Universality and correlations in individuals wandering through an online extremist space

The "out of the blue" nature of recent terror attacks and the diversity of apparent motives highlight the importance of understanding the online trajectories that individuals follow prior to developing high levels of extremist support. Here we show that the physics of stochastic walks, with and without temporal correlation, provides a unifying description of these online trajectories. Our unique data set comprising all users of a global social media site reveals universal characteristics in individuals' online lifetimes. Our accompanying theory generates analytical and numerical solutions that describe the characteristics shown by individuals that go on to develop high levels of extremist support and those that do not. Going forward, it is conceivable that a deeper understanding of these temporal and many-body correlations may eventually contribute to the important task of better countering the spread of radical propaganda online.

Effects of particles on potential denitrification in the coastal waters of the Beibu Gulf in China

Although the influence of suspended particulate matter (SPM) on denitrifying activity has been identified in river waters recently through metabolic incubations and community gene analysis, the regulations of SPM to denitrification in marine systems are still poorly understood. In the present study, the effects of suspended particle properties (including concentration, composition and size) on potential denitrification were explored in the coastal Beibu Gulf water columns based on a series of ¹⁵N-labeled incubations under artificial anaerobic condition. A gradient of oxygen (O₂) concentrations was also manipulated in the incubated seawaters to test the sensitivity of denitrification to O₂ exposure. According to our experiments, potential denitrification was the dominant pathway for N₂ production with major contribution (>60%) recovered from the particle-associated (PA) fraction. The Highest rate occurred in the benthic nepheloid layer, where high particle content induced by sediment resuspension were observed, suggesting that resuspended particles may act as a hot spot for marine nitrogen (N) loss. Both content and lability of particulate organic carbon (POC) were tightly related to the denitrification rates, with denitrification enhanced by autochthonous POC fractions more significantly. The PA denitrification was higher on small particles (1.2-10μm) compared to the large ones (>10μm), probably due to larger specific surface area and higher specific POC content in small particles. O₂ suppressed denitrifying activity for both bulk water samples and PA fractions. Although in situ denitrifying activity should be minor or neglected because of high-O₂ inhibition, the novel findings of particle effects on anaerobic denitrification can still be applied to hypoxic marine environments. Our research also implies that resuspended particles from sediment may act as a hot spot for N loss, and therefore to be a first step toward future studies in high particle loaded marine regimes.

Multiscale dynamical network mechanisms underlying aging of an online organism from birth to death

We present the continuous-time evolution of an online organism network from birth to death which crosses all organizational and temporal scales, from individual components through to the mesoscopic and entire system scale. These continuous-time data reveal a lifespan driven by punctuated, real-time co-evolution of the structural and functional networks. Aging sees these structural and functional networks gradually diverge in terms of their small-worldness and eventually their connectivity. Dying emerges as an extended process associated with the formation of large but disjoint functional sub-networks together with an increasingly detached core. Our mathematical model quantifies the very different impacts that interventions will have on the overall lifetime, period of initial growth, peak of potency, and duration of old age, depending on when and how they are administered. In addition to their direct relevance to online extremism, our findings may offer insight into aging in other network systems of comparable complexity for which extensive in vivo data is not yet available.

Diagnostic performance of two corrected transluminal attenuation gradient metrics in coronary CT angiography for the evaluation of significant in-stent restenosis by dual-source CT: a validation study with invasive coronary angiography

AIM

To determine the diagnostic potential of transluminal attenuation gradients (TAG) with exclusion of stented coronary segments (TAG-ExS) and TAG-corrected contrast opacification (CCO) excluding stented coronary segments (TAG-CCO-ExS) for the assessment of in-stent restenosis (ISR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

TAG-ExS and TAG-CCO-ExS were calculated in 93 coronary arteries with 190 stents. The diagnostic performances and the incremental values of the two metrics to coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) were analysed and compared.

RESULTS

For all stents and stents >3 mm in diameter, TAG-ExS and TAG-CCO-ExS were significantly lower in ≥50% than that in <50% of ISR (both p<0.05). For stent diameters ≤3 mm, significantly lower TAG-CCO-ExS (p=0.000), but not TAG-ExS (p=0.059), was found in ≥50% than in <50% of ISR. Addition of TAG-ExS or TAG-CCO-ExS to CCTA, did not improve the diagnostic accuracy of CCTA significantly (all p>0.05). Only TAG-CCO-ExS had a significant impact on CCTA for the reclassifications of ISR (p=0.046) in stent diameters ≤3 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

TAG-ExS and TAG-CCO-ExS did not provide incremental diagnostic value over CCTA in assessing ISR. TAG-CCO-ExS slightly enhanced the reclassifications of ISR for stents ≤3 mm in diameter.

Prokaryotic functional expression and activity comparison of three CYP9A genes from the polyphagous pest Helicoverpa armigera

Cytochrome P450s (CYPs or P450s) have been long recognized as very important enzymes in the metabolism of xenobiotic and endogenous compounds, but only a few CYPs have been functionally characterized in insects. The effort in functional characterization of insect P450s is heavily hindered by technical difficulties in preparing active, individual P450 enzymes directly from the target insect. In this paper, we describe the functional expression of two additional pyrethroid resistance-associated CYP9A genes (CYP9A12 and CYP9A17) from the polyphagous pest Helicoverpa armigera in the facile Escherichia coli. The functionality of E. coli produced CYP9A12, CYP9A14, and CYP9A17 was investigated and activities of these CYP9As were compared against three probe substrates after reconstitution with NADPH-dependent cytochrome P450 reductase. The results showed that active forms of CYP9A12 and CYP9A17 were expressed in E. coli with a content of about 1.0-1.5 nmol mg-1 protein in membrane preparations. In vitro assays showed that CYP9A14 was capable of catalyzing O-dealkylation of methoxyresorufin (MROD), ethoxyresorufin (EROD), and benzyloxyresorufin (BROD), while CYP9A12 and CYP9A17 exhibited only MROD and EROD activities. Kinetic studies demonstrated that CYP9A14 had the greatest k cat/K m value for MROD, and CYP9A17 for EROD, while the lowest k cat/K m values for both MROD and EROD were observed for CYP9A12. The distinct biochemical traits suggest that the three paralogous CYP9As may play different roles in xenobiotic metabolism in this important pest.

Identification of the earlier human-induced sedimentation change in Daya Bay, northern South China Sea using 210Pb and 137Cs

Over the past 30years, the rapid development of the Chinese economy resulted in environmental problems, especially in coastal areas. To discern the effects of anthropogenic activities, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs were examined in the sediment from Daya Bay, northern South China Sea. The specific activity of ¹³⁷Cs showed a clear maximum, corresponding to 1963. ²¹⁰Pb specific activity varied from 25.1 to 78.5Bq kg^-1. ²¹⁰Pb distribution showed a hiatus at 18-19cm with 5-6cm of older sediment (>150years), indicating direct land-originating material over a short timescale rather than natural processes. This event was attributed to the human-induced redistribution of sediment during reclamation. Based on the ¹³⁷Cs-labeled 1963 and ²¹⁰Pb-chronologies, this event was confined to late 1977, earlier than the generally recognized significant anthropogenic activities. Thus, information archived in the sediment or in records prior to the 1970s would be better environmental background in Daya Bay.

The Roles of the Unique Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 in Cancer-Related Viral and Bacterial Infections

Infection is the process of pathogen invasion, as well as the host reaction to the foreign agents. Proline-directed phosphorylation is a major regulatory mechanism that regulates the function of fundamental proteins involved in infection and infection-induced cancer. Recently, the identification of the phosphorylation-dependent prolyl isomerase Pin1 has uncovered a unique regulatory signaling mechanism controlling protein conformation and function after phosphorylation. Pin1 is the only proline isomerase that specifically recognizes certain Pro-directed Ser/Thr phosphorylation motifs. Pin1 has emerged as a major regulator of cancerrelated viral and bacterial infections notably via activating Toll-like receptor signaling and NF-κB pathways. This paper will specifically review recent findings on the role of Pin1 in cancer-related viral and bacterial infections and also discuss newly discovered Pin1 inhibitors as promising drugs for the prevention and treatment of viral and bacterial infections and associated tumorigenesis.

Analysis on kidney injury-related clinical risk factors and evaluation on the therapeutic effects of hemoperfusion in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura

OBJECTIVE

To investigate risk factors related to kidney injury in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) and to study the therapeutic effects of hemoperfusion (HP) on kidney injury in HSP children, providing clinical evidence for early prevention and treatment of HSP.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Children who suffered from HSP for the first time were selected as study objects and they were followed up for 12 months. Single factor analysis and multi-factor Logistic regression analysis were performed for children's demographic characteristics (age, gender), clinical manifestations (rash duration time, rash recurrence times, digestive tract hemorrhage, abdominal pain, arthralgia, HSP recurrence) and laboratory indexes (peripheral blood WBC, PLT, ESR, CRP, serum IgG, serum IgA, IgM, serum C3, serum C4, TC, TG, HDL, LDL). Meanwhile, participants were divided into treatment group (HP treatment) and control group, and the protective effects of HP on renal function of HSP children were discussed.

RESULTS

Single factor analysis indicated age ≥ 6 years, rash recurrence ≥ 3 times, rash duration time ≥ 1 month, digestive tract hemorrhage, peripheral blood PLT, WBC, serum TC and serum LDL levels had statistically significant differences between the two groups. Multi-factor Logistic regression analysis indicated rash recurrence ≥ 3 times, digestive tract hemorrhage, decline of peripheral blood PLT count, and increases of serum TC and LDL were closely related to kidney injury of HSP children. After discharge, kidney injury comparison between treatment group and control group in follow-up had a statistical difference.

CONCLUSIONS

Rash recurrence ≥ 3 times, digestive tract hemorrhage, decline in peripheral blood PLT count, increases of serum TC and LDL, are risk factors of kidney injury in HSP children. HP can protect renal function of HSP children.

A potential nitrogen sink discovered in the oxygenated Chukchi Shelf waters of the Arctic

The western Arctic Shelf has long been considered as an important sink of nitrogen because high primary productivity of the shelf water fuels active denitrification within the sediments, which has been recognized to account for all the nitrogen (N) removal of the Pacific water inflow. However, potentially high denitrifying activity was discovered within the oxygenated Chukchi Shelf water during our summer expedition. Based on ¹⁵N-isotope pairing incubations, we estimated denitrification rates ranging from 1.8 ± 0.4 to 75.9 ± 8.7 nmol N₂ L^-1 h^-1. We find that the spatial pattern of denitrifying activity follows well with primary productivity, which supplies plentiful fresh organic matter, and there was a strong correlation between integrated denitrification and integrated primary productivity. Considering the active hydrodynamics over the Chukchi Shelf during summer, resuspension of benthic sediment coupled with particle-associated bacteria induces an active denitrification process in the oxic water column. We further extrapolate to the whole Chukchi Shelf and estimate an N removal flux from this cold Arctic shelf water to be 12.2 Tg-N year^-1, which compensates for the difference between sediment cores incubation (~ 3 Tg-N year^-1) and geochemical estimation based on N deficit relative to phosphorous (~ 16 Tg-N year^-1). We infer that dynamic sediment resuspension combined with high biological productivity stimulates intensive denitrification in the water column, potentially creating a nitrogen sink over the shallow Arctic shelves that have previously been unrecognized.

Shorter sleep duration is associated with higher energy intake and an increase in BMI z-score in young children predisposed to overweight

BACKGROUND

Inadequate sleep has been shown to be a contributor to obesity in both children and adults. Less evidence is available for toddlers and among those with higher obesity risk. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between sleep patterns and body weight development in a group of young obesity-predisposed children, and to assess whether intakes of energy or macronutrients mediate this relationship.

METHODS

Participants included 368 Danish children aged 2-6 years from the Healthy Start Study, a 1.3 year randomised controlled intervention trial. Sleep habits were measured using a 7-day sleep diary. Multivariate linear regression with adjustment for confounders was used to assess the association of sleep duration and sleep variability with 1.3 year changes (Δ) in body mass index (BMI) z-score from baseline to follow-up.

RESULTS

The average nighttime sleep duration was 10.7 h (range 8.8-12.5 h). After controlling for potential confounders, a significant inverse association between nighttime sleep duration and ΔBMI z-score (β=-0.090, P=0.046) was observed. This relationship was mediated by energy intake, with all macronutrients contributing to this mediation effect. No associations were found for sleep variability and ΔBMI z-score but baseline intake of added sugars and sugary beverages were positively associated with sleep variability.

CONCLUSION

Shorter sleep duration, mediated by energy intake in early in life, seems a risk factor for weight gain among young obesity-predisposed children.

Effects of caponization and ovariectomy on objective indices related to meat quality in chickens

Capons and ovariectomized chickens are birds that have been gonadectomized to improve the meat quality. This study investigated the effects of caponization and ovariectomy on physical, chemical, and fatty acid and amino acid profiles of meat from Beijing-You chickens (a Chinese local breed) at market age (17 wk). All birds (20 capons, 20 ovariectomized, and 40 controls) were reared under the same conditions. Breast muscle fiber diameter and area were significantly smaller and the fiber density was higher in capons and ovariectomized chickens than in controls (P < 0.05). Compared with controls, caponization and ovariectomy significantly decreased breast muscle shear values and redness (a*), as well as increased yellowness (b*), hue (H*), and chroma (C*) (P < 0.05). There was significantly more intramuscular fat (IMF) in capons than in controls (P < 0.05), and there was a tendency for more inosine-5΄-monophosphate (IMP) in capons than in controls (P = 0.10). The levels of IMF and IMP in ovariectomized chickens were significantly higher than those in controls (P < 0.05). Capons and ovariectomized chickens exhibited a significantly higher content of palmitic acid (C16:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1) and oleic acid (C18:1), together with a lower content of stearic acid (C18:0), arachidonic acid (C20:4), and lignoceric acid (C24:0) compared to controls (P < 0.05). The total saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as amino acid composition were not affected by gonadectomy (P > 0.05). Overall, this study indicates that both caponization and ovariectomy likely improve the meat quality of the breast muscle based on the objective indices of IMF, appearance (color), texture, and minor change of the fatty acid profile; ovariectomy improves flavor-related indices.

Rotatable high-resolution ARPES system for tunable linear-polarization geometry

A rotatable high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) system has been developed to utilize tunable linear-polarization geometries on the linear undulator beamline (BL-1) at Hiroshima Synchrotron Radiation Center. By rotating the whole ARPES measurement system, the photoelectron detection plane can be continuously changed from parallel to normal against the electric field vector of linearly polarized undulator radiation. This polarization tunability enables us to identify the symmetry of the initial electronic states with respect to the mirror planes, and to selectively observe the electronic states based on the dipole selection rule in the photoemission process. Specifications of the rotatable high-resolution ARPES system are described, as well as its capabilities with some representative experimental results.

Laparoscopic abdominoperineal excision with trans-abdominal individualized levator transection: interim analysis of a randomized controlled trial

AIM

Extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPR) is challenging 'conventional' abdominoperineal excision (APR), yet the safety and efficacy of ELAPR is still under debate. We therefore developed a laparoscopic APR with trans-abdominal individualized levator transection (LAPR-TILT) approach and compared the outcome with a conventional laparoscopic APR (CLAPR).

METHOD

All eligible patients were entered a single-centre randomized controlled trial to compare CLAPR and LAPR-TILT. We assessed the first 185 patients, including operative findings, complications, histopathology and urogenital function.

RESULTS

Ninety-three patients in the CLAPR group and 92 patients in the APR-TILT group were included for analysis. The APR-TILT procedure took less time [137 (101-175) min vs 146 (102-187) min; P = 0.03], mainly owing to faster perineal dissection. APR-TILT resulted in a reduced rate of bowel perforation (1.1% vs 8.6%; P = 0.04), circumferential resection margin positivity (1.1% vs 10.8%; P = 0.01) and postoperative wound complications (5.4% vs 16.2%; P = 0.02) compared with the CLAPR procedure. At a median follow-up of 19 months after surgery, three patients (3.2%) in the CLAPR group had tumour recurrence while no tumour recurrence occurred in the LAPR-TILT group. Patients who underwent LAPR-TILT reported fewer urinary or sexual problems (LAPR-TILT vs CLAPR, 10.9% vs 24.7% and 17.4% vs 38.7%, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Compared with CLAPR, LAPR-TILT achieved better pathological results for factors that are surrogate parameters for local recurrence. LAPR-TILT could also reduce the risk of urogenital dysfunction.

Efficiency, effectiveness and treatment stability of clear aligners: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the orthodontic literature with regard to efficiency, effectiveness and stability of treatment outcome with clear aligners compared with treatment with conventional brackets.

METHODS

An electronic search without time or language restrictions was undertaken in October 2014 in the following electronic databases: Google Scholar, the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, Scopus, CENTRAL, MEDLINE via OVID, EMBASE via OVID and Web of Science. We also searched the reference lists of relevant articles. Quality assessment of the included articles was performed. Two authors were responsible for study selection, validity assessment and data extraction.

RESULTS

Four controlled clinical trials including a total of 252 participants satisfied the inclusion criteria. We grouped the trials into four main comparisons. One randomized controlled trial was classified as level 1B evidence, and three cohort studies were classified as level 2B evidence. Clear aligners appear to have a significant advantage with regard to chair time and treatment duration in mild-to-moderate cases based on several cross-sectional studies. No other differences in stability and occlusal characteristics after treatment were found between the two systems.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite claims about the effectiveness of clear aligners, evidence is generally lacking. Shortened treatment duration and chair time in mild-to-moderate cases appear to be the only significant effectiveness of clear aligners over conventional systems that are supported by the current evidence.

Faculty professional development in emergent pedagogies for instructional innovation in dental education

Innovative pedagogies have significantly impacted health professions' education, dental education included. In this context, faculty, defined in this study as instructor in higher education, has been increasingly required to hone their instructional skills. The purpose of this exploratory study was to share the design, implementation and preliminary outcomes of two programmes to enhance dental faculty's instructional skills, the Teaching and Learning Seminar Series and the Course Director Orientation. Data sources included faculty and student surveys developed and administered by the researchers; data extracted from the learning management system; reports from the learning analytics tool; and classroom observations. Participants' satisfaction, self-reported learning, instructional behavioural change, and impact on student learning behaviours and institutional practice were assessed borrowing from Kirkpatrick's 4-level model of evaluation of professional development effectiveness. Initial findings showed that faculty in both programmes reported positive learning experiences. Participants reported that the programmes motivated them to improve instructional practice and improved their knowledge of instructional innovation. Some faculty reported implementation of new instructional strategies and tools, which helped create an active and interactive learning environment that was welcomed by their students. The study contributes to literature and best practice in health sciences faculty development in pedagogy and may guide other dental schools in designing professional development programmes.