bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First Application of the Local Ensemble Tangent Linear Model (LETLM) to a Realistic Model of the Global Atmosphere
Authors: Frolov Sergey , Allen Douglas R. , Bishop Craig H. , Langland Rolf , Hoppel Karl W. , Kuhl David D.
Published: June 2018

The local ensemble tangent linear model (LETLM) provides an alternative method for creating the tangent linear model (TLM) and adjoint of a nonlinear model that promises to be easier to maintain and more computationally scalable than earlier methods. In this paper, we compare the ability of the LETLM to predict the difference between two nonlinear trajectories of the Navy’s global weather prediction model at low resolution (2.5° at the equator) with that of the TLM currently used in the Navy’s four-dimensional variational (4DVar) data assimilation scheme. When compared to the pair of nonlinear trajectories, the traditional TLM and the LETLM have improved skill relative to persistence everywhere in the atmosphere, except for temperature in the planetary boundary layer. In addition, the LETLM was, on average, more accurate than the traditional TLM (error reductions of about 20% in the troposphere and 10% overall). Sensitivity studies showed that the LETLM was most sensitive to the number of ensemble members, with the performance gradually improving with increased ensemble size up to the maximum size attempted (400). Inclusion of physics in the LETLM ensemble leads to a significantly improved representation of the boundary layer winds (error reductions of up to 50%), in addition to improved winds and temperature in the free troposphere and in the upper stratosphere/lower mesosphere. The computational cost of the LETLM was dominated by the cost of ensemble propagation. However, the LETLM can be precomputed before the 4DVar data assimilation algorithm is executed, leading to a significant computational advantage.
Cold Winters Warming? Perceptions of Climate Change in the North Country
Authors: Hamilton Lawrence C. , Lemcke-Stampone Mary , Grimm Curt
Published: June 2018

Public acceptance of the reality of human-caused climate change has risen gradually in the United States, reflecting cumulative impacts from scientific research and communication, and perhaps also from experienced manifestations such as extreme weather or change to familiar seasons. In the rural North Country of northern New England, a key manifestation of climate change has been warming winters. A 2017 survey asked North Country residents whether they thought that recent winters have been warmer compared with earlier decades. Winter warming, which in this historically snowy region has broad impacts ranging from the economy to everyday life, was recognized by a majority of residents young and old, male and female, with little or much education—but not by the most conservative. Although our winter question does not mention climate change, responses followed patterns similar to a subsequent question about human-caused climate change. Moreover, the partisan gradient in response to both winter and climate questions is steepest among people reporting that most of their friends belong to the same political party. Partisan constraints on perception of a mundane physical reality could limit the scope for weather or climate experiences to alter beliefs among those whose political/social identity favors climate-change rejection.
Moral economies of the welfare state: A qualitative comparative study
Authors: Taylor-Gooby Peter , Hvinden Bjørn , Mau Steffen , Leruth Benjamin , Schoyen Mi Ah , Gyory Adrienn
Published: June 2018

This paper uses innovative democratic forums carried out in Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom to examine people’s ideas about welfare-state priorities and future prospects. We use a moral economy framework in the context of regime differences and the move towards neo-liberalism across Europe. Broadly speaking, attitudes reflect regime differences, with distinctive emphasis on reciprocity and the value of work in Germany, inclusion and equality in Norway, and individual responsibility and the work-ethic in the UK. Neo-liberal market-centred ideas appear to have made little headway in regard to popular attitudes, except in the already liberal-leaning UK. There is also a striking assumption by UK participants that welfare is threatened externally by immigrants who take jobs from established workers and internally by the work-shy who undermine the work-ethic. A key role of the welfare state is repressive rather than enabling: to protect against threats to well-being rather than provide benefits for citizens. UK participants also anticipate major decline in state provision. In all three countries there is strong support for continuing and expanding social investment policies, but for different reasons: to enable contribution in Germany, to promote equality and mobility in Norway, and to facilitate self-responsibility in the UK.
Polycephalous ‘ndrangheta: Crimes, behaviours and organisation of the Calabrian mafia in Australia
Authors: Sergi Anna
Published: June 2018

While attention to the ‘ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, in Australia, has significantly increased in the past two decades, historical records referring to this peculiar manifestation of organised crime in the country date back almost a century. This research is situated in between studies on mafia mobility and studies on the nature of mafia-type organised crime in Italy and in Australia. Relying on archival research, fieldwork and focus groups with law enforcement agencies across most Australian jurisdictions, this paper will essentially argue that there is in Australia an on-going criminal system that is made of ethnically hybrid criminal networks – predominantly made of, but not limited to, Calabrian ethnicity. Ethnic solidarity and traditional norms and values of the ‘ndrangheta, embedded in Calabrian migrant culture, provide the roof to these networks’ behaviours and organisation. This paper will discuss how the resilience of this mafia in Australia is linked to the capacity of ‘ndrangheta clans to maintain different heads – to be polycephalous – all differently and equally important: their organisational head is stable and culturally homogeneous, their (mafia-type) behaviours are constant, flexible and rooted in ethnic solidarity, and their activities are very dynamic, but hybrid in their ethnic composition.
Does the Military Make the (Wo)man? An Examination of Gender Differences Among Incarcerated Veterans
Authors: Brooke Erika J. , Peck Jennifer H.
Published: June 2018

Drawing upon prior research that has examined participation in the military and criminal justice outcomes, the current study investigates whether service history elements are associated with arrest frequencies, types of criminal behavior, and if certain service components influenced these outcomes in a similar or different manner for male and female veteran inmates. Using data from a nationally representative sample of inmates incarcerated in state prisons, results indicated that various attributes of military service and veteran gender were directly related to lifetime arrests and offense types. Gender disparities also emerged across military experiences depending on the type of behavior examined. The findings lend support for a multifaceted approach to understand and implement gender-specific programming in meeting the needs of justice-involved veterans.
Prophecy and Preaching: Does What Paul Calls ‘Prophecy’ in 1 Corinthians 14 Include What We Would Today Call ‘Preaching’?
Authors: Knights Chris
Published: June 2018

This article examines contemporary Christian understandings of ‘preaching’ and compares them with the description of ‘prophecy’ in 1 Corinthians 14 and elsewhere in the Bible. It concludes that, while prophecy is broader than preaching, the term ‘prophecy’ in 1 Corinthians 14 does indeed include what most today would call ‘preaching.’
The Press and Suicides in the 19th Century: Investigating Possible Imitative Effects in Five Territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Authors: Arendt Florian
Published: June 2018

During the 19th century, suicide rates increased in many countries. The press may have contributed to this increase, even though empirical evidence is lacking in this regard. We assessed suicide statistics within five territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1871 and 1910 and combined these data with a content analysis of suicide reporting in five newspapers, each appearing in one of the five territories. The analysis revealed a covariation between the quantity of reporting and the number of suicides within all five regions. Furthermore, the quantity of reporting significantly predicted the following year’s suicides. Although the causal order of suicides and the quantity of reporting should be assessed with caution, evidence is consistent with the idea that the press may have contributed to the establishment of suicide as a mass phenomenon. The findings also support contemporary guidelines for journalists, especially the notion of avoiding undue repetition of suicide stories.
Using Instructed Response Items as Attention Checks in Web Surveys: Properties and Implementation
Authors: Gummer Tobias , Roßmann Joss , Silber Henning
Published: June 2018

Identifying inattentive respondents in self-administered surveys is a challenging goal for survey researchers. Instructed response items (IRIs) provide a measure for inattentiveness in grid questions that is easy to implement. The present article adds to the sparse research on the use and implementation of attention checks by addressing three research objectives. In a first study, we provide evidence that IRIs identify respondents who show an elevated use of straightlining, speeding, item nonresponse, inconsistent answers, and implausible statements throughout a survey. Excluding inattentive respondents, however, did not alter the results of substantive analyses. Our second study suggests that respondents’ inattentiveness partially changes as the context in which they complete the survey changes. In a third study, we present experimental evidence that a mere exposure to an IRI does not negatively or positively affect response behavior within a survey. A critical discussion on using IRI attention checks concludes this article.
An investigation of the psychometric properties of the Maree Career Matrix
Authors: Ferreira Jessica C , Morgan Brandon
Published: June 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and structural validity of the Maree Career Matrix when used to measure the vocational interests of adults. Reliability of the 19 Maree Career Matrix interest categories were investigated using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega total and the structural validity of these 19 interest categories was examined using principal components analysis. Results indicated mostly satisfactory reliability of the 19 interest categories when used for discussion of interest profiles and that the 19 interest categories formed approximate circular ordering consistent with Holland’s circumplex model of vocational personality types. These results provide initial support for the reliability and structural validity of the Maree Career Matrix when used to measure the vocational interests of adults. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
“They Medicated Me Out”
Authors: Schlosser Allison V.
Published: June 2018

Addiction, a cultural construct long framed in moral, psychological, and social terms, is increasingly understood as biological and treated with medications. In the United States, methadone, buprenorphine, and a variety of psychopharmaceuticals are now commonly used to treat addiction alongside long-standing approaches such as 12-Step mutual aid. These biomedical interventions reshape the very condition they intervene on, influencing the ways treatment clients understand and experience addiction. Clients often experience medication treatment in tension with embodied and social practices of addiction: bodily routines, sensory experiences, temporalities, and social contexts of use. This article examines these tensions through theories of the social flesh and embodied citizenship. This analysis is based on a 20-month ethnography in and around “Sunrise” residential center in Northeast Ohio. Sunrise merges biomedical interventions with 12-Step, psychological and juridical approaches. These data show how biomedical practices alter client bodies and subjectivities, promoting body alienation at stark odds with the intense bodily connection clients established through drug use. This alienation results from rapid weight gain and heavy sedation clients attribute to medication effects, as well as mandated medication and adherence practices that strip clients of a sense of control of medication use. Many clients describe feeling “medicated out” of life: estranged from treatment peers and kin who oppose medications, counselors and other powerful authorities who demand their undivided attention, and friends with whom they are unable to relate when heavily medicated. Clients, however, do not passively accept this estrangement. They alter their bodily experiences by leveraging embodied practices developed during drug use. Through practices such as selectively taking medications based on historical bodily experience and illegal drug “testing” in the underground economy, clients reassert bodily connection and control, deriving a modicum of power—albeit constrained and risky—in a treatment system that strictly limits it.
Effects of an Interview Article Writing Intervention Using Class-wide SNS on Writing Abilities and Self-Esteem of Students With Intellectual Disabilities and Peers’ Attitudes
Authors: Lim Zihyun , Lee Suk-Hyang
Published: June 2018

This study was to investigate the effects of a process-based approach to writing interview articles using class-wide social network site (SNS) on the writing abilities and self-esteem of middle school students with intellectual disabilities. It also aimed at investigating these effects on attitudes of the students’ peers who were interviewed. A multiple probe baseline design across participants was employed to assess the writing abilities of three students with intellectual disabilities. A one-group pre- and posttest design was used to examine the changes in the attitudes of peers toward the students with intellectual disabilities. The intervention improved the writing abilities of the three participants along with increases of their self-esteem. The participants’ peers in the inclusive classrooms also showed positive changes in their attitudes toward the students with intellectual disabilities. This study has significance in that teaching interview article writing using class-wide SNS was effective not only in promoting the writing skills of students with intellectual disabilities but in improving their peers’ attitudes toward them. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Interpersonal violence during pregnancy: Enduring effects in the post-partum period and implications for the intergenerational transmission of risk
Authors: Miller-Graff Laura E. , Nuttall Amy K. , Lefever Jennifer E. B.
Published: June 2018

Women are at greater risk of exposure to interpersonal violence during pregnancy. The influence prenatal violence has on children’s behavioral adjustment is generally understood to stem from its impact on mothers, but there is a dearth of prospective research to test these models. The current study evaluated the influence of interpersonal violence during pregnancy on children’s behavioral adjustment in toddlerhood through the mother’s mental health and parenting in infancy. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study on the transition to motherhood ( N = 682). Mothers reported on their experiences of violence during pregnancy, depression at 6 months, and their children’s behavior at 24 months. Warm, responsive behavior was coded at 8 months. Prenatal experiences of violence predicted toddlers’ aggression/defiance toward mothers through maternal depressive symptoms and parenting in infancy. There were no effects on the toddlers’ aggression toward their peers. Interpersonal violence in pregnancy was linked to aggression/defiance toward mothers in early childhood via cascading negative effects on maternal depressive symptoms and parenting.
Differentiation Patterns of Uterine Carcinomas and Precursor Lesions Induced by Neonatal Estrogen Exposure in Mice
Authors: Suen Alisa A. , Jefferson Wendy N. , Williams Carmen J. , Wood Charles E.
Published: June 2018

Developmental exposure to estrogenic chemicals is an established risk factor for cancer of the female reproductive tract. This increase in risk has been associated with disruption of normal patterns of cellular differentiation during critical stages of morphogenesis. The goal of this study was to document uterine epithelial phenotypes over time following neonatal treatment with the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) or the soy phytoestrogen genistein (GEN) in female CD-1 mice. Both DES and GEN induced three distinct populations of abnormal endometrial epithelial cells: luminal (SIX1+/P63−/CK14−/CK18+), basal (SIX1+/P63+/CK14+/CK18−), and mixed/bipotential (SIX1+/P63−/CK14+/CK18+), which were all established by early adulthood. In older animals, DES and GEN resulted in uterine carcinomas with mixed glandular, basal, and squamous cell elements. All carcinomas were composed largely of the three abnormal cell types. These findings identify novel epithelial differentiation patterns in the uterus and support the idea that disruption of cellular programming in early development can influence cancer risk later in life.
Content and correlates of sisters’ messages about dating and sexuality
Authors: Killoren Sarah E. , Campione-Barr Nicole , Streit Cara , Giron Sonia , Kline Gabrielle C. , Youngblade Lise M.
Published: June 2018

Siblings are influential on one another’s romantic relationships and sexual behaviors, and examining mechanisms of this influence is important. Using a sample of 62 sister dyads, we examined the content of sisters’ messages about dating and sexuality and correlates of these messages. Sisters shared messages with one another about dating logistics, dating partners, sex, and the importance of self. Using actor–partner interdependence models, we examined how both dyad members’ romantic relationship status and sexual experiences, intentions, and attitudes were associated with sisters’ messages. We found sisters’ experiences—especially older sisters’ experiences—were associated with the content of messages. Consistent with symbolic interactionism, the findings point to the importance of examining sibling communication about dating and sexuality as an important socialization mechanism through which sisters may influence one another’s romantic relationships and sexuality development.
Episodic foresight deficits in regular, but not recreational, cannabis users
Authors: Mercuri Kimberly , Terrett Gill , Henry Julie D , Curran H Valerie , Elliott Morgan , Rendell Peter G
Published: June 2018

Background:

Cannabis use is associated with a range of neurocognitive deficits, including impaired episodic memory. However, no study to date has assessed whether these difficulties extend to episodic foresight, a core component of which is the ability to mentally travel into one’s personal future. This is a particularly surprising omission given that episodic memory is considered to be critical to engage episodic foresight.

Aims:

In the present study, we provide the first test of how episodic foresight is affected in the context of differing levels of cannabis use, and the degree to which performance on a measure of this construct is related to episodic memory.

Results:

Fifty-seven regular cannabis users (23 recreational, 34 regular) and 57 controls were assessed using an adapted version of the Autobiographical Interview. The results showed that regular-users exhibited greater impairment of episodic foresight and episodic memory than both recreational-users and cannabis-naïve controls.

Conclusions:

These data therefore show for the first time that cannabis-related disruption of cognitive functioning extends to the capacity for episodic foresight, and they are discussed in relation to their potential implications for functional outcomes in this group.
The location discrimination reversal task in mice is sensitive to deficits in performance caused by aging, pharmacological and other challenges
Authors: Graf Radka , Longo Jami L , Hughes Zoë A
Published: June 2018

Deficits in hippocampal-mediated pattern separation are one aspect of cognitive function affected in schizophrenia (SZ) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To develop novel therapies, it is beneficial to explore this specific aspect of cognition preclinically. The location discrimination reversal (LDR) task is a hippocampal-dependent operant paradigm that evaluates spatial learning and cognitive flexibility using touchscreens. Here we assessed baseline performance as well as multimodal disease-relevant manipulations in mice. Mice were trained to discriminate between the locations of two images where the degree of separation impacted performance. Administration of putative pro-cognitive agents was unable to improve performance at narrow separation. Furthermore, a range of disease-relevant manipulations were characterized to assess whether performance could be impaired and restored. Pertinent to the cholinergic loss in AD, scopolamine (0.1 mg/kg) produced a disruption in LDR, which was attenuated by donepezil (1 mg/kg). Consistent with NMDA hypofunction in cognitive impairment associated with SZ, MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg) also disrupted performance; however, this deficit was not modified by rolipram. Microdeletion of genes associated with SZ (22q11) resulted in impaired performance, which was restored by rolipram (0.032 mg/kg). Since aging and inflammation affect cognition and are risk factors for AD, these aspects were also evaluated. Aged mice were slower to acquire the task than young mice and did not reach the same level of performance. A systemic inflammatory challenge (lipopolysaccharide (LPS), 1 mg/kg) produced prolonged (7 days) deficits in the LDR task. These data suggest that LDR task is a valuable platform for evaluating disease-relevant deficits in pattern separation and offers potential for identifying novel therapies.
Can baclofen change alcohol-related cognitive biases and what is the role of anxiety herein?
Authors: Beraha Esther M , Salemink Elske , Krediet Erwin , Wiers Reinout W
Published: June 2018

Background:

Baclofen has shown promise in the treatment of alcohol dependence. However, its precise (neuro-) psychological working mechanism is still under debate.

Aims:

This study aimed to get a better understanding of baclofen’s working mechanism by examining the effect of baclofen on cognitive biases. It was hypothesized that baclofen, compared to placebo, would lead to weaker cognitive biases. Furthermore, given a suggested anxiolytic effect of baclofen, we expected that anxiety would moderate this effect.

Methods:

From a larger randomized clinical trial (RCT) with 151 participants, a subset of 143 detoxified alcohol-dependent patients, either taking baclofen or placebo, was examined. Attentional bias for alcohol (500 and 1500 ms), alcohol approach tendencies, implicit alcohol-relaxation associations and trait anxiety were assessed before the administration of baclofen or placebo. Four weeks later, 94 patients were still abstinent (53 in the baclofen and 41 in the placebo condition) and cognitive biases were assessed again.

Results:

At baseline, patients showed a vigilance-avoidance pattern for the attentional bias (at 500 and 1500 ms, respectively) and alcohol-negative associations. After 4 weeks, an indication for an attentional bias away from alcohol at 500 ms was found only in the baclofen group; however, cognitive biases did not differ significantly between treatment groups. No moderating role of anxiety on cognitive biases was found.

Conclusions:

Baclofen did not lead to a differential change in cognitive biases compared with placebo, and trait anxiety levels did not moderate this. A better understanding of the working mechanism of baclofen and predictors of treatment success would allow prescribing of baclofen in a more targeted manner.
The effect of route of administration on the enantioselective pharmacokinetics of ketamine and norketamine in rats
Authors: Le Nedelec Martin , Glue Paul , Winter Helen , Goulton Chelsea , Medlicott Natalie J
Published: June 2018

Background:

Ketamine has been shown to produce a rapid and potent antidepressant response in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Currently ketamine is most commonly administered as a 40-minute intravenous infusion, though it is unknown whether this is the optimal route of administration.

Aims:

To determine the plasma concentration time course of the R- and S-enantiomers of ketamine and norketamine following administration of ketamine by four different routes of administration.

Methods:

Plasma from conscious non-anaesthetised rats was collected following administration of ketamine by either subcutaneous (SC), intramuscular (IM), intravenous infusion (IVI) or intravenous bolus (IVB) routes of administration. Concentrations of the enantiomers of ketamine and norketamine were determined by LC/MS.

Results:

Administration by the SC, IM and IVI routes produced an overall similar drug exposure. In contrast, administration by the IVB route produced approximately 15-fold higher peak plasma concentrations for the enantiomers of ketamine and an approximately four-fold lower AUC for the enantiomers of norketamine.

Conclusions:

Route of administration can significantly influence ketamine and norketamine exposures. These differences may influence safety and tolerability, and potentially drug efficacy in humans. This knowledge adds to current research into the optimisation of the use of ketamine for the treatment of depression.
Quantification of [18F]florbetapir: A test–retest tracer kinetic modelling study
Authors: Golla Sandeep SV , Verfaillie Sander CJ , Boellaard Ronald , Adriaanse Sofie M , Zwan Marissa D , Schuit Robert C , Timmers Tessa , Groot Colin , Schober Patrick , Scheltens Philip , van der Flier Wiesje M , Windhorst Albert D , van Berckel Bart NM , Lammertsma Adriaan A
Published: June 2018

Accumulation of amyloid beta can be visualized using [18F]florbetapir positron emission tomography. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal model for quantifying [18F]florbetapir uptake and to assess test–retest reliability of corresponding outcome measures. Eight Alzheimer’s disease patients (age: 67 ± 6 years, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE): 23 ± 3) and eight controls (age: 63 ± 4 years, MMSE: 30 ± 0) were included. Ninety-minute dynamic positron emission tomography scans, together with arterial blood sampling, were acquired immediately following a bolus injection of 294 ± 32 MBq [18F]florbetapir. Several plasma input models and the simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) were evaluated. The Akaike information criterion was used to identify the preferred kinetic model. Compared to controls, Alzheimer’s disease patients had lower MMSE scores and evidence for cortical Aβ pathology. A reversible two-tissue compartment model with fitted blood volume fraction (2T4k_VB) was the preferred model for describing [18F]florbetapir kinetics. SRTM-derived non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) correlated well (r2 = 0.83, slope = 0.86) with plasma input-derived distribution volume ratio. Test–retest reliability for plasma input-derived distribution volume ratio, SRTM-derived BPND and SUVr(50–70) were r = 0.88, r = 0.91 and r = 0.86, respectively. In vivo kinetics of [18F]florbetapir could best be described by a reversible two-tissue compartmental model and [18F]florbetapir BPND can be reliably estimated using an SRTM.
Determinants of Quality of Life of Elderly Patients Attending a General Practice Clinic in Southwest Nigeria
Authors: Fakoya Oladipupo O. , Abioye-Kuteyi Emmanuel A. , Bello Ibrahim S. , Oyegbade Olarenwaju O. , Olowookere Samuel A. , Ezeoma Ikechi T.
Published: June 2018

Background

Aging is associated with change in health status and decreasing functional capacity affecting the general well-being of individuals with increase in the prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) and its determinants in elderly patients attending a general practice clinic in Southwest Nigeria.

Method

Descriptive cross-sectional study of consenting elderly patients completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire on QoL and its determinants. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis. Logistic regression was done to identify predictors of QoL.

Results

A total of 216 older adults were interviewed. Only 25% had good QoL with majority having multiple morbidities which was associated with poorer QoL. Predictors of QoL were family support (odds ratio = 0.249, 95% confidence interval [0.079, 0.850], p = .026) and socioeconomic class (odds ratio = 3.66, 95% confidence interval [1.47, 7.87], p = .004) of the respondents.

Conclusion

QoL was found to be poor among the study population and worst in those with multiple morbidities. There is a need for policy direction to advocate for preventive strategies for risk of chronic diseases as well as provide better access to primary care through National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Carotid near-occlusion can be identified with ultrasound by low flow velocity distal to the stenosis
Authors: Johansson Elias , Benhabib Hadas , Herod Wendy , Hopyan Julia , Machnowska Matylda , Maggisano Robert , Aviv Richard , Fox Allan J
Published: June 2018

Background

Most carotid near-occlusions are indistinguishable from conventional ≥ 50% stenosis on ultrasound, demonstrating high peak systolic velocity (PSV) in the stenosis.

Purpose

To study whether the velocity distal to the stenosis can separate high PSV near-occlusion from conventional ≥ 50% stenosis.

Material and Methods

We included patients with ≥ 50% carotid stenosis with high PSV (≥125 cm/s), examined with both computed tomography angiography (CTA) and ultrasound within 30 days, and a distal velocity measurement was performed. Based on CTA, cases were divided into three groups: conventional stenosis; near-occlusion without full collapse (NwoC; normal-appearing albeit small distal artery); and near-occlusion with full collapse (NwC; threadlike distal artery). Distal Doppler ultrasound flow velocities were compared between these groups.

Results

Sixty patients were included: 33 patients with conventional stenosis; 20 patients with NwoC; and seven patients with NwC. Mean distal PSV was 93, 63, and 21 cm/s ( P < 0.001) and mean distal end-diastolic velocity was 30, 24, and 5 cm/s ( P < 0.001), respectively. A distal PSV < 50 cm/s was 63% sensitive and 94% specific for separating both types of near-occlusion from conventional stenosis.

Conclusion

In high PSV carotid stenoses, the distal velocity was lower in near-occlusions than conventional carotid stenosis. Distal velocities warrant further investigation in diagnostic studies.
A novel mutation in the conserved sequence of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 leads to primary lymphoedema
Authors: Dai Ting , Li Bohan , He Bo , Yan Liwei , Gu Liqiang , Liu Xiaolin , Qi Jian , Li Ping , Zhou Xiang
Published: June 2018

Objective

To investigate whether lymphoedema in a Chinese family showed the hereditary and clinical characteristics of Milroy disease, an autosomal dominant form of congenital lymphoedema, typically characterized by chronic lower limb tissue swelling due to abnormal lymphatic vasculature development, and to perform mutational analyses of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor ( VEGFR)3.

Methods

Individuals from a three-generation family affected by congenital lymphoedema were clinically assessed for Milroy disease. Mutation analysis of VEGFR3 was performed using DNA from family members and healthy controls.

Results

Out of 20 family members, eight were diagnosed with hereditary lymphoedema. Mutation analyses revealed a novel mutation site for c.3163 G>A, resulting in a p.1055D>N mutation in the second tyrosine kinase domain of VEGFR3, which was present in affected individuals only (absent in all unaffected family members and 130 healthy controls). Computed functional analyses showed the mutation may lead to structural alterations with a probability of 0.99999 of being disease causing.

Conclusion

A novel mutation associated with Milroy disease was identified in a Chinese family, expanding our knowledge of VEGFR3 gene function and providing a potential molecular target for treating hereditary lymphoedema.
A case of a patient with severe renal failure on hemodialysis treated with vismodegib for relapsing basal cell carcinoma
Authors: Sbrana Andrea , Antonuzzo Andrea , Galli Luca , Biasco Elisa , Musettini Gianna , Paolieri Federico , Ricci Sergio
Published: June 2018

Introduction:

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer. Treatment options for metastatic or locally advanced BCC inappropriate for surgery or radiotherapy were poor until vismodegib was approved for use in this setting. This drug can be safely used in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment, but limited data are available for its use in case of severe kidney failure. We present the case of a patient with severe renal failure on hemodialysis treated with vismodegib.

Case description:

An 83-year-old patient with relapsing BCC of both auricles and severe renal failure on hemodialysis was treated with vismodegib for 7 months. The treatment proved to be effective with a striking reduction of the tumor masses. The patient was on therapy with vismodegib for 7 months and no severe adverse event was observed.

Conclusion:

Vismodegib could be used in patients with severe renal impairment, but these patients must be attentively followed and strict cooperation among healthcare professionals, such as nephrologists, dermatologists, and medical oncologists, is required.
The material geographies of advertising: Concrete objects, affective affordance and urban space
Authors: Dekeyser Thomas
Published: June 2018

This paper contributes to an expanding concern with the urban geographies of advertising. The paper outlines the need to investigate the difference the material logics of advertising technology (hardware, software and code) make to the bodies and spaces of urban life. Through an intensified capacity to selectively open up to and interact with urban space, I argue, technological advancements in outdoor advertising launch the advertising object into a more compatible relation with urban space. I exemplify this by pulling out and detailing the recent development of image-recognition technology, anti-hacking features and thermal management systems, each of which are becoming central to the contemporary material conditions of outdoor advertising. Through the lens of Gilbert Simondon's notion of ‘concretisation', these technological advancements are conceptualised as resolving particular commercial incompatibilities in the relation between advertising object and excessive environments. Taken together, they leverage the outdoor advertising object’s control over its capacities to affect and be affected, that is, over its affective affordance. I suggest this has significant implications for how we engage and intervene into the politics of advertising geographies.
Procedure to automate the classification and mapping of the vegetation density in arid aeolian sedimentary systems
Authors: García-Romero Leví , Hernández-Cordero Antonio I , Hernández-Calvento Luis , Espino Emma Pérez-Chacón , López-Valcarcel Beatriz González
Published: June 2018

The temporal variation in vegetation cover in aeolian sedimentary systems, especially those in arid regions, provides an indication of environmental change. Based on this, the objective of this paper is to design a simple method for classifying the vegetation density of arid aeolian sedimentary systems through the digital processing of aerial images. The green band of a high resolution orthophoto of La Graciosa island (Canary Islands, Spain) is used as an example. The pixels identified as vegetation were vectorized to point geometry, the vegetation density was then calculated, and a digital vegetation density model (DVDM) thereby obtained. Both spatial and statistical analyses were performed to find the optimal procedure to achieve the objective. Speed, objectivity, cost, and the possibility of working with historical records are discussed, and the proposed method is compared with others based on visual analysis or digital remote sensing. The importance of this method for countries with less research funding or low GDP per capita is also discussed. The proposed procedure opens up future lines of research for comparison of results across various environmental and anthropogenic variables. In addition, vegetation density can be used as a variable in computational fluid dynamic modeling of vegetation in arid dune systems.
A post-processing module based on Cressman’s analysis to improve the Wind Energy Simulation Toolkit mapping system
Authors: Alonso Yoandy , Martinez Yosvany , Roque Alfredo , Yu Wei , Borrajero Israel
Published: June 2018

In this work, a post-processing module based on Cressman’s method of objective analysis is added to the Wind Energy Simulation Toolkit in order to improve the accuracy of the numerical wind atlas of Cuba. Mean wind speed surface observations at 35 meteorological stations and mean wind speed observations at 10, 30, 50, and 100 m height above ground level collected at a network of 58 observation towers are assimilated in the Cressman analysis. Furthermore, the 3-year numerical wind atlas generated for the same period of time is considered as the first guess for the Cressman method. A new wind atlas of Cuba is generated and verified using observation records at 32 meteorological stations and 10 observation towers distributed over the country. In addition, the capability of the new post-processing scheme to adding information on the temporal variability of the wind resource is explored.
Prognostic factors for outcome of microvascular decompression in trigeminal neuralgia: A prospective systematic study using independent assessors
Authors: Heinskou Tone Bruvik , Rochat Per , Maarbjerg Stine , Wolfram Frauke , Brennum Jannick , Olesen Jes , Bendtsen Lars
Published: June 2018

Introduction

There is a lack of high-quality prospective, systematic studies using independent assessors of outcome of microvascular decompression as treatment for trigeminal neuralgia.

Methods

Clinical characteristics and outcome data were recorded prospectively from consecutive classical trigeminal neuralgia patients, using standardized interviews. Degree of neurovascular contact was evaluated by a 3.0 Tesla MRI blinded to symptomatic side. Patients were assessed before and 12 months after surgery by a neurologist.

Results

Twenty-six men and 33 women completed 12 months follow-up. Forty-one patients (69%) had an excellent outcome (no pain, no medication). Ten (18%) patients had a good outcome. Eight (12%) patients had no improvement or had worsening of pain. MRI showed neurovascular contact with morphological changes in 34 patients (58%). Odds ratio between neurovascular contact with morphological changes and excellent outcome was 4.4 (Cl 1.16–16.26), p = 0.029. Odds ratio between male sex and excellent outcome was 11.38 (Cl 2.12–59.52), p = 0.004. No significant association was found between excellent outcome and concomitant persistent pain, current age or disease duration.

Conclusion

Neurovascular contact with morphological changes and male sex are positive predictive factors for outcome of microvascular decompression. The findings enable clinicians to better inform patients before surgery.
Demand-Driven Transfer Coordination of Last Trains in Metro Network
Authors: Zhou Feng , Li Yanan , Xu Ruihua
Published: June 2018

Under the condition of metro network operation with one-ticket transfer, coordination of last trains is especially important because it is the last chance for many travelers to arrive at their destination. Considering passenger flow demand and operating time threshold, this paper proposes a methodology for the effective coordination of last trains, which can not only maximize the total number of passengers transferring successfully in the last-train period, but also improve network accessibility and shorten the time span of network accessibility. The hierarchical progressive algorithm and double-level evaluation indexes are put forward and applied to a case study of the Guangzhou Metro network. The results show that the number of passengers transferring successfully has increased by 10.4% and the method improves accessibility to the network. The research achievements can be applied to Apps and websites to provide passengers with travel information guidance, and can also be used to control the automatic vending machines to sell tickets.
Review of Handback Experience with Public–Private Partnerships
Authors: Cui Qingbin , Ham Marcel , DeCorla-Souza Patrick , Weaver Emma
Published: June 2018

Public–Private Partnership (P3) handback experience is very limited in the U.S. and internationally. This paper analyzes the handback experience in three highway P3 projects: East-Link Bridge in Dublin, Ireland, Highway 4 (VT4 Järvenpää-Lahti) in Finland, and M4 Tollway in New South Wales, Australia. Two of the projects did not have any material handback clauses in their P3 contracts. Still, the handback processes and outcomes of all three projects are considered successful. The projects experienced a relatively smooth handback process, mainly because of very good working relationships between the contracting authority and the P3 concessionaire. There have not been significant technical quality concerns or problems in the years immediately following the handback. Other drivers for successful P3 handback include clear definition of handback requirements, sufficient incentives and protections, clear procedures and joint inspection processes, a collaborative approach, and workforce sustainment. These contractual requirements and financial incentives and protections are very beneficial as working relationships between P3 agencies and concessionaires will not always be excellent, which could lead to less smooth handback processes.
Forearm Flexor Injuries Among Major League Baseball Players: Epidemiology, Performance, and Associated Injuries
Authors: Hodgins Justin L. , Trofa David P. , Donohue Steve , Littlefield Mark , Schuk Michael , Ahmad Christopher S.
Published: June 2018

Background:

Despite evidence highlighting the importance of the forearm flexor muscles of elite baseball players, no studies have reported on the epidemiology of flexor strains and their associated outcomes.

Purpose:

To examine the incidence, associated injuries, and outcomes associated with forearm flexor injuries among major and minor league baseball players.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Injury data attributed to forearm flexor injuries among Major League Baseball (MLB) and minor league teams between 2010 and 2014 were obtained from the professional baseball Health and Injury Tracking System. This analysis included the number of players injured, seasonal timing of injury, days spent on the disabled list (DL), preinjury performance data, and subsequent injuries.

Results:

A total of 134 and 629 forearm flexor injuries occurred in MLB and the minor leagues, respectively. The mean player age was 28.6 and 22.8 years in the MLB and minor leagues, respectively. The mean time spent on the DL for MLB players was 117.0 days, as opposed to 93.9 days in the minor leagues ( P = .272). Interestingly, pitcher performance declined in all categories examined leading up to the season of injury, with significant differences in walks plus hits per inning pitched ( P = .04) and strike percentage ( P = .036). Of MLB players with a forearm injury, subsequent injuries included 50 (37.3%) shoulder, 48 (35.8%) elbow, and 24 (17.9%) forearm injuries. Among injured minor league players, subsequent injuries included 170 (27.0%) shoulder, 156 (24.8%) elbow, and 83 (13.2%) forearm injuries. These rates of subsequent injuries were significantly higher compared with the rates of injuries sustained among players without forearm injuries in both leagues ( P < .001). Finally, 26 (19.4%) MLB and 56 (8.9%) minor league players required an ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, rates that were significantly higher compared with players without a flexor strain ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

Flexor-pronator injuries are responsible for considerable time spent on the DL for elite players in MLB and the minor leagues. The most significant findings of this investigation illustrate that a flexor strain may be a significant risk factor for subsequent upper extremity injuries, including an ulnar collateral ligament tear.
Prolonged veno-arterial extracorporeal life support for cardiac failure
Authors: Guenther Sabina PW , Shudo Yasuhiro , Hiesinger William , Banerjee Dipanjan
Published: June 2018

Objectives:

In intractable cardiogenic shock, extracorporeal life support frequently is the last treatment option. Outcomes of prolonged veno-arterial extracorporeal life support for cardiac failure are poorly defined.

Methods:

We retrospectively analyzed 10 patients (4 females, age = 36 ± 16 years) who underwent prolonged extracorporeal life support (≥7 days) from December 2015 to March 2017 for cardiogenic shock. The primary endpoint was survival to hospital discharge.

Results:

Etiologies included ischemic cardiomyopathy with non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (n = 1), dilated (n = 3), hypertrophic (n = 1), postpartum cardiomyopathy (n = 1), and others (n = 4). Heart failure was left or biventricular in 80.0% (left ventricular ejection fraction = 15.6 ± 5.5%). Among the 10 patients, 80.0% underwent femoral and 20.0% central cannulation, 40.0% required changes in the cannulation strategy, and 80.0% underwent left ventricular venting. No technical malfunctions occurred, but 50.0% required circuit exchanges for thrombus formation. 80.0% suffered from infections. 60.0% could be decannulated after 717 ± 830 (168–2301) h of support, and survival to hospital discharge was 40.0%. Longest follow-up available is 160 ± 175 (12–409) days after discharge, with 30.0% alive and in satisfying functional condition.

Conclusion:

Prolonged veno-arterial extracorporeal life support for cardiac failure is feasible with low technical complication rates. Survival rates are acceptable, yet inferior to short-term support. We observed a shift from initial shock-related complications to infections during prolonged support. Since recovery and thus weaning is rather unlikely after a prolonged need for extracorporeal life support, this form of support should be limited to centers offering the full spectrum of interdisciplinary cardiac care including ventricular assist device implantation and transplantation.