bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of Areca Nut Chewing With Risk of Erectile Dysfunction
Authors: Huang Yung-Jui , Jiann Bang-Ping 
Published: August 2017

Abstract

Introduction
Areca nut chewing has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but its association with erectile dysfunction (ED) has not been investigated.

Aim
To investigate the association between areca nut chewing and risk of ED.

Methods
Consecutive men at public health centers for oral malignancy screening or health checkup were invited to complete a questionnaire.

Main Outcome Measure
The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM).

Results
Of the 2,652 respondents, 1,038 (mean age = 43.8 ± 11.1 years) were eligible for the areca nut chewing group and 1,090 non-areca nut chewers were selected as the age-matched control group. In the areca nut group, the mean duration of chewing was 13.2 ± 9.6 years, 61.7% consumed more than 10 portions per day, and 76.2% used it with betel leaf, 16.7% used it with betel inflorescence, and 7.1% used it with betel leaf and inflorescence. Smoking, alcohol drinking, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes were more predominant in areca nut chewers compared with controls. ED defined by self-report and by SHIM score was more prevalent in areca nut chewers than in controls (13.7% vs 9.8% and 48.7% vs 43.3%, respectively; P &lt; .05 for the two comparisons). Areca nut use with betel inflorescence was associated with a higher risk of ED (odds ratio = 2.25, 95% confidence interval = 1.55–3.28) with a dose-dependent effect, whereas using it with betel leaf was not (odds ratio = 1.00, 95% confidence interval = 0.79–1.26) after adjustment of possible confounders.

Conclusion
Areca nut chewing with betel inflorescence was associated with an increased risk of ED. These findings warrant further studies.
Huang Y-J, Jiann B-P. Association of Areca Nut Chewing With Risk of Erectile Dysfunction. Sex Med 2017;5:e163–e168.
Is Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus More Prevalent Than Expected in Transgender Persons? A Local Observation
Authors: Defreyne Justine , De Bacquer Dirk , Shadid Samyah , Lapauw Bruno , T’Sjoen Guy 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
The International Diabetes Federation estimates that approximately 0.4% of the Belgian population is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus, which is similar to other industrialized countries. The prevalence of transgenderism is estimated at 0.6% to 0.7% of all adults in Western populations. In this study, we evaluated whether there was an increased prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in transgender people in the local cohort. Medical records of transgender patients were analyzed retrospectively. From January 1, 2007 until October 10, 2016, 1,081 transgender patients presented at a tertiary reference center to start hormonal treatment. Nine of these 1,081 patients were previously diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 1 was diagnosed with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. A 2.3-fold higher prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus was observed in transgender patients. We concluded that type 1 diabetes mellitus was more prevalent in transgender patients than one would expect from population prevalences. This could be a spurious result in a local cohort, because a causal relation seems unlikely, but our finding might encourage other centers to investigate this putative association.
Defreyne J, De Bacquer D, Shadid S, et al. Is Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus More Prevalent Than Expected in Transgender Persons? A Local Observation. Sex Med 2017;5:e215–e218.
Red, blue and purple states of mind: Segmenting the political marketplace
Authors: Rao Akshay R. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractJohn Jost (2017 – this issue) provides a thoughtful review of the literature in political psychology that speaks to important distinctions between conservatives and progressives. I use his essay as a point of departure to accomplish three goals: a) further elaborate on the left/right segmentation scheme, identifying other portions of the political market that are less brand loyal and therefore more persuadable; b) offer preliminary suggestions based on consumer psychology perspectives on how voter attitudes and behaviors might be nudged by political candidates and campaigns; and c) identify some areas in which the fields of political and consumer psychology might profitably benefit from cross‐pollination of theories, approaches and evidence.
Maritime flight trials of the Southampton University laser sintered aircraft–Project Albatross
Authors: Keane A. , Scanlan J. , Lock A. , Ferraro M. , Spillane P. , Breen J. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACTAs part of the ongoing development of small unmanned air systems by the University of Southampton, an all laser sintered aircraft has been test flown from the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship HMS Protector to assist with navigating through the Antarctic. These flights were carried out with pre-planned autopilot control with oversight from Andrew Lock, acting as the pilot embarked on HMS Protector. This is the first time the Royal Navy has used unmanned aerial vehicles in this part of the world. In this paper, we set out the trial reports and lessons learnt from this series of test flights.
Business Responsibilities for Human Rights: A Commentary on Arnold
Authors: HSIEH Nien-hê 
Published: August 2017

AbstractHuman rights have come to play a prominent role in debates about the responsibilities of business. In the business ethics literature, there are two approaches to the question of whether businesses have human rights obligations. The ‘moral’ approach conceives of human rights as antecedently existing basic moral rights. The ‘institutional’ approach starts with contemporary human rights practice in which human rights refer to rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent international documents, and in which states are the primary duty bearers of human rights. This commentary argues that the implications of adopting one or the other approach are much greater than most scholars recognize, and that we have reason to reject the moral approach and to adopt the institutional approach instead. The commentary highlights key questions that need to be addressed if human rights are to play a central role in framing the responsibilities of business.
Packing Loose Hamilton Cycles
Authors: FERBER ASAF , LUH KYLE , MONTEALEGRE DANIEL , NGUYEN OANH 
Published: August 2017

A subsetCof edges in ak-uniform hypergraphHis aloose Hamilton cycleifCcovers all the vertices ofHand there exists a cyclic ordering of these vertices such that the edges inCare segments of that order and such that every two consecutive edges share exactly one vertex. The binomial randomk-uniform hypergraphHkn,phas vertex set [n] and an edge setEobtained by adding eachk-tuplee∈ ($\binom{[n]}{k}$) toEwith probabilityp, independently at random.Here we consider the problem of finding edge-disjoint loose Hamilton cycles covering all buto(|E|) edges, referred to as thepacking problem. While it is known that the threshold probability of the appearance of a loose Hamilton cycle inHkn,pis$p=\Theta\biggl(\frac{\log n}{n^{k-1}}\biggr),$the best known bounds for the packing problem are aroundp= polylog(n)/n. Here we make substantial progress and prove the following asymptotically (up to a polylog(n) factor) best possible result: forp≥ logCn/nk−1, a randomk-uniform hypergraphHkn,pwith high probability contains$N:=(1-o(1))\frac{\binom{n}{k}p}{n/(k-1)}$edge-disjoint loose Hamilton cycles.Our proof utilizes and modifies the idea of ‘online sprinkling’ recently introduced by Vu and the first author.
Assessing Self-Efficacy in Presentation and Moderation	Skills
Authors: Ringeisen Tobias , Rohrmann Sonja , Bürgermeister Anika , Tibubos Ana N. 
Published: August 2017

Abstract. By means of two studies, a self-report measure to assess self-efficacy in presentation and moderation skills, the SEPM scales, was validated. In study 1, factorial and construct validity were examined. A sample of 744 university students (41% females; more than 50% between 20 and 25 years) completed newly constructed self-efficacy items. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) substantiated two positively correlated factors, presentation (SEPM-P) and moderation self-efficacy (SEPM-M). Each factor consists of eight items. The correlation patterns between the two SEPM subscales and related constructs such as extraversion, the preference for cooperative learning, and conflict management indicated adequate construct validity. In study 2, criterion validity was determined by means of latent change modeling. One hundred sixty students ( Mage = 24.40, SD = 4.04; 61% females) took part in a university course to foster key competences and completed the SEPM scales at the beginning and the end of the semester. Presentation and moderation self-efficacy increased significantly over time of which the latter was positively associated with the performance in a practical moderation exam. Across both studies, reliability of the scales was high, ranging from McDonald’s ω .80 to .88.
Methanethiol-dependent dimethylsulfide production in soil environments
Authors: Carrión Ornella , Pratscher Jennifer , Curson Andrew R J , Williams Beth T , Rostant Wayne G , Murrell J Colin , Todd Jonathan D 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
Dimethylsulfide (DMS) is an environmentally important trace gas with roles in sulfur cycling, signalling to higher organisms and in atmospheric chemistry. DMS is believed to be predominantly produced in marine environments via microbial degradation of the osmolyte dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). However, significant amounts of DMS are also generated from terrestrial environments, for example, peat bogs can emit ~6 μmol DMS m−2 per day, likely via the methylation of methanethiol (MeSH). A methyltransferase enzyme termed ‘MddA’, which catalyses the methylation of MeSH, generating DMS, in a wide range of bacteria and some cyanobacteria, may mediate this process, as the mddA gene is abundant in terrestrial metagenomes. This is the first study investigating the functionality of MeSH-dependent DMS production (Mdd) in a wide range of aerobic environments. All soils and marine sediment samples tested produced DMS when incubated with MeSH. Cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent methods were used to assess microbial community changes in response to MeSH addition in a grassland soil where 35.9% of the bacteria were predicted to contain mddA. Bacteria of the genus Methylotenera were enriched in the presence of MeSH. Furthermore, many novel Mdd+ bacterial strains were isolated. Despite the abundance of mddA in the grassland soil, the Mdd pathway may not be a significant source of DMS in this environment as MeSH addition was required to detect DMS at only very low conversion rates.
Gap-state engineering of visible-light-active ferroelectrics for photovoltaic applications
Authors: Matsuo Hiroki , Noguchi Yuji , Miyayama Masaru 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPhotoferroelectrics offer unique opportunities to explore light energy conversion based on their polarization-driven carrier separation and above-bandgap voltages. The problem associated with the wide bandgap of ferroelectric oxides, i.e., the vanishingly small photoresponse under visible light, has been overcome partly by bandgap tuning, but the narrowing of the bandgap is, in principle, accompanied by a substantial loss of ferroelectric polarization. In this article, we report an approach, ‘gap-state’ engineering, to produce photoferroelectrics, in which defect states within the bandgap act as a scaffold for photogeneration. Our first-principles calculations and single-domain thin-film experiments of BiFeO3 demonstrate that gap states half-filled with electrons can enhance not only photocurrents but also photovoltages over a broad photon-energy range that is different from intermediate bands in present semiconductor-based solar cells. Our approach opens a promising route to the material design of visible-light-active ferroelectrics without sacrificing spontaneous polarization.
Mapping sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in infected humans and in parasite populations in Africa
Authors: Okell Lucy C. , Griffin Jamie T. , Roper Cally 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIntermittent preventive treatment (IPT) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine in vulnerable populations reduces malaria morbidity in Africa, but resistance mutations in the parasite dhps gene (combined with dhfr mutations) threaten its efficacy. We update a systematic review to map the prevalence of K540E and A581G mutations in 294 surveys of infected humans across Africa from 2004-present. Interpreting these data is complicated by multiclonal infections in humans, especially in high transmission areas. We extend statistical methods to estimate the frequency, i.e. the proportion of resistant clones in the parasite population at each location, and so standardise for varying transmission levels. Both K540E and A581G mutations increased in prevalence and frequency in 60% of areas after 2008, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance. Resistance measures within countries were similar within 300 km, suggesting an appropriate spatial scale for surveillance. Spread of the mutations tended to accelerate once their prevalence exceeded 10% (prior to fixation). Frequencies of resistance in parasite populations are the same or lower than prevalence in humans, so more areas would be classified as likely to benefit from IPT if similar frequency thresholds were applied. We propose that the use of resistance frequencies as well as prevalence measures for policy decisions should be evaluated.
Circulating microRNA profiles of Hendra virus infection in horses
Authors: Cowled Christopher , Foo Chwan-Hong , Deffrasnes Celine , Rootes Christina L. , Williams David T. , Middleton Deborah , Wang Lin-Fa , Bean Andrew G. D. , Stewart Cameron R. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractHendra virus (HeV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen harbored by Australian mainland flying foxes. HeV infection can cause lethal disease in humans and horses, and to date all cases of human HeV disease have resulted from contact with infected horses. Currently, diagnosis of acute HeV infections in horses relies on the productive phase of infection when virus shedding may occur. An assay that identifies infected horses during the preclinical phase of infection would reduce the risk of zoonotic viral transmission during management of HeV outbreaks. Having previously shown that the host microRNA (miR)-146a is upregulated in the blood of HeV-infected horses days prior to the detection of viremia, we have profiled miRNAs at the transcriptome-wide level to comprehensively assess differences between infected and uninfected horses. Next-generation sequencing and the miRDeep2 algorithm identified 742 mature miRNA transcripts corresponding to 593 miRNAs in whole blood of six horses (three HeV-infected, three uninfected). Thirty seven miRNAs were differentially expressed in infected horses, two of which were validated by qRT-PCR. This study describes a methodology for the transcriptome-wide profiling of miRNAs in whole blood and supports the notion that measuring host miRNA expression levels may aid infectious disease diagnosis in the future.
A novel family of mammalian transmembrane proteins involved in cholesterol transport
Authors: Méndez-Acevedo Kevin M. , Valdes Victor Julián , Asanov Alexander , Vaca Luis 
Published: August 2017

AbstractCholesterol is an essential compound in mammalian cells because it is involved in a wide range of functions, including as a key component of membranes, precursor of important molecules such as hormones, bile acids and vitamin D. The cholesterol transport across the circulatory system is a well-known process in contrast to the intracellular cholesterol transport, which is poorly understood. Recently in our laboratory, we identified a novel protein in C. elegans involved in dietary cholesterol uptake, which we have named ChUP-1. Insillicoanalysis identified two putative orthologue candidate proteins in mammals. The proteins SIDT1 and SIDT2 share identity and conserved cholesterol binding (CRAC) domains with C. elegans ChUP-1. Both mammalian proteins are annotated as RNA transporters in databases. In the present study, we show evidence indicating that SIDT1 and SIDT2 not only do not transport RNA, but they are involved in cholesterol transport. Furthermore, we show that single point mutations directed to disrupt the CRAC domains of both proteins prevent FRET between SIDT1 and SIDT2 and the cholesterol analogue dehydroergosterol (DHE) and alter cholesterol transport.
A few-emitter solid-state multi-exciton laser
Authors: Lichtmannecker S. , Florian M. , Reichert T. , Blauth M. , Bichler M. , Jahnke F. , Finley J. J. , Gies C. , Kaniber M. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractWe report on non-conventional lasing in a photonic-crystal nanocavity that operates with only four solid-state quantum-dot emitters. In a comparison between microscopic theory and experiment, we demonstrate that irrespective of emitter detuning, lasing with$${g}^{\mathrm{(2)}}=1$$g(2)=1is facilitated by means of emission from dense-lying multi-exciton states. In the spontaneous-emission regime we find signatures for radiative coupling between the quantum dots. The realization of different multi-exciton states at different excitation powers and the presence of electronic inter-emitter correlations are reflected in a pump-rate dependence of theβ-factor.
Limits of Resolution and Sensitivity of Proton Detected MAS Solid-State NMR Experiments at 111 kHz in Deuterated and Protonated Proteins
Authors: Xue Kai , Sarkar Riddhiman , Motz Carina , Asami Sam , Camargo Diana C. Rodriguez , Decker Venita , Wegner Sebastian , Tosner Zdenek , Reif Bernd 
Published: August 2017

AbstractMAS solid-state NMR is capable of determining structures of protonated solid proteins using proton-detected experiments. These experiments are performed at MAS rotation frequency of around 110 kHz, employing 0.5 mg of material. Here, we compare 1H, 13C correlation spectra obtained from protonated and deuterated microcrystalline proteins at MAS rotation frequency of 111 kHz, and show that the spectral quality obtained from deuterated samples is superior to those acquired using protonated samples in terms of resolution and sensitivity. In comparison to protonated samples, spectra obtained from deuterated samples yield a gain in resolution on the order of 3 and 2 in the proton and carbon dimensions, respectively. Additionally, the spectrum from the deuterated sample yields approximately 2–3 times more sensitivity compared to the spectrum of a protonated sample. This gain could be further increased by a factor of 2 by making use of stereospecific precursors for biosynthesis. Although the overall resolution and sensitivity of 1H, 13C correlation spectra obtained using protonated solid samples with rotation frequencies on the order of 110 kHz is high, the spectral quality is still poor when compared to the deuterated samples. We believe that experiments involving large protein complexes in which sensitivity is limiting will benefit from the application of deuteration schemes.
Common origin of methylenedioxy ring degradation and demethylation in bacteria
Authors: Takeda Hisashi , Ishikawa Kazuki , Yoshida Hinaka , Kasai Daisuke , Wakana Daigo , Fukuda Masao , Sato Fumihiko , Hosoe Tomoo 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPlants produce many specific secondary metabolites as a response to environmental stress, especially biological stress. These compounds show strong biological activities and high stability against degradation by microbes and animals. Berberine, a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, is found in many plant species and has strong antimicrobial activity, and is often included in traditional herbal medicines. We previously investigated how berberine is degraded in nature and we isolated two berberine-utilizing bacteria. In this study, we characterized the gene encoding the enzyme that degrades the 2,3-methylenedioxy ring of berberine; this ring is important for its activity and stability. Further characterization of several other berberine-utilizing bacteria and the genes encoding key demethylenation enzymes revealed that these enzymes are tetrahydrofolate dependent and similar to demethylation enzymes such as GcvT. Because the degradation of O-methyl groups or the methylenedioxy ring in phenolic compounds such as lignin, lignan and many other natural products, including berberine, is the key step for the catabolism of these compounds, our discovery reveals the common origin of the catabolism of these stable chemicals in bacteria.
A camelid single-domain antibody neutralizes botulinum neurotoxin A by blocking host receptor binding
Authors: Yao Guorui , Lam Kwok-ho , Weisemann Jasmin , Peng Lisheng , Krez Nadja , Perry Kay , Shoemaker Charles B. , Dong Min , Rummel Andreas , Jin Rongsheng 
Published: August 2017

AbstractAntibody treatment is currently the only available countermeasure for botulism, a fatal illness caused by flaccid paralysis of muscles due to botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) intoxication. Among the seven major serotypes of BoNT/A-G, BoNT/A poses the most serious threat to humans because of its high potency and long duration of action. Prior to entering neurons and blocking neurotransmitter release, BoNT/A recognizes motoneurons via a dual-receptor binding process in which it engages both the neuron surface polysialoganglioside (PSG) and synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 (SV2). Previously, we identified a potent neutralizing antitoxin against BoNT/A1 termed ciA-C2, derived from a camelid heavy-chain-only antibody (VHH). In this study, we demonstrate that ciA-C2 prevents BoNT/A1 intoxication by inhibiting its binding to neuronal receptor SV2. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structure of ciA-C2 in complex with the receptor-binding domain of BoNT/A1 (HCA1) at 1.68 Å resolution. The structure revealed that ciA-C2 partially occupies the SV2-binding site on HCA1, causing direct interference of HCA1 interaction with both the N-glycan and peptide-moiety of SV2. Interestingly, this neutralization mechanism is similar to that of a monoclonal antibody in clinical trials, despite that ciA-C2 is more than 10-times smaller. Taken together, these results enlighten our understanding of BoNT/A1 interactions with its neuronal receptor, and further demonstrate that inhibiting toxin binding to the host receptor is an efficient countermeasure strategy.
The HIV Genomic Incidence Assay Meets False Recency Rate and Mean Duration of Recency Infection Performance Standards
Authors: Park Sung Yong , Love Tanzy M. T. , Reynell Lucy , Yu Carl , Kang Tina Manzhu , Anastos Kathryn , DeHovitz Jack , Liu Chenglong , Kober Kord M. , Cohen Mardge , Mack Wendy J. , Lee Ha Youn 
Published: August 2017

AbstractHIV incidence is a primary metric for epidemic surveillance and prevention efficacy assessment. HIV incidence assay performance is evaluated via false recency rate (FRR) and mean duration of recent infection (MDRI). We conducted a meta-analysis of 438 incident and 305 chronic specimens’ HIV envelope genes from a diverse global cohort. The genome similarity index (GSI) accurately characterized infection stage across diverse host and viral factors. All except one chronic specimen had GSIs below 0.67, yielding a FRR of 0.33 [0-0.98] %. We modeled the incidence assay biomarker dynamics with a logistic link function assuming individual variabilities in a Beta distribution. The GSI probability density function peaked close to 1 in early infection and 0 around two years post infection, yielding MDRI of 420 [361, 467] days. We tested the assay by newly sequencing 744 envelope genes from 59 specimens of 21 subjects who followed from HIV negative status. Both standardized residuals and Anderson-Darling tests showed that the test dataset was statistically consistent with the model biomarker dynamics. This is the first reported incidence assay meeting the optimal FRR and MDRI performance standards. Signatures of HIV gene diversification can allow precise cross-sectional surveillance with a desirable temporal range of incidence detection.