bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Second-generation Western Muslims: A qualitative analysis of multiple social identities
Authors: Younis Tarek , Hassan Ghayda
Published: October 2018

The relationships between social identities are important when discussing the national and religious identities of Muslims in Western contexts. This study explored the identity narratives of second-generation Muslim young adults to consider the relevance of bicultural identity and acculturation theories commonly employed in research with this group. The sample comprised 20 Muslim young adults of diverse ethnicities and backgrounds from Montreal, Berlin, and Copenhagen who participated in semi-structured interviews that explored how they negotiate their social identities in light of their unique life course trajectories. This article focuses on two major themes underlying second-generation identity development: the importance of personal experience in the development of social identities; and the enmeshment of multiple social identities. We then discuss the results of our findings in light of the complex nature of social identity, group membership, and political categorization.
Retaining identity: Creativity and caregiving
Authors: Mondro Anne , Connell Cathleen M , Li Lydia , Reed Elaine
Published: October 2018

Arts programming for people living with dementia and their caregivers has gained popularity as a way to provide opportunities for social interaction, expression, and continual learning. The goal of the present study, referred to as Retaining Identity: Creativity & Caregiving is to: (1) describe the process of designing and implementing a structured art experience for people living with memory loss and their co-residing caregiver; and (2) to summarize feedback provided by caregivers at the conclusion of the program. Retaining Identity is an eight-week program offered by professional artists who instructed dementia caregivers in four visual art activities, which they then taught to their care recipient. The program was designed for individuals with no art experience and the art projects were carefully developed to be engaging for both people living with dementia and their caregivers. The evaluation process included a qualitative survey completed by the caregivers to measure the impact of the program on the caregiver/care recipient relationship. The main themes that emerged from the survey were: caregiver growth, caregiver awareness, and creative discovery. The participants’ artwork supports that art making has the potential to encourage an equitable exchange and outcome for people with memory loss and their caregivers. Although the survey is limited in scope, the results support the use of the arts to positively impact caregivers and their relationship with their care recipient.
Pediatric Sports Specialization in Elite Ice Hockey Players
Authors: Black Sarah , Black Kevin , Dhawan Aman , Onks Cayce , Seidenberg Peter , Silvis Matthew
Published: October 2018

Background:

Pediatric sports specialization, defined as intense year-round training in a single sport as a result of excluding other sports for more than 8 months per year, is common in the United States. There are demonstrated physical and social risks to early pediatric sports specialization (defined as before age 12 years). While thought to be needed to acquire appropriate experience and excel in a given sport, there remains little information on when athletes at the highest levels of their sport specialized. This study aimed to define when professional and collegiate ice hockey players specialized.

Hypothesis:

Early sports specialization before age 12 years will not be common among elite-level (professional and collegiate) ice hockey players.

Study Design:

Retrospective cross-sectional survey study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Methods:

Male professional and collegiate ice hockey players within 1 National Hockey League organization and 2 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) organizations who were 18 years of age or older completed a survey at training camp detailing their history of sports participation and specialization.

Results:

A total of 91 athletes participated in the study (mean age, 22.8 years; range, 18-39 years). The mean age at the start of any sports participation was 4.5 years, and the mean age of sports specialization was 14.3 years. The mean age of specialization in the professional group, the NCAA Division I group, and the NCAA Division III group was 14.1, 14.5, and 14.6 years, respectively.

Conclusion:

Early pediatric sports specialization is not common in elite-level (professional and collegiate) ice hockey players.

Clinical Relevance:

Early pediatric sports specialization before age 12 years is not necessary for athletic success in professional and collegiate ice hockey. This study provides further evidence supporting the recommendations of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine against early sports specialization.
Invasive pit pattern, macronodule and depression are predictive factors of submucosal invasion in colorectal laterally spreading tumours from a Western population
Authors: Soliman Heithem , Brieau Bertrand , Guillaumot Marie-Anne , Leblanc Sarah , Barret Maximilien , Camus Marine , Dior Marie , Terris Benoit , Coriat Romain , Prat Frédéric , Chaussade Stanislas
Published: October 2018

Background

Laterally spreading tumours are separated in subclasses: granular, homogenous or nodular mixed; and non‐granular, flat or pseudodepressed. For every subtype, a proper risk of submucosal invasive cancer has been described in Asian series.

Objective

The aim of the study was to determine the rate of cancer and submucosal invasive cancer in a Western series of endoscopic‐resected laterally spreading tumours and their endoscopic predictive factors.

Methods

A total of 374 laterally spreading tumours ≥20 mm were resected by endoscopy in our single centre between 2012–2016. We analysed endoscopic and pathological data from our prospective database, determining the rates of cancer and submucosal invasive cancer according to the subtype of laterally spreading tumour.

Results

The rates of submucosal invasive cancer for granular homogenous, granular nodular mixed, non‐granular flat, non‐granular pseudodepressed laterally spreading tumours were 4.9%, 15.9%, 3.0% and 19.4%, respectively. Endoscopic mucosal resection was used in 58.0% and endoscopic submucosal dissection in 42.0%. Endoscopic submucosal dissection was associated with a higher rate of en‐bloc resection (87.3% vs 26.3%; p < 0.0001), and a lower risk of recurrence (7.6% vs 15.2%; p = 0.026). Adverse event rates were not statistically different (9.5% vs 6.4%, p = 0.26). Predictive endoscopic factors of submucosal invasive cancer were: invasive pit pattern (hazard ratio = 33 (8.81–143.3)), non‐granular pseudodepressed laterally spreading tumours (hazard ratio = 11.9 (0.89–146.2)), and granular nodular mixed laterally spreading tumours (hazard ratio = 3.42 (0.99–13.0)).

Conclusions

The risk of submucosal invasive cancer varies according to the laterally spreading tumour subtype. Three factors were associated with submucosal invasion and should justify an endoscopic submucosal dissection: non‐granular pseudodepressed laterally spreading tumours, granular nodular mixed laterally spreading tumours subtypes and invasive pit pattern.
Endoscopic-Assisted Zygomatic Arch Fracture Repair With a Preauricular Approach
Authors: Akdag Osman , Guray Evin Seyda , Isik Cemil , Tosun Zekeriya
Published: October 2018

Introduction:

Because of numerous negative sequelae with open techniques, endoscopic techniques are beginning to be widely used for maxillofacial fractures. Many endoscopic approaches for this area have been described according to several dissection plans and incisions. The aim of the present study was to report a new surgical incision and dissection method for zygomatic arch fracture that aims at reducing the complication rate of previously defined techniques.

Material and Methods:

The authors operated on 8 patients with a new endoscopic-assisted surgical technique. This study focused on evaluating the complication rate and surgical comfort of these patients.

Results:

Of the 8 patients, the plate was palpable in the zygomatic arch in one. No complications occurred due to this technique during the 1-year follow-up. Symmetrical facial contour and inconspicuous scars were obtained in all patients. Average operative time was 3 hours; hospitalization time was 1.6 days.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates that an endoscopic-assisted surgical approach with a preauricular mini-incision can be safely performed in isolated multifragment zygomatic arch fractures. Using individually designed plates improved our results. This technique is easy to apply, its cosmetic results are good, and its complication rate is low.
Locating Relocating World Christianity: Interdisciplinary Studies in Universal and Local Expressions of the Christian Faith
Authors: Robert Dana L.
Published: October 2018

This article reviews the book Relocating World Christianity by placing it in the context of the past twenty years of research, including reassessing the meaning of the term “World Christianity.” Critique of the book includes the author’s personal reflections on the provenance during the 1990s of “World Christianity” as an academic discourse.
Thermal transport during thin-film argon evaporation over nanostructured platinum surface: A molecular dynamics study
Authors: Hasan Mohammad Nasim , Shavik Sheikh Mohammad , Rabbi Kazi Fazle , Mukut Khaled Mosharraf , Alam Md. Muntasir
Published: October 2018

Investigation of thermal transport characteristics of thin-film liquid evaporation over nanostructured surface has been conducted using molecular dynamics simulation with particular importance on the effects of the nanostructure configuration for different wall–fluid interaction strengths. The nanostructured surface considered herein comprises wall-through rectangular nanoposts placed over a flat wall. Both the substrate and the nanostructure are of platinum while argon is used as the evaporating liquid. Two different wall–fluid interaction strengths have been considered that essentially emulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic wetting conditions for three different nanostructure configurations. The argon–platinum molecular system is first equilibrated at 90 K and then followed by a sudden increase in the wall temperature at 130 K that induces evaporation of argon laid over it. Comparative effectiveness of heat and mass transfer for different surface wetting conditions has been studied by calculating the wall heat flux and evaporative mass flux. The results obtained in this study show that heat transfer occurs more easily in cases of nanostructured surfaces than in case of flat surface. Difference in behavior of argon molecules during and after the evaporation process, that is, wall adsorption characteristics, has been found to depend on the surface wetting condition as well as on presence and configuration of nanostructure. A thermodynamic approach of energy balance shows reasonable agreement with the present molecular dynamics study.
The Schlieffen Plan Was an Orphan
Authors: Zuber Terence
Published: October 2018

Robert Foley contends that the first antecedent of the Schlieffen plan was Schlieffen’s 1899/1900 war plan, and that Schlieffen could only execute this plan when the modern ‘armoured’ fortifications at Metz were completed in 1905. Terence Zuber argues that the 1899/1900 war plan was an episode of six months’ duration, unconnected to Schlieffen’s later planning, and that in the 1906 ‘Schlieffen plan’ Denkschrift, Schlieffen explicitly disavowed any connection between the Denkschrift and the new fortifications at Metz.
‘The Enemy is Behind Us’: The Morale Crisis in the Bulgarian Army during the Summer of 1918
Authors: Hall Richard C.
Published: October 2018

By the summer of 1918 a lack of food and clothing had seriously undermined the morale of the Bulgarian army. Worries about conditions at home and suspicions about their Central Powers allies also caused Bulgarian soldiers to question the war effort. For the Bulgarian soldiers fighting on the Macedonian front in the summer of 1918, the real enemy, whether greedy Bulgarian war profiteers, grasping Ottoman diplomats or arrogant German generals, was behind their lines, not in front of them.
Depersonalisation and Self Perception
Authors: Mellor Clive S.
Published: October 2018

This paper describes the phenomenology of depersonalisation and focuses upon the relationship between depersonalisation, self-perception and body image. In discussing this relationship, the influence of certain phenomenological philosophers will be considered. Theoretical discussion of depersonalisation will be limited to those theories that are relevant to the purpose of this paper. Comprehensive reviews of the wide range of theories held to explain depersonalisation have been provided by Sedman (1970) and Oberst (1983).
Body Shape Dissatisfaction in Schoolchildren
Authors: Salmons Paula H. , Lewis Vivien J. , Rogers Patsy , Gatherer Amanda J. H. , Booth David A.
Published: October 2018

For many decades thinness has been a desirable attribute for women in prosperous northern European and American cultures. Over the last 20 years or so the acceptable female shape has become even slimmer (Garner & Garfinkel, 1980). The increased emphasis on thinness among women is also apparent from the rising number of articles on slimming in women's magazines in recent years.
Body Image Disturbance in Bulimia Nervosa
Authors: Cooper Peter J. , Taylor Melanie J.
Published: October 2018

Bulimia nervosa is a disorder which has only recently been identified and described (Russell, 1979). It is a condition, found almost exclusively in young women, in which episodes of excessive uncontrolled eating are the central feature. Patients with bulimia nervosa usually present at normal weight because they compensate for the bulimic episodes in a variety of ways, such as by inducing vomiting, abusing purgatives and exercising extreme dietary restraint. In addition to these disturbed eating habits, patients with bulimia nervosa have attitudes to their shape and weight similar to those found in anorexia nervosa. They also present with a wide range of neurotic symptoms, particularly of a depressive nature (Russell, 1979; Fairburn & Cooper, 1984). It is generally accepted that these neurotic symptoms are usually a secondary reaction to the core eating disorder rather than of primary diagnostic significance (Fairburn et al, 1985; Cooper & Fairburn, 1986).
Monosymptomatic Hypochondriacal Psychosis
Authors: Munro Alistair
Published: October 2018

DSM-IIIR (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) has revised the Kraepelinian concept of paranoia, but has given it the name of delusional (paranoid) disorder. The description is of an encapsulated, monodelusional disorder with several subtypes as follows: Erotomanic, Grandiose, Jealous, Persecutory, Somatic, Unspecified.
Body Image Problems in Cancer Patients
Authors: Hopwood Penelope , Maguire G. Peter
Published: October 2018

“The good doctor can no longer be content without this knowledge – that his object is not only to save a life, but also to make the life he saves worth living” (Vasicka et al, 1958). This concept was being put forward 30 years ago by an American doctor, Vasicka, and his colleagues working in a gynaecological tumour clinic.
Fam46a regulates BMP-dependent pre-placodal ectoderm differentiation in Xenopus
Authors: Watanabe Tomoko , Yamamoto Takayoshi , Tsukano Kohei , Hirano Sayuki , Horikawa Ayumi , Michiue Tatsuo
Published: October 2018

The pre-placodal ectoderm (PPE) is a specialized ectodermal region which gives rise to the sensory organs and other systems. The PPE is induced from the neural plate border during neurulation, but the molecular mechanism of PPE formation is not fully understood. In this study, we examined the role of a newly identified PPE gene, Fam46a, during embryogenesis. Fam46a contains a nucleoside triphosphate transferase domain, but its function in early development was previously unclear. We show that Fam46a is expressed in the PPE in Xenopus embryos, and Fam46a knockdown induces abnormalities in the eye formation and the body color. At the neurula stage, Fam46a upregulates the expression of PPE genes and inhibits neural crest formation. We also show that Fam46a physically interacts with Smad1/Smad4 and positively regulates BMP signaling. From these results, we conclude that Fam46a is required for PPE formation via the positive regulation of BMP signaling. Our study provides a new mechanism of ectodermal patterning via cell-autonomous regulation of BMP signaling in the PPE.
Inhibition of cell fate repressors secures the differentiation of the touch receptor neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Zheng Chaogu , Jin Felix Qiaochu , Trippe Brian Loeber , Wu Ji , Chalfie Martin
Published: October 2018

Terminal differentiation generates the specialized features and functions that allow postmitotic cells to acquire their distinguishing characteristics. This process is thought to be controlled by transcription factors called “terminal selectors” that directly activate a set of downstream effector genes. In Caenorhabditis elegans the differentiation of both the mechanosensory touch receptor neurons (TRNs) and the multidendritic nociceptor FLP neurons utilize the terminal selectors UNC-86 and MEC-3. The FLP neurons fail to activate TRN genes, however, because a complex of two transcriptional repressors (EGL-44/EGL-46) prevents their expression. Here we show that the ZEB family transcriptional factor ZAG-1 promotes TRN differentiation not by activating TRN genes but by preventing the expression of EGL-44/EGL-46. Since EGL-44/EGL-46 also inhibits the production of ZAG-1, these proteins form a bistable, negative feedback loop that regulates the choice between the two neuronal fates.
Hawkmoth flight in the unsteady wakes of flowers
Authors: Matthews Megan , Sponberg Simon
Published: October 2018

Flying animals maneuver and hover through environments where wind gusts and flower wakes produce unsteady flow. Although both flight maneuvers and aerodynamic mechanisms have been studied independently, little is known about how these interact in an environment where flow is already unsteady. Moths forage from flowers by hovering in the flower's wake. We investigate hawkmoths tracking a 3D-printed robotic flower in a wind tunnel. We visualize the flow in the wake and around the wings and compare tracking performance to previous experiments in a still air flight chamber. Like in still air, moths flying in the flower wake exhibit near perfect tracking at low frequencies where natural flowers move. However, tracking in the flower wake results in a larger overshoot between 2-5 Hz. System identification of flower tracking reveals that moths also display reduced-order dynamics in wind, compared to still air. Smoke visualization of the flower wake shows that the dominant vortex shedding corresponds to the same frequency band as the increased overshoot. Despite these large effects on tracking dynamics in wind, the leading edge vortex (LEV) remains bound to the wing throughout the wingstroke and does not burst. The LEV also maintains the same qualitative structure seen in steady air. Persistence of a stable LEV during decreased flower tracking demonstrates the interplay between hovering and maneuvering.
Should I stay or should I go? The settlement-inducing protein complex guides barnacle settlement decisions
Authors: Kotsiri Manto , Protopapa Maria , Mouratidis Sofoklis , Zachariadis Michael , Vassilakos Demetrios , Kleidas Ioannis , Samiotaki Martina , Dedos Skarlatos G.
Published: October 2018

Reproduction in barnacles relies on chemical cues that guide their gregarious settlement. These cues have been pinned down to several sources of settlement pheromones, one of which is a protein termed Settlement-Inducing Protein Complex (SIPC), a large glycoprotein acting as a pheromone to induce larval settlement and as an adhesive in the surface exploration by the cyprids. Settlement assays in laboratory conditions with Amphibalanus (=Balanus) amphitrite cyprids in the presence of SIPC showed that cyprids exhibit settlement preference behaviour at lower concentrations (EC50=3.73 nM) and settlement avoidance behaviour at higher concentrations of SIPC (EC50=101 nM). By using truncated fragments of SIPC in settlement assays, we identify that domains at the N-terminal of SIPC transduce settlement preference cues that mask the settlement avoidance cues transduced by domains at its C-terminal. Removing the N-terminal 600 amino acids from SIPC resulted in truncated fragments that transduced only settlement avoidance cues to the cyprids. From the sexual reproduction point of view, this bimodal response of barnacles to SIPC suggests that barnacles will settle gregariously when conspecific cues are sparse but will not settle if conspecific cues inform of overcrowding that will increase reproductive competition and diminish their reproductive chances.
Substantial heat-tolerance acclimation capacity in tropical thermophilic snails, but to what benefit?
Authors: Marshall David J. , Brahim Amalina , Mustapha Nurshahida , Dong Yunwei , Sinclair Brent J.
Published: October 2018

The theory for thermal acclimation of ectotherms suggests that (1) heat tolerance is traded-off for thermal acclimation in thermophilic species and that (2) plasticity is constrained in tropically-distributed ectotherms, which commonly experience relatively thermally-stable environments. We observed substantial heat tolerance plasticity in a test of this theory using tropical, thermophilic marine intertidal snails that inhabit extremely hot and highly-variable thermal environments. The implication of these results is that plasticity selection is largely driven by habitat temperature conditions irrespective of basal heat tolerance or latitude. However, heat tolerance of field-fresh snails was comparable with that of laboratory warm-acclimated snails, suggesting that snails in the field may often be unable to improve heat-hardening with further environmental warming. These findings suggest that field-referencing is crucial to using laboratory-measured acclimation capacity when inferring climate warming vulnerability in ectotherms, and overall they question how well current thermal biology theory predicts the outcomes of global change in intertidal environments.
A solution to nature's haemoglobin knockout: a plasma-accessible carbonic anhydrase catalyses CO2 excretion in Antarctic icefish gills
Authors: Harter T. S. , Sackville M. , Wilson J. M. , Metzger D. C. H. , Egginton S. , Esbaugh A. J. , Farrell A. P. , Brauner C. J.
Published: October 2018

In all vertebrates studied to date, CO2 excretion depends on the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) that catalyses the rapid conversion of HCO3− to CO2 at the gas-exchange organs. The largest pool of CA is present within red blood cells (RBC) and, in some vertebrates, plasma-accessible CA (paCA) isoforms participate in CO2 excretion. However, teleost fishes typically do not have paCA at the gills and CO2 excretion is reliant entirely on RBC CA; a strategy that is not possible in icefishes. As the result of a natural knockout, Antarctic icefishes (Channichthyidae) are the only known vertebrates that do not express haemoglobin (Hb) as adults, and largely lack RBC in the circulation (haematocrit<1%). Previous work has indicated the presence of high levels of membrane-bound CA activity in the gills of icefishes, but without determining its cellular orientation. Thus, we hypothesised that icefishes express a membrane-bound CA isoform at the gill that is accessible to the blood plasma. The CA distribution was compared in the gills of two closely-related notothenioid species, one with Hb and RBCs (Notothenia rossii) and one without (Champsocephalus gunnari). Molecular, biochemical and immunohistochemical markers indicate high levels of a Ca4 isoform in the gills of the icefish (but not the red-blooded N. rossii), in a plasma-accessible location that is consistent with a role in CO2 excretion. Thus, in the absence of RBC CA, the icefish gill could exclusively provide the catalytic activity necessary for CO2 excretion; a pathway that is unlike that of any other vertebrate.
A selective non-operative approach to thoracic stab wounds is safe and cost effective – a South African experience
Authors: Dayananda KSS , Kong VY , Bruce JL , Oosthuizen GV , Laing GL , Brysiewicz P , Clarke DL
Published: October 2018

Introduction

Penetrating thoracic trauma is common and costly. Injuries are frequently and selectively amenable to non-operative management. Our selective approach to penetrating thoracic trauma is reviewed and the effectiveness of our clinical algorithms confirmed. Additionally, a basic cost analysis was undertaken to evaluate the financial impact of a selective nonoperative management approach to penetrating thoracic trauma.

Materials and methods

The Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Trauma Services electronic regional trauma registry hybrid electronic medical records were reviewed, highlighted all penetrating thoracic traumas. A micro-cost analysis estimated expenses for active observation, tube thoracostomy for isolated pneumothorax greater than 2 cm and tube thoracostomy for haemothorax. Routine thoracic computed tomography does not form part of these algorithms.

Results

Isolated thoracic stab wounds occurred in 589 patients. Eighty per cent (472 cases) were successfully managed nonoperatively. Micro-costing shows that active observation costs 4,370 ZAR (£270), tube thoracostomy for isolated pneumothorax costs 6,630 ZAR (£400) and tube thoracostomy for haemothorax costs 21,850 ZAR (£1,310).

Discussion

Penetrating thoracic trauma places a striking financial burden on our limited resources. Diligent and serial clinical assessments, alongside basic radiology and stringent management criteria, can accurately stratify patients to correct clinical algorithms.

Conclusion

Selective nonoperative management for penetrating thoracic trauma is safe and effective. Routine thoracic computed tomography is unnecessary in all patients with isolated thoracic stab wounds, which can be reserved for a select group who are identifiable clinically. Routine thoracic computed tomography would not be financially prudent across Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Trauma Services. Government action is required to reduce the overall incidence of such trauma to save resources and patients.
Informed consent: the view from the trenches
Authors: Ricketts D , Roper T , Rogers B , Phadnis J , Elsayed S , Sokol D
Published: October 2018

We review some of the recent literature on consent for surgical procedures and suggest a scheme for obtaining surgical consent.
A rare case of aortocaval fistula caused by type I endoleak after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm
Authors: Cheng W , Yuan Y
Published: October 2018

In this rare case, an aortocaval fistula caused by a type I endoleak following endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a 75-year-old man was treated successfully with repeat endovascular aortic stent implantation. Postoperatively, the patient’s symptoms were significantly improved, and angiography at nine months showed no endoleak in the aneurysm and no occlusion in the compressed inferior vena cava. Endovascular interventional surgery may be a safe and effective approach to treating AAA with concomitant aortocaval fistula. The use of covered stents to isolate the fistula from the venous side may not be necessary in the first stage of surgery.
Are on-the-day group and save samples required for elective shoulder, hip and knee arthroplasties?
Authors: Hainsworth L , Tracy J , Spolton-Dean C , Donaldson O
Published: October 2018

Introduction

Historically, patients undergoing an elective hip, knee or shoulder arthroplasty regularly required blood transfusions. Improved surgical techniques and perioperative optimisation have significantly decreased the requirement for blood transfusions. Currently, our patients have two group and save samples taken: one six weeks preoperatively and one on admission. This study aims to determine whether a second group and save is required prior to primary elective hip, knee or shoulder arthroplasty.

Methods

All cases of elective arthroplasty from a single centre were retrospectively analysed over a 16-month period. Each case was reviewed to determine those who had a group and save at preassessment, group and save at the time of the operation and the timing and number of blood products transfused.

Results

A total of 711 elective arthroplasty procedures were completed with 48 patients requiring a transfusion during their admission. 9.9% of hip arthroplasty patients, 3.8% of knee arthroplasty patients and 4.9% of shoulder arthroplasty patients required a transfusion. The majority of the transfusions occurred at least 24 hours postoperatively with 0.84% of patients requiring an intraoperative transfusion.

Discussion

The vast majority of transfusions were delivered more than 24 hours following the procedure, demonstrating that routinely cross-matched blood products are superfluous to requirements. It is our suggestion that a formal group and save be completed only if the need for a blood transfusion is formally established, leading to a significant cost saving, a reduction in clinical work load and patients having to undergo fewer procedures.
Combined ultrasound and Sestamibi scintigraphy provides accurate preoperative localisation for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Scattergood S , Marsden M , Kyrimi E , Ishii H , Doddi S , Sinha P
Published: October 2018

Introduction

Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy has advantages over the traditional bilateral neck exploration for the surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. It requires accurate localisation of the parathyroid pathology prior to surgery. The best method of preoperative localisation in a district general hospital setting is not well understood.

Methods

All patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism from 2008 to 2016 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Operative findings were correlated with radiological and histological results. Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound, sestamibi scintigraphy and the two together were calculated for diagnostic precision and compared.

Results

One hundred and eighty-four patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 81.5% had a histological diagnosis of a parathyroid adenoma. Ultrasound had higher sensitivity than sestamibi scintigraphy. Used together, ultrasound and sestamibi scintigraphy performed better than either ultrasound or sestamibi scintigraphy alone (P< 0.001). Twenty-two of 184 cases had no lesion located by either ultrasound or sestamibi scintigraphy preoperatively. Where neither ultrasound nor sestamibi scintigraphy located the lesion, additional computed tomography led to the excision of parathyroid pathology in one in ten patients.

Conclusion

The combination of ultrasound and sestamibi scintigraphy provides the highest sensitivity of preoperative localisation. This approach led to a high success rate of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. Where preoperative localisation is not achieved with ultrasound or sestamibi scintigraphy, computed tomography adds little additional benefit. In this setting other modalities of localisation such a selective venous sampling, intraoperative methylene blue or intraoperative parathyroid hormone levels could be considered.
Percutaneous caecostomy for the management of closed loop large bowel obstruction: A delayed complication of severe gallstone pancreatitis
Authors: Aldoori J , Cast J , Hunter IA
Published: October 2018

Colonic complications following pancreatitis are unusual events ranging from 1% to 15%. In a patient with a hostile abdomen and multiple previous laparotomies, surgical management of a closed-loop large-bowel obstruction risks significant morbidity and mortality for the patient, necessitating other strategies for management. Caecostomy in the management of large bowel obstruction is an often forgotten weapon in the general surgeons’ armoury.
Factors affecting windstorm damage at the stand level in hemiboreal forests in Latvia: case study of 2005 winter storm
Authors: Donis Janis , Kitenberga Mara , Snepsts Guntars , Dubrovskis Edgars , Jansons Aris
Published: October 2018

In managed European hemiboreal forests, windstorms have a notable ecological and socio-economic impact. In this study, stand properties affecting windstorm damage occurrence at the stand-level were assessed using a Generalized Linear Mixed model. After 2005 windstorm, 5959 stands dominated by birch ( spp.), Scots pine ( L.) and Norway spruce ( (L.) Karst.), with mean height >â10 m were inventoried. Windstorm damage was positively associated with spruce and pine-dominated stands, increasing mean height, fresh forest edges, decreasing time since the last thinning and stronger wind gusts. Tree species composition â mixed or monodominant â was not statistically significant in the model; while, the admixture of spruce in the canopy layer was positively associated with higher windstorm damage. Stands on peat soils were more damaged than stands on mineral soils. Birch stands were more damaged than pine stands. This information could be used in forest management planning, selection of silvicultural treatments to increase forest resilience to natural disturbances.BetulaPinus sylvestrisPicea abies
Quasilinear elliptic systems in divergence form associated to general nonlinearities
Authors: D’Ambrosio Lorenzo , Mitidieri Enzo
Published: October 2018

The paper is concerned with a priori estimates of positive solutions of quasilinear elliptic systems of equations or inequalities in an open set of

Ω
⊂

ℝ
N

{\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^{N}}

associated to general continuous nonlinearities satisfying a local assumption near zero. As a consequence, in the case

Ω
=

ℝ
N

{\Omega=\mathbb{R}^{N}}

, we obtain nonexistence theorems of positive solutions. No hypotheses on the solutions at infinity are assumed.
Design of Impeller Blades for Intensification of Gas-Liquid Dispersion Process in a Stirred Tank
Authors: Gu Deyin , Liu Zuohua , Tao Changyuan , Li Jun , Wang Yundong
Published: October 2018

Gas-liquid dispersion characteristics were experimentally investigated by measuring largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE), relative power demand (RPD), and local gas holdup in a stirred tank with rigid impellers, rigid-flexible impellers, and punched rigid-flexible impellers. Results showed that punched rigid-flexible impeller could enhance the value of LLE, namely, the chaotic mixing degree of gas-liquid system compared with rigid impeller and rigid-flexible impeller. RPD for punched rigid-flexible impeller was higher than that for rigid impeller and rigid-flexible impeller. The local gas holdup of punched rigid-flexible impeller system was higher than those of rigid impeller system and rigid-flexible impeller system at the same Pg,m. In addition, a long flexible connection piece length could improve the chaotic mixing degree, RPD, and local gas holdup. The aperture diameter of 8 mm and free area ratio of 12 % of punched rigid-flexible impeller were particularly suitable for the gas-liquid dispersion process in this work.
Examination of Physical Fitness Parameters Between Professional and Amateur Greek Soccer Players During the Transition Period
Authors: Bekris Evangelos , Pidoulas Georgios , Pidoulas Pantelis , Gissis Ioannis , Katis Athanasios , Komsis Stergios
Published: October 2018

Bekris, E, Pidoulas, G, Pidoulas, P, Gissis, I, Katis, A, and Komsis, S. Examination of physical fitness parameters between professional and amateur Greek soccer players during the transition period. J Strength Cond Res 35(3): 776–781, 2021—The aim of the study was to compare physical fitness parameters between professional and amateur soccer players of different levels. The sample consisted of 381 soccer players divided in 4 experimental groups: first division professional players (n = 115), second division professional players (n = 70), third division semiprofessional players (n = 93), and amateur soccer players (n = 103). Players were tested for several physiological parameters at the end of the transition period. Analysis of variance showed significantly lower body fat and increased maximum oxygen consumption (V̇o
2max) and velocity of maximum oxygen consumption (vV̇o
2max) values for first division professional players compared with the other experimental groups (p < 0.05). Similarly, first division professional players showed higher performance during squat jump and countermovement jump test compared with the other experimental groups (p < 0.05). Significant differences on flexibility test were observed between amateur players and the other group (p < 0.05). The results of the study indicated that Greek soccer players at the highest level overcome in almost all the underexamination physiological parameters probably because of less absence from training and better implementation of training programs during the transition period.
Experimental Study of Crack Propagation Law of Shale Containing Prefabricated Fractures
Authors: He Shunyou
Published: October 2018

Two collinear fractures were prefabricated on plate shale using a high-pressure water jet technique. These prefabricated fractures were then filled with cement. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted to study the crack propagation characteristics of rock specimens containing closed collinear fractures, and the crack propagation process was recorded using a high-definition camera. The results show the following: (1) Two types of crack were observed in the mechanically damaged specimen: tensile cracks represented by wing cracks and antiwing cracks and compression-shear cracks represented by secondary coplanar cracks and compression cracks. (2) Different branch cracks that emerge at different times. (3) If the space between fractures is shorter than the fracture length, crack band can be formed through crack coalescence in the mode of shearing coalescence, tensile-shear-tensile coalescence, and shear-tensile-shear coalescence; otherwise, it will not occur; if equal, crack coalescence will occur in partial rock specimens. (4) The initial crack angle of wing cracks ranges from 46° to 86°, averaging at 66.26°. (5) The deterioration degree of compressive strength of prefabricated fracture–containing shale is larger than its elasticity modulus. (6) From the perspective of fracture mechanics, the crack initiation sequence, the extending angles of wing crack and antiwing crack, and the advantageous crack angle of collinear crack model were analyzed.
Vitamin D and critical illness: what endocrinology can learn from intensive care and vice versa
Authors: Amrein K , Papinutti A , Mathew E , Vila G , Parekh D
Published: October 2018

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in intensive care units ranges typically between 40 and 70%. There are many reasons for being or becoming deficient in the ICU. Hepatic, parathyroid and renal dysfunction additionally increases the risk for developing vitamin D deficiency. Moreover, therapeutic interventions like fluid resuscitation, dialysis, surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, cardiopulmonary bypass and plasma exchange may significantly reduce vitamin D levels. Many observational studies have consistently shown an association between low vitamin D levels and poor clinical outcomes in critically ill adults and children, including excess mortality and morbidity such as acute kidney injury, acute respiratory failure, duration of mechanical ventilation and sepsis. It is biologically plausible that vitamin D deficiency is an important and modifiable contributor to poor prognosis during and after critical illness. Although vitamin D supplementation is inexpensive, simple and has an excellent safety profile, testing for and treating vitamin D deficiency is currently not routinely performed. Overall, less than 800 patients have been included in RCTs worldwide, but the available data suggest that high-dose vitamin D supplementation could be beneficial. Two large RCTs in Europe and the United States, together aiming to recruit >5000 patients, have started in 2017, and will greatly improve our knowledge in this field. This review aims to summarize current knowledge in this interdisciplinary topic and give an outlook on its highly dynamic future.
Assessing the prognostic value of PAX2 and PTEN in endometrial carcinogenesis
Authors: Rewcastle Emma , Varhaugvik Anne Elin , Gudlaugsson Einar , Steinbakk Anita , Skaland Ivar , van Diermen Bianca , Baak Jan P , Janssen Emiel A M
Published: October 2018

In order to avoid the consequences of over- and under-treatment of endometrial hyperplasia, diagnostic accuracy and progression risk assessment must be improved. The aim of this study was to assess whether PAX2 or PTEN expression could predict progression-free survival in endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) and endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (EEC). Immunohistochemistry for detection of PAX2 and PTEN was performed on 348 endometrial samples; 75 proliferative endometrium (PE), 36 EIN and 237 EEC. Cases classified as PTEN null (1 or more glands negatively stained) were more prevalent in EEC than in PE and EIN (64% EEC vs 11% PE/EIN). A progressive decrease in PAX2 expression was observed from PE to EIN to EEC. Long-term clinical follow-up (6–310 months, median: 126) was available for 62 PE cases, all 36 EIN cases and 178 EEC cases. No patients with PE demonstrated progression to EIN or EEC. Progression of disease was observed in 10 (28%) EIN patients. These patients had significantly lower PAX2 expression than those that regressed (P = 0.005). Progression-free survival analysis revealed that EIN patients with a high-risk PAX2 expression score (H-score ≤75) had a higher probability of progression of disease in comparison to those with a low-risk score (H-score >75). PAX2 expression was not prognostic in EEC nor was PTEN status of prognostic value in either EIN or EEC. PAX2 expression analysis by means of H-score has prognostic potential for the identification of high-risk progression cases in EIN but needs to be validated in a larger cohort.
Desarrollo institucional de la Administración General de Aduanas en México
Authors: Vargas-Hernandez, Ph.D. José G. , Álvarez Acosta Sergio Efraín
Published: October 2018

“La Administración General de Aduanas en México ha pasado por un proceso de modernización institucional en su estructura organizacional. En el presente trabajo se busca, mediante el análisis documental, abordar diferentes definiciones de la Aduana y discutir sobre la pertinencia de estudiarla desde el institucionalismo, argumentando la correlación existente entre las instituciones y el desarrollo económico de las naciones. Posteriormente se vincula el institucionalismo con la gobernanza y se realiza un análisis comparativo entre lo teorizado por Bandeira, Caballero, Dixit, North, y otros, con algunos rasgos institucionales de la Administración General de Aduanas. Finalmente, se analizan los principales obstáculos para que la transformación institucional que ha sufrido la Aduana en México alcance el óptimo institucionalismo generador de desarrollo centrándose en la corrupción desde los puntos de vista teorizados por Lambsdorff y Ramírez y López. Se concluye urgiendo a transformar el sistema político aduanero en vista de generar políticas a largo plazo, de mayor rigor técnico y enfocado al combate a la corrupción.
Exergetic Analysis of the Biodiesel Production Process in a Biofuel Plant
Authors: Marina M. Silva  , Antonella L. Costa  , Emílio G. D. Neto
Published: October 2018

This paper deals with the exergy analysis of the biodiesel production process from the binary mixture of soybean oil and beef tallow. The biodiesel is produced by transesterification of the methyl group and through basic catalysis. Thus, it was investigated the biofuel production process of a specific plant in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, characterizing the parameters of the main equipment and analyzing the raw material and by-products of the process and quantifying the mass and energy. The exergy analysis methodology followed the mass balance of each step, calculating irreversibility and exergetic balance and efficiency of the plant. The calculation of chemical exergy of the compounds of biomass from soybean oil and beef tallow, biodiesel, glycerol and free fatty acids was accomplished by raising the calorific value of the compounds by their chemical composition and mass percentage. Moreover, they were also calculated the specific irreversibility of methanol and process inputs, the irreversibility concerning electricity, mechanical work and steam. It was found that the useful exergy was 63.4%, however, considering that the glycerin can be sold as a final product and that some raw materials can be reused, the useful exergy of the system could be equal to 94.2%. The exergy efficiency of the plant is 71.7%, due to the irreversibility of the system. The exergy destroyed was 5.8% and could be minimized by changing variables such as temperature, reaction time and type of catalyst.
A lógica da essência
Authors: Wohlfart João Alberto
Published: October 2018

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Paul Ricoeur e um novo conceito de interpretação: da hermenêutica dos símbolos à hermenêutica do discurso
Authors: Tavares Manuel
Published: October 2018

Este texto é uma reflexão sobre a riqueza da problemática hermenêutica como estruturante do pensamento de Ricoeur, seguindo o próprio percurso do autor e esclarecendo a transição de uma hermenêutica dos símbolos para uma hermenêutica do discurso, não esquecendo que o projeto do filósofo e os horizontes do seu pensamento são a construção de uma nova antropologia e de uma ontologia da compreensão do ser humano aplicáveis à problemática educacional. Esclareceremos o que se entende por hermenêutica da via longa que passa, necessariamente, por opções metodológicas, em oposição à via curta ou imediata defendida por Husserl e Heidegger; das nossas reflexões emerge a questão do mal por intermédio de uma abordagem da hermenêutica dos símbolos e dos mitos. Finalmente, a hermenêutica do discurso como produção de sentidos ocupará a última parte deste texto. O mundo humano é constituído por todas as referências abertas pelos textos, sejam poéticos, míticos ou de outra índole. A ontologia proposta por Ricoeur, ontologia quebrada, ganha maior densidade por intermédio do percurso transitório entre a hermenêutica simbólica e a hermenêutica do discurso restauradora do sentido.
« Madame de Beauvoir, c’est moi » Une archéologie féministe de la pensée française contemporaine (Sartre, Lévi-Strauss, Bourdieu)
Authors: Cormann Grégory
Published: October 2018

Sartre, Lévi-Strauss et Bourdieu ont fortement structuré l’espace intellectuel (et institutionnel) des sciences humaines en France des années 1950 au milieu des années 1980. Malgré l’importance politique mais aussi philosophique du Deuxième sexe, malgré ses engagements et sa célébrité planétaire associée à celle de Sartre, la philosophie de Simone de Beauvoir reste, en revanche, le plus souvent cantonnée à un rôle interstitiel. Elle aurait posé les bases de sa pensée dans les marges de l’existentialisme et du structuralisme (on sait que Beauvoir avait Les Structures élémentaires de la parenté dès 1947). Notre hypothèse prend le parti de renverser ce cadre herméneutique : on soutiendra ici que l’interprétation que Beauvoir fait du structuralisme de Lévi-Strauss dans Les Temps Modernes en 1949 est déterminante pour comprendre les relations entre la phénoménologie existentialiste et l’anthropologie structurale. Loin d’être secondaire, la question du féminin et de sa puissance de composition et de création apparaît dès lors rectrice des contributions de Sartre et de Lévi-Strauss à une théorie critique de la société, mais aussi celle de Bourdieu, dont toute l’oeuvre jusqu’à La Misère du monde hérite en sous-main du legs de Beauvoir à la pensée française contemporaine. Résumé par Sartre dans un passage de Questions de méthode consacré à Flaubert par la question « À quelle condition une féminisation de l’expérience est-elle possible ? », l’enjeu du présent article est par conséquent de jeter les bases d’une archéologie féministe de la pensée française contemporaine.