bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ethical considerations in preventive interventions for bipolar disorder
Authors: Ratheesh Aswin , Cotton Susan M. , Davey Christopher G. , Adams Sophie , Bechdolf Andreas , Macneil Craig , Berk Michael , McGorry Patrick D. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractAimEarly intervention and prevention of serious mental disorders such as bipolar disorder has the promise of decreasing the burden associated with these disorders. With increasing early and preventive intervention efforts among cohorts such as those with a familial risk for bipolar disorder, there is a need to examine the associated ethical concerns. The aim of this review was to examine the ethical issues underpinning the clinical research on pre‐onset identification and preventive interventions for bipolar disorder.MethodsWe undertook a PubMed search updated to November 2014 incorporating search terms such as bipolar, mania, hypomania, ethic*(truncated), early intervention, prevention, genetic and family.ResultsFifty‐six articles that were identified by this method as well as other relevant articles were examined within a framework of ethical principles including beneficence, non‐maleficence, respect for autonomy and justice. The primary risks associated with research and clinical interventions include stigma and labelling, especially among familial high‐risk youth. Side effects from interventions are another concern. The benefits of preventive or early interventions were in the amelioration of symptoms as well as the possibility of minimizing disability, cognitive impairment and progression of the illness. Supporting the autonomy of individuals and improving access to stigma‐free care may help moderate the potential challenges associated with the risks of interventions.ConclusionsConcerns about the risks of early identification and pre‐onset interventions should be balanced against the potential benefits, the individuals' right to choice and by improving availability of services that balance such dilemmas.
Oceanic oxygenation events in the anoxic Ediacaran ocean
Authors: Sahoo S. K. , Planavsky N. J. , Jiang G. , Kendall B. , Owens J. D. , Wang X. , Shi X. , Anbar A. D. , Lyons T. W. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe ocean‐atmosphere system is typically envisioned to have gone through a unidirectional oxygenation with significant oxygen increases in the earliest (ca. 635 Ma), middle (ca. 580 Ma), or late (ca. 560 Ma) Ediacaran Period. However, temporally discontinuous geochemical data and the patchy metazoan fossil record have been inadequate to chart the details of Ediacaran ocean oxygenation, raising fundamental debates about the timing of ocean oxygenation, its purported unidirectional rise, and its causal relationship, if any, with the evolution of early animal life. To better understand the Ediacaran ocean redox evolution, we have conducted a multi‐proxy paleoredox study of a relatively continuous, deep‐water section in South China that was paleogeographically connected with the open ocean. Iron speciation and pyrite morphology indicate locally euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) environments throughout the Ediacaran in this section. In the same rocks, redox sensitive element enrichments and sulfur isotope data provide evidence for multiple oceanic oxygenation events (OOEs) in a predominantly anoxic global Ediacaran–early Cambrian ocean. This dynamic redox landscape contrasts with a recent view of a redox‐static Ediacaran ocean without significant change in oxygen content. The duration of the Ediacaran OOEs may be comparable to those of the oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) in otherwise well‐oxygenated Phanerozoic oceans. Anoxic events caused mass extinctions followed by fast recovery in biologically diversified Phanerozoic oceans. In contrast, oxygenation events in otherwise ecologically monotonous anoxic Ediacaran–early Cambrian oceans may have stimulated biotic innovations followed by prolonged evolutionary stasis.
Chinese Studies of Female Characters in Hardy's Novels: A Feminist Approach
Authors: Ling Bo 
Published: April 2016

AbstractHardy's novels were characterized by a great variety of women. Since the introduction of Hardy to China, critics have considered his female characters from diverse perspectives and arrived at different and even contradictory conclusions. This paper aims to outline the landscape of Chinese studies of Hardy's women characters. Particular attention will be given to the three types of women Chinese critics identify in Hardy's novels. Since studies of women figures will inevitably cover issues which are major concerns of feminist criticism, this paper will also comment on these studies from a feminist perspective. Though these critics arrive at different conclusions and hold diverse views towards Hardy's female characters, their identification of three types of women captures the intrinsic pattern and logic behind Hardy's observation and presentation of women.
Hardy in Japan: Translators, Translation and Publication
Authors: Uehara Sanae 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThis paper analyses early 20th‐century Japanese translations of Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles and demonstrates the significant impact of censorship and the emergence of mass publication on the image of Hardy and his fiction among contemporary Japanese readers, scholars, critics and translators. It argues that the effects of the Japanese censorship law were complex: the translated text of Tess of the d'Urbervilles contained word games, evoking a strange kind of erotic pleasure while pretending to de‐eroticise Tess's story. The paper also discusses the ideas that the image of ‘pure Tess’ was nonetheless shaped by a series of translators and that publishers' marketing strategies contributed to the crystallisation and wide dissemination of this image in Japan.
Titanium/Polyetheretherketone Cages for Cervical Arthrodesis with Degenerative and Traumatic Pathologies: Early Clinical Outcomes and Fusion Rates
Authors: Chong Elizabeth , Mobbs Ralph J. , Pelletier Matthew H. , Walsh William R. 
Published: April 2016

ObjectiveAnterior cervical discectomy and fusion is the most commonly employed surgical technique for treating cervical spondylosis. Although autologous bone grafts are considered the gold standard in achieving fusion, associated short‐ and long‐term morbidities have led to a search for alternative materials. These have included carbon‐fiber, titanium alloy (Ti) and ceramic and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) based implants. Recent attempts to optimize cage implants through using composite designs have combined Ti and PEEK. However, there are few published reports on the clinical and radiological outcomes of commercially available composite cages. Our study aimed to provide and evaluate initial outcomes of a composite Ti/PEEK cage.MethodsIn this prospective single senior surgeon cohort study, 31 consecutive patients underwent a modified Smith–Robinson technique under general anesthesia and relevant data were collected. The study patients were aged between 18 and 75 years and underwent surgery from November 2013 to May 2014. Indications for surgery included traumatic and degenerative cervical disease that was unsuitable for or unresponsive to conservative management. All cages were between 5 and 8 mm and packed with super critical fluid sterilized allograft and bone marrow aspirate before insertion. Patients were followed‐up for a minimum of 12 months. Fusion was assessed using fine cut CT and anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. Clinical outcomes were measured using a Visual Analogue Scale, Neck Oswestry Disability Index and Patient's Satisfaction Index.ResultsSix of the original cohort were unavailable for adequate follow‐up. The remaining 25 patients (17 men, 8 women; 33 operative levels) were observed for a mean of 14.6 months (range, 12–16 months). All operation levels were between C4 and C7. Single‐level operations were performed in 19 patients and additional plating in 14 patients. A fusion rate of 96% was achieved. Patients in both plated and non‐plated groups experienced statistically significant improvements; good to excellent outcomes being seen in 92% of patients. There was one complication, namely recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, which had partially resolved at 6 months follow‐up.ConclusionThe present study shows that enhancement of PEEK cages with Ti endplates is a safe and effective treatment with the potential for early osseointegration and early radiological evidence of fusion.
Genome Sequence of
Arthrobacter antarcticus
Strain W2, Isolated from a Slaughterhouse
Authors: Herschend Jakob , Raghupathi Prem K. , Røder Henriette L. , Sørensen Søren J. , Burmølle Mette 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

We report the draft genome sequence of
Arthrobacter antarcticus
strain W2, which was isolated from a wall of a small slaughterhouse in Denmark. The 4.43-Mb genome sequence was assembled into 170 contigs.
Draft Genome Sequence of Toxigenic
Corynebacterium ulcerans
Strain 04-7514, Isolated from a Dog in France
Authors: Guimarães Luis C. , Viana Marcus V. C. , Benevides Leandro J. , Mariano Diego C. B. , Veras Adooney A. O. , Sá Pablo H. C. , Rocha Flávia S. , Vilas Boas Priscilla C. B. , Soares Siomar C. , Barbosa Maria S. , Guiso Nicole , Badell Edgar , Carneiro Adriana R. , Azevedo Vasco , Ramos Rommel T. J. , Silva Artur 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

Here, we present the draft genome of toxigenic
Corynebacterium ulcerans
strain 04-7514. The draft genome has 2,497,845 bp, 2,059 coding sequences, 12 rRNA genes, 46 tRNA genes, 150 pseudogenes, 1 clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) array, and a G+C content of 53.50%.
Draft Genome Sequences of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
with High-Level Resistance to Respiratory Fluoroquinolones
Authors: Keness Yoram , Bisharat Naiel 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus pneumoniae
is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone used for treatment of severe community-acquired pneumonia. Here, we describe the draft genome sequences of
S. pneumoniae
with emerging resistance to levofloxacin, resulting in failure of treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Serotype 19A, a Blood Clinical Isolate from Northeast Mexico
Authors: Perez-Maya Antonio Ali , Hinojosa-Robles Rosa Maria , Barcenas-Walls Jose Ramon , Vignau-Cantu Armando , Barrera-Saldaña Hugo A. , Ortiz-Lopez Rocio 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

We report here the draft genome sequence of a
Streptococcus pneumoniae
strain isolated in Monterrey, Mexico, MTY1662SN214, from a man with purpura fulminans. The strain belongs to the invasive and multidrug-resistant serogroup 19A, sequence type 320 (ST320). The draft genome sequence consists of 60 large contigs, a total of 2,069,474 bp, and has a G+C content of 39.7%.
Speciation by Symbiosis: the Microbiome and Behavior
Authors: Shropshire J. Dylan , Bordenstein Seth R. 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT
Species are fundamental units of comparison in biology. The newly discovered importance and ubiquity of host-associated microorganisms are now stimulating work on the roles that microbes can play in animal speciation. We previously synthesized the literature and advanced concepts of speciation by symbiosis with notable attention to hybrid sterility and lethality. Here, we review recent studies and relevant data on microbes as players in host behavior and behavioral isolation, emphasizing the patterns seen in these analyses and highlighting areas worthy of additional exploration. We conclude that the role of microbial symbionts in behavior and speciation is gaining exciting traction and that the holobiont and hologenome concepts afford an evolving intellectual framework to promote research and intellectual exchange between disciplines such as behavior, microbiology, genetics, symbiosis, and speciation. Given the increasing centrality of microbiology in macroscopic life, microbial symbiosis is arguably the most neglected aspect of animal and plant speciation, and studying it should yield a better understanding of the origin of species.
Is the prevalence of hypertension in overweight children overestimated?
Authors: Wirix Aleid J G , Nauta Jeroen , Groothoff Jaap W , Rabelink Ton J , HiraSing Remy A , Chinapaw Mai JM , Kist-van Holthe Joana E 
Published: April 2016

ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to explore different methods for screening and diagnosing hypertension—which definitions and criteria to use—in children and in addition to determine the prevalence of hypertension in Dutch overweight children.DesignA cross-sectional study performed in the Dutch Child Health Care setting.SettingFour Child Health Care centres in different cities in the Netherlands.Participants969 overweight (including obese) and 438 non-overweight children, median age 11.7 years (range 4.1–17.10), 49% boys.Main outcome measuresThe main outcome was blood pressure, and the difference in prevalence of hypertension using different criteria for blood pressure interpretation: using the first blood pressure measurement, the mean of two measurements and the lowest of three measurements on two different occasions.ResultsLooking at the first measurement alone, 33% of overweight and 21% of non-overweight children had hypertension. By comparing the mean of the first two measurements with reference values, 28% of overweight children and 16% of non-overweight children had hypertension. Based on the lowest of three consecutive measurements, the prevalence decreased to 12% among overweight children and 5% among non-overweight children at visit one and at visit two 4% of overweight children still had hypertension.ConclusionsThe prevalence of hypertension is highly dependent on the definitions and criteria used. We found a prevalence of 4% in overweight children, which is considerably lower than suggested by recent literature (4%–33%). This discrepancy can be explained by our more strict definition of hypertension. However, to draw any conclusions on the prevalence, normal values using the same definition of hypertension should be established. Despite the low prevalence, we recommend measuring blood pressure in all overweight children in view of later cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Utero-placental vascularisation in normal and preeclamptic and intra-uterine growth restriction pregnancies: third trimester quantification using 3D power Doppler with comparison to placental vascular morphology (EVUPA): a prospective controlled study
Authors: Duan Jie , Chabot-Lecoanet Anne-Claire , Perdriolle-Galet Estelle , Christov Christophe , Hossu Gabriela , Cherifi Aboubaker , Morel Olivier 
Published: April 2016

IntroductionPreeclampsia (PE) and intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) are two major pregnancy complications related to chronic utero-placental hypoperfusion. Three-dimensional power Doppler (3DPD) angiography has been used for the evaluation of utero-placental vascularisation and three vascular indices have been calculated: the vascularisation index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularisation-FI (VFI). However, several technical endpoints hinder the clinical use of 3DPD as physical characteristics and machine settings may affect 3DPD indices, and so its clinical significance is not yet clear.ObjectivesThe primary objective is to better understand the clinical significance of 3DPD indices by evaluating the relationship between these indices and placental morphometry. Secondary objectives are (i) to determine the impact of machine settings and physical characteristics on 3DPD indices, and (ii) to evaluate physio-pathological placental vascularisation patterns.Methods and analysisThis is a prospective controlled study. We expect to include 112 women: 84 with normal pregnancies and 28 with PE and/or IUGR (based on our former cohort study on 3DPD indices for PE and/or IUGR prediction (unpublished data)). Within 72 h before planned or semi-urgent caesarean section, utero-placental 3DPD images with five different machine settings will be acquired. Placentas will be collected and examined after surgery and stereological indices (volume density, surface density, length density) calculated. The 3DPD indices (VI, FI and VFI) of the placenta and adjacent myometrium will be calculated. Correlation between Doppler and morphological indices will be evaluated by Pearson or Spearman tests. Agreement between 3DPD indices and morphological indices will be assessed by Bland and Altman plots. The impact of Doppler settings and maternal characteristics on 3DPD indices will be evaluated with a multivariate linear regression model.EthicsThe study and related consent forms have been approved by the French Ethics Committee (CPP, Comité de Protection des Personnes) Est III on 4 March 2014.
Adaptive servoventilation versus oxygen therapy for sleep disordered breathing in patients with heart failure: a randomised trial
Authors: Murase Kimihiko , Ono Koh , Yoneda Tomoya , Iguchi Moritake , Yokomatsu Takafumi , Mizoguchi Tetsu , Izumi Toshiaki , Akao Masaharu , Miki Shinji , Nohara Ryuji , Ueshima Kenji , Mishima Michiaki , Kimura Takeshi , White David P , Chin Kazuo 
Published: April 2016

BackgroundBoth adaptive servoventilation (ASV) and nocturnal oxygen therapy improve sleep disordered breathing (SDB), but their effects on cardiac parameters have not been compared systematically.Methods and results43 patients with chronic heart failure (CHF; left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤50%) with SDB were randomly assigned to undergo ASV (n=19, apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI)=34.2±12.1/h) or oxygen therapy (n=24, 36.9±9.9/h) for 3 months. More than 70% of SDB events in both groups were central apnoeas or hypopnoeas. Although nightly adherence was less for the ASV group than for the oxygen group (4.4±2.0 vs 6.2±1.8 h/day, p<0.01), the improvement in AHI was larger in the ASV group than in the oxygen group (−27.0±11.5 vs −16.5±10.2/h, p<0.01). TheN-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level in the ASV group improved significantly after titration (1535±2224 to 1251±2003 pg/mL, p=0.01), but increased slightly at follow-up and this improvement was not sustained (1311±1592 pg/mL, p=0.08). Meanwhile, the level of plasma NT-proBNP in the oxygen group did not show a significant change throughout the study (baseline 1071±1887, titration 980±1913, follow-up 1101±1888 pg/mL, p=0.19). The significant difference in the changes in the NT-proBNP level throughout the study between the 2 groups was not found (p=0.30). Neither group showed significant changes in echocardiographic parameters.ConclusionsAlthough ASV produced better resolution of SDB in patients with CHF as compared with oxygen therapy, neither treatment produced a significant improvement in cardiac function in the short term. Although we could not draw a definite conclusion because of the small number of participants, our data do not seem to support the routine use of ASV or oxygen therapy to improve cardiac function in patients with CHF with SDB.Trial registration numberNCT01187823 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Comparison of feeding behavior between black and red Angus feeder heifers
Authors: Wolfger B. , Quinn C. , Torres G.W. , Taylor M. , Orsel K. 
Published: April 2016

The objective of this study was to compare feeding behavior between red and black Angus heifers during a 161-d finishing period as a potential explanation for performance differences. Sixty-eight single-sourced purebred red (n = 35) and black (n = 33) Angus heifers, leptin genotype TT, and average starting weight 360 kg (±19 kg) were used. Heifers were randomly and equally allocated into one of two feedlot pens, equipped with five feed bunks that recorded feeding behavior. Individual time spent at the feed bunk, interval between feeding events, feed intake, and meal frequency were recorded daily, and eating rate was calculated. Heifers were fed a barley-based diet (>75% concentrate). After 161 d, at the end of the feeding period, feedlot performance was calculated as average daily gain (ADG) and gain to feed conversion rate. Additionally, carcass data were obtained from the abattoir. Overall, black Angus heifers ate more, spent more time at the feed bunk, and had more meals compared with red Angus (P < 0.001). Red Angus heifers had better gain to feed ratios (P < 0.02) and significantly more red heifers were assigned to Canadian yield category 1 (≥59% lean meat) compared with black heifers (P = 0.02), whereas black heifers had higher back fat thickness throughout the study (P ≤ 0.04). All other performance parameters (ADG and carcass weight) were not different.
Quantum dot–ring nanostructure — A comparison of different approaches
Authors: Janus-Zygmunt Iwona , Kȩdzierska Barbara , Gorczyca-Goraj Anna , Zipper Elżbieta , Maśka Maciej M. 
Published: April 2016

It has been shown recently that a nanostructure composed of a quantum dot (QD) surrounded by a quantum ring (QR) possesses a set of very unique characteristics that make it a good candidate for future nanoelectronic devices. Its main advantage is the ability to easily tune transport properties on demand by so-called “wavefunction engineering”. In practice, the distribution of the electron wavefunction in the nanostructure can be controlled by, e.g., electrical gating. In order to predict some particular properties of the system, one has to know the exact wavefunctions for different shapes of the confining potential that defines the structure. In this paper, we compare three different methods that can be used to determine the energy spectrum, electron wavefunctions and transport properties of the system under investigation. In the first approach, we utilize the cylindrical symmetry of the confining potential and solve only the radial part of the Schrödinger equation; in the second approach, we discretize the Schrödinger equation in two dimensions and find the eigenstates with the help of the Lanczös method; in the third approach, we use package Kwant to solve a tight-binding approximation of the original system. To study the transport properties in all these approaches, we calculate microscopically the strength of the coupling between the nanosystem and leads. In the first two approaches, we use the Bardeen method, in the third one calculations are performed with the help of package Kwant.
The study of ultrasonic irradiation effects on solid state powders of HTc superconductor YBa2Cu3O7−x
Authors: Kargar Mahboubeh , Khoshnevisan Bahram 
Published: April 2016

In this paper, an ultrasound assisted solid state synthesis method for high-temperature (HT[Formula: see text]) YBa2Cu3O[Formula: see text] (YBCO) superconductor nanostructures with different morphologies is presented. Here, the routine heat treatment of the powder mixture of as-prepared precursors is followed by the ultrasound irradiation inside various alcoholic solutions. Not only the influence of the ultrasound irradiation intensity and duration but also the influence of different solvents such as ethanol, methanol and 1-butanol with various vapor pressures and so various destruction powers were also studied on the morphology and particle size of the products. The various morphologies were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) which not only have been affected by intensity and type of alcoholic solvent but also sonication time and ultrasound power have significant role as well. Formation of the YBCO superconducting phase was examined by using Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) which indicates the crystalline preferred growth in [Formula: see text]-axis orientation in crystal. Magnetic susceptibility measurements showed the ultrasound waves had no important effect on the onset critical temperature of the prepared nanorods (about 91.64 K) which is compared with the bulk samples [Formula: see text].