bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid Alterations in Cerebral White Matter Lipid Profiles After Ischemic-Reperfusion Brain Injury in Fetal Sheep as Demonstrated by MALDI-Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Gallucci Gina M , Tong Ming , Chen Xiaodi , Stonestreet Barbara S , Lin Amy , de la Monte Suzanne M
Published: January 2019

Background

Perinatal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury of cerebral white matter causes long-term cognitive and motor disabilities in children. I/R damages or kills highly metabolic immature oligodendroglia via oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, impairing their capacity to generate and maintain mature myelin. However, the consequences of I/R on myelin lipid composition have not been characterized.

Objective

This study utilized matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) to assess alterations in cerebral supraventricular white matter myelin lipid profiles in a fetal sheep model of perinatal I/R.

Methods

Fetal sheep (127 days gestation) were studied after 30 minutes of bilateral carotid artery occlusion followed by 4 (n = 5), 24 (n = 7), 48 (n = 3), or 72 (n = 5) hours of reperfusion, or sham treatment (n = 5). White matter lipids were analyzed by negative ion mode MALDI-MS.

Results

Striking I/R-associated shifts in phospholipid and sphingolipid expression occurred over the 72-hour time course with most responses detected within 4 hours of reperfusion and progressing at the 48- and 72-hour points. I/R decreased expression of phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylethanol amine and increased phosphatidylinositol, sulfatide, and lactosylceramide.

Conclusions

Cerebral I/R in mid-gestation fetal sheep causes rapid shifts in white matter myelin lipid composition that may reflect injury, proliferation, or recovery of immature oligodendroglia.
Vibration and noise characteristics of a gear reducer under different operation conditions
Authors: Zhou Jianxing , Sun Wenlei , Cao Li
Published: January 2019

Gear system is characterized by high efficiency, compact structure, and transmission ratio stability, and it has been extensively applied in various industrial equipment. This paper presents a novel preliminary estimate method for gear reducer noise radiation and vibration characteristics, and systematic researches on radiation characteristics of gear reducer are made. In the noise analysis process, the influence of time-varying mesh stiffness, error excitation, and tooth flank contact feature are comprehensively considered, the linear vibration model and nonlinear vibro-impact model for transmission system is set up, and then the dynamic load of the gearbox is obtained by solving the model. The dynamic load of bearing is taken as an excitation, the finite element method/boundary element method is adopted to analyze vibration and noise radiation characteristics of the gear reducer. The time domain response and field point noise spectrum at sound field are obtained, and the influence of harmonic components in excitation on vibration noise radiation of gearbox are discussed. The dynamic characteristics and sound radiation characteristics of gear reducer under different operating conditions are calculated, the change pattern of frequency component of the bearing dynamic load and noise radiation based on operating condition are obtained, and some interesting conclusions are observed from research that the gearbox produce the linear vibration and noise under the heavy load condition. Meanwhile, the nonlinear vibro-impact and noise is appeared under light load condition. The distribution of the gearbox radiated nose is uniform in various conditions, but noise takes sub-harmonic components as fundamental frequency and more peaks in the noise spectrum are observed. With the increase of the rotary speed, the noise tallies with the trend described by Kato formula except that under the gear system resonance speed. The impact force between teeth flanks shall be on the increase with the increase of rotary speed, and gear pair vibration experiencing a course from irregular vibration to regular periodic rattle vibration. With the increase of load, the noise of reducer changes with load as the variation of logarithmic function. For the noise in the process with load on the increase from no-load (the load is 0), the gear reducer vibration condition experienced both sides collision, single-side collision, and normal meshing in three stages. The radiated nose is increased gradually, but the abrupt change happened in critical positions between both sides collision and single-side collision as well as single-side collision and normal meshing in the process. The conclusions of this paper will offer theoretical basis for reducer to reduce vibration and noise.
The role of chronic kidney disease-associated dysbiosis in cardiovascular disease
Authors: Bryniarski Mark A , Hamarneh Fares , Yacoub Rabi
Published: January 2019

Survival outcomes of patients with end stage renal disease are worse than those of many metastatic cancers. Kidney disease patients are often inflicted with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, in which nearly half of the mortalities are attributed to adverse cardiovascular events. Of the multifarious reasons for this detrimental impact, dysbiosis in the intestinal microbiome is surfacing as a potential participant. This is likely due to the numerous metabolic and inflammatory shifts found in chronic kidney disease, as well as environmental changes within the intestinal lumen. Studies are beginning to link microbiota alterations mediated by chronic kidney disease to negative cardiovascular outcomes. Here, recent findings connecting dysbiosis in chronic kidney disease and various cardiovascular insults are reviewed.

Impact statement

Negative alterations, or dysbiosis, in the intestinal microbial community balance in response to chronic kidney disease is emerging as a substantial and important factor in inducing and exacerbating multiple comorbid conditions. Patients with renal insufficiency experience a substantial increase in cardiovascular risk, and recent evidence is shedding light on the close interaction between microbiome dysbiosis and increased cardiovascular events in this population. Previous association and recent causality studies utilizing experimental animal models have enriched our understanding and confirmed the impact of microbial community imbalance on cardiac health in both the general population and in patients with renal impairment.
The Snapshots of A. Thomas Nelson: A Case Study in the Preservation of Early 20th-century Vernacular Albums
Authors: Becker Stephanie
Published: January 2019

Throughout the early 20th century, A. Thomas Nelson took snapshots while traveling the United States and Canada. His wife, Catherine Nelson, made a selection of these and placed them within eight photographic albums, later acquired by the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York. Using one of these, “Snapshots from Travels in the United States and Canada (1904–1940),” as a case study, this article explores preservation practices for early 20th-century vernacular albums. While such albums are a valuable part of any collection, they present many complex preservation challenges due to the variety of materials contained within a single object. Critical questions about cataloging, digitizing, and rehousing methods guide decisions on how to stabilize the album's fragile condition and allow for access. This case study offers insight for collection managers and archivists who find themselves caring for similar snapshot albums.
Witnessing the 2014 Gaza War in Tumblr
Authors: Pennington Rosemary
Published: January 2019

During the summer of 2014, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip. The decades old conflict between Israel and Palestine flared up after three teenagers were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank by rogue Hamas members. The 2014 war left more than 2,000 Palestinians dead, with much of the death and suffering in Gaza witnessed in, through, and by media. This research examines the witnessing of this conflict by Muslim bloggers in microblogging platform Tumblr. It considers how bloggers in the space worked to make sense of what they witnessed, how they worked to advocate for Palestinians, and how the space made visible contestations over whose experiences, as victims and as witnesses, were most important for understanding the conflict.
Modern Democracy as the Cult of the Individual: Durkheim on religious coexistence and conflict
Authors: Carls Paul
Published: January 2019

After the demise of Christianity, Western society did not become secular, according to Emile Durkheim, but located foundations in a new religion he calls the “cult of the individual.” This religion holds the rational individual person as sacred, and corresponds to a multi-faceted, complex, and diverse society united around individual democratic rights and modern science. Different traditional religions can co-exist in the cult of the individual, but only if they accept a subordinate status in relation to it. Durkheim maintains, however, that all religions construct authoritative regimes of truth and moral obligations, setting the stage for conflict. How then should modern democracies respond to challenges to their authority from traditional religions? This article argues that a Durkheimian response would be to assert the values of the cult of the individual, as this is the only way to maintain the integrity and viability of Western democratic society.
Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis engineered to produce mycosporin-like amino acids in colorectal cancer prevention
Authors: Bozkurt Hüseyin Sancar , Quigley Eamonn MM , Kara Banu
Published: January 2019

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. The pathogensesis of colorectal cancer involves a multi-step and multi-factorial process. Disruption of the gut microbiota has been associated with gastrointestinal diseases such as colorectal cancer. The genus Bifidobacterium is considered an important component of the commensal microbiota and plays important roles in several homeostatic functions: immune, neurohormonal, and metabolic. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis is a well-documented probiotic within the species Bifidobacterium. Mycosporin-like amino acids are low molecular weight amino acids demonstrated to exert prebiotic effects and to modulate host immunity by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells, macrophages and lymphocytes, as well as cytokine production.Their modulation of the metabolism of the immune system and transcription factors could exert a beneficial effect on colorectal cancer. B. animalis does not produce mycosporin-like amino acids. If one could create a B. animalis–producing mycosporin-like amino acids via genetic open reading frame engineering it should exert more potent immuno-stimulatory properties and, thereby, become a potent strain-specific microbial based therapy in colorectal cancer prevention.
Preservation of lower extremity spare parts using the University of Wisconsin solution
Authors: Alnaif Nayif , Lee James , Azzi Alain Joe , Aldekhayel Salah , Zadeh Teanoosh
Published: January 2019

The management of a mangled limb is a challenging endeavor. With the advancement in microsurgery, spare parts surgery (fillet flaps) has gained recent interest. In the context of lower extremity amputation secondary to trauma, viable spare parts can provide stump soft tissue coverage, potentially preserving critical length and obviating above-knee amputations. Commonly, spare parts surgery is performed in the acute setting but tissue preservation is sometimes necessary. The authors report their experience preserving a fillet flap of a mangled lower extremity for 48 h using the University of Wisconsin solution. A sole fillet flap and a split-thickness skin graft were harvested and preserved from the amputated lower extremity (based on the posterior tibial artery and vein). Stump coverage was achieved by anastomosing the fillet flap to the proximal posterior tibial artery and vein. This solution has not been previously described for preservation of fillet flaps.
Chronic liver disease promotes lesions of the colorectal adenoma‐carcinoma sequence, independent of liver cirrhosis
Authors: Troschel Amelie S. , Miks Alexander , Troschel Fabian M. , Hüsing-Kabar Anna , Maschmeier Miriam , Heinzow Hauke S. , Schmidt Hartmut H. , Kabar Iyad
Published: January 2019

Background

Research increasingly focuses on identifying individuals at greater risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) to enhance colonoscopy screening efficacy.

Objective

The objective of this article is to determine associations between chronic liver disease and lesions along the colorectal adenoma‐carcinoma sequence.

Methods

This retrospective study encompasses consecutive liver disease patients (LDPs) of all etiologies evaluated for liver transplantation at a single institution and a control group of liver‐healthy patients (LHPs) undergoing colonoscopy as part of the German CRC screening program.

Rates of polyps, adenomas, high‐risk situations (HRS) and CRC were analyzed in univariable and multivariable settings adjusting for age, gender, body mass index and number of colonoscopies. Differences between LHPs and LDPs and between cirrhotic and noncirrhotic hepatopathy were assessed.

Results

In total, 1046 patients (52.6% male, median age 59.6 years) were included, of whom 38.9% had liver disease. A total of 41.0% of all patients showed polyps, 23.2% adenomas, 10.0% HRS, and 0.5% CRC. LDPs were more likely to develop polyps, adenomas and HRS than LHPs, both in univariable and multivariable analysis. There were no significant differences between cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients.

Conclusion

Chronic liver disease of any etiology is associated with colonic lesions of the colorectal adenoma‐carcinoma sequence, independent of cirrhosis. LDPs should receive intensified, and earlier, colonoscopy screening.
Female stress urinary incontinence MDT
Authors: Sihra Néha , Kujawa Magda , Solomon Eskinder , Harding Chris , Sahai Arun , Malde Sachin
Published: January 2019

The management of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has come under scrutiny in recent years following growing reports of mesh-related complications. Patients require thorough evaluation and management as part of a multidisciplinary team, and extensive counselling about the surgical treatment options is imperative. There is no clear consensus on the optimal management of the complex group of patients with mesh-related complications or recurrent SUI. We present two cases of female SUI to highlight the key factors to be considered when managing these patients.

Level of evidence: Level 5.
A meta-analysis of natural resources and conflict
Authors: O’Brochta William
Published: January 2019

The relationship between natural resource wealth and civil conflict remains unclear, despite prolonged scholarly attention. Conducting a meta-analysis—a quantitative literature review—can help synthesize this broad and disparate field to provide clearer directions for future research. Meta-analysis tools determine both the aggregate effect of natural resources on conflict and whether any particular ways in which variables are measured systematically bias the estimated effect. I conduct a meta-analysis using sixty-nine studies from sixty-two authors. I find that there is no aggregate relationship between natural resources and conflict. Most variation in variable measurement does not alter the estimated effect. However, measuring natural resource wealth using Primary Commodity Exports and including controls for mountainous terrain and ethnic fractionalization all do significantly impact the results. These findings suggest that it may be worth exploring more nuanced connections between natural resources and conflict instead of continuing to study the overall relationship.
Three-parameter normal moveout correction in layered anisotropic media: A stretch-free approach
Authors: Abedi Mohammad Mahdi , Riahi Mohammad Ali , Stovas Alexey
Published: January 2019

In conventional normal moveout (NMO) correction, some parts of the recorded data at larger offsets are discarded because of NMO distortions. Deviation from the true traveltime of reflections due to the anisotropy and heterogeneity of the earth, and wavelet stretching are two reasons of these distortions. The magnitudes of both problems increase with increasing the offset to depth ratio. Therefore, to be able to keep larger offsets of shallower reflections, both problems should be obviated. Accordingly, first, we have studied different traveltime approximations being in use, alongside new parameterizations for two classical functional equations, to select suitable equations for NMO correction. We numerically quantify the fitting accuracy and uncertainty of known nonhyperbolic traveltime approximations for P-waves in transversely isotropic media with vertical symmetry axis (VTI). We select three suitable three-parameter approximations for NMO in layered VTI media as the VTI generalized moveout approximation, a double-square-root approximation, and a perturbation-based approximation. Second, we have developed an extension of the earlier proposed stretch-free NMO method, using the selected moveout approximations. This method involves an automatic modification of the input parameters in anisotropic NMO correction, for selected reflections. Our anisotropic stretch-free NMO method is tested on synthetic and three real data sets from Gulf of Mexico and Iranian oil fields. The results verify the success of the method in extending the usable offsets, by generating flat and stretch-free NMO corrected reflections.
Novel Noninvasive Assessment of Microvascular Structure and Function in Humans
Authors: SMITH KURT J. , ARGARINI RADEN , CARTER HOWARD H. , QUIRK BRYDEN C. , HAYNES ANDREW , NAYLOR LOUISE H. , MCKIRDY HAMISH , KIRK RODNEY W. , MCLAUGHLIN ROBERT A. , GREEN DANIEL J.
Published: January 2019

Introduction

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel high-resolution imaging technique capable of visualizing in vivo structures at a resolution of ~10 μm. We have developed specialized OCT-based approaches that quantify diameter, speed, and flow rate in human cutaneous microvessels. In this study, we hypothesized that OCT-based microvascular assessments would possess comparable levels of reliability when compared with those derived using conventional laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF).

Methods

Speckle decorrelation images (OCT) and red blood cell flux (LDF) measures were collected from adjacent forearm skin locations on 2 d (48 h apart), at baseline, and after a 30-min rapid local heating protocol (30°C–44°C) in eight healthy young individuals. OCT postprocessing quantified cutaneous microvascular diameter, speed, flow rate, and density (vessel recruitment) within a region of interest, and data were compared between days.

Results

Forearm skin LDF (13 ± 4 to 182 ± 31 AU, P < 0.05) and OCT-derived diameter (41.8 ± 6.6 vs 64.5 ± 6.9 μm), speed (68.4 ± 9.5 vs 89.0 ± 7.3 μm·s−1), flow rate (145.0 ± 60.6 vs 485 ± 132 pL·s−1), and density (9.9% ± 4.9% vs 45.4% ± 5.9%) increased in response to local heating. The average OCT-derived microvascular flow response (pL·s−1) to heating (234% increase) was lower (P < 0.05) than the LDF-derived change (AU) (1360% increase). Pearson correlation was significant for between-day local heating responses in terms of OCT flow (r = 0.93, P < 0.01), but not LDF (P = 0.49). Bland–Altman analysis revealed that between-day baseline OCT-derived flow rates were less variable than LDF-derived flux.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that OCT, which directly visualizes human microvessels, not only allows microvascular quantification of diameter, speed, flow rate, and vessel recruitment but also provides outputs that are highly reproducible. OCT is a promising novel approach that enables a comprehensive assessment of cutaneous microvascular structure and function in humans.
Perceptions and use of technology in older people with ophthalmic conditions
Authors: Ali Zaria C. , Shakir Savana , Aslam Tariq Mehmood
Published: January 2019

Background: Technologies such as mobile applications are increasingly being developed for patients to help manage their clinical conditions. However there is a paucity of information confirming the capacity or willingness of older patients with ophthalmic complaints to engage with such computer applications. The aim of this paper is to assess the perception and use of a range of common computing technologies by older ophthalmic patients, in order to guide future ophthalmology-specific development and clinical use.

Methods: Patients attending Manchester Royal Eye Hospital were surveyed with questions designed to measure their perceptions, attitudes and experiences of using technology.  Inclusion criteria included any patient aged 40 or over who attended the ophthalmology outpatients department.

Results: A total of 300 patients completed the questionnaire. The male-to-female ratio was 169:127. The majority of patients owned predominantly mobile forms of technology such as tablets and smart phones. The most common uses of technology were for communicating with friends, watching television and gathering information. Patients aged over 80 had particular difficulty using technology and used it less regularly. Less than 10% overall stated eyesight as a reason for stopping using technology.

Conclusions: Technology is used regularly by a large proportion of older ophthalmic patients, with numbers reducing significantly only in those aged 80 years or over. There appears to be potential for further medical use, though developers and clinicians should consider the perceptions and challenges highlighted through this survey.
Poor communication by health care professionals may lead to life-threatening complications: examples from two case reports
Authors: Tiwary Abhishek , Rimal Ajwani , Paudyal Buddhi , Sigdel Keshav Raj , Basnyat Buddha
Published: January 2019

We report two cases which highlight the fact how poor communication leads to dangerously poor health outcome. We present the case of a 50-year-old woman recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis from Southern Nepal presented to Patan hospital with multiple episodes of vomiting and oral ulcers following the intake of methotrexate every day for 11 days, who was managed in the intensive care unit. Similarly, we present a 40-year-old man with ileo-caecal tuberculosis who was prescribed with anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) and prednisolone, who failed to take ATT due to poor communication and presented to Patan Hospital with features of disseminated tuberculosis following intake of 2 weeks of prednisolone alone. These were events that could have been easily prevented with proper communication skills. Improvement of communication between doctors and patients is paramount so that life-threatening events like these could be avoided.
The Indo-European Family Tree and its Split – a Report from the Workshop "The Indo-European Family Tree"
Authors: Garbacz Piotr
Published: January 2019

The paper provides an overview of a number of recent presentations of the Indo-European family tree and the split off its branches, as found in standard textbooks on the topic. These views are contrasted against the results of a workshop, The Indo-European family tree (University of Copenhagen, 15–17 Feb. 2017). Our account specifically addresses whether there are reasons to assume the existence of Italo-Celtic, Graeco-Armenian and what is the position of the Germanic branch in the tree. The use of new archaeological methods, computational cladistics and DNA-studies and their possible importance for diachronic linguistics are also mentioned.
Cechy składniowe i semantyczne 'dotąd'
Authors: Alberski Bartłomiej
Published: January 2019

Syntactic and Semantic Features of dotądThe paper discusses the expression dotąd. The author makes a distinction between contextual (endophoric) and consituational (exophoric) uses. The analysis is limited to the latter because exophoric uses allow for a locative and temporal interpretation. The author distinguishes two units of language: a pronoun which replaces a temporal or locative expression, and the relator dotąd, aż which indicates a temporal relation between the events described in component sentences.
O potrzebie zastosowania terminu wernakularyzacja w polskich badaniach historycznojęzykowych
Authors: Masłej Dorota
Published: January 2019

On the Need for the Term Vernacularization in Polish Historical Linguistic ResearchIn European science, the thought about the beginnings of the written national language is accompanied by the study of the process of vernacularization – understood as the entering of the national language into (at first exclusively Latin) texts. This paper aims to show the usefulness of the term vernacularization in Polish historical linguistic research. The author analyses how it is used and interpreted in European Mediaeval studies, and indicates and discusses selected Old Polish monuments which instantiate the various stages of the process.
Z etymologii łemkowskich. Cz. I
Authors: Fałowski Adam , Hojsak Wiktoria
Published: January 2019

Lemko Etymologies. Part IResearch into the language of Lemkos has a long history, and many works have already been published: dictionaries, dictionaries of single villages, atlases, and linguistic descriptions, inlcuding etymological ones, but focusing primarily on the study of foreign influence on the Lemko vocabulary. However, an etymological dictionary is still missing, and its creation is an urgent need. This paper presents the preliminary results of the authors’ efforts in the area of Lemko etymology. Analysed here are words which have not as yet been looked into or which have been considered unclear, and also those cases where the newest etymological findings can provide a substantial addendum or correction of previous etymological attempts. This is the first part of a series of papers devoted to Lemko etymology where we present words beginning with the letters Б–В: банюр, баткати, беба, белей, біхреса, блиндати, бозуля, бортак, бундз, бурко, бурликати, валал, валушний, вантолити, верый, вірґ´ати, высюдати, выхырений, выхраяти ся, востожити.
"Słowniczek wyrazów dotyczących pokrewieństwa i powinowactwa"
Authors: Kardas Kacper
Published: January 2019

Słowniczek wyrazów dotyczących pokrewieństwa i powinowactwa. An Unknown Manuscript by Jan ŁośThe paper discusses Jan Łoś’s Słowniczek wyrazów dotyczących pokrewieństwa i powinowactwa z zabytków językowych do końca XVI w. (‘A dictionary of kinship and affinity terms from monuments till the 16th century’) whose manuscript is stored in the collections of the Silesian Library in Katowice. The article contains a physical description of the unit and a metalexicographic analysis of its microand macrostructure, contrasted with Łoś’s conception of Słownik staropolski (‘Old Polish dictionary’). Furthermore, the paper indicates content and source relationships between the analysed work and another text by Łoś (Nazwy stopni pokrewieństwa i powinowactwa w dawnej Polsce ‘Names of degrees of kinship and affinity in old Poland’) and draws attention to the lack of reception of the manuscript in later linguistic works. The article also presents the history of the manuscript, so far as it could be reconstructed. It ends with conclusions about the significance of the manuscript for linguistics, in times when it was written, and currently.
Nieznany wiersz okolicznościowy orientalisty Tadeusza Kowalskiego
Authors: Stachowski Marek
Published: January 2019

An Unknown Occasional Poem by Polish Orientalist Tadeusz KowalskiThe question whether Tadeusz Kowalski, the founder of the Oriental philological studies in Poland, should first of all be considered a Turcologist or an Arabist has been disputed many times thus far but no satisfactory answer could be given. A new-found short occasional poem by Kowalski sheds light on the matter because the author calls himself a Turk and he adduces two etymologically Arabic words in their Turkish guise.
Ruch, gest, gestykulacja w tekstach specjalistycznych i niespecjalistycznych
Authors: Heliasz-Nowosielska Celina
Published: January 2019

Movement, Gesture, and Gesticulation in Specialist and Non-Specialist TextsThe paper presents a comparative study between expressions of the general language and specialist terms with a similar scope. All the analysed expressions of the general language, i.e. mostly units and constructions with the morphemes -ruch-, -gest-, pokaz-, and -mig-, describe in contemporary Polish motional actions of humans. As shown by contradiction tests, some of them are in addition limited to only relaying communicatively significant hand movements, revealing the existing linguistic opposition between movement and gesture, cf. -ruch- vs -gest-. An analogous contrast can also be found in the specialist language, cf. e.g. McNeill (1992) or Poggi (2007), where however gesture is used as an umbrella term for all expressive movements, cf. e.g. Kendon (2004), Lynn (2011, 2014). Furthermore, Kendon’s 1980 distinction between gesture and gesticulation understood as expressive hand movements accompanying speech, is considered to be a novel finding. It is however not taken into account that this opposition has been known to the general language for at least several hundred years and may well have been the (unwitting) inspiration for Kendon. This fact emphasizes the usefulness of research into communicative phenomena in the context of analyses of the general (meta)language.
Promotion of breastfeeding by dental teams: A survey of early career dentists
Authors: Polglass Louisa , Leonardi-Bee Jo , Morris Alexander , Murray Rachael
Published: January 2019

Breastfeeding provides a range of positive health benefits for both mother and baby. Due to maternal exemption of dental charges, dentists have the access and opportunity to provide information to expectant and nursing mothers, and are in an optimal position to positively influence breastfeeding behaviour. A cross-sectional survey of early career dentists in the East Midlands was conducted. The survey questionnaire assessed levels of confidence, knowledge and practice regarding breastfeeding. Barriers identified in supporting and encouraging breastfeeding were lack of knowledge (81%; n=57), lack of confidence (63%; n=44) and lack of time (52%; n=36). Approximately two thirds reported they had never received training and a majority felt they would benefit from this (86%; n=60). Early career dentists in the East Midlands reported limited knowledge and a lack of confidence in the delivery of breastfeeding advice. Wider incorporation of training into undergraduate and postgraduate programmes could be considered, which may improve breastfeeding rates.
Fresh new shoots
Authors: Hewson Claire
Published: January 2019

It's early spring and time for children to get out and about spotting butterflies, birds and wild flowers. Learning about seasonal differences helps them to understand change and the passage of time.
Be my Valentine
Authors: Rawstrone Annette
Published: January 2019

Many settings love to celebrate Valentine's Day – not only does it brighten up what can be a bleak month but it's an opportunity to talk about love and kindness with children, says Annette Rawstrone.
What is research? Educators’ conceptions and alignment with United States federal policies
Authors: Mills Kristen J. , Lawlor Jennifer A. , Neal Jennifer Watling , Neal Zachary P. , McAlindon Kathryn
Published: January 2019

Background:

This study draws on two communities theory to address two major research questions related to conceptions of research in educational practice and policy. First, how do educators conceptualise research? Second, to what extent do educators’ conceptions of research align with recent US federal educational policies?

Methods:

We conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with educators in the US, asking them what comes to mind when they think of research. We used open, axial, and selective coding to characterise educators’ conceptions of research. We also compared educators’ conceptions of research to two US federal educational policies that define scientifically-based research and evidence-based interventions.

Findings:

Findings indicate that educators and policies defined research in similar ways, but each included some unique characteristics.

Discussion and conclusions:

Implications from the study include the need for increased communication between federal policymakers and educators and improved reporting by researchers to better attend to the needs of educators and policymakers.
Collective knowledge brokering: the model and impact of an embedded team
Authors: Wye Lesley , Cramer Helen , Beckett Kate , Farr Michelle , le May Andrée , Carey Jude , Robinson Rebecca , Anthwal Rachel , Rooney James , Baxter Helen
Published: January 2019

Background:

The Bristol Knowledge Mobilisation (KM) Team was an unusual collective brokering model, consisting of a multi-professional team of four managers and three academics embedded in both local healthcare policymaking (aka commissioning) and academic primary care.

Aims and objectives:

They aimed to encourage ‘research-informed commissioning’ and ‘commissioning-informed research’. This paper covers context, structure, processes, advantages, challenges and impact.

Methods:

Data sources from brokers included personal logs, reflective essays, exit interviews and a team workshop. These were analysed inductively using constant comparison. To obtain critical distance, three external evaluations were conducted, using interviews, observations and documentation.

Findings:

Stable, solvent organisations; senior involvement with good inter-professional relationships; secure funding; and networks of engaged allies in host organisations supported the brokers. Essential elements were two-way embedding, ‘buddying up’, team leadership, brokers’ interpersonal skills, and two-year, part-time contracts. By working collectively, the brokers fostered cross-community interactions and modelled collaborative behaviour, drawing on each other’s ‘insider’ knowledge, networks and experience. Challenges included too many taskmasters, unrealistic expectations and work overload. However, team-brokering provided a safe space to be vulnerable, share learning, and build confidence. As host organisations benefitted most from embedded brokers, both communities noted changes in attitude, knowledge, skills and confidence. The team were more successful in fostering ‘commissioning-informed research’ with co-produced research grants than ‘research-informed commissioning’.

Discussion and conclusions:

Although still difficult, the collective support and comradery of an embedded, two-way, multi-professional team made encouraging interactions, and therefore brokering, easier. A team approach modelled collaborative behaviour and created a critical mass to affect cultural change.
Gender experts and critical friends: research in relations of proximity
Authors: Holvikivi Aiko
Published: January 2019

Research on gender expertise is often conducted from relations of proximity between academics and gender experts, raising familiar feminist methodological questions about the researcher–researched relationship. In this article, I take up the suggestion that such relationships should be guided by the principles of ‘critical friendship’. I argue that critical friendship should be understood as a two-way relationship that creates space to negotiate the goals of gender expertise and how it is practised. I also caution that relations of critical friendship may cause researchers to privilege the perspectives of Global North gender experts in academic analyses, while silencing other voices.
kEDTA Sample Contamination: A Reappraisal
Authors: Chadwick Katie , Whitehead Simon J , Ford Clare , Gama Rousseau
Published: January 2019

Background

Potassium EDTA (kEDTA) contamination of serum samples is common, causing spurious hyperkalemia, hypozincemia, and hypocalcemia that if unrecognized may adversely affect patient care. Gross kEDTA contamination is easy to detect, but identification of spurious electrolytes due to small amounts of contamination requires measurement of serum EDTA. We validated an EDTA assay on the Abbott Architect and reassessed its value in identifying kEDTA contamination and in studying mechanisms for contamination.

Methods

Within- and between-batch imprecision, linearity, recovery, interference, and carryover were assessed. Serum supplemented with k2EDTA plasma, to mimic sample contamination, was used to study its effect on potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and alkaline phosphatase. Our current laboratory protocol for identification of kEDTA contamination, based on measurement of serum calcium, was compared to that of EDTA measurement.

Results

The EDTA assay displayed acceptable performance characteristics. Hemoglobin was a positive interferent. EDTA was detectable in serum contaminated with 1% (v:v) k2EDTA plasma. An increase in serum potassium of 0.54 mmol/L (11.9%) was observed at a measured EDTA concentration of 0.19 mmol/L, equivalent to 3.2% (v:v) contamination. At this EDTA concentration reductions were also observed in zinc (71%), calcium (1%), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (4%), and magnesium (2.4%). The serum EDTA assay detected contamination in 31/106 patient samples with hyperkalemia (potassium ≥6.0mmol/L), 20 of which were undetected by the current laboratory protocol.

Conclusions

The EDTA assay displayed acceptable performance, with the ability to reliably measure EDTA at low concentrations. Only a small amount of kEDTA causes significant spurious hyperkalemia and is only reliably detected with EDTA measurement.
Reuse of Modern Schools
Authors: Corvo Atelier Do , Pedro Desirée , Antunes Carlos
Published: January 2019

The two projects selected for the Reuse of Modernist Buildings are examples of our way of understanding this subject. These projects are neither typical rehabilitations, nor refurbishment, but an intense exchange between the diverse existing layers and the new ones required.

The aims of these projects focused on giving clarity to the existing facilities and removing the ambiguities which resulted from the successive additions and uses to which the building has been subjected to over time, thus enabling a clear proposal for new buildings. In these projects, the renovation and remodelling of existing structures, as well as the proposal for new constructions, was grounded on the principle of a dialogue between the existing and the new, between the past and the present.
Clinical efficacy of the rituximab biosimilar Acellbia® 600 mg in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice
Authors: Kusevich D. A. , Avdeeva A. S. , Rybakova V. V. , Chichasova N. V. , Nasonov E. L.
Published: January 2019

Objective: to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the rituximab biosimilar Acellbia® at a dose of 600 mg intravenously at a 2-week interval in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 12 and 24 weeks after initiation of treatment.Subjects and methods. Examinations were made in 20 active seropositive RA patients who had not been previously treated with biological agents (BAs), but received two infusions of the rituximab biosimilar Acellbia® at a dose of 600 mg intravenously at a 2-week interval during stable therapy with methotrexate (MT) and glucocorticoids (GCs). The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response criteria (Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), and Simplified Disease Activity Index) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria were used to evaluate the efficiency of Acellbia® therapy. Disease remission was identified by DAS28 and 2011 ACR/EULAR criteria. The safety profile (the frequency of all reported adverse events) corresponds to the data on the safety of rituximab (MabThera®).Results and discussion. At the time of inclusion, median DAS28 was 5.6 [4.9; 6.8], SDAI – 27.1 [23.0; 39.9], and CDAI – 26.6 [22.2; 37.0]. At week 12 after initiation of Acellbia® therapy, they decreased to 4.2 [3.24; 4.75], 14.4 [8.5; 20.7], and 13.2 [7.9; 19.0] respectively, which remained at 24-week follow-up (p<0.01). At week 12, the frequencies of ACR 20%, 50%, 70% improvements were 70, 55, and 5%; at week 24, these were 75, 45, and 15%, respectively. A good or moderate EULAR response at week 24 was observed in 25 and 60% of patients, respectively. At week 24, DAS28, SDAI, and CDAI remissions were achieved by 4 (20%), 2 (10%), and 1 (5%); low disease activity – by 4 (20%), 5 (25%), and 6 (30%) patients, respectively; high disease activity as measured by SDAI and CDAI remained in 3 (15%) patients. Two patients (10%) met the 2011 ACR/EULAR remission criteria at 24 weeks.Conclusion. The rituximab biosimilar Acellbia® 600 mg used in patients with active seropositive RA is clinically effective and comparable in the safety profile as shown in investigations of the brand-name MabThera® (F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Switzerland) at a low dose (500 mg), as well as the first BA.
NORMAL ELEMENT ON IDENTIFY PROPERTIES
Authors: Udjiani Titi , Suryoto Suryoto , Harjito Harjito
Published: January 2019

Abstract. One type of element in the ring with involution is normal element. Their main properties is commutative with their image by involution in ring. Group invers  of element in   ring  is  always commutative with element   which is commutative  with itself.  In this paper, properties of normal element in ring with involution  which also have generalized  Moore Penrose invers  are constructed by using commutative property of  group invers  in  ring. Keywords: Normal, Moore Penrose, group, involution
PAQR6 expression enhancement suggests a worse prognosis in prostate cancer patients
Authors: Li Bin , Lin Zhe , Liang Quan , Hu Yuan , Xu Wen-Feng
Published: January 2019

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the expression of progestin and adipoQ receptor family member VI (PAQR6, mPRδ) in prostate cancer and to explore its role in prostate cancer progression.

Methods

PAQR6 mRNA expression was evaluated based on the data obtained from the TCGA database and the GEO database. The prognostic value of PAQR6 was explored by Kaplan-Meier analysis. To investigate the role of PAQR6, it was depleted by siRNA in DU145 cells. The effects of depleting PAQR6 on DU145 cell viability and migration were determined by CCK8 assay, colony formation assay, and wound healing assay, respectively. The activation of MEK and ERK were analyzed by western blot.

Results

PAQR6 mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated in prostate cancer tissues and correlated with lower survival rates (p=0.014). Furthermore, qPCR revealed that PAQR6 expression was elevated in DU145 and LNCaP cells compared with RWPE-2 cells. Depleting PAQR6 obviously suppressed DU145 cell proliferation and migration (p<0.01). In addition, the ratio of p-MEK/MEK and p-ERK/ERK was significantly reduced after silencing PAQR6 (p<0.01).

Conclusion

PAQR6 might play a facilitating role in prostate cancer development by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway. Moreover, it might serve as a potential predictor and therapeutic target in prostate cancer.
Mediascape’s Drifter
Authors: Zaleski Marek
Published: January 2019

Today, mediascapes (see Appadurai) play a predominant role in the construction of modes of human existence. How do they determine our agency? How do they form screens for our emotions, how do they build non-negligible spaces in which our dramas play out? Do they support us or, on the contrary, do they limit us? I pose these questions in relation to Holy Motors (2012), a film by the French director Leos Carax. His film presents man’s postmodern condition as well as state of the art nowadays. The hero of Holy Motors is the absolute actor, a set of his avatars, the postmodern Proteus doomed to live and experience repeatedly a parody of “all the same.” My thesis is that mediascapes only seem to strengthen our agency. They offer us a plural existence and an easy ability to enlarge the borders between illusion and reality, but in fact, they make us part of a system of the urban “desiring machine,” they make our identities and our bodies into a sort of spectacle directed by external forces.
“Wozu Image?” / What’s the Point of Images? Exploring the Relation between Image and Text through Intersemiotic Translation and Its Embodied Experience
Authors: Campbell Madeleine , González Laura
Published: January 2019

“Wozu Image?” is a two-hour workshop held as part of “(e)motion,” the second Cultural Literacy in Europe (CLE) Biennial Conference which took place in Warsaw on May 10-12, 2017. In our session, we expanded the themes of the “Wozu Poesie?” exhibition, first held in Berlin in 2013, which, with thanks to Haus für Poesie (formerly Literatur Werkstatt Berlin), was shown as part of the conference. The workshop explored, through intersemiotic translation and its embodied experience, the relation between image and text, and what it means to put oneself in the picture. In this paper, we contextualise this artivism, or metaphorical “act of war,” in relation to photography. Artivism is a composite word that denotes “an activist action directed to creating change through the medium and resources of art” (Poposki 718). We report and record the processes and outcomes of the workshop with the aim of opening up intersemiotic translation (translation as encounter and experience across different media) to explorations beyond words and across disciplines. Specifically, we explore the production of text in relation to images as a way of thinking through a problem and answering questions, and the composition of an image as a way to embody thoughts on cultural literacy.
Embodiment of Untouchability: Cinematic Representations of the “Low” Caste Women in India
Authors: Atwal Jyoti
Published: January 2019

Ironically, feudal relations and embedded caste based gender exploitation remained intact in a free and democratic India in the post-1947 period. I argue that subaltern is not a static category in India. This article takes up three different kinds of genre/representations of “low” caste women in Indian cinema to underline the significance of evolving new methodologies to understand Black (“low” caste) feminism in India. In terms of national significance, Acchyut Kanya represents the ambitious liberal reformist State that saw its culmination in the constitution of India where inclusion and equality were promised to all. The movie Ankur represents the failure of the state to live up to the postcolonial promise of equality and development for all. The third movie, Bandit Queen represents feminine anger of the violated body of a “low” caste woman in rural India. From a dacoit, Phoolan transforms into a constitutionalist to speak about social justice. This indicates faith in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s India and in the struggle for legal rights rather than armed insurrection. The main challenge of writing “low” caste women’s histories is that in the Indian feminist circles, the discourse slides into salvaging the pain rather than exploring and studying anger.