bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of continuous positive airway pressure on neurocognitive architecture and function in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial
Authors: Xu Huajun , Wang Hui , Guan Jian , Yi Hongliang , Qian Yingjun , Zou Jianyin , Xia Yunyan , Fu Yiqun , Li Xinyi , Jiao Xiao , Huang Hengye , Dong Pin , Yu Ziwei , Yang Jun , Xiang Mingliang , Li Jiping , Chen Yanqing , Wang Peihua , Sun Yizhou , Li Yuehua , Zheng Xiaojian , Jia Wei , Yin Shankai
Published: May 2017

Objectives

Many clinical studies have indicated that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the most common chronic sleep disorder, may affect neurocognitive function, and that treatment for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has some neurocognitive protective effects against the adverse effects of OSA. However, the effects of CPAP treatment on neurocognitive architecture and function remain unclear. Therefore, this multicentre trial was designed to investigate whether and when neurocognitive architecture and function in patients with OSA can be improved by CPAP treatment and to explore the role of gut microbiota in improving neurocognitive function during treatment.

Methods/design

This study will be a multicentre, randomised, controlled trial with allocation concealment and assessor blinding. A total of 148 eligible patients with moderate to severe OSA will be enrolled from five sleep centres and randomised to receive CPAP with best supportive care (BSC) intervention or BSC intervention alone. Cognitive function, structure and function of brain regions, gut microbiota, metabolites, biochemical variables, electrocardiography, echocardiography, pulmonary function and arterial stiffness will be assessed at baseline before randomisation and at 3, 6 and 12 months.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital (approval number 2015-79). The results from this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and at relevant conferences.

Trial registration number

NCT02886156; pre-results.
Longitudinal assessment of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in Sardinian psychotic patients (LABSP): a protocol for a prospective observational study
Authors: Primavera Diego , Manchia Mirko , Deriu Luca , Tusconi Massimo , Collu Roberto , Scherma Maria , Fadda Paola , Fratta Walter , Carpiniello Bernardo
Published: May 2017

Introduction

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity and neuronal function and survival. Serum and plasma BDNF levels are moderately, but consistently, decreased in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) compared with healthy controls. There is a lack of knowledge, however, on the temporal manifestation of this decline. Clinical, illness course and treatment factors might influence the variation of BDNF serum levels in patients with psychosis. In this context, we propose a longitudinal study of a cohort of SCZ and schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorder (SAD) Sardinian patients with the aim of disentangling the relationship between peripheral BDNF serum levels and changes of psychopathology, cognition and drug treatments.

Methods and analysis

Longitudinal assessment of BDNF in Sardinian psychotic patients (LABSP) is a 24-month observational prospective cohort study. Patients with SAD will be recruited at the Psychiatry Research Unit of the Department of Medical Science and Public Health, University of Cagliari and University of Cagliari Health Agency, Cagliari, Italy. We will collect BDNF serum levels as well as sociodemographic, psychopathological and neurocognitive measures. Structured, semistructured and self-rating assessment tools, such as the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for psychopathological measures and the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia for cognitive function, will be used.

Ethics and dissemination

This study protocol was approved by the University of Cagliari Health Agency Ethics Committee (NP2016/5491). The study will be conducted in accordance with the principles of good clinical practice, in the Declaration of Helsinki in compliance with the regulations. Participation will be voluntary and written informed consent will be obtained for each participant upon entry into the study. We plan to disseminate the results of our study through conference presentations and publication in international peer-reviewed journals. Access to raw data will be available in anonymised form upon request to the corresponding author.
Chest pain and shortness of breath in cardiovascular disease: a prospective cohort study in UK primary care
Authors: Barnett Lauren A , Prior James A , Kadam Umesh T , Jordan Kelvin P
Published: May 2017

Objective

To determine characteristics associated with monthly chest pain and shortness of breath (SoB) during activity in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and trajectories of these symptoms over 10 months.

Study design and setting

Baseline questionnaire was sent to patients aged ≥40 years from 10 UK general practices. Responders were sent monthly questionnaires for 10 months. For patients with CVD (ischaemic heart disease and heart failure), the association of sociodemographic characteristics, pain elsewhere and anxiety and depression with monthly reports of chest pain and SoB during activity were determined using multilevel, multinomial logistic regression. Common symptom trajectories were determined using dual trajectory latent class growth analysis.

Results

661 patients with CVD completed at least 5 monthly questionnaires. Multiple other pain sites (relative risk ratio: 4.03; 95% CI 1.64 to 9.91) and anxiety or depression (relative risk ratio: 3.31; 95% CI 1.89 to 5.79) were associated with reporting weekly chest pain. Anxiety or depression (relative risk ratio: 4.10; 95% CI 2.72 to 6.17), obesity (relative risk ratio: 2.53; 95% CI 1.49 to 4.30), older age (80+: relative risk ratio: 2.51; 95% CI 1.19 to 5.26), increasing number of pain sites (4+: relative risk ratio: 4.64; 95% CI 2.35 to 9.18) and female gender (relative risk ratio: 1.81; 95% CI 1.20 to 2.75) were associated with reporting weekly SoB. Eight symptom trajectories were identified, with SoB symptoms more common than chest pain.

Conclusions

Potentially modifiable characteristics are associated with the experience of chest pain and SoB. Identified symptom trajectories may facilitate tailored care to improve outcomes in patients with CVD.
Recovery of ethanol-induced Akkermansia muciniphila depletion ameliorates alcoholic liver disease
Authors: Grander Christoph , Adolph Timon E , Wieser Verena , Lowe Patrick , Wrzosek Laura , Gyongyosi Benedek , Ward Doyle V , Grabherr Felix , Gerner Romana R , Pfister Alexandra , Enrich Barbara , Ciocan Dragos , Macheiner Sophie , Mayr Lisa , Drach Matthias , Moser Patrizia , Moschen Alexander R , Perlemuter Gabriel , Szabo Gyongyi , Cassard Anne Marie , Tilg Herbert
Published: May 2017

Objective

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a global health problem with limited therapeutic options. Intestinal barrier integrity and the microbiota modulate susceptibility to ALD. Akkermansia muciniphila, a Gram-negative intestinal commensal, promotes barrier function partly by enhancing mucus production. The aim of this study was to investigate microbial alterations in ALD and to define the impact of A. muciniphila administration on the course of ALD.

Design

The intestinal microbiota was analysed in an unbiased approach by 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing in a Lieber-DeCarli ALD mouse model, and faecal A. muciniphila abundance was determined in a cohort of patients with alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). The impact of A. muciniphila on the development of experimental acute and chronic ALD was determined in a preventive and therapeutic setting, and intestinal barrier integrity was analysed.

Results

Patients with ASH exhibited a decreased abundance of faecal A. muciniphila when compared with healthy controls that indirectly correlated with hepatic disease severity. Ethanol feeding of wild-type mice resulted in a prominent decline in A. muciniphila abundance. Ethanol-induced intestinal A. muciniphila depletion could be restored by oral A. muciniphila supplementation. Furthermore, A. muciniphila administration when performed in a preventive setting decreased hepatic injury, steatosis and neutrophil infiltration. A. muciniphila also protected against ethanol-induced gut leakiness, enhanced mucus thickness and tight-junction expression. In already established ALD, A. muciniphila used therapeutically ameliorated hepatic injury and neutrophil infiltration.

Conclusion

Ethanol exposure diminishes intestinal A. muciniphila abundance in both mice and humans and can be recovered in experimental ALD by oral supplementation. A. muciniphila promotes intestinal barrier integrity and ameliorates experimental ALD. Our data suggest that patients with ALD might benefit from A. muciniphila supplementation.
Active low-angle normal faults in the deep water Santos Basin, offshore Brazil: a geomechanical analogy between salt tectonics and crustal deformation
Authors: Fetter Marcos , Moraes Anderson , Muller Andre
Published: May 2017

We provide a structural analysis and propose a geomechanical model for an extensional fault system observed in seismic data from the deep water Santos Basin, offshore Brazil. The system includes low-angle normal faults (LANFs) associated with underlying listric faults and salt rollers. The LANFs cut through shallow sedimentary successions up to the seafloor, reaching displacements of 1 km during the last 5 myr, at least one order of magnitude larger than the displacement of the coeval Andersonian high-angle normal faults. We suggest that the LANFs were produced by clockwise rotation of the stress field caused by the presence of salt intruded along the footwall of the main listric normal faults of the extensional system. Numerical models indicate that the proposed geomechanical model can be attained with strain weakening and widespread plastic yielding along the main normal faults. We suggest that the studied LANFs are related to salt flow in the same way that the LANFs described in regional extensional provinces are related to flow of either the lower crust or the mantle. The rheological analogy is remarkable and therefore we suggest that this work will contribute to the solution of the LANFs paradox.
Reconstructing Palaeozoic and Mesozoic tectonic evolution of Novaya Zemlya: combing geochronology and thermochronology
Authors: Zhang Xiaojing , Pease Victoria , Carter Andrew , Scott Robert
Published: May 2017

To better understand the sediment provenance and exhumation history of Novaya Zemlya's Mesozoic fold–thrust belt, we apply detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology combined with zircon and apatite fission track analyses to samples from the Precambrian to late Permian siliciclastic successions of the southern and northern islands. The Silurian to early Devonian samples are dominated by zircons (1.14–0.9 Ga) characteristic of the Sveconorwegian Orogen. Zircon fission track ages for individual units are older than their stratigraphic ages and consistent with single-age population distributions. The zircon fission track results document no annealing after deposition and therefore preserve provenance information, which indicates that the source rock(s) of each sample most likely experienced the same thermal event. The results support the erosion and recycling of Sveconorwegian-aged zircon from the Fennoscandian shield during Caledonian orogenesis to the Barents Sea Shelf and Novaya Zemlya. Apatite fission track ages and thermal modelling identify a rapid cooling event at 220–210 Ma, consistent with late Triassic deformation on Novaya Zemlya.
Advancing precision medicine in healthcare: addressing implementation challenges to increase pharmacogenetic testing in the clinical setting
Authors: Dong Olivia M. , Wiltshire Tim
Published: May 2017

The incorporation of precision medicine into the clinical setting is becoming increasingly feasible with the availability of more affordable genetic sequencing technologies and successful genetic associations with phenotypes, especially in the pharmacogenomic field. Although substantial progress has been made to ensure successful uptake of pharmacogenomic testing in the clinical setting already, many challenges still remain for sustainable implementation. The importance of pharmacogenomic information in patient care, identifying key barriers, and proposed solutions for advancing pharmacogenomic implementation will be discussed.
Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Anti-VEGF Agents: Predictive Factors of Long-Term Visual Outcomes
Authors: Pedrosa Ana Catarina , Sousa Tiago , Pinheiro-Costa João , Beato João , Falcão Manuel S. , Falcão-Reis Fernando , Carneiro Angela
Published: June 2017

Purpose. To evaluate the predictive factors of long-term visual outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents. Methods. Unicentric retrospective review of patients with nAMD treated with anti-VEGF agents. Visual outcomes, 12 and 60 months after diagnosis, were evaluated. In an attempt to identify predictive factors of visual outcomes, multiple variables (demographic and epidemiological characteristics, angiographic and tomographic features) were analyzed, at baseline and during follow-up. Results. One hundred and seventeen patients were included. In multivariate analysis, baseline best-corrected visual acuity was associated with all visual endpoints at 12 and 60 months. Additionally, age, gender, number of injections, and development of subretinal fibrosis during follow-up were also significant predictors of visual outcomes at 60 months. Conclusions. Several factors can be useful in clinical practice as predictors of visual outcomes in response to anti-VEGF treatment of nAMD.
Prediction of a Small-Scale Pool Fire with FireFoam
Authors: Sedano Camilo Andrés , López Omar Darío , Ladino Alexander , Muñoz Felipe
Published: June 2017

A computational model using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for turbulence modelling was implemented, by means of the Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC) combustion model using the fireFoam solver. A small methanol pool fire experiment was simulated in order to validate and compare the numerical results, hence trying to validate the effectiveness of the solver. A detailed convergence analysis is performed showing that a mesh of approximately two million elements is sufficient to achieve satisfactory numerical results (including chemical kinetics). A good agreement was achieved with some of the experimental and previous computational results, especially in the prediction of the flame height and the average temperature contours.
Two Cases of Rectal Xanthoma Presenting as Yellowish to Whitish Lesions during Colonoscopy
Authors: Iwamuro Masaya , Tanaka Takehiro , Takei Daisuke , Sugihara Yuusaku , Harada Keita , Hiraoka Sakiko , Kawahara Yoshiro , Okada Hiroyuki
Published: June 2017

Two cases of rectal xanthomas are described. One case is that of a 56-year-old Japanese man in whom multiple yellowish spots measuring approximately 3 to 5 mm were observed in the rectum during colonoscopy. The other case is that of a 78-year-old Japanese man in whom colonoscopy showed a whitish plaque of 4 mm in diameter in the rectum. Biopsy examinations performed on both patients revealed the deposition of xanthoma cells within the rectal mucosa. Within the gastrointestinal tract, xanthomas most frequently arise in the stomach, whereas the colorectum is rarely affected. Despite this infrequency, the two cases indicate that xanthomas should be recalled when yellowish to whitish lesions are observed in the colorectum.
Normal and Cancerous Tissues Release Extrachromosomal Circular DNA (eccDNA) into the Circulation
Authors: Kumar Pankaj , Dillon Laura W. , Shibata Yoshiyuki , Jazaeri Amir A. , Jones David R. , Dutta Anindya
Published: May 2017

Cell-free circulating linear DNA is being explored for noninvasive diagnosis and management of tumors and fetuses, the so-called liquid biopsy. Previously, we observed the presence of small extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA), called microDNA, in the nuclei of mammalian tissues and cell lines. Now, we demonstrate that cell-free microDNA derived from uniquely mapping regions of the genome is detectable in plasma and serum from both mice and humans and that they are significantly longer (30%–60% >250 bases) than cell-free circulating linear DNA (∼150 bases). Tumor-derived human microDNA is detected in the mouse circulation in a mouse xenograft model of human ovarian cancer. Comparing the microDNA from paired tumor and normal lung tissue specimens reveals that the tumors contain longer microDNA. Consistent with human cancers releasing microDNA into the circulation, serum and plasma samples (12 lung and 11 ovarian cancer) collected prior to surgery are enriched for longer cell-free microDNA compared with samples from the same patient obtained several weeks after surgical resection of the tumor. Thus, circular DNA in the circulation is a previously unexplored pool of nucleic acids that could complement miRNAs and linear DNA for diagnosis and for intercellular communication.

Implications: eccDNA derived from chromosomal genomic sequence, first discovered in the nuclei of cells, are detected in the circulation, are longer than linear cell-free DNA, and are released from normal tissue and tumors into the circulation. Mol Cancer Res; 15(9); 1197–205. ©2017 AACR.
Safety of Outpatient Initiation of Disopyramide for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients
Authors: Adler Arnon , Fourey Dana , Weissler‐Snir Adaya , Hindieh Waseem , Chan Raymond H. , Gollob Michael H. , Rakowski Harry
Published: May 2017

Background

Disopyramide is effective in ameliorating symptoms in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; however, its potential for proarrhythmic effect has raised concerns about its use in the ambulatory setting. The risk of initiating disopyramide in this manner has never been evaluated.

Methods and Results

All charts of patients seen in the outpatient hypertrophic cardiomyopathy clinic between 2010 and 2014 were screened for initiation of disopyramide and data were extracted. Disopyramide in our clinic is usually initiated at a dose of 300 mg daily and titrated during follow‐up. A total of 2015 patients were seen in the clinic, including 168 who were started on disopyramide. There were no cardiac events within 3 months of disopyramide initiation. During long‐term follow‐up (255 patient‐years; mean, 447 days; interquartile range, 201–779), only 2 patients developed cardiac events (syncope of unknown cause in both). Thirty‐eight patients (23%) developed side effects of disopyramide and 18 (11%) stopped the drug because of these side effects. Of the patients continuing disopyramide long term, 63% remained free of septal reduction interventions at end of follow‐up. Disopyramide at a dose of 300 mg prolonged the mean
QT
c interval by 19±23 ms; however, increasing the dose to 600 mg had no further significant effect.

Conclusions

Initiation of disopyramide in the outpatient setting is safe and the risk of subsequent sudden cardiac death is low. Because of its
QT
‐prolonging effect, precautions may be necessary in patients at higher risk of torsades de pointes.
Small‐Conductance Calcium‐Activated Potassium Current in Normal Rabbit Cardiac Purkinje Cells
Authors: Reher Thomas A. , Wang Zhuo , Hsueh Chia‐Hsiang , Chang Po‐Cheng , Pan Zhenwei , Kumar Mohineesh , Patel Jheel , Tan Jian , Shen Changyu , Chen Zhenhui , Fishbein Michael C. , Rubart Michael , Boyden Penelope , Chen Peng‐Sheng
Published: May 2017

Background

Purkinje cells (
PC
s) are important in cardiac arrhythmogenesis. Whether small‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium (
SK
) channels are present in
PC
s remains unclear. We tested the hypotheses that subtype 2
SK
(
SK
2) channel proteins and apamin‐sensitive SK currents are abundantly present in
PC
s.

Methods and Results

We studied 25 normal rabbit ventricles, including 13 patch‐clamp studies, 4 for Western blotting, and 8 for immunohistochemical staining. Transmembrane action potentials were recorded in current‐clamp mode using the perforated‐patch technique. For
PC
s, the apamin (100 nmol/L) significantly prolonged action potential duration measured to 80% repolarization by an average of 10.4 ms (95%
CI
, 0.11–20.72) (n=9,
P
=0.047). Voltage‐clamp study showed that apamin‐sensitive
SK
current density was significantly larger in
PC
s compared with ventricular myocytes at potentials ≥0 mV. Western blotting of
SK
2 expression showed that the
SK
2 protein expression in the midmyocardium was 58% (
P
=0.028) and the epicardium was 50% (
P
=0.018) of that in the pseudotendons. Immunostaining of
SK
2 protein showed that PCs stained stronger than ventricular myocytes. Confocal microscope study showed
SK
2 protein was distributed to the periphery of the
PC
s.

Conclusions

SK
2 proteins are more abundantly present in the
PC
s than in the ventricular myocytes of normal rabbit ventricles. Apamin‐sensitive
SK
current is important in ventricular repolarization of normal
PC
s.
Contralesional Brain–Computer Interface Control of a Powered Exoskeleton for Motor Recovery in Chronic Stroke Survivors
Authors: Bundy David T. , Souders Lauren , Baranyai Kelly , Leonard Laura , Schalk Gerwin , Coker Robert , Moran Daniel W. , Huskey Thy , Leuthardt Eric C.
Published: May 2017

Background and Purpose—

There are few effective therapies to achieve functional recovery from motor-related disabilities affecting the upper limb after stroke. This feasibility study tested whether a powered exoskeleton driven by a brain–computer interface (BCI), using neural activity from the unaffected cortical hemisphere, could affect motor recovery in chronic hemiparetic stroke survivors. This novel system was designed and configured for a home-based setting to test the feasibility of BCI-driven neurorehabilitation in outpatient environments.

Methods—

Ten chronic hemiparetic stroke survivors with moderate-to-severe upper-limb motor impairment (mean Action Research Arm Test=13.4) used a powered exoskeleton that opened and closed the affected hand using spectral power from electroencephalographic signals from the unaffected hemisphere associated with imagined hand movements of the paretic limb. Patients used the system at home for 12 weeks. Motor function was evaluated before, during, and after the treatment.

Results—

Across patients, our BCI-driven approach resulted in a statistically significant average increase of 6.2 points in the Action Research Arm Test. This behavioral improvement significantly correlated with improvements in BCI control. Secondary outcomes of grasp strength, Motricity Index, and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure also significantly improved.

Conclusions—

The findings demonstrate the therapeutic potential of a BCI-driven neurorehabilitation approach using the unaffected hemisphere in this uncontrolled sample of chronic stroke survivors. They also demonstrate that BCI-driven neurorehabilitation can be effectively delivered in the home environment, thus increasing the probability of future clinical translation.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT02552368.
Foreign aid and identity after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster: How Belarus shapes relations with Germany, Europe, Russia, and Japan
Authors: Zhukova Ekatherina
Published: May 2017

This article looks at how Belarus, the most affected state by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, discursively constructs cooperation with foreign countries that provide help in combating the consequences of the tragedy. It shows that different representations of foreign actors handling the prolonged consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster contribute to developing new friendships (with Japan), questioning existing cooperation (with Russia), and softening old (with Germany) and current (with Europe) conflicts in Belarus. The article makes a contribution to three debates in identity literature in constructivist International Relations: (a) identity and foreign policy; (b) the ‘voice’ and agency of the ‘Rest’; and (c) identity and difference. It is argued that when small non-Western states (help receivers) construct an ethical identity of bigger Western and non-Western states (help providers), they challenge the existing temporal and spatial identities of old strangers, enemies, and friends and create a new platform for conflict and cooperation.
Transformational Leadership, Creative Self-Efficacy, Trust in Supervisor, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Innovative Work Behavior of Nurses
Authors: Afsar Bilal , Masood Mariam
Published: June 2017

This study examines how nurse managers’ transformational leadership relates to innovative work behavior of subordinate nurses through creative self-efficacy, trust in supervisor, and uncertainty avoidance. On the basis of an interactional approach, this study hypothesized that (a) there is an interaction between transformational leadership, trust in supervisor, and uncertainty avoidance that affects innovative work behavior, such that transformational leadership has the strongest positive relationship with innovative work behavior when nurses have high levels of trust and uncertainty avoidance; and (b) creative self-efficacy mediates the effect that this three-way interaction between transformational leadership, trust in supervisor, and uncertainty avoidance has on innovative work behavior. In Study 1, we used a time-lagged research design, collecting multisource data from 322 nurses and their respective head nurses (supervisors), working in public sector hospitals. The results of Study 1 supported our hypotheses. In Study 2, we used a more temporally rigorous research design in which data were collected in three stages, with a 3-month time interval separating Stages 1 and 2, and Stages 2 and 3. On the basis of the time-lagged and multisource data from 371 nurses and their respective head nurses (supervisors), from private sector hospitals, we found that Study 2 produced the same results as Study 1.
Defining speculative value in the age of financialized capitalism
Authors: Davis Aeron
Published: June 2017

This article engages with Marx’s and Baudrillard’s accounts of value. In so doing it puts forward a new concept of value: speculative value. If labour, use and exchange forms of value were central to Marx’s account of industrial capitalism, and symbolic and sign value were integral to Baudrillard’s observations of consumer-led capitalism, speculative value is an increasingly important component of financialized capitalism. With reference to financialization’s structural and cultural components, the article explains how speculative exchangers, rather than producers or consumers, now propel finance-led economies and, accordingly, generate speculative value to do so. Through such discussions, the article moves towards defining speculative value more broadly, distinguishing it in relation to earlier value forms.
“The Public Does Not Believe the Police Can Police Themselves”: The Mayoral Administration of Harold Washington and the Problem of Police Impunity
Authors: Losier Toussaint
Published: May 2017

The article examines the tenure of Harold Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor, and his relationship to the Chicago Police Department (CPD). It suggests that while police accountability had been a long-standing goal of Washington and his allies, he failed to sufficiently address the impunity of the CPD once elected. From the outset, the Washington administration exemplified this contradiction by appointing the police department’s first black superintendent, but one who would leave in place a failed structure of a police accountability that made it possible to cover up an ongoing pattern of police torture and coerced confessions. These cases of police torture throw into relief the obstacles faced by this first generation of black mayors who attempted to uproot the institutional underpinnings of police impunity amid the emergence of mass incarceration.
Big Football: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Culture and Color of Injury in America’s Most Popular Sport
Authors: Benson Peter
Published: May 2017

Although much has been said about football concussions in the media, academic inquiry into the National Football League’s (NFL) strategies for containing critique and shaping public discourse remains limited. I investigate the league’s multisided “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) campaign, which involves harm reduction reforms (e.g., improved helmets, tackling techniques) as well as public relations and philanthropy. This campaign is an “anti-politics machine,” a movement that generates its own discourse about concussions, the integrity of football, and normativity; depoliticizes the institutional and foundational sources of harmfulness; and advances narrow technical and managerial solutions. The league’s CSR initiatives are also intended to engender mass feeling, melding multiple images and rhetorics, invoking technoscientific progress as much as corporate care, family values, suburban comfort, national sentimentality, soft masculinity, and women’s health. Through strategic public relations, the campaign organizes a certain affective and cognitive antipolitics, a depoliticized way of conceptualizing and experiencing football that reflects a wider matrix of intelligibility framing what is normal and legible with regard to race, gender, and precarity in the United States. Rather than addressing societal factors or ending an innately destructive practice, the NFL proclaims social responsibility while perpetuating conscription, extracting labor and value from conditions of socioeconomic and racial marginalization. And strategic public relations inure a devoted fan base to football’s complicity in helping to reproduce the problems and privileges of America’s racial order. My analysis of harm reduction is also a critique of the dangerous moral contours of racial capitalism and how corporations influence and capitalize upon what is deemed tolerable in American life.
Rapidly growing cystic hygroma in an adult patient
Authors: Dogruyol Talha , Tozum Halil , Eren Tahir Sevval
Published: May 2017

Cystic hygroma is a benign tumor of lymphatic tissue. It usually develops before the second year of life and is rarely seen in adults. A 26-year-old woman was referred to our clinic with a swelling in the left supraclavicular region, which had appeared 5 months earlier and grown rapidly. Ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a 7-cm cystic lesion in the neighborhood of the carotid artery and jugular vein medially and the supraclavicular region inferiorly The lesion was dissected completely from the surrounding tissue. The patient had no complications and was discharged on postoperative day one.
Sociology as Practical Philosophy and Moral Science
Authors: Vandenberghe Frédéric
Published: May 2017

The philosophical assumptions that organize moral sociology as practical philosophy are the outcome of a secular quest to investigate the principles, norms and values behind the constitution of society. As a protracted response to the whole utilitarian-atomistic-individualistic tradition that systematically deemphasizes the constitutive role that morality plays in the structuration of self and society, the sociological tradition has continued, by its own means, the tradition of moral and practical philosophy in theoretically informed empirical research of social practices. Going back to classic moral philosophy, I want to show in this article how social theory is involved in the quest for ‘the good life with and for the others in just institutions’ (Ricoeur).
Platinum surface complexes as precursors for H2–O2 recombination catalysts
Authors: Volovenko Olesya B , Zaporozhets Olga A , Lisnyak Vladyslav V , Boldyrieva Olga Yu
Published: June 2017

In this work, the adsorption of platinum (II, IV) chloride complexes from acidic solutions on silica gel modified with quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) was studied. The uptake of the platinum chloride complexes is caused by the formation of ionic (QAS+)2[PtCl x]2− ( x = 4, 6) associates on the surface of silica gel. The isotherms of adsorption are fitted by the Langmuir model. The maximum capacity for [PtCl4]2− and [PtCl6]2− is 0.99 and 1.13 mmol/g, correspondingly. The respective adsorption constants KL = 6.8 and 10 × 105 l/mol prove the high affinity of the adsorbates to the QAS-modified surface. Platinum metal nanoparticles supported on the surface of the silica gel were prepared by reducing the adsorbed platinum (II, IV) complexes. Such nanoparticles functioning at the moderate temperature regime have demonstrated a reasonable catalytic activity for the hydrogen and oxygen recombination, and an excellent stability over 35 cycles of the reaction.
Comparison of subjective and fully automated methods for measuring mammographic density
Authors: Moshina Nataliia , Roman Marta , Sebuødegård Sofie , Waade Gunvor G , Ursin Giske , Hofvind Solveig
Published: June 2017

Background

Breast radiologists of the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program subjectively classified mammographic density using a three-point scale between 1996 and 2012 and changed into the fourth edition of the BI-RADS classification since 2013. In 2015, an automated volumetric breast density assessment software was installed at two screening units.

Purpose

To compare volumetric breast density measurements from the automated method with two subjective methods: the three-point scale and the BI-RADS density classification.

Material and Methods

Information on subjective and automated density assessment was obtained from screening examinations of 3635 women recalled for further assessment due to positive screening mammography between 2007 and 2015. The score of the three-point scale (I = fatty; II = medium dense; III = dense) was available for 2310 women. The BI-RADS density score was provided for 1325 women. Mean volumetric breast density was estimated for each category of the subjective classifications. The automated software assigned volumetric breast density to four categories. The agreement between BI-RADS and volumetric breast density categories was assessed using weighted kappa (kw).

Results

Mean volumetric breast density was 4.5%, 7.5%, and 13.4% for categories I, II, and III of the three-point scale, respectively, and 4.4%, 7.5%, 9.9%, and 13.9% for the BI-RADS density categories, respectively ( P for trend < 0.001 for both subjective classifications). The agreement between BI-RADS and volumetric breast density categories was kw = 0.5 (95% CI = 0.47–0.53; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Mean values of volumetric breast density increased with increasing density category of the subjective classifications. The agreement between BI-RADS and volumetric breast density categories was moderate.
Design of science laboratory sessions with magnetic fluids
Authors: Fedina Olga V , Zakinyan Arthur R , Agibova Irina M
Published: May 2017

Application of new achievements in science and technology to the physics laboratory sessions can ensure the advancement of physics education. One particular example of the technologies giving new opportunities in the design of physics laboratory works is the magnetic fluid. We describe the laboratory works within the scope of the general physic course for the undergraduate students. Principal feature of the laboratories presented is the use of magnetic fluids. It makes possible to design some creative laboratory works, which can help to develop skills in performing scientific experiments and to increase the understanding of the physical concepts. The sample consists of 120 third-grade university students from the Department of General and Theoretical Physics in the North Caucasus Federal University in Stavropol, Russia. These laboratories arouse students’ interest and contribute to the achievement of high quality of learning outcomes. We also show that such laboratories engage students’ interest in the scientific research work.
Mechanical, optical, and photochromic properties of polycarbonate composites reinforced with nano-tungsten trioxide particles
Authors: Sangpraserdsuk Tanes , Phiriyawirut Manisara , Ngaotrakanwiwat Pailin , Wootthikanokkhan Jatuphorn
Published: May 2017

This work attempts to explore the feasibility of developing photochromic polymer composite films for modern building applications, using polycarbonate resin, and nanocrystal tungsten trioxide (WO3) particles as raw materials. The metal oxide powder was synthesized, characterized, and then mixed with polymer resin, using a solution-based process. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of silane treatment and concentration of the tungsten trioxide particles on mechanical, optical, and chromic properties of the composite products. Interestingly, after exposure to sunlight, it was found that the spectral response of the polycarbonate/tungsten trioxide composite films changed remarkably from a kind of near infrared reflective material to near infrared absorbing material, regardless of the metal oxide concentration. This resulted in the overall decrease of near infrared transmittance through the substrates. By using the silane-treated tungsten trioxide as a replacement of the normal tungsten trioxide powder for reinforcing the polycarbonate, near infrared absorbance of the composite film was further increased. The color contrast and bleaching rate of the polycarbonate/silane modified tungsten trioxide specimen were also superior to those of the normal polycarbonate/tungsten trioxide system. The discrepancies were ascribed to the changes in chemical structure on the surface of the metal oxide which altered the state of polarity and an affinity for moisture absorption of the metal oxide. These factors, in turn, affected the access-ability of the photo-induced proton to intercalate the tungsten trioxide.
Injury Matters: On Female-Perpetrated Sex Crimes
Authors: Budd Kristen M. , Bierie David M.
Published: June 2017

Despite the importance of studying sexual assaults perpetrated by women, the field knows very little about female sexual offenders’ (FSOs) use of violence or physical injury resulting from these assaults. This study draws more than 20 years of National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data reported to police (1992-2014) to identify factors that distinguish between female perpetrated incidents of sexual assault that result in severe, minor, or no physical victim injuries above and beyond the sexual assault itself. Using a multinomial logistic regression model (MNLM), 15,928 incidents of FSO-perpetrated sexual assault were analyzed from the NIBRS. The results showed that the extent of victim injuries sustained during the sexual assault incidents was associated with a number of factors, including the presence of a female victim, the age of victim, a greater number of offenders, and the presence of weapons. In particular, incidents that resulted in major victim injuries were significantly associated with alcohol and drug use by the perpetrator. In general, incidents with young children were at increased risk of a sexual assault resulting in a major or minor victim injury. Although further investigation is needed to continue to better understand female sexual offending behaviors, these findings suggest that certain incident characteristics increase the likelihood of the assault to involve the use of violence by an FSO against her victims.
A Good Idea May Not Be Good Enough: Stakeholder Buy In to QuitConnect, a National Smokers’ Registry
Authors: Macauda Mark M. , Thrasher James F. , Saul Jessie E. , Celestino Paula , Cummings K. Michael , Strayer Scott M.
Published: June 2017

Purpose:

To examine interest and concerns among those who fund and operate state-run smoking cessation helplines (quitlines) about the concept of creating a centralized smokers’ registry that could be used to reengage smokers after they receive initial quitline support services.

Design:

We conducted 3, hour-long focus groups with stakeholders, covering the perceived benefits and barriers to creating a smokers’ registry.

Setting:

The focus groups were conducted via telephone.

Participants:

Three groups participated: quitline service providers (n = 14), quitline funders (n = 9), and national quitline partners (n = 8).

Method:

Data collection: Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and coded for major relevant themes.

Analysis Strategies:

We used a grounded theory approach.

Results:

Stakeholders were generally positive about the concept of a centralized smokers’ registry (ie, QuitConnect), especially with its potential to link relapsed smokers to ongoing research studies designed to help smokers achieve abstinence from tobacco. However, stakeholders expressed concern about QuitConnect duplicating services already offered by state quitlines.

Conclusion:

Despite a common goal, many state quitline stakeholders had strong reservations about the creation of a centralized smokers’ registry unless they could see clear evidence that the registry added value and was not duplicative of their existing services.
The Diffusion of State Film Incentives: A Mixed-Methods Case Study
Authors: Leiser Stephanie
Published: June 2017

In 2000, only six states had tax incentives for film and video production, and by 2010, all but six states had film incentives. What accounts for this growth in popularity? This study combines quantitative event history analysis and qualitative interview methods to try to understand why states adopted film incentive programs and how they were influenced by the adoption of incentives in other states. The analysis suggests that the diffusion processes in state adoptions of film incentives can be largely explained by two factors: (a) the size and sophistication of the existing film industry in the state and (b) a competitive “bandwagon” effect based on the total number of states that had already adopted film incentives. The results emphasize the need to broaden the ways that competitive influences can be conceptualized and modeled in policy diffusion research, especially in economic development.
A Retrospective Study of Patient Factors That Indicate Provider Nonadherence to an Institutional Clostridium difficile Treatment Guideline
Authors: Siehnel Jeremy T. , Lavigne Jill E. , Rightmier Elizabeth A. , Bossard Will T. , Li Na , Slish Judianne C.
Published: June 2017

Background:

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is treated most often with metronidazole or vancomycin. Both have been effective in treatment of mild to moderate infection. In more severe cases, vancomycin may be more effective.

Objectives:

The primary objectives were to quantify the severity of CDI and to describe overall adherence to the institutional CDI guideline. Secondary objectives were to assess factors associated with adherence to the guidelines.

Methods:

Retrospective analysis of the electronic medical record was used to evaluate adherence to institutional guidelines. Data collected included demographics and other factors potentially contributing to adherence: Charlson comorbidity index, severity of infection, recurrence, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, infectious diseases (ID) consult, total duration and number of antibiotics, alternative therapies, and acid suppression. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to describe and compare factors associated with guideline adherence; multivariate logistic regression assessed independent predictors of adherence.

Results:

A total of 387 patients met the inclusion criteria. CDI severity was 55.8% mild/moderate cases, 42.4% severe, 0.5% fulminant, and 1.3% prophylaxis. Overall, institutional guideline adherence was 51.9%. In bivariate analyses, 5 factors were associated with nonadherence to guidelines: older age, ICU admission, duration of antibiotics, mild/moderate and severe infection (all P < .05). In the logistic regression model, severe infection ( P < .001) and longer duration of antibiotics ( P < .05) were independently associated with guideline nonadherence.

Conclusion:

In this study, 42.4% of the patients met criteria for severe infection. Providers for patients with severe infection and longer duration of antibiotic therapy were less likely to adhere to the institutional guideline.
Path-dependency and coordination in multi-candidate elections with behavioral voters
Authors: Andonie Costel , Diermeier Daniel
Published: June 2017

We consider a behavioral model of voting in multi-candidate elections under plurality rule. In the case of a positive impression of the campaign leader, voters increase their propensity to vote for that candidate, while in the case of a negative impression voters decrease their propensity. The formation of positive or negative impressions depends on an endogenous aspiration level. We show that in multi-candidate elections, in any stationary distribution, the winner receives a share of 50% of votes. Our results suggest that achieving coordination is ‘path-dependent’: whether voters manage to coordinate on the majority-preferred candidate critically depends on the initial state. We then identify conditions that make the election of the majority-preferred candidate more likely. However, even if the majority candidate is elected for sure, voting behavior is only partially coordinated.
Framing policy designs through contradictory emotions: The case of Czech single mothers
Authors: Durnová Anna P , Hejzlarová Eva M
Published: June 2017

In public policy scholarship on policy design, emotions are still treated as opposed to goals, and their presence is assumed to signal that things have gone wrong. We argue, however, that understanding how and for whom emotions matter is vital to the dynamics of policy designs because emotions are central to the capacity building of policy intermediaries and, with that, to the success of public policies. We examine the case of Czech single mothers in their role as intermediaries in ‘alimony policy’. Our interpretive survey provided single mothers an opportunity to express the way they experience the policy emotionally. The analysis reveals that the policy goal of the child’s well-being is produced at the cost of the mother’s emotional tensions and that policy designs defuse these emotional tensions, implicitly. These contradictory emotions expressed by mothers show us a gateway to problematising policy designs in a novel way, which reconsiders construing policy design as a technical, solution-oriented enterprise to one in which emotional tensions intervene in policy design and are essential for succeeding.
Preparation and properties of polybenzimidazole/quaternized poly(1-vinylimidazole) cross-linked blend membranes for vanadium redox flow battery applications
Authors: Liu Gongyi , Xia Zijun , Jin Shanshan , Guo Xiaoxia , Fang Jianhua
Published: June 2017

A series of novel cross-linked blend membranes have been successfully prepared from poly(2,2′-( p-oxydiphenylene)-5,5′-bibenzimidazole) (OPBI) and partially quaternized poly(1-vinylimidazole) (QPVI) at varied polymer weight ratios using 1,6-dibromohexane as the cross-linker. The resulting cross-linked blend membranes are ductile and transparent. Cross-linking causes slight increase in tensile strength and significant improvement in immobilization of the QPVI. The effect of the QPVI content on membrane properties such as mechanical properties, thermal stability, ion exchange capacity, water uptake, swelling ratio, and anion conductivity is investigated. The charge–discharge performance of the single cells assembled with the cross-linked blend membranes has also studied and compared with that of the one assembled with Nafion 117. The cross-linked blend membranes exhibit three to four orders lower VO2+ permeability than Nafion 117 leading to much slower self-discharge rate and significantly higher coulombic efficiency of the former. The single cells assembled with the cross-linked blend membranes show higher coulombic efficiency and energy efficiency at low current densities than the one assembled with Nafion 117. Furthermore, the single cell assembled with the cross-linked blend membrane OPBI/QPVI(3:7, weight ratio)-Cross-linked (CL) shows little decay in energy efficiency after 300 charge–discharge cycles test at 80 mA cm−2 indicating good durability of this membrane.