bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adoption of renewable energy technologies in Mexico
Authors: Reyes-Mercado Pável , Rajagopal Rajagopal
Published: September 2017

Purpose

This research aims to analyse cognitive factors, innovation attributes and their influence on adoption of solar renewable energy technologies (RETs) for urban households in Mexico. It expands existing cognitive frameworks by including variables from diffusion of innovation theory.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of the data of 291 urban consumers and through the use of partial least squares (PLS), the proposed model was empirically tested. Finite mixture PLS method helped identify two market segments.

Findings

Findings suggest that beliefs about consequences of adopting RETs have significant influence in shaping consumer’s attitudes towards RETs which were found to be an accurate predictor of the behavioural intention to adopt these technologies. Regarding innovation attributes, the results show that for a solar heater to be adopted, it should be compatible with the social values of the consumer. Triability and relative advantage show little influence on attitude formation. Two market segments found differ on the basis of beliefs and attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to analyse consumer responses to solar energy in residential urban settings.

Practical implications

Organizations wanting to increase their consumer base need to develop sound technological innovations with high levels of compatibility a low complexity.

Originality/value

The study combines diffusion of innovation theory with cognitive frameworks and finds that innovation attributes become strong predictors of intentions to adopt RETs.
Fostering of innovation within green growth industries
Authors: Kavin Lone , Stentoft Jan
Published: September 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse how the political, relational and institutional contexts of the offshore wind industry affect supply-network-enabled innovation (SNEI) and to identify significant possibilities for obtaining the overall target of reducing the cost of producing energy based on the offshore wind industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an embedded single-case study, the contextual conditions of SNEI within the relatively immature offshore wind energy industry are investigated.

Findings

The national system of innovation only affects product innovation within the industry. Process innovation, which is needed to make the industry grow and mature, seems lesser supported. Different levels of maturity exist among the actors within the industry, which creates barriers for SNEI. To help the offshore wind industry grow, the educational and research system can promote integration of companies by helping the actors to design best practices and manage their business processes according to some generic goals and practices. Additionally, the political system must provide clearer intentions for a sustainable future.

Practical implications

This paper provides insights into how SNEI can be applied within the Danish offshore wind industry to foster competitive advantages against energy recovered based on fossil fuels.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the rather immature field of research on SNEI with empirical data from a network of companies. Furthermore, it adds to the emerging research area of political-initiated development of renewable energy sources.
The role of transformational leadership in workplace bullying
Authors: Tuckey Michelle R. , Li Yiqiong , Chen Peter Y.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of transformational leadership on the relationship between job characteristics of both leaders and followers and workplace bullying within the workgroup. The central hypotheses were that, in a process of resource erosion, leaders’ task demands would be positively associated with workplace bullying in the workgroup, but that transformational leadership would moderate this effect, and the effect of followers’ autonomy on bullying.

Design/methodology/approach

Anonymous surveys were completed by 540 volunteer fire-fighters’ from 68 fire brigades and, separately, by 68 brigade captains.

Findings

The multi-level analyses show that leaders’ task demands positively predicted both bullying outcomes, after controlling for followers’ emotional demands and autonomy. Of most interest, transformational leadership moderated the influence of leaders’ task demands and followers’ autonomy on workplace bullying assessed by two approaches: self-labeling and behavioral experience. Further, a significant three-way interaction demonstrated that transformational leadership is actually associated with higher bullying as followers’ emotional demands increase under conditions wherein followers’ autonomy is constrained, but not when followers’ autonomy is high.

Practical implications

This study offers important practical implications in terms of leadership development in bullying prevention and reduction. For transformational leadership to be effective in reducing bullying at work, the situation must be matched to support this leadership style, or bullying could actually increase.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the research on workplace bullying by advancing the understanding of organizational factors that can influence bullying at work. The study also provides the first quantitative evidence of a relationship between the demands faced by leaders and the bullying experienced by members of the workgroup.
An alternating combination of art and science: the legacy of Eric Broekaert illuminated in the honorary doctorate for Alain Platel
Authors: Van Hove Geert , De Schauwer Elisabeth , Platel Alain
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to search for connections rather than particularisation, for two exceptional figures: Broekaert and Platel, and to explore the intersections between science and art, art and science.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper the authors work with a bricolage of possible lines and layers in a complex web of stories associated with the life story, career and private life of Eric Broekaert and of Alain Platel.

Findings

Broekaert felt the need to look for methods which had been tested in accordance with the models of hard science. In addition, and in alternating combinations, he searched for deeper layers via etymology, history, philosophy and art. Orthopedagogics as a righteous search for a good/happy life. For Platel, the choreographer of Ballets C de la B, accepting the imperfect/unfinished/abnormal brought the world of orthopedagogics and his work with dancers closer together. The “suffering”, the “abnormal” and the fear and aversion to these, the beautiful/poetic in what is different, looking at the abnormal and wanting to be looked at … are all questions which arise and connect orthopedagogics as a science with Platel’s productions. Platel poses the question: in what world do we want to live?

Originality/value

The authors need Eric Broekaert, Alain Platel and their work as a source of inspiration and as a bridge to new, not yet enough discovered ways of looking at “difference”.
Hormone‐secreting adrenal tumours cause severe hypertension and high rates of poor pregnancy outcome; a UK Obstetric Surveillance System study with case control comparisons
Authors: Quartermaine G , Lambert K , Rees K , Seed PT , Dhanjal MK , Knight M , McCance DR , Williamson C
Published: September 2017

Objective

To examine the management and outcomes of adrenal tumours in pregnancy.

Design

A national observational, cohort study over 4 years using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS).

Setting

Consultant‐led obstetric units.

Patients

Women with phaeochromocytoma, primary aldosteronism or Cushing's syndrome diagnosed before or during pregnancy.

Methods

Clinical features of UKOSS cases were compared with those of women with adrenal tumours reported from 1985–2015. Nested case‐control comparisons involving the UKOSS cases as well as those identified in the literature were performed for pregnancy outcome data using UKOSS controls with uncomplicated singleton (n = 2250) pregnancy and data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Main outcome measures

Incidence, management and frequency of adverse maternal and offspring outcomes of adrenal tumours in pregnancy.

Results

Fifteen pregnant women met the inclusion criteria: ten phaeochromocytoma, three primary aldosteronism and two Cushing's syndrome. All of the tumours had an incidence rate <2 per 100 000 pregnancies. Clinical symptoms were similar to those in non‐pregnant women due to the hormones released. All women had severe hypertension, and in those diagnosed in pregnancy prior to conception. There was a significantly increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in affected women, with increased rates of stillbirth, preterm labour and operative delivery.

Conclusions

Adrenal tumours are associated with increased risks for pregnant women and their babies. Data on these tumours to inform practice are limited and international collaborative efforts are likely to be needed.

Tweetable abstract

Study of hormone‐secreting adrenal tumours in pregnancy linked with high BP and high rates of fetal morbidity.
Digital health technology and diabetes management
Authors: Cahn Avivit , Akirov Amit , Raz Itamar
Published: September 2017

Diabetes care is largely dependent on patient self‐management and empowerment, given that patients with diabetes must make numerous daily decisions as to what to eat, when to exercise, and determine their insulin dose and timing if required. In addition, patients and providers are generating vast amounts of data from many sources, including electronic medical records, insulin pumps, sensors, glucometers, and other wearables, as well as evolving genomic, proteomic, metabolomics, and microbiomic data. Multiple digital tools and apps have been developed to assist patients to choose wisely, and to enhance their compliance by using motivational tools and incorporating incentives from social media and gaming techniques. Healthcare teams (HCTs) and health administrators benefit from digital developments that sift through the enormous amounts of patient‐generated data. Data are acquired, integrated, analyzed, and presented in a self‐explanatory manner, highlighting important trends and items that require attention. The use of decision support systems may propose data‐driven actions that, for the most, require final approval by the patient or physician before execution and, once implemented, may improve patient outcomes. The digital diabetes clinic aims to incorporate all digital patient data and provide individually tailored virtual or face‐to‐face visits to those persons who need them most. Digital diabetes care has demonstrated only modest HbA1c reduction in multiple studies and borderline cost‐effectiveness, although patient satisfaction appears to be increased. Better understanding of the barriers to digital diabetes care and identification of unmet needs may yield improved utilization of this evolving technology in a safe, effective, and cost‐saving manner.
The joint influence of financial risk perception and risk tolerance on individual investment decision‐making
Authors: Nguyen Linh , Gallery Gerry , Newton Cameron
Published: September 2017

The increasing complexity of the investment environment has accelerated the need for better quality financial advice services. Central to quality advice is advisers’ accurate assessment of their clients’ risk characteristics. Typically a client's risk characteristic is assessed by measuring the client's risk tolerance but not risk perception. To assess whether this practice fails to fully capture the client's risk profile, we explore both risk tolerance and risk perception in the investment decision‐making context. Using Australian online survey data of financial adviser clients (n = 364), our results reveal that risk tolerance influences risky‐asset allocation directly and indirectly through risk perception. These results thus clarify the joint role of both risk constructs in the investment making decision and highlight the importance of assessing both in the provision of client financial advice services. Importantly, our results validate a new comprehensive risk perception measure applicable in the financial advice context.
Cafeteria diet induces neuroplastic modifications in the nucleus accumbens mediated by microglia activation
Authors: Gutiérrez‐Martos Miriam , Girard Benoit , Mendonça‐Netto Sueli , Perroy Julie , Valjent Emmanuel , Maldonado Rafael , Martin Miquel
Published: September 2017

High‐palatable and caloric foods are widely overconsumed due to hedonic mechanisms that prevail over caloric necessities leading to overeating and overweight. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain area modulating the reinforcing effects of palatable foods and is crucially involved in the development of eating disorders. We describe that prolonged exposure to high‐caloric chocolate cafeteria diet leads to overeating and overweight in mice. NAc functionality was altered in these mice, presenting structural plasticity modifications in medium spiny neurons, increased expression of neuroinflammatory factors and activated microglia, and abnormal responses after amphetamine‐induced hyperlocomotion. Chronic inactivation of microglia normalized these neurobiological and behavioural alterations exclusively in mice exposed to cafeteria diet. Our data suggest that prolonged exposure to cafeteria diet produces neuroplastic and functional changes in the NAc that can modify feeding behaviour. Microglia activation and neuroinflammation play an important role in the development of these neurobiological alterations.
Neural mechanisms of extinguishing drug and pleasant cue associations in human addiction: role of the VMPFC
Authors: Konova Anna B. , Parvaz Muhammad A. , Bernstein Vladimir , Zilverstand Anna , Moeller Scott J. , Delgado Mauricio R. , Alia‐Klein Nelly , Goldstein Rita Z.
Published: September 2017

The neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the resistance of drug cue associations to extinction in addiction remain unknown. Fear extinction critically depends on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Here, we tested if this same region plays a role in extinction of non‐fear, drug and pleasant cue associations. Eighteen chronic cocaine users and 15 matched controls completed three functional MRI scans. Participants first learned to associate an abstract cue (the conditioned stimulus, CS) with a drug‐related (CSD+) or pleasant (CSP+) image. Extinction immediately followed where each CS was repeatedly presented without the corresponding image. Participants underwent a second identical session 24 hours later to assess retention of extinction learning. Results showed that like fear extinction, non‐fear‐based extinction relies on the VMPFC. However, extinction‐related changes in the VMPFC differed by cue valence and diagnosis. In controls, VMPFC activation to the CSD+ (which was unpleasant for participants) gradually increased as in fear extinction, while it decreased to the CSP+, consistent with a more general role of the VMPFC in flexible value updating. Supporting a specific role in extinction retention, we further observed a cross‐day association between VMPFC activation and skin conductance, a classic index of conditioned responses. Finally, cocaine users showed VMPFC abnormalities for both CSs, which, in the case of the CSD+, correlated with craving. These data suggest a global deficit in extinction learning in this group that may hinder extinction‐based treatment efforts. More broadly, these data show that the VMPFC, when functionally intact, supports extinction learning in diverse contexts in humans.
Goat domestication and breeding: a jigsaw of historical, biological and molecular data with missing pieces
Authors: Amills M. , Capote J. , Tosser‐Klopp G.
Published: September 2017

Domestic goats (Capra hircus) are spread across the five continents with a census of 1 billion individuals. The worldwide population of goats descends from a limited number of bezoars (Capra aegagrus) domesticated 10 000 YBP (years before the present) in the Fertile Crescent. The extraordinary adaptability and hardiness of goats favoured their rapid spread over the Old World, reaching the Iberian Peninsula and Southern Africa 7000 YBP and 2000 YBP respectively. Molecular studies have revealed one major mitochondrial haplogroup A and five less frequent haplogroups B, C, D, F and G. Moreover, the analysis of autosomal and Y‐chromosome markers has evidenced an appreciable geographic differentiation. The implementation of new molecular technologies, such as whole‐genome sequencing and genome‐wide genotyping, allows for the exploration of caprine diversity at an unprecedented scale, thus providing new insights into the evolutionary history of goats. In spite of a number of pitfalls, the characterization of the functional elements of the goat genome is expected to play a key role in understanding the genetic determination of economically relevant traits. Genomic selection and genome editing also hold great potential, particularly for improving traits that cannot be modified easily by traditional selection.
Medical Innovation in a Children's Hospital: ‘Diseases desperate grown by desperate appliance are relieved, or not at all’
Authors: Larcher Vic , Turnham Helen , Brierley Joe
Published: September 2017

A balance needs to be struck between facilitating compassionate access to innovative treatments for those in desperate need, and the duty to protect such vulnerable individuals from the harms of untested/unlicensed treatments. We introduced a principle‐based framework (2009) to evaluate such requests and describe its application in the context of recently evolved UK, US and European regulatory processes.

24 referrals (20 individual; four group) were received by our quaternary children's hospital Clinical Ethics Committee (CEC) over the 5‐year period (2011‐16). The CEC‐rapid response group evaluated individual cases within 48‐hours; the main referrers being haematology/oncology, immunology or transplant services (14). Most requests were for drug/vaccine/pre‐trial access (13) or biological/cellular therapies (8). The majority of individual requests were approved (19/20); neutral or negative opinions were given in 5, including 3 group requests.

Recently evolved regulatory processes share common criteria and conditions to our framework including: demonstration of clinical need; sound scientific basis with lack of viable alternative; risks‐benefit/best interests evaluation; arrangements for fully informed consent; no compromise of arrangements to test treatment for licensing purposes; consideration of resource implications. There are differences between individual processes and with our framework, with respect to procedures, scope, application format, costs and obligation to make available all outcome data.

Our experience has emphasized the need for an independent, principled, consistent, fair and transparent response to the increasing demand for innovative treatment on a compassionate basis. We believe that there is a need for harmonization of the recent proliferation of regulation and legislation in this area.
The Kent Face Matching Test
Authors: Fysh Matthew C. , Bindemann Markus
Published: September 2017

This study presents the Kent Face Matching Test (KFMT), which comprises 200 same‐identity and 20 different‐identity pairs of unfamiliar faces. Each face pair consists of a photograph from a student ID card and a high‐quality portrait that was taken at least three months later. The test is designed to complement existing resources for face‐matching research, by providing a more ecologically valid stimulus set that captures the natural variability that can arise in a person's appearance over time. Two experiments are presented to demonstrate that the KFMT provides a challenging measure of face matching but correlates with established tests. Experiment 1 compares a short version of this test with the optimized Glasgow Face Matching Test (GFMT). In Experiment 2, a longer version of the KFMT, with infrequent identity mismatches, is correlated with performance on the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) and the Cambridge Face Perception Test (CFPT). The KFMT is freely available for use in face‐matching research.
Cognitive diagnosis modelling incorporating item response times
Authors: Zhan Peida , Jiao Hong , Liao Dandan
Published: September 2017

To provide more refined diagnostic feedback with collateral information in item response times (RTs), this study proposed joint modelling of attributes and response speed using item responses and RTs simultaneously for cognitive diagnosis. For illustration, an extended deterministic input, noisy ‘and’ gate (DINA) model was proposed for joint modelling of responses and RTs. Model parameter estimation was explored using the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. The PISA 2012 computer‐based mathematics data were analysed first. These real data estimates were treated as true values in a subsequent simulation study. A follow‐up simulation study with ideal testing conditions was conducted as well to further evaluate model parameter recovery. The results indicated that model parameters could be well recovered using the MCMC approach. Further, incorporating RTs into the DINA model would improve attribute and profile correct classification rates and result in more accurate and precise estimation of the model parameters.
Habitat fragmentation and the prevalence of parasites (Diptera, Streblidae) on three Phyllostomid bat species
Authors: Bolívar‐Cimé Beatriz , Cuxim‐Koyoc Alan , Reyes‐Novelo Enrique , Morales‐Malacara Juan B. , Laborde Javier , Flores‐Peredo Rafael
Published: September 2017

Ectoparasitism in bats seems to be influenced strongly by the type of roost preferred by the hosts, and group size; however, the effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on the prevalence of ectoparasites in bats has scarcely been studied. In northeastern Yucatan, Mexico, we estimated the prevalence of infestation by Streblidae flies in three phyllostomid bat species with different roost preferences (caves, trees, or both) in two types of landscape matrices (tropical semi‐deciduous forest and man‐made pastures) that differed in area of forest cover and the number of forest fragments. Habitat fragmentation and the presence of a contrasting matrix may limit the availability of roosts (trees) and the movement of bats across the landscape. Accordingly, we hypothesized higher prevalence of Streblidae infestation in the pasture matrix and in the group of bats that roost in trees. Bat abundance was higher in the pasture matrix; however, the prevalence of infestation was significantly higher in the continuous forest matrix and in bats that roosted in caves. The prevalence of some species of Streblidae was affected by habitat fragmentation in species that roost in caves, such as Desmodus rotundus, as well as those using foliage and caves, such as Artibeus jamaicensis. Our results provide evidence that some species of Streblidae may respond differently to habitat fragmentation than their hosts, generating changes to bat‐ectoparasite interactions in fragmented areas. Environmental variations involving roosts, not evaluated in this study, may influence our results, since these factors affect ectoparasite abundance and reproduction.
The Longitudinal Effects of Early Language Intervention on Children's Problem Behaviors
Authors: Curtis Philip R. , Kaiser Ann P. , Estabrook Ryne , Roberts Megan Y.
Published: September 2017

Researchers examined whether a parent‐implemented language intervention improved problem behaviors 1 year after intervention. Ninety‐seven children with language delays (mean age at 12‐month follow‐up = 48.22 months) were randomized to receive Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) language intervention or business as usual treatment. Twelve months after the intervention ended, children in the EMT intervention condition displayed lower rates of parent‐reported externalizing, internalizing, and total problem behaviors. A mediation analysis revealed that the relation between EMT and problem behaviors was partially mediated by child rate of communication for both internalizing and total problem behaviors. A developmental framework is proposed to explain the impact of EMT on problem behaviors, and future lines of research are discussed.
Erosion of the long process of the incus with incomplete ossicular discontinuity in simple chronic otitis media: Should we reconstruct or leave it be?
Authors: Sarmento K.M.A. , de Oliveira C.A.C.P. , Sampaio A.L.L. , Sales A.F.
Published: September 2017

Objective

To determine whether patients with simple chronic otitis media and incomplete ossicular discontinuity should undergo ossicular reconstruction.

Design

Prospective, randomised surgical trial comparing no intervention with incus interposition over a 5‐year period.

Setting

Tertiary referral hospital.

Participants

Seventy‐six participants with simple chronic otitis media and erosion of the long process of the incus but apparent good transmission throughout the ossicular chain as tested intra‐operatively. Forty‐four patients had partial erosion of the incus but still bony contact with the stapes head (Group A—Type I), and 32 had mainly connective tissue binding the incus and stapes (Group B—Type II). Each of these groups was randomised to either leaving the ossicular chain as it was (A1 and B1) or performing an incus interposition (A2 and B2).

Main outcome measures

Average postoperative air‐bone gap and the degree of ABG closure. A postoperative air‐bone gap under 20 dB was considered a successful result.

Results

In group A, there was no significant difference between no intervention and incus interposition. In group B, patients in the no reconstruction subgroup had a significantly worse hearing result than the incus interposition subgroup (postoperative air‐bone gap of 27.5 dB and 31% closure within 20 dB vs 15 dB and 75% closure).

Conclusions

For Type I patients, the postoperative hearing results were similar for the reconstruction and no reconstruction groups. For Type II patients, the results clearly favour reconstruction.
Evaluation of Aintree LOSS, a community‐based, multidisciplinary weight management service: outcomes and predictors of engagement
Authors: Steele T. , Narayanan R. P. , James M. , James J. , Mazey N. , Wilding J. P. H.
Published: September 2017

Aintree LOSS is a community‐based, multidisciplinary weight management programme for patients with severe and complex obesity, focusing on a flexible and individualized service with follow‐up for up to 2 years. We evaluated all 2472 patients referred to the service between October 2009 and 2013. Demographic data were recorded at baseline, with the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) used to measure socioeconomic deprivation. Weight was recorded at each visit. Mean body mass index at baseline was 45.6 (standard deviation 6.8), and 58.9% of patients lived in areas in the most deprived decile nationally. Of 2315 appropriate referrals, 1249 (55.1%) attended >2 visits; mean final weight loss was 3.50 ± 8.55 kg, and 24.1% achieved ≥5% weight loss. Of the patients, 754 (33.3%) attended for over 6 months; mean final weight loss was 4.94 ± 10 kg, and 34% achieved 5% weight loss. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed increasing age, residence in a less deprived area and sleep apnoea to be independently associated with attendance for >6 months, and there was a linear relationship between 6‐month attendance and deprivation quintile. Year‐on‐year analyses showed improvement in engagement over time, coinciding with efforts to improve access to the service. This work shows a multidisciplinary, community‐based weight loss programme prioritizing a fully flexible and individualized approach functioning effectively in real‐world practice. Maintaining engagement remains a challenge in weight loss programmes, and our results suggest younger patients living in areas with greater deprivation should be a target for efforts to improve engagement.
Update on the clinical use of kinase inhibitors in melanoma
Authors: Cosgarea Ioana , Ritter Cathrin , Becker Jürgen C. , Schadendorf Dirk , Ugurel Selma
Published: September 2017

The identification of targetable molecules in cellular signaling pathways represents a milestone in the treatment of melanoma. Selective inhibitors of these molecules, known as phosphokinases, allow for individual signaling pathways to be “switched off”. This is of particular importance for tumors in which these pathways are constitutively activated by mutations in genes encoding said molecules. Especially patients with BRAF‐mutated melanomas significantly benefit from kinase inhibitor therapies, with the current standard of combined BRAF and MEK inhibition providing very good long‐term disease control. Such regimens have been shown to achieve a progression‐free survival of more than ten months and an overall survival of more than two years, along with good quality of life. Given that the majority of patients develop secondary resistance during long‐term kinase inhibitor therapy, current clinical trials are geared towards finding suitable drug combinations including inhibitors of other signaling pathways as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors. The present review highlights targeted therapies for melanoma currently available as well as potential future options presently under clinical investigation.
Sam Moyo: A Life of Prodigious Scholarship, Institution Building and Strategic Activism
Authors: Tsikata Dzodzi
Published: September 2017

The car accident that took Sam Moyo's life in Delhi on 22 November 2015 and injured his comrades Paris Yeros and Marcelo Rosa, cut short a scholar at the height of his powers. Working together with a group of like‐minded colleagues, Sam had finally built the foundations of a vibrant tri‐continental network that could hold his dreams: the Agrarian South Network. He was in Delhi at a conference on ‘Labour Questions in the Global South’, hosted by Praveen Jha, professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, one of his two closest intellectual partners — the other, of course, being Yeros. The conference, like earlier gatherings in Sao Paulo and Brasilia, was an opportunity to coordinate meetings of the Network and its journal, Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy. As it turned out, a meeting of the journal's editorial board was Sam's last activity before the accident.
African communal basis for autonomy and life choices
Authors: Ikuenobe Polycarp
Published: September 2017

I argue that the metaphysical capacity of autonomy is not intrinsically valuable; it is valuable only when used in relation to a community's values and instrumentally for making the proper choices that will promote one's own and the community's well‐being. I use the example of the choice to take one's life by suicide to illuminate this view. I articulate a plausible African conception of personhood as a basis for the idea of relational autonomy. I argue that this conception is better understood as a social‐moral thesis, and not a metaphysical thesis. A metaphysical thesis gives an account of the abstract nature of an atomic individual, his agency, and rational choice. The social‐moral thesis indicates that personhood and autonomy are positive and relational to the life plans, well‐being, material conditions, and the best means for achieving them that are made available and possible by harmonious living in a community. This idea of autonomy is not just having the capacity of freewill; it also involves how such freewill is used, in terms of how an individual's choices are guided by internalized communal values.
HYPOTHESES, GENERALIZATIONS, AND CONVERGENCE: SOME PEIRCEAN THEMES IN THE STUDY OF HISTORY
Authors: GRIGORIEV SERGE
Published: September 2017

This essay examines the relationship among some key elements of Charles Sanders Peirce's general theory of scientific inquiry (such as final causality, real possibility, methodological convergence, abductive reasoning, hypothesis formation, and diagrammatic idealization) and some prominent issues discussed in the current philosophy of history, especially those pertaining to the role of generalizations in historical explanation. The claim is that, appropriately construed, Peirce's recommendations with respect to rational inquiry in general can provide a reasonable basis for formulating a productive critical method for a responsible philosophy of history. The essay further seeks to reduce the tension between Peirce's interest in epistemic convergence and the arguments that champion the value of historical distance and perspectival pluralism. On the account offered, the kind of methodological convergence envisioned by Peirce need not conflict necessarily with a responsibly construed historical pluralism. On the other hand, the critical perspective of an epistemically disciplined philosophical inquiry may prove indispensable in weeding out wishful but unrealistic ideological perspectives from the writing of history. Hence, the resulting proposal envisions the critique of historical imagination as one potentially viable modality for the pragmatist philosophy of history.
4. PARTISANS AND POPULATIONS: THE PLACE OF CIVILIANS IN WAR, ALGERIA (1954–62)
Authors: BROWER BENJAMIN CLAUDE
Published: September 2017

Carl Schmitt's influential text The Theory of the Partisan (1963) serves in this article to read the history of civilians in modern warfare, examining the case of Algeria (1954–62). Schmitt's argument that the partisan leads to a dangerous conceptual blurring in war, confusing soldier and civilian, friend and enemy, reveals important questions about the war, questions that are otherwise invisible in conventional readings of the archives. Notably it places in relief the figure of the “population,” a way that the French military conceptualized Algerian civilians and their place on the battlefield. The article argues that the population, as constituted in military theory, needs to be understood as the partisan's partner in contributing to the normlessness of violence. This offers both a new reading of the war in Algeria and the violence suffered by civilians, as well as a correction to Schmitt's politically one‐sided explanation of the problem of normlessness and modern warfare. Whereas Schmitt's revolutionary partisan is a figure of the left, the notion of the population originated among counter‐revolutionary French officers who rethought war in an effort to stop decolonization and reshape their own society along military lines. For them Algerian civilians served as a primary weapon against the National Liberation Front (FLN) by breaking up the nationalists’ claim to lead a single, undivided, and sovereign Algerian people. In effect, the notion of the population made Algerian civilians appear as potential enemies to the FLN, blurring the nationalists’ own understanding of the political configuration of the war, directly exposing civilians to its violence.
HISTORY AND ITS DEAD
Authors: Ruin Hans
Published: September 2017

Thomas Laqueur has brought together half a century of research on modern European mortuary culture into an impressive narrative of how the Christian churchyard was replaced by the modern cemetery, how interment was partly replaced by the technology of cremation, and how writing and preserving the names of the dead coincided with democratization and social reform. Beyond the grand narrative of the history of modern burial, he also shows how the modern culture of history and memory is intertwined with the transformation of mortuary practices. On a deeper level, he points toward new ways of conceptualizing the relation between the living and the dead, leading up toward, if not fully confronting, the challenge that propels his own endeavor, namely the existential‐ontological predicament of living after those who have been and the nature of spectrality.
Natural history of pancreatic cystic lesions: A multicenter prospective observational study for evaluating the risk of pancreatic cancer
Authors: Ohno Eizaburo , Hirooka Yoshiki , Kawashima Hiroki , Ishikawa Takuya , Kanamori Akira , Ishikawa Hideki , Sasaki Yoji , Nonogaki Koji , Hara Kazuo , Hashimoto Senju , Matsubara Hiroshi , Hirai Takanori , Sumi Hajime , Sugimoto Hiroyuki , Goto Hidemi ,   NSPINAL study group
Published: September 2017

Background and Aim

The aim of this study is to elucidate the natural history of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs), including branch duct‐type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (BD‐IPMN), via midterm follow‐up analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study (NSPINAL study).

Methods

From July 2011 to October 2016, 881 patients with PCLs were enrolled in NSPINAL study, and 664 patients with > 12 months of follow up were analyzed. Every patient was asymptomatic, and endoscopic ultrasound was performed at the initial diagnosis to exclude high‐risk individuals. Follow up included endoscopic ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging at least once a year. Serial morphological changes and the pancreatic cancer (PC) incidence, including malignant progression of PCLs, were evaluated.

Results

The 664 patients (358 men) were followed for a median of 33.5 months (interquartile range 29). The cyst and main pancreatic duct sizes were 16.6 ± 9.3 and 2.3 ± 1.0 mm, respectively. Morphologically, 518 cases were multilocular, 137 were unilocular, and 9 had a honeycomb pattern; 269 cases involved multifocal lesions. Ninety‐six patients (14.5%) showed worsening progression on imaging. There were two resectable and four unresectable cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and three cases of malignant BD‐IPMN. The 3‐year risk of developing PC was 1.2%. The standardized incidence ratio for PC among PCLs was 10.0 (95% confidence interval 3.5–16.5), and the standardized incidence ratio among BD‐IPMN was 16.6 (95% confidence interval 5.1–28.1). Multivariate analysis showed that development of symptoms and worsening progression were significant predictors of PC.

Conclusions

Malignant progression of PCLs, including PC development, is not uncommon. Patients with PCLs should be carefully monitored to detect pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at early stages.
Increased enteric glial cells in proximal margin of resection is associated with postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease
Authors: Li Yi , Ge Yuanyuan , Zhu Weiming , Gong Jianfeng , Cao Lei , Guo Zhen , Gu Lili , Li Jieshou
Published: September 2017

Background and Aim

The enteric nervous system can amplify or modulate intestinal inflammation through secretion of neuropeptides, and enteric glial cells have been implicated in the pathophysiology of Crohn's disease. The goal of the study was to search for an association between the density of neurons, neuropeptides, and enteric glial cells and postoperative recurrence.

Methods

The ileal proximal uninflamed section from ileocolonic sample was studied using immunohistochemistry with antibodies directed against vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), substance P (SP), neuron‐specific enolase (NSE), and the glial marker protein S100. The density in the submucosa was calculated, and the relationship of the density of VIP, SP, NSE, and S100 and postoperative disease recurrence was assessed.

Results

There were no significant differences between patients with and without postoperative endoscopic recurrence or clinical recurrence for the density of NSE‐positive, VIP‐positive, or SP‐positive neurons in the proximal margin. Interestingly, the density of S100‐positive enteric glial cells was significantly increased in patients with endoscopic and clinical recurrence than in subjects without disease recurrence (P ˂ 0.001). The density of S100‐positive enteric glial cells was independently associated with postoperative disease recurrence.

Conclusions

Increased S100‐positive enteric glial cells are associated with a high risk of both endoscopic and clinical recurrence after surgery. These findings have implications in individualized postoperative prophylaxis for Crohn's disease.
Discounting and welfare evaluation of policies
Authors: Mertens Jean‐François , Rubinchik Anna
Published: September 2017

We start with the premise that if policy discounting is to have any welfare relevance, one has to accept it being a derivative of a social welfare function (SWF). We show that if that derivative is to have a net present value (NPV) form, then the baseline allocation must be stationary. In addition, we show that at a stationary baseline in an overlapping generations growth economy, the intergenerationally fair discount rate equals the growth rate of per‐capita consumption, which is, roughly, 2% for the United States. This differs from the interest rate, even in the golden rule equilibrium, unless population growth is null. The last result is based on the main theorem in Mertens and Rubinchik (2012) and is demonstrated for a policy space that might naturally arise in applications.
Immunogenicity assessment during the development of protein therapeutics
Authors: Rosenberg Amy S , Sauna Zuben E
Published: September 2017

Objective

Here we provide a critical review of the state of the art with respect to non-clinical assessments of immunogenicity for therapeutic proteins.

Key findings

The number of studies on immunogenicity published annually has more than doubled in the last 5 years. The science and technology, which have reached a critical mass, provide multiple of non-clinical approaches (computational, in vitro, ex vivo and animal models) to first predict and then to modify or eliminate T-cell or B-cell epitopes via de-immunization strategies. We discuss how these may be used in the context of drug development in assigning the immunogenicity risk of new and marketed therapeutic proteins.

Protein therapeutics represents a large share of the pharma market and provide medical interventions for some of the most complex and intractable diseases. Immunogenicity (the development of antibodies to therapeutic proteins) is an important concern for both the safety and efficacy of protein therapeutics as immune responses may neutralize the activity of life-saving and highly effective protein therapeutics and induce hypersensitivity responses including anaphylaxis. The non-clinical computational tools and experimental technologies that offer a comprehensive and increasingly accurate estimation of immunogenic potential are surveyed here. This critical review also discusses technologies which are promising but are not as yet ready for routine use.
Current and novel anti-inflammatory drug targets for inhibition of cytokines and leucocyte recruitment in rheumatic diseases
Authors: Szollosi Doreen E , Manzoor Mohammed K , Aquilato Andrea , Jackson Patricia , Ghoneim Ola M , Edafiogho Ivan O
Published: September 2017

Objectives

Many studies of disease state mechanisms reveal that unbridled inflammation is to blame for many of the symptoms associated with autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). While therapies aimed at decreasing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines exist, some have failed clinically or have extensive adverse effects. The aim of this review is to discuss common drug targets for anti-inflammatory therapies as well as explore potential mechanisms of action for new therapies. Various studies done on novel mechanisms targeting pro-inflammatory cytokine release as well as leukocyte chemotaxis have been researched for discussion here. Both of these contribute to tissue injury and patient symptoms in inflammatory and autoimmune disease states.

Key findings

While many current drug targets suppress inflammation via the receptor, research aimed at identifying new compounds and signaling mechanisms is ongoing to identify new targets within pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, or specific immune cell types.

Conclusions

While glucocorticoids and monoclonal antibodies have shown to be efficacious, some patients have encountered mixed results. Biologic therapies also come with a high price tag Thus, novel compounds with new immune drug targets are ideal for patients whose therapies have not been successful.
New perspectives on the development of extrahepatic portosystemic shunts
Authors: White R. N. , Shales C. , Parry A. T.
Published: September 2017

In this essay we use clinical evidence and knowledge of anatomy to examine the relationship between blood flow and formation of congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts in dogs and cats. First we report on the clinical findings in a series of 50 dogs and 10 cats and then systematically review peer‐reviewed data on the detailed anatomy of shunts in dogs and cats. In dogs four types of shunt: spleno‐caval, left gastro‐phrenic, left gastro‐azygos and those involving the right gastric vein account for 94% of extrahepatic shunts. Cats also exhibit four types of shunt: spleno‐caval, left gastrophrenic, left gastro‐caval and left gastro‐azygos, and the first three of these account for 92% shunts in this species. Our findings lead us to propose that preferential blood flow influences the subsequent formation of one of a number of defined and consistent congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts in dogs and cats.
An invasive predator affects habitat use by native prey: American mink and water vole co‐existence in riparian habitats
Authors: Brzeziński M. , Ignatiuk P. , Żmihorski M. , Zalewski A.
Published: September 2017

This study examines the occurrence of invasive American mink Neovison vison and native water voles Arvicola amphibius along the shorelines of eutrophic lakes and at small midfield ponds in the Mazurian Lakeland, north‐east (NE) Poland. The main hypothesis tested in this study is that built‐up areas and small midfield ponds are avoided by mink; therefore, they can serve as refuges that protect water voles from mink predation. Floating rafts were used to monitor mink and water vole distribution. Mink presence was negatively associated with urbanization at lake shorelines and midfield ponds, and these two characteristics positively correlated with occurrence of water voles in the study area. The probability of occurrence of water voles was significantly lower at sites where mink occurred. The occupancy rates for mink at lakes and at midfield ponds were higher in autumn than in spring and conversely the occupancy rates for water voles were higher in spring and lower in autumn. Our study shows that within a postglacial landscape, urban areas and midfield ponds distant from lakes are avoided by the American mink and thus these areas may function as refuge habitats for water voles and may maintain populations of this rodent at the landscape scale despite the presence of mink.
Birth weight, early life weight gain and age at menarche: a systematic review of longitudinal studies
Authors: Juul F. , Chang V. W. , Brar P. , Parekh N.
Published: September 2017

Background and objective

Adiposity in pre‐ and postnatal life may influence menarcheal age. Existing evidence is primarily cross‐sectional, failing to address temporality, for which the role of adiposity in early life remains unclear. The current study sought to systematically review longitudinal studies evaluating the associations between birth weight and infant/childhood weight status/weight gain in relation to menarcheal age.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Global Health (Ovid) and CINAHL were systematically searched. Selected studies were limited to English‐language articles presenting multi‐variable analyses. Seventeen studies reporting risk estimates for birth weight (n = 3), infant/childhood weight gain/weight status (n = 4) or both (n = 10), in relation to menarcheal age were included.

Results

Lower vs. higher birth weight was associated with earlier menarche in nine studies and later menarche in one study, while three studies reported a null association. Greater BMI or weight gain over time and greater childhood weight were significantly associated with earlier menarche in nine of nine and six of seven studies, respectively.

Conclusions

Studies suggested that lower birth weight and higher body weight and weight gain in infancy and childhood may increase the risk of early menarche. The pre‐ and postnatal period may thus be an opportune time for weight control interventions to prevent early menarche, and its subsequent consequences.