bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
When one size does not fit all: Using participatory action research to co-create preventive healthcare services
Authors: Olsson Erik , Lau Malena
Published: March 2015

Organized screening programs have proved effective at reducing cervical cancer in Sweden by offering early detection of precancerous cells. However, participation rates vary across groups of women. The purpose of this paper is to explore how participatory action research contributes to (re)designing cervical cancer screening programs to better meet local residents’ needs and expectations. The paper examines the Pap smear testing barriers encountered by foreign-born women. It is also reported how different actors within the healthcare system as well as civil society can work together to address these barriers and improve healthcare services. Moreover, the paper contributes to action research methodology by demonstrating how participatory inquiries benefit from quantitative monitoring of improvement initiatives.
Research Agenda
Authors: Kalichman Michael W. , Plemmons Dena K.
Published: March 2015

Requirements for training in responsible conduct of research have significantly increased over the past 25 years, despite the absence of evidence for a substantial impact. One of the challenges has been to choose among the many possible goals that might define outcomes. Although much of the focus of research has been on changes in knowledge or skills, a case can be made that attitudes and perceptions are at least as important. Based on a recently completed pilot study, the authors propose several areas for research to clarify not only what but also how attitudes and perceptions would be usefully assessed.
Identifying the Signs of Self-Harm in Students
Authors: Russell Kristine R. , Hartung Sheila Q.
Published: March 2015

Self-harm in adolescents is not a new phenomenon. However, the number of adolescents who participate in self-harming behaviors is growing. It can be difficult to detect those who self-harm due to the secrecy that surrounds the act of self-harm itself. This article focuses on providing assistance to school professionals in the identification of signs of self-harm in adolescents and how to deal with this growing epidemic.
Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Obese Youth
Authors: Platt Adrienne M.
Published: March 2015

School nurses are well aware of the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States, as one in three youth are overweight or obese. Co-morbidities found in overweight or obese adults were not commonly found in youth three decades ago but are now increasingly “normal” as the obesity epidemic continues to evolve. This article is the second of six related articles discussing the co-morbidities of childhood obesity and discusses the complex association between obesity and insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Insulin resistance increases up to 50% during puberty, which may help to explain why youth are more likely to develop co-morbidities as teens. Treatment of these disorders is focused on changing lifestyle habits, as a child cannot change his or her pubertal progression, ethnicity, or family history. School nurses and other personnel can assist youth with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome by supporting their efforts to make changes, reinforcing that insulin resistance is not necessarily type 2 diabetes even if the child is taking medication, and intervening with negative peer pressure.
Redeeming Peninnah: A Freeing Translation of צרתה in 1 Samuel 1.6
Authors: Leitch Dane
Published: March 2015

In English versions of 1 Samuel 1.6 the nearly universal translation of the word צרתה is “her rival wife.” The case presented here is that the rendering based on the noun צר “adversary” is incorrect when compared to the possible alternative noun צרה “affliction.” Five major arguments are presented: the identification of and initial problems with the traditional understanding of צר as the base, analysis of the use of the term in both the Hebrew Bible and a single identical form in Ben Sira, viability of the use of צרה in the context of 1 Sam 1.6 when all other uses in the Hebrew Bible are considered, comparison with the Septuagint translation, and assessment of the narrative which addresses the goals and roles of the characters as they function with each possible translation.
Between heaven and earth: Dual accountability in Han China
Authors: Brown Miranda , Xie Yu
Published: March 2015

Scholars have noticed that centrally-appointed officials in imperial China were not only beholden to their superiors but also acted as brokers of local interests. We characterize such a structural position as ‘dual accountability’. Although accountability to superiors is readily understandable within the Weberian framework of bureaucratic hierarchy, the reasons behind local responsiveness bear explanation. This paper attempts to explain such responsiveness by investigating the larger ideological, structural, and institutional contexts of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). We explore two existing explanations – practical necessity and ‘Confucian’ or classical paternalism – and add a new explanation of our own: the emphasis on virtuous reputations in the system of bureaucratic recruitment and promotion. Our argument is supported by empirical evidence from a range of sources, including administrative records and inscriptions on ancient stelae. More generally, we question Weber’s hypothesis that the Chinese imperial system of administration fit the ideal type of traditional bureaucracy, and we examine the rational bases underlying an ‘inefficient’ system that was in place for two millennia.
Diverging fortunes: The evolution of gender wage gaps for singles, couples, and parents in China, 1989–2009
Authors: Zhang Yuping , Hannum Emily
Published: March 2015

Since the 1980s, social scientists working in China have raised questions about whether market transition could harm the relative position of women in the workplace. However, little work has been done to investigate this possibility with longitudinal data that includes both urban and rural populations and covers recent years, or linked gender gaps in income explicitly to the retreat of the State sector. Moreover, most research has not considered the real possibility that trends in gender disparities might diverge depending on the family status of women, though studies in China, as elsewhere, suggest the existence of both employment and wage penalties for motherhood. Guided by feminist theories which emphasize that gender inequality should be examined at the intersections of different social institutions, we consider whether gender wage gap trends differ for single people, compared to married people and parents. Further, given the role posited for market transition in shaping emerging gender gaps, we ask whether changes in gaps can be linked to the shift away from socialist institutions to privatized workplaces. We use multi-province panel data spanning the years 1989 to 2009 to estimate generalized estimating equation (GEE) models of earnings that account for multiple observations within the same individual and correct for potential bias associated with selection into the work force for women. The results show clear evidence of deterioration in income for women relative to men, and also suggest a link between the retreat of the State sector and a wider gender gap. However, the trend diverges by family status. Single women rival, and even outpace, single men in wages by the late 2000s, while mothers are increasingly disadvantaged in income.
Refashioning sociological imagination: Linguality, visuality and the iconic turn in cultural sociology
Authors: Bartmanski Dominik
Published: March 2015

One of the key challenges of meaning-centred cultural sociology is facing the findings of contemporary anthropology, archaeology, art history and material culture studies. Specifically, the increasingly pressing task is to recognize the sociological limitations of the semiotic framework laid bare by those disciplines. The traditional structuralist focus on discursive codes and the assumption of arbitrariness of cultural sign is of limited service in understanding the power of complex representational economies and especially in the task of explaining its variability. The language- and communication-centred framework downplays the fact that many signifiers credited with causal social power are inescapably embedded in open-ended but not arbitrary patterns of material signification. There is ample evidence delivered by the recent studies within the aforementioned fields that such signifiers are ‘not just the garb of meaning’, to use the insightful phrase of Webb Keane. Rather, the significatory patterns and their material and sensuous entanglements co-constitute meanings that inform social action. Therefore, more integrative and multidimensional models of culture in action are needed. Some specific explanatory models have been explicitly formulated by a series of intertwined conceptual ‘turns’ in human sciences: material, performative, spatial and iconic, among others. By showing that meanings are always embedded in and enacted by the concrete assemblages of materiality and corporeality, they enable sociologists to transcend the linguistic bias of classical structuralist hermeneutics. This paper discusses the importance of iconicity for developing such an integrative perspective without abandoning some constitutive insights of the linguistic turn. I focus on the transformative works of contemporary scholars like Daniel Miller, Webb Keane, Ian Hodder, and Jeffrey Alexander, as well as on my own research, to illustrate the implications of the aforementioned paradigmatic ‘turns’. In particular, I aim at elaborating a key principle of material culture studies: different orders of semiosis are differently subject to determination and/or autonomous logic of the cultural text. As a result, differently structured signifiers are responsive to distinct modes of ‘social construction’ and historical transformation. We need to keep paying attention to the Austinian question of how to do things with words, but we cannot keep doing it as if things social were at the same time not done with images, objects, places, and bodies and all that their specific character and use imply. Fleshing out the so-expanded sociological imagination helps us to activate the full potential of understanding and explanation that the concept of culture possesses, and thus, to decisively turn culture on.
Private Higher Education in India
Authors: Angom Sangeeta
Published: March 2015

The Private higher education sector is growing fast in many settings, including India, and there are variations at the national level. Privatization of higher education in India has been the result of changes in the economic policy towards liberalization and privatization by the Government of India. Till 1980, higher education sector was controlled by government and thereafter, there has been a trend towards privatization of higher education. Setting up of private universities by individuals and private trusts has been a new trend of privatization of higher education in the country during the twenty-first century. From the modest number of 15 pioneering universities in 2005, there are 171 private universities in India in January 2014. This increase in their number during the last three or four years has been a cause of concern in terms of quality. With this background, the present article makes an in-depth analysis of two private universities pertaining to their mission, ownership and management; admission process and enrolment pattern; profile of student and teacher; faculty position; financing; programmes of study; physical facilities and support services. The general purpose of this article is to illuminate an important policy issue for India and to contribute to general debate on the role of private sector in the provision of higher education. There has been an overall growth and increase of student enrolment in private universities in India in recent years. The study summarizes the general characteristics and issues relating to the provision of quality education in private universities.
The European technical report on aquatic effect-based monitoring tools under the water framework directive
Authors: Wernersson Ann-Sofie , Carere Mario , Maggi Chiara , Tusil Petr , Soldan Premysl , James Alice , Sanchez Wilfried , Dulio Valeria , Broeg Katja , Reifferscheid Georg , Buchinger Sebastian , Maas Hannie , Van Der Grinten Esther , O’Toole Simon , Ausili Antonella , Manfra Loredana , Marziali Laura , Polesello Stefano , Lacchetti Ines , Mancini Laura , Lilja Karl , Linderoth Maria , Lundeberg Tove , Fjällborg Bengt , Porsbring Tobias , Larsson DG Joakim , Bengtsson-Palme Johan , Förlin Lars , Kienle Cornelia , Kunz Petra , Vermeirssen Etienne , Werner Inge , Robinson Craig D , Lyons Brett , Katsiadaki Ioanna , Whalley Caroline , den Haan Klaas , Messiaen Marlies , Clayton Helen , Lettieri Teresa , Carvalho Raquel Negrão , Gawlik Bernd Manfred , Hollert Henner , Di Paolo Carolina , Brack Werner , Kammann Ulrike , Kase Robert
Published: March 2015

The Water Framework Directive (WFD), 2000/60/EC, requires an integrated approach to the monitoring and assessment of the quality of surface water bodies. The chemical status assessment is based on compliance with legally binding Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs) for selected chemical pollutants (priority substances) of EU-wide concern. In the context of the mandate for the period 2010 to 2012 of the subgroup Chemical Monitoring and Emerging Pollutants (CMEP) under the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) for the WFD, a specific task was established for the elaboration of a technical report on aquatic effect-based monitoring tools. The activity was chaired by Sweden and co-chaired by Italy and progressively involved several Member States and stakeholders in an EU-wide drafting group. The main aim of this technical report was to identify potential effect-based tools (e.g. biomarkers and bioassays) that could be used in the context of the different monitoring programmes (surveillance, operational and investigative) linking chemical and ecological status assessment. The present paper summarizes the major technical contents and findings of the report.
Paclitaxel Induces Acute Pain via Directly Activating Toll like Receptor 4
Authors: Yan Xisheng , Maixner Dylan W , Yadav Ruchi , Gao Mei , Li Pei , Bartlett Michael G , Weng Han-Rong
Published: March 2015

Paclitaxel, a powerful anti-neoplastic drug, often causes pathological pain, which significantly reduces the quality of life in patients. Paclitaxel-induced pain includes pain that occurs immediately after paclitaxel treatment (paclitaxel-associated acute pain syndrome, P-APS) and pain that persists for weeks to years after cessation of paclitaxel treatment (paclitaxel induced chronic neuropathic pain). Mechanisms underlying P-APS remain unknown. In this study, we found that paclitaxel causes acute pain in rodents in a dose-dependent manner. The paclitaxel-induced acute pain occurs within 2 hrs after a single intravenous injection of paclitaxel. This is accompanied by low levels of paclitaxel penetrating into the cerebral spinal fluid and spinal dorsal horn. We demonstrated that an intrathecal injection of paclitaxel induces mechanical allodynia in a dose-dependent manner. Paclitaxel causes activation of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the spinal dorsal horn and dorsal root ganglions. Through activating TLR4, paclitaxel increases glutamatergic synaptic activities and reduces glial glutamate transporter activities in the dorsal horn. Activations of TLR4 are necessary in the genesis of paclitaxel-induced acute pain. The cellular and molecular signaling pathways revealed in this study could provide rationales for the development of analgesics and management strategies for P-APS in patients.
Postoperative pneumonia following cardiac surgery in non-ventilated patients versus mechanically ventilated patients: is there any difference?
Authors: Allou Nicolas , Allyn Jerome , Snauwaert Aurélie , Welsch Camille , Lucet Jean Christophe , Kortbaoui Rita , Desmard Mathieu , Augustin Pascal , Montravers Philippe
Published: March 2015

Introduction

No studies have compared ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and non-VAP following cardiac surgery (CS). The aim of this study was to assess the incidence, clinical and microbiologic features, treatment characteristics and prognosis of postoperative pneumonia following CS with a special focus on non-VAP.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study based on a prospectively collected database. We compared cases of non-VAP and VAP following CS observed between January 2005 and December 2012. Statistical analysis consisted of bivariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

A total of 257 (3.5%) of 7,439 consecutive CS patients developed postoperative pneumonia, including 120 (47%) cases of non-VAP. Patients with VAP had more frequent history of congestive heart failure (31% vs. 17%, P = 0.006) and longer duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (105 vs 76 min, P < 0.0001), than patients with non-VAP. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in terms of the types of microorganisms isolated with high proportions of Enterobacteriaceae (35%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.2%) and Haemophilus spp (20.2%), except for a lower proportion of Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus in the non-VAP group (3.2% vs 7.9%, P = 0.03). In the intensive care unit, patients with non-VAP had lower sequential organ failure assessment scores than patients with VAP (8 ± 3 versus 9 ± 3, P = 0.004). On multivariate analysis, in-hospital mortality was similar in both groups (32% in the non-VAP group and 42% in the VAP group, adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 1.4; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.7-2.5; P = 0.34) and appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy was associated with a reduction of in-hospital mortality (aOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2-1; P = 0.05). Piperacillin/tazobactam or imipenem monotherapy constituted appropriate empiric therapy in the two groups, with values reaching 93% and 95% with no differences between VAP and non-VAP cases.

Conclusions

Intensive care patients with VAP are more severely ill than non-VAP patients following CS. Nevertheless, patients with non-VAP and VAP following CS have similar outcomes. This study suggests that the empiric antibiotic regimen in patients with pneumonia following CS should include at least a broad-spectrum antibiotic targeting non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli, regardless of the type of pneumonia, and targeting S. aureus in VAP patients.
Integrative analyses identify modulators of response to neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitors in patients with early breast cancer
Authors: López-Knowles Elena , Wilkerson Paul M , Ribas Ricardo , Anderson Helen , Mackay Alan , Ghazoui Zara , Rani Aradhana , Osin Peter , Nerurkar Ash , Renshaw Lorna , Larionov Alexey , Miller William R , Dixon J Michael , Reis-Filho Jorge S , Dunbier Anita K , Martin Lesley-Ann , Dowsett Mitch
Published: March 2015

Introduction

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a vital component of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer treatment. De novo and acquired resistance, however, is common. The aims of this study were to relate patterns of copy number aberrations to molecular and proliferative response to AIs, to study differences in the patterns of copy number aberrations between breast cancer samples pre- and post-AI neoadjuvant therapy, and to identify putative biomarkers for resistance to neoadjuvant AI therapy using an integrative analysis approach.

Methods

Samples from 84 patients derived from two neoadjuvant AI therapy trials were subjected to copy number profiling by microarray-based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH, n = 84), gene expression profiling (n = 47), matched pre- and post-AI aCGH (n = 19 pairs) and Ki67-based AI-response analysis (n = 39).

Results

Integrative analysis of these datasets identified a set of nine genes that, when amplified, were associated with a poor response to AIs, and were significantly overexpressed when amplified, including CHKA, LRP5 and SAPS3. Functional validation in vitro, using cell lines with and without amplification of these genes (SUM44, MDA-MB134-VI, T47D and MCF7) and a model of acquired AI-resistance (MCF7-LTED) identified CHKA as a gene that when amplified modulates estrogen receptor (ER)-driven proliferation, ER/estrogen response element (ERE) transactivation, expression of ER-regulated genes and phosphorylation of V-AKT murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1).

Conclusions

These data provide a rationale for investigation of the role of CHKA in further models of de novo and acquired resistance to AIs, and provide proof of concept that integrative genomic analyses can identify biologically relevant modulators of AI response.
Reporting and handling of missing data in predictive research for prevalent undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review
Authors: Masconi Katya L , Matsha Tandi E , Echouffo-Tcheugui Justin B , Erasmus Rajiv T , Kengne Andre P
Published: March 2015

Missing values are common in health research and omitting participants with missing data often leads to loss of statistical power, biased estimates and, consequently, inaccurate inferences. We critically reviewed the challenges posed by missing data in medical research and approaches to address them. To achieve this more efficiently, these issues were analyzed and illustrated through a systematic review on the reporting of missing data and imputation methods (prediction of missing values through relationships within and between variables) undertaken in risk prediction studies of undiagnosed diabetes. Prevalent diabetes risk models were selected based on a recent comprehensive systematic review, supplemented by an updated search of English-language studies published between 1997 and 2014. Reporting of missing data has been limited in studies of prevalent diabetes prediction. Of the 48 articles identified, 62.5% (n = 30) did not report any information on missing data or handling techniques. In 21 (43.8%) studies, researchers opted out of imputation, completing case-wise deletion of participants missing any predictor values. Although imputation methods are encouraged to handle missing data and ensure the accuracy of inferences, this has seldom been the case in studies of diabetes risk prediction. Hence, we elaborated on the various types and patterns of missing data, the limitations of case-wise deletion and state-of the-art methods of imputations and their challenges. This review highlights the inexperience or disregard of investigators of the effect of missing data in risk prediction research. Formal guidelines may enhance the reporting and appropriate handling of missing data in scientific journals.
Cumulative, additive benefits of memantine-donepezil combination over component monotherapies in moderate to severe Alzheimer’s dementia: a pooled area under the curve analysis
Authors: Atri Alireza , Hendrix Suzanne B , Pejović Vojislav , Hofbauer Robert K , Edwards John , Molinuevo José Luis , Graham Stephen M
Published: March 2015

Introduction

Treatment in moderate or severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD) often involves adding memantine to a cholinesterase-inhibitor (ChEI: donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine). Evidence from six-month randomized trials and long-term observational studies supports superiority of memantine-ChEI combination to ChEI monotherapy. We utilized area-under-the-curve (AUC) analysis to assess six-month cumulative treatment efficacy of memantine-donepezil combination versus component monotherapies on individual clinical domains and on a composite index.

Methods

Data were pooled from 1,408 individuals with moderate to severe AD from four six-month randomized trials of memantine monotherapy (n = 570) or add-on therapy (donepezil-only subset: n = 847). AUC changes from baseline on measures of cognition (SIB), function (ADCS-ADL19), behavior (NPI), global status (CIBIC-Plus), and a composite index (4D-CI: equally weighted composite of four domain measures) were calculated using the trapezoidal rule and evaluated via analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) (2-sided-α = 0.05). AUC results were contrasted with visit-by-visit changes from baseline (“snapshot analysis”), performed using a mixed-effects model with repeated measures (MMRM).

Results

Over the entire six-month period, placebo-only treatment was associated with significant cumulative worsening on all outcomes. Memantine-donepezil combination showed significantly greater AUC improvements (point x week) on the SIB, NPI, and CIBIC-Plus than placebo-donepezil (SIB: 68.4 versus 32.0, P = 0.019; NPI: −74.3 versus −28.2, P = 0.003; CIBIC-Plus: −2.5 versus 1.4, P = 0.006) and memantine-only monotherapies (SIB: 68.4 versus 12.0, P <0.001; NPI: −74.3 versus −7.4, P <0.001; CIBIC-Plus: −2.5 versus 2.7, P <0.001), whereas these comparisons were not significant for the ADCS-ADL19 (memantine-donepezil (1.4) versus placebo-donepezil (−0.9), P = 0.407; versus memantine-only (−12.2), P = 0.310). Composite index analysis demonstrated significant cumulative advantages of memantine-donepezil combination (630.0) over placebo-donepezil (344.7, P <0.001) and memantine-only (152.1, P <0.001) treatments. Combining memantine and donepezil had an additive effect. Compared with AUC analysis, baseline-to-endpoint change-score analysis underestimated effects of combination therapy, monotherapies, or both.

Conclusions

This large pooled area-under-the-curve analysis of randomized-trial data in moderate to severe AD provides ecologically valid support that adding memantine to stable donepezil results in overall clinical benefits that are additive compared with individual monotherapies, continue to accumulate through six-month treatment, and are at least 50% greater than those of monotherapies.
Cooperative power control in OFDMA small cell networks
Authors: Nie Gaofeng , Tian Hui , Ren Jiazhi , Wang Jing , Liu Liu , Jiang Huiling
Published: March 2015

This paper aims at improving the system throughput of orthogonal frequency division multiple access small cell networks. Different with traditional schemes that neglect the cooperation among small cells, a scheme named as resource block exclusion-based power control (RBEBPC) is proposed by sharing the interference correlated information. RBEBPC consists of two steps that are iteratively conducted. First, based on current power allocation results, partial system resource blocks are excluded by playing the formulated cooperative coalition formation games. Second, the transmission power of each small cell is determined by solving a modified throughput maximization problem after the resource block exclusion. As the generated interference is constrained in the second step, part of the small cells transmit without full power. Thereby, the overall system interference keeps non-increasing after RBEBPC is adopted. Simulation results indicate that about 15% system throughput gain and 13% power saving gain are obtained compared to traditional iterative water filling scheme.
Impact of injection dose, post-reconstruction filtering, and collimator choice on image quality of myocardial perfusion SPECT using cadmium-zinc telluride detectors in the rat
Authors: Mizutani Asuka , Matsunari Ichiro , Kobayashi Masato , Nishi Kodai , Fujita Wataru , Miyazaki Yoshiharu , Nekolla Stephan G , Kawai Keiichi
Published: March 2015

Background

The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the impact of injection dose, post-reconstruction filtering, and collimator choice on image quality of myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using cadmium-zinc telluride (CZT) detectors and (2) to determine how these factors affect measured infarct size in the in vivo rat.

Methods

Twenty-four healthy and eight myocardial infarct (MI) rats underwent myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging after injection of various doses (25 to 200 MBq) of 99mTc-tetrofosmin using a standard (STD) five-pinhole collimator and high-sensitivity (HS) five-pinhole collimator. Image quality score, contrast-to-noise ratio, sharpness index, coefficient of variation (CV), and measured defect size were assessed as measures of image quality.

Results

The image quality score increased and CV decreased as a function of injection dose. The contrast-to-noise ratio increased and sharpness index decreased as a function of Gaussian kernel size. When STD and HS were compared, HS tended to show higher image quality score and lower CV than STD. The use of post-reconstruction filter significantly improved image quality score and lessened CV. The reproducibility of defect size measurements, as assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), between the collimators was poor-to-moderate (ICC = −0.31~0.57) with low (25 MBq) injection dose and with no or light (1.5-mm kernel size) filtering, whereas it was good-to-excellent (ICC = 0.75~0.97) with high (200 MBq) dose or low dose with heavy (2.5-mm kernel size) filtering. The filtering-related reproducibility was poor (ICC = −0.18~0.17) for STD with low injection dose, whereas it was good-to-excellent (ICC = 0.79~0.89) for HS. Furthermore, there was a filtering-related underestimation of defect size particularly with the use of heavy smoothing.

Conclusions

Appropriate imaging setting is important to obtain high quality images and thereby reliable measurements using a preclinical myocardial SPECT in the rat. When only a low injection dose (25 MBq) is allowed, we would recommend to use HS with light (1.5-mm kernel size) filtering.
Dental artifacts in the head and neck region: implications for Dixon-based attenuation correction in PET/MR
Authors: Ladefoged Claes N , Hansen Adam E , Keller Sune H , Fischer Barbara M , Rasmussen Jacob H , Law Ian , Kjær Andreas , Højgaard Liselotte , Lauze Francois , Beyer Thomas , Andersen Flemming L
Published: March 2015

Background

In the absence of CT or traditional transmission sources in combined clinical positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) systems, MR images are used for MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). The susceptibility effects due to metal implants challenge MR-AC in the neck region of patients with dental implants. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and magnitude of subsequent PET image distortions following MR-AC.

Methods

A total of 148 PET/MR patients with clear visual signal voids on the attenuation map in the dental region were included in this study. Patients were injected with [18F]-FDG, [11C]-PiB, [18F]-FET, or [64Cu]-DOTATATE. The PET/MR data were acquired over a single-bed position of 25.8 cm covering the head and neck. MR-AC was based on either standard MR-ACDIXON or MR-ACINPAINTED where the susceptibility-induced signal voids were substituted with soft tissue information. Our inpainting algorithm delineates the outer contour of signal voids breaching the anatomical volume using the non-attenuation-corrected PET image and classifies the inner air regions based on an aligned template of likely dental artifact areas. The reconstructed PET images were evaluated visually and quantitatively using regions of interests in reference regions. The volume of the artifacts and the computed relative differences in mean and max standardized uptake value (SUV) between the two PET images are reported.

Results

The MR-based volume of the susceptibility-induced signal voids on the MR-AC attenuation maps was between 1.6 and 520.8 mL. The corresponding/resulting bias of the reconstructed tracer distribution was localized mainly in the area of the signal void. The mean and maximum SUVs averaged across all patients increased after inpainting by 52% (± 11%) and 28% (± 11%), respectively, in the corrected region. SUV underestimation decreased with the distance to the signal void and correlated with the volume of the susceptibility artifact on the MR-AC attenuation map.

Conclusions

Metallic dental work may cause severe MR signal voids. The resulting PET/MR artifacts may exceed the actual volume of the dental fillings. The subsequent bias in PET is severe in regions in and near the signal voids and may affect the conspicuity of lesions in the mandibular region.
Kisspeptin Regulation of Arcuate Neuron Excitability in Kisspeptin Receptor Knockout Mice
Authors: Liu Xinhuai , Herbison Allan
Published: March 2015

The G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) is critical for kisspeptin to activate GnRH neurons to modulate fertility. However, the often mismatching distribution of kisspeptin and GPR54 in the brain suggests that kisspeptin may also act on other receptors. The arcuate nucleus (ARN) is one brain region with a very high density of kisspeptin fibers but only limited evidence for the expression of GPR54. Using acute brain slice electrophysiology in combination with Gpr54 knockout (GPR54KO) mouse models, we examined whether actions of kisspeptin in the ARN were dependent upon GPR54. Cell-attached recordings from unidentified ARN neurons in wild-type mice revealed that approximately one third of neurons were either excited or inhibited by kisspeptin in a dose-dependent manner. The responses of ARN neurons to kisspeptin were exactly the same in GPR54KO mice despite effects of kisspeptin on GnRH neurons being abolished. To evaluate whether kisspeptin may be acting through neuropeptide FF receptors, the effects of an agonist RFamide-related peptide 3 (RFRP-3) and antagonists RF9 and BIBP-3226 were evaluated. Both the excitatory and inhibitory effects of kisspeptin were mimicked by the agonist RFRP-3. RF9 itself activated ARN neurons and suppressed only the inhibitory actions of kisspeptin. BIBP-3226 suppressed kisspeptin actions in 50% of neurons. Whole-cell recordings in GPR54KO mice demonstrated that both kisspeptin and RFRP-3 acted directly on the same ARN neurons and activated the same ion channels. Together, these studies demonstrate that kisspeptin can act partly through neuropeptide FF receptors to modulate neuronal activity independent of GPR54 in the mouse brain.
A Grhl2-dependent gene network controls trophoblast branching morphogenesis
Authors: Walentin Katharina , Hinze Christian , Werth Max , Haase Nadine , Varma Saaket , Morell Robert , Aue Annekatrin , Pötschke Elisabeth , Warburton David , Qiu Andong , Barasch Jonathan , Purfürst Bettina , Dieterich Christoph , Popova Elena , Bader Michael , Dechend Ralf , Staff Anne Cathrine , Yurtdas Zeliha Yesim , Kilic Ergin , Schmidt-Ott Kai M.
Published: March 2015

Healthy placental development is essential for reproductive success; failure of the feto-maternal interface results in pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation. We found that grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2), a CP2-type transcription factor, is highly expressed in chorionic trophoblast cells, including basal chorionic trophoblast (BCT) cells located at the chorioallantoic interface in murine placentas. Placentas from Grhl2-deficient mouse embryos displayed defects in BCT cell polarity and basement membrane integrity at the chorioallantoic interface, as well as a severe disruption of labyrinth branching morphogenesis. Selective Grhl2 inactivation only in epiblast-derived cells rescued all placental defects but phenocopied intraembryonic defects observed in global Grhl2 deficiency, implying the importance of Grhl2 activity in trophectoderm-derived cells. ChIP-seq identified 5282 GRHL2 binding sites in placental tissue. By integrating these data with placental gene expression profiles, we identified direct and indirect Grhl2 targets and found a marked enrichment of GRHL2 binding adjacent to genes downregulated in Grhl2−/− placentas, which encoded known regulators of placental development and epithelial morphogenesis. These genes included that encoding the serine protease inhibitor Kunitz type 1 (Spint1), which regulates BCT cell integrity and labyrinth formation. In human placenta, we found that human orthologs of murine GRHL2 and its targets displayed co-regulation and were expressed in trophoblast cells in a similar domain as in mouse placenta. Our data indicate that a conserved Grhl2-coordinated gene network controls trophoblast branching morphogenesis, thereby facilitating development of the site of feto-maternal exchange. This might have implications for syndromes related to placental dysfunction.
The serpin PN1 is a feedback regulator of FGF signaling in germ layer and primary axis formation
Authors: Acosta Helena , Iliev Dobromir , Grahn Tan Hooi Min , Gouignard Nadège , Maccarana Marco , Griesbach Julia , Herzmann Svende , Sagha Mohsen , Climent Maria , Pera Edgar M.
Published: March 2015

Germ layer formation and primary axis development rely on Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). In Xenopus, the secreted serine protease HtrA1 induces mesoderm and posterior trunk/tail structures by facilitating the spread of FGF signals. Here, we show that the serpin Protease nexin-1 (PN1) is transcriptionally activated by FGF signals, suppresses mesoderm and promotes head development in mRNA-injected embryos. An antisense morpholino oligonucleotide against PN1 has the opposite effect and inhibits ectodermal fate. However, ectoderm and anterior head structures can be restored in PN1-depleted embryos when HtrA1 and FGF receptor activities are diminished, indicating that FGF signals negatively regulate their formation. We show that PN1 binds to and inhibits HtrA1, prevents degradation of the proteoglycan Syndecan 4 and restricts paracrine FGF/Erk signaling. Our data suggest that PN1 is a negative-feedback regulator of FGF signaling and has important roles in ectoderm and head development.
Otolith tethering in the zebrafish otic vesicle requires Otogelin and α-Tectorin
Authors: Stooke-Vaughan Georgina A. , Obholzer Nikolaus D. , Baxendale Sarah , Megason Sean G. , Whitfield Tanya T.
Published: March 2015

Otoliths are biomineralised structures important for balance and hearing in fish. Their counterparts in the mammalian inner ear, otoconia, have a primarily vestibular function. Otoliths and otoconia form over sensory maculae and are attached to the otolithic membrane, a gelatinous extracellular matrix that provides a physical coupling between the otolith and the underlying sensory epithelium. In this study, we have identified two proteins required for otolith tethering in the zebrafish ear, and propose that there are at least two stages to this process: seeding and maintenance. The initial seeding step, in which otolith precursor particles tether directly to the tips of hair cell kinocilia, fails to occur in the einstein (eis) mutant. The gene disrupted in eis is otogelin (otog); mutations in the human OTOG gene have recently been identified as causative for deafness and vestibular dysfunction (DFNB18B). At later larval stages, maintenance of otolith tethering to the saccular macula is dependent on tectorin alpha (tecta) function, which is disrupted in the rolling stones (rst) mutant. α-Tectorin (Tecta) is a major constituent of the tectorial membrane in the mammalian cochlea. Mutations in the human TECTA gene can cause either dominant (DFNA8/12) or recessive (DFNB21) forms of deafness. Our findings indicate that the composition of extracellular otic membranes is highly conserved between mammals and fish, reinforcing the view that the zebrafish is an excellent model system for the study of deafness and vestibular disease.
Gata2b is a restricted early regulator of hemogenic endothelium in the zebrafish embryo
Authors: Butko Emerald , Distel Martin , Pouget Claire , Weijts Bart , Kobayashi Isao , Ng Kevin , Mosimann Christian , Poulain Fabienne E. , McPherson Adam , Ni Chih-Wen , Stachura David L. , Del Cid Natasha , Espín-Palazón Raquel , Lawson Nathan D. , Dorsky Richard , Clements Wilson K. , Traver David
Published: March 2015

The adult blood system is established by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which arise during development from an endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition of cells comprising the floor of the dorsal aorta. Expression of aortic runx1 has served as an early marker of HSC commitment in the zebrafish embryo, but recent studies have suggested that HSC specification begins during the convergence of posterior lateral plate mesoderm (PLM), well before aorta formation and runx1 transcription. Further understanding of the earliest stages of HSC specification necessitates an earlier marker of hemogenic endothelium. Studies in mice have suggested that GATA2 might function at early stages within hemogenic endothelium. Two orthologs of Gata2 exist in zebrafish: gata2a and gata2b. Here, we report that gata2b expression initiates during the convergence of PLM, becoming restricted to emerging HSCs. We observe Notch-dependent gata2b expression within the hemogenic subcompartment of the dorsal aorta that is in turn required to initiate runx1 expression. Our results indicate that Gata2b functions within hemogenic endothelium from an early stage, whereas Gata2a functions more broadly throughout the vascular system.
Dielectrically-Consistent Stell Correction for Integral Equation Theory on Electrolyte Solutions
Authors: Yamaguchi Tsuyoshi , Koda Shinobu
Published: March 2015

The dielectrically-consistent reference interaction-site model (DRISM) theory is a popular method to treat electrolyte solutions with integral equation theory, because it guarantees the consistency of the dielectric constants evaluated from both solute and solvent routes. It is shown in this work, however, that the DRISM theory yields unphysically strong divergence of the site–site direct correlation function in the low-k limit. A modification of the DRISM theory is proposed to avoid the strong low-k divergence, and it is also demonstrated that the modification reduces to a natural extension of the dielectric correction proposed by Stell and co-workers.
Trends in management practice for tourism destinations
Authors: Харитонова Татьяна , Kharitonova Tatyana , Вапнярская Ольга , Vapnyarskaya Olga , Кривошеева Татьяна , Krivosheeva Tatiana
Published: March 2015

Management of tourist destinations abroad over many years is the subject of research and practical elaborations. The key aim of destination management is ensuring its competitiveness. To achieve this goal, experts offer a variety of approaches, methods, mechanisms. Based on the composition of the management system for tourist destinations, the article presents the trends in this field which are pertinent to Russia. First of all, to such trends can be related development of tourist resources as creation and promotion of conceptual tourist resources. A relatively new trend is the development of private and corporate museums. To Russian trends in destination management can be attributed integration of tourist sites in the tourism industry due to a more comprehensive utilization of tourist technologies in display and interpretation. Of course, an important trend is the development of information technologies in tourism, tourist navigation systems. To the list of trends should be added diversification of tourism products of destinations through the development of new types of tourism. The article shows the transition to the tourism product customization by offering tourists the opportunity to form desired tour packages. The article presents the results of the analysis of governance in the management of tourist destinations. The article substantiates the conclusion that tourist destinations are transformed from usual tourist regions into territorial structural units of the tourism industry, with extensive capabilities to meet diverse needs of tourism; resulting in: development of new types of tourism and forming conceptual tourism products; improvement of tourism infrastructure, including its information and service components; improving the quality of services provided. For businesses also uncover some opportunities in terms of entrepreneurial initiatives.
An analysis of regional strategies and programs in the framework of the development of automobile tourism in the Central Federal District
Authors: Саранча Михаил , Sarancha Mikhail
Published: March 2015

The article reflects the results of a study of sectoral and integrated strategies, concepts and programs for regional development in order to identify the situation in the field of regulation of development of automobile tourism in the Central Federal District. At the first stage considered are the place, functions, activities and prospects of automobile tourism in socio-economic development as the Central Federal District, as well as individual regions of the Russian Federation; at the second phase highlighted are strategies, concepts and programs of development of tourism from federal to regional level, at the third stage in the focus placed highway and transportation development programs in the Federal District and its regions. Materials for each document are systematized in the summary table by region and district. According to comprehensive industry and tourism documents, at all levels and in most parts of the county there is understanding of the role, functions and problems of development of automobile tourism, and transport infrastructure and services which are closely associated with it. Respective program activities

are laid down. However, in the highway and transportation development programs Tourism issues have yet not received attention. Thus, there is a major problem in the development of one of the most promising and popular public areas of tourism associated with the inconsistency of industry regulation in the country and regions which harms tourism as a cross-industry complex phenomenon. A separate place is reserved for field monitoring of the state of roads and roadside services in major highways of the county, which revealed the existence of serious problems with: infrastructure, service, compliance with the rules and organization of road safety. Regulations on requirements to infrastructure along the highways is more formal than essential, which is expressed by appropriate equipment requirements for highways, but having actual problems. Based on the detected situation, conclusions and suggestions are made on the ways of solving problems.
Accounting for globalization processes as the principle of comparative analysis of pedagogical models of education in the field of tourism
Authors: Сахарчук Елена , Sakharchuk Elena
Published: March 2015

This article is the latest in a series of publications on international comparative educational studies of the structure and content features of different national models of training for tourism. Based on the analysis of the degree of knowledge of the structure and content of tourism education, its specific features, especially foreign models, the basic methodological concepts and content of comparative educational research the article proves the conclusion about the necessity of applying the principle of accounting for processes of globalization as a leading principle of comparative pedagogical analysis for tourism education. Globalization processes affecting the socio-economic development of all countries are treated today as a catalyst for the development of world tourism, which is probably more than any other branches of economic activities develops in a constant mainstream development of advanced technologies and innovations. The degree of integration of national tourism in the world tourist area, and the level of development of the world standards of basic tourist services determine its competitiveness in the world. Thus, training for the tourism industry to a greater extent is aimed at studying the development of technology and quality standards recognized at the global level. Studies of professional education in the context of globalization processes have been carried out by many scientists, however, for the first time in this article fundamental accounting for processes of globalization in tourism education is suggested: national education system has integrated into the global education space [11] at the level of standardization of the structure, and this provision applies to the formation of any professional field; professional education in tourism, along with integration at the level of the structure has all the prerequisites to synchronize to a large extent the content of education as it relates to technology and organization of tourist services and the tourism product development.