bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Difficult Intubation with the Bonfils Rigid Fiberscope
Authors: Nowakowski Michal , Williams Stephan , Gallant Jason , Ruel Monique , Robitaille Arnaud
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

Endotracheal intubation is commonly performed via direct laryngoscopy (DL). However, in certain patients, DL may be difficult or impossible. The Bonfils Rigid Fiberscope® (BRF) is an alternative intubation device, the design of which raises the question of whether factors that predict difficult DL also predict difficult BRF. We undertook this study to determine which demographic, morphologic, and morphometric factors predict difficult intubation with the BRF.

METHODS:

Four hundred adult patients scheduled for elective surgery were recruited. Patients were excluded if awake intubation, rapid sequence induction, or induction without neuromuscular blocking agents was planned. Data were recorded, including age, sex, weight, height, American Society of Anesthesiologist classification, history of snoring and sleep apnea, Mallampati class, upper lip bite test score, interincisor, thyromental and sternothyroid distances, manubriomental distances in flexion and extension, neck circumference, maximal neck flexion and extension, neck skinfold thickness at the cricoid cartilage, and Cormack and Lehane grade obtained via DL after paralysis was confirmed. Quality of glottic visualization (good or poor), as well as the number of intubation attempts and time to successful intubation with the BRF, was noted. Univariate analyses were performed to evaluate the association between patient characteristics and time required for intubation. Variables that exhibited a significant correlation were included in a multivariate analysis using a standard least squares model. A P < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS:

Glottic visualization with the BRF was good in 396 of 400 (99%) cases. On the first attempt, 390 patients were successfully intubated with the BRF; 6 patients required >1 attempt; 4 patients could not be intubated by using the BRF alone. These 4 patients were intubated by using a combination of DL and BRF (2 patients), DL and a Frova bougie (1 patient), and DL and an endotracheal tube shaped with a semirigid stylet (1 patient). Mean time for successful intubation was 26 ± 13 seconds. Multivariate analysis showed that decreased mouth opening (P = 0.008), increased body mass index (P = 0.011), and higher Cormack and Lehane grade (P = 0.038) predicted longer intubation times, whereas shorter thyromental distance predicted slightly shorter intubation times (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Mouth opening, body mass index, and high Cormack and Lehane grade predict longer intubation times, as with DL. Decreasing thyromental distance predicts slightly shorter intubation times with the BRF, possibly because of a design initially optimized for a pediatric population with receding chins. These findings, along with the high success rate of BRF in this study, and the possibility of further increasing success rates by combining BRF with DL, help define the role of BRF intubation in contemporary airway management.
Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Randomized, Controlled, Observer-Blinded Trial
Authors: Ghisi Daniela , Fanelli Andrea , Vianello Federico , Gardini Marco , Mensi Giulio , La Colla Luca , Danelli Giorgio
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

In this randomized, controlled, observer-blinded study, we evaluated analgesia provided by transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block after elective total laparoscopic hysterectomy in terms of reduced postoperative morphine consumption as the primary end point.

METHODS:

Fifty-two patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: patients in group T (TAP, n = 26) received an ultrasound-guided bilateral TAP block with 40 mL of 0.375% levobupivacaine and morphine patient-controlled analgesia, whereas patients in group C (control, n = 26) received morphine patient-controlled analgesia. Secondary outcomes included pain measurements (Numeric Rating Scale from 0 to 10) during the first 24 hours postoperatively, times to postanesthesia care unit discharge, times to surgical ward discharge, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, functional capacity measurements in terms of 2-minute walking test, and first oral solid intake.

RESULTS:

Demographic and anthropometric variables were similar in the 2 groups. The total dose of morphine consumed by patients during postanesthesia care unit stay was 6 (0–8) mg in group T vs 8 (5.5–8.5) mg in group C (P = 0.154). Postoperative morphine consumption during the first 24 hours was 10.55 ± 10.24 mg in group C vs 10.73 ± 13.45 mg in group T (P = 0.950). The 95% confidence interval of the difference between means of 24-hour morphine consumption was −7.45 to +7.09. The 2 groups were comparable. There were no significant differences in secondary outcome variables between groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

TAP block did not reduce morphine consumption during the first postoperative 24 hours after elective total laparoscopic hysterectomy.
The Influence of Propofol and Sevoflurane on Acute Kidney Injury After Colorectal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Bang Ji-Yeon , Lee JungBok , Oh Jimi , Song Jun-Gol , Hwang Gyu-Sam
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a primary cause of morbidity and mortality after major abdominal surgery; however, little is known about the effect of anesthetics on the development of AKI after colorectal surgery. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of anesthesia with propofol and sevoflurane on postoperative AKI after colorectal surgery.

METHODS:

For this study, we reviewed the electronic medical records of 4320 patients who underwent colorectal surgeries between January 2008 and December 2011. The influence of propofol and sevoflurane on the development of postoperative AKI and short-term outcomes was assessed by multivariable analysis, and the effect of the anesthetic agent on overall mortality was analyzed by a Cox proportional hazard model with propensity score matching method.

RESULTS:

Overall, the incidence of AKI was 9.6% by Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria and 5.8% by risk, injury, failure, loss, and end-stage renal disease (RIFLE) criteria. The incidence of AKI incidence was greater in patients receiving sevoflurane than those receiving propofol (142 [11.2%] vs 272 [8.9%], P = 0.02 by AKIN criteria, 94 [7.4%] vs 157 [5.1%], P = 0.004 by RIFLE criteria). Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score matching results indicated that, when compared with propofol, sevoflurane anesthesia may be associated with the development of postoperative AKI (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; P = 0.03; and OR, 1.44; P = 0.02 by AKIN and RIFLE criteria, and OR, 1.41; P = 0.04 by RIFLE criteria, respectively). We found no relationship between sevoflurane and overall mortality.

CONCLUSIONS:

Compared with anesthesia with propofol, anesthesia with sevoflurane may be associated with a modest increase in the incidence of AKI when RIFLE but not AKIN criteria are used. Thus, the clinical meaning of these results is uncertain. Further work is needed to clarify the relevance of such an association.
A Multicenter Pilot Study Assessing Regional Cerebral Oxygen Desaturation Frequency During Cardiopulmonary Bypass and Responsiveness to an Intervention Algorithm
Authors: Subramanian Balachundhar , Nyman Charles , Fritock Maria , Klinger Rebecca Y. , Sniecinski Roman , Roman Philip , Huffmyer Julie , Parish Michelle , Yenokyan Gayane , Hogue Charles W.
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

The purpose of this multicenter pilot study was to: (1) determine the frequency of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSco
2) desaturations during cardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB); (2) evaluate the accuracy of clinician-identified rSco
2 desaturations compared with those recorded continuously during surgery by the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitor; and (3) assess the effectiveness of an intervention algorithm for reversing rSco
2 desaturations.

METHODS:

Two hundred thirty-five patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft and/or valvular surgery were enrolled at 8 US centers in this prospective observational study. NIRS (Invos™ 5100C; Covidien) was used to monitor rSco
2 during surgery. The frequency and magnitude of rSco
2 decrements >20% from preanesthesia baseline were documented, and the efficacy of a standard treatment algorithm for correcting rSco
2 was determined. The data from the NIRS monitor were downloaded at the conclusion of surgery and sent to the coordinating center where the number of clinician-identified rSco
2 desaturation events was compared with the number detected by the NIRS monitor.

RESULTS:

The average rSco
2 obtained at baseline (mean ± SD, 61% ± 11%; 99% confidence interval, 57%–65%) and during CPB (62% ± 14%; 57%–67%) was not different. However, rSco
2 after separation from CPB (56% ± 11%; 53%–60%) was lower than measurements at baseline and during CPB (P < 0.001). During CPB, rSco
2 desaturations occurred in 61% (99% confidence interval, 50%–75%) of patients. The area under the curve for product of magnitude and duration of the rSco
2 was (mean ± SD, 145.2; 384.8% × min). Clinicians identified all patients with an rSco
2 desaturation but identified only 340 (89.5%) of the 380 total desaturation events. Of the 340 clinician-identified rSco
2 desaturation events, 115 resolved with usual clinical care before implementation of the treatment algorithm. For the remaining 225 events, the treatment algorithm resulted in resolution of the rSco
2 desaturation in all but 18 patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

This multicenter pilot study found that 50% to 75% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery experience one or more rSco
2 desaturations during CPB. Nearly 10% of desaturation events were not identified by clinicians, suggesting that appropriate alarming systems should be adopted to alert clinicians of such events. The intervention algorithm was effective in reversing clinically identified rSco
2 desaturations in the majority of events.
Preoperative Cognitive Stratification of Older Elective Surgical Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Culley Deborah J. , Flaherty Devon , Reddy Srini , Fahey Margaret C. , Rudolph James , Huang Chuan Chin , Liu Xiaoxia , Xie Zhongcong , Bader Angela M. , Hyman Bradley T. , Blacker Deborah , Crosby Gregory
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

Preexisting cognitive impairment is emerging as a predictor of poor postoperative outcomes in seniors. We hypothesized that preoperative cognitive screening can be performed in a busy preadmission evaluation center and that cognitive impairment is prevalent in elective geriatric surgical patients.

METHODS:

We approached 311 patients aged 65 years and older presenting for preoperative evaluation before elective surgery in a prospective, observational, single-center study. Forty-eight patients were ineligible, and 63 declined. The remaining 200 were randomly assigned to the Mini-Cog (N=100) or Clock-in-the-Box [CIB;N= 100)] test. Study staff administered the test in a quiet room, and 2 investigators scored the tests independently. Probable cognitive impairment was defined as a Mini-Cog ≤ 2 or a CIB ≤ 5.

RESULTS:

The age of consenting patients was 73.7 ± 6.4 (mean ± SD) years. There were no significant differences between patients randomly assigned to the Mini-Cog and CIB test in age, weight, gender, education, ASA physical status, or Charlston Index. Overall, 23% of patients met criteria for probable cognitive impairment, and prevalence was virtually identical regardless of the test used; 22% screened with the Mini-Cog and 23% screened with the CIB scored as having probable cognitive impairment (P= 1.0 by χ2analysis). Both tests had good interrater reliability (Krippendroff α = 0.86 [0.72–0.93] for Mini-Cog and 11for CIB).

CONCLUSIONS:

Preoperative cognitive screening is feasible in most geriatric elective surgical patients and reveals a substantial prevalence of probable cognitive impairment in this population.
The Effect of Early Goal-Directed Therapy on Outcome in Adult Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Xu Jing-Yuan , Chen Qi-Hong , Liu Song-Qiao , Pan Chun , Xu Xiu-Ping , Han Ji-Bin , Xie Jian-Feng , Huang Ying-Zi , Guo Feng-Mei , Yang Yi , Qiu Hai-Bo
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

Whether early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) improves outcome in severe sepsis and septic shock remains unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of existing clinical trials to examine whether EGDT improved outcome in the resuscitation of adult sepsis patients compared with control care.

METHODS:

We searched for eligible studies using MEDLINE, Elsevier, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science databases. Studies were eligible if they compared the effects of EGDT versus control care on mortality in adult patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Two reviewers extracted data independently. Data including mortality, sample size of the patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, and resuscitation end points were extracted. Data were analyzed using methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager 4.2 software. Random errors were evaluated by trial sequential analysis (TSA).

RESULTS:

Nine studies compared EGDT with control care, and 5202 severe sepsis and septic shock patients were included. A nonsignificant trend toward reduction in the longest all-cause mortality was observed in the EGDT group compared with control care (relative risk, 0.89; 99% confidence interval, 0.74–1.07; P = 0.10). However, EGDT significantly reduced intensive care unit mortality in severe sepsis and septic shock patients (relative risk, 0.72; 99% confidence interval, 0.57–0.90; P = 0.0002). TSA indicated lack of firm evidence for a beneficial effect.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this meta-analysis, a nonsignificant trend toward reduction in the longest all-cause mortality in patients resuscitated with EGDT was noted. However, EGDT significantly reduced intensive care unit mortality in severe sepsis and septic shock patients. TSA indicated a lack of firm evidence for the results. More powered, randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the effects.
Anesthesia Practice and Perioperative Outcomes at Two Tertiary Care Hospitals in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Authors: Koka Rahul , Chima Adaora M. , Sampson John B. , Jackson Eric V. , Ogbuagu Onyebuchi O. , Rosen Michael A. , Koroma Michael , Tran Tina P. , Marx Megan K. , Lee Benjamin H.
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

Anesthesia in West Africa is associated with high mortality rates. Critical shortages of adequately trained personnel, unreliable electrical supply, and lack of basic monitoring equipment are a few of the unique challenges to surgical care in this region. This study aims to describe the anesthesia practice at 2 tertiary care hospitals in Sierra Leone.

METHODS:

We conducted an observational study of anesthesia care at Connaught Hospital and Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Twenty-five percent of the anesthesia workforce in Sierra Leone, resident at both hospitals, was observed from June 2012 to February 2013. Perioperative assessments, anesthetic techniques, and intraoperative clinical and environmental irregularities were noted and analyzed. The postoperative status of observed cases was ascertained for morbidity and mortality.

RESULTS:

Between the 2 hospitals, 754 anesthesia cases and 373 general anesthetics were observed. Ketamine was the predominant IV anesthetic used. Both hospitals experienced infrastructural and environmental constraints to the delivery of anesthesia care during the observation period. Vital sign monitoring was irregular and dependent on age and availability of monitors. Perioperative mortality during the course of the study was 11.9 deaths/1000 anesthetics.

CONCLUSIONS:

We identified gaps in the application of internationally recommended anesthesia practices at both hospitals, likely caused by lack of available resources. Mortality rates were similar to those in other resource-limited countries.
Dexamethasone Does Not Inhibit Sugammadex Reversal After Rocuronium-Induced Neuromuscular Block
Authors: Buonanno Pasquale , Laiola Anna , Palumbo Chiara , Spinelli Gianmario , Servillo Giuseppe , Di Minno Raffaele Maria , Cafiero Tullio , Di Iorio Carlo
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

Sugammadex is a relatively new molecule that reverses neuromuscular block induced by rocuronium. The particular structure of sugammadex traps the cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring of rocuronium in its hydrophobic cavity. Dexamethasone shares the same steroidal structure with rocuronium. Studies in vitro have demonstrated that dexamethasone interacts with sugammadex, reducing its efficacy. In this study, we investigated the clinical relevance of this interaction and its influence on neuromuscular reversal.

METHODS:

In this retrospective case-control study, we analyzed data from 45 patients divided into 3 groups: dexamethasone after induction group (15 patients) treated with 8 mg dexamethasone as an antiemetic drug shortly after induction of anesthesia; dexamethasone before reversal group (15 patients) treated with dexamethasone just before sugammadex injection; and control group (15 patients) treated with 8 mg ondansetron. All groups received 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium at induction, 0.15 mg/kg rocuronium at train-of-four ratio (TOF) 2 for neuromuscular relaxation, and 2 mg/kg sugammadex for reversal at the end of the procedure at TOF2. Neuromuscular relaxation was monitored with a TOF-Watch® system.

RESULTS:

The control group had a recovery time of 154 ± 54 seconds (mean ± SD), the dexamethasone after induction group 134 ± 55 seconds, and the dexamethasone before reversal group 131 ± 68 seconds. The differences among groups were not statistically significant (P = 0.5141).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results show that the use of dexamethasone as an antiemetic drug for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting does not interfere with reversal of neuromuscular blockade with sugammadex in patients undergoing elective surgery with general anesthesia in contrast to in vitro studies that support this hypothesis.
Amitriptyline, but Not Pregabalin, Reverses the Attenuation of Noxious Stimulus–Induced Analgesia After Nerve Injury in Rats
Authors: Matsuoka Hiroaki , Suto Takashi , Saito Shigeru , Obata Hideaki
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUND:

Noxious stimulus–induced analgesia (NSIA) is a type of conditioned pain modulation in rats that has been used to assess endogenous pain control systems. The descending noradrenergic system is involved in NSIA, and nerve injury induces plastic changes of descending noradrenergic neurons. Thus, we hypothesized that nerve injury would affect NSIA strength and that amitriptyline and pregabalin, which often are used for treating neuropathic pain, might further modulate NSIA through effects on the descending noradrenergic system.

METHODS:

We examined the change in NSIA over time after right L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in rats by measuring the contralateral hind paw withdrawal threshold after left forepaw capsaicin injection. In addition, we examined NSIA after 5 daily intraperitoneal injection of amitriptyline or pregabalin. Microdialysis studies were performed to measure noradrenaline levels after left forepaw capsaicin injection in the left spinal dorsal horn in noninjured rats, SNL rats, and SNL rats that had received 5 daily intraperitoneal injections of amitriptyline or pregabalin.

RESULTS:

NSIA was dramatically attenuated 5 and 6 weeks after SNL (P < 0.001). The noradrenaline level in the lumbar spinal cord was significantly increased in noninjured rats receiving forepaw injection of capsaicin compared with vehicle injection (P < 0.001), but not in rats 6 weeks after SNL surgery. Five daily intraperitoneal injections of amitriptyline (10 mg/kg/d) or pregabalin (10 mg/kg/d) at 5 weeks after SNL gradually increased the ipsilateral hindpaw withdrawal threshold (P < 0.001). At 6 weeks after SNL, amitriptyline, but not pregabalin, reversed the attenuation of NSIA by SNL (P < 0.001) and increased the spinal noradrenaline level after forepaw injection of capsaicin (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS:

These data suggest that endogenous analgesia in neuropathic pain states is strongly decreased from a certain time after nerve injury and that amitriptyline reverses the attenuation of endogenous analgesia through effects on the descending noradrenergic system.
“Too Numerous to Be Controlled”
Authors: Orr Andrew
Published: April 2016

The integration of women into the French Army as civilian employees during and after the Great War triggered a redefinition of military identity that opened new opportunities for women on a large scale and revealed the strength of antirepublicanism within the French Army. This article traces the process of women's integration into the army by examining how officers resisted giving women a military identity and then examining the surprising ways in which the demobilization process helped to consolidate women's places within the army. Officers ultimately accepted women as part of their institution to the extent that by the mid-1920s, after politicians threatened to give French soldiers the right to vote, senior generals looked to disenfranchised women to help them reduce the number of voters in the army. Officers welcomed women because, like soldiers, they could not vote and thus were seen as being less contaminated by the republican political system.
MicroRNA-204 modulates colorectal cancer cell sensitivity in response to 5-fluorouracil-based treatment by targeting high mobility group protein A2
Authors: Wu Haijun , Liang Yu , Shen Lin , Shen Liangfang
Published: April 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a conserved class of ∼22 nucleotide RNAs that playing important roles in various biological processes including chemoresistance. Recently, many studies have revealed that miR-204 is significantly attenuated in colorectal cancer (CRC), suggesting that this miRNA may have a function in CRC. However, whether miR-204 modulates chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) in colorectal cancer is still unclear. In our present study, we discuss this possibility and the potential mechanism exerting this effect. We identified high mobility group protein A2 (HMGA2) as a novel direct target of miR-204 and showed that miR-204 expression was decreased while HMGA2 expression was increased in CRC cell lines. Additionally, both MiR-204 overexpression and HMGA2 inhibition attenuated cell proliferation, whereas forced expression of HMGA2 partly restored the inhibitory effect of miR-204 on HCT116 and SW480 cells. Moreover, the miR-204/HMGA2 axis modulated the resistance of tumor cells to 5-Fu in HCT-116 and SW480 colon cancer cells via activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. These results demonstrate that the miR-204/HMGA2 axis could play a vital role in the 5-Fu resistance of colon cancer cells. Taken together, our present study elucidated that miR-204 upregulated 5-Fu chemosensitivity via the downregulation of HMGA2 in colorectal cancer and provided significant insight into the mechanism of 5-Fu resistance in colorectal cancer patients. More importantly, our present study suggested that miR-204 has potential as a therapeutic strategy for 5-Fu-resistant colorectal cancer.
Cytoplasmic long noncoding RNAs are frequently bound to and degraded at ribosomes in human cells
Authors: Carlevaro-Fita Joana , Rahim Anisa , Guigó Roderic , Vardy Leah A. , Johnson Rory
Published: April 2016

Recent footprinting studies have made the surprising observation that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) physically interact with ribosomes. However, these findings remain controversial, and the overall proportion of cytoplasmic lncRNAs involved is unknown. Here we make a global, absolute estimate of the cytoplasmic and ribosome-associated population of stringently filtered lncRNAs in a human cell line using polysome profiling coupled to spike-in normalized microarray analysis. Fifty-four percent of expressed lncRNAs are detected in the cytoplasm. The majority of these (70%) have >50% of their cytoplasmic copies associated with polysomal fractions. These interactions are lost upon disruption of ribosomes by puromycin. Polysomal lncRNAs are distinguished by a number of 5′ mRNA-like features, including capping and 5′UTR length. On the other hand, nonpolysomal “free cytoplasmic” lncRNAs have more conserved promoters and a wider range of expression across cell types. Exons of polysomal lncRNAs are depleted of endogenous retroviral insertions, suggesting a role for repetitive elements in lncRNA localization. Finally, we show that blocking of ribosomal elongation results in stabilization of many associated lncRNAs. Together these findings suggest that the ribosome is the default destination for the majority of cytoplasmic long noncoding RNAs and may play a role in their degradation.
CFIm25 regulates glutaminase alternative terminal exon definition to modulate miR-23 function
Authors: Masamha Chioniso P. , Xia Zheng , Peart Natoya , Collum Scott , Li Wei , Wagner Eric J. , Shyu Ann-Bin
Published: April 2016

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) and alternative splicing (AS) provide mRNAs with the means to avoid microRNA repression through selective shortening or differential usage of 3′UTRs. The two glutaminase (GLS) mRNA isoforms, termed KGA and GAC, contain distinct 3′UTRs with the KGA isoform subject to repression by miR-23. We show that depletion of the APA regulator CFIm25 causes a strong shift to the usage of a proximal poly(A) site within the KGA 3′UTR and also alters splicing to favor exclusion of the GAC 3′UTR. Surprisingly, we observe that while miR-23 is capable of down-regulating the shortened KGA 3′UTR, it has only minor impact on the full-length KGA 3′UTR, demonstrating that additional potent negative regulation of GLS expression exists beyond this single microRNA targeting site. Finally, we show that the apoptosis induced upon down-regulation of the GAC isoform can be alleviated through concurrent reduction in CFIm25 expression, revealing the sensitivity of glutaminase expression to the levels of RNA processing factors. These results exemplify the complex interplay between RNA processing and microRNA repression in controlling glutamine metabolism in cancer cells.
Δεκαετηρίς του Χριστιανικού Μουσείου 1884 - 1894
Authors: ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑ (ΧΑΕ)
Published: April 2016

no abstract
Δωρεαί εις το Χριστιανικόν Μουσείον κατά το έτος 1898
Authors: ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑ (ΧΑΕ)
Published: April 2016

no abstract
Do Earnings Estimates Add Value to Sell-Side Analysts’ Investment Recommendations?
Authors: Kecskés Ambrus , Michaely Roni , Womack Kent L.
Published: April 2016

Sell-side analysts change their stock recommendations when their valuations differ from the market’s. These valuation differences can arise from either differences in earnings estimates or the nonearnings components of valuation methodologies. We find that recommendation changes motivated by earnings estimate revisions have a greater initial price reaction than the same recommendation changes without earnings estimate revisions: about +1.3% (−2.8%) greater for upgrades (downgrades). Nevertheless, the postrecommendation drift is also greater, suggesting that investors underreact to earnings-based recommendation changes. Implemented as a trading strategy, earnings-based recommendation changes earn risk-adjusted returns of 3% per month, considerably more than non-earnings-based recommendation changes. Evidence from variation in firms’ information environment and analysts’ regulatory environment suggests that recommendation changes with earnings estimate revisions are less affected by analysts’ cognitive and incentive biases.

This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.
Ensembles of Overfit and Overconfident Forecasts
Authors: Grushka-Cockayne Yael , Jose Victor Richmond R. , Lichtendahl Kenneth C.
Published: April 2016

Firms today average forecasts collected from multiple experts and models. Because of cognitive biases, strategic incentives, or the structure of machine-learning algorithms, these forecasts are often overfit to sample data and are overconfident. Little is known about the challenges associated with aggregating such forecasts. We introduce a theoretical model to examine the combined effect of overfitting and overconfidence on the average forecast. Their combined effect is that the mean and median probability forecasts are poorly calibrated with hit rates of their prediction intervals too high and too low, respectively. Consequently, we prescribe the use of a trimmed average, or trimmed opinion pool, to achieve better calibration. We identify the random forest, a leading machine-learning algorithm that pools hundreds of overfit and overconfident regression trees, as an ideal environment for trimming probabilities. Using several known data sets, we demonstrate that trimmed ensembles can significantly improve the random forest’s predictive accuracy.

This paper was accepted by James Smith, decision analysis.
Reference-Dependent Preferences: Evidence from Marathon Runners
Authors: Allen Eric J. , Dechow Patricia M. , Pope Devin G. , Wu George
Published: April 2016

Theories of reference-dependent preferences propose that individuals evaluate outcomes as gains or losses relative to a neutral reference point. We test for reference dependence in a large data set of marathon finishing times (n = 9,789,093). Models of reference-dependent preferences such as prospect theory predict bunching of finishing times at reference points. We provide visual and statistical evidence that round numbers (e.g., a four-hour marathon) serve as reference points in this environment and as a result produce significant bunching of performance at these round numbers. Bunching is driven by planning and adjustments in effort provision near the finish line and cannot be explained by explicit rewards (e.g., qualifying for the Boston Marathon), peer effects, or institutional features (e.g., pacesetters).

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2417 .

This paper was accepted by John List, behavioral economics.
Venous leg ulcers: treating a chronic condition
Authors: Brown Annemarie
Published: April 2016

The majority of venous leg ulcers are in the older population, so it is likely that care home staff will experience this condition at some point. Annemarie Brown offers an overview of the most commonly used treatment strategy, compression therapy
Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity ofessential oils from cumin and ajowan
Authors: PATIL SAHADEO D. , MAKNIKAR PANKAJ P. , WANKHADE SUSHILKUMAR J. , UKESH CHANDRAKIRAN S. , RAI MAHENDRA K.
Published: April 2016

Abstract. Patil SD, Maknikar PP, Wankhade SJ, Ukesh CS, Rai MK. 2016. Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of essential oils from cumin and ajowan. Nusantara Bioscience 8: 60-65. Plant essential oils have gained importance as alternative remedies for treatment of many infectious diseases and food preservatives. In the present study, we have determined the chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) from two Indian spices Cuminum cyminum (cumin) and Trachyspermum ammi (ajowan) of family Apiaceae by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Moreover, the antimicrobial potential of these oils was evaluated against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. A Total of 20 major chemical components were analyzed by GC-MS studies and were found to be cuminaldehyde (36.67%) and caren-10-al (21.34%) in case of cumin essential oil while p-cymene (15.54%) and thymol (15.48%) were found to be present in ajowan essential oil. Both the EOs exhibited potent antibacterial effect against most of the tested pathogens. Furthermore, cumin and ajowan EOs demonstrated remarkable antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi with an inhibition zone diameter of 54 and 60 mm respectively with identical MIC value of 12.5 µl/ml. Ajowan EO was found to exhibit wide spectrum activity against both the Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms when compared with cumin. Both the essential oils were more potent than standard antibiotic chloramphenicol except cumin against Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes. Antioxidant activity of cumin was weaker (12.36%) and ajowan was stronger (71.68%) than standard ascorbic acid (20.24%) at 1000 µg/ml concentration when assessed by DPPH radical scavenging assay. Our study suggests that spice essential oils have significant potential in controlling the human and foodborne pathogens.
La actuación del Instituto Nacional de Colonización en el municipio de Hellín (Albacete)
Authors: Canales Martínez Gregorio , Jerez Cordero David
Published: April 2016

A mediados de la década de los cincuenta de la centuria actual, el Estado declara el Canal de Riegos de Hellín, en la provincia de Albacete, de alto interés nacional para la colonización agrícola. Para la puesta en riego se contó con una concesión de caudales del río Mundo de 1.000 l/s, así como del alumbramiento de aguas hipogeas. Con ello se pretendía paliar la crisis económica por la que atravesaba el municipio hellinero, derivada de la ruina de la tradicional industria textil ligada al aprovechamiento del esparto. A partir de entonces se inicia una importante transformación del espacio mediante la distribución de 1.755 ha a unos doscientos colonos, que se agrupan en tres poblados rurales de nueva construcción: Nava de Campana, Mingogil y Cañada de Agra. El desarrollo y los pormenores de esta labor colonizadora son abordados en esta monografía.
La tradición exportadora de las empresas hortofrutícolas de la provincia de Alicante
Authors: Gómez López José Daniel
Published: April 2016

La tradición exportadora de la provincia de Alicante en el sector hortofrutícola se remonta al siglo XIX, sin embargo será a partir de la segunda mitad de la presente centuria cuando comenzará a tejerse una verdadera red empresarial especializada en la comercialización de variedades hortícolas. En este sentido, las actividades comerciales, especialmente externas, pasaron a representar uno de los principales ejes sobre el cual tanto empresas asociativas como privadas se apoyarían para integrarse en el mercado hortofrutícola mundial. Se trata de empresas que por regla general tienen una alta capacidad de gestión y elevada operatividad, atributos indispensables para poder competir frente a las grandes transnacionales fruteras en el Mercado Único Europeo.
Small World ... And a Barren One
Authors: Gibert Maceda María Teresa
Published: April 2016

David Lodge ironically quotes from James Joyce as an epigraph to Small World, to illustrate the allusive character of his comic novel, in which the theory of intertextuality is practically demonstrated. Among the various sources deliberately used by Lodge, the writings of T. S. Eliot occupy a prominent position in Small World, and the poet's presence, only incidental in previous novels, is all-pervasive in this one. The Waste Land provides an excellent literary background for a piece of social criticism about the contemporary academic world, a portrait -or caricature- which emphasizes the futility of the barren life led by many present-day scholars. Once Arthur Kingfisher -a modern Fisher King- is healed, Lodge stops referring to The Waste Land and turns to Four Quartets instead, in order to depict the beginning of a renewed existence full of hope for everyone.
F.R. Leavis: a Bibliography of Critical Studies
Authors: Díaz Fernández José Ramón
Published: April 2016

It is the aim of this study to give a complete list of all the reviews, essays and books written by F. R. Leavis, one of the leading members of the editorial board of the periodical Scrutiny and perhaps the most controversial literary critic of this century. The bibliographical items have been arranged in a chronological order. A brief commentary on them has been included when it has seemed necessary to do so, above all in the light of the frequent textual changes Leavis undertook when he had to reprint some of his essays in book form. If the original sources are out of print or difficult to obtain, references to books where the items are reprinted are also made throughout this essay.
Notes on the Evolution of Point of View in Jean Rhys's Fiction: Wide Sargasso Sea
Authors: García Rayego Rosa María
Published: April 2016

This paper introduces Jean Rhys's fiction and surveys the circumstances of the edition and reception given to her work. Later, it concentrates on point of view in her novels as the most important technical device Rhys uses in order to achieve the atmosphere of «humiliation and victimization» that pervades her fiction. It goes on reviewing some aspects concerning point of view in her novels of the thirties and finally it focuses on Wide Sargasso Sea. Wide Sargasso Sea, the last of Rhys's novel, shows a more extended treatment of male/female relationships achieved through a better-controlled and much more distanced point of view.
Mark Twain's progression from A Connecticut Yankee to The Mysterious Stranger
Authors: González López Jesús Ángel
Published: April 2016

The Mysterious Stranger manuscripts have always been set apart from Twain's earlier fiction as a consequence of the writer's aggravated pessimism in his last years and his intention to keep them unpublished. But there is a strong resemblance between these manuscripts and a novel published a decade before: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The similarities between the main characters and their contradiction between meliorism and determinism, as well as the use of the iconoclastic power of satire against the same targets and a parallel manipulation of time and space, are all common features which help understand The Mysterious Stranger as a progression from ideas already latent in A Connecticut Yankee.
Predicative Complements in English and in Spanish
Authors: Martínez Vázquez Monserrat
Published: April 2016

This paper discusses the use of predicative complements in English and in Spanish. These complements are defined as phrases which identify a semantic quality of the subject or the direct object of the clause. Current predicatives are those expressing a quality previous to the action denoted by the verb, while resulting predicatives denote a quality derived from the verbal process. Broadly speaking, current predicatives appear both in English and in Spanish with similar syntactic features. On the other hand, resulting predicatives, and, in particular, those which are not obligatory complements, are common to English syntax but rare in Spanish.
The Translation of Black English and Black Northamerican Slang
Authors: Mateo Martínez-Bartolomé Marta
Published: April 2016

The syntactic, semantic and phonological peculiarities of Black English make it the most homogeneous and complex of all American dialects, and its cultural and social significance is so great that its translation becomes an extremely difficult task. The translator may opt for a translation which tries to be as close as possible to the form and to the content of the source text —but how will he then manage to acquaint the target reader, whose approach will be completely different from that of the source reader, with the overall message? Conversely, he may decide on a translation which aims to recreate on the new reader the effect the source text had on the source readers —and then run the risk of creating too free an adaptation. The following paper tackles the task of translating Black English into Spanish, exemplifying it with quotations from Chester Himes's If He Hollers Let Him Go, illustrative both of the peculiarities and significance of Black English and of its slang, which is deeply rooted in the world of this dialect and which adds to the great interest and difficulty of its translation.
The role of morphology in the process of language acquisition and learning
Authors: Domínguez Martínez Joaquín A.
Published: April 2016

Morphology is attracting more and more the interest of linguists. No complete theory of language can develop without a well established theory of word formation. There are many unsolved problems, however, which make any morphological theory a weak theory, badly needing evidence based solutions, some of them crucial to the theory; these are for example, productivity, meaning, constraints, and so on. We are also concerned with the acquisition/learning of the rules of word formation. In this respect we draw out conclusions from other authors' evidence and from our own.
Leafyspeafing. Lpf!
Authors: Carnero González José
Published: April 2016

If the "Anna Livia Plurabelle" chapter was said to be "the greatest prose ever written by a man," one would hold that the last ten pages of FW are the most beautiful of the work. This kind of coda right after Anna Livia's final letter to her "Dear majesty" is at the same time the calm and serene conclusion(/beginning) of a process in endless evolution, and the vigorous invitation to restart everything again. In FW IV three parts can be clearly distinguished and two voices of groups of voices which take us to "Howth Castle and Environs."
A voice of their own?: the role of women in contemporary Irish poetry
Authors: Praga Terente Inés
Published: April 2016

This paper is an attempt to describe and evaluate the distinctively female voice in contemporary Irish poetry, concentrating on the works of Eiléan Ni Chuilleanáin, Eavan Boland, Medbh McGuckian and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. Both the private and the public dimension of their poetic output are analysed, with special reference to their attentiveness to ordinary life, their self-conscious femaleness, their concern for the past and their involvement in social and political affairs.
Predetermination and nihilism in W. B. Yeats's theatre
Authors: Torres Ribelles Francisco Javier
Published: April 2016

This paper puts forward the hypothesis that Yeats's theatre is affected by a determinist component that governs it. This dependence is held to be the natural consequence of his desire to create a universal art, a wish that confines the writer to a limited number of themes, death and old age being the most important. The paper also argues that the determinism is positive in the early stage but that it clearly evolves towards a negative kind. In spite of the playwright's acknowledged interest in doctrines related to the occult, the necessity of a more critical analysis is also put forward. The paper goes on to suggest that underlying the negative determinism of Yeats's late period there is a nihilistic view of life, of life after death and even of the work of art. The paper concludes by arguing that the poet may have exaggerated his pose as a response to his admitted inability to change the modern world and as a means of overcoming his sense of impending annihilation.
Derek Mahon as translator
Authors: York Richard Anthony
Published: April 2016

Derek Mahon has devoted much of his productive life to translation, especially from the French. This paper studies his handling of French texts, distinguishing those which he has freely recreated from those which he has assimilated to his own style and those where he has made himself subservient to the character of the original author. Attention is drawn to his inventiveness, his wit, his moderation and rationality, his concern for effective and relevant communication with the reader, his rhythmic sense and his concern for emphasis and coherence. It is argued that the practice of translation affords Mahon the opportunity to write "at one remove" from direct feeling, and in so doing to combine breadth of feeling and of cultural reference with self-awareness and self-discipline.
A Systematic Critique of Translation
Authors: Álvarez Calleja María Antonia
Published: April 2016

For a systematic analysis of translations, the first is to establish valid and verifiable descriptions of how and to what degree a translation differs from its source-text —distinctions would have to be made between shifts on the various linguistic levels, such as the syntactic, semantic, stylistic and pragmatic— and the second, which is a logical consequence of the first, is to use this description as a basis for the formulation of hypotheses concerning the translator's interpretation of the original text and the strategy adopted during the process of translation.
EFL courses in the English philology syllabus: a proposal for basic modular design
Authors: Coletes Blanco Agustín
Published: April 2016

This paper attempts to give an answer to the following question: How can we determine the minimal levels of proficiency and the fundamental characteristics of EFL courses at university level? Some final reflections on the importance of this teaching module bring to a close the proposals put forward here.
Updike's Bech: a book, and the heaven of fiction
Authors: Manzanas Calvo Ana María
Published: April 2016

This paper examines Bech's trajectory as a fictional character and as an artificer of words. Bech, the word master, is "reduced" throughout the novel in the several oeuvres which try to capture his essence until finally he enters the "heaven of fiction," the ultimate reduction which fixes him as an immortal, immutable character. Bech, however, longs for the mortality of life outside the pantheon, for the unlimited possibilities of reality.
I, easy philosopher: who is Andrew Marvell's Upon Appleton House really about?
Authors: Phillips Bill
Published: April 2016

It is generally assumed that the poem is a tribute to General Fairfax and his house and family. While these are important to the poem, as well as weighty political and religious considerations of the time, I wish to argue that it is primarily about the poet himself. Biographical interpretations of Marvell's poetry have been discouraged by some critics but in the case of Upon Appleton House, with its unequivocal references to real people, including Andrew Marvell himself, a strong case can be made for such an interpretation.
Anne Brontë: the triumph of realism over subjectivity
Authors: Villacañas Palomo Beatriz
Published: April 2016

The name of the Brontës has been traditionally associated with romantic fiction. However, neither the themes nor the characters of the third Brontë are the products of a romantic imagination. She shared with her sisters the same self absorbed family world and dramatic circumstances, but, unlike them, she does not project autobiography to the realm of passion and symbolism. Instead, as is plain to be seen in her two novels, Anne Brontë masters her own subjectivity and shapes it with an objective presentation of people and maners which enables her to make a radical indictment of some unjust realities of her own time.
On the sources of interlanguage phonology: some evidence from Yoruba-English
Authors: Atoye Raphael O.
Published: April 2016

In recent research, it is claimed that deviant features of interlanguage grammars arise only from the users' knowledge of the rule system of the target language. This paper examines the relative contribution of the rule system of each of the target language, the native language and of universal tendencies to a deviant aspect of Yoruba-English phonology. It concludes that the native language is the major source of deviance in the aspect of Yoruba-English investigated.
A pragmatic approach to Katherine Mansfield's "The man without a temperament"
Authors: Alonso Rodríguez Pilar
Published: April 2016

Katherine Mansfield's "The Man without a Temperament" seems to encourage two opposite types of response among its readers, especially with regard to the role played by the male protagonist. Some readers reject the character with deep contempt, others admire his conduct. The co-existence of these contradictory opinions poses a reception problem. The aim of this paper is to investigate this problem from a pragmatic point of view. The analysis of the language selected and the situational constituents shows how the double response is intrinsically created by the producer's own decisions (conscious or unconscious), and how it may be interpreted as a natural consequence of the reading of the text.