bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moral Philosophy and Law and Economics
Authors: Bix Brian H.
Published: May 2017

This article explores how law and economics is viewed from the perspective of moral philosophy. Given that ‘law and economics’ is a category that covers a large and diverse set of theories and theorists, and that ‘moral philosophy’ as a category is even larger and more diverse, there are a vast number of potential topics and perspectives. The article offers a sample of the many intersections of those two categories. Part I offers a brief introduction to some central ideas of economics and to the different schools of moral philosophy. Part II summarizes some defences of law and economics from the perspective of moral philosophy, while Part III summarizes criticisms from the same source.
Early Modern Sport
Authors: Huggins Mike
Published: May 2017

The early modern, however defined, is a “sporting” period whose formal-structural characteristics and the extent of its continuity with modern sport are both still often debated. This chapter argues that it played a much more important role than is often recognized in the development of modern sports. Even though sport could sometimes be morally, religiously, and politically problematic, “sporting” material could then be found in a wide range of sources, from recreational guidebooks, manuals, and personal papers to fiction and newspapers. Such material was often linked to the lives of royal courts and the “better sort” rather than the common people, about whom, like women’s involvement, we know less. The more widespread development of rules was encouraged by their association with betting practices. The period also saw new sports lifestyles, better playing skills, new forms of associativity and institutionalization, slowly growing standardization, and the slow emergence of professionalism.
Communications and Journalism
Authors: Carvalho John
Published: May 2017

As sport increased in popularity in the nineteenth century, the emerging mass media were there to both contribute to public interest and then to benefit from it, creating a synergism that has lasted until the present. The media–sport partnership mainly promoted the development of spectator sports, both amateur and professional, submerging (though not ignoring) participant sports.
Cricket
Authors: Gupta Amit
Published: May 2017

Cricket was a semi-amateurish game whose decision-making process was dominated by the white nations of the British Empire. Cricket had a role in maintaining the status of British imperialism through the exercise of soft power. In the past twenty years, however, the center of power in international cricket has shifted away from the Western nations to the non-Western nations and the Board of Control for Cricket in India has emerged as the hegemon in the multinational game that was born in England but has been appropriated by India. With this transformation we have seen the game enter the realm of modern commercialized and commodified sports. This chapter, therefore, discusses the changing nature of the power structure in cricket.
Surfing
Authors: Booth Douglas
Published: May 2017

In the grand narrative of surfing, the pastime diffused from Hawai’i in the early twentieth century and fifty years later from Australia and California; by the end of the century surfing had been codified into a sport and homongenized as a global culture. This chapter questions the grand narrative of surfing and raises historiographical questions about evidence, context, and social memory. It presents alternative evidence and interpretations and exposes a more complex, disordered, and chaotic surfing past. The chapter proceeds from the assumptions that narratives are not definitive reconstructions but representations and processes of mediation and that historians are authors who, in addition to choosing their evidence, choose the tools of their mediations such as contexts and concepts. In these senses, historical narratives of sport, including surfing, should be understood as residing in social contexts that determine their cultural resonance and social memory.
Sport in Russia and Eastern Europe
Authors: Borrero Mauricio
Published: May 2017

The long period of Communist rule in Russia and eastern Europe provided the foundation for the development of sport in the region and the competitive boost for international success, especially in the Olympic Games. Traditional Cold War narratives have provided a framework for understanding the growth of sport in the region. However, these can have a distorting effect by neglecting Soviet Russia’s early attempts to find an alternate path to international competition, minimizing eastern Europe’s important contributions to international sport, and failing to find a place for soccer, a sport that does not fit the model of ideological competition. The relative scarcity of published English-language research provides great opportunities for future research in numerous subjects, including the popularization of tennis, exporting coaching knowledge, sport as a surrogate for anti-Soviet feeling, as well as studies of sport, gender, and race in contemporary Russia and eastern Europe.
Race and Sport
Authors: Widener Daniel
Published: May 2017

This chapter explores the relationship between race and sport from the late nineteenth century to the present. It tracks processes of racial exclusion, colonial control, and antiracist contestation, as well as the more diffuse context of an ostensibly postracial neoliberal sporting landscape. Included are discussions of crucial figures such as Jack Johnson, Jackie Robison, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Jordan. Campaigns such as the sporting boycott of apartheid-era South Africa and the Olympic protest by black American athletes are discussed, as is the Algerian revolution, racism in European football (soccer), and the contradictions of nominally amateur collegiate sports in the contemporary United States. Reference is likewise made to the relationship between race and class and gender inequities and struggles.
The Newton–Leibniz Calculus Controversy, 1708–1730
Authors: Guicciardini Niccolò
Published: May 2017

This article examines the controversy between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz concerning the priority in the invention of the calculus. The dispute began in 1708, when John Keill accused Leibniz of having plagiarized Newton’s method of fluxions. It will be shown that the mathematicians participating in the controversy in the period between 1708 and 1730—most notably Newton, Leibniz, Keill, and Johann Bernoulli—held different conceptions of mathematical method. The dispute began in a political climate agitated by the Hanoverian succession and was intertwined with tensions dividing the Royal Court. It developed into a discussion of technical issues concerning the relation between mathematics and natural philosophy and the methods of the integral calculus.
Aristotle on Agency
Authors: Charles David
Published: May 2017

This essay attempts to answer three questions about Aristotle’s account of agency: (1) What is an action? (2) Under what conditions is an action voluntary or intentional? (3) What is the relation between an agent and an action when he or she acts voluntarily? This article focuses on those actions that are processes, taking as its starting point Aristotle’s account of processes and capacities in the Physics to suggest that this account underlies his discussion of actions there and elsewhere. In the second part, it is argued that, in the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle, is concerned with analyzing intentional action in terms of an agent’s capacities (or skills) and their desired goals and knowledge. The final part of the essay contrasts Aristotle’s views of agency with some recent proposals in the philosophy of action.
Uralic Languages
Authors: Abondolo Daniel
Published: May 2017

All but three of the thirty-nine Uralic languages are endangered, most of them seriously so; of the family’s ten main branches, only two have members considered safe (Finnish and Estonian of the Fennic branch, plus Hungarian). This chapter surveys a selection of phonological, morphological, and syntactic features of the Uralic languages; the emphasis is on presenting aspects that are usually ignored, oversimplified, or misrepresented. Among the topics broached are vowel harmony; consonant gradation, which in the Uralic context is of four distinct kinds, three of them quite old; less-than-agglutinative (i.e. fairly fusional features of several languages); problems of phonological reconstruction; the inflection of personal pronouns; person marking on nouns and Subject, Agent, and Object marking on verbs; and kinds of relative, complement, and support clauses.
SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FINDINGS IN ENDOGENOUS CANDIDA ENDOPHTHALMITIS AND THEIR CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Authors: Invernizzi Alessandro , Symes Richard , Miserocchi Elisabetta , Cozzi Mariano , Cereda Matteo , Fogliato Giovanni , Staurenghi Giovanni , Cimino Luca , McCluskey Peter
Published: May 2017

Purpose:

To describe vitreal, retinal, and choroidal features of eyes affected by Endogenous candida endophthalmitis (ECE) analyzed by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to evaluate their clinical impact.

Methods:

Medical records and SD-OCT images from eyes diagnosed with ECE at four retina and uveitis tertiary referral centers were retrospectively evaluated. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography images were analyzed to evaluate the structural changes occurring in the vitreous, the retina, and the choroid in areas involved by ECE. Baseline and final best-corrected visual acuity were correlated with SD-OCT findings.

Results:

Fifteen eyes from nine patients were enrolled. Vitreous involvement (vitreous cells, posterior hyaloid thickening) was detected in 13/15 eyes. Peculiar hyper-reflective preretinal aggregates obscuring the underlying retina because of a shadowing effect (“rain-cloud” sign) were noticed in all eyes with vitreous involvement. Two patterns of retinal and choroidal findings were identified: the first (six eyes) confined within the inner retinal layers (Intraretinal Pattern), the second (nine eyes) involving both retina (full thickness) and choriocapillaris (Chorioretinal Pattern). None of the eyes showed both patterns. None of the eyes, regardless the pattern, showed choroidal thickening. Baseline best-corrected visual acuity was not associated with OCT pattern (P= 0.09). On the contrary, final best-corrected visual acuity was significantly higher in patients showing Intraretinal Pattern (∼20/25, 0.06 ± 0.08 LogMAR) than in subjects with Chorioretinal Pattern (∼20/50, 0.44 ± 0.30 LogMAR) (P= 0.01).

Conclusion:

Endogenous candida endophthalmitis showed peculiar features on SD-OCT. Two distinct patterns of chorioretinal involvement influencing the final best-corrected visual acuity were identified. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography could be useful in the diagnosis, management, and outcome prediction in ECE.
LONGITUDINAL CHANGE OF OUTER NUCLEAR LAYER AFTER RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIAL TEAR SECONDARY TO AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION
Authors: Oishi Akio , Fang Petra P. , Thiele Sarah , Holz Frank G. , Krohne Tim U.
Published: May 2017

Purpose:

To investigate longitudinal changes of outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness in patients with retinal pigment epithelium tears secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods:

This is an institutional retrospective interventional case series. Twenty-six eyes of 22 patients with retinal pigment epithelium tears identified between April 2009 and March 2015. The patients underwent intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents as needed. Volume scans of optical coherence tomography at first diagnosis of tear (baseline) and after 12 months were analyzed. Outer nuclear layer was segmented, and average ONL thickness inside the tear area, at the border of the tear, and in areas outside the tear was measured. Change of ONL thickness. We also explored several factors for their association with ONL thinning including tear area, number of treatments, and the duration with persistent subretinal fluid.

Results:

Thinning of ONL was found in all the investigated areas (P < 0.01, respectively). Among the investigated factors, larger tear area was associated with greater ONL thinning outside the tear area (standardized β = −0.37, P = 0.030), and younger age was associated with greater ONL thinning inside the tear area (standardized β = 0.37, P = 0.041).

Conclusion:

After an retinal pigment epithelium tear, thinning of ONL occurs in the area devoid of retinal pigment epithelium and also in adjacent areas. Few factors were predictive for the degree of ONL thinning. These results provide new insight in disease progression of this particular neovascular age-related macular degeneration subphenotype.
QUANTITATIVE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANALYSIS OF RETINAL DEGENERATIVE CHANGES IN DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA AND NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION
Authors: Boiko Ernest V. , Maltsev Dmitrii S.
Published: May 2017

Purpose:

To investigate the relationship of the pre–anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) retinal tissue area (RTA) and optical density (ODRT) of the retinal optical slice portion located in the central subfield, and their ratio (RTA/ODRT), in the presence of diabetic macular edema or of inraretinal cystic fluid in neovascular age-related macular degeneration, to central retinal thickness and best-corrected visual acuity after anti-VEGF treatment with ME resolution.

Methods:

The optical coherence tomography images and medical records of 33 patients (41 eyes) with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, 15 (21 eyes) with diabetic macular edema and 9 healthy individuals (15 eyes) were retrospectively analyzed. RTA, ODRT, and RTA/ODRT were calculated on pre–anti-VEGF B-scan images. Spearman rank correlation was used to assess the relationship of central retinal thickness and best-corrected visual acuity after anti-VEGF treatment with the variables under study.

Results:

Pre–anti-VEGF RTA was positively correlated with post–anti-VEGF central retinal thickness (ρ = 0.76; P < 0.001) and best-corrected visual acuity (ρ = 0.67; P < 0.001), whereas pre–anti-VEGF ODRT was moderately negatively correlated (ρ = −0.26; P = 0.049 and ρ = −0.48; P = 0.001, respectively) and pre–anti-VEGF RTA/ODRT ratio was strongly positively correlated (ρ = 0.75; P < 0.001 and ρ = 0.85; P < 0.001, respectively). The area under curve for RTA/ODRT ratio was 0.93 (P < 0.001), and the cut-off value for post–anti-VEGF LogMAR best-corrected visual acuity of 0.4 (20/50 Snellen equivalent) or worse was 1,406.7 μm2/U (sensitivity: 0.94; specificity: 0.78).

Conclusion:

Both RTA and ODRT, or, preferably, RTA/ODRT ratio alone can be used as predictors of functional and anatomic outcomes in patients with diabetic macular edema or neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with anti-VEGF therapy.
DEXAMETHASONE INTRAVITREAL IMPLANT FOR CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION DURING PREGNANCY
Authors: Capuano Vittorio , Serra Rita , Oubraham Hassiba , Zambrowski Olivia , Amana Danielle , Zerbib Jennifer , Souied Eric H. , Querques Giuseppe
Published: May 2017

Purpose:

To describe the management of active choroidal neovascularization (CNV) during pregnancy with the use of a dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DXI) (Ozurdex).

Methods:

Case series of active CNV treated with DXI with at least 12-month follow-up retrospectively analyzed at 2 high-volume referral centers in France. Medical records and multimodal macular imaging were evaluated.

Results:

Three eyes of 3 patients (age 30.0 ± 3.6 years) were included. One case of idiopathic CNV and two cases of CNV secondary to multifocal choroiditis were analyzed. Mean follow-up was 20.6 ± 4.0 months (range, 16–23 months). The DXI was given at second trimester of established pregnancy in all cases. Mean central retinal thickness decreased from 359 ± 53 μm to 301 ± 17 μm 1 month after DXI and remained stable up to 12 months of follow-up. Visual improvement in all cases was observed (mean 10 letters; range, 5–30 letters) 1 month after DXI and remained stable/increased up to 12-month follow-up (mean 22 letters; range, 10–30 letters). All patients had an uneventful prenatal course and delivered a healthy full-term infant.

Conclusion:

In the authors' experience, a single DXI revealed safe and effective in CNV treatment during pregnancy.
Development of a Risk-adjustment Model for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Discharge Self-care Functional Status Quality Measure
Authors: Deutsch Anne , Pardasaney Poonam , Iriondo-Perez Jeniffer , Ingber Melvin J. , Porter Kristie A. , McMullen Tara
Published: May 2017

Background:

Functional status measures are important patient-centered indicators of inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) quality of care. We developed a risk-adjusted self-care functional status measure for the IRF Quality Reporting Program. This paper describes the development and performance of the measure’s risk-adjustment model.

Methods:

Our sample included IRF Medicare fee-for-service patients from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2008–2010 Post-Acute Care Payment Reform Demonstration. Data sources included the Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation Item Set, IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument, and Medicare claims. Self-care scores were based on 7 Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation items. The model was developed using discharge self-care score as the dependent variable, and generalized linear modeling with generalized estimation equation to account for patient characteristics and clustering within IRFs. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics at IRF admission, and clinical characteristics related to the recent hospitalization were tested as risk adjusters.

Results:

A total of 4769 patient stays from 38 IRFs were included. Approximately 57% of the sample was female; 38.4%, 75–84 years; and 31.0%, 65–74 years. The final model, containing 77 risk adjusters, explained 53.7% of variance in discharge self-care scores (P<0.0001). Admission self-care function was the strongest predictor, followed by admission cognitive function and IRF primary diagnosis group. The range of expected and observed scores overlapped very well, with little bias across the range of predicted self-care functioning.

Conclusions:

Our risk-adjustment model demonstrated strong validity for predicting discharge self-care scores. Although the model needs validation with national data, it represents an important first step in evaluation of IRF functional outcomes.
A Case-Control Analysis of Postoperative Fluid Balance and Mortality After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery*
Authors: Delpachitra Meth R. , Namachivayam Siva P. , Millar Johnny , Delzoppo Carmel , Butt Warwick W.
Published: May 2017

Objectives:

A positive fluid balance after cardiac surgery may be associated with poor outcomes; however, previous studies looking at this association have been limited by the number of deaths in the study population. Our primary aim was to determine the relationship between postoperative cumulative fluid balance and mortality in cardiac surgical patients. Secondary aims were to study the association between fluid balance and duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care and hospital length of stay.

Design:

Case-control study.

Setting:

A 30-bed multidisciplinary PICU.

Patients:

All patients admitted to the PICU following cardiac surgery from 2010 to 2014.

Interventions:

Deaths during PICU admission following cardiac surgery (cases) were matched 1:3 with children who survived to PICU discharge (controls) using the following criteria: age at surgery (within a 20% age range), Risk Adjusted Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) category, and year of admission.

Measurements and Main Results:

Of 1,996 eligible children, 46 died (2.3%) of whom 45 (98%) were successfully matched. Cumulative fluid balance on days 2 and 7 was not associated with PICU mortality. On multivariable analysis, factors associated with mortality were cardiopulmonary bypass time (per 10-min increase, odds ratio [95% CI], 1.06 [1.00–1.12]; p = 0.03), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation requirement within 3 days (46.6 [9.47–230.11]; p < 0.001), peak serum chloride (mmol/L) in the first 48 hours (1.12 [1.01–1.23]), and time to start peritoneal dialysis after surgery (in comparison to no peritoneal dialysis, odds ratio [95% CI] in those started on early peritoneal dialysis was 1.07 [0.33–3.41]; p = 0.90 and in late peritoneal dialysis 3.65 [1.21–10.99]; p = 0.02). Children with cumulative fluid balance greater than or equal to 5% by day 2 spent longer on mechanical ventilation (median [interquartile range], 211 hr [97–539] vs 93 hr [34–225]; p <0.001), in PICU (11 d [8–26] vs 6 [3–13]; p < 0.001) and in hospital (22 d [13–39] vs 14 d [8–30]; p = 0.001).

Conclusions:

Early fluid overload is not associated with mortality. However, it is associated with increased duration of mechanical ventilation and PICU length of stay. Early peritoneal dialysis commencement (compared with late peritoneal dialysis) after surgery was associated with decreased mortality.
Trend and Outcomes of Video Laryngoscope Use Across PICUs*
Authors: Grunwell Jocelyn R. , Kamat Pradip P. , Miksa Michael , Krishna Ashwin , Walson Karen , Simon Dennis , Krawiec Conrad , Breuer Ryan , Lee Jan Hau , Gradidge Eleanor , Tarquinio Keiko , Shenoi Asha , Shults Justine , Nadkarni Vinay , Nishisaki Akira
Published: May 2017

Objective:

Video (indirect) laryngoscopy is used as a primary tracheal intubation device for difficult airways in emergency departments and in adult ICUs. The use and outcomes of video laryngoscopy compared with direct laryngoscopy has not been quantified in PICUs or cardiac ICUs.

Design:

Retrospective review of prospectively collected observational data from a multicenter tracheal intubation database (National Emergency Airway Registry for Children) from July 2010 to June 2015.

Setting:

Thirty-six PICUs/cardiac ICUs across the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore.

Patients:

Any patient admitted to a PICU or a pediatric cardiac ICU and undergoing tracheal intubation.

Interventions:

Use of direct laryngoscopy versus video laryngoscopy for tracheal intubation.

Measurements and Main Results:

There were 8,875 tracheal intubations reported in the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children database, including 7,947 (89.5%) tracheal intubations performed using direct laryngoscopy and 928 (10.5%) tracheal intubations performed using video laryngoscopy. Wide variability in video laryngoscopy use exists across PICUs (median, 2.6%; range, 0–55%). Video laryngoscopy was more often used in older children (p < 0.001), in children with history of a difficult airway (p = 0.01), in children intubated for ventilatory failure (p < 0.001), and to facilitate the completion of an elective procedure (p = 0.048). After adjusting for patient-level covariates, a secular trend, and site-level variance, the use of video laryngoscopy significantly increased over a 5-year period compared with fiscal year 2011 (odds ratio, 6.7; 95% CI, 1.7–26.8 for fiscal year 2014 and odds ratio, 11.2; 95% CI, 3.2–38.9 for fiscal year 2015). The use of video laryngoscopy was independently associated with a lower occurrence of tracheal intubation adverse events (adjusted odds ratio, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.42–0.77; p < 0.001) but not with a lower occurrence of severe tracheal intubation adverse events (adjusted odds ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.56–1.32; p = 0.49) or fewer multiple attempts at endotracheal intubation (adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.71–1.22; p = 0.59).

Conclusions:

Using National Emergency Airway Registry for Children data, we described patient-centered adverse outcomes associated with video laryngoscopy compared with direct laryngoscopy for tracheal intubation in the largest reported international cohort of children to date. Data from this study may be used to design sufficiently powered prospective studies comparing patient-centered outcomes for video laryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy during endotracheal intubation.
Pediatric In-Hospital Acute Respiratory Compromise: A Report From the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation Registry*
Authors: Andersen Lars W. , Vognsen Mikael , Topjian Alexis , Brown Linda , Berg Robert A. , Nadkarni Vinay M. , Kirkegaard Hans , Donnino Michael W.
Published: May 2017

Objectives:

The main objectives of this study were to describe in-hospital acute respiratory compromise among children (< 18 yr old), and its association with cardiac arrest and in-hospital mortality.

Design:

Observational study using prospectively collected data.

Setting:

U.S. hospitals reporting data to the “Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation” registry.

Patients:

Pediatric patients (< 18 yr old) with acute respiratory compromise. Acute respiratory compromise was defined as absent, agonal, or inadequate respiration that required emergency assisted ventilation and elicited a hospital-wide or unit-based emergency response.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Cardiac arrest during the event was a secondary outcome. To assess the association between patient, event, and hospital characteristics and the outcomes, we created multivariable logistic regressions models accounting for within-hospital clustering. One thousand nine hundred fifty-two patients from 151 hospitals were included. Forty percent of the events occurred on the wards, 19% in the emergency department, 25% in the ICU, and 16% in other locations. Two hundred eighty patients (14.6%) died before hospital discharge. Preexisting hypotension (odds ratio, 3.26 [95% CI, 1.89–5.62]; p < 0.001) and septicemia (odds ratio, 2.46 [95% CI, 1.52–3.97]; p < 0.001) were associated with increased mortality. The acute respiratory compromise event was temporally associated with a cardiac arrest in 182 patients (9.3%), among whom 46.2% died. One thousand two hundred eight patients (62%) required tracheal intubation during the event. In-hospital mortality among patients requiring tracheal intubation during the event was 18.6%.

Conclusions:

In this large, multicenter study of acute respiratory compromise, 40% occurred in ward settings, 9.3% had an associated cardiac arrest, and overall in-hospital mortality was 14.6%. Preevent hypotension and septicemia were associated with increased mortality rate.
Switching From the Oral to the Depot Formulation of a Medication: Clinically Relevant Pharmacokinetic Concepts and Considerations
Authors: PRESKORN SHELDON H.
Published: May 2017

This column presents principles that will aid the prescriber in transitioning patients from an oral to a depot antipsychotic medication. The column covers the differences in the pharmacokinetics of oral versus depot formulations that are critical in making a smooth transition. Also discussed are some of the reasons to use these medications, which, in the author’s opinion, are currently underutilized. This column focuses on the big picture and the fundamentals of oral versus depot formulations rather than comparing the relative merits or potential advantages of the various marketed depot formulations.
Clinical Feasibility of Free-Breathing Dynamic T1-Weighted Imaging With Gadoxetic Acid–Enhanced Liver Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using a Combination of Variable Density Sampling and Compressed Sensing
Authors: Yoon Jeong Hee , Yu Mi Hye , Chang Won , Park Jin-young , Nickel Marcel Dominik , Son Yohan , Kiefer Berthold , Lee Jeong Min
Published: May 2017

Objectives

The purpose of the study was to investigate the clinical feasibility of free-breathing dynamic T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) using Cartesian sampling, compressed sensing, and iterative reconstruction in gadoxetic acid–enhanced liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and Methods

This retrospective study was approved by our institutional review board, and the requirement for informed consent was waived. A total of 51 patients at high risk of breath-holding failure underwent dynamic T1WI in a free-breathing manner using volumetric interpolated breath-hold (BH) examination with compressed sensing reconstruction (CS-VIBE) and hard gating. Timing, motion artifacts, and image quality were evaluated by 4 radiologists on a 4-point scale. For patients with low image quality scores (<3) on the late arterial phase, respiratory motion-resolved (extradimension [XD]) reconstruction was additionally performed and reviewed in the same manner. In addition, in 68.6% (35/51) patients who had previously undergone liver MRI, image quality and motion artifacts on dynamic phases using CS-VIBE were compared with previous BH-T1WIs.

Results

In all patients, adequate arterial-phase timing was obtained at least once. Overall image quality of free-breathing T1WI was 3.30 ± 0.59 on precontrast and 2.68 ± 0.70, 2.93 ± 0.65, and 3.30 ± 0.49 on early arterial, late arterial, and portal venous phases, respectively. In 13 patients with lower than average image quality (<3) on the late arterial phase, motion-resolved reconstructed T1WI (XD-reconstructed CS-VIBE) significantly reduced motion artifacts (P < 0.002–0.021) and improved image quality (P < 0.0001–0.002). In comparison with previous BH-T1WI, CS-VIBE with hard gating or XD reconstruction showed less motion artifacts and better image quality on precontrast, arterial, and portal venous phases (P < 0.0001–0.013).

Conclusions

Volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination with compressed sensing has the potential to provide consistent, motion-corrected free-breathing dynamic T1WI for liver MRI in patients at high risk of breath-holding failure.
Protein phosphatase 1 regulates huntingtin exon 1 aggregation and toxicity
Authors: Branco-Santos Joana , Herrera Federico , Poças Gonçalo M. , Pires-Afonso Yolanda , Giorgini Flaviano , Domingos Pedro M. , Outeiro Tiago F.
Published: May 2017

Huntington’s disease (HD) is neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the N-terminal region of the huntingtin protein (N17). Here, we analysed the relative contribution of each phosphorylatable residue in the N17 region (T3, S13 and S16) towards huntingtin exon 1 (HTTex1) oligomerization, aggregation and toxicity in human cells andDrosophilaneurons. We used bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) to show that expression of single phosphomimic mutations completely abolished HTTex1 aggregation in human cells. InDrosophila, Mimicking phosphorylation at T3 decreased HTTex1 aggregation both in larvae and adult flies. Interestingly, pharmacological or genetic inhibition of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) prevented HTTex1 aggregation in both human cells andDrosophilawhile increasing neurotoxicity in flies. Our findings suggest that PP1 modulates HTTex1 aggregation by regulating phosphorylation on T3. In summary, our study suggests that modulation of HTTex1 single phosphorylation events by PP1 could constitute an efficient and direct molecular target for therapeutic interventions in HD.
How sample size influences the replicability of task-based fMRI
Authors: Turner Benjamin O. , Paul Erick J. , Miller Michael B. , Barbey Aron K.
Published: May 2017

Despite a growing body of research suggesting that task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies often suffer from a lack of statistical power due to too-small samples, the proliferation of such underpowered studies continues unabated. Using large independent samples across eleven distinct tasks, we demonstrate the impact of sample size on replicability, assessed at different levels of analysis relevant to fMRI researchers. We find that the degree of replicability for typical sample sizes is modest and that sample sizes much larger than typical (e.g., N = 100) produce results that fall well short of perfectly replicable. Thus, our results join the existing line of work advocating for larger sample sizes. Moreover, because we test sample sizes over a fairly large range and use intuitive metrics of replicability, our hope is that our results are more understandable and convincing to researchers who may have found previous results advocating for larger samples inaccessible.
A Systematic Analysis of Atomic Protein-Ligand Interactions in the PDB
Authors: de Freitas Renato Ferreira , Schapira Matthieu
Published: May 2017

As the protein databank (PDB) recently passed the cap of 123,456 structures, it stands more than ever as an important resource not only to analyze structural features of specific biological systems, but also to study the prevalence of structural patterns observed in a large body of unrelated structures, that may reflect rules governing protein folding or molecular recognition. Here, we compiled a list of 11,016 unique structures of small-molecule ligands bound to proteins – 6,444 of which have experimental binding affinity - representing 750,873 protein-ligand atomic interactions, and analyzed the frequency, geometry and impact of each interaction type. We find that hydrophobic interactions are generally enriched in high-efficiency ligands, but polar interactions are over-represented in fragment inhibitors. While most observations extracted from the PDB will be familiar to seasoned medicinal chemists, less expected findings, such as the high number of C–H…O hydrogen bonds or the relatively frequent amide-π stacking between the backbone amide of proteins and aromatic rings of ligands, uncover underused ligand design strategies.
Simple and Multiplexed Enrichment of Rare DNA Variants via Sequence-Selective and Temperature-Robust Amplification
Authors: Wu Lucia R. , Chen Sherry X. , Wu Yalei , Patel Abhijit A. , Zhang David Yu
Published: May 2017

Rare DNA sequence variants hold important clinical and biological information, but are chal-lenging for existing methods (e.g. PCR, NGS) to profile in an inexpensive, multiplexed, simple-to-implement, and sequence-general way. Here, we present Blocker Displacement Amplification (BDA), a temperature-robust PCR method that selectively amplifies all sequence variants within a roughly 20 nt window by 1000-fold over wildtype sequences, allowing easy detection and quantitation of hundreds of potentials variants originally at ≤0.1% allele frequency. BDA employs a rationally designed competitive hybridization reaction to achieve similar enrichment performance across anneal temperatures ranging from 56°C to 64°C. This temperature robustness facilitates multiplexed enrichment of many different variants across the genome, and furthermore enables the use of in-expensive and portable thermocycling instruments for rare DNA variant detection. To show the sequence generality of BDA, we demonstrated enrichment on 156 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs). BDA has been validated on multiple different PCR platforms, DNA polymerases, and sample types including clinical cell-free DNA samples collected from the blood plasma of lung cancer patients. BDA quantitation of mutation allele fraction is generally consistent with deep sequencing results.
No compelling evidence that more physically attractive young adult women have higher estradiol or progesterone
Authors: Jones Benedict C , Hahn Amanda C , Fisher Claire I , Wang Hongyi , Kandrik Michal , Lao Junpeng , Han Chengyang , Lee Anthony J , Holzleitner Iris J , DeBruine Lisa M
Published: May 2017

Putative associations between sex hormones and attractive physical characteristics in women are central to many theories of human physical attractiveness and mate choice. Although such theories have become very influential, evidence that physically attractive and unattractive women have different hormonal profiles is equivocal. Consequently, we investigated hypothesized relationships between salivary estradiol and progesterone and two aspects of women’s physical attractiveness that are commonly assumed to be correlated with levels of these hormones: facial attractiveness (N=249) and waist-to-hip ratio (N=247). Our analyses revealed no compelling evidence that women with more attractive faces or lower (i.e., more attractive) waist-to-hip ratios had higher levels of estradiol or progesterone. One analysis did suggest that women with more attractive waist-to-hip ratios had significantly higher progesterone, but the relationship was weak and the relationship not significant in other analyses. These results do not support the influential hypothesis that between-women differences in physical attractiveness are related to estradiol and/or progesterone.
Mechanistic modeling quantifies the influence of tumor growth kinetics on the response to anti-angiogenic treatment
Authors: Gaddy Thomas D. , Arnheim Alyssa D. , Finley Stacey D.
Published: May 2017

Tumors exploit angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, in order to obtain nutrients required for continued growth and proliferation. Targeting factors that regulate angiogenesis, including the potent promoter vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is therefore an attractive strategy for inhibiting tumor growth. Computational modeling can be used to identify tumor-specific properties that influence the response to anti-angiogenic strategies. Here, we build on our previous systems biology model of VEGF transport and kinetics in tumor-bearing mice to include a tumor compartment whose volume depends on the “angiogenic signal” produced when VEGF binds to its receptors on tumor endothelial cells. We trained and validated the model using publishedin vivomeasurements of xenograft tumor volume, producing a model that accurately predicts the tumor’s response to anti-angiogenic treatment. We applied the model to investigate how tumor growth kinetics influence the response to anti-angiogenic treatment targeting VEGF. Based on multivariate regression analysis, we found that certain intrinsic kinetic parameters that characterize the growth of tumors could successfully predict response to anti-VEGF treatment, the reduction in tumor volume. Lastly, we use the trained model to predict the response to anti-VEGF therapy for tumors expressing different levels of VEGF receptors. The model predicts that certain tumors are more sensitive to treatment than others, and the response to treatment shows a nonlinear dependence on the VEGF receptor expression. Overall, this model is a useful tool for predicting how tumors will respond to anti-VEGF treatment, and it complements pre-clinicalin vivomouse studies.
Adaptation in a fibronectin binding autolysin ofStaphylococcus saprophyticus
Authors: Mortimer Tatum D. , Annis Douglas S. , O’Neill Mary B. , Bohr Lindsey L. , Smith Tracy M. , Poinar Hendrik N. , Mosher Deane F. , Pepperell Caitlin S.
Published: May 2017

Human-pathogenic bacteria are found in a variety of niches, including free-living, zoonotic, and microbiome environments. Identifying bacterial adaptions that enable invasive disease is an important means of gaining insight into the molecular basis of pathogenesis and understanding pathogen emergence.Staphylococcus saprophyticus, a leading cause of urinary tract infections, can be found in the environment, food, animals, and the human microbiome. We identified a selective sweep in the gene encoding the Aas adhesin, a key virulence factor that binds host fibronectin. We hypothesize that the mutation under selection (aas_2206A>C) facilitates colonization of the urinary tract, an environment where bacteria are subject to strong shearing forces. The mutation appears to have enabled emergence and expansion of a human pathogenic lineage ofS. saprophyticus. These results demonstrate the power of evolutionary genomic approaches in discovering the genetic basis of virulence and emphasize the pleiotropy and adaptability of bacteria occupying diverse niches.

Importance

Staphylococcus saprophyticusis an important cause of urinary tract infections (UTI) in women, which are common, can be severe, and are associated with significant impacts to public health. In addition to being a cause of human UTI,S. saprophyticuscan be found in the environment, in food, and associated with animals. After discovering that UTI strains ofS. saprophyticusare for the most part closely related to each other, we sought to determine whether these strains are specially adapted to cause disease in humans. We found evidence suggesting that a mutation in the geneaasis advantageous in the context of human infection. We hypothesize that the mutation allowsS. saprophyticusto survive better in the human urinary tract. These results show how bacteria found in the environment can evolve to cause disease.
Impact of organizational cultural differences on mergers and acquisitions performance
Authors: Shi Kan , Liu Xiaoqian , Yang Chengjun , Yao Ziping , Liu Dong
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Drawing upon the theory of organizational commitment and relative standing, this study aimed to develop an integrative model to examine how organizational cultural differences impact on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used regression analysis and moderated path analysis to test the hypothesis with a sample of 103 executives from 49 firms acquired by Chinese state-owned enterprises.

Findings

The paper arrives at the conclusion that the executives’ organizational commitment mediated the association between organizational cultural differences and M&A performance. Besides, the authors also confirmed the moderator role of relative standing.

Practical implications

The paper suggests ways that can help practitioners better eliminate cultural differences obstacles during the M&A by presenting an integrative framework and showed an actual Chinese case.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the M&A literature by developing an integrative model to explain the complexity between organizational cultural differences and M&A performance with a Chinese executive sample.
Functionally specialised birds respond flexibly to seasonal changes in fruit availability
Authors: Bender Irene M. A. , Kissling W. Daniel , Böhning‐Gaese Katrin , Hensen Isabell , Kühn Ingolf , Wiegand Thorsten , Dehling D. Matthias , Schleuning Matthias
Published: May 2017

Interactions between resource and consumer species result in complex ecological networks. The overall structure of these networks is often stable in space and time, but little is known about the temporal stability of the functional roles of consumer species in these networks.

We used a trait‐based approach to investigate whether consumers (frugivorous birds) show similar degrees of functional specialisation on resources (plants) in ecological networks across seasons. We additionally tested whether closely related bird species have similar degrees of functional specialisation and whether birds that are functionally specialised on specific resource types within a season are flexible in switching to other resource types in other seasons.

We analysed four seasonal replicates of two species‐rich plant–frugivore networks from the tropical Andes. To quantify fruit preferences of frugivorous birds, we projected their interactions with plants into a multidimensional plant trait space. To measure functional specialisation of birds, we calculated a species’ functional niche breadth (the extent of seasonal plant trait space utilised by a particular bird) and functional originality (the extent to which a bird species’ fruit preference functionally differs from those of other species in a seasonal network). We additionally calculated functional flexibility, i.e. the ability of bird species to change their fruit preference across seasons in response to variation in plant resources.

Functional specialisation of bird species varied more among species than across seasons, and phylogenetically similar bird species showed similar degrees of functional niche breadth (phylogenetic signal λ = 0·81) and functional originality (λ = 0·89). Additionally, we found that birds with high functional flexibility across seasons had narrow functional niche breadth and high functional originality per season, suggesting that birds that are seasonally specialised on particular resources are most flexible in switching to other fruit resources across seasons.

The high flexibility of functionally specialised bird species to switch seasonally to other resources challenges the view that consumer species rely on functionally similar resources throughout the year. This flexibility of consumer species may be an important, but widely neglected mechanism that could potentially stabilise consumer–resource networks in response to human disturbance and environmental change.
De Novo Advanced Adult‐Onset Offending: New Evidence from a Population of Federal Correctional Clients
Authors: DeLisi Matt , Tahja Katherine N. , Drury Alan J. , Elbert Michael J. , Caropreso Daniel E. , Heinrichs Timothy
Published: May 2017

Adult antisocial behavior is almost always predated by delinquency during childhood or adolescence; however, there is also evidence of adult‐onset criminal offending. This study examined this controversial subgroup of offenders using self‐reported and official data from a total population of federal correctional clients selected from the Midwestern United States. Difference of means t‐tests, chi‐square tests, and logistic regression models found that 11.7% of clients had an adult onset of offending and 2.7% of clients (n = 23) had an onset occurring at age 60 years or older. This group—introduced as de novo advanced adult‐onset offenders—had high socioeconomic status, mixed evidence of adverse childhood experiences, and virtually no usage of drugs with the exception of alcohol. These offenders were primarily convicted of social security and white‐collar crimes and evinced remarkably low psychopathology and criminal risk. More research is needed to replicate the phenomenon of de novo advanced adult‐onset offending.
Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair: Bridging therapy for successful outcomes
Authors: Lau Chin Tung , Chan Shu‐Yan , Rocha Barnabe , Tam Paul K.H. , Wong Kenneth K.Y.
Published: May 2017

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a rare congenital disease with harmful potential. Mortality is often related to underlying pulmonary hypoplasia and pulmonary hypertension. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can serve as a bridging therapy for critical patients when all medical treatments and conventional ventilation strategies fail. However, operating on a neonate with CDH during ECMO poses a unique challenge to paediatric surgeons. In the present study, we report our experience with Hong Kong’s first case of CDH repair under ECMO.
Differences in presentation, progression and rates of arthroplasty between hip and knee osteoarthritis: Observations from an osteoarthritis cohort study‐a clear role for conservative management
Authors: Dabare Chamila , Le Marshall Kim , Leung Albert , Page Carolyn J. , Choong Peter F. , Lim Keith K.
Published: May 2017

Aim

To describe the natural progression and the rates of arthroplasty of a cohort of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.

Methods

An observational study of 247 consecutive patients who attended an OA clinic between May 2008 and August 2009. Follow‐up survey was conducted from July 2014 to December 2014, with the primary end point being joint replacement surgery.

Results

One hundred and sixty‐seven patients had knee OA and 80 patients had hip OA. When adjusted for other variables (age, gender, body mass index, Kellgren‐Lawrence stage, symptom duration, presence of OA elsewhere and pain score), patients with hip OA demonstrated 86% increased hazard of surgery compared to knee OA patients (95% CI increase of 19% to 193%). At 6 years after initial consultation, 67% of patients with knee OA did not require a knee replacement surgery, while 40% (30, 51) of hip OA patients did not undergo surgery (95% CI: 59–74%). Overall at 6 years, 58% of patients (95% CI: 51–64%) did not undergo joint replacement surgery.

Conclusion

Knee and hip OA patients appear to behave differently, with hip OA patients more likely to undergo arthroplasty. There is a significant number of both hip OA and knee OA patients who did not require arthroplasty at the end of 6 years, suggesting a major role for conservative therapy.