bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serum apolipoprotein B-to-apolipoprotein A1 ratio is independently associated with disease severity in patients with acute pancreatitis
Authors: Wu Jiayuan , Wang Yufeng , Li Hongyan , Tan Wenkai , Chen Xiaoming , Ye Shicai
Published: May 2019

Early identification of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is critical for clinical decision-making. The apolipoprotein B-to-apolipoprotein A1 ratio (ApoB/A1 ratio) reflects the balance between pro-inflammation and anti-inflammation in vivo. This study investigated the association between serum ApoB/A1 ratio at admission and acute pancreatitis (AP) severity. A total of 375 patients with first attack of AP were retrospectively recruited from January 2014 to December 2017. The severity of AP was assessed at admission based on the 2012 revised Atlanta Classification. Serum lipids levels were tested on the first 24 h of hospitalization, of which the correlations with clinical features or scoring systems were also measured. The ApoB/A1 ratio markedly increased across disease severity of AP. The ApoB/A1 ratio, expressed as both quartile and continuous variables, was significantly associated with a high risk of SAP, even after adjustment for other conventional SAP risk factors. The ApoB/A1 ratio positively correlated with the revised 2012 Atlanta Classification, Ranson score, Bedside Index for Severity in AP score, Modified Computed Tomography Severity Index score, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score for AP severity. The optimal cut-off value of ApoB/A1 ratio for detecting SAP was 0.88, with a sensitivity of 83.08% and a specificity of 69.03%. Serum ApoB/A1 ratio at admission is closely correlated with disease severity in patients with AP and can serve as a reliable indicator for SAP in clinical setting.
Engineering of anti-human interleukin-4 receptor alpha antibodies with potent antagonistic activity
Authors: Kim Jung-Eun , Jung Keunok , Kim Jeong-Ah , Kim Seung-Hyun , Park Hae-Sim , Kim Yong-Sung
Published: May 2019

Development of antagonistic antibody (Ab) against interleukin-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα) subunit of IL-4/IL-13 receptors is a promising therapeutic strategy for T helper 2 (TH2)-mediated allergic diseases such as asthma and atopic dermatitis. Here we isolated anti-human IL-4Rα antagonistic Abs from a large yeast surface-displayed human Ab library and further engineered their complementarity-determining regions to improve the affinity using yeast display technology, finally generating a candidate Ab, 4R34.1.19. When reformatted as human IgG1 form, 4R34.1.19 specifically bound to IL-4Rα with a high affinity (KD≈ 178 pM) and effectively blocked IL-4- and IL-13-dependent signaling in a reporter cell system at a comparable level to that of the clinically approved anti-IL-4Rα dupilumab Ab analogue. Epitope mapping by alanine scanning mutagenesis revealed that 4R34.1.19 mainly bound to IL-4 binding sites on IL-4Rα with different epitopes from those of dupilumab analogue. Further, 4R34.1.19 efficiently inhibited IL-4-dependent proliferation of T cells among human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and suppressed the differentiation of naïve CD4+T cells from healthy donors and asthmatic patients into TH2 cells, the activities of which were comparable to those of dupilumab analogue. Our work demonstrates that both affinity and epitope are critical factors for the efficacy of anti-IL-4Rα antagonistic Abs.
Mood induction alters attention toward negative-positive stimulus pairs in sheep
Authors: Raoult Camille M. C. , Gygax Lorenz
Published: May 2019

Mood is a lasting affective state that influences motivation and decision-making by pre-shaping a subject’s expectations (pessimism/optimism). Mood states affect biases in judgment, memory, and attention. Due to a lack of verbal report, assessing mood in non-human animals is challenging and is often compromised by intense training sessions. Measuring mood using attentional biases can circumvent this problem, as it takes advantage of observing a spontaneous reaction. As in humans, we expected that negative mood will heighten attention toward negative compared to positive stimuli. Here, we validate measures of attention toward acoustic stimuli in sheep (N = 64) and assess sheep’s differential attention toward acoustic stimuli before and after mood induction (N = 32). Mood was induced by manipulating the environment. We used animal vocalizations (dog barking and sheep bleating as negative and positive stimuli, respectively) varying in intensity and played simultaneously from one side each, and measured lateral attention based on the sheep’s behavior. Overall results were somewhat ambiguous. Yet, negative mood sheep seemed to shift their attention more toward dog vocalizations when the stimulus pair was well balanced at baseline. Though some adaptations are still needed, our approach could be a promising alternative to measure animals’ mood without prior training.
Rationally designed 2D/2D SiC/g-C3N4 photocatalysts for hydrogen production
Authors: Xu Liang , Li Quan , Li Xiao-Fei , Long Meng-Qiu , Chen Tong , Peng Bojun , Wang Ling-Ling , Yang Youwen , Shuai Cijun
Published: May 2019

Visible-light driven photocatalytic hydrogen production from water is a hotspot in renewable energy.
Hierarchical multi-layered molybdenum carbide encapsulated oxidized carbon nanofiber for selective electrochemical detection of antimicrobial agents: inter-connected path in multi-layered structure for efficient electron transfer
Authors: Ramki Settu , Sukanya Ramaraj , Chen Shen-Ming , Sakthivel Mani
Published: May 2019

The schematic illustration for electrochemical sensing of MTZ at Mo2/C/f-CNF modified GCE.
Graphene tailored by Fe3O4 nanoparticles: low-adhesive and durable superhydrophobic coatings
Authors: Wu Muqiu , An Rong , Yadav Sudheer Kumar , Jiang Xiaohong
Published: May 2019

Strongly interactive graphene micro-sheets tailored by Fe3O4 nanoparticles exhibit low-adhesive and durable superhydrophobicity.
Formation of microparticles from amylose-grafted poly(γ-glutamic acid) networks obtained by thermostable phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization
Authors: Kadokawa Jun-ichi , Orio Saya , Yamamoto Kazuya
Published: May 2019

Thermostable phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization at 80 °C using a primer-grafted poly(γ-glutamic acid), followed by cooling at room temperature, induced the formation of microparticles.
A three-dimensional metal–organic framework for a guest-free ultra-low dielectric material
Authors: Xu W. , Yu S. S. , Zhang H. , Duan H. B.
Published: May 2019

A MOFs compound [NH2(CH3)2]2[Zn3(bpdc)4]·3DMF (1) shows two step dielectric relaxation and its guest-free framework (1′) possesses an ultra-low κ value of 1.80 (at 100 kHz) over a wide temperature range and high thermal stability.
Seismic Soil Structure interaction for Shear wall structures
Authors: Sadek Marwan , Hage Chehade Fadi , Ali Bassem , Arab Ahmed
Published: May 2019

For soft soil subjected to earthquake loading, the soil non linearity could significantly amplify the ground motion. This paper presents a 3D numerical study on the influence of soil non linearity on the seismic soil structure interaction for shear wall structures. Numerical simulations are conducted for both elastic and elastoplastic behaviour for the soil. Real ground motions records are used in the study. The analysis is focused on the seismic induced response of the soil and the structure in terms of displacement and velocity. The results show that considering elastic model for the soil behaviour is not sufficient and could significantly affect the seismic induced response of the system.
Behandlungsprinzipien: primäre vs. sekundäre Versorgung
Authors: Al-Sadi Onays , Kamin Konrad , Notov Dmitry , Kleber Christian , Schaser Klaus Dieter
Published: May 2019

Das Kniegelenk zählt zu den häufig verletzten Gelenkregionen. Neben knöchernen Verletzungen spielen Sehnen-, Band- und Knorpelschäden eine zentrale Rolle. Das Spektrum der Verletzungsmuster ist breit und reicht von einfachen Niedrigrasanztrauma bis hin zum polytraumtisierten Patienten. Kombinierte osteoligamentäre Verletzungen stellen auch für den erfahrenen Operateur eine große Herausforderung dar. Die Therapieentscheidung für eine primäre Ausversorgung oder früh-/spät-sekundäre Rekonstruktion ist von zahlreichen Faktoren abhängig. Für polytraumatisierte Patienten ist das Damage-Control-Konzept anzuwenden. Für die operative Versorgung stehen dem Operateur neben dem Fixateur externe eine Vielzahl an Osteosyntheseverfahren zur Auswahl (winkelstabile Systeme, minimalinvasive Systeme, intramedulläre Kräftträger), welche einzeln oder kombiniert zum Einsatz kommen können. Das Kompartmentsyndrom zählt zu den gefürchteten Komplikationen und muss unmittelbar durch eine Dermatofasciotomie behandelt werden. Bei ausgedehnten Weichteilschäden, die mit einer sekundären Lappenpflichtigkeit einhergehen können, ist eine zeitnahe Involvierung der plastischen Chirurgie zu empfehlen, um ein gemeinsames und abgestimmtes Rekonstruktionsmanagement zu etablieren.
Viel mehr als nur ein Spiel
Authors: Runge Laura Rebecca
Published: May 2019

Spiele ermöglichen es, sich ungezwungen auf Menschen einzulassen, gemeinsam Spaß zu haben und die Konzentrationsfähigkeit zu fördern. Welche Spiele sich dazu auf Station besonders eignen, hat unsere Autorin getestet.
Stimmenhören und Recovery: erfahrungsfokussierte Beratung mit Stimmenhörenden – ein Aufruf zu neuen und mutigen Beziehungen
Authors: Schnackenberg Joachim , Schumacher Barbara , Debesay Senait
Published: May 2019

Stimmenhören im Lebenskontext der Person zu verstehen, kann eine zentrale Ressource auf dem Recovery-Weg [1] darstellen. Damit dies Stimmenhörenden gelingt, ist eine neue Art von Begleitung durch Fachpersonen und Peers oft von großer Bedeutung. Im Vergleich zum bisher in der Psychiatrie vorherrschenden Verständnis von Stimmenhören braucht es dafür einen wirklichen paradigmatischen Wechsel. Wenn Stimmenhörende und Begleitpersonen es wagen, neue, möglichst angstfreie Beziehungen untereinander und mit den Stimmen einzugehen, dann sind manchmal überraschend schnelle Fortschritte möglich. Häufig braucht es aber auch ein liebevolles und hartnäckiges Dranbleiben für tiefere Entwicklungen. Der Mut von Fachpersonen, das Stimmenhören zu entpathologisieren und sich auf einen gemeinsamen Prozess des Verstehens einzulassen, kann Betroffenen die Kraft geben, immer mehr ihr eigenes Leben zu leben.
Data Privacy Compliant Validation of Health Insurance Claims Data: the IDOMENEO
Approach
Authors: Behrendt Christian-Alexander , Schwaneberg Thea , Hischke Sandra , Müller Tobias , Petersen Tom , Marschall Ursula , Debus Sebastian , Kriston Levente
Published: May 2019

Recently, health insurance claims have regained the attention of the scientific community as
a source of real-world evidence in health care research and quality improvement. To date, very
few studies are available which investigate the validity of health insurance claims; these may
be affected by bias from several sources, such as possible upcoding of co-morbidities and
complications for reimbursement advantages. The IDOMENEO study investigates the inpatient
treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) comprehensively using various data sources with
a consortium involving experts from health care research and data privacy, a large health
insurance fund, biostatisticians, jurists, and computer scientists. Prospective registry data
were collected from 30–40 vascular centres in Germany using the GermanVasc registry. In
addition, health insurance claims data were prospectively collected from BARMER, the second
largest health insurance fund in Germany. The consortium is currently developing a data privacy
compliant method of health insurance claims data validation, the methodological foundations of
which are described here.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural approach versus ERCP-guided transpapillary approach for primary decompression of malignant biliary obstruction: a meta-analysis
Authors: Bishay Kirles , Boyne Devon , Yaghoobi Mohammad , Khashab Mouen A. , Shorr Risa , Ichkhanian Yervant , Forbes Nauzer
Published: May 2019

Background Primary decompression in patients with malignant biliary obstruction can be achieved via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with transpapillary stenting, or, more recently, via transmural endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD). It is unclear whether either approach is superior in terms of clinical success or adverse events in the primary setting.

Methods A comprehensive systematic electronic search was performed for studies comparing EUS-BD and ERCP as the primary approach with respect to clinical success and any other outcome(s). Pooled relative risks (RRs) and weighted mean differences were obtained as appropriate using DerSimonian and Laird random effects models. Sensitivity analyses were also performed.

Results 5 out of 776 studies with a total of 396 patients were included. Overall clinical success was not significantly different between EUS-BD and ERCP (RR 0.98, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.93 to 1.03). There was no significant difference in overall adverse events (RR 0.84, 95 %CI 0.35 to 2.01), though results suggested that EUS-BD may be associated with a reduced risk of pancreatitis (RR 0.22, 95 %CI 0.05 to 1.02). There were no significant differences between EUS-BD and ERCP in terms of procedure time or the risk of stent occlusion.

Conclusions EUS-BD had similar clinical success rates and occlusion rates to ERCP in the primary decompression of malignant biliary obstruction from meta-analysis including a modest number of patients. EUS-BD may be a practical alternative to the ERCP-guided approach in such patients, but further well-designed prospective studies with larger numbers of patients are required to more clearly delineate potential differences in adverse events and cost.
Salvage Laparoscopic-Assisted Anorectoplasty after Failed Vestibular Fistula Repair Using Magnetic Resonance Image Guidance
Authors: Ralls Matthew W. , Fallon Brian P. , Ladino-Torres Maria , Ehrlich Peter F. , Jarboe Marcus D.
Published: May 2019

Patients with vestibular fistula have a good functional outcome after posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP). While continence is often preserved, close follow-up and management of constipation are often required. Redo anorectal surgery has been associated with worse functional outcomes compared with primary procedures, possibly due to injury and scarring of the pelvic floor musculature and sphincter complex. Our group has a growing experience in the use of intraoperative real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for anorectal malformation repairs. We present a case of salvage operation of a failed PSARP for vestibular fistula.
Powerpoint as a Useful Tool in Corrective Osteotomies Calculation—Case Report and Presentation of the Method
Authors: Pérez Daniela , Martins Mariana da Rocha Sousa Camello , del Valle Montserrat , Ferreres Ángel
Published: May 2019

Malunion or congenital disorders of the forearm might lead to biomechanical alterations and change the pronosupination motion. Occasionally, an osteotomy should be performed to correct this malalignment. Several techniques have been reported, especially 3D modeling, which is not yet widely used due to its cost. The traditional method is still mostly performed, but sometimes it may be difficult to do the preplanning. In this paper, we explain an easy method, called “giro point” technique, to perform the calculation of osteotomies using commercially available software. We present six clinical cases with good functional results, in which the calculation was performed using this method. The method is easy to follow, with adequate surgical-radiological correlation.
Isolated Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction Can Be an Effective Procedure in Patellofemoral Instability with Risk Factors
Authors: Blanke Fabian , Watermann Kathrin , Haenle Maximilian , Feitenhansl Andreas , Camathias Carlo , Vogt Stephan
Published: May 2019

Patellofemoral instability is a severe problem in young and active patients. This pathology is influenced by ligamentous, bony, and neuromuscular parameters. The reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) evolved to a primary procedure, but combined procedures were more frequently performed in the past years. However, additional operative procedures are associated with increased morbidity and no absolute indication can be identified in the literature. This study is intended to clarify whether addressing only ligamentous influence factors (MPFL) in chronic patellofemoral instability is sufficient to produce good clinical outcomes, or whether other risk factors influence the results negatively and should also be treated at some point. In 52 patients with chronic patellofemoral instability patellar height according to Caton-Deschamps, trochlear dysplasia according to Dejour, the leg axis, the femoral antetorsion, tibial tubercle (TT)–trochlear groove, and TT–posterior cruciate ligament distance were evaluated. All patients were treated with isolated MPFL reconstruction. After a minimum follow-up period of 24 months (24–36 months), the clinical outcome results were calculated using the scoring system according to Lysholm and Tegner. Correlation between clinical outcome scores and anatomic risk factors were calculated. The analysis was performed using a standard statistical software package (JMP version 12, SAS Institute, Cary, NC). The average postoperative Lysholm score increased significantly from 57.23 ± 19.9 to 85.9 ± 17.2 points (p < 0.0001) after isolated MPFL reconstruction. Moreover, the Tegner and Lysholm scores significantly improved both in patients without and with different risk factors postoperative. There were no significant differences in the outcome sores between the groups. Even the degree of trochlear dysplasia (types I–III) did not influence the results. Finally, there was no significant correlation found between all collected risk factors and the postoperative outcome scores. Isolated MPFL reconstruction can be an effective procedure in patients with patellofemoral instability and mild to moderate risk factors.
Analytical elastoplastic analysis of heteroepitaxial core-shell nanowires
Authors: Arjmand M. , Benjamin C. , Szlufarska I.
Published: May 2019

Semiconductor nanowires, grown heteroepitaxially, have many unique properties compared to heteroepitaxial thin films: e.g., the possibility of lateral relaxation, high surface to volume ratio and lower strain energy. While the onset of plastic deformation in flat thin films has been studied extensively, much less is understood about this phenomenon in the nanowire geometry. Here, we report development of a continuum analytical model that predicts not only the onset of plastic deformation for core-shell structures with anisotropic slip system, but also the evolution of stress and strain fields beyond the initial yield. This is the first analytical elastoplastic study of heteroepitaxial core-shell nanowires. Our model is verified against finite element simulations. To illustrate trends predicted by the model, we choose InGaAs for core-shell system as an example. We find that most energetically favorable positions for formation of the first dislocations in the heterostructure have misorientation of 0, π/2, π, and 3/2π from the principal slip planes in zinc-blend structures. We demonstrate that anisotropy in slip systems of the heterostructure reduces the critical misfit strain. Finally, we find that there is a critical ratio (χ) of shell thickness to core radius that maximizes the thickness of the elastoplastic region. This critical ratio is independent of geometry and depends only on material properties such as elastic moduli and yield strength of the heterostructure.
ZnO2/ZnO bilayer switching film for making fully transparent analog memristor devices
Authors: Simanjuntak Firman Mangasa , Chandrasekaran Sridhar , Lin Chun-Chieh , Tseng Tseung-Yuen
Published: May 2019

Hydrogen peroxide treatment induces the phase transformation of hexagonal ZnO to cubic ZnO2 on the surface of the ZnO switching memory film; this oxidation process effectively reduces the concentration of n-type donor defects (oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials) in the switching film. The chemically oxidized ZnO2 layer not only lowers the operation current of the device but also can serve as an oxygen “bank” to improve the endurance of the memristor. The oxidation reaction of peroxide treatment can be easily controlled to achieve an analog behavior with good switching uniformity. The analog memristor device is able to perform two-bit per cell and synaptic operations. Based on the experimental synaptic data, an image processing of 7 × 9 pixels using a simulated artificial neural network comprises 63 synapses is evaluated to mimic the visual cortex function of the brain.
Defect induced co-polarization broadband metamaterial absorber
Authors: Sy Tuan Tran , Thi Quynh Hoa Nguyen
Published: May 2019

We propose a simple and new approach to design the broadband metamaterial absorber (MA) based on FR-4 substrate. The defected resonant patch of symmetry MA unit cell has been conceived to achieve the broadband absorbance. The simulated results demonstrate that the defected absorber structure exhibits the co-polarization broadband absorption response with absorptivity higher than 90% in the range of 4.0 - 6.0 GHz and the relative absorption bandwidth (RAB) of 40% for normal incidence. Furthermore, the defected structure can maintain the absorbance above 80% for oblique incidence up to 50° under both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations. The compact structure (unit cell dimension of ∼λ/5.5 and thickness of ∼λ/20.8 with respect to the lower resonant frequency) and co-polarization broadband absorption with wide incident angle insensitivity of the absorber design based on defect make it suitable for defense system applications. Furthermore, this approach can be used to design co-polarization broadband absorbers in the terahertz, infrared and optical frequencies.
Magnetic properties and structure of Gd-implanted
L1 FePt thin films
Authors: Hintermayr J. , Safonova N. Y. , Ullrich A. , Albrecht M.
Published: May 2019

In this study, we have investigated the effect of Gd implantation on composition, chemical order, and magnetic properties of 20 nm thick L10 ordered FePt thin films. We show that upon Gd implantation at 30 keV even a small amount of 1 at. % is sufficient to destroy the L10 order, resulting in a soft magnetic A1 FePt alloy, with the exception of a thin L10 ordered layer located at the film/substrate interface. Additionally, a strong resputter effect is observed which results in a large decrease in film thickness as well as to a reduction in Fe content in the FePt alloy. Post-annealing of samples in Ar atmosphere did not result in a restoration of the L10 order, but leads to a transformation to pure Pt and Fe2O3, facilitated by the presence of a high density of vacancies induced by the implantation process.
Street Gangs: A Multiple Marginality Perspective
Authors: Vigil James Diego
Published: May 2019

Poverty is the central reason for the rise of street gangs throughout the contemporary world; poor people live in older, rundown areas and labor in the lowest paid jobs. The framework of “multiple marginality” is used to reflect these developments and their persistence over time, especially relying on qualitative time frames and insights. As a holistic or multidimensional overview, multiple marginality provides the basis for how and why macro (historical) forces are related to and shape meso (family, school) developments, which lead to micro (personal) outcomes.

The multiple marginality framework helps us to dissect and analyze the ways place/status undermine and exacerbate social, cultural, and psychological problems. There are striking similarities among place/status factors found in various ethnic groups, which contribute to the promotion of favored public policies and to concerted actions. With such policies and programs, we can assist and shape the future of families who, until now, have lost out. We can restructure and improve schools, which have obviously fallen short. Finally, we can develop partnerships to integrate peoples and communities into new criminal justice strategies that will help encourage youth to respect society and its laws, because respect is tendered to them in kind.
Autonomic Regulation of Penile Erection
Authors: Andersson K-E
Published: May 2019

Penile erection is a part of the human male sexual response, involving desire, excitation (erection), orgasm (ejaculation), and resolution, and autonomic nerves are involved in all phases. Autonomic innervation of smooth-muscle cells of the erectile tissue is provided by the cavernous nerve. Motor and sensory innervation is derived from the pudendal nerves and their terminal branches, that is, the dorsal nerves of the penis, which carry impulses from receptors harbored in the penile skin, prepuce, and glans. Erection begins with an increased flow in the pudendal arteries and dilatation of the cavernous arteries and helicine arterioles in association with relaxation of the smooth muscles of the trabecular network, causing engorgement of blood in the corpora. This leads to compression of subtunical venules by the resistant tunica albuginea and erection. During detumescence these events are reversed.
Visual and Screen-Based Research Methodologies
Authors: Mees Cleo , Murray Tom
Published: May 2019

Visual and screen-based research practices have a long history in social-science, humanities, education, and creative-arts based disciplines as methods of qualitative research. While approaches may vary substantially across visual anthropology, sociology, history, media, or cultural studies, in each case visual research technologies, processes, and materials are employed to elicit knowledge that may elude purely textual discursive forms. As a growing body of visual and screen-based research has made previously-latent aspects of the world explicit, there has been a concomitant appreciation that visual practices are multisensory and must also be situated within a broader exploration of embodied knowledge and multisensory (beyond the visual) research practice. As audio-visual projects such as Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel's Leviathan (2013), Rithy Panh's S-21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine (2003), and Margaret Loescher’s Cameras at the Addy (2003) all demonstrate, screen-based research practices are both modes of, and routes to, knowledge. These projects also demonstrate ways in which screen-based visual research may differ from research exclusively delivered in written form, most specifically in their capacity to document and audio-visually represent intersubjective, embodied, affective, and dynamic relationships between researchers and the subjects of their research. Increasingly, as a range of fields reveal that the incorporative body works as an integrated “perceptive field” as it processes sensory stimuli, visual and screen-based research practices will fulfil an important role in facilitating scholarly access to intuitive, affective, embodied, and analytical comprehension.
STEM Education
Authors: Ritchie Stephen M.
Published: May 2019

STEM education in schools has become the subject of energetic promotion by universities and policymakers. The mythical narrative of STEM in crisis has driven policy to promote STEM education throughout the world in order to meet the challenges of future workforce demands alongside an obsession with high-stakes testing for national and international comparisons as a proxy for education quality. Unidisciplinary emphases in the curriculum have failed to deliver on the goal to attract more students to pursue STEM courses and careers or to develop sophisticated STEM literacies. A radical shift in the curriculum toward integrated STEM education through multidisciplinary/ interdisciplinary/ transdisciplinary projects is required to meet future challenges. Project-based activities that engage students in solving real-world problems requiring multiple perspectives and skills that are authentically assessed by autonomous professional teachers are needed. Governments and non-government sponsors should support curriculum development with teachers, and their continuing professional development in this process. Integrating STEM with creative expression from the arts shows promise at engaging students and developing their STEM literacies. Research into the efficacy of such projects is necessary to inform authorities and teachers of possibilities for future developments. Foci for further research also are identified.
Teacher Education in México
Authors: Hamann Edmund T. , Sánchez García Juan , Amparo López López Yara
Published: May 2019

While teaching and therefore teacher education in Mexico can, in one sense, be traced back to pre-Conquest Aztec military academies, the first significant expansion of Western-style schooling in Mexico occurred in the early 19th century, while the first substantial national efforts at teacher education date to the Porfiriato in the late 19th century. In the 100-plus-year history of teacher education in Mexico, attention has been episodic, has often reflected national refractions of ideas originating elsewhere, and has been centrally intertwined with national governmental efforts to shape what it means to be Mexican. Variously, teacher education has been buffeted by attempts to be Catholic, modern, secular, socialist, neoliberal, and globally competitive economically. In all of this, there has been a tension between centralist (focusing on Mexico City) and nationalist impulses, on the one hand (making teaching patriotic work and the teachers’ union part of the national government), and attention to regional variations, including Mexico’s indigenous populations, rural populations, and economic diversity, on the other. While Mexico’s more than two million teachers may all work in the same country, where one is trained (i.e., which escuela normal, or normal school), where one works (from public schools in affluent and stable neighborhoods to rural telesecundarias where resources are scarce and teachers are not expected to be content area experts), how many shifts one works (it is common for Mexican educators to work at more than one school to compensate for limited salary), which state one works in (funding varies significantly by state), and what in-service professional development one has access to all mean for variations in teacher preparation and teacher praxis.
Culturally Responsive Classroom Management
Authors: Milner H. Richard
Published: May 2019

Classroom management remains a serious concern for educators in both pre-service and in-service realms. A mostly white teaching force may struggle to teach students who are very different from themselves. These differences can make it difficult for teachers to understanding cultural differences and conflicts as they emerge in the classroom, and students may suffer. Culturally responsive classroom management provides a framework for educators to build knowledge, mindsets, attitudes, dispositions, and practices necessary for academic and social success. Elements of classroom management to advance and support teaching practices that meet the needs of students are worthwhile to explore.
Critical Race Theory and Qualitative Methodology in Education
Authors: Parker Laurence
Published: May 2019

Since its inception in the United States, critical race theory (CRT) has had a methodological link to qualitative research methods per se. Through the use of counter-story and counter-narratives, CRT in law was formed as a way to critique formal traditional legal reasoning by interjecting the racialized reality of how law was conceived and operationalized to justify a political and economic system of racial capitalism. As CRT moved into other fields such as education, researchers saw its utility as a methodological framework to critique the ways in which racial ideology, policies, and practice served to discriminate against students of color in primary, secondary, and higher education both in the United States, the United Kingdom and other global contexts. This chapter highlights these major trends and speculates as to future directions for critical race theory and qualitative research methodology in education.
The Early History of Delhi
Authors: Singh Upinder
Published: May 2019

Delhi’s past begins in the stone age; this is evident from the stone tools found as surface finds at many places and the excavated site of Anangpur. Remains of the protohistoric period have been unearthed at Bhorgarh and Mandoli. Ashoka’s Minor Rock Edict I indicates that Maurya influence extended into this area. Sites such as the Purana Qila reveal a cultural sequence extending from the early historic to the medieval period. The medieval remains of the Qutb complex include a Gupta-period pillar, many aspects of which remain enigmatic. Remains of the Rajput and early Sultanate phase have been found at Lal Kot. Although the details provided by the textual, archaeological, epigraphic and numismatic evidence are sparse, they help outline the history of rural and urban settlements in the Delhi area long before it became an important political center.
A Pragmatic View of Practice in International Relations
Authors: Kratochwil Friedrich
Published: May 2019

The recent turn to practices in international relations has been touted as a decisive step to provide a comprehensive theory of the field, comparable to the discovery of the “gluon” that revolutionized particle physics. More moderate arguments stress however that making the way we act the center of attention is preferable to having our research agenda set by methodological questions or metatheoretical issues, which gave the great theoretical debates in the field an often ethereal quality. This focus on international practices and the institutions to which they give rise promises to provide the “relevant” knowledge for decision makers as well as for the attentive public. Aside from the usual utilitarian considerations this, argument also calls attention to the fact that not everything that may be true is practically useful, feasible, or allowed. Those questions are of special importance in disciplines that deal with questions of praxis, where issues of the “should” and “ought,” of responsibility and commitment, weigh in heavily and which cannot be reduced to “what happens” by necessity, or “mostly”, or “frequently,” as evidenced by observations (made under ideal conditions, as in experiments, or by inductive inference from a big data set).

To that extent it is somewhat surprising that this “turn” to practice bases its claims on its alleged ability to furnish us with a better theory and provide answers to what “really is”, as specified by the usual epistemological criteria accepted by the mainstream in political science. At the same time, this “turn” pays scant attention to the proprium of “action” that takes place in time and specific contingencies, under strategic conditions characterized by uncertainty (not only by “risk” where we at least must know or correctly guess the distribution of cases) and the possibility of genuine perspective-dissolving surprises (e.g., 9/11 or the fall of the wall in Berlin, or the financial meltdown). Action also frequently has detrimental consequences for others, or involves making choices for others (patients, clients, citizens), so shrugging off problems that impose special duties on actors is hardly possible. The perspective on the “observable,” or what “is,” which is supposed to disclose itself to an unengaged observer and can be used as a criterion for acting and for assessing the actions of others when vetted by the standards of a good theory, therefore seems to be highly problematic.

Whatever we may believe and on whichever side we come down in the end, it is important to be aware of the various philosophical issues and conceptual difficulties that such an assessment requires. It cannot be short-circuited by simple “assumptions” (as “rational” as they might be), or by relying on dubious conceptual stretches, unexamined analogies, or the “kindness of strangers” in our networks.
Congo/Zaire-US Relations
Authors: Namikas Lise
Published: May 2019

At the dawn of the 20th century, the region that would become the Democratic Republic of Congo fell to the brutal colonialism of Belgium’s King Leopold. Except for a brief moment when anti-imperialists decried the crimes of plantation slavery, the United States paid little attention to Congo before 1960. But after winning its independence from Belgium in June 1960, Congo suddenly became engulfed in a crisis of decolonization and the Cold War, a time when the United States and the Soviet Union competed for resources and influence. The confrontation in Congo was kept limited by a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force, which ended the secession of the province of Katanga in 1964. At the same time, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) intervened to help create a pro-Western government and eliminate the Congo’s first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. Ironically, the result would be a growing reliance on the dictatorship of Joseph Mobutu throughout the 1980s. In 1997 a rebellion succeeded in toppling Mobutu from power. Since 2001 President Joseph Kabila has ruled Congo. The United States has supported long-term social and economic growth but has kept its distance while watching Kabila fight internal opponents and insurgents in the east. A UN peacekeeping force returned to Congo and helped limit unrest. Despite serving out two full terms that ended in 2016, Kabila was slow to call elections amid rising turmoil.
OPEC, International Oil, and the United States
Authors: Brew Gregory
Published: May 2019

After World War II, the United States backed multinational private oil companies known as the “Seven Sisters”—five American companies (including Standard Oil of New Jersey and Texaco), one British (British Petroleum), and one Anglo-Dutch (Shell)—in their efforts to control Middle East oil and feed rising demand for oil products in the West. In 1960 oil-producing states in Latin America and the Middle East formed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to protest what they regarded as the inequitable dominance of the private oil companies. Between 1969 and 1973 changing geopolitical and economic conditions shifted the balance of power from the Seven Sisters to OPEC. Following the first “oil shock” of 1973–1974, OPEC assumed control over the production and price of oil, ending the rule of the companies and humbling the United States, which suddenly found itself dependent upon OPEC for its energy security. Yet this dependence was complicated by a close relationship between the United States and major oil producers such as Saudi Arabia, which continued to adopt pro-US strategic positions even as they squeezed out the companies. Following the Iranian Revolution (1978–1979), the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), and the First Iraq War (1990–1991), the antagonism that colored US relations with OPEC evolved into a more comfortable, if wary, recognition of the new normal, where OPEC supplied the United States with crude oil while acknowledging the United States’ role in maintaining the security of the international energy system.
West Africa and US Foreign Relations
Authors: Deets Mark W.
Published: May 2019

Since the founding of the United States of America, coinciding with the height of the Atlantic slave trade, U.S. officials have based their relations with West Africa primarily on economic interests. Initially, these interests were established on the backs of slaves, as the Southern plantation economy quickly vaulted the United States to prominence in the Atlantic world. After the U.S. abolition of the slave trade in 1808, however, American relations with West Africa focused on the establishment of the American colony of Liberia as a place of “return” for formerly enslaved persons. Following the turn to “legitimate commerce” in the Atlantic and the U.S. Civil War, the United States largely withdrew from large-scale interaction with West Africa. Liberia remained the notable exception, where prominent Pan-African leaders like Edward Blyden, W. E. B. DuBois, and Marcus Garvey helped foster cultural and intellectual ties between West Africa and the Diaspora in the early 1900s. These ties to Liberia were deepened in the 1920s when Firestone Rubber Corporation of Akron, Ohio established a long-term lease to harvest rubber. World War II marked a significant increase in American presence and influence in West Africa. Still focused on Liberia, the war years saw the construction of infrastructure that would prove essential to Allied war efforts and to American security interests during the Cold War. After 1945, the United States competed with the Soviet Union in West Africa for influence and access to important economic and national security resources as African nations ejected colonial regimes across most of the continent. West African independence quickly demonstrated a turn from nationalism to ethnic nationalism, as civil wars engulfed several countries in the postcolonial, and particularly the post-Cold War, era. After a decade of withdrawal, American interest in West Africa revived with the need for alternative sources of petroleum and concerns about transnational terrorism following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Environmental and Personal Protective Equipment Contamination during Simulated Healthcare Activities
Authors: Weber Rachel T , Phan Linh T , Fritzen-Pedicini Charissa , Jones Rachael M
Published: May 2019

Providing care to patients with an infectious disease can result in the exposure of healthcare workers (HCWs) to pathogen-containing bodily fluids. We performed a series of experiments to characterize the magnitude of environmental contamination—in air, on surfaces and on participants—associated with seven common healthcare activities. The seven activities studied were bathing, central venous access, intravenous access, intubation, physical examination, suctioning and vital signs assessment. HCWs with experience in one or more activities were recruited to participate and performed one to two activities in the laboratory using task trainers that contained or were contaminated with fluorescein-containing simulated bodily fluid. Fluorescein was quantitatively measured in the air and on seven environmental surfaces. Fluorescein was quantitatively and qualitatively measured on the personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by participants. A total of 39 participants performed 74 experiments, involving 10–12 experimental trials for each healthcare activity. Healthcare activities resulted in diverse patterns and levels of contamination in the environment and on PPE that are consistent with the nature of the activity. Glove and gown contamination were ubiquitous, affirming the value of wearing these pieces of PPE to protect HCW’s clothing and skin. Though intubation and suctioning are considered aerosol-generating procedures, fluorescein was detected less frequently in air and at lower levels on face shields and facemasks than other activities, which suggests that the definition of aerosol-generating procedure may need to be revised. Face shields may protect the face and facemask from splashes and sprays of bodily fluids and should be used for more healthcare activities.
Efficacy of afatinib treatment for lung adenocarcinoma harboring exon 18 delE709_T710insD mutation
Authors: Iwamoto Yoshitaka , Ichihara Eiki , Hara Naofumi , Nakasuka Takamasa , Ando Chihiro , Umeno Takahiro , Hirabae Atsuko , Maeda Yoshinobu , Kiura Katsuyuki
Published: May 2019

Exon 18 delE709_T710insD is an extremely rare mutation in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); the efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors against this mutation remains unclear. In this case report, we report a case of NSCLC harboring EGFR exon 18 delE709_T710insD that was not detected by a commercially available assay, but was detected by a next-generation sequencing cancer panel. A 56-year old female patient with advanced NSCLC was diagnosed as EGFR-mutation-negative using the PNAClamp method. ALK rearrangement was also absent and she received cytotoxic chemotherapies. Clinical characteristics, including adenocarcinoma histology and no history of smoking, implied the presence of a driver mutation, so a next-generation-sequencing Oncomine® Cancer Research Panel was conducted in the patient’s clinical course and the EGFR exon 18 delE709_T710insD mutation was detected. The patient started afatinib as sixth-line treatment and her pulmonary lesion significantly decreased in size. Afatinib was continued for 7 months until disease progressed.
Identification of Forensically Important Flesh Flies Using the Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunits I and II Genes
Authors: Jafari Samin , Oshaghi Mohammad Ali , Akbarzadeh Kamran , Abai Mohammad Reza , Koosha Mona , Mohtarami Fatemeh
Published: May 2019

Forensically important flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) often are not morphologically distinguishable, especially at the immature stage. In addition, female flies are quite similar in general morphology, making accurate identifications difficult. DNA-based technologies, particularly mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), have been used for species-level identification. The cytochrome oxidase subunits I and II (COI-COII) sequences of Iranian Sarcophagidae are still unavailable in GenBank. In this study as many as 648 (540 males and 106 females) fly specimens from family Sarcophagidae, representing 10 sarcophagid species, including eight forensically important species were collected from seven locations in five Iranian provinces. Of these, 150 male specimens were identified based on both morphology of male genitalia and DNA sequencing analysis. Sequence data from the COI-COII regions for 10 flesh fly species collected in Iran were generated for the first time. Digestion of COI-COII region by restriction enzymes RsaI, EcoRV, and HinfI provided distinct restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles among the species and can serve as molecular markers for species determination. Phylogenetic analysis represented that the COI-COII sequences are helpful for delimitation of sarcophagid species and implementation in forensic entomology. However, the application of the COI-COII fragment as a species identifier requires great caution and additional species and markers should be studied to ensure accurate species identification in the future.
Primacy of Reality
Authors: Sergio Gamonal C. , Rosado Marzán César F.
Published: May 2019

Chapter 3 describes the principle of primacy of reality in Latin America, namely, in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. The principle is also contained in the International Labor Organization’s Recommendation 198. The principle posits that facts must be given preference over what parties, particularly employers, state in legal texts, documents, and agreements. It is particularly important when determining threshold questions in labor law, such as employee and employer status. While employers might deny an employment relationship given a formal agreement to hire workers as independent contractors, the facts might show otherwise. However, the chapter also argues that primacy of reality depends on the principle of protection and in dubio pro operario to resolve questions when the facts are not dispositive given vague or missing rules. The chapter then searches primacy of reality in the United States and finds it in various employment tests, such as the common law control test. It is also finds it in employer tests of joint employer status. However, many of those tests remain vague, requiring supplementation with the U.S. versions of in dubio pro operario, i.e., liberal construction of the statutes that derogate the common law, and with legislative purpose. Primacy of reality makes it even more important for legal operators to be cognizant of labor law principles and, principally, the protective principle.