bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Family caregiver's burden and the social support for older patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Tao Xingjuan , Chow Susan Ka Yee , Zhang Haifen , Huang Jiaying , Gu Aiping , Jin Yan , He Yanna , Li Na
Published: February 2020

Background

Most elderly people undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment have a high incidence of frailty, cognitive impairment and emotional disturbance leading to a significant impact on families. The burden experienced by the family caregivers could affect their physical and emotion health. The objective of this study was to examine the level of burden on family caregivers of elderly adults receiving PD and to identify any contributing factors.

Materials and Methods

This was a cross‐sectional study employing convenience sampling. Patient–caregiver dyads were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a university hospital in China in 2019. Caregivers provided information on their perceived burden and health‐related quality of life. The elderly patients reported their functional dependence and depressive symptoms in the same interview. Linear regression analyses were used to determine the factors contributing to caregivers’ burden.

Results

Sixty patient–caregiver dyads were recruited. The patients had a mean age of 70.7 ± 7.4 years. The caregivers reported moderate levels of burden having ZBI score of 30.5 ± 15.9. Multivariate analyses showed that being female, perceiving one's financial status as insufficient, a low level of social support for the caregiver, depressive symptoms in the patients and disability in carrying out the instrumental activities of daily life were statistically significant predictors of caregiver burden (adjusted R2 = 0.46, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Elderly adults receiving PD who experience physical dependence and depressive symptoms are a burden for caregivers. In response to this challenge, interventions designed with the goal of supporting the emotional and mental wellbeing of caregivers are warranted.
Impact of Rurality on Stage IV Ovarian Cancer at Diagnosis: A Midwest Cancer Registry Cohort Study
Authors: Weeks Kristin S. , Lynch Charles F. , West Michele , McDonald Megan , Carnahan Ryan , Stewart Sherri L. ,   Ovarian Cancer Treatment Study, Charlton Mary
Published: February 2020

Purpose

We aim to understand if rurality impacts patients’ odds of presenting with stage IV ovarian cancer at diagnosis independent of distance to primary care provider and the socioeconomic status of a patient's residential census tract.

Methods

A cohort of 1,000 women with ovarian cancer in Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri were sampled and analyzed from the cancer registries’ statewide population data. The sample contained those with a histologically confirmed primary ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2011‐2012. All variables were captured through an extension of standard registry protocol using standardized definitions and abstraction manuals. Chi‐square tests and a multivariable logistic regression model were used.

Findings

At diagnosis, 111 women in our sample had stage IV cancer and 889 had stage I‐III. Compared to patients with stage I‐III cancer, patients with stage IV disease had a higher average age, more comorbidities, and were more often living in rural areas. Multivariate analysis showed that rural women (vs metropolitan) had a greater odds of having stage IV ovarian cancer at diagnosis (odds ratio = 2.41 and 95% confidence interval = 1.33‐4.39).

Conclusion

Rural ovarian cancer patients have greater odds of having stage IV cancer at diagnosis in Midwestern states independent of the distance they lived from their primary care physician and the socioeconomic status of their residential census tract. Rural women's greater odds of stage IV cancer at diagnosis could affect treatment options and mortality. Further investigation is needed into reasons for these findings.
Optimizing curative management of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Nahon Pierre , Vibert Eric , Nault Jean‐Charles , Ganne‐Carrié Nathalie , Ziol Marianne , Seror Olivier
Published: February 2020

The goal of curative management of hepatocellular carcinoma is to provide the best chance of remission. However, recurrence rates for both local and distant relapse are high. Patient subgroups at higher risk of these events can be identified based on histological patterns that are closely linked to specific molecular subtypes. Patient outcome has improved with more effective therapeutic strategies thanks to technological advances in surgical techniques and percutaneous ablation. The main goal of controlling the cause of liver disease is to decrease distant/late recurrence and prevent deterioration of hepatic function. Ongoing trials testing the combination of neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant regimens with these procedures as well as routine tumour molecular analysis may modify therapeutic algorithms for hepatocellular carcinoma in the future.
Liver transplantation as therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Kim Brian , Kahn Jeffrey , Terrault Norah A.
Published: February 2020

Liver transplantation can provide curative therapy in selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Well‐established criteria include tumours that are within the Milan criteria and without evidence of vascular or extrahepatic involvement. Modest expansion of the original Milan criteria has been shown to achieve similar recurrence‐free survival rates. Overall, HCC recurrence occurs in about 10%‐15% of LT recipients, most within the first 2 years. Predictors of post‐transplant recurrence include high alpha‐foetoprotein, macrovascular invasion, as well as tumour size and number. Once HCC recurs after transplantation, prognosis is poor, though better if detected early. There is no established role for systemic prophylactic post‐transplant chemotherapy.
Hepatitis E, what’s the real issue?
Authors: Larrue Hélène , Abravanel Florence , Péron Jean‐Marie
Published: February 2020

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infection is a worldwide disease and the primary cause of acute viral hepatitis in the world with an estimated 20 million cases every year and 70 000 deaths. Hepatitis E is a waterborne infection in the developing countries. In these countries, HEV genotypes 1 and 2 cause large outbreaks and affect young subjects, resulting in significant mortality in pregnant women and patients with cirrhosis. In the developed countries, HEV genotypes 3 and 4 are responsible for autochthonous, sporadic hepatitis and transmission is zoonotic. Parenteral transmission by the transfusion of blood products has been identified as a potential new mode of transmission. The prevalence of positive HEV viraemia in blood donors in Europe ranges from 1/600 to 1/2500 in highly endemic European countries. HEV can cause neurological disorders and chronic infections in immunocompromised patients. The progression of acute hepatitis E is usually asymptomatic and resolves spontaneously. Diagnostic tools include anti‐HEV IgM antibodies in serum and/or viral RNA detection in the blood or the stools by PCR. Ribavirin is used to treat chronic infection. A vaccine has been developed in China.
New drugs for non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Cardoso Ana‐Carolina , de Figueiredo‐Mendes Claudio , A. Villela‐Nogueira Cristiane , Sanyal Arun J.
Published: February 2020

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries. At present the safest and most effective first‐line therapy for the management of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is lifestyle modification with diet and exercise. However, long‐term adherence to lifestyle modification is rare in the target population, leading to progression of liver disease and its complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, new drugs that focus mainly on the pathogenesis of NASH to target inflammation and fibrogenesis are under investigation. This mini‐review summarizes the results of pivotal finalized phase 2 studies, and provide an outline of ongoing phase 2 and phase 3 studies.
Optimal management of ascites
Authors: Rudler Marika , Mallet Maxime , Sultanik Philippe , Bouzbib Charlotte , Thabut Dominique
Published: February 2020

Ascites is the most common complication of cirrhosis, which develops in 5%‐10% of patients per year. Its management is based on symptomatic measures including restriction of sodium intake, diuretics and paracentesis. Underlying liver disease must always be treated and may improve ascites. In some patients, ascites is not controlled by medical therapies and has a major impact on quality of life and survival. TIPS placement and liver transplantation must therefore be discussed. More recently, repeated albumin infusions and Alfapump® have emerged as new therapies in ascites. In this review, the current data on these different options are analysed and an algorithm to help the physician make clinical decisions is suggested.
HSP4 triggers epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and promotes motility capacities of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via activating AKT
Authors: Ma Peng , Tang Wei‐Guo , Hu Jin‐Wu , Hao Ying , Xiong Liang‐Kun , Wang Mao‐Ming , Liu Hao , Bo Wen‐Hui , Yu Kai‐Huan
Published: February 2020

Background and Aims

Heat shock factor (HSF4) plays a vital role in carcinogenesis and tumour progression. However, its clinical significance implications in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remained elusive.

Methods

RT‐PCR and western blot were used to detect the HSF4 expression levels in HCC cells and tissues. Immunohistochemistry staining was performed on a tissue microarray containing 104 HCC patients received radical resection. In vitro effects of HSF4 on proliferation, migration and invasion were determined by colony formation and transwell assays in HCCLM3, Huh7, MHCC97L and SMMC7721 cells. Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) was identified by RT‐PCR, WB and immunofluorescence in HCCLM3 and MHCC97L cells. AKT pathway activation was detected by WB and dual luciferase report system in HCCLM3 and MHCC97L cells.

Results

HSF4 expression was higher in primary HCC tissues derived from recurrent patients, and positively correlated with invasiveness potentials of cell lines. Clinically, patients with high HSF4 expression had significant poorer prognosis. In vitro experiments showed HSF4 silencing inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas HSF4 overexpression had inverse effects. Moreover, silence of HSF4 induced an epithelial‐like phenotype, whereas the overexpression of HSF4 resulted in a mesenchymal‐like phenotype in HCC by activating AKT pathway. Further experiments showed that HSF4 could activate AKT pathway in a hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) dependent, but transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) independent manner.

Conclusions

HSF4 is upregulated in HCC, resulting in greater proliferation, migration and invasion capacities. Moreover, high HSF4 expression is a promising predictive indicator of poor outcome after radical resection. HSF4 may promote aggressive tumour behaviour by enhancing EMT through activating AKT pathway in a HIF1α‐dependent manner.
Journey into uncertainty: Medical students' experiences and perceptions of failure
Authors: Shepherd Lisa , Gauld Ryan , Cristancho Sayra M. , Chahine Saad
Published: February 2020

Context

Having succeeded in being selected for medical school, medical students are not always familiar with failure and yet they are expected to graduate prepared to effectively function in the failure‐burdened arena of clinical medicine. Lacking in the developing literature on learners and failure is an exploration of how this transformation is accomplished. The purpose of this study was to examine how medical students perceive and experience failure during their medical school training.

Method

We used a qualitative description methodology to probe the failure experiences of medical students attending a Canadian medical school. Participants were provided with the broad definition of failure used in this research: ‘deviation from expected and desired results.'In total, 12 students were sampled, three from each of the 4 years of study, and participated in individual, semi‐structured interviews that were analysed using thematic analysis to identify and describe core themes.

Results

At the start of medical school, students admitted limited experience with failure; their early descriptions were self‐centred and binary. Personal stories recounted by preceptors encouraged students and helped them understand that physicians are human and that failure is inevitable. Students felt relatively protected from failures that could impact patients. Both witnessing and participating in a failure event were distressing and sometimes at odds with their expectations. Students expressed a desire to talk about the experience.

Conclusions

Medical students described examples of experiencing failure during medical school that transported them from the more certain black and white beginnings of their classroom into the uncertain shades of grey of clinical medicine. What the participants heard, saw and experienced suggests opportunities for classroom teachers to better prepare pre‐clinical students for the inevitability of failure in clinical medicine and opportunities for clinical teachers to engage in open, inclusive conversations surrounding failures that occur on their watch.
How Can We Love Our Enemies When We Kill Our Friends? Shifting the Theological Debate Over Violence
Authors: Lysen Laura , Martens Paul
Published: February 2020

Violence is often thought of in terms of intentional, discrete actions, and in the debate between so‐called “neo‐Anabaptists” and “neo‐Augustinians” this has often been the focus, especially around actions like policing and war. However, this idea of violence is insufficient and, intentionally or not, obfuscates forms of violence like the “slow violence” of destructive economic arrangements that harm not only enemies but friends as well. Through an investigation of the apparel industry this article addresses the too‐narrow understandings of violence that implicate theologians themselves in the “systemic” and “slow” violence inflicted through exploitative economic arrangements and systematic environmental degradation. The violence of the contemporary political economy compounds exponentially when one considers not only the human costs of global industry but also the toll it takes on the planet, which in turn affects the world’s poorest people no matter their geographic location or type of work. How might various sides of the more traditional argument find common ground for doing justice around these forms of violence in which they already daily participate, rather than giving the majority of attention to actions taking place periodically (or speculating about violence that may not even happen)? In short, violence is not just the realm of militaries, it is the reality of our global political economy, and this must be addressed by theologians of all types and traditions.
Copper ions suppress abscisic acid biosynthesis to enhance defence against Phytophthora infestans in potato
Authors: Liu Hai‐Feng , Xue Xiao‐Jing , Yu Yue , Xu Ming‐Ming , Lu Chong‐Chong , Meng Xuan‐Lin , Zhang Bao‐Gang , Ding Xin‐Hua , Chu Zhao‐Hui
Published: February 2020

Copper‐based antimicrobial compounds are widely and historically used to control plant diseases, such as late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans, which seriously affects the yield and quality of potato. We previously identified that copper ion (Cu2+) acts as an extremely sensitive elicitor to induce ethylene (ET)‐dependent immunity in Arabidopsis. Here, we found that Cu2+ induces the defence response to P. infestans in potato. Cu2+ suppresses the transcription of the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic genes StABA1 and StNCED1, resulting in decreased ABA content. Treatment with ABA or inhibitor fluridone made potato more susceptible or resistance to late blight, respectively. In addition, potato with knockdown of StABA1 or StNCED1 showed greater resistance to late blight, suggesting that ABA negatively regulates potato resistance to P. infestans. Cu2+ also promotes the rapid biosynthesis of ET. Potato plants treated with 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate showed enhanced resistance to late blight. Repressed expression of StEIN2 or StEIN3 resulted in enhanced transcription of StABA1 and StNCED1, accumulation of ABA and susceptibility to P. infestans. Consistently, StEIN3 directly binds to the promoter regions of StABA1 and StNCED1. Overall, we concluded that Cu2+ triggers the defence response to potato late blight by activating ET biosynthesis to inhibit the biosynthesis of ABA.
A longitudinal study of friends with benefits relationships
Authors: Machia Laura V. , Proulx Morgan L. , Ioerger Michael , Lehmiller Justin J.
Published: February 2020

Friends with benefits relationships (FWBRs) uniquely combine friendship with sexual activity but differ from romantic relationships in that they may be less likely to be exclusive or long lasting. A longitudinal analysis of the trajectory of FWBRs is presented, in which participants in FWBRs at Time 1 reported on their relationship outcomes at Time 2 (N = 192). Results demonstrated that a plurality of FWBRs transitioned into having no relationship of any kind at Time 2 (31%). Those who wanted their FWBR to transition into a friendship typically obtained that outcome (59%), whereas those who wanted to transition into a romantic relationship did not (15%). Time 2 relationship status predictors and further implications of FWBR trajectories are discussed.
Bucillamine Inhibits UVB‐Induced MAPK Activation and Apoptosis in Human HaCaT Keratinocytes and SKH‐1 Hairless Mouse Skin
Authors: Anwar Adil , Anwar Hiba , Yamauchi Takeshi , Tseng Ryan , Agarwal Rajesh , Horwitz Lawrence D , Zhai Zili , Fujita Mayumi
Published: February 2020

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is known as a culprit in skin carcinogenesis. We have previously reported that bucillamine (N‐[2‐mercapto‐2‐methylpropionyl]‐L‐cysteine), a cysteine derivative with antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory capacity, protects against UVB‐induced p53 activation and inflammatory responses in mouse skin. Since MAPK signaling pathways regulate p53 expression and activation, here we determined bucillamine effect on UVB‐mediated MAPK activation in vitro using human skin keratinocyte cell line HaCaT and in vivo using SKH‐1 hairless mouse skin. A single low dose of UVB (30 mJ cm−2) resulted in increased JNK/MAPK phosphorylation and caspase‐3 cleavage in HaCaT cells. However, JNK activation and casaspe‐3 cleavage were inhibited by pretreatment of HaCaT cells with physiological doses of bucillamine (25 and 100 µm). Consistent with these results, bucillamine pretreatment in mice (20 mg kg−1) inhibited JNK/MAPK and ERK/MAPK activation in skin epidermal cells at 6–12 and 24 h, respectively, after UVB exposure. Moreover, bucillamine attenuated UVB‐induced Ki‐67‐positive cells and cleaved caspase‐3‐positive cells in mouse skin. These findings demonstrate that bucillamine inhibits UVB‐induced MAPK signaling, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Together with our previous report, we provide evidence that bucillamine has a photoprotective effect against UV exposure.
Mechanisms of powdery mildew resistance of wheat – a review of molecular breeding
Authors: Kang Yichen , Zhou Meixue , Merry Angela , Barry Karen
Published: February 2020

Powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) results in serious economic loss in wheat production. Exploration of plant resistance to wheat powdery mildew over several decades has led to the discovery of a wealth of resistance genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs). We have provided a comprehensive summary of over 200 powdery mildew genes (permanently and temporarily designated genes) and QTLs reported in common bread wheat. This highlights the diverse and rich resistance sources that exist across all 21 chromosomes. To manage different data for breeders, here we also present a bridged mapping result from previously reported powdery mildew resistance genes and QTLs with the application of a published integrated wheat map. This will provide important insights to empower further breeding of powdery mildew resistant wheat via marker‐assisted selection (MAS).
Dormancy and germination: making every seed count in restoration
Authors: Kildisheva Olga A. , Dixon Kingsley W. , Silveira Fernando A. O. , Chapman Ted , Di Sacco Alice , Mondoni Andrea , Turner Shane R. , Cross Adam T.
Published: February 2020

From 50 to 90% of wild plant species worldwide produce seeds that are dormant upon maturity, with specific dormancy traits driven by species' occurrence geography, growth form, and genetic factors. While dormancy is a beneficial adaptation for intact natural systems, it can limit plant recruitment in restoration scenarios because seeds may take several seasons to lose dormancy and consequently show low or erratic germination. During this time, seed predation, weed competition, soil erosion, and seed viability loss can lead to plant re‐establishment failure. Understanding and considering seed dormancy and germination traits in restoration planning are thus critical to ensuring effective seed management and seed use efficiency. There are five known dormancy classes (physiological, physical, combinational, morphological, and morphophysiological), each requiring specific cues to alleviate dormancy and enable germination. The dormancy status of a seed can be determined through a series of simple steps that account for initial seed quality and assess germination across a range of environmental conditions. In this article, we outline the steps of the dormancy classification process and the various corresponding methodologies for ex situ dormancy alleviation. We also highlight the importance of record‐keeping and reporting of seed accession information (e.g. geographic coordinates of the seed collection location, cleaning and quality information, storage conditions, and dormancy testing data) to ensure that these factors are adequately considered in restoration planning.
The relationship between pollution abatement costs and environmental regulation: Evidence from the Chinese industrial sector
Authors: Shimizu Masayuki
Published: February 2020

Since the 2000s, China has been trying to strengthen emission controls in response to increasing pollution problems. However, strict implementation of emission controls generates pollution abatement costs. Using regional data for 29 provinces in the Chinese industrial sector from 1995 to 2010, this study estimated the pollution abatement costs for each province through the measurement of environmental efficiency, by applying a directional distance function approach. Moreover, using panel data analysis, this study clarified whether there is a nonlinear relationship between pollution abatement costs and environmental regulations. The empirical results are as follows. The study confirmed that the burden of abatement costs tended not only to occur in the central and western regions but also to increase in the eastern region. Moreover, the nonlinear relationship is inverted U‐shaped; thus, pollution abatement costs increase, as a negative effect of environmental regulations, until a certain inflection point, after which they decrease.
Spatial Confounding in Hurdle Multilevel Beta Models: the Case of the Brazilian Mathematical Olympics for Public Schools
Authors: Pereira João B. M. , Nobre Widemberg S. , Silva Igor F. L. , Schmidt Alexandra M.
Published: February 2020

Among the many disparities for which Brazil is known is the difference in performance across students who attend the three administrative levels of Brazilian public schools: federal, state and municipal. Our main goal is to investigate whether student performance in the Brazilian Mathematical Olympics for Public Schools is associated with school administrative level and student gender. For this, we propose a hurdle hierarchical beta model for the scores of students who took the examination in the second phase of these Olympics, in 2013. The mean of the beta model incorporates fixed and random effects at the student and school levels. We explore different distributions for the random school effect. As the posterior distributions of some fixed effects change in the presence, and distribution, of the random school effects, we also explore models that constrain random school effects to the orthogonal complement of the fixed effects. We conclude that male students perform slightly better than female students and that, on average, federal schools perform substantially better than state or municipal schools. However, some of the best municipal and state schools perform as well as some federal schools. We hypothesize that this is due to individual teachers who successfully motivate and prepare their students to perform well in the mathematical Olympics.
A Flexible Parametric Modelling Framework for Survival Analysis
Authors: Burke Kevin , Jones M. C. , Noufaily Angela
Published: February 2020

We introduce a general, flexible, parametric survival modelling framework which encompasses key shapes of hazard functions (constant; increasing; decreasing; up then down; down then up) and various common survival distributions (log-logistic; Burr type XII; Weibull; Gompertz) and includes defective distributions (cure models). This generality is achieved by using four distributional parameters: two scale-type parameters—one of which relates to accelerated failure time (AFT) modelling; the other to proportional hazards (PH) modelling—and two shape parameters. Furthermore, we advocate ‘multiparameter regression’ whereby more than one distributional parameter depends on covariates—rather than the usual convention of having a single covariate-dependent (scale) parameter. This general formulation unifies the most popular survival models, enabling us to consider the practical value of possible modelling choices. In particular, we suggest introducing covariates through just one or other of the two scale parameters (covering AFT and PH models), and through a ‘power’ shape parameter (covering more complex non-AFT or non-PH effects); the other shape parameter remains covariate independent and handles automatic selection of the baseline distribution. We explore inferential issues and compare with alternative models through various simulation studies, with particular focus on evidence concerning the need, or otherwise, to include both AFT and PH parameters. We illustrate the efficacy of our modelling framework by using data from lung cancer, melanoma and kidney function studies. Censoring is accommodated throughout.
Emphasizing one leg facilitates single‐leg training using standard cycling equipment
Authors: Staples Trevor J. , Do‐Duc Andréa‐Anh , Link Jenna E. , Martin James C.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Single‐leg cycling exercise is one of the most potent, but underutilized, stimuli for promoting peripheral muscle respiratory capacity. Special ergometers used to facilitate single‐leg cycling, while maintaining biomechanics similar to double‐leg cycling, are not widely available. This lack of availability of specialized ergometers may explain why single‐leg cycling has not been widely implemented as standard clinical practice. Therefore, we explored the extent to which participants could emphasize one leg and de‐emphasize the other to perform “single‐leg emphasis cycling” using standard cycle ergometers.

Methods

Sixteen athletic participants performed single‐leg emphasis cycling, emphasizing each leg in separate trials, and double‐leg cycling. Pedal forces and limb kinematics were collected and used to calculate joint‐specific work and power at the ankle, knee, and hip.

Results

Study participants were able to produce approximately three times as much power with their emphasized leg compared to the de‐emphasized leg during single‐leg emphasis cycling. Ankle plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, knee extension, and hip extension work produced during single‐leg emphasis cycling did not differ from those during double‐leg cycling (all P > .60). Hip and knee flexion work during single‐leg emphasis cycling exhibited small but significant differences (both P < .05) from double‐leg cycling.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that single‐leg emphasis cycling provides a convenient alternative to single‐leg cycling requiring specialized ergometers, therefore, facilitating improved training in clinical and athletic populations using commonly available equipment. Further, biomechanics during single‐leg emphasis cycling closely approximated double‐leg cycling ensuring that training adaptations are highly applicable to double‐leg cycling.
Effects of a functional training program in patients with fibromyalgia: A 9‐year prospective longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Santos E Campos Maria Aparecida , Párraga‐Montilla Juan A. , Aragón‐Vela Jerónimo , Latorre‐Román Pedro A.
Published: February 2020

There are evidences that physical exercise is an effective instrument for improving physical fitness, health, and quality of life and causes beneficial effects on the symptoms of patients with fibromyalgia. The purpose of this study was to analyze effects of a functional training program on pain, fitness, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia in a 9‐year prospective longitudinal cohort study. Forty women with fibromyalgia participated in this study; 24 received an exercise program and were called the active group; and 16 were the control group. Tender points, visual analogical scale (VAS) of pain, physical fitness, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and Short‐Form Health Survey 36 (SF‐36) were analyzed. The active group experienced significant improvements in FIQ, TP, and VAS (P < .001), whereas the control group showed significant worsening in the FIQ scale (P = .004). Moreover, the active group experienced significant improvements in leg strength (P < .001), balance (P = .033), cardiorespiratory fitness (P < .001), emotional role (P = .024), and mental health (P = .025); whereas the control group significantly worsened on handgrip strength (P = .017), balance (P = .043), cardiorespiratory fitness (P = .020), and in general health (P < .001). A Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the improvement in physical fitness variables and the improvements in FIQ, TP, and VAS. In conclusion, a regular practice of moderate‐intensity physical activity shows a positive effect long‐term on fitness, pain, the impact of the disease, and the quality of life in women with fibromyalgia.
Epidemic models on social networks—With inference
Authors: Britton Tom
Published: February 2020

This article considers stochastic models for the spread of an infection in a structured community, where this structured community is itself described by a random network model. Some common network models and transmission models are defined and large population properties of them are presented. The focus is then shifted to statistical methodology: what can be estimated and how, depending on the underlying network, transmission model, and the available data? This survey article discusses several different scenarios, giving references to publications where more details can be found, and identifies important open problems.
An Interface of Syntactic and Semantic OT Accounts of Hakka KAI in [ADJP/NP KAI N] Constructions1
Authors: Tseng Yu‐Ching
Published: February 2020

This paper investigates the phenomenon related to the morpheme KAI in the Hakka noun phrases. It investigates the presence or absence of KAI in the constructions where the head noun is modified by either a noun phrase or an adjectival phrase. KAI does not occur if the modifying phrase and the noun form a lexical compound. In other cases, the presence of KAI is by and large optional. To theoretically account for the phenomenon, this paper argues that the syntactic rules of Hakka allowed both of the alternative constructions with or without KAI; however, some semantic criteria may interfere in the selection of a grammatical construction as the preferable one. An interface of syntactic and semantic OT can account for this situation. When OT syntax selects multiple constructions as the optimal outputs, OT semantics goes one step further by pairing the output with a preferable interpretation. The interpretational constraints involved in the analysis are based on the principle of iconicity and the markedness relation between the contrastive emphatic and noncontrastive basic meaning.
The pattern of mortality in dogs with gastric dilatation and volvulus
Authors: Sharp Claire R. , Rozanski Elizabeth A. , Finn Emily , Borrego E.J.
Published: February 2020

Introduction

The primary study objective was to characterize the pattern of in‐hospital mortality in dogs with gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), with a focus on preoperative nonsurvival.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective review of medical records from a 10‐year period was undertaken at a university teaching hospital. Data collected included signalment, physical examination parameters at hospital presentation, blood lactate concentration, and outcome.

Results

A total of 498 dogs were included. Overall, 319 (64.1%) survived to discharge and 179 (35.9%) were nonsurvivors. Of the nonsurvivors, 149 (31.3% of all dogs) were euthanized and 30 (6%) died. Of those dogs euthanized, the majority (n = 116) were euthanized at the time of hospital presentation prior to surgery (ie, without intent to treat). When dogs that were euthanized prior to surgery were excluded, 83.5% of dogs survived to discharge. Median group age was higher in those euthanized than in the group of dogs that survived to discharge.

Conclusions

Preoperative euthanasia and hence nonsurvival without intent to treat accounted for the majority of GDV mortality in this study. Given the high rate of nonsurvival without intent to treat it is likely that efforts focused at disease prevention will ultimately affect a much greater improvement in overall disease mortality than those focused on improving treatment.
Thoracic dog bite wounds in dogs: A retrospective study of 123 cases (2003‐2016)
Authors: Frykfors von Hekkel Anna K. , Pegram Camilla , Halfacree Zoë J.
Published: February 2020

Objective

To report the clinical, radiographic, and surgical findings and determine prognostic factors for outcome in dogs with thoracic dog bite wounds.

Study design

Retrospective study.

Animals

Client‐owned dogs (n = 123).

Methods

Medical records of dogs with thoracic dog bite wounds between October 2003 to July 2016 were reviewed for presenting findings, management, and outcomes. Standard wound management included debridement and sterile probing, extending the level of exploration to the depth of the wound. Univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to assess risk factors for exploratory thoracotomy, lung lobectomy, and mortality.

Results

Twenty‐five dogs underwent exploratory thoracotomy, including lung lobectomy in 12 of these dogs. Presence of pneumothorax (odds ratio [OR] 25.4, confidence interval (CI) 5.2‐123.2, P < .001), pseudo‐flail chest (OR 15.8, CI 3.2‐77.3, P = .001), or rib fracture (OR 11.2, CI 2.5‐51.2, P = .002) was associated with increased odds of undergoing exploratory thoracotomy. Presence of pleural effusion (OR 12.1, CI 1.2‐120.2, P = .033) and obtaining a positive bacterial culture (OR 23.4, CI 1.6‐337.9, P = .021) were associated with increased odds of mortality. The level of wound management correlated with the length of hospitalization (Spearman rank order correlation = 0.52, P < .001) but was not associated with mortality.

Conclusion

Dogs that sustained pseudo‐flail chest, rib fracture, or pneumothorax were more likely to undergo exploratory thoracotomy. Nonsurvival was more likely in dogs with pleural effusion or positive bacterial culture.

Clinical significance

Presence of pseudo‐flail, rib fracture, or pneumothorax should raise suspicion of intrathoracic injury. Strong consideration should be given to radiography, surgical exploration, and debridement of all thoracic dog bite wounds.
Ideologies about English as the language of science in Brazil
Authors: Silva Daniel N. , Signorini Ines
Published: February 2020

This article discusses rationalizations in the Brazilian scientific community about a stretch of language that is idealized as the ‘language fit for science’. In decoupling linguistic structures from the consequential whole of language practices, metadiscourses about the scaling up of science in Brazil (that is, its movement away from a national scale and towards English‐language audiences) reduce power dynamics, institutional hierarchies, and global inequities to a flat, harmonious space and homogenous time where science supposedly unfolds. Although recent scholarship has produced empirical evidence that contemporary transcultural flows and encounters produce hybrid communicative resources and transidiomatic recombinations, these creolized idioms are largely ignored in ideologies of the language of science. While this process of extracting an idealized ‘standard’ from the realm of diversity and recombination is not new, the resulting anxieties and insecurities among those affected by pressures for going upscale are renewed, and should be critically assessed.
Translingual entanglements of English
Authors: Pennycook Alastair
Published: February 2020

Arguing that the social semiotic trajectory of translingual approaches – transcending what is generally seen as language – is equally, if not more, important than translingual approaches that seek to transcend divisions between named languages, this paper takes up the idea of entanglements of English as a way to understand the multiple ways English is connected to, and part of, the material world. World Englishes can usefully focus not just on the translingual relations among English and other languages but also among Englishes and other entanglements. A backstreet sign for an English school in the Philippines suggests an assemblage of cheap English, sexual desire, neoliberal goals, domestic workers, multilingual repertoires, Korean English frenzy, American colonialism, brownouts, call centres, racial hierarchies, global inequality, unequal resources, researcher subjectivity and tangled wires. Developing the ideas of assemblages and entanglements, this paper argues that new approaches to materiality and the interconnectedness of things can take us forward in a search for alternative ways of thinking about the distribution of unequal linguistic resources.
World Englishes, translingualism, and racialization in the US college composition classroom
Authors: Lee Eunjeong , Alvarez Sara P.
Published: February 2020

This paper examines the connection between language ownership and racialization as discussed in world Englishes (WE) and translingualism. WE and translingualism have expanded both epistemological and ontological spectrums in understanding how Englishes have been used, understood, and transformed in different global contexts, challenging a monolingual orientation to language and literacy. Yet, less questioned is how the very approach to various ways of ‘owning’ Englishes contributes to WE and translingualism's work of linguistic justice. In this regard, we argue that the issue of racialization needs to be foregrounded in these two bodies of scholarship to better account for racialized students’ language practices and ownership. Situating this examination in the US college composition classroom, we discuss how the conceptualization of language ownership can extend monolingual and racializing ideologies. We conclude by calling for a more linguistically just view of language ownership as a way to undo the racial‐linguistic stratification in educational contexts such as the writing classroom.
RELIGIOUS BELIEF AS ACQUIRED SECOND NATURE
Authors: Van Eyghen Hans
Published: February 2020

Multiple authors in cognitive science of religion (CSR) argue that there is something about the human mind that disposes it to form religious beliefs. The dispositions would result from the internal architecture of the mind. In this article, I will argue that this disposition can be explained by various forms of (cultural) learning and not by the internal architecture of the mind. For my argument, I draw on new developments in predictive processing. I argue that CSR theories argue for the naturalness of religious belief in at least three ways; religious beliefs are adaptive; religious beliefs are the product of cognitive biases; and religious beliefs are the product of content biases. I argue that all three ideas can be integrated in a predictive coding framework where religious belief is learned and hence not caused by the internal architecture of the mind. I argue that the framework makes it doubtful that there are modular cognitive mechanisms for religious beliefs and that the human mind has a fixed proneness for religious belief. I also argue that a predictive coding framework can incorporate a larger role for cultural processes and allows for more flexibility.
The effect of sleep restriction, with or without high‐intensity interval exercise, on myofibrillar protein synthesis in healthy young men
Authors: Saner Nicholas J. , Lee Matthew J.‐C. , Pitchford Nathan W. , Kuang Jujiao , Roach Gregory D. , Garnham Andrew , Stokes Tanner , Phillips Stuart M. , Bishop David J. , Bartlett Jonathan D.
Published: February 2020

Key points

Sleep restriction has previously been associated with the loss of muscle mass in both human and animal models.

The rate of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS) is a key variable in regulating skeletal muscle mass and can be increased by performing high‐intensity interval exercise (HIIE), although the effect of sleep restriction on MyoPS is unknown.

In the present study, we demonstrate that participants undergoing a sleep restriction protocol (five nights, with 4 h in bed each night) had lower rates of skeletal muscle MyoPS; however, rates of MyoPS were maintained at control levels by performing HIIE during this period.

Our data suggest that the lower rates of MyoPS in the sleep restriction group may contribute to the detrimental effects of sleep loss on muscle mass and that HIIE may be used as an intervention to counteract these effects.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of sleep restriction, with or without high‐intensity interval exercise (HIIE), on the potential mechanisms underpinning previously‐reported sleep‐loss‐induced reductions to muscle mass. Twenty‐four healthy, young men underwent a protocol consisting of two nights of controlled baseline sleep and a five‐night intervention period. Participants were allocated into one of three parallel groups, matched for age, , body mass index and habitual sleep duration; a normal sleep (NS) group [8 h time in bed (TIB) each night], a sleep restriction (SR) group (4 h TIB each night), and a sleep restriction and exercise group (SR+EX, 4 h TIB each night, with three sessions of HIIE). Deuterium oxide was ingested prior to commencing the study and muscle biopsies obtained pre‐ and post‐intervention were used to assess myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS) and molecular markers of protein synthesis and degradation signalling pathways. MyoPS was lower in the SR group [fractional synthetic rate (% day–1), mean ± SD, 1.24 ± 0.21] compared to both the NS (1.53 ± 0.09) and SR+EX groups (1.61 ± 0.14) (P < 0.05). However, there were no changes in the purported regulators of protein synthesis (i.e. p‐AKTser473 and p‐mTORser2448) and degradation (i.e. Foxo1/3 mRNA and LC3 protein) in any group. These data suggest that MyoPS is acutely reduced by sleep restriction, although MyoPS can be maintained by performing HIIE. These findings may explain the sleep‐loss‐induced reductions in muscle mass previously reported and also highlight the potential therapeutic benefit of HIIE to maintain myofibrillar remodelling in this context.
Some Notes on Maintaining Authenticity in the Presentation of Archaeological Sites in Bulgaria
Authors: Kamenova Milena , Vagalinski Lyudmil
Published: February 2020

We present the challenges facing Bulgarian experts in finding the balance between preserving the authenticity of archaeological structures and their context, and turning them into a comprehensible and attractive visitor site. Thanks to European funding over the past ten years, a number of projects have been implemented in Bulgaria for conservation, restoration, exhibition and public presentation of archaeological heritage, where the main aim is to achieve a complete visitor product. The economic and social effect, on the one hand, has a positive impact as an inspiration for archaeological research and the popularisation of this type of cultural heritage, but has led to a compromise of the scientific value at some sites. We note some examples to illustrate the combined role of experts, participants and stakeholders in their 'reading' and 'translating' the archaeology – seeking to generate interest, clarify and convey the experience of 'genius loci'. The role of the state in the management of archaeological heritage is examined through its different governmental levels and interaction. The requirements imposed by legislation and practice are also observed.

First, the development of the archaeological heritage conservation system in Bulgaria will be briefly reviewed, its current state of the processes, its actors and the interactions between them, the positive and the negative aspects, and, in more detail, the problems we face in preserving authenticity while turning the archaeological site into an attractive one. Then we focus on our main topic; the authenticity and the attractiveness of archaeological sites in Bulgaria.
Take Care of Me! Protection, conservation and presentation of archaeological sites to the public in the Autonomous Province of Trento, northern Italy
Authors: Nicolis Franco
Published: February 2020

The Archaeological Heritage Office of the Autonomous Province of Trento carries out institutional activities for the research, protection, conservation and promotion of archaeological heritage in the Trentino region. Its range of activities includes a conservation laboratory, an archaeological library, an education department, two museums and several archaeological sites, which are briefly outlined in this article. A recent project to research, preserve and present to the public a unique World War I site located high in the Italian Alps, the Punta Linke Project, is described here. The Archaeological Heritage Office is also strongly committed to developing initiatives and activities that promote public engagement with the provincial archaeological heritage. One recent project aimed at people in the community with special needs is described here. This is the T-essere memori or Weaving Memories Project, which has been carried out in several nursing homes in the Trentino region with groups of Alzheimer's patients, their families and caregivers.