bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low-Density Lipoprotein-Reactive T Cells Regulate Plasma Cholesterol Levels and Development of Atherosclerosis in Humanized Hypercholesterolemic Mice
Authors: Gisterå Anton , Klement Maria L. , Polyzos Konstantinos A. , Mailer Reiner K.W. , Duhlin Amanda , Karlsson Mikael C.I. , Ketelhuth Daniel F.J. , Hansson Göran K.
Published: July 2018

Background:

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a chronic inflammatory process initiated when cholesterol-carrying low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is retained in the arterial wall. CD4
+
T cells, some of which recognize peptide components of LDL as antigen, are recruited to the forming lesion, resulting in T-cell activation. Although these T cells are thought to be proatherogenic, LDL immunization reduces disease in experimental animals. These seemingly contradictory findings have hampered the development of immune-based cardiovascular therapy. The present study was designed to clarify how activation of LDL-reactive T cells impacts on metabolism and vascular pathobiology.

Methods:

We have developed a T-cell receptor–transgenic mouse model to characterize the effects of immune reactions against LDL. Through adoptive cell transfers and cross-breeding to hypercholesterolemic mice expressing the antigenic human LDL protein apolipoprotein B-100, we evaluate the effects on atherosclerosis.

Results:

A subpopulation of LDL-reactive T cells survived clonal selection in the thymus, developed into T follicular helper cells in lymphoid tissues on antigen recognition, and promoted B-cell activation. This led to production of anti-LDL immunoglobulin G antibodies that enhanced LDL clearance through immune complex formation. Furthermore, the cellular immune response to LDL was associated with increased cholesterol excretion in feces and with reduced vascular inflammation.

Conclusions:

These data show that anti-LDL immunoreactivity evokes 3 atheroprotective mechanisms: antibody-dependent LDL clearance, increased cholesterol excretion, and reduced vascular inflammation.
How Much Purer is the Synopsis Purioris Theologiae (1625)?
Authors: Stanglin Keith D.
Published: July 2018

The claim implicit in the title of the Synopsis purioris theologiae is that there is a difference between the theological disputations at Leiden conducted before the Synod of Dordt and those conducted after it. This essay examines various possibilities for the nature and extent of this difference. After comparing the disputations with regard to large thematic elements, overall structure, and specific theological topics, it appears that the differences between the two sets of disputations are not as great as might be expected. One must go to hotly debated topics to find differences in the disputations. The Leiden theological handbooks that resulted from the cycles of disputations could, before Dordt, be inconsistent or even incoherent due to the theological diversity within the faculty. What was “purer” after Dordt was a faculty that, on the contested questions of the synod, was uniform in its teaching, a consistency reflected in its theological handbook.
New species and new records of gelechiid moths (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from southern Siberia
Authors: BIDZILYA OLEKSIY , NUPPONEN KARI
Published: July 2018

Noteworthy records of 23 species of the family Gelechiidae from southern Siberia are reported. The following seven new species are described: Metzneria transbaikalica Bidzilya, sp. nov., Istrianis jaskai Bidzilya, sp. nov., Teleiopsis kyraensis Bidzilya, sp. nov., Athrips nigrilineella Bidzilya & K. Nupponen, sp. nov., Filatima multicornuta Bidzilya & K. Nupponen, sp. nov., Lutilabria pallidella K. Nupponen & Bidzilya sp. nov. and Caryocolum unicolorellum Bidzilya, sp. nov. Two new synonyms are established: Filatima bidentella Bidzilya, 1998 syn. nov. of Filatima asiatica Sattler, 1961; Filatima autocrossa Meyrick, 1937 syn. nov. of Filatima pallipalpella Snellen, 1884. Lutilabria kaszabi Povolný, 1978 is re-described based on additional material. The hitherto unknown females of Filatima asiatica, F. karsholti Ivinskis & Piskunov, 1989, F. sciocrypta (Meyrick, 1936) and Athrips kerzhneri Piskunov, 1990 are described. Dirhinosia interposita Bidzilya & Budashkin, 2015, Scrobipalpa flavinerva Bidzilya & Li, 2010, Scrobipalpa sinica Bidzilya & Li, 2010 and Filatima karsholti are recorded from Russia for the first time. Nine species are recorded for the first time from different regions of Siberia. Female brachyptery in Filatima Busck, 1939 and Lutilabria Povolný, 1965 is reported for the first time.
Recurrent Cardiology Evaluation for Innocent Heart Murmur: Echocardiogram Utilization
Authors: Dalal Nupur N. , Dzelebdzic Sanja , Frank Lowell H. , Clauss Sarah B. , Mitchell Stephanie J. , Aljohani Othman A. , Bradley-Hewitt Tyler , Harahsheh Ashraf S.
Published: July 2018

We conducted a retrospective study to identify electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiogram utilization among patients presenting for a follow-up cardiology evaluation with innocent heart murmur between 2012 and 2014. The 2014 echocardiogram Appropriate Use Criteria was applied. We observed high rates of ordering ECGs and echocardiograms on follow-up visits (79% and 36%); only 1 patient had an appropriate indication for echocardiogram while the rest had rarely appropriate indication. Having had an ECG done did not affect echocardiogram ordering behavior. Older patient age was the only factor associated with a higher likelihood for ordering echocardiograms on follow-up visit (odds ratio = 1.016, P = .021). In this small sample study, we noticed high rates of test utilization and low-probability utilization of echocardiogram in the recurrent evaluation of children with innocent heart murmur. A larger, multicenter prospective study to investigate patterns and drivers of test utilization in children with innocent heart murmur presenting for a follow-up cardiology visit is needed.
A Study of the Effects of Charter Schools on Student Achievement, Attendance, and Selected Mitigating Factors in a Midwestern State’s Midsize Urban School Districts
Authors: Clarke Frederick C. , Burt Walter L.
Published: July 2018

Charter schools in urban environments have been scrutinized for their effectiveness. This study attempted to determine whether students attending Midwestern urban charter schools outperformed students in traditional schools on the state’s accountability system over a 5-year time period. Using a quasi-experimental research design, data were collected from 31 Midwestern urban school districts, along with data from 88 adjacent contiguous charter schools during the 2008 to 2012 school years. Findings in this study suggest that students who transferred from traditional public schools to charter schools did not outperform academically as their corresponding counterparts in mathematics and reading, and had lower attendance rates, over the first three consecutive years of their attendance. In the succeeding 2 years, however, charter school students outperformed traditional students in both reading and mathematics, and had greater attendance rates, than students attending traditional public schools. The study also found that a student’s ethnic and socioeconomic background had a significant influence on student outcome measures.
Little lifesavers: Can we start first aid education in kindergarten? – A longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Bánfai Bálint , Pandur Attila , Schiszler Bence , Pék Emese , Radnai Balázs , Bánfai-Csonka Henrietta , Betlehem József
Published: July 2018

Objectives:

First aid programmes should include not only the transfer of knowledge and skills but also improve participants’ helping attitudes. The aim of this study was to evalute the immediate and long-term effects of a 3-day first aid programme for kindergarten children.

Methods:

One hundred and eighteen kindergarten children (5–7 years old) from an inner-city kindergarten located in Pécs, Hungary, were involved in this study between January 2016 and June 2017. Training consisted of three 45-minute sessions involving the transfer of theoretical knowledge and practical skills about first aid. Knowledge, skills and attitudes were assessed by means of a questionnaire developed for the study and through observation. Participants were tested before and immediately after the programme and at 4 and 15 months.

Results:

The majority of children had no prior knowledge in first aid. Knowledge and skills significantly improved immediately after training and remained significantly higher at 4 and 15 months when compared to baseline – calling the ambulance ( p < 0.01), performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR; p < .01), using an automated external defibrillator (AED; p < .01), handling an unconscious patient ( p < .01) and managing bleeding ( p < .01). Attitudes towards first aid improved significantly after the programme ( p < .01) and remained improved after 4 and 15 months when compared to baseline ( p < .01).

Conclusion:

Beginning first aid education in kindergarten can be useful. Children cannot become professional bystanders immediately following training, but the programme can offer an introduction of first aid. However, the results decreased substantially after 15 months so regular refreshing training should be recommended.
Large-scale drop test on perlite–metal syntactic foam
Authors: Fiedler T , Taherishargh M
Published: July 2018

Perlite–metal syntactic foam is a low-cost cellular metal intended for use in automotive impact protection. To test the viability of the material a 2.5 ton drop test was conducted. Impact mass and energy were selected to replicate the conditions of a frontal impact between a large passenger vehicle and a crash cushion. A hollow syntactic foam cylinder was manufactured to decelerate the drop weight in a controlled manner. Accelerometers and high-speed imaging were utilized to evaluate the performance of the energy absorbing element.
Distribution of the preferred clothing pressure over the whole body
Authors: Mitsuno Tamaki , Kai Ayaka
Published: July 2018

A system for measuring clothing pressure employing a renewed hydrostatic pressure-balancing method was examined using three calibration methods. All methods revealed an almost perfectly linear Y = X relation for the pressure load (X) and the reading of the system (Y). In the application, the distributions of elastic band pressure were examined on 21 planes from head to foot. The preferred elastic band pressures of the leg and arm were significantly higher than those of the neck and abdomen. These results are due to the large presence of the autonomic nervous system at the surfaces of the neck and abdomen. In the area of the abdomen, the preferred elastic band pressure was higher from the mammilla to the shoulder than for the anteroposterior midlines. The development of compression ware must consider appropriate tightening for each body part.
School Leadership and Racism: An Ecological Perspective
Authors: Brooks Jeffrey S. , Watson Terri N.
Published: July 2018

This article reports results from a single-school case study that explored the ways racism influences (and is influenced by) racism. The study examined the ways racism is manifest at different levels of the system: individual, dyadic, subcultural, institutional, and societal. In doing so, the authors sought to understand how racism influences leadership practice within and across each of these levels, meaning as a whole they were considered as an ecological model. Findings suggested pretext, context and posttext are important, and that individual educators’ leadership is influenced by ever-changing racial dynamics in their school.
Disrupting the Gender Institution: Consciousness-Raising in the Cocoa Value Chain
Authors: McCarthy Lauren , Moon Jeremy
Published: July 2018

Gender is one of the most taken-for-granted institutions. Inequality is a common by-product of this institution and questions arise as to how such inequalities can be addressed. We uncover the cognitive and emotional processes individuals experience that enable them to begin disrupting the gender institution, within our case context of a gender equality programme in the Ghanaian cocoa value chain. We identify four elements of institutional apprehension: theorizing, auditing, relating to others and exploring difference. These processes help individuals ‘see’ the dimensions of the gender institution: its order’s laws and rules, its organizational gender regimes, and its gendered practices in daily interactions. Furthermore, some individuals are able to appreciate the dynamic interplay between these dimensions, and the power relations that are inherent within them. We argue that this fifth element of institutional apprehension, consciousness-raising, is particularly important for achieving equality. Consciousness-raising involves connecting everyday practices with organizational and structural rules, thus making ‘the personal political’. It enables individuals to reconsider the way that power plays out in relational ways within value chains, promoting variously fatalism, resistance and the possibility of more multidimensional solutions to gender inequality.
Victim support, the state, and fellow human beings
Authors: Gallo Carina , af Sandeberg Annika , Svensson Kerstin
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on the interdependence between the state and Sweden’s largest non-governmental victim support umbrella organization, Victim Support Sweden (VSS). In particular, it examines how government funding of VSS has developed since the end of the 1980s. Based on a qualitative analysis of government bills and VSS’s annual reports, the article gives a detailed account of how a non-governmental organization and the state are interconnected in a complementary relationship. The results show that VSS has differentiated itself from the state and government agencies by defining its victim support volunteers as ‘fellow human beings’. The state and VSS have, however, always been interdependent, which blurs the line between the two. VSS has relied on government grants, while the state has leaned on VSS for victim support. In addition, many of VSS’s local victim support centers have signed cooperation agreements with municipalities, which may give municipalities greater control over the centers’ work.
Statistical analysis of yarn to metal frictional coefficient of cotton spun yarn using Taguchi design of experiment
Authors: Shahzad Amir , Ahmad Naseer , Ali Zulfiqar , Afzal Ali , Qadir Muhammad Bilal , Khaliq Zubair , Khan Muhammad Qamar
Published: July 2018

Yarn’s surface to metal friction is an important consideration in the subsequent process of knitting and weaving as it influences mainly the ends down rate, fly generation, process efficiency, wear and tear of machine parts, and production rate of the process. These frictional properties are measured in terms of the coefficient of friction of yarn. The effect of cotton type, yarn twist, yarn linear density, process type, and finishing treatment was studied on the surface to the metal friction coefficient of cotton spun yarn using Taguchi experimental design. The experiments were conducted with Pakistani and Indian cotton using combed and carded ring spinning processes. Using Taguchi design of experiment, a total of 36 samples of cotton ring-spun yarns were produced. The coefficient of friction between the yarn’s surface and metal’s surface is measured in compliance with ASTM D3108. The outcome of the Taguchi model to predict the coefficient of friction of yarns with a predefined combination of constituting parameters was further confirmed with nine yarn samples. The frictional characteristics of yarns are found to be influenced by all factors. In addition to the application of wax, the longer fiber length, lower trash count, lower short fiber index, and the optimum level of twist are found advantageous to reduce the yarn coefficient of friction.
Recruiting Older Adults With Functional Difficulties Into a Community-Based Research Study: Approaches and Costs
Authors: Nkimbeng Manka , Roberts Laken , Thorpe Roland J. , Gitlin Laura N. , Delaney Alice , Tanner Elizabeth K. , Szanton Sarah L.
Published: July 2018

The CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders) trial in Baltimore City tested whether an interdisciplinary team of occupational therapists, nurses, and handymen reduces disability and health expenditures in community-dwelling older adults with functional difficulties. This study describes methods and associated costs of recruiting 300 low-income, cognitively intact, older adults with functional difficulties into this study. Sources of participant enrollment included direct mailings (35%), government program referrals (19%), community-based organizations (16%), ambassador referrals (15%), and media (4%). Fifty six (30%) of 187 older adults referred through government organizations were enrolled, while 49 (7.6%) of 648 referred from community-based organizations were enrolled. Total recruitment costs were US$81,453.12. Costs per participant for mailings, media, ambassadors, and community-based organizations were respectively US$745.10, US$256.82, US$22.28, and US$1.00. Direct mailings yielded the most participants but was the most costly method per participant. Ambassadors were least expensive and may offer a low-cost addition to community outreach for recruitment of older adults into research.
Profiles of Psychological Resilience in College Students With Disabilities
Authors: Ganguly Rahul , Perera Harsha N.
Published: July 2018

The present article reports on research conducted to identify profiles of psychological resilience using factor mixture models. We also examine gender as a predictor of resilience profile membership and career optimism, academic satisfaction, and psychological well-being as outcomes of profile membership. Based on resilience data from university students with disabilities, factor mixture modeling revealed three distinct profiles of resilience (viz., “vulnerable,” “spirituality-dominant,” and “engaged-resilient”). Results also revealed that females were almost 4 times as likely to be in the spirituality-dominant profile than the vulnerable profile. Finally, distal outcome analyses revealed that career optimism, academic satisfaction, and well-being were higher in the engaged-resilient profile than the other profiles. Notably, spirituality-dominant and vulnerable individuals possessed about the same levels of career optimism, satisfaction, and well-being. The findings have important implications for the theory and assessment of resilience, suggesting the tenability of a person-centered assessment of psychological resilience.
A Socioecological Model of Risk Associated With Campus Sexual Assault in a Representative Sample of Liberal Arts College Students
Authors: Herres Joanna , Wang Shirley B. , Bobchin Kelly , Draper Jordan
Published: July 2018

Campus sexual assault (CSA) is a growing area of research and public health concern, yet little research has considered the sociocultural context in which CSA occurs or the effect of sociocultural factors on the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of CSA survivors. This study describes the results of a web-based census survey administered to students at a liberal arts college. Of the 1,611 students who completed the survey (74% female; 71.4% White, 4.3% African American, 12% Hispanic), 13.5% reported experiencing at least one type of completed or attempted CSA. Female students, participants in Greek life, and students who reported victimization prior to college were more likely to report having experienced CSA. CSA was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms, and this relationship was stronger for racial/ethnic minorities, those who reported less sense of community, and those who were more aware of campus services to address CSA. This study demonstrates multiple levels of sociocultural influence on the mental health of college students who have experienced CSA and may suggest ways for improving prevention and intervention strategies to address CSA and its consequences.
Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among South African Women and Their Relation to Emotional Distress During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Authors: McNaughton Reyes H. Luz , Maman Suzanne , Chen May S. , Groves Allison K. , Moodley Dhayendre
Published: July 2018

Although numerous studies have established a link between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and maternal mental health, extant research examining this association has not considered heterogeneity in the forms of IPV that women experience. This is an important gap given that typological perspectives suggest that mental health consequences of IPV victimization may depend on the particular pattern of IPV that is experienced. The current study used latent class analysis to (a) identify and characterize distinct patterns of physical, psychological, and sexual IPV and male controlling behavior in a sample of pregnant South African women ( n = 1,480) and (b) examine associations between IPV patterns and emotional distress during pregnancy (baseline) and 9 months postpartum (follow-up). Latent class analysis identified a three-class solution wherein the largest class demonstrated a low probability of IPV victimization across all indicators ( nonvictims; 72% of the sample) and the smallest class demonstrated high probabilities of having experienced moderate and severe forms of IPV victimization as well as male controlling behavior ( multiform severe controlling IPV; 4% of the sample). A third class ( moderate IPV) was identified for which there was a high probability of experiencing moderate, but not severe, physical and psychological IPV (24% of the sample). Age, education, cohabitation status, experience of childhood abuse, and forced first sex were associated with class membership. Multiform severe controlling IPV victims reported significantly greater emotional distress than moderate IPV victims and nonvictims at baseline and follow-up. The results contribute to understanding heterogeneity in the patterns of IPV that women experience that may reflect distinct etiological processes and warrant distinct prevention and treatment approaches.
Not Just an Undergraduate Issue: Campus Climate and Sexual Violence Among Graduate Students
Authors: McMahon Sarah , O’Connor Julia , Seabrook Rita
Published: July 2018

The lack of research on graduate students’ experiences with campus sexual violence and the campus climate is a glaring gap in the literature (Bonistall Postel, 2020). Thus, the current exploratory study examines the experience of graduate students at one university to determine their victimization rates and the number of disclosures they receive from peers. In addition, we compare graduate and undergraduate students’ awareness of resources on campus and their confidence in knowing where to seek assistance for their peers or themselves. Finally, we compare key influential factors related to the campus climate such as sense of community and perceptions of the university’s responsiveness to incidents of sexual violence among graduate and undergraduate students. An online survey was administered to a sample of 9,546 students, with 79.9% undergraduates and 20.1% graduates. A total of 5.2% of graduate students reported experiences of sexual violence since attending the university, with 13% receiving disclosures from peers. MANCOVA revealed that compared with undergraduate students, graduate students had significantly less awareness of campus resources, less confidence in knowing where to seek assistance, and less of a sense of community. There were no differences in perceptions of the university’s handling of sexual violence. The findings highlight the importance of including and targeting graduate students in sexual violence awareness and prevention programming on college campuses.
The Common Time Course of Memory Processes Revealed
Authors: Anderson John R. , Borst Jelmer P. , Fincham Jon M. , Ghuman Avniel Singh , Tenison Caitlin , Zhang Qiong
Published: July 2018

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to compare memory processes in two experiments, one involving recognition of word pairs and the other involving recall of newly learned arithmetic facts. A combination of hidden semi-Markov models and multivariate pattern analysis was used to locate brief “bumps” in the sensor data that marked the onset of different stages of cognitive processing. These bumps identified a separation between a retrieval stage that identified relevant information in memory and a decision stage that determined what response was implied by that information. The encoding, retrieval, decision, and response stages displayed striking similarities across the two experiments in their duration and brain activation patterns. Retrieval and decision processes involve distinct brain activation patterns. We conclude that memory processes for two different tasks, associative recognition versus arithmetic retrieval, follow a common spatiotemporal neural pattern and that both tasks have distinct retrieval and decision stages.
Dances with potential food waste: Organising temporality in food waste reduction practices
Authors: Mattila Malla , Mesiranta Nina , Närvänen Elina , Koskinen Outi , Sutinen Ulla-Maija
Published: July 2018

This study describes and analyses how practices organise temporality to reduce food waste. The study builds upon the material turn in practice theories and an ontological approach that together highlight emerging relations between humans and non-humans in practices. Three theoretical propositions are constructed that inform the empirical analysis. The study utilises empirical qualitative data from a Finnish blog campaign ‘From Waste to Delicacy’. The study identifies four bundles of practices organising temporality: scheduling, pausing, stretching and synchronising. Within these bundles of practices, potential food waste is enacted differently: as not realised food waste, revitalised food, refuted food waste and harmonised food (waste). The study produces novel understanding about temporal inter-relations between humans and non-humans – the dance of agency – in household food waste reduction.
Collective Motion in Human Crowds
Authors: Warren William H.
Published: July 2018

The balletic motion of bird flocks, fish schools, and human crowds is believed to emerge from local interactions between individuals in a process of self-organization. The key to explaining such collective behavior thus lies in understanding these local interactions. After decades of theoretical modeling, experiments using virtual crowds and analysis of real crowd data are enabling us to decipher the “rules of engagement” governing these interactions. On the basis of such results, my students and I built a dynamical model of how a pedestrian aligns his or her motion with that of a neighbor and how these binary interactions are combined within a neighborhood of interaction. Computer simulations of the model generate coherent motion at the global level and reproduce individual trajectories at the local level. This approach has yielded the first experiment-driven, bottom-up model of collective motion, providing a basis for understanding more complex patterns of crowd behavior in both everyday and emergency situations.
Digital Images in Academic Plastic Surgery: A Novel and Secure Methodology for Use in Clinical Practice and Research
Authors: Hallac Rami R. , Dumas Blaike M. , Seaward James R. , Herrera Royiel , Menzies Christopher , Kane Alex A.
Published: July 2018

Background:

Digital photographs have become an integral part in plastic and reconstructive surgery. They are significant in clinical research and outcome evaluation. There is a need for effective and secure methods to store, search, and retrieve those photographs. We developed a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant searchable database to archive and index clinical information for clinical and research purposes.

Methods:

At our craniofacial clinic, digital media (2-D, 3-D, and 4-D photographs) are obtained on a regular basis to evaluate and document treatment outcomes. In addition, patients are asked to enroll in our institutional review board (IRB)-approved imaging database. Daily, we link all digital photographs to the patient encounter through EPIC’s Media Manager. This allows us to automatically identify and extract new digital media, patient demographics, diagnosis codes, relevant providers, and the text of the clinic notes to our digital database. To search our extensive database, we employed the VIEW search engine.

Results:

To date, our database contains more than 277 000 images of 11 000 patients where more than 1900 patients are enrolled in the IRB study. This search engine allows full-text search with query response time between 2 and 5 seconds. The search engine displays the returned through a web page interface, which includes image thumbnails and the relevant part of the clinic note. In addition, a patient-specific chart allows the user to examine all patient notes and photographs.

Conclusion:

Our solution allows providers and researchers to retrieve all digital media securely and efficiently.
Malignant Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Renal Vein Presenting as a Giant Renal Artery Aneurysm: A Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Hertz Alexandria M. , Childers Charles K. , Wingate Jonathan T. , Perry Jason T. , Kitley Charles A. , Brand Timothy C. , Anderson Mark I.
Published: July 2018

Objectives. To discuss an unusual presentation of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) as well as the first description of SFT originating from the renal vein. Case Report. In this article, we report the case of a 56-year-old man who presented with nonspecific epigastric pain and was found on computed tomography to have a large 10-cm renal artery aneurysm with evidence of contained rupture, segmental ischemia of the kidney, and suggestion of renal vein thrombosis. This was treated by a multidisciplinary team of urologists, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists with both renal artery coil embolization and radical nephrectomy. The thrombosis was found on pathologic review to be a malignant SFT originating from the renal vein with likely erosion into the renal artery. Conclusion. This report describes the first case of SFT originating from the renal vein and demonstrates the potential for mimicry as a giant renal artery aneurysm.
Not Only Individualism: The Effects of Long-Term Orientation and Other Cultural Variables on National Innovation Success
Authors: Bukowski Andrzej , Rudnicki Seweryn
Published: July 2018

This article re-examines the effects of culture on national innovation rates. Pointing to the innovation success of some East Asian countries, it argues that the cultural dimension of individualism is not able to fully account for the role of culture in national innovativeness, and there is a need to include a wider set of cultural factors in the analysis. Several competing measures of national innovation performance over the last decade and Hofstede’s measures of culture, as well as their recently revised versions proposed by Minkov and collaborators, are employed to test the hypotheses. The findings show that, apart from individualism, long-term orientation, and flexibility, the dimensions omitted in the prior studies are positive and strong cultural predictors of national innovation intensity, whereas the role of other cultural factors finds little empirical support. The study suggests that there is no single pattern for the impact of culture on national innovation rates that should be taken into account in seeking effective innovation strategies and policies. It also highlights the need to advance the understanding of the causal mechanism between culture and innovativeness to guide further theoretical and empirical analysis.
Self-Reported Cognitive Failures in Everyday Life: A Closer Look at Their Relation to Personality and Cognitive Performance
Authors: Könen Tanja , Karbach Julia
Published: July 2018

A recent review concluded that the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire is the most widely used instrument to assess cognitive failures. Our aims were to place cognitive failures self-reported with the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire into their nomological network by conceptually replicating known relations to the Big Five and by extending this knowledge through testing their relations with latent cognitive abilities (Study 1, N = 158, age 20-86 years) and theoretically relevant Big Five subfacets (Study 2, N = 176, age 19-39 years). Cognitive failures were unrelated to objective cognitive performance (processing speed, memory, and inhibition), but reliably related to the personality domains conscientiousness, neuroticism, and almost all their subfacets. Thus, self-reported cognitive failures do not qualify as a proxy for objective cognitive performance tasks. They are rather useful as illustration of behavioral manifestations related to personality domains.
Testing the Protein Propagation Hypothesis of Parkinson Disease
Authors: Dagher Alain , Zeighami Yashar
Published: July 2018

One of the most exciting recent hypotheses in neurology is that most neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the neuron to neuron propagation of prion-like misfolded proteins. In Parkinson disease, the theory initially emerged from postmortem studies demonstrating a caudal-rostral progression of pathology from lower brainstem to neocortex. Later, animal studies showed that the hallmark protein of PD, α-synuclein, exhibited all the characteristics of a prion. Here, we describe our work using human neuroimaging to test the theory that PD pathology advances via a propagating process along the connectome. We found that the pattern and progression of brain atrophy follow neuronal connectivity, correlate with clinical features, and identify an epicenter in the brainstem.
Anterior Midline Glossotomy Approach for Large Schwannoma of the Tongue: Case Report
Authors: Diplan Johanna , Cavallo Paola , de los Santos Seyla
Published: July 2018

Schwannoma corresponds to a benign neurogenic tumor, derived from neural crest cells. It accounts for approximately 5% of all benign soft tissue tumors. These are the most common cause of peripheral nerve neoplasms of the oral cavity and oropharynx representing 1%. Isolated or solitary neurofibromas of the oral cavity usually involve the tongue or the labial mucosa. They appear as soft, painless, slow-growing masses that are tender to depression or palpation. The case of a 40-year-old woman is studied because of the presence of painless swelling, slow, and progressive growth of the oral language. Complete removal of the lesion was performed and primary closure was performed. It had a satisfactory evolution, maintaining adequate sensory and sensory mobility and innervation.
Comparison of different exercise ankle pressure indices in the diagnosis of peripheral artery disease
Authors: Aday Aaron W , Kinlay Scott , Gerhard-Herman Marie D
Published: July 2018

Although the resting ankle–brachial index (ABI) is commonly used as a tool to diagnose peripheral artery disease (PAD), several additional indices measured after exercise may have increased sensitivity for identifying PAD. The aim of this study was to determine the utility of resting ABI and three post-exercise physiological parameters for diagnosing PAD confirmed by arterial imaging studies. For each qualifying study, we assessed the performance measures for identifying PAD for resting ABI < 0.90, exercise ABI < 0.90, a decrease in ABI > 20% with exercise, and a decrease in ankle pressure > 30 mmHg with exercise. Of the 199 exams that met our inclusion criteria, imaging showed a > 75% stenotic lesion in at least one limb in 138 (69%) of patients. For stenoses > 75%, resting ABI < 0.90 had a sensitivity of 64% (95% CI: 56–72%) and exercise ABI < 0.90 had a sensitivity of 88% (95% CI: 82–93%). The sensitivity for a post-exercise ABI decrease > 20% was 67% (95% CI: 59–75%) and the sensitivity for a decrease in ankle pressure > 30 mmHg was 4% (95% CI: 2–9%). For individuals with a normal resting ABI but stenotic lesions > 75% confirmed by imaging ( n=49), the addition of exercise ABI testing correctly identified an additional 25% of this population. Overall, exercise ABI < 0.90 exhibits a greater sensitivity for detecting PAD compared to resting ABI. Furthermore, exercise ABI < 0.90 had added clinical utility in patients with normal resting ABIs and was superior to other commonly used exercise indices.
Breast Tumor Analysis Using Shifted-Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy (SERDS)
Authors: Gebrekidan Medhanie Tesfay , Erber Ramona , Hartmann Arndt , Fasching Peter A. , Emons Julius , Beckmann Mathias W. , Braeuer Andreas
Published: July 2018

We used a shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy method for the ex vivo classification of resected and formalin-fixed breast tissue samples as normal (healthy) tissue, fibroadenoma, or invasive carcinoma. We analyzed 8 tissue samples containing invasive carcinoma that were surrounded by normal tissue and 3 tissue samples with fibroadenoma only. We made various measurement sites on various tissue samples, in total 240 measurements for each type of tissue. Although the acquired raw spectra contain enough information to clearly differentiate between normal and tumor (fibroadenoma and invasive carcinoma) tissue, the differentiation between fibroadenoma and invasive carcinoma was possible only after the shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy isolation of pure Raman spectra from the heavily fluorescence interfered raw spectra. We used 784 and 785 nm as excitation wavelengths for the shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy method. The differences in the obtained pure Raman spectra are assigned to the different chemical compositions of normal breast tissue, fibroadenoma, and invasive breast carcinoma. Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis showed excellent classification results in the Raman shift range between 1000 and 1800 cm−1. Invasive breast carcinoma was identified with 99.15% sensitivity, and the absence of invasive carcinoma was identified with 90.40% specificity. Tumor tissue in tumor-containing tissue was identified with 100% sensitivity, and the absence of tumor in no-tumor containing tissue was identified with 100% specificity. As gold standard for the determination of the sensitivity and the specificity, we considered the conventional histopathological classification. In summary, shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy could be potentially very useful to support histopathological diagnosis in breast pathology.
Is There Full or Proportional Somatosensory Recovery in the Upper Limb After Stroke? Investigating Behavioral Outcome and Neural Correlates
Authors: Boccuni Leonardo , Meyer Sarah , Kessner Simon S. , De Bruyn Nele , Essers Bea , Cheng Bastian , Thomalla Götz , Peeters André , Sunaert Stefan , Duprez Thierry , Marinelli Lucio , Trompetto Carlo , Thijs Vincent , Verheyden Geert
Published: July 2018

Background. Proportional motor recovery in the upper limb has been investigated, indicating about 70% of the potential for recovery of motor impairment within the first months poststroke. Objective. To investigate whether the proportional recovery rule is applicable for upper-limb somatosensory impairment and to study underlying neural correlates of impairment and outcome at 6 months. Methods. A total of 32 patients were evaluated at 4 to 7 days and 6 months using the Erasmus MC modification of the revised Nottingham Sensory Assessment (NSA) for impairment of (1) somatosensory perception (exteroception) and (2) passive somatosensory processing (sharp/blunt discrimination and proprioception); (3) active somatosensory processing was evaluated using the stereognosis component of the NSA. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained within 1 week poststroke, from which lesion load (LL) was calculated for key somatosensory tracts. Results. Somatosensory perception fully recovered within 6 months. Passive and active somatosensory processing showed proportional recovery of 86% (95% CI = 79%-93%) and 69% (95% CI = 49%-89%), respectively. Patients with somatosensory impairment at 4 to 7 days showed significantly greater thalamocortical and insulo-opercular tracts (TCT and IOT) LL ( P < .05) in comparison to patients without impairment. Sensorimotor tract disruption at 4 to 7 days did not provide significant contribution above somatosensory processing score at 4 to 7 days when predicting somatosensory processing outcome at 6 months. Conclusions. Our sample of stroke patients assessed early showed full somatosensory perception but proportional passive and active somatosensory processing recovery. Disruption of both the TCT and IOT early after stroke appears to be a factor associated with somatosensory impairment but not outcome.
A New Application of Raymond Padilla’s Unfolding Matrix in Framing Qualitative Data and the Follow-Up Activities for Educational Research
Authors: Nguyễn Duy Khang
Published: July 2018

This article introduces the new application of Raymond Padilla’s unfolding matrix in setting boundaries for postcollection qualitative data in educational research. It focuses on displaying the sample ways of using Padilla’s technique to solve the common problems of qualitative research when the researcher may have collected unnecessary data or may have missed important data in certain research. Using the sample of a real educational research aims to illustrate how this technique is used and modified to be different from its original versions. This article would call for attention and be helpful to any researchers with qualitative data of similar research contexts and designs.
High-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the era of pathway inhibitors: integrating molecular and cellular therapies
Authors: Dreger Peter , Ghia Paolo , Schetelig Johannes , van Gelder Michel , Kimby Eva , Michallet Mauricette , Moreno Carol , Robak Tadeusz , Stilgenbauer Stephan , Montserrat Emili
Published: July 2018

High-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been defined by clinical and/or genetic resistance (TP53 abnormalities) to treatment with chemoimmunotherapy (CIT). With the availability of pathway inhibitors (PIs), such as kinase inhibitors and BCL2 antagonists, the outlook of CIT-resistant patients has dramatically improved. Here, we propose a revision of the concept of high-risk CLL, driven by TP53 abnormalities and response to treatment with PI. CLL high-risk-I, CIT-resistant is defined by clinically CIT-resistant disease with TP53 aberrations, but fully responsive to PI. This category is largely the domain of PI-based therapy, and cellular therapy (ie, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation) remains an option only in selected patients with low individual procedure-related risk. In CLL high-risk-II, CIT- and PI-resistant, characterized by increasing exhaustion of pharmacological treatment possibilities, cellular therapies (including chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cells) should be considered in patients eligible for these procedures. Moreover, molecular and cellular therapies are not mutually exclusive and could be used synergistically to exploit their full potential.
Reduced-intensity conditioning for hematopoietic cell transplant for HLH and primary immune deficiencies
Authors: Allen Carl E. , Marsh Rebecca , Dawson Peter , Bollard Catherine M. , Shenoy Shalini , Roehrs Philip , Hanna Rabi , Burroughs Lauri , Kean Leslie , Talano Julie-An , Schultz Kirk R. , Pai Sung-Yun , Baker K. Scott , Andolina Jeffrey R. , Stenger Elizabeth O. , Connelly James , Ramirez Alyssa , Bryant Christopher , Eapen Mary , Pulsipher Michael A.
Published: July 2018

Key Points

A prospective reduced-intensity HCT trial for HLH/primary immunodeficiency resulted in low early mortality and 1-year OS of 80%. Conditioning with fludarabine, melphalan, and alemtuzumab was associated with high rates of mixed chimerism and graft failure.
Noninvasive ventilation in acute respiratory failure: which recipe for success?
Authors: Scala Raffaele , Pisani Lara
Published: July 2018

Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) to treat acute respiratory failure has expanded tremendously over the world in terms of the spectrum of diseases that can be successfully managed, the locations of its application and achievable goals.

The turning point for the successful expansion of NPPV is its ability to achieve the same physiological effects as invasive mechanical ventilation with the avoidance of the life-threatening risks correlated with the use of an artificial airway.

Cardiorespiratory arrest, extreme psychomotor agitation, severe haemodynamic instability, nonhypercapnic coma and multiple organ failure are absolute contraindications for NPPV. Moreover, pitfalls of NPPV reduce its rate of success; consistently, a clear plan of what to do in case of NPPV failure should be considered, especially for patients managed in unprotected setting. NPPV failure is likely to be reduced by the application of integrated therapeutic tools in selected patients handled by expert teams.

In conclusion, NPPV has to be considered as a rational art and not just as an application of science, which requires the ability of clinicians to both choose case-by-case the best “ingredients” for a “successful recipe” (i.e.patient selection, interface, ventilator, interface,etc.) and to avoid a delayed intubation if the ventilation attempt fails.
Update on α1-antitrypsin deficiency
Authors: Ferrarotti Ilaria , Ottaviani Stefania , De Silvestri Annalisa , Corsico Angelo G.
Published: July 2018

α1-Antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is an inherited metabolic disorder in which mutations in the coding sequence of theSERPINA1gene prevent secretion of α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) and cause predisposition to pulmonary and liver diseases. The heterogeneity of clinical manifestations in AATD is related to the complexity of biological function of α1-AT. The role of smoking is crucial in the natural history of lung damage progression in severe AATD individuals, even if it also partly explains the heterogeneity in lung disease. Lung damage progression in AATD can also be related to body mass index, exacerbation rate, sex, environmental exposure and specific mutations ofSERPINA1. Recent randomised controlled trials, together with previous observational work, have provided compelling evidence for the importance of early detection and intervention in order to enable patients to receive appropriate treatment and preserve functional lung tissue.