bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Harmonization initiatives in the generation, reporting and application of biological variation data
Authors: Aarsand Aasne K. , Røraas Thomas , Bartlett William A. , Coşkun Abdurrahman , Carobene Anna , Fernandez-Calle Pilar , Jonker Niels , Díaz-Garzón Jorge , Braga Federica , Sandberg Sverre
Published: March 2018

Biological variation (BV) data have many applications in laboratory medicine. However, concern has been raised that some BV estimates in use today may be irrelevant or of unacceptable quality. A number of initiatives have been launched by the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) and other parties to deliver a more harmonized practice in the generation, reporting and application of BV data. Resulting from a necessary focus upon the veracity of historical BV studies, critical appraisal and meta-analysis of published BV studies is possible through application of the Biological Variation Data Critical Appraisal Checklist (BIVAC), published in 2017. The BIVAC compliant large-scale European Biological Variation Study delivers updated high-quality BV data for a wide range of measurands. Other significant developments include the publication of a Medical Subject Heading term for BV and recommendations for common terminology for reporting of BV data. In the near future, global BV estimates derived from meta-analysis of BIVAC appraised publications will be accessible in a Biological Variation Database at the EFLM website. The availability of these high-quality data, which have many applications that impact on the quality and interpretation of clinical laboratory results, will afford improved patient care.
The Results of the Development of Balneal Care Provision and the State of the Czech Spa Industry in Connection with the Changes in Legislation
Authors: Vavrečková Eva , Stuchlíková Jana , Dluhošová Radmila
Published: March 2018

The paper focuses on the development of balneal care provision and its current state in the Czech spa industry in connection with the changes in legislation. In particular, the period of 2000–2015 is specified, including the survey of positive and negative changes resulting from the changes in legal norms regulating the balneal care provision. Special attention is paid to two turning points in the balneal care provision: the turn of 2012 and 2013 and the turn of 2014 and 2015, which were significantly affected by the changing legislation.
Maximum asymmetry of copulas revisited
Authors: Kamnitui Noppadon , Fernández-Sánchez Juan , Trutschnig Wolfgang
Published: March 2018

Motivated by the nice characterization of copulas A for which d∞(A, At) is maximal as established independently by Nelsen [11] and Klement & Mesiar [7], we study maximum asymmetry with respect to the conditioning-based metric D1 going back to Trutschnig [12]. Despite the fact that D1(A, At) is generally not straightforward to calculate, it is possible to provide both, a characterization and a handy representation of all copulas A maximizing D1(A, At). This representation is then used to prove the existence of copulas with full support maximizing D1(A, At). A comparison of D1- and d∞-asymmetry including some surprising examples rounds off the paper.
Towards a constructional approach to discourse-level phenomena: The case of the Spanish interpersonal epistemic stance construction
Authors: Enghels Renata
Published: March 2018

This study contributes to a better understanding of how constructional models can be applied to discourse-level phenomena, and constitute a valuable supplement to previous grammaticalization accounts of pragmatic markers. The case study that is presented concerns the recent development of the interpersonal epistemic stance construction in Spanish. The central argument is that the expanding use ofsabesas a pragmatic marker can best be fully understood by taking into account the composite network of related expressions which Spanish speakers have at their disposal when performing a particular speech act. The diachronic analysis is documented with spoken corpus examples collected in recent decades, and is mainly informed by frequency data measuring the productivity, as well as formal properties of the construction and its instantiations.
The “adipose tissue expandability” hypothesis: a potential mechanism for insulin resistance in obese youth
Authors: Caprio Sonia , Pierpont Bridget , Kursawe Romy
Published: March 2018

Obesity has become a major global health challenge of the 21st century, as it is associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular complications, even at a very early age in life. The root causes of pediatric obesity remain incompletely understood. The obesity epidemic together with the relationship of obesity to the growing population burden of chronic disease presents unprecedented research opportunities and challenges. Decades of obesity-related research funded by governments around the world have yielded many important discoveries about both etiological pathways and preventive or therapeutic interventions. Yet, there is a sense that the problem is outpacing these research efforts. Obesity poses a significant risk for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) , diabetes and certain cancers thereby shortening life expectancy. Nevertheless, many obese individuals do not develop any of these comorbidities. One hypothesis explaining this dilemma is that total body fat is not the culprit of adverse health in obesity rather the relative proportion of lipids in various fat depots is what determines the metabolic risk. In this review, we describe the role of altered fat partitioning in youth onset obesity and its relation to fatty liver and T2D during adolescence.
Ambient Vibration-Based System Identification of a Medieval Masonry Bastion for Health Assessment using Nonlinear Analyses
Authors: Altunişik Ahmet Can , Genç Ali Fuat , Günaydin Murat , Adanur Süleyman , Yesevi Okur Fatih
Published: March 2018

Earthquakes have underlined the need for health monitoring and safety assessment of engineering structures in general and especially historical heritage. These structures can be exposed to many different loads such as earthquake and wind that may cause the deterioration and loss of structural integrity. In this study, ambient vibration-based system identification of Zağanos Bastion is carried out for health assessment using linear and nonlinear analyses. 3D finite element analyses of the bastion are performed using relievo drawings and analytical dynamic characteristics are obtained. Ambient vibration tests are conducted on the bastion and experimental dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratios are determined. Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition Method in the frequency domain and Stochastic Subspace Identification Method in the time domain are used to extract the experimental dynamic characteristics. Maximum differences are minimized using some uncertain parameters to obtain the updated finite element model. Linear and nonlinear time history analyses are carried out using 1999 Kocaeli earthquake ground motion record to display the maximum displacements, stresses and local damage regions with detail. This study suggests that minor damage at the connection points and exterior surface will sustain under destructive earthquakes.
Specifications of Standards in Systems and Synthetic Biology: Status and Developments in 2017
Authors: Schreiber Falk , Bader Gary D. , Gleeson Padraig , Golebiewski Martin , Hucka Michael , Keating Sarah M. , Novère Nicolas Le , Myers Chris , Nickerson David , Sommer Björn , Waltemath Dagmar
Published: March 2018

Standards are essential to the advancement of Systems and Synthetic Biology. COMBINE provides a formal body and a centralised platform to help develop and disseminate relevant standards and related resources. The regular special issue of the Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics aims to support the exchange, distribution and archiving of these standards by providing unified, easily citable access. This paper provides an overview of existing COMBINE standards and presents developments of the last year.
A Thermodynamical Theory with Internal Variables Describing Thermal Effects in Viscous Fluids
Authors: Ciancio Vincenzo , Palumbo Annunziata
Published: March 2018

In this paper the heat conduction in viscous fluids is described by using the theory of classical irreversible thermodynamics with internal variables. In this theory, the deviation from the local equilibrium is characterized by vectorial internal variables and a generalized entropy current density expressed in terms of so-called current multipliers. Cross effects between heat conduction and viscosity are also considered and some phenomenological generalizations of Fourier’s and Newton’s laws are obtained.
Technological Triggers to Tort Revolutions: Steam Locomotives, Autonomous Vehicles, and Accident Compensation
Authors: Gifford Donald G.
Published: March 2018

Waves of technological change explain the most important transformations of American tort law. In this Article, I begin by examining historical instances of this linkage. Following the Industrial Revolution, for example, machines, no longer humans and animals, powered production. With greater force, locomotives and other machines inflicted far more severe injuries. These dramatic technological changes prompted the replacement of the preexisting strict liability tort standard with the negligence regime. Similarly, later technological changes caused the enactment of workers’ compensation statutes, the implementation of automobile no-fault systems in some states and routinized automobile settlement practices in others that resemble a no-fault system, and the adoption of “strict” products liability. From this history, I derive a model explaining how technological innovation alters (1) the frequency of personal injuries, (2) the severity of such injuries, (3) the difficulty of proving claims, and (4) the new technology’s social utility. These four factors together determine the choice among three liability standards: strict liability, negligence, and no-fault liability with limited damages. I then apply this model to the looming technological revolution in which autonomous vehicles, robots, and other Artificial Intelligence machines will replace human decision-making as well as human force. I conclude that the liability system governing autonomous vehicles is likely to be one similar to the workers’ compensation system in which the victim is relieved of the requirement of proving which party acted tortiously and caused the accident.
A Multimodal Analysis of Affect and Attitude Education in China’s English Textbooks
Authors: Teo Peter , Zhu Jianbin
Published: March 2018

In many countries around the world, the focus of education has seen a distinct shift from knowledge and skills equipping to the cultivation of values, attitudes and even affect. This study focuses on the verbal and visual representations of affect and attitude in a set of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks published in China. By analyzing the verbal and visual attitudinal meanings through the analytic lenses of appraisal theory and visual grammar respectively, the paper shows how verbal and visual resources with positive appraisal meanings are employed to foster positive affect and attitudes toward English language learning, China, and foreign cultures in the textbooks. While these verbal and visual resources echo generally concordant attitudinal meanings, some significant dissonances were also detected. For instance, tensions seem to exist between strengthening local loyalties to China while promoting a global outlook, raising standards of English language among Chinese students by appealing to Anglo-centric models of proficiency, and raising awareness of foreign cultures by invoking familiar local customs and practices. These findings hold important implications for language educators, curriculum designers and educational researchers working in the field of multimodality.
Conversion of glucose into lactic acid using silica-supported zinc oxide as solid acid catalyst
Authors: Lau Kam Sheng , Chia Chin Hua , Chin Siew Xian , Chook Soon Wei , Zakaria Sarani , Juan Joon Ching
Published: March 2018

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been proven to be highly effective in converting biomass into fine chemicals. It possesses several limitations, such as leaching in hydrothermal reactions and difficulty with regard to its recovery. Supporting ZnO on silica improves its recovery, stability and recyclability. In this study, we produced silica-supported ZnO by incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) method for the conversion of glucose into lactic acid. The presence of the ZnO provided active sites for isomerization to occur. The highest yield of lactic acid was 39.2% at 180 °C for 60 min. Prolonged reaction time and higher reaction temperature promoted further degradation of lactic acid into acetic acid. The yield of lactic acid decreased after the first cycle and decreased slightly for the nine consecutive cycles.
Evaluation of Workability and Mechanical Properties of Nonfoaming Warm Mix Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Shiva Kumar G. , Suresha S. N.
Published: March 2018

Laboratory evaluation of mix design and mechanical properties of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) mixtures is necessary during the design process; consequently, the ability to quantify the compactability of WMA mixtures would be very helpful. This article presents the findings of an experimental study aimed at evaluation of the influence of mixing and compaction temperature on mix design and mechanical and workability properties of nonfoaming WMA mixtures. Asphalt mix design properties were evaluated by the Marshall method and the Superpave method. Mechanical properties such as rutting resistance were evaluated by a laboratory wheel tracking test using a Wheel Rut Tester (WRT), and the resistance to moisture-induced damage was evaluated by the Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR) approach. Workability properties were evaluated in terms of Superpave Gyratory Compactor (SGC) densification indexes using the Bahia and locking point methods. Test results indicate that WMA mixtures compacted using SGC at a lower compaction temperature of 110°C, which satisfied the Voids in Total Mixture (VTM) requirement. In order to ensure the Voids in Mineral aggregate (VMA) and Voids Filled with Asphalt (VFA) requirements of WMA mixtures, compaction temperature should be restricted to 120°C. Furthermore, WMA mixtures prepared at lower compaction temperatures exhibited higher resistance to rut deformation because of higher Traffic Densification Index (TDI) values. The energy needed to compact the WMA mixtures at lower compaction temperatures was lower due to lower Compaction Densification Index (CDI) values. WMA mixtures made with surface-saturated dry aggregates and compacted at 110°C marginally fulfilled the minimum TSR requirement because of significant reduction in the Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) values of conditioned specimen.
Sampling Concrete from a Revolving Drum Truck Mixer
Authors: Schemmel John J. , Kolba Tiffany N. , Salguero Michael P. , West Matthew
Published: March 2018

Acceptance testing of ready-mixed concrete occurs after the product has been delivered to the consumer in the field. The testing process commences with the collection of a relatively small but representative sample of the fresh concrete. ASTM C172/C172M, Standard Practice for Sampling Freshly Mixed Concrete, states that two or more portions of material should be collected at regularly spaced intervals during discharge of the middle portion of the batch. There is concern within the industry that field technicians are opting to obtain only one portion of concrete from the material initially discharged from a truck. A study undertaken at Valparaiso University investigated the first issue of collecting only one portion of concrete. The primary objective of this research was to determine if the measured properties for a single portion sample taken from the middle of a batch differ statistically from that for a two-portion sample also taken from the middle of the batch. Concrete was sampled 46 times across 11 different construction sites with fresh properties and 28-day compressive strength measured in each case. Construction projects were selected to provide a range of concrete mixture specifications, site conditions, and target property values. Findings indicate that it is not necessary to collect a sample of two or more portions from a revolving drum truck mixer. Rather, a single portion sample of concrete is sufficient for acceptance testing purposes.
The functional properties of the light-sensitive neurons of the posterior parietal cortex studied in waking monkeys: foveal sparing and opponent vector organization
Authors: Motter BC , Mountcastle VB
Published: March 2018

We describe in this paper the results of a new study of the inferior parietal lobule in 10 waking monkeys combining the methods of behavioral control, visual stimulation, and single neuron analysis. In this study, 1682 neurons were identified; 804 were studied in detail. Neurons insensitive to visual stimuli comprise the fixation, oculomotor, and projection-manipulation classes thought to be involved in initiatives toward action. The largest group of the light-sensitive (LS) neurons were activated from large and frequently bilateral response areas that excluded the foveal region; we term this foveal sparing. The remaining cells subtended areas including the fovea, when tested with large stimuli (6 degrees X 6 degrees), but only 8 of 216 cells studied in detail responded to the small fixation target light. We propose that a dynamic central neural process associated with the acts of fixation and visual attention suppresses responses to foveal stimuli. Parietal LS neurons are sensitive to stimulus movement and direction over a wide range of velocities. The vectors point either inward toward the center or outward toward the perimeter of the visual field, and for neurons with bilateral response areas, the vectors commonly point in opposite directions in the two half-fields; we term this opponent vector organization. The functional properties of area 7 LS neurons are such that they could signal motion in the immediate surround and the apparent motion accompanying head movements and forward locomotion. We surmise that they contribute to a central neural image of immediately surrounding space and to the perceptual constancy of that space obtaining during bodily movement. These properties are suitable for the attraction of gaze and attention to objects and events in the peripheral visual fields. It is this system, together with the classes of parietal neurons concerned with action initiatives, whose destruction is thought to account for the hemi-inattention and neglect of the parietal lobe syndrome in primates.
Neuronal and behavioral sensitivity to binaural time differences in the owl
Authors: Moiseff A , Konishi M
Published: March 2018

We demonstrated that ongoing time disparity (OTD) was a sufficient cue for the azimuthal component of receptive fields of auditory neurons in the owl (Tyto alba) midbrain and that OTDs were sufficient to mediate meaningful behavioral responses. We devised a technique which enabled us to change easily between free field and dichotic stimuli while recording from single auditory neurons in the owl mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis (MLD). MLD neurons with restricted spatial receptive fields (“space-mapped neurons”) showed marked sensitivity to specific ongoing time disparities. The magnitudes of these disparities were in the behaviorally significant range of tens of microseconds. The ongoing time disparities were correlated significantly with the azimuthal center of receptor fields. Space-mapped neurons were insensitive to transient disparities. MLD neurons which were not space- mapped, i.e., were omnidirectional, did not show any sensitivity to specific OTDs. We confirmed the behavioral relevance of OTD as a cue for localizing a sound in azimuth by presenting OTD differences to tame owls. Using head turning as an assay, we showed that OTD was a sufficient cue for the azimuth of a sound. The relationship between azimuth and OTD obtained from our neurophysiological experiments matched closely the relationship obtained from our behavioral experiments.
H3K4 Methylation Dependent and Independent Chromatin Regulation by JHD2 and SET1 in Budding Yeast
Authors: Lee Kwan Yin , Chen Ziyan , Jiang River , Meneghini Marc D
Published: March 2018

Set1 and Jhd2 regulate the methylation state of histone H3 lysine-4 (H3K4me) through their opposing methyltransferase and demethylase activities in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. H3K4me associates with actively transcribed genes and, like both SET1 and JHD2 themselves, is known to regulate gene expression diversely. It remains unclear, however, if Set1 and Jhd2 act solely through H3K4me. Relevantly, Set1 methylates lysine residues in the kinetochore protein Dam1 while genetic studies of the S. pombe SET1 ortholog suggest the existence of non-H3K4 Set1 targets relevant to gene regulation. We interrogated genetic interactions of JHD2 and SET1 with essential genes involved in varied aspects of the transcription cycle. Our findings implicate JHD2 in genetic inhibition of the histone chaperone complexes Spt16-Pob3 (FACT) and Spt6-Spn1. This targeted screen also revealed that JHD2 inhibits the Nrd1-Nab3-Sen1 (NNS) transcription termination complex. We find that while Jhd2’s impact on these transcription regulatory complexes likely acts via H3K4me, Set1 governs the roles of FACT and NNS through opposing H3K4-dependent and -independent functions. We also identify diametrically opposing consequences for mutation of H3K4 to alanine or arginine, illuminating that caution must be taken in interpreting histone mutation studies. Unlike FACT and NNS, detailed genetic studies suggest an H3K4me-centric mode of Spt6-Spn1 regulation by JHD2 and SET1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and transcript quantification experiments show that Jhd2 opposes the positioning of a Spt6-deposited nucleosome near the transcription start site of SER3, a Spt6-Spn1 regulated gene, leading to hyper-induction of SER3. In addition to confirming and extending an emerging role for Jhd2 in the control of nucleosome occupancy near transcription start sites, our findings suggest some of the chromatin regulatory functions of Set1 are independent of H3K4 methylation.
The UPRmt Protects Caenorhabditis elegans from Mitochondrial Dysfunction by Upregulating Specific Enzymes of the Mevalonate Pathway
Authors: Oks Olga , Lewin Shany , Goncalves Irina Langier , Sapir Amir
Published: March 2018

The mevalonate pathway is the primary target of the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins, some of the most widely prescribed medicines of all time. The pathway’s enzymes not only catalyze the synthesis of cholesterol but also of diverse metabolites such as mitochondrial electron carriers and isoprenyls. Recently, it has been shown that one type of mitochondrial stress response, the UPRmt, can protect yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans, and cultured human cells from the deleterious effects of mevalonate pathway inhibition by statins. The mechanistic basis for this protection, however, remains unknown. Using C. elegans, we found that the UPRmt does not directly affect the levels of the statin target HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-controlling enzyme of the mevalonate pathway in mammals. Instead, in C. elegans the UPRmt upregulates the first dedicated enzyme of the pathway, HMG-CoA synthase (HMGS-1). A targeted RNA interference (RNAi) screen identified two UPRmt transcription factors, ATFS-1 and DVE-1, as regulators of HMGS-1. A comprehensive analysis of the pathway’s enzymes found that, in addition to HMGS-1, the UPRmt upregulates enzymes involved with the biosynthesis of electron carriers and geranylgeranylation intermediates. Geranylgeranylation, in turn, is requisite for the full execution of the UPRmt 3response. Thus, the UPRmt acts in at least three coordinated, compensatory arms to upregulate specific branches of the mevalonate pathway, thereby alleviating mitochondrial stress. We propose that statin-mediated inhibition of the mevalonate pathway blocks this compensatory system of the UPRmt and consequentially impedes mitochondrial homeostasis. This effect is likely one of the principal bases for the adverse side effects of statins.
Shifting Perspectives: Enhancing Healthcare Professionals' Awareness Through a Disability Studies Undergraduate Curriculum
Authors: McGoldrick Kathleen , Zelizer Deborah , Ray Sharon A.
Published: March 2018

Disability Studies has experienced steady growth in the humanities, the social sciences, and education departments of a growing number of United States colleges and universities. One area of study that has remained static is undergraduate health science, where the number of schools offering a degree in disability studies has grown slightly from two in 2009 (Cushing & Smith, 2009b; Taylor & Zubal-Ruggieri, 2013) to four in 2015 (Zubal-Ruggieri, 2015). Some disability scholars believe that health science students are missing out on an opportunity to incorporate this perspective into their outlook and approach to disability. Longmore (1991) believes that "students interested in healthcare . . . need to have the opportunity to study this [disability] in the same way that they have the opportunity to study women's history or African American history or Asian history" (Stanford University News Service, Silent Screen Villains section, para.12).  This opportunity can shape a group of healthcare professionals who view disability from a unique individual perspective. The purpose of this survey research study was to examine alumni self-perception of the impact of completing a one-semester (16 credit) disability studies concentration in an undergraduate health science major. Fifty-one alumni from a New York area public research 1 level university who graduated between 2006 and 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and a concentration in Disability Studies were surveyed to examine their perception of the helpfulness of the curriculum in four areas: practice and/or post-graduate study, comfort level interacting with people with disability, confidence level in ability to work with people with disability, and sensitivity and awareness of disability issues. This survey research study used descriptive statistics to analyze the responses to 10 Likert questions. The paper also includes comments from one open-ended question that allowed respondents to add additional thoughts and comments. The results strongly indicated that the health science alumni perceived a positive increase in the four focus areas as a result of completing the disability studies concentration.
Clinical Monitoring of Well-Appearing Infants Born to Mothers With Chorioamnionitis
Authors: Joshi Neha S. , Gupta Arun , Allan Jessica M. , Cohen Ronald S. , Aby Janelle L. , Weldon Brittany , Kim Juliann L. , Benitz William E. , Frymoyer Adam
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND:

The risk of early-onset sepsis is low in well-appearing late-preterm and term infants even in the setting of chorioamnionitis. The empirical antibiotic strategies for chorioamnionitis-exposed infants that are recommended by national guidelines result in antibiotic exposure for numerous well-appearing, uninfected infants. We aimed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in chorioamnionitis-exposed infants through the implementation of a treatment approach that focused on clinical presentation to determine the need for antibiotics.

METHODS:

Within a quality-improvement framework, a new treatment approach was implemented in March 2015. Well-appearing late-preterm and term infants who were exposed to chorioamnionitis were clinically monitored for at least 24 hours in a level II nursery; those who remained well appearing received no laboratory testing or antibiotics and were transferred to the level I nursery or discharged from the hospital. Newborns who became symptomatic were further evaluated and/or treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic use, laboratory testing, culture results, and clinical outcomes were collected.

RESULTS:

Among 277 well-appearing, chorioamnionitis-exposed infants, 32 (11.6%) received antibiotics during the first 15 months of the quality-improvement initiative. No cases of culture result–positive early-onset sepsis occurred. No infant required intubation or inotropic support. Only 48 of 277 (17%) patients had sepsis laboratory testing. The implementation of the new approach was associated with a 55% reduction (95% confidence interval 40%–65%) in antibiotic exposure across all infants ≥34 weeks’ gestation born at our hospital.

CONCLUSIONS:

A management approach using clinical presentation to determine the need for antibiotics in chorioamnionitis-exposed infants was successful in reducing antibiotic exposure and was not associated with any clinically relevant delays in care or adverse outcomes.
Vomiting With Head Trauma and Risk of Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Borland Meredith L. , Dalziel Stuart R. , Phillips Natalie , Dalton Sarah , Lyttle Mark D. , Bressan Silvia , Oakley Ed , Hearps Stephen J.C. , Kochar Amit , Furyk Jeremy , Cheek John A. , Neutze Jocelyn , Babl Franz E. ,   on behalf of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Department International Collaborative group
Published: March 2018

OBJECTIVES:

To determine the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries in children who vomit after head injury and identify variables from published clinical decision rules (CDRs) that predict increased risk.

METHODS:

Secondary analysis of the Australasian Paediatric Head Injury Rule Study. Vomiting characteristics were assessed and correlated with CDR predictors and the presence of clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) or traumatic brain injury on computed tomography (TBI-CT). Isolated vomiting was defined as vomiting without other CDR predictors.

RESULTS:

Of the 19 920 children enrolled, 3389 (17.0%) had any vomiting, with 2446 (72.2%) >2 years of age. In 172 patients with ciTBI, 76 had vomiting (44.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 36.9%–51.7%), and in 285 with TBI-CT, 123 had vomiting (43.2%; 95% CI 37.5%–49.0%). With isolated vomiting, only 1 (0.3%; 95% CI 0.0%–0.9%) had ciTBI and 2 (0.6%; 95% CI 0.0%–1.4%) had TBI-CT. Predictors of increased risk of ciTBI with vomiting by using multivariate regression were as follows: signs of skull fracture (odds ratio [OR] 80.1; 95% CI 43.4–148.0), altered mental status (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.0–5.5), headache (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.3–4.1), and acting abnormally (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.0–3.4). Additional features predicting TBI-CT were as follows: skull fracture (OR 112.96; 95% CI 66.76–191.14), nonaccidental injury concern (OR 6.75; 95% CI 1.54–29.69), headache (OR 2.55; 95% CI 1.52–4.27), and acting abnormally (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.10–3.06).

CONCLUSIONS:

TBI-CT and ciTBI are uncommon in children presenting with head injury with isolated vomiting, and a management strategy of observation without immediate computed tomography appears appropriate.
O papel da simulação na prática cirúrgica e a criação de uma nova ferramenta para treinamento neurocirúrgico
Authors: Coelho Giselle , Adami Liana Beni , Zanon Nelci
Published: March 2018

AIMS: To test a new tool for neurosurgical education, a "puzzle" to simulate the craniosynostosis surgical correction (specifically scaphocephaly) using Renier’s "H" technique.METHODS: The cranial model was created by obtaining images through a multi slice (1 mm) CT scan in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. This information was then processed using a computing algorithm to generate a three-dimensional biomodel in resine (performed on a computer or via computer simulation). The puzzle and its training possibilities were evaluated qualitatively by a team of expert neurosurgeons. Subsequently the experts evaluated the application of the tool for residents in neurosurgery, and the residents also evaluated the experience.RESULTS:  Five experts neurosurgeons and 10 neurosurgery residents participated in the evaluation. All considered the tool positive for the proposed training. The experts have commented on how interesting the model may be by instigating the understanding of the reasons for each surgical step and how to act in them. According to the experts perceptions, the residents presented better clarity in the three-dimensional visualization of the step by step, indirectly aiding in the understanding of the surgical technique. In addition, they noted a notable reduction of errors with each attempt to assemble the puzzle. Residents considered it to be a teaching method that makes assessment objective and clear. Among the interviewers, 9,9 was the averaged note given to the simulator. CONCLUSIONS: The puzzle in cranial shape can be a complementary tool, allowing varying degrees of immersion and realism. It provides a notion of physical reality, offering symbolic, geometric and dynamic information, with rich tridimensional visualization.   The simulator use may potentially improve and abbreviate the surgeons learning curve, in a safe manner.
Importância e desafios do treinamento simulado em saúde
Authors: Brandão Carolina Felipe Soares , Cecilio Fernandes Dario
Published: March 2018

The use of simulation in health education expands learning opportunities, contributing in a relevant way to the prevention of errors during professional activity. However, there are several challenges to achieving efficient simulated training, including the need to adapt the knowledge produced in different contexts. How should a simulation center be organized? How to take into account the peculiarities of the students in applying the concept of debriefing? Have the evaluation tools been validated for the population in which they are being applied? What elements should be included in simulation-based teaching to improve acquisition and/or retention of skills, knowledge, and attitudes? At what point, in the curriculum, should every possibility of simulated training be introduced in order to make the investment valid? In this editorial, the authors point out the importance of simulation training in healthcare and the need for research aimed at understanding the different situations and providing answers to these questions.
Analysis of transaction price of undeveloped real estate of Kołobrzeg with the use
of GIS technology
Authors: Czajka Agnieszka , Szczepaniak-Koltun Zofia
Published: March 2018

The expansion of geographic information systems contributes to the development of an infor�mation society that increasingly uses geoinformation data in all areas of life. GIS also enters
the economic and scientific realm of the real estate market, slowly displacing analogue price
registers and real estate values. With the use of GIS tools, many issues in this area (e.g. sales /
purchase, rental, average sales prices) can be presented on maps, and the wide database provides
many possibilities for carrying out a variety of analyses.
The aim of this article is to use the selected GIS technology to analyse the value of real estate in
Kołobrzeg. Using the secondary data from the price and property register spanning the years
2013–2016 the value of undeveloped land has been analysed. The analysis was presented by
two different methods: cartodiagram and cartogram, and then the results were compared and
interpreted. The maps that were developed during the process of analysis provide accessible
information about the distribution of real estate values for property valuers as well as potential
buyers and sellers.
Comparison of selected methods of interactive geovisualization on the basis of a monuments
register in Poland
Authors: Król Karol , Prus Barbara
Published: March 2018

Visualization of objects on interactive maps usually completes a design process which is pre�ceded by collecting and processing of data. The same applies to the list of monuments (objects of
cultural heritage), as its compilation requires both field and office works.
The aim of the paper was to evaluate if registers monuments maintained by Polish communes
(gminas) can be presented with Google Fusion Tables and Leaflet software, the tools that are
specifically used to provide and visualize data. Successive stages of creating a communal register
of monuments in Poland – from surveying the objects of heritage in the field to preparing their
address cards and creating electronic map application – were presented in the paper.
In conclusion, it was proved that a web mapping service, in which text description and photo�graphic documentation of presented objects are complemented with data about their location,
can perfectly supplement the communal list of objects of cultural heritage compiled as a stand�ard paper address cards.
Política pública para a agricultura familiar: avaliação do Programa Paranaense “Fábrica do Agricultor”
Authors: Do Nascimento Decio Estevão , Zerbato Caio , Silva Christian Luiz Da , Vasconcelos Marta Chaves
Published: March 2018

No Estado do Paraná, em 1999 foi criado o programa Agroindústria Familiar “Fábrica do Agricultor”-PFA, com o objetivo de agregar valor aos produtos oriundos da agricultura familiar através da verticalização da produção pela agroindustrialização de pequeno porte. Assim, o objetivo geral deste estudo consistiu em avaliar o programa Agroindústria Familiar “Fábrica do Agricultor”. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida de forma descritiva quanto à abordagem dos seus objetivos, com a utilização das técnicas de pesquisa bibliográfica, pesquisa documental e levantamento, com a utilização de entrevistas estruturadas. A política apresentou resultados diferenciados entre os objetivos propostos, sendo extremamente bem sucedida nos objetivos de inovação tecnológica, foco no mercado e apoio à agricultura familiar. Ficou evidenciado a relevância da agricultura familiar no estado paranaense e a significativa contribuição das políticas públicas para o fortalecimento da agricultura familiar.
Véronique Tadjo: Is there hope beyond the divisions in contemporary Africa?
Authors: Snyman Elisabeth
Published: March 2018

This article proposes a reading of three texts The Blind Kingdom (1990), Queen Pokou. Concerto for a sacrifice (2004) and Far from my Father (2010) written by the Ivorian author Véronique Tadjo, in order to examine the author's representation of, and reflexion on separation and division, be it within a nation, amongst groups, or in the heart of a family. In Tadjo's novelistic universe, such divisions often require the intervention of a female protagonist, whose own existence is deeply influenced by tensions and frictions between two opposing camps. I shall argue that the agency of these protagonists is never futile and may even point to a way to go beyond the original divisions. Tadjo's representation of division in these three texts goes beyond generic boundaries to open up a rich variety of perspectives on the problems she deals with. I shall demonstrate how the author draws on various genres such as poetry, the African folktale, the novel, as well as autofiction in order to engage the reader in a profound reflexion on the current state and future of the African continent.
Sol T. Plaatje's paremiological quest: a common humanity in cultural diversity
Authors: Makhudu Khekheti
Published: March 2018

Having written and compiled from memory, over 700 Setswana proverbs when he was briefly resident in London, around the 1900s, Sol T. Plaatje exhibited unusual ethnographic knowledge and remarkable, creative translation skills in diaspora-like circumstances.  While most literary researchers attest to those achievements, few have been the theories that account sufficiently for Plaatje's multilingual proverb renditions. The view propounded here is that Plaatje's paremiological enterprise was probably never only an exercise of his polyglot abilities. Rather his quest appears to have been to assert the cultural similarities and convergences between African and European people's histories.  His socio-political beliefs propelled deep pride over his Setswana identity and became the driving force for highlighting the human bonds among nations of the North and the South. For Plaatje, seeing the overlaps and equivalences in and through the proverbs of the Dutch, English, French, Germans and the Batswana peoples, firstly validated orality as the bedrock of modern literary expression.  Secondly, the relationship of the two seemed to recapitulate the communicative connections among people and their languages, across time and space. Lastly, the paper makes the point that Plaatje's search for unity in the cultural diversity as exhibited in his 1916 Diane tsa Setswana collection and the 1924 A Sechuana Reader stories, provides instructive lessons that present-day South Africa would ill afford to ignore considering the social cohesion challenges the nation faces.
Regulation of Pedagogical Principles of Control in Physical Education of Students of Special Medical Groups
Authors: Koryahin V. , Blavt O. , Tsiovkh L.
Published: March 2018

The study objective is to define and ground the parameters of pedagogical principles of test control in physical education of students of special medical groups in higher education institutions.
Materials and methods. To achieve the objective set, the study used the following methods of theoretical level: analysis and synthesis, conceptualization, systematization, generalization, and theoretical modeling.
The object of study is the control process in physical education of students of special medical groups.
Results. The study presents the results of scientific inquiry into theoretical regulations — a system of basic and methodical-implementation principles, which, being consistently complied with, ensure an effective and well-targeted functioning of the test control system in physical education of students of special medical groups. Deterministic principles shape a holistic test control process on a scientific and objective basis of effective and well-targeted functioning. As well as principles ensuring the effectiveness of their practical implementation using the methodical techniques mentioned.
Conclusions. Qualitative control in physical education as a purposeful, informational and ascertaining, diagnostic and reflexive interaction between the pedagogical process participants ensures the effectiveness of the process. An effective practical implementation of control testing procedures requires the introduction of a qualitatively new set of the most general guidelines, rules, norms regulating this process, in other words, principles.
Movement Coordination: Factor Structure of Development in 5th-7th Grade Girls
Authors: Ivashchenko O. , Prykhodko V. , Cieslicka M.
Published: March 2018

The study objective is to determine the structure of coordination abilities development in 5th-7th grade girls. Materials and methods. The participants in the study were 5th grade girls (n = 20), 6th grade girls (n = 23), 7th grade girls (n = 19). The study used the following methods: analysis and collation of scientific and methodological literature, general scientific methods of theoretical level, such as analogy, analysis, synthesis, abstraction, induction, as well as general scientific methods of empirical level: observation, testing, experiment. To evaluate motor preparedness, the study recorded the results of motor tests, body height and weight. The IBM SPSS 20 statistical analysis software was used to process the study materials. A factor analysis was performed, for which the study used principal component analysis with the rotation method: Variamax with Kaiser Normalization. Results. The analysis of similarities shows that the most informative tests in the structure of motor preparedness of the 5th grade girls are the following: test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns” (.884), test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method” (.826), test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting” (.824); of the 6th grade girls — test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns” (0.884), test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method” (.826), test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting” (.824); of the 7th grade girls — test 8 “Evaluation of the ability to differentiate movement speed (reproduction accuracy of running speed at 90% intensity of maximum)” (.902), test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns” (.900), test 1 “30 m running (s)” (.869). Conclusions. In the structure of coordination abilities of the 5th-7th grade girls, the most informative components are the sense and differentiation of running speed, vestibular stability in exercises that require static and dynamic equilibrium. To carry out pedagogical control of coordination preparedness of 5th-7th grade girls, the study recommends using the following tests: test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic) stability. Running with turns”, test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method”, test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting”.
RNA Imaging with MERFISH - Sample Preparation and Staining v1
Authors: R. Moffitt Jeffrey , Zhuang Xiaowei
Published: March 2018

The preparation and staining of samples for MERFISH follows closely the typical protocols used for smFISH (Raj et al., 2008). However, there are a few places in which we have modified these protocols to optimize MERFISH staining. Again, RNase contamination can destroy samples, so care should be taken to work in an RNase-free environment.
RNA Imaging with MERFISH - Data Analysis v1
Authors: R. Moffitt Jeffrey , Zhuang Xiaowei
Published: March 2018

The basic decoding of MERFISH data—the identification of specific RNA species for each spot in the sample—consists of three basic steps. First, fluorescent spots must be identified in all images. Second, slight changes in the stage position between images of the same region from different hybridization rounds must be corrected. Finally, sets of fluorescent spots that occupy the same location in the sample must be decoded into binary barcodes, which, in turn, are decoded into the specific RNA species. After these RNAs have been decoded, there are a series of simple calculations that can often be performed on the measured barcodes to determine important parameters associated with the performance of the measurements, such as estimates of the binary errors made at each bit or the relative confidence that can be ascribed to the counts for each RNA species. In this section, we provide protocols for performing these basic computational tasks. Example software and data can be found at: http://zhuang.harvard.edu/merfish/.
Orthopoxvirus real-time PCR v3
Authors: A Northill Judy , Warrilow David , M Mackay Ian
Published: March 2018

A real-time PCR targeting the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase of Orthopoxviruses. This protocol was designed and developed at this laboratory.
Explicit ESL/EFL Reading-writing Connection: An Issue to Explore in ESL/EFL Settings
Authors: Alghonaim Ali S.
Published: March 2018

This paper tries to explore the explicit relationship between reading and writing from ESL/EFL perspectives. The reading-writing connection has long been established in language literacy. Yet, this paper specifically focuses on the usefulness and effectiveness as well as the need for the explicit connection between the two language skills in ESL/EFL settings. It compares between Arabic rhetoric and English rhetoric as two opposite language systems. This paper tries to relate some issues in natural settings in Saudi Arabia in relation to the status of reading and writing in real classrooms and writing teachers’ strategies. Finally, the paper explores the composition teachers’ role and knowledge in making this explicit connection significant to ESL learners of writing. This paper cites some examples that the author experienced in reading and writing courses when he was an EFL student enrolled in English department.