(0) nanoparticles. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
The case for viral load testing in adolescents in resource‐limited settings
Authors: Marcus Rebecca , Ferrand Rashida A , Kranzer Katharina , Bekker Linda‐Gail 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroductionThe success of HIV treatment programmes globally has resulted in children with perinatally acquired HIV reaching adolescence in large numbers. The number of adolescents living with HIV is growing further due to persisting high HIV incidence rates among adolescents in low‐ and middle‐income settings, particularly in sub‐Saharan Africa. Although expanding access to HIV viral load monitoring is necessary to achieve the 90‐90‐90 targets across the HIV care continuum, implementation is incomplete. We discuss the rationale for prioritizing viral load monitoring among adolescents and the associated challenges.DiscussionAdolescents with HIV are a complex group to treat successfully due to extensive exposure to antiretroviral therapy for those with perinatally acquired HIV and the challenges in sustained medication adherence in this age group. Given the high risk of treatment failure among adolescents and the limited drug regimens available in limited resource settings, HIV viral load monitoring in adolescents could prevent unnecessary and costly switches to second‐line therapy in virologically suppressed adolescents. Because adolescents living with HIV may be heavily treatment experienced, have suboptimal treatment adherence, or may be on second or even third‐line therapy, viral load testing would allow clinicians to make informed decisions about increased counselling and support for adolescents together with the need to maintain or switch therapeutic regimens.ConclusionsGiven scarce resources, prioritization of viral load testing among groups with a high risk of virological failure may be required. Adolescents have disproportionately high rates of virological failure, and targeting this age group for viral load monitoring may provide valuable lessons to inform broader scale‐up.
Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis was associated with enteric commensal bacterial resistance among HIV‐exposed infants in a randomized controlled trial, Botswana
Authors: Powis Kathleen M , Souda Sajini , Lockman Shahin , Ajibola Gbolahan , Bennett Kara , Leidner Jean , Hughes Michael D , Moyo Sikhulile , van Widenfelt Erik , Jibril Haruna B , Makhema Joseph , Essex Max , Shapiro Roger L 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroductionDespite declining risk of vertical HIV transmission, prophylactic cotrimoxazole (CTX) remains widely used to reduce morbidity and mortality in the event of HIV infection among exposed infants, with an inherent risk of conferring commensal antimicrobial resistance. Using data from a randomized, placebo‐controlled trial of infant CTX prophylaxis, we sought to quantify emergence of antibiotic resistance.MethodsHIV‐exposed uninfected infants enrolled in the Botswana Mpepu study were randomized to prophylactic CTX or placebo between 14 and 34 days of life and continued through 15 months. Stool samples were collected from a subset of participating infants at randomization, three, and six months, and stored at −70°C prior to culture. Specimens that grew Escherichia coli (E. coli) or Klebsiella species (Klebsiella spp.) underwent antibiotic susceptibility testing by Kirby Bauer method using CTX (CTX 1.25/23.75 μg) and Amoxicillin (10 μg) in Mueller Hinton agar. Fisher's exact testing was used to compare prevalence of resistance by randomization arm (CTX/placebo).Results and DiscussionA total of 381 stool samples from 220 infants were cultured: 118 at randomization, 151 at three months, and 112 at six‐months. E. coli was isolated from 206 specimens and Klebsiella spp. from 138 specimens. Resistance to CTX was common in both E. coli and Klebsiella spp. at the randomization visit (52.2% and 37.7% respectively) and did not differ by study arm. E. Coli isolates from CTX recipients at three and six months had 94.9% and 84.2% CTX resistance, as compared with 51.4% and 57.5% CTX resistance in isolates from placebo recipients (p=0.01). Klebsiella spp. isolates from CTX recipients had 79.0% and 68.8% CTX resistance at three and six months, as compared with 19.1% and 14.3% in isolates from placebo recipients (p<0.01).ConclusionsHIV‐exposed infants randomized to CTX prophylaxis had increased CTX‐resistant commensal gastrointestinal bacteria compared with placebo recipients. Additional research is needed to determine the longer‐term clinical, microbiologic, and public health consequences of antimicrobial resistance selected by infant CTX prophylaxis.
Gp41 and Gag amino acids linked to HIV‐1 protease inhibitor‐based second‐line failure in HIV‐1 subtype A from Western Kenya
Authors: Coetzer Mia , Ledingham Lauren , Diero Lameck , Kemboi Emmanuel , Orido Millicent , Kantor Rami 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroductionFailure of protease‐inhibitor (PI)‐based second‐line antiretroviral therapy (ART) with medication adherence but no protease drug resistance mutations (DRMs) is not well understood. This study investigated the involvement of gp41 and gag as alternative mechanisms, not captured by conventional resistance testing and particularly relevant in resource‐limited settings where third‐line ART is limited.MethodsWe evaluated gp41 and gag for unique amino acids in seven subtype A infected Kenyans failing second‐line therapy with no PI resistance yet detectable lopinavir (query dataset), compared to seven similar‐setting patients with PI resistance or undetectable lopinavir and 69 publically available subtype A Kenyan whole‐genomes sequences.ResultsThree gp41 (607T, 641L, 721I) and four gag (124S, 143V, 339P, 357S) amino acids were significantly more frequent in the query dataset compared to the other datasets, with significantly high co‐occurrence.ConclusionThe genotypic analysis of a unique group of HIV‐1 subtype A infected patients, identified seven amino acids that could potentially contribute to a multi‐gene mechanism of PI‐based ART failure in the absence of PI DR mutations.
Doppler ultrasound triggering for cardiac MRI at 7T
Authors: Kording F. , Ruprecht C. , Schoennagel B. , Fehrs K. , Yamamura J. , Adam G. , Goebel J. , Nassenstein K. , Maderwald S. , Quick H.H. , Kraff O. 
Published: December 2017

PurposeA prerequisite for cardiac MR (CMR) imaging is adequate synchronization of image acquisition with the cardiac cycle. Electrocardiogram triggering may be hampered by electromagnetic interferences at high field strength. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of Doppler ultrasound triggering for CMR image synchronization at 7T ultra‐high‐field MRI.MethodsA custom‐built Doppler ultrasound (DUS) trigger device was developed. Magnetic resonance compatibility was evaluated using E‐ and H‐field probes and flip angle maps prior to the study. Cardiac MR was performed at 7T in 13 healthy subjects using DUS and pulse oximetry for triggering. For validation of the trigger signal, the electrocardiogram, pulse, and DUS signals were compared outside of the MR room. Breath‐hold cine fast low‐angle‐shot sequences were acquired in short‐axis and four‐chamber view. Image quality was assessed by two senior radiologists and by measurement of endocardial blurring.ResultsThe maximal change in E‐ and H‐field distributions with and without transducer was 5%. No interferences were observed between DUS and MRI in the B1 maps and during CMR imaging. Validation of the DUS trigger signal resulted in a high correlation to the electrocardiographic signal of r = 0.99. Analysis of image and trigger quality revealed no significant differences.ConclusionDoppler ultrasound was applied as a new trigger method in CMR at 7T. The transmission line and transducer were locally approved as 7T MR conditional, and were successfully tested for image synchronization at 7T. In the future, this method needs to be evaluated in a larger patient population. Magn Reson Med 80:239–247, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
A GDSL‐motif esterase/acyltransferase/lipase is responsible for leaf water retention in barley
Authors: Li Chao , Chen Guoxiong , Mishina Kohei , Yamaji Naoki , Ma Jian Feng , Yukuhiro Fumiko , Tagiri Akemi , Liu Cheng , Pourkheirandish Mohammad , Anwar Nadia , Ohta Masaru , Zhao Pengshan , Lundqvist Udda , Li Xinrong , Komatsuda Takao 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe hydrophobic cuticle covers the surface of the most aerial organs of land plants. The barley mutant eceriferum‐zv (cer‐zv), which is hypersensitive to drought, is unable to accumulate a sufficient quantity of cutin in its leaf cuticle. The mutated locus has been mapped to a 0.02 cM segment in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 4H. As a map‐based cloning approach to isolate the gene was therefore considered unlikely to be feasible, a comparison was instead made between the transcriptomes of the mutant and the wild type. In conjunction with extant genomic information, on the basis of predicted functionality, only two genes were considered likely to encode a product associated with cutin formation. When eight independent cer‐zv mutant alleles were resequenced with respect to the two candidate genes, it was confirmed that the gene underlying the mutation in each allele encodes a Gly‐Asp‐Ser‐Leu (GDSL)‐motif esterase/acyltransferase/lipase. The gene was transcribed in the epidermis, and its product was exclusively deposited in cell wall at the boundary of the cuticle in the leaf elongation zone, coinciding with the major site of cutin deposition. CER‐ZV is speculated to function in the deposition of cutin polymer. Its homologs were found in green algae, moss, and euphyllophytes, indicating that it is highly conserved in plant kingdom.
On the helical arrangements of protein molecules
Authors: Dauter Zbigniew , Jaskolski Mariusz 
Published: December 2017

AbstractHelical structures are prevalent in biology. In the PDB, there are many examples where protein molecules are helically arranged, not only according to strict crystallographic screw axes but also according to approximate noncrystallographic screws. The preponderance of such screws is rather striking as helical arrangements in crystals must preserve an integer number of subunits per turn, while intuition and simple packing arguments would seem to favor fractional helices. The article provides insights into such questions, based on stereochemistry, trigonometry, and topology, and illustrates the findings with concrete PDB structures. Updated statistics of Sohncke space groups in the PDB are also presented.
Molecular Diversity of 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition of Quinolinium Ylides with Isatylidene Malononitriles
Authors: Sun Jing , Zhang Yu , Shen Guo‐Liang , Yan Chao‐Guo 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTriethylamine promoted cycloaddition reaction of N‐alkoxycarbonylmethylquinolinium bromide with isatylidene malononitriles afforded diastereoisomeric spiro[indoline‐3, 2′‐pyrrolo[1, 2‐a]quinolines] in satisfactory yields. The similar 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition with N‐(p‐nitrobenzyl)quinolinlium bromide gave spiro[indoline‐3, 2′‐pyrrolo[1, 2‐a]quinolines] in good yields and with high diastereoselectivity. More importantly, the sequential cycloaddition reaction and oxidation reaction with 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone (DDQ) resulted in novel 2‐(2‐oxoindolin‐3‐ylidene)‐2‐(2‐(dicyanomethylene)quinolin‐1‐yl)acetates.
The revised Thiel–Zsutty earthquake damage model—Reformulated and extended—Part 2
Authors: Thiel Charles C. , Zsutty Theodore C. 
Published: December 2017

SummaryThe revised Thiel–Zsutty model predicts the probability distribution function for earthquake damageability of a building as a function of peak ground acceleration and parameters that represent the site soils, building damageability, and uncertainty of the basis for parameter selection. Guidance is provided on how to assign revised Thiel–Zsutty parameters and for procedures to determine these parameters for a given building and site. Parameter base values are given for ASCE 7 structural systems and soil classes. The model includes representation of the uncertainty in the parameter evaluations according to level and quality of investigation through an uncertainty factor. It is keyed to ASTM investigation levels and determined by either a constructive or descriptive approach from the characteristics of the building and its design and construction. Procedures are developed for cases where the damageability factor changes as the buildings or site's response changes its character as the level of excitation increases. Guidance is provided on how to incorporate nonlinear time history analyses for performance‐based design of tall buildings and other structures.
Quantifying panel zone effect on deflection amplification factor
Authors: Mohammadi Majid , Kordbagh Bahram 
Published: December 2017

SummaryDrift is a dominant feature in tall‐building design and can dictate the selection of structural systems. Because a reliable estimate of actual drifts is crucial for controlling structural damage, estimating drift considering intricate details seems noteworthy. In order to estimate story drifts during massive quakes, seismic design provisions generally specify a deflection amplification factor (Cd) to amplify elastic design drifts. In most of these codes, the amount of Cd is calculated from line‐element models without considering panel zone effects, despite the panel zone intensifying the story drift considerably. Therefore, the effect of panel zone on the story drift and Cd has been investigated in the current paper. Because Cd is independent of the number of stories, 4‐story frames, as benchmarks for special steel moment frames, with different thicknesses of the panel zone, are used. The effect of panel zone is provided as a correction factor for Cd. The results show that the panel zone should be considered in the analytical models; otherwise, the story drift will be underestimated up to 35%. Finally, a relation has been derived to consider panel zone effects on Cd, as a function of the panel zone thickness.