bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An analysis of rhetorical devices in policy narratives on the European Institute of Innovation and Technology: Implications for European higher education
Authors: Salajan Florin D.
Published: August 2017

This article examines the evolution of the policy narrative created by the European Commission around the establishment of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in order to rethink and spearhead new processes of innovation in the European Union (EU) through a better coordination of output in academia, research and industry. A discourse analysis was conducted on several key European Commission documents, later formalized into EU regulations, which confer the EIT its legal basis for its operation. By employing a three-fold policy analysis framework, a series of rhetorical devices are extracted to examine the policy framing, dynamics and instruments that operate as motivators for the construction of a persuasive initiative to be set in action in the service of innovation for a more competitive Europe. Through this investigation, a larger agenda is exposed in the EIT’s policy framework, with wide implications and significant ramifications for the evolution of European higher education.
Significantly Higher Mortality Following Liver Transplantation Among Patients Aged 70 Years and Older
Authors: Sharma Mokshya , Ahmed Aijaz , Wong Robert J.
Published: August 2017

Introduction:

The age of liver transplantation recipients in the United States is steadily increasing. However, the impact of age on liver transplant outcomes has demonstrated contradictory results.

Research Questions:

We aim to evaluate the impact of age on survival following liver transplantation among US adults.

Design:

Using data from the United Network for Organ Sharing registry, we retrospectively evaluated all adults undergoing liver transplantation from 2002 to 2012 stratified by age (aged 70 years and older vs aged <70 years), presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatitis C virus status. Overall survival was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.

Results:

Compared to patients aged <70 years, those aged 70 years and older had significantly lower 5-year survival following transplantation among all groups analyzed (hepatocellular carcinoma: 59.9% vs 68.6%, P < .01; nonhepatocellular carcinoma: 61.2% vs 74.2%, P < .001; hepatitis C: 60.7% vs 69.0%, P < .01; nonhepatitis C: 62.6% vs 78.5%, P < .001). On multivariate regression, patients aged 70 years and older at time of transplantation was associated with significantly higher mortality compared to those aged <70 years (hazards ratio: 1.67; 95% confidence interval: 1.48-1.87; P < .001).

Conclusion:

The age at the time of liver transplantation has continued to increase in the United States. However, patients aged 70 years and older had significantly higher mortality following liver transplantation. These observations are especially important given the aging cohort of patients with chronic liver disease in the United States.
“Once again, a meth lab exploded and somebody died”: Narratives of volatility and risk in the rural drug war
Authors: Revier Kevin
Published: August 2017

Methamphetamine (“meth”) has received a massive amount of media attention in the United States over the last decade. In reporting, journalists, politicians, and police commonly link meth to widespread risk, violence, criminality, and rural decay. Although the rise in meth use, addiction, and crime has been largely overstated, such imagery legitimizes an expansion of surveillance and policing to rural landscapes. In this research, I examine the way meth and meth makers are represented in case coverage of a meth lab fire sited in upstate New York. I find that reporters narrate a more general meth lab “social problem formula story” with caricature villains (meth makers), victims (community members), and heroes (law enforcement and legislators). Significantly, this model of storytelling conveys a distorted and exaggerated understanding of meth as a social problem, turning the atypical meth lab case into the “typical,” while legitimizing law and order solutions. In contributing to the contemporary “methamphetamine imaginary,” this formula story forgoes a structural analysis that considers the prevailing global drug war, rural poverty, or broader capital inequality.
A hybrid analytical–numerical method for computing coupled temperature and moisture content fields in porous soils
Authors: Gasparin Suelen , Chhay Marx , Berger Julien , Mendes Nathan
Published: August 2017

This work is devoted to proposing a hybrid numerical–analytical method to address the problem of heat and moisture transfer in porous soils. Several numerical and analytical models have been used to study heat and moisture transfer. The complexity of the coupled transfer in soils is such that analytical solutions exist only for limited problems, while numerical solutions can deal with more realistic ones but at a higher computational cost. Therefore, we propose to implement analytical solutions where variations of temperature and moisture content are known to be almost nonvarying, while the numerical solution is implemented in the remaining region, near the boundaries. The coupling between solutions is performed assuming the continuity of both fields and fluxes at each interface. This strategy allows assuring the physical phenomenon occurring at the interface. Numerical experiments are performed, showing the accuracy, the efficiency, and the great potential of the method regarding applications in nonlinear soil problems.
Approaches to the field recognition of potential thrombectomy candidates
Authors: van Gaal Stephen C , Kamal Noreen , Betzner Michael J , Vilneff Renee L , Mann Balraj , Lang Eddy S , Demchuk Andrew , Buck Brian , Jeerakathil Thomas , Hill Michael D
Published: August 2017

Systems of care for acute ischemic stroke are being challenged to implement processes that ensure rapid access to endovascular thrombectomy. Optimizing existing regionalized stroke thrombolysis programs for endovascular thrombectomy will require accurate field recognition of treatment candidates. We begin with a review of the development of early clinical tests for ischemic stroke, illustrating challenges relevant to future field tests for large vessel occlusion. Second, we discuss aspects of diagnosis, eligibility, feasibility, and system organization that are potentially relevant to the development and implementation of field tests and diversion criteria. These considerations may influence the choice and parametrization of field tests in individual jurisdictions. Third, we review the literature evaluating eight clinical tests for the field identification of probable large vessel occlusion. All candidate tests include evaluations for focal weakness, and six evaluate for cortical signs such as aphasia or gaze deviation. Most appear roughly comparable to the NIH Stroke Scale, but direct comparison between studies is inappropriate because of major methodological differences. Finally, we discuss our jurisdiction’s approach to the field recognition of thrombectomy candidates. We contextualize diagnostic, eligibility, and system considerations within distinct metro and rural environments and propose a screen-and-consult model for the rural setting.
The influence of vitamin D on M1 and M2 macrophages in patients with Crohn's disease
Authors: Dionne Serge , Duchatelier Carl-Frederic , Seidman Ernest G
Published: August 2017

Defective bacterial clearance by macrophages plays an important role in Crohn’s disease (CD). Phenotypes and functions of inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 have not been studied in CD. Vitamin D supplementation reduces the severity of CD by unclear mechanisms. We studied macrophage characteristics in CD and controls and the effects of 1,25 vitamin D (1,25D). PBMC were isolated from CD patients and controls. M1 and M2 were generated by culturing of monocytes with GM-CSF and M-CSF, respectively. CD M1 and M2 showed normal phagocytosis and chemotaxis to CCL2 and fMLP. LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-12p40 and IL-10 was comparable between groups. Phagocytosis was unaltered with 1,25D; migration only increased marginally. M1 produced more IL-12p40 and TNF-α; IL-10 was greater in M2. 1,25D markedly decreased IL-12p40 by M1 and M2. 1,25D decreased TNF-α in CD M1; IL-10 levels were unaffected. M2 express F13A1, PTGS2, CD163, CXCL10, CD14 and MMP2, whereas TGF-β, CCL1 and CYP27B1 expression was higher in M1. Marker expression was similar between CD and controls. M1 and M2 markers were not differentially modulated by 1,25D. CD macrophages are not functionally or phenotypically different vs. controls. 1,25D markedly decreased pro-inflammatory M1 cytokines but did not modulate polarization to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype.
Studying the Cognitive Map of the U.S. States
Authors: Koch Alex , Kervyn Nicolas , Kervyn Matthieu , Imhoff Roland
Published: August 2017

What are the spontaneous stereotypes that U.S. citizens hold about the U.S. states? We complemented insights from theory-driven approaches to this question with insights from a novel data-driven approach. Based on pile sorting and spatial arrangement similarity ratings for the states, we computed two cognitive maps of the states. Based on ratings for the states on ∼20 candidate dimensions, we interpreted the dimensions that spanned the two maps (Studies 1 and 2). Consistent with the agency/socioeconomic success, conservative-progressive beliefs, and communion (ABC) model of spontaneous stereotypes, these dimensions that participants spontaneously used to rate the states’ similarity included prosperity (A) and ideology (B) stereotypes (states seen as more liberal and atheist were seen as more educated and wealthy). Study 3 showed that states seen as more average on A and B were stereotyped as more likable. Additionally, Study 3 showed that interstate similarity in stereotypic ideology and prosperity mattered, as it predicted interstate prejudice.
The Arts as a Catalyst for Human Prosociality and Cooperation
Authors: Van de Vyver Julie , Abrams Dominic
Published: August 2017

We tested the hypothesis that engagement in the arts may act as a catalyst that promotes prosocial cooperation. Using “Understanding Society” data (a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 30,476 people in the UK), we find that beyond major personality traits, demographic variables, wealth, education, and engagement in other social activity (sports), people’s greater engagement with the arts predicts greater prosociality (volunteering and charitable giving) over a period of 2 years. The predictive effect of prosociality on subsequent arts engagement is significantly weaker. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that the arts provide an important vehicle for facilitating a cohesive and sustainable society. Fostering a society in which engagement in the arts is encouraged and accessible to all may provide an important counter to economic, cultural, and political fracture and division.
The response of quadrangular plates to blast load resulting from the detonation of encased buried charges
Authors: Yuen S Chung Kim , Warncke DM
Published: August 2017

In real-life situation, especially in the numerous regions where conflicts exist, improvised explosive devices can be made of varying explosives encased in different containers detonated under varying conditions. This article reports on a series of experiments that was carried out to investigate the response of quadrangular plates to buried encased charges with a view to simulate the detonation of landmines buried in sand and compared with different loading conditions. Four loading scenarios, namely, bare and encased charges detonated in air and bare and encased charges buried under sand, were investigated. The results were evaluated and compared to the data obtained from bare charges detonated in air in terms of plate deformation and impulse imparted onto the target plate. A vertical ballistic pendulum was used to measure the impulse imparted onto the target plates by the different charges. The results showed that the presence of the steel casing in buried charge tests caused more damage to the test plate. An increase in the midpoint deflection of the test plate was observed despite a slightly reduced impulse imparted onto the plate. Larger impulse was imparted onto the target plate by buried bare charges compared to bare charges detonated in air. Midpoint deflection and impulse decreased with an increasing stand-off distance for all the different loading scenarios.
Development and characterisation of a low-concentration sodium dodecyl sulphate decellularised porcine dermis
Authors: Helliwell Jack A , Thomas Daniel S , Papathanasiou Vaia , Homer-Vanniasinkam Shervanthi , Desai Amisha , Jennings Louise M , Rooney Paul , Kearney John N , Ingham Eileen
Published: August 2017

The aim of this study was to adapt a proprietary decellularisation process for human dermis for use with porcine skin. Porcine skin was subject to: sodium chloride (1 M) to detach the epidermis, trypsin paste to remove hair follicles, peracetic acid (0.1% v/v) disinfection, washed in hypotonic buffer and 0.1% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulphate in the presence of proteinase inhibitors followed by nuclease treatment. Cellular porcine skin, decellularised porcine and human dermis were compared using histology, immunohistochemistry, GSL-1 lectin (alpha-gal epitope) staining, biochemical assays, uniaxial tensile and in vitro cytotoxicity tests. There was no microscopic evidence of cells in decellularised porcine dermis. DNA content was reduced by 98.2% compared to cellular porcine skin. There were no significant differences in the biomechanical parameters studied or evidence of cytotoxicity. The decellularised porcine dermis retained residual alpha-gal epitope. Basement membrane collagen IV immunostaining was lost following decellularisation; however, laminin staining was retained.
Multispecialty pulmonary hypertension clinic in the VA
Authors: Jankowich Matthew , Hebel Ryan , Jantz Jennifer , Abbasi Siddique , Choudhary Gaurav
Published: August 2017

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is often associated with cardiopulmonary co‐morbidities, especially in older adults. A multispecialty approach to suspected PH is recommended, but there are few data on adherence to guidelines or outcomes in such patients. This was a single‐center retrospective study of consecutively evaluated Veteran patients with suspected PH evaluated in a multispecialty PH clinic at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center, evaluating clinical characteristics, workup outcomes, and prognosis. The referral population (n = 125) was older (mean ± SD age = 73.6 ± 9.8 years) with frequent co‐morbidities (e.g. COPD 60%) and obesity (mean ± SD BMI = 32.8 ± 8.1 kg/m2). Of 94 patients undergoing right heart catheterization (RHC), 73 (78%) had confirmed PH (mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥ 25 mmHg). PH was associated with higher BMIs (odds ratio [95% CI] for PH per 1 unit increase = 1.10 [1.02–1.19]) and brachial pulse pressures (odds ratio per 1 mmHg increase = 1.07 [1.02–1.13]). Seventy out of 73 were classifiable by WHO PH groupings. Most patients underwent guideline‐recommended PH evaluation. Observed one‐year mortality was high (17.8%); the one‐year hospitalization rate was 34.2%. These results compare favorably to observations from the VA Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking cohort of Veterans with PH by RHC (19.1% and 60.9% one‐year mortality and hospitalization rates, respectively). Multispecialty PH clinic evaluation revealed a high prevalence of co‐morbidities in veterans with suspected PH; PH was prevalent in this referral population. PH patients had significant morbidity and mortality but supportive care measures improved following PH evaluation. Further prospective randomized study is needed to determine if a multispecialty clinic approach improves PH morbidity and mortality in veterans.
Assessment of medication adherence and the costs associated with a calendar blister pack intervention among hypertensive patients in Malaysia: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Tan Bee Ying , Shafie Asrul Akmal , Hassali Mohamed Azmi Ahmad , Saleem Fahad
Published: August 2017

Objectives:

To assess the efficacy and costs of a calendar blister packaging intervention used to improve medication adherence.

Method:

A parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted with 73 hypertensive patients (intervention group = 35, control group = 38) at Hospital Kulim, Malaysia, for 7 months.

Results:

The intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in medication possession ratio (p < 0.05) and percentage of on-time refills (p < 0.01) compared to control group. In addition, there was significantly lower blood pressure (p < 0.05) in intervention group. From the provider perspective, the average annual treatment cost per patient in the intervention group was MYR 2178.66 (~USD 526.95) (95% confidence interval = 1786.39–2570.94) compared to MYR 2693.09 (~USD 651.37) (95% confidence interval = 1903.23–3482.95) in the control group.

Conclusion:

This study provides evidence that calendar blister packaging has a positive impact on medication adherence, blood pressure and also has the potential for considerable cost savings.
Three-dimensional optical frequency domain imaging of a true bifurcation lesion after stent implantation using the jailed semi-inflated balloon technique
Authors: Numasawa Yohei , Hase Hiromu , Yamazaki Hiroyuki , Tabei Ryota , Kuno Toshiki , Kodaira Masaki , Saito Tetsuya
Published: August 2017

Objective:

Percutaneous coronary intervention for coronary bifurcation lesion is very challenging, especially for true bifurcation lesions. Although the jailed semi-inflated balloon technique is one of the established methods for treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions, little is known regarding the configuration of the side branch orifice after stent implantation using this technique.

Methods:

We report a 73-year-old male patient with angina pectoris who was successfully treated with percutaneous coronary stent implantation for a true bifurcation lesion of the right coronary artery with an obtuse angle using the jailed semi-inflated balloon technique.

Results:

Three-dimensional optical frequency domain imaging clearly showed that there were no signs of plaque or carina shift into the side branch after stent implantation using this technique.

Conclusions:

This case report highlights that the jailed semi-inflated balloon technique is a safe and useful treatment for coronary true bifurcation lesions with an obtuse angle.
Health psychology: It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it
Authors: Hilton Charlotte Emma , Johnston Lynne Halley
Published: August 2017

Despite the growth in theoretical understandings of health behaviour and standardised approaches to health interventions (e.g. behaviour change taxonomies), health psychology has paid comparatively less attention to the importance of the implementation processes – ‘how to’ rather than ‘what to’ of such interventions. The clinical and interpersonal skills that often reflect these implementation processes are poorly defined within the health psychology literature. The level of proficiency in such skills expected of Health and Care Professions Council registered practitioner health psychologists is unclear and poorly documented within the UK training requirements. This article explores the potential impact of this and offers some pragmatic solutions.
Testicular microlithiasis is associated with ethnicity and socioeconomic status
Authors: Pedersen Malene R , Bartlett Emily C , Rafaelsen Søren R , Osther Palle J , Vedsted Peter , Sellars Maria E , Sidhu Paul S , Møller Henrik
Published: August 2017

Background

There are limited studies about testicular microlithiasis (TML) and background information such as health, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status.

Purpose

To assess the prevalence of TML in relation to socioeconomic status and ethnicity.

Material and Methods

From a database of scrotal ultrasound examinations in a single institution, all men who underwent routine ultrasound examinations for a variety of symptoms from 1998 to 2015 were included. Skilled observers performed all examinations, and presence of any form of intra-testicular calcification, including TML, was recorded on the examination report and a representative image obtained and stored. A total of 1105 cases with TML were reviewed and random sample of 1105 controls from the same database was also reviewed. Demographics were recorded including ethnicity (white, black, and others) and socioeconomic groups (IMD Quintile).

Results

Black men had increased prevalence of TML (odds ratio [OR] = 2.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.72–2.75) compared with white men. Among the 1105 TML cases, 423 (38.3%) were white, 273 (24.7%) black, 152 (13.8%) had other ethnicities, and 257 (23.2%) had no ethnicity recorded. In the control group of 1105 men without TML, 560 (50.7%) were white, 171 (15.5%) black, 111 (10.0%) had other specified ethnicities, and 263 (23.8%) had no ethnicity recorded. Men from the most deprived socioeconomic groups had higher prevalence of TML than men in the most affluent groups, with a trend in OR from the least deprived to the most deprived group.

Conclusion

Pathogenesis and clinical relevance of TML is unknown but our results point towards possible ethnic and socioeconomic variation in the underlying causes of TML.
Withdrawal of Land Plots for Public Needs in Russia: Problems and Ways of Search of Balance of Private and Public Interests
Authors: Anisimov Aleksey Pavlovich , Ryzhenkov Anatoliy Jakovlevich
Published: August 2017

Within the framework of analysis of the current Russian legislature, scientific doctrine, and judicial practice regarding the withdrawal of land plots from owners by redemption, the authors prove that, in addition to public needs (state and municipal), there are public–private needs aimed at the pursuit of interests for certain members of society. Delegation of participation in the withdrawal of private land plots for public–private needs by the authorities and reassignment to certain commercial legal entities partially owned by the state often leads to social tensions because the society perceives many such cases of withdrawal of land plots from civil owners as injustice. At the same time, considering the U.S. experience, the authors state the interstate nature of this problem. This situation requires not only the development of legislation or changes in judicial practice but also a change in the conceptual approach regarding the withdrawal of land plots for public and public–private needs, and an enhancement of the axiological (value-conscious) approach, which should be considered by all branches of government.
Depression and Behavioral Problems Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Employees of the Textile Industry in India
Authors: Gnanaselvam Nancy Angeline , Joseph Bobby
Published: August 2017

Stress and depression are common in textile industry employees due to inadequate working conditions and challenging socioeconomic conditions. The objective of the study was to assess depression and mental health among adolescent and young females currently employed in a textile factory located in Tamil Nadu compared with past employees and women who have never been employed. This cross-sectional study included a total of 107 participants in each study group who were interviewed. The Patient Health Questionnaire–9 and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were administered to screen participants for depression and mental health. More current employees (16.82%) and past employees (15.88%) suffered from depression severe enough to require treatment compared with never employed girls and young women (2.8%). Of the study participants, 59.8% of current employees, 63.6% of past employees, and 32.7% of never employed women had mental health or behavior problems. In the regression model, history of abuse was significantly associated with depression. Participants who were current employees and reported family debt and a history of abuse were significantly more likely to have mental health or behavior problems. Mental health issues such as depression and behavior problems were more likely among adolescent girls currently employed in textile industries. Further studies into the causes of this phenomenon are needed.
Exploring the Synergic Effects of Nursing Home Work on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Nursing Assistants
Authors: Ching Shirley S. Y. , Szeto Grace , Lai Godfrey Kin Bun , Lai Xiao Bin , Chan Ying Tung , Cheung Kin
Published: August 2017

Little is known about how nursing assistants (NAs) perceive the nature of their work and how their work contributes to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This qualitative study addressed these gaps. Twenty-four NAs with WMSDs working in four nursing homes participated in semistructured focus group interviews. Their WMSDs were not limited to the lower back but involved several body parts. The risk factors for WMSDs included physical, psychosocial, organizational, and personal factors as well as coworkers and clients. However, it is the synergistic effects of long work hours without sufficient rest, work even with musculoskeletal pain because of staff shortages, ineffective management with insufficient prework training and inadequate equipment maintenance, and an aging workforce with strong commitment to resident care that play a crucial role in WMSDs among NAs working in nursing homes. The study found that multidimensional intervention strategies using engineering, administrative, and personal controls should be developed to reduce WMSDs among NAs working in nursing homes.
Residential environment and subjective well-being in Beijing: A fine-grained spatial scale analysis using a bivariate response binomial multilevel model
Authors: Dang Yunxiao , Dong Guanpeng , Chen Yu , Jones Kelvyn , Zhang Wenzhong
Published: August 2017

Existing literature has examined the determinants of subjective well-being in China from the social, economic and psychological perspectives. Very few studies explore the impacts of residential environment on subjective well-being. Drawing on a large scale questionnaire survey in Beijing, this paper investigates the role of residential environment by decomposing the variations of subjective well-being at fine-grained spatial scales, i.e. district and neighbourhood levels. A bivariate response binomial multilevel model is employed to assess the relative importance of geographical contexts and individual characteristics, in particular, the household registration (hukou) status, in influencing subjective well-being. The results show significant heterogeneities in subjective well-being among districts and neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood types are significantly correlated with subjective well-being, with residents in commercial housing neighbourhoods reporting higher levels of subjective well-being than those in work-unit and affordable housing neighbourhoods. However, the impacts of neighbourhood types are not uniformly experienced by people with different hukou status. Migrants tend to express lower levels of subjective well-being than local residents. Such disparities are more pronounced in urban villages compared with other neighbourhoods.
Successful Treatment of Bilateral Diffuse Uveal Melanocytic Proliferation With Plasmapheresis
Authors: Katz Matthew S. J. , Leder Henry Alexander , Choudhury Tahsin
Published: August 2017

Introduction:

Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP) is a rare paraneoplastic disorder that bears grave ocular prognosis. No consensus exists regarding treatment regimen and very little has been achieved in the way of successful treatment. We present here a case of BDUMP associated with metastatic non–small cell lung carcinoma treated successfully with plasmapheresis.

Methods:

This is a nonmasked, retrospective interventional case study conducted at a tertiary care center, characterizing bilateral disease in 1 patient, and describing response to plasmapheresis. Outcome measures were resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings, as well as visual response.

Results:

Resolution of bilateral exudative retinal detachments was documented with both ophthalmoscopic photography and OCT and accompanied by concurrent improvement in visual function.

Conclusion:

Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation has been treated with plasmapheresis in only 3 previously reported cases. This case demonstrates and reinforces the great promise in the treatment of this rare and devastating condition.
Antibacterial food packaging sheets prepared by coating chitosan on corona-treated extruded poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) blends
Authors: Hongsriphan Nattakarn , Sanga Supachai
Published: August 2017

This research developed antibacterial food packaging sheets from biodegradable poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) 90/10 wt% blend. The corona discharge energy via input current (in A) was set at three levels (4, 5, and 6 A) to investigate its influence on the coating content. Physical and chemical characteristics of treated surfaces were studied using scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurement. A simple dip coating was carried out by immersing the sheets in chitosan solutions with four different concentrations (0.25, 0.50, 1.00, and 2.00% w/v). Chitosan content, antibacterial activity, and water vapour transmission rate were evaluated. Tensile tests were performed and results were statistically analyzed. We found that the sheets treated at 4 A corona discharge energy obtained the highest chitosan content while the sheets maintained elongation at break values similar to the untreated sheets. Chitosan coating had some water vapour permeation barrier and also mechanically reinforced the corona-treated sheets. Antibacterial activity tests against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli showed that chitosan coating inhibited the growth of both microorganisms as a function of chitosan coating content.
Teaching a Series of Mind-Body Techniques to Address the Risk of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Sonography Students: A Pilot Study
Authors: Butwin Angela N. , Evans Kevin D. , Klatt Maryanna , Sommerich Carolyn M.
Published: August 2017

Sonographers have been the focus of documenting work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The literature has focused on self-reported survey data, which point to more than 80% of sonographers performing their jobs in pain. However, few intervention studies have been designed to address these risks. A pre-post pre-experimental design was employed, and longitudinal data were collected from a cohort of first-year sonography students (n = 12). Three groups of participants (n = 4 each) were exposed to a combination of ergonomics education and mind-body techniques. Analysis of survey data did not demonstrate statistically significant changes across any of the groups. However, participants who specifically practiced mindful sonography yoga and cueing indicated an improvement in mental health, stress level, and right upper extremity pain. Posture was improved with biofeedback training, while participants who used both biofeedback training and mindful sonography yoga and cueing demonstrated even greater improvement in posture.
Increasing Academic Rigor Through Comprehensive, Ongoing Professional Development in Rural Special Education: A Description of the SPLASH Program
Authors: Courtade Ginevra R. , Shipman Stacy D. , Williams Rachel
Published: August 2017

SPLASH is a 3-year professional development program designed to work with classroom teachers of students with moderate and severe disabilities. The program targets new teachers and employs methods aimed at supporting rural classrooms. The training content focuses on evidence-based practices in English language arts, mathematics, and science, as well as support for overall classroom practices that allow for academic rigor. Each teacher is paired with a coach for the duration of the 3-year participation and, in addition, receives observation support from university personnel with bug-in-the-ear intervention and ongoing support through virtual professional learning communities. Coaches also receive training and ongoing support throughout the program. This article describes the design, application, and outcomes of the SPLASH program. Implications and considerations for future directions are discussed.
How I treat pediatric venous thromboembolism
Authors: Young Guy
Published: August 2017

The incidence of pediatric venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been increasing significantly over the past decade in part as a result of increased recognition of this serious disorder but more so because of the increased use of central venous catheters and other technological advancements involved in the care of ill children. Management of pediatric VTE is a complex undertaking, considering that the vast majority of children who develop this complication have serious underlying medical disorders. Although the incidence is rising, in comparison with adults, this remains a relatively rare disorder, and as such, large-scale clinical trials have not been completed, rendering management decisions to be based on extrapolation from adult data and the experience of the treating physician. Clearly, both are fraught with problems. Thus, day-to-day management remains more art than science until such time that the results from clinical trials (many of which are under way) become available. This edition of “How I Treat” describes the author’s experience in managing 3 common scenarios that one may encounter in pediatric thrombosis and suggests a logical approach to such situations. Furthermore, the author provides 3 algorithms to help guide management decisions.
Randomized phase 2 study of low-dose decitabine vs low-dose azacitidine in lower-risk MDS and MDS/MPN
Authors: Jabbour Elias , Short Nicholas J. , Montalban-Bravo Guillermo , Huang Xuelin , Bueso-Ramos Carlos , Qiao Wei , Yang Hui , Zhao Chong , Kadia Tapan , Borthakur Gautam , Pemmaraju Naveen , Sasaki Koji , Estrov Zeev , Cortes Jorge , Ravandi Farhad , Alvarado Yesid , Komrokji Rami , Sekeres Mikkael A. , Steensma David P. , DeZern Amy , Roboz Gail , Kantarjian Hagop , Garcia-Manero Guillermo
Published: August 2017

Key Points

Low-dose hypomethylating agents are safe and effective in patients with lower-risk MDS and MDS/MPN. Decitabine was associated higher response rates compared with azacitidine, especially in patients with higher-risk features.
Data-driven multitask sparse dictionary learning for noise attenuation of 3D seismic data
Authors: Nazari Siahsar Mohammad Amir , Gholtashi Saman , Kahoo Amin Roshandel , Chen Wei , Chen Yangkang
Published: August 2017

Representation of a signal in a sparse way is a useful and popular methodology in signal-processing applications. Among several widely used sparse transforms, dictionary learning (DL) algorithms achieve most attention due to their ability in making data-driven nonanalytical (nonfixed) atoms. Various DL methods are well-established in seismic data processing due to the inherent low-rank property of this kind of data. We have introduced a novel data-driven 3D DL algorithm that is extended from the 2D nonnegative DL scheme via the multitasking strategy for random noise attenuation of seismic data. In addition to providing parts-based learning, we exploit nonnegativity constraint to induce sparsity on the data transformation and reduce the space of the solution and, consequently, the computational cost. In 3D data, we consider each slice as a task. Whereas 3D seismic data exhibit high correlation between slices, a multitask learning approach is used to enhance the performance of the method by sharing a common sparse coefficient matrix for the whole related tasks of the data. Basically, in the learning process, each task can help other tasks to learn better and thus a sparser representation is obtained. Furthermore, different from other DL methods that use a limited random number of patches to learn a dictionary, the proposed algorithm can take the whole data information into account with a reasonable time cost and thus can obtain an efficient and effective denoising performance. We have applied the method on synthetic and real 3D data, which demonstrated superior performance in random noise attenuation when compared with state-of-the-art denoising methods such as MSSA, BM4D, and FXY predictive filtering, especially in amplitude and continuity preservation in low signal-to-noise ratio cases and fault zones.
Pretransplant Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Higher Relapse Rates in Patients Allografted for Myeloid Malignancies
Authors: Radujkovic Aleksandar , Kordelas Lambros , Krzykalla Julia , Beelen Dietrich W. , Benner Axel , Lehners Nicola , Schmidt Katharina , Dreger Peter , Luft Thomas
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Vitamin D (VitD) deficiency is common in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing allogeneic transplantation (alloSCT), but its prognostic relevance is unclear.

Patients and Methods

The impact of pretransplant VitD status on overall survival, relapse mortality, and nonrelapse mortality was investigated retrospectively in a cohort of 492 patients undergoing alloSCT at our center from 2002 to 2013. VitD deficiency was defined as a serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 < 20 ng/mL (equivalent to < 50 nM) before alloSCT and was assessed using accredited laboratory methods and a standard chemiluminescent immunoassay. Results were validated in an independent cohort of 398 patients diagnosed with myeloid malignancies.

Results

A total of 396 (80%) and 348 (87%) patients had VitD deficiency before alloSCT in the training and validation cohort, respectively. In the training cohort, VitD deficiency was significantly associated with inferior overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.78; P = .007) in multivariable analysis. This was due to a higher risk of relapse (HR, 1.96; P = .006) rather than nonrelapse mortality. A significant association of pretransplant VitD deficiency with higher relapse rates was observed only in patients diagnosed with myeloid (HR, 2.55; P = .014) but not with lymphatic diseases (HR, 1.60; P = .147). A similar impact of pretransplant VitD deficiency on relapse risk in myeloid diseases was also observed in an independent patient cohort (HR, 2.60; P = .017). Validation of the effect of VitD deficiency on relapse in patients with myeloid malignancies was successful.

Conclusion

Pretransplant VitD deficiency was associated with a higher risk of relapse in patients allografted for myeloid malignancies. Prospective studies on VitD status and correction of VitD deficiency in the setting of alloSCT are highly warranted.
Milton, Waller, and the Fate of Eden
Authors: Quint David
Published: August 2017

Milton shapes his depiction of Eden in Paradise Lost as a response to Edmund Waller’s On St. James’s Park, a celebrated poem of the Restoration. Waller’s description of the royal park, newly improved by Charles II—a a new Eden, a sacred, oracular grove next to the temple-like Westminster Abbey and the capitol-like Whitehall—is revisited in Milton’s epic. God expels Adam and Eve from Eden and subsequently washes away the garden during the Flood to prevent it from turning into a temple-and-grove along the lines of Pandaemonium or a capital seat like Charles’s London, in either case a habitation of devils. Milton’s point-by-point response to the antimodel of Waller’s poem reveals specific topicality and political engagement in the motifs of Paradise Lost: in this sense, Milton is a poet of the restoration he opposes.
Psychoanalysis and the Freudian Rupture
Authors: Apollon Willy
Published: August 2017

This metapsychological essay attempts to deduce the origin of the death drive from the author’s clinical experience with analysands under transference. It proposes that Freud locates the stakes of speech, as a response to the Other, at the heart of the question of languager–but under the singular modality of the death drive. Attempting to reconstruct the experience of the first men, the author proposes that the death drive responded to the anxiety provoked by their encounter with the absence at the heart of the address, or with the Other as such, before they were in possession of the myths and signifiers that would allow them to evoke that experience.
The Coup: Behind the Scenes of the Act with Philippe Petit
Authors: Miller Steven
Published: August 2017

This essay discusses the minor art form of high-wire walking in order to show that the agency of the death drive manifests itself by adding rather than removing something from the symbolic order. The essay focuses primarily on the work of Philippe Petit, especially the clandestine walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, on August 6, 1974; Petit’s own writings about his “coup”; and the testimonies of the impact of this act on those who witnessed it that are captured in James Marsh’s film, Man on Wire (2008).
Kinetics of CrPV and HCV IRES-mediated eukaryotic translation using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy
Authors: Bugaud Olivier , Barbier Nathalie , Chommy Hélène , Fiszman Nicolas , Le Gall Antoine , Dulin David , Saguy Matthieu , Westbrook Nathalie , Perronet Karen , Namy Olivier
Published: August 2017

Protein synthesis is a complex multistep process involving many factors that need to interact in a coordinated manner to properly translate the messenger RNA. As translating ribosomes cannot be synchronized over many elongation cycles, single-molecule studies have been introduced to bring a deeper understanding of prokaryotic translation dynamics. Extending this approach to eukaryotic translation is very appealing, but initiation and specific labeling of the ribosomes are much more complicated. Here, we use a noncanonical translation initiation based on internal ribosome entry sites (IRES), and we monitor the passage of individual, unmodified mammalian ribosomes at specific fluorescent milestones along mRNA. We explore initiation by two types of IRES, the intergenic IRES of cricket paralysis virus (CrPV) and the hepatitis C (HCV) IRES, and show that they both strongly limit the rate of the first elongation steps compared to the following ones, suggesting that those first elongation cycles do not correspond to a canonical elongation. This new system opens the possibility of studying both IRES-mediated initiation and elongation kinetics of eukaryotic translation and will undoubtedly be a valuable tool to investigate the role of translation machinery modifications in human diseases.
Computational design of molecular motors as nanocircuits in Leishmaniasis
Authors: Kosey Dipali , Singh Shailza
Published: August 2017

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania major and is spread by the bite of a sandfly.This species infects the macrophages and dendritic cells Due to multi-drug resistance, there is a need for a new therapeutic technique. Recently, a novel molecular motor of Leishmania, Myosin XXI, was classified and characterized. In addition, the drug resistance in this organism has been linked with the overexpression of ABC transporters. Systems biology aims to study the simulation and modeling of natural biological systems whereas synthetic biology deals with building novel and artificial biological parts and devices  Together they have contributed enormously to drug discovery, vaccine design and development, infectious disease detection and diagnostics. Synthetic genetic regulatory networks with desired properties, like toggling and oscillation have been proposed to be useful for gene therapy. In this work, a nanocircuit with coupled bistable switch – repressilator  has been designed, simulated in the presence and absence of inducer, in silico, using Tinker Cell. When inducer is added, the circuit has been shown to produce reporter at high levels, which will impair the activity of Myosin XXI and ABC transporters. Validation of the circuit was also performed using GRENITS and BoolNet. The influence of inducer on the working of the circuit, i.e., the type of gene expression, response time delay, the steady states formed by the circuit and the quasipotential landscape of the circuit were performed. It was found that the addition of inducer reduced the response time delay in the graded type of gene expression and removed the multiple intermediate attractors of the circuit. Thus, the inducer increased the probability of the circuit to be present in the dominant stable state with high reporter concentration and hence the designed nanocircuit may be used for the treatment of leishmaniasis.
A simple method to measure CLOCK-BMAL1 DNA binding activity in tissue and cell extracts
Authors: Gillessen Maud , Kwak Pieter Bas , Tamayo Alfred
Published: August 2017

The proteins CLOCK and BMAL1 form a heterodimeric transcription factor essential to circadian rhythms in mammals.  Daily rhythms of CLOCK-BMAL1 DNA binding activity are known to oscillate with target gene expression in vivo. Here we present a highly sensitive assay that recapitulates native CLOCK-BMAL1 DNA binding rhythms from crude tissue extracts, which we call the Clock Protein-DNA Binding Assay (CPDBA). This method can detect less than 2-fold differences in DNA binding activity, and can deliver results in two hours or less using 10 microliters or less of crude extract, while requiring neither specialized equipment nor expensive probes. To demonstrate the sensitivity and versatility of this assay, we show that enzymatic removal of phosphate groups from proteins in tissue extracts or pharmacological inhibition of casein kinase I in cell culture increased CLOCK-BMAL1 DNA binding activity by ~1.5 to ~2 fold, as measured by the CPDBA. In addition, we show that the CPDBA can measure CLOCK-BMAL1 binding to reconstituted chromatin. The CPDBA is a sensitive, fast, efficient and versatile probe of clock function.
The new alchemy: Online networking, data sharing and research activity distribution tools for scientists
Authors: Williams Antony J. , Peck Lou , Ekins Sean
Published: August 2017

There is an abundance of free online tools accessible to scientists and others that can be used for online networking, data sharing and measuring research impact. Despite this, few scientists know how these tools can be used or fail to take advantage of using them as an integrated pipeline to raise awareness of their research outputs. In this article, the authors describe their experiences with these tools and how they can make best use of them to make their scientific research generally more accessible, extending its reach beyond their own direct networks, and communicating their ideas to new audiences. These efforts have the potential to drive science by sparking new collaborations and interdisciplinary research projects that may lead to future publications, funding and commercial opportunities. The intent of this article is to: describe some of these freely accessible networking tools and affiliated products; demonstrate from our own experiences how they can be utilized effectively; and, inspire their adoption by new users for the benefit of science.