bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reliability assessment on automobile suspension system using wavelet analysis
Authors: Abd Rahim Airee Afiq , Abdullah Shahrum , Singh Karam Singh Salvinder , Nuawi Mohd. Zaki
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the reliability assessment on the basis of automobile suspension fatigue life using wavelet decomposition method.

Design/methodology/approach

The discrete wavelet transform (DWT) of automobile coil spring signal is implemented as a response to different road surfaces. A reliability analysis is applied to determine the potential of the wavelet implementation in fatigue life analysis. The signals used in this study are highway and rural road.

Findings

On the basis of the implementation of wavelet decomposition method, low-level decomposition replicates the original signals in comparison with high-level decomposition. The fatigue life of low-level decomposition lies in the 2:1 and 1:2 correlation graph. The percentage difference for mean cycle to failure presents low values for low-level decomposition, with 44.31 per cent for highway and 44.20 per cent for rural road. The percentage of difference for high-level decomposition is high.

Originality/value

The determination of fatigue life analysis by using the DWT method is suitable for low-level decomposition. High-level decomposition is considered noise that cannot be eliminated and does not contribute to the failure of the structure.
Zeuss: a personalized tool for grammatical-construction learning
Authors: Mendoza Maria J. , Velasco David L. , Moreno Camilo A. , Parra Carlos , Carrillo-Ramos Angela , Gómez-Morantes Juan E.
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present Zeuss, a software-based tool designed to improve grammar learning process in elementary school children. Despite efforts by the Colombian Government, the results of the final high school test indicate that students have major deficiencies with language, grammar and reading comprehension. Several difficulties have been evidenced in activities like writing essays or understanding academic papers. Among the reasons that may lead to these results include outdated courses, overcrowded classrooms and lack of interest.

Design/methodology/approach

A diagnostic test is performed on third-grade elementary school students to assess the current grammar knowledge and identify areas for improvement. The test results are used to design a software-based tool called Zeuss. The authors include playful activities inspired by several pedagogic exercises found in the literature and personalization so that interaction is tailored to specific user preferences and tastes.

Findings

Zeuss has been tested with third-grade students of the Gimnasio Campestre San Francisco de Sales elementary school in Bogotá, Colombia. The results show that using the tool leads to an overall improvement in the grammar construction learning process.

Social implications

Zeuss aims at improving the learning process in elementary schools helping teachers to overcome several limitations like overcrowded classrooms and outdated pedagogic strategies. Zeuss focuses specifically on the grammar learning process.

Originality/value

Zeuss features updated pedagogical strategies, playful activities and a personalization model to tailor the learning process and help in context. It also allows teachers to track individual and classroom progress.
Promoting historical irrigation canals as natural and cultural heritage in mass-tourism destinations
Authors: Ricart Sandra , Ribas Anna , Pavón David , Gabarda-Mallorquí Ariadna , Roset Dolors
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the tourism potential of natural and cultural heritage in historical irrigation canals by promoting social learning and providing digital tools to local and visitors.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on the EUWATHER project (JPI – Cultural Heritage, HERITAGE PLUS Joint Call 2015), through which new opportunities for eco-tourism and outdoor recreation as a driver for sustainable development of historical irrigation canals are provided. A case study from North-Eastern Spain, the Lower Ter area (in the Costa Brava), is analyzed. Heritage inventories and digital itineraries including the tangible and intangible cultural history of waterscape heritage have been co-designed with local communities and key stakeholders. Online data sets and Spatial Data Infrastructure (webpage and mobile app) are provided.

Findings

The project provides a manual for developing digital waterways heritage tours. For the case study, up to 118 heritage objects have been selected from 8 natural and cultural heritage categories according to their tourism potential. Three itineraries have been proposed to promote the tourism potential existing in the hinterland of the Costa Brava region.

Practical implications

The methods section and the main results obtained for the case study will be useful for professionals working in heritage institutions, rural development and sustainable tourism agencies.

Originality/value

The project provides two geo-based technologies: a digital platform (www.waterwaysexplorer.com) and a mobile app (Izi.travel) in which external users are able to collect relevant data and construct tourism itineraries from minor waterways with consolidated natural and cultural heritage. A Tool Box is provided for practitioners in order to help local communities and tourist organizations to create their own itineraries along minor waterways.
Multicriteria approach to select the most economically advantageous tender
Authors: Marcarelli Gabriella , Nappi Andrea
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to show how the proposed approach (two analytic hierarchy process [AHP] models) may allow dealing with the best tender selection process in an organic and simple way and ensure the consistency check of the judgements, the necessary step for having reliable results. At first, this paper highlights some critical issues regarding the weighted sum model (WSM) and the algorithms frequently used to evaluate the most economic advantageous tender. Then, it proposes to extend the AHP approach to the evaluation of both the qualitative and quantitative components of a public procurement award. Finally, the WSM and the AHP are applied to the same case study to show, step by step, some criticisms of the former and some advantages of the latter.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes to apply two AHP models to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative components of a public tender. The quality and cost models allow to identify and select the tender associated with the highest quality/cost ratio.

Findings

The assessment of the WSM and the AHP models, and some differences between them, build upon their application as an example of public procurement. A case study is used as a teaching device (Yin, 2003) to highlight why the AHP may provide different results. In particular, an important issue concerning the evaluation of qualitative requirements is explored: the consistency of judgements expressed by the committee members.

Social implications

This approach provides analytical tools for public management that allow appropriate implementation of their management function and allow a realisation of the strategic objectives of European Union law and Italian legislation on public procurement. It would help managers to prioritise their goals and criteria and evaluate them in a scientific way. The model integrates multiple qualitative and quantitative criteria, simplifies the selection process, achieves optimal use of funds and leads to cost savings. It allows to reduce the discretional power of both the contracting issuer, in the choice of the formula to adopt for calculating the coefficients, and the committee members, allowing tender evaluation to have more trust and ensure the fairness of public procurement matters and quality of the object purchased.

Originality/value

This paper proposes the use of two hierarchical models to evaluate qualitative and quantitative requirements and provide the ranking among several tenders.
Basic research public procurement: the impact on supplier companies
Authors: Dal Molin Martina , Previtali Ezio
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate and assess the impact of public procurement activities of an Italian basic research center (the National Institute for Nuclear Physics [INFN]) on supplier companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting from the exploratory nature of this research, a single case study research strategy has been applied. The impact of basic research public procurement has been estimated using survey data on 168 INFN supplier companies. Supplier companies have been surveyed on six different categories of company outcomes, namely, sales volume, learning and innovation, relationship with the market, alliances and network and social impact.

Findings

Results of the analysis reported that the activity of INFN public procurement generates a positive impact on supplier companies on different dimensions, especially related to learning and innovative outcome and economic impact and market penetration outcome.

Social implications

Policy implications can be derived from the current study. In particular, to support the policymakers in the effort of assessing the impact of basic research public procurement, this study, first highlights the impact dimensions on supplier companies, and second, it provides empirical evidence of public procurement as a viable tool to foster companies’ innovation.

Originality/value

This research explores a relevant but understudied topic that has recently attracted the attention of policymakers. In fact, although public procurement have been recognized as a tool to foster companies’ innovation, empirical evidence is still scant, particularly in the case of basic research.
Adaption of active boundary conditions in structural fire testing
Authors: Qureshi Ramla Karim , Elhami-Khorasani Negar , Gernay Thomas
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the need for active boundary conditions during fire testing of structural elements, review existing studies on hybrid fire testing (HFT), a technique that would ensure updating of boundary conditions during a fire test, and propose a compensation scheme to mitigate instabilities in the hybrid testing procedure.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses on structural steel columns and starts with a detailed literature review of steel column fire tests in the past few decades with varying axial and rotational end restraints. The review is followed with new results from comparative numerical analyses of structural steel columns with various end constraints. HFT is then discussed as a potential solution to be adapted for fire testing of structural elements. Challenges in contemporary HFT procedures are discussed, and application of stiffness updating approaches is demonstrated.

Findings

The reviewed studies indicate that axial and rotational restraints at the boundaries considerably influence the fire response of steel columns. Equivalent static spring technique for simulating effect of surrounding frame on an isolated column behavior does not depict accurate buckling and post-buckling response. Additionally, numerical models that simulate fire performance of a column situated in a full-frame do follow the trends observed in actual test results up until failure occurs, but these simulations do not necessarily capture post-failure performance accurately. HFT can be used to capture proper boundary conditions during testing of isolated elements, as well as correct failure modes. However, existing studies showed cases with instabilities during HFT. This paper demonstrates that a different stiffness updates calculated from the force-displacement response history of test specimen at elevated temperature can be used to resolve stability issues.

Originality/value

The paper has two contributions: it suggests that the provision of active boundary conditions is needed in structural fire testing, as equivalent static spring does not necessarily capture the effect of surrounding frame on an isolated element during a fire test, and it shows that force-displacement response history of test specimen during HFT can be used in the form of a stiffness update to ensure test stability.
Assessing undergraduate information literacy change over time
Authors: Ault Arthur Brian , Ferguson Jessame
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The research project assessed information literacy skill changes in college students at two points in time, as entering first-year students in 2012 and as seniors in their senior seminar capstone courses in the 2015–2016 academic year. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) individual test was the selected instrument. Version 1 of the test was used for first-year students and Version 2 was used for seniors. All testing was done in person in computer labs with a librarian or library staff member present to proctor the test. This resulted in obtaining 330 student results as first years and 307 as seniors, with 161 exact matches for both administrations of the test. Exact matching of student scores to demographic details pulled from the college’s student information systems were used in the analysis.

Findings

The analysis shows that overall first-year students tested below the 70 percent proficiency benchmark in all eight skill sets, but by the time they were seniors they scored above 70 percent in three skill sets. Male students and students of color performed lower than their counterparts, but these groups did demonstrate significant improvement in four skill sets by the time they were seniors. Students in the Honors program, those who took longer to complete the test as seniors, those with higher GPAs, those in Humanities majors, and those who had upper level course exposures to librarian information literacy instruction had higher performance on the test. There were no statistically significant results for students who were first generation, Pell Grant eligible, or were in-state or out-of-state residents.

Originality/value

There are few published studies that utilized the SAILS test for longitudinal institution-wide assessment. The majority of institutions that utilized the individual version of SAILS did so to determine change within a selected course, or set of courses, in the same semester and very few are published.
Multi-objective optimization approach in design for additive manufacturing for fused deposition modeling
Authors: Asadollahi-Yazdi Elnaz , Gardan Julien , Lafon Pascal
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a multi-objective optimization problem in design for manufacturing (DFM) approach for fused deposition modeling (FDM). This method considers the manufacturing criteria and constraints during the design by selecting the best manufacturing parameters to guide the designer and manufacturer in fabrication with FDM.

Design/methodology/approach

Topological optimization and bi-objective optimization problems are suggested to complete the DFM approach for design for additive manufacturing (DFAM) to define a product. Topological optimization allows the shape improvement of the product through a material distribution for weight gain based on the desired mechanical behavior. The bi-objective optimization problem plays an important role to evaluate the manufacturability by quantification and optimization of the manufacturing criteria and constraint simultaneously. Actually, it optimizes the production time, required material regarding surface quality and mechanical properties of the product because of two significant parameters as layer thickness and part orientation.

Findings

A comprehensive analysis of the existing DFAM approaches illustrates that these approaches are not developed sufficiently in terms of manufacturability evaluation in quantification and optimization levels. There is no approach that investigates the AM criteria and constraints simultaneously. It is necessary to provide a decision-making tool for the designers and manufacturers to lead to better design and manufacturing regarding the different AM characteristics.

Practical implications

To assess the efficiency of this approach, a wheel spindle is considered as a case study which shows how this method is capable to find the best design and manufacturing solutions.

Originality/value

A multi-criteria decision-making approach as the main contribution is developed to analyze FDM technology and its attributes, criteria and drawbacks. It completes the DFAM approach for FDM through a bi-objective optimization problem which deals with finding the best manufacturing parameters by optimizing production time and material mass because of the product mechanical properties and surface roughness.
Self‐elimination
Authors: Dalsheim Joyce
Published: August 2019

As sea levels rise, more and more refugees arrive at our gates, only to find them closed. And many more of us may become refugees ourselves. Open borders might help ease the suffering, but if elections in places like Israel, India or Hungary are any indication, the trend is now towards producing and maintaining more homogeneous national cultures rather than opening borders to those seeking refuge. Ethnonationalism involves both exclusionary and inclusionary processes. This editorial looks at the recent elections in Israel to consider what such inclusion might entail and why the struggles over identity can be contentious enough to make a governing coalition fail.
Simultaneous positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for the detection and characterisation of liver lesions in patients with colorectal cancer: A pictorial review
Authors: Yeoh Edward , Miles Ken
Published: August 2019

Patients with colorectal cancer undergo frequent diagnostic imaging to stage the extent of metastatic disease and assess response to treatment. Imaging is typically via diagnostic contrast‐enhanced CT or combined FDG‐PET/CT. However, recent research has demonstrated promising benefits of combined FDG‐PET/MRI in oncologic imaging due to the superior soft‐tissue contrast of MRI. The extent of both intrahepatic and extrahepatic disease is important in establishing treatment options for colorectal cancer patients, and FDG‐PET/CT and dedicated liver imaging are often both required. FDG‐PET/MRI offers the advantage of a single examination which can be completed within a similar duration as dedicated liver MRI imaging. This improves patient convenience and anatomical co‐registration between PET and MRI imaging and provides a potential cost benefit. The diagnostic benefits of FDG‐PET/MRI include the simultaneous characterisation of focal liver lesions, exclusion of extrahepatic disease, the detection of additional hepatic metastases and extrahepatic disease, and the multi‐parametric assessment of treatment response. This pictorial review highlights examples of these benefits.
High‐dose ethanol intoxication decreases 1/f neural noise or scale‐free neural activity in the resting state
Authors: Stock Ann‐Kathrin , Pertermann Maik , Mückschel Moritz , Beste Christian
Published: August 2019

Binge drinking is a frequent phenomenon in many western societies and has been associated with an increased risk of developing alcohol use disorder later in life. Yet, the effects of high‐dose alcohol intoxication on neurophysiological processes are still quite poorly understood. This is particularly the case given that neurophysiological brain activity not only contains recurring (oscillatory) patterns of activity, but also a significant fraction of “scale‐free” or arrhythmic dynamics referred to as 1/f type activity, pink noise, or 1/f neural noise. Neurobiological considerations suggest that it should be modulated by alcohol intoxication. To investigate this assumption, we collected resting state EEG data from n = 23 healthy young male subjects in a crossover design, where each subject was once tested sober and once tested while intoxicated (mean breath alcohol concentration of 1.1 permille ±0.2). Analyses of the 1/f neural dynamics showed that ethanol intoxication decreased resting state 1/f neural noise, as compared with a sober state. The effects were strongest when the eyes were closed and particularly reliable in the beta frequency band. Given that the dynamics of the beta band have been shown to strongly depend on GABAA receptor neural transmission, this finding nicely aligns with the fact that ethanol increases GABAergic signaling. The study reveals a currently unreported effect of binge drinking on neurophysiological dynamics, which likely revealed a higher sensitivity for ethanol effects than most commonly considered measures of power in neural oscillations. Implications and applicability of these findings are discussed.
Fungal pathogen and ethanol affect host selection and colonization success in ambrosia beetles
Authors: Rassati Davide , Contarini Mario , Ranger Christopher M. , Cavaletto Giacomo , Rossini Luca , Speranza Stefano , Faccoli Massimo , Marini Lorenzo
Published: August 2019

Ambrosia beetles exhibit broad host ranges but a narrow preference based on the condition of the host. Tissues infected by pathogens or containing ethanol can facilitate attacks by ambrosia beetles, although it still remains unclear how these factors interact.

The present study aimed to examine how (i) chestnut logs infected with the fungal pathogenCryphonectria parasiticaand treated with ethanol (i.e. baited with ethanol lure, soaked in ethanol or untreated) and (ii) hornbeam logs soaked in different ethanol concentrations (3–12.5%) affect host selection and colonization success of ambrosia beetles.

Ethanol‐soaked logs were more attractive toAnisandrus disparthan ethanol‐baited logs or untreated logs, although this difference was more evident in uninfected than infected logs. Increasing ethanol concentration in host tissues was differentially attractive toXyleborinus saxeseniiandXylosandrus germanus. A nonlinear relationship was also documented between ethanol concentration and emergence ofX. germanusadults.

Overall, the results obtained suggest that the presence ofC. parasiticain chestnut logs can affect host selection in ambrosia beetles. In addition, the ethanol concentration in tree tissues affects host selection and colonization success, although the effect varies depending on the beetle species. This contrasting response could be a niche‐partitioning mechanism based on ethanol within host tissues.
U.S. sweeteners: Combating excess consumption with an excise tax?
Authors: Lakkakula Prithviraj , Schmitz Andrew
Published: August 2019

Obesity is a public health problem in the United States that has been linked to excess sweetener consumption. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 6–9 teaspoons/capita/day, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends 200 calories/capita/day of caloric sweetener consumption. Both recommendations are well below the reported 2016 sweetener consumption levels. We quantify the input tax rates needed to reduce the current excess sweetener consumption level to the AHA and FDA recommended standards. We calculate the joint tax in the United States on two major sweeteners, sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), to be 31 and 24 cents per pound, respectively, based on the AHA standard, and 19 and 17 cents per pound, respectively, using the FDA standard. These taxes would be roughly the magnitude of the existing sugar and HFCS prices. In both cases, the tax incidence on producers is much smaller than on consumers. Our focus is very different from past studies in that it deals with the effect of taxes on inputs to meet the recommended target rather than a selective tax (sugar‐sweetened beverage tax). If a sweetener tax were implemented, U.S. sugar and HFCS producers would lose US$398–US$489 and US$683–US$844 million per year, respectively.
Differences in the Selvester QRS score after primary PCI strategy and conservative treatment for STEMI patients with negative T waves
Authors: Kalinauskiene Egle , Gerviene Dalia , Bacharova Ljuba , Krivosikova Zora , Naudziunas Albinas
Published: August 2019

Background

According to current guidelines, the main indications for PCI in patients with STEMI are ST‐segment deviations and defined time from the onset of symptoms. Negative T wave at admission can be a sign of prolonged ischemia or spontaneous reperfusion. In both situations, the urgent intervention is questionable. We evaluated the infarct size and in‐hospital mortality in STEMI patients with negative T wave in cases of primary PCI strategy compared with conservative treatment.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 116 STEMI patients with negative T wave at the presenting ECG was performed. Sixty‐eight patients (59%) underwent primary PCI strategy (PCI group), and 48 (41%) were treated conservatively (non‐PCI group). The infarct size estimated by using the Selvester score, and in‐hospital mortality were evaluated.

Results

The difference between Selvester score values at admission and at discharge in the non‐PCI group was statistically significant (1.48; 95% CI 0.694–2.27), while no significant difference was observed in the PCI group (−0.07; 95% CI −0.546–0.686). The in‐hospital mortality was higher in the non‐PCI group; however, the numbers were relatively small: PCI 2 (2.9%) and non‐PCI 5 (10.4%).

Conclusion

In this study, we showed a reduction in the infarct size estimated by Selvester score in STEMI patients with negative T wave who were treated conservatively, while there was no significant change in the infarct size after primary PCI strategy. The higher mortality in patients treated conservatively could be attributed to higher age and comorbidities in the non‐PCI group. It seems that conservative treatment strategy might be an option in STEMI patients with negative T wave.
Victories from Insurgency: Re‐Negotiating Housing, Community Control, and Citizenship at the Margins
Authors: Cahen Claire , Schneider Jakob , Saegert Susan
Published: August 2019

This article considers how insurgent campaigns for housing the poor in New York City and Chicago succeeded in engaging the local state, non‐profits and financial institutions in the creation of community land trusts. These campaigns had long arcs in which victories and losses built from each other, neither as permanent as they initially seemed. The campaigns moved iteratively between spaces of “invited citizenship” (courtrooms, planning committees) and “invented” spaces of collective action (property takeovers). They found their greatest success when, exploiting state incapacity to defend abandoned property, they elicited a degree of complicity from local governments in their takeovers of housing and land. The article thus contests dichotomised accounts of social movements that oppose losses to victories, cooptation to resistance, and movements to institutions. Instead, we call for situated and dynamic accounts of insurgent practice, capable of theorising the long, messy, co‐constituted evolution of political contexts and popular struggle.
Text reading speed in a language with a shallow orthography benefits less from comprehension as reading ability matures
Authors: Carretti Barbara , Toffalini Enrico , Saponaro Cosmiana , Viola Francesco , Cornoldi Cesare
Published: August 2019

Background

Reading can be assessed using different materials, including non‐words and texts. Unlike reading words or non‐words, reading a text may be supported by reading comprehension, and the extent of this support could change with the amount of schooling.

Aim

The present study aimed to examine how reading decoding in a shallow orthography like Italian changed with years of schooling, depending on the type of material and the contribution of non‐word reading and reading comprehension to text reading speed.

Methods

Six hundred and forty two typically developing Italian students from 8 to 16 years old were involved. They were administered grade‐appropriate tasks assessing text reading speed, non‐word reading speed, and reading comprehension.

Results

The results showed that, although the two reading speed measures correlated closely, non‐word reading speed improved only slightly with age, while the increase in text reading speed was steeper. Reading comprehension was a significant direct predictor of text reading speed after controlling for non‐word reading speed. Importantly, however, while the difference in reading speed between non‐words and text widened with schooling, the role of reading comprehension declined significantly, the ΔR2 dropping from .10 in primary school to just .01 in high school.

Conclusions

These findings and their implications are discussed in the light of the relationship between reading comprehension and reading speed in a language with a shallow orthography across school grades.
Impact of tumor microenvironment on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with EGFR‐mutant non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Matsumoto Yoshiya , Sawa Kenji , Fukui Mitsuru , Oyanagi Jun , Izumi Motohiro , Ogawa Koichi , Suzumura Tomohiro , Watanabe Tetsuya , Kaneda Hiroyasu , Mitsuoka Shigeki , Asai Kazuhisa , Kimura Tatsuo , Yamamoto Nobuyuki , Koh Yasuhiro , Kawaguchi Tomoya
Published: August 2019

We retrospectively investigated the impact of the tumor microenvironment (TME) on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as first‐line treatment in 70 patients with advanced EGFR‐mutant non‐small cell lung cancer and who were seen at Osaka City University Hospital (Osaka, Japan) between August 2013 and December 2017. Using immunohistochemical staining with 28‐8 and D7U8C Abs, the tumor proportion score was assessed for programmed cell death‐1 ligand‐1 (PD‐L1), as high (50% or more) or low (less than 50%), and ligand‐2 (PD‐L2) expression, respectively. The extent of CD8+ tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes was evaluated on a scale of 0‐3, with 0‐1 as low and 2‐3 as high. The TME of the 52 evaluable pretreatment specimens was categorized into 4 subtypes, according to the respective PD‐L1 tumor proportion and CD8+ scores, as follows: (a) high/high (13.5%, n = 7); (b) low/low (42.3%, n = 22); (c) high/low (17.3%, n = 9); and (d) low/high (26.9%, n = 14). Expression of PD‐L2 was significantly the highest in type 1 (57.1% vs 4.5% vs 11.1% vs 7.1%, respectively; P = .0090). Response rate was significantly the lowest in type 1 (14.3% vs 81.8% vs 66.7% vs 78.6%, respectively; P = .0085). Progression‐free survival was the shortest in type 1 and the longest in type 4 (median, 2.4 vs 11.3 vs 8.4 vs 17.5 months, respectively; P = .00000077). The efficacy of EGFR‐TKIs differed according to the TME, and the phenotype with high PD‐L1 and CD8+ expression might be the subset that would poorly benefit from such treatment.
Thyroid nodules as a risk factor for thyroid cancer in patients with Graves’ disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies in surgically treated patients
Authors: Papanastasiou Anastasios , Sapalidis Konstantinos , Goulis Dimitrios G. , Michalopoulos Nikolaos , Mareti Evangelia , Mantalovas Stylianos , Kesisoglou Isaak
Published: August 2019

Objective

Graves’ disease (GD) is an autoimmune thyroid disorder characterized by hyperthyroidism. The incidence of thyroid cancer in patients with GD varies from 0.15% to 15%. There is conflicting evidence on the role of thyroid nodules as a risk factor for thyroid cancer in patients with GD.

Design

Three electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus) as well as grey literature sources were searched, from inception until 25 February 2019, for observational studies about the prevalence of thyroid cancer in patients with GD.

Patients

Clinical and ultrasonographic examination was necessary preoperatively for all patients to be classified depending on the presence/absence of thyroid nodules.

Measurements

Primary outcome was the incidence of thyroid cancer. The latter was determined after total or near‐total thyroidectomy by the histopathologic report. Statistical analysis was performed with revman 5.3 software.

Results

The systematic review and meta‐analysis included 7 studies with 2582 patients overall. The prevalence of any thyroid cancer was 11.5%. The presence of at least one thyroid nodule in patients with GD was associated with higher risk for thyroid cancer (odds ratio [OR] 5.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4‐11.6, I2 83%). A subgroup analysis showed no difference in thyroid cancer risk in patients with GD according to the number of nodules (solitary versus multiple) (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.9‐2.3, I2 0%).

Conclusions

The presence of thyroid nodules is positively associated with the prevalence of thyroid cancer in surgically treated patients with GD. However, further prospective research is needed as the heterogeneity among the studies is high.
Ronald Brady and the cladists
Authors: Ebach Malte C. , Williams David M.
Published: August 2019

Ronald Brady was the first philosopher to defend pattern cladistics as an independent scientific field. That independence was achieved through the decoupling of biological systematics from phylogenetics––that is, inferred evolutionary processes (e.g. character transformation). Brady saw parallels between biological systematics and Wolfgang von Goethe's Morphology, an empirical scientific field that incorporates human observation and perception to discover coherent morphological structures. Goethe's Morphology and pre‐Darwinian systematics were independent from evolutionary narratives, a tradition that continued into the 20th Century through the work of biologists such as Agnes Arber. Most importantly, Brady provided the philosophical and historical foundations to an independent systematics by demonstrating the links between phenomenology, Goethe's Morphology and comparative biology.
Clinical features and surgical outcomes in young children with focal cortical dysplasia type II
Authors: Wang Tian‐Shuang , Liu Qing‐Zhu , Liu Ming , Zhang Qian , Wang Ruo‐Fan , Wu Chong‐Wei , Zhang Jie , Wang Wen , Ji Tao‐Yun , Liu Xiao‐Yan , Wang Shuang , Cai Li‐Xin , Jiang Yu‐Wu , Wu Ye
Published: August 2019

Aims

To investigate clinical characteristics and surgery outcomes of young children with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) type II.

Methods

Young children (onset age ≤6 years) with FCDII who underwent epileptic surgery in Children Epilepsy Center of Peking University First Hospital in 2014‐2018 were followed up for at least 6 months after surgery.

Results

One hundred and twelve children with FCDII were included, with median age of onset 0.9 years (0.01‐5.9), who underwent surgery at 4.1 years old (0.8‐16.2). Focal seizures were most frequent (90.2%) and epileptic spasms presented in 23 (20.5%) cases. Epileptic encephalopathy was not uncommon (12.5%), associated with earlier epilepsy onset and higher rate of bilateral onset on ictal EEG (OR = 0.213, 9.059; P = .041, .004). At the last follow‐up, 88.4% achieved seizure‐free. Before surgery, 49.1% showed moderate/severe developmental delay, associated with earlier seizure onset and higher rate of history of epileptic encephalopathy (OR = 0.740, 5.160, P = .023, .042). For 48 children with preoperatively moderate/severe developmental delay, DQ rank at 6 months postsurgery was improved in only four cases.

Conclusion

For young children with FCDII, they tend to present with epileptic encephalopathies and show moderate/severe developmental delay before surgery. The seizure outcome was favorable after surgery. For children with preoperatively moderate/severe developmental delay, developmental outcome at 6 months after surgery was not satisfactory.
Anti‐IL‐2R blockers comparing with polyclonal antibodies: Higher risk of rejection without negative mid‐term outcomes after ABO‐incompatible kidney transplantation
Authors: Del Bello Arnaud , Divard Gillian , Belliere Julie , Congy‐Jolivet Nicolas , Lanfranco Luca , Ricard Régine , Delas Audrey , Colombat Magali , Esposito Laure , Hebral Anne‐Laure , Cointault Olivier , Lefaucheur Carmen , Loupy Alexandre , Kamar Nassim
Published: August 2019

There is no recommendation regarding the type of induction therapy to use in ABO‐incompatible (ABOi) kidney transplantation. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the outcome of ABOi living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) recipients who received either polyclonal antibodies or anti‐interleukin‐2 receptor (IL‐2R) blockers as an induction agent. All ABOi HLA‐compatible patients that received a LDKT between 03/11 and 03/18 in three French transplantation center (Paris Saint‐Louis, Paris Necker, and Toulouse) were included in the study. Fifty‐eight patients were given polyclonal antibodies and 39 patients received anti‐IL‐2R blockers. We identified by a Cox proportional hazard model the use of polyclonal antibodies as a protective factor against acute rejection (HR = 0.4, 95%CI [0‐0.9], P < .05). However, pathological findings on protocol biopsies at 1 year were similar in both groups, as were patient and graft survivals, renal function, and complications. We conclude that the acute rejection rate was significantly higher in patients given anti‐IL‐2R blockers compared to polyclonal antibodies. However, in our series, there was no negative impact on mid‐term outcome.
Impact of technology on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes: A meta‐analysis of randomized trials on continuous glucose monitoring and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion
Authors: Dicembrini Ilaria , Mannucci Edoardo , Monami Matteo , Pala Laura
Published: August 2019

Aim

To conduct a meta‐analysis to assess the effect of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and the combination of the two, on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes.

Materials and methods

The analysis included randomized clinical trials comparing CSII with multiple daily injections (MDI) in people with type 2 diabetes, as well as studies comparing CGM or flash glucose monitoring (FGM) with self‐monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), with a duration of at least 12 weeks, identified in Medline or clinicaltrials.gov. The principal endpoint was glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) at the end of the trial. Mean and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for HbA1c and Mantel–Haenzel odds ratios for severe hypoglycaemia were calculated, using random‐effect models.

Results

The retrieved trials showed a significant heterogeneity (I2 = 90%). The difference in HbA1c between CSII and MDI was not statistically significant (−0.26% [95% CI –0.74;0.22]; P = .29). The difference in endpoint HbA1c between CGM and SMBG was marginally significant (−0.24 [95% CI –0.49;0.00]; P = .05), and CGM was possibly associated with a lower hypoglycaemic risk. Only one trial explored the effect of FGM, as compared with SMBG, on HbA1c in type 2 diabetes, finding no difference across groups (at study end: 8.4% ± 0.8% vs 8.3% ± 1.1% with FGM and SMBG, respectively). Conversely, FGM was associated with an improvement in quality of life and with a lower incidence of hypoglycaemic events. The small number of retrieved trials indicates that the results should be interpreted with caution.

Conclusions

The analysis showed that CSII, CGM and FGM provide only small benefits compared with MDI (on either HbA1c, hypoglycaemic risk or quality of life) in insulin‐treated people with type 2 diabetes.
Cholesterol and neurodegeneration: longitudinal changes in serum cholesterol biomarkers are associated with new lesions and gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis over 5 years of follow‐up
Authors: Murali N. , Browne R. W. , Fellows Maxwell K. , Bodziak M. L. , Jakimovski D. , Hagemeier J. , Bergsland N. , Weinstock‐Guttman B. , Zivadinov R. , Ramanathan M.
Published: August 2019

Background and purpose

Cholesterol is an important structural component of myelin and essential for brain homeostasis. Our objective was to investigate whether longitudinal changes in cholesterol biomarkers are associated with neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

This prospective, longitudinal study (n = 154) included 41 healthy controls, 76 relapsing–remitting MS subjects and 37 progressive MS subjects. Neurological examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging and blood samples were obtained at baseline and at 5‐year follow‐up visits. Cholesterol biomarkers measured included plasma total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and the apolipoproteins ApoA‐I, Apo‐II, ApoB, ApoC‐II and ApoE. Key cholesterol pathway single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped.

Results

Greater percentage increases in HDL‐C and ApoA‐I levels were associated with a lower rate of gray matter and cortical volume loss. Greater percentage increases in low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with increases in new T2 lesions. The percentage increases in HDL‐C (P = 0.032) and ApoA‐I (P = 0.007) were smaller in patients with relapsing–remitting MS at baseline who converted to secondary progressive MS during the 5‐year follow‐up period. Changes in HDL‐C and ApoA‐I were associated with lipoprotein lipase rs328 genotype status.

Conclusions

Increases in HDL‐C and ApoA‐I have protective associations with magnetic resonance imaging measures of neurodegeneration in MS.
Conditional currency hedging
Authors: Bucher Melk C.
Published: August 2019

I propose a simple and robust approach to hedge currency risk that can be directly applied by international investors in diverse asset classes. Compared to current mean‐variance approaches, it is robust to overfitting and thus better anticipates risk‐minimizing currency positions for global equity, bond, and commodity investors out of sample. Furthermore, correlations among currencies, equities, and commodities can be predicted by lagged implied foreign exchange volatility. This allows investors to dynamically adjust their hedges, resulting in significantly lower risk compared to other hedging alternatives while maintaining or even improving Sharpe ratio, particularly during crisis periods.
Changing patterns of growth in a changing planet: How a shift in phenology affects critical life‐history traits in annual fishes
Authors: García Daniel , Smith Carl , Machín Emanuel , Loureiro Marcelo , Reichard Martin
Published: August 2019

Changes to the timing of key life‐cycle events can alter selection on life‐history traits and have the potential to drive a cascade of effects at the community level. We investigated how the growth rate and sexual maturation of two annual killifish species (Austrolebias bellottii and Austrolebias nigripinnis) were altered by a change in the pattern of precipitation. These are annual species, endemic to ephemeral pools, persist in desiccated sediment as partly developed embryos.

We sampled 18 pools supporting populations of both species in a Pampa region adjacent to the Rio Negro in western Uruguay throughout the austral winter of 2015. Fish growth and maturation were monitored from pool inundation to habitat desiccation, along with environmental variables.

The region experienced an unprecedented mid‐winter desiccation of pools that usually contain water from autumn to late spring, typically only desiccating in summer. Many desiccated pools were re‐inundated from later rains, generating a second cohort of killifish in some pools (53%) in response to atypical conditions.

The second cohort developed more rapidly than the first, with 40% earlier attainment of asymptotic body size. Rapid development of second‐cohort fish was associated with earlier maturation and greater investment in reproductive tissue.

The study demonstrated the capacity of annual fish to express developmental plasticity that buffered the negative consequences of an atypical seasonal climatic cycle. The capacity of these annual fishes to cope with alternations to their life cycle will depend on the ability of egg banks in the sediment to tolerate an increased unpredictability of precipitation.

Overall, we demonstrate how phenotypic plasticity can mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and associated altered phenology.
Frequency of school‐based intervention needed to improve weight outcomes of Mexican‐American adolescents with overweight or obesity: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Arlinghaus Katherine R. , O'Connor Daniel P. , Johnston Craig A.
Published: August 2019

Background

Efficacious school‐based interventions among ethnic minority youth are often intensive and difficult to disseminate.

Objective

This parallel, open‐label‐randomized controlled trial aimed to compare changes in adolescent‐standardized body mass index (zBMI) from a school‐based obesity intervention given 0, 1, 3, or 5 days a week.

Methods

Mexican‐American youth (n = 243) with overweight or obesity were recruited from a Houston school district and randomized to receive an obesity intervention with established efficacy 0 (control), 1, 3, or 5 d/wk (respectively, equating to 0, 40, 120, or 200 min of contact each week). In each condition, 80% of intervention time was allocated to physical activity and 20% to nutrition, with behavioural modification overlaid throughout. zBMI was calculated from directly measured height and weight. A linear mixed model evaluated differences in zBMI over time between conditions.

Results

Participants were 12.02 ± 0.57 years old with a zBMI of 1.80 ± 0.46 at baseline. Among those with complete data at 1 year (n = 203), a significant condition by time interaction was indicated (F = 9.42, P < .001). Those who received the intervention 3 or 5 d/wk had significantly greater decreases in zBMI than control (respectively, −0.19 zBMI units/y; 95% CI, −0.28 to −0.11; and −0.18 zBMI units/y; 95% CI, −0.27 to −0.10, both P < .001). No differences were found between 3 and 5 d/wk (95% CI, −0.09‐0.08, P = .87).

Conclusions

The intervention provided 3 d/wk resulted in similar zBMI improvements as the intervention provided 5 d/wk. This information can be used to develop scalable school‐based obesity interventions.
Does Hub‐and‐Spoke organization of healthcare system promote workers' satisfaction?
Authors: Albarello Flavia , Prati Francesca , Sangiorgi Luca , Tremosini Morena , Menegatti Michela , Depolo Marco , Rubini Monica
Published: August 2019

The healthcare services network is a recent organizational structure of healthcare services that are interdependent and organized as a network on the basis of the Hub‐and‐Spoke model. This questionnaire‐based study analyzed socio‐psychological well‐being of health workers both in terms of team‐related experience and individual satisfaction and engagement with one's work in a Hub‐and‐Spoke healthcare service in comparison to non‐network healthcare service. Workers from two different public healthcare services involved in the treatment of the same skeletal rare diseases participated in the Study. We expected that working under a Hub‐and‐Spoke healthcare service—involving teamwork and cooperation among different healthcare services within the units, as well as among workers belonging to different units—would lead to greater psychological team‐related and individual benefits. In line with predictions, the findings showed that under a Hub‐and‐Spoke healthcare service, health workers felt highly interdependent by their team fellows and developed shared cognitions (i.e., team mental models) about their integration and their tasks to a higher extent than non‐network ones. They were also individually more satisfied of their job and displayed higher work engagement than non‐network workers. Beneficial team‐related dynamics, such as perceived interdependence, were responsible for the differences between the Hub‐and‐Spoke workers and non‐network ones. The implications of the present findings were discussed in terms of promotion of health workers' satisfaction and well‐being.