bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Azithromycin and metronidazole versus metronidazole-based therapy for the induction of remission in mild to moderate paediatric Crohn’s disease : a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Levine Arie , Kori Michal , Kierkus Jarek , Sigall Boneh Rotem , Sladek Malgorzata , Escher Johanna C , Wine Eytan , Yerushalmi Baruch , Amil Dias Jorge , Shaoul Ron , Veereman Wauters Gigi , Boaz Mona , Abitbol Guila , Bousvaros Athos , Turner Dan
Published: February 2018

Objective

Crohn’s disease (CD) pathogenesis associated with dysbiosis and presence of pathobionts in the lumen, intracellular compartments and epithelial biofilms. Azithromycin is active in all three compartments. Our goal was to evaluate if azithromycin-based therapy can improve response and induce remission compared with metronidazole alone in paediatric CD.

Design

This blinded randomised controlled trial allocated children 5–18 years with 10<Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (PCDAI)≤40 to azithromycin 7.5 mg/kg, 5 days/week for 4 weeks and 3 days/week for another 4 weeks with metronidazole 20 mg/kg/day (group 1) or metronidazole alone (group 2), daily for 8 weeks. Failures from group 2 were offered azithromycin as open label. The primary end point was response defined by a decrease in PCDAI>12.5 or remission using intention to treat analysis.

Results

73 patients (mean age 13.8±3.1 years) were enrolled, 35 to group 1 and 38 to group 2. Response and remission rates at week 8 were identical 23/35 (66%) in group 1 and 17/38 (45%) and 15/38 (39%) in group 2 (P=0.07 and P=0.025, respectively). The needed to treat for remission was 3.7. Faecal calprotectin declined significantly in group 1 (P=0.003) but not in group 2 (p=0.33), and was lower at week 8 (P=0.052). Additional therapy was required in 6/35(17%) from group 1 versus 16/38(42%) in group 2 (P=0.027) by week 8. Among 12 failures in group 2, open-label azithromycin led to remission in 10/12 (83%).

Conclusions

The combination of azithromycin and metronidazole failed to improve response but was superior for induction of remission and reduction in calprotectin.

Trial registration number

NCT01596894.
Secondary mitral regurgitation (part 2): deliberations on mitral surgery and transcatheter repair
Authors: Gaasch William H , Meyer Theo E
Published: February 2018

Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) develops as a consequence of postinfarction remodelling of the ventricle or other causes of left ventricular (LV) dilatation and dysfunction. The presence of MR amplifies the poor prognosis of the failing ventricle, but it has not been established whether the adverse outcomes stem from the MR or whether the MR is simply a marker of progressive LV dysfunction. In this article, an attempt will be made to clarify the clinical impact of mitral surgery and transcatheter repair in patients with secondary MR. Observational studies indicate symptomatic improvement, but the results of randomised trials are mixed. Furthermore, neither mitral surgery nor transcatheter repair consistently leads to reversal of the adverse LV remodelling. There is, however, general agreement that these procedures do not have a salutary effect on survival. Certainly mitral surgery and transcatheter repair can substantially reduce the mitral regurgitant flow, but inconsistencies and uncertainties regarding clinical outcomes persist in the published literature. Some such problems could be resolved by utilisation of more accurate and reproducible imaging modalities in randomised studies of patients who are most likely to benefit from a reduction in the regurgitant volume—namely those with the most severe MR.
Association of different antiplatelet therapies with mortality after primary percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Olier Ivan , Sirker Alex , Hildick-Smith David J R , Kinnaird Tim , Ludman Peter , de Belder Mark A , Baumbach Andreas , Byrne Jonathan , Rashid Muhammad , Curzen Nick , Mamas Mamas A
Published: February 2018

Objectives

Prasugrel and ticagrelor both reduce ischaemic endpoints in high-risk acute coronary syndromes, compared with clopidogrel. However, comparative outcomes of these two newer drugs in the context of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. We sought to examine this question using the British Cardiovascular Interventional Society national database in patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI.

Methods

Data from January 2007 to December 2014 were used to compare use of P2Y12 antiplatelet drugs in primary PCI in >89 000 patients. Statistical modelling, involving propensity matching, multivariate logistic regression (MLR) and proportional hazards modelling, was used to study the association of different antiplatelet drug use with all-cause mortality.

Results

In our main MLR analysis, prasugrel was associated with significantly lower mortality than clopidogrel at both 30 days (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.97, P=0.014) and 1 year (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.97, P=0.011) post PCI. Ticagrelor was not associated with any significant differences in mortality compared with clopidogrel at either 30 days (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.21, P=0.237) or 1 year (OR 1.058, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.16, P=0.247). Finally, ticagrelor was associated with significantly higher mortality than prasugrel at both time points (30 days OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.44, P=0.020; 1 year OR 1.19 95% CI 1.04 to 1.35, P=0.01).

Conclusions

In a cohort of over 89 000 patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI in the UK, prasugrel is associated with a lower 30-day and 1-year mortality than clopidogrel and ticagrelor. Given that an adequately powered comparative randomised trial is unlikely to be performed, these data may have implications for routine care.
How to use sequence analysis for life course epidemiology? An example on HIV-positive Sub-Saharan migrants in France
Authors: Gosselin Anne , Desgrées du Loû Annabel , Lelièvre Eva
Published: February 2018

Background

Life course epidemiology is now an established field in social epidemiology; in sociodemography, the quantitative analysis of biographies recently experienced significant trend from event history analysis to sequence analysis. The purpose of this article is to introduce and adapt this methodology to a social epidemiology question, taking the example of the impact of HIV diagnosis on Sub-Saharan migrants’ residential trajectories in the Paris region.

Methods

The sample consists of 640 migrants born in Sub-Saharan Africa receiving HIV care. They were interviewed in healthcare facilities in the Paris region within the PARCOURS project, conducted from 2012 to 2013, using life event history calendars, which recorded year by year their health, family and residential histories. We introduce a two-step methodological approach consisting of (1) sequence analysis by optimal matching to build a typology of migrants’ residential pathways before and after diagnosis, and (2) a Cox model of the probability to experience changes in the residential situation.

Results

The seven-clusters typology shows that for a majority, the HIV diagnosis did not entail changes in residential situation. However 30% of the migrants experienced a change in their residential situation at time of diagnosis. The Cox model analysis reveals that this residential change was in fact moving in with one’s partner (HR 2.99, P<0.000) rather than network rejection.

Conclusion

This original combination of sequence analysis and Cox models is a powerful process that could be applied to other themes and constitutes a new approach in the life course epidemiology toolbox.

Trial registration number

NCT02566148.
Deemed consent: assessing the new opt-out approach to organ procurement in Wales
Authors: Albertsen Andreas
Published: February 2018

In December 2015, Wales became the first country in the UK to move away from an opt-in system in organ procurement. The new legislation introduces the concept of deemed consent whereby a person who neither opt in nor opt out is deemed to have consented to donation. The data released by the National Health Service (NHS) in July 2017 provide an excellent opportunity to assess this legislation in light of concerns that it would decrease procurement rates for living and deceased donation, as well as sparking an increase in family refusals. None of these concerns have come to pass, with Wales experiencing more registered donors, fewer family refusals and more living donations. However, as the number of actual donors has dropped slightly from a high level, the situation must be monitored closely in the years to come.
Effect of 7 days of exercise on exogenous carbohydrate oxidation and insulin resistance in children with obesity
Authors: Chu Lisa , Morrison Katherine M. , Riddell Michael C. , Raha Sandeep , Timmons Brian W.
Published: February 2018

The capacity to match carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation with CHO availability (deemed metabolic flexibility (MetFlex)) may be important for type 2 diabetes prevention. In adults, impaired MetFlex is associated with insulin resistance (IR), which can be improved with as little as 7 days of exercise. Whether this occurs similarly in children is unknown. We hypothesized that 7 consecutive days of exercise would improve MetFlex and IR in children with obesity. Twelve children (8 boys, 4 girls) completed 2 study visits before (PRE) and 2 study visits after (POST) exercise training. At visit 1, fasting blood was collected, and anthropometry and maximal oxygen uptake were assessed. At visit 2, a 13C-enriched CHO drink was ingested before exercise (3 × 20 min) at ∼59% maximal oxygen uptake. Exogenous CHO oxidative efficiency, used as a surrogate measurement of MetFlex, was calculated from breath samples. During training, participants alternated between continuous and high-intensity interval cycling sessions at home under supervision. In spite of good training adherence, there was no improvement in MetFlex (PRE: 20.7% ± 1.8%, POST: 18.9% ± 4.9%, p = 0.22) or homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (PRE: 8.7 ± 4.6, POST: 8.1 ± 6.0, p = 0.51). Future research should investigate exercise volume, sex, and pubertal effects on the early responsiveness of MetFlex to exercise therapy.
Impact of l-citrulline supplementation on oxygen uptake kinetics during walking
Authors: Ashley John , Kim Youngdeok , Gonzales Joaquin U.
Published: February 2018

Supplementation with l-citrulline (Cit) has been shown to improve muscle oxygenation and oxygen uptake kinetics during moderate- to high-intensity cycling in young men. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Cit would improve oxygen uptake kinetics during walking in older and young adults. In a randomized, double-blind study, 26 (15 women, 11 men) adults between the ages of 20–35 years (n = 15) and 64–86 years (n = 11) completed 7-day periods of taking placebo and Cit (6 g/day) in a crossover manner. Participants walked on a treadmill at 40% heart rate reserve while pulmonary oxygen uptake was measured using indirect calorimetry. Net oxygen cost, mean response time (MRT), and the oxygen deficit were calculated before and after each supplement period. There was no significant change (P > 0.05) in net oxygen cost, MRT, or the oxygen deficit after Cit in older adults, while young adults showed a decrease (P = 0.05) in the oxygen deficit after Cit that tended (P = 0.053) to be different than the change after placebo. Sex-stratified analysis revealed that Cit decreased MRT (P = 0.04, Cohen’s d = 0.41) and the oxygen deficit (P < 0.01, Cohen’s d = 0.56) in men with the change after Cit being greater than the change after placebo (MRT: −4.5 ± 2.1 vs. 3.4 ± 2.1 s, P = 0.01; deficit: −0.15 ± 0.05 vs. 0.01 ± 0.05 L, P = 0.02). All oxygen uptake parameters were unchanged (P > 0.05) following Cit and placebo in women. Cit does not alter the oxygen cost of moderate-intensity walking in young or older adults, but Cit improved the rate of rise in oxygen uptake at exercise onset in men.
Lipid and carotenoid synthesis by Rhodosporidium diobovatum, grown on glucose versus glycerol, and its biodiesel properties
Authors: Nasirian Nima , Mirzaie Maryam , Cicek Nazim , Levin David B.
Published: February 2018

Relationships between lipid and carotenoid synthesis by Rhodosporidium diobovatum were investigated for cell cultures in nitrogen-limited medium (GMY) containing equimolar amounts of carbon of glucose or glycerol. The cultures were also supplemented with additional substrate at 120 h postinoculation (pi) and during a fed-batch experiment. Growth of R. diobovatum on glucose resulted in higher yields of triacyglycerides (TAGs) and carotenoid than when grown on glycerol, even though the cultures contained equimolar amounts of carbon. After the addition of fresh substrate at 120 h pi, total carotenoid concentrations were significantly different from the concentrations measured at 120 h pi in both glucose and glycerol cultures, with no concomitant increase in lipid concentrations, suggesting that carotenoid synthesis is linked to exponential-phase growth, while lipid synthesis is linked to stationary phase. We also compared the calculated properties of biodiesel that could be made with TAGs derived from R. diobovatum with properties of biodiesel made from TAGs of other oleaginous yeasts, microalgae, vegetable oils, and animal fats. This study shows that R. diobovatum can be an effective strain for production of neutral lipids containing high percentages of oleic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acid, as well as carotenoids.
Identifying and ranking influential spreaders in complex networks by combining a local-degree sum and the clustering coefficient
Authors: Li Mengtian , Zhang Ruisheng , Hu Rongjing , Yang Fan , Yao Yabing , Yuan Yongna
Published: February 2018

Identifying influential spreaders is a crucial problem that can help authorities to control the spreading process in complex networks. Based on the classical degree centrality (DC), several improved measures have been presented. However, these measures cannot rank spreaders accurately. In this paper, we first calculate the sum of the degrees of the nearest neighbors of a given node, and based on the calculated sum, a novel centrality named clustered local-degree (CLD) is proposed, which combines the sum and the clustering coefficients of nodes to rank spreaders. By assuming that the spreading process in networks follows the susceptible–infectious–recovered (SIR) model, we perform extensive simulations on a series of real networks to compare the performances between the CLD centrality and other six measures. The results show that the CLD centrality has a competitive performance in distinguishing the spreading ability of nodes, and exposes the best performance to identify influential spreaders accurately.
The effect of d and f states of ytterbium on the electronic and magnetic properties of Al1−xYbxN: DFT+U study
Authors: Belhachi S.
Published: February 2018

Using density functional theory combined LSDA+U method, the structural, electronic and magnetic behaviors of ytterbium implanted in wurtzite AlN were investigated. Low formation energy shows that Yb atom favors to substitute for Al site and to confirm this stability, the adsorption energy has been calculated. It is found that Al[Formula: see text]Yb[Formula: see text]N possesses a semiconductor behavior. The magnetic moment 0.9891 [Formula: see text] per molecule principally comes from Yb ion with small contribution from the Al and N atoms. We predict that Yb ions order ferromagnetically in AlN. The hybridization between the f orbital of the Yb atom and the p orbital of the N atom is also observed. We see that AlN:Yb will be among the good candidates for spintronic applications.
Effect of electric field, dielectric screening and conduction band nonparabolicity of donor in a quantum dot
Authors: Rejo Jeice A. , Jayam Sr. Gerardin , Joseph Wilson K. S.
Published: February 2018

The effect of electric field, dielectric screening, conduction band nonparabolicity and effective mass mismatch of a hydrogenic donor in a GaAs/Ga[Formula: see text]Al[Formula: see text]As spherical quantum dot is investigated by assuming parabolic confinement using variational method. In the present work we obtain the increase of binding energy by decreasing the dot size for certain dot radii (50 Å) and the screening function gives uniformly larger values for smaller dot size. The effect of electric field and temperature decrease the donor binding energy whereas the conduction band nonparabolicity leads to increased binding energy.
Optimal resource allocation strategy for two-layer complex networks
Authors: Ma Jinlong , Wang Lixin , Li Sufeng , Duan Congwen , Liu Yu
Published: February 2018

We study the traffic dynamics on two-layer complex networks, and focus on its delivery capacity allocation strategy to enhance traffic capacity measured by the critical value [Formula: see text]. With the limited packet-delivering capacity, we propose a delivery capacity allocation strategy which can balance the capacities of non-hub nodes and hub nodes to optimize the data flow. With the optimal value of parameter [Formula: see text], the maximal network capacity is reached because most of the nodes have shared the appropriate delivery capacity by the proposed delivery capacity allocation strategy. Our work will be beneficial to network service providers to design optimal networked traffic dynamics.
Exact optical solitons in (n + 1)-dimensions with anti-cubic nonlinearity
Authors: Younis Muhammad , Shahid Iram , Anbreen Sumaira , Rizvi Syed Tahir Raza
Published: February 2018

The paper studies the propagation of optical solitons in [Formula: see text]-dimensions under anti-cubic law of nonlinearity. The bright, dark and singular optical solitons are extracted using the extended trial equation method. The constraint conditions, for the existence of these solitons, are also listed. Additionally, a couple of other solutions known as singular periodic and Jacobi elliptic solutions, fall out as a by-product of this scheme. The obtained results are new and reported first time in [Formula: see text]-dimensions with anti-cubic law of nonlinearity.
SAT-Based Data Mining
Authors: Boudane Abdelhamid , Jabbour Saïd , Sais Lakhdar , Salhi Yakoub
Published: February 2018

Several propositional satisfiability (SAT) based encodings have been proposed to deal with various data mining problems including itemset and sequence mining problems. This research issue allows to model data mining problems in a declarative way, while exploiting efficient SAT solving techniques. In this paper, we overview our contributions on the application of propositional satisfiability (SAT) to model and solve itemset mining tasks. We first present a SAT based encoding of frequent closed itemset mining task as a propositional formula whose models corresponds to the patterns to be mined. Secondly, we show that some data mining constraints can be avoided by reformulation. We illustrate this issue by reformulating the closeness constraint using the notion of minimal models. Finally, we also addressed the scalability issue, one of the most important challenge of these nice declarative framework. To this end, we proposed a complete partition based approach whose aim is to avoid encoding the whole database as a single formula. Using a partition on the set of items, our new approach leads to several propositional formulas of reasonable size. The experimental evaluation on several known datasets shows huge improvements in comparison to the direct approach without partitioning, while reducing significantly the performance gap with respect to specialized algorithms.
Boolean-Based Dependency Management for the Eclipse Ecosystem
Authors: Le Berre Daniel , Rapicault Pascal
Published: February 2018

In June 2008, the Eclipse open platform released a new dependency management system called p2. That system was based on the translation of the dependency management problem into a pseudo-Boolean optimization problem, to be handled by the Sat4j solver. Since then, p2 has been more tightly integrated with Sat4j, the platform opened a public plugin repository (the Eclipse marketplace) which relies on p2 to install the available plugins and their dependencies, and became the favorite way to install plugins in the Eclipse community. This paper summarizes the issues raised by Eclipse dependency management, its pseudo-Boolean encoding within p2, its extension for Linux package management with p2cudf, and concludes with lessons learned on using research software in production systems.
On Admissible Consensuses
Authors: Grégoire Éric , Izza Yacine , Zhang Du
Published: February 2018

Consensus-finding is a ubiquitous paradigm in both A.I. and everyday life. Recently, a computational approach to consensus-finding has been introduced in the standard clausal Boolean logic framework. It captures non-contradictory fragments of the information conveyed by different agents such that these fragments do not logically conflict with any of the agents. This kind of consensuses concerns open-minded agents: On one side, these agents accept to drop their own information that contradicts other agents. On the other side, they can accept any information from another agent provided that this latter information does not contradict them. In this study, it is shown that a family of consensuses might not actually be endorsed by these open-minded agents, due to the usual ad-hoc logical representation of knowledge and well-known paradoxes linked to material implication. Accordingly, we trim the set of consensuses by filtering out these undesirable consensuses and keep so-called admissible consensuses, only. A computational approach that is based on the SAT technologies and that delivers one maximal admissible consensus is then investigated.
An Improved Contact Formulation for Impact Crack Simulations in a Laminated Glass Beam
Authors: Chen Shunhua , Zang Mengyan , Yoshimura Shinobu , Zheng Zumei
Published: February 2018

Laminated glass is a simple sandwiched structure, which, however, is widely used in automotive and architectural industries. The well-known extrinsic cohesive zone model has proved to be a powerful numerical approach for the glass-ply crack simulations in laminated glass, where the classical node-to-segment contact treatment is usually employed. However, an unphysical phenomenon, named contact force jump, may arise during crack simulations, thereby resulting in numerical instabilities or incorrect simulation results. To address this issue, we develop an improved node-to-segment contact formulation to make the contact interactions in extrinsic crack simulations more stable. The main idea is to keep the number of contact constraints constant before and after cracking. The improved contact formulation is very simple and easy to implement, which, however, is effective to address the unphysical phenomenon. Three numerical examples, including the impact crack simulations of a laminated glass beam, are performed to validate the accuracy and effectiveness of the improved contact formulation.
3D DDA Based on Variational Inequality Theory and Its Solution Scheme
Authors: Jiang W. , Zheng H. , Sun G. H. , Chen W. , Song P. C.
Published: February 2018

The advantage of 3D discontinuous deformation analysis (3D DDA) is the rigorous contact conditions on the interaction of 3D blocks. These conditions are enforced by the penalty function convention; however, inappropriate penalty parameters easily generate numerical instability. To avoid the introduction of the penalty parameters, the contact conditions in 3D DDA are described as variational inequalities in this study, and the extra-gradient method is employed to solve this new formulation of 3D DDA. The proposed computation scheme is more flexible and dispenses with large scale matrix inversion. Some practical examples originally designed by Shi are analysed, verifying the effectiveness and precision of the new scheme.
ReSC
Authors: Yang Kun , Forte Domenic , Tehranipoor Mark
Published: February 2018

The Internet of Things (IoT), an emerging global network of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure, is transforming how we live and work by increasing the connectedness of people and things on a scale that was once unimaginable. In addition to facilitated information and service exchange between connected objects, enhanced computing power and analytic capabilities of individual objects, and increased interaction between objects and their environments, the IoT also raises new security and privacy challenges. Hardware trust across the IoT supply chain is the foundation of IoT security and privacy. Two major supply chain issues—disappearance/theft of authentic IoT devices and appearance of inauthentic ones—have to be addressed to secure the IoT supply chain and lay the foundation for further security and privacy-defensive measures. Comprehensive solutions that enable IoT device authentication and traceability across the entire supply chain (i.e., during distribution and after being provisioned) need to be established. Existing hardware, software, and network protection methods, however, do not address IoT supply chain issues. To mitigate this shortcoming, we propose an RFID-enabled solution called ReSC that aims at defending the IoT supply chain. By incorporating three techniques—one-to-one mapping between RFID tag identity and control chip identity; unique tag trace, which records tag provenance and history information; and neighborhood attestation of IoT devices—ReSC is resistant to split attacks (i.e., separating tag from product, swapping tags), counterfeit injection, product theft throughout the entire supply chain, device recycling, and illegal network service access (e.g., Internet, cable TV, online games, remote firmware updates). Simulations, theoretical analysis, and experimental results based on a printed circuit board (PCB) prototype demonstrate the effectiveness of ReSC. Finally, we evaluate the security of our proposed scheme against various attacks.
On Impact
Authors: Stafford Tom
Published: February 2018

Nothing matters as much in our world of published research as does Impact. Perhaps tenure and promotion are more important, on the face of it, but when considered carefully, T&P comes as the result of our own research work having Impact. We want our work to matter; we want our journal to matter. We want the world to notice what we are doing and approve of it. Impact: it's our coin of the realm, pretty much. I like journal editing because it makes me feel like I have an impact on the field. Not in any particularly vainglorious way, but rather in a sense of service. Editing makes me feel like I'm playing a part in helping important research come to the attention of the colleagues. If I can help others have Impact with their carefully crafted research, then I feel my editorial service has Impact, as well-and that satisfies my need for playing a part in the advancement of science. Impact: it's important. It's also sort of vaguely understood, despite the metrics we have at hand to indicate it and assess it. This leads to an issue of internal validity, in my mind, as regards what Impact is and what it means. To repeat a bit of Appalachian wisdom from my youth as regards my naive understanding of Impact, "I'm no judge of beauty, but I sure know ugly when I see it." Impact is like that. We know it better by what it is not than by what it is, from the critical realist's perspective. That is why Stacie and I agreed that at some point a brief essay on Impact and its meaning in the context of your Data Base would be a good thing. I undertake that task here, in this editorial. I undertake it from the perspective of one who has lived and breathed Impact at Data Base for over a decade. I once would have said, "The crowning achievement of my last term in the Editor's seat was achieving Journal Citation Report survey status from Thomson Reuters for development of an Impact Factor score."
Influential Users in Social Network Services
Authors: Kim Young-Kyu , Lee Dongwon , Lee Janghyuk , Lee Ji-Hwan , Straub Detmar W.
Published: February 2018

Social network services (SNSs) are fundamentally transforming the way businesses communicate with customers. Key issues in understanding social media and such services include how to generate more information traffic and how to increase information exposure. Unlike previous studies in the research stream studying patterns of information diffusion, we investigate the role of influential Twitter users, focusing on their positions in social networks, in redistributing contents generated by other users. To do this, we employ sociological theories in determining which characteristics of connecting users provide more influence. Specifically, a connecting user's position in networks observable to audience affects the user's influence in a way that connecting users with relatively high status and those embedded in a closely connected community exert the greatest impact on the network. Moreover, the value of a connecting user's network position can be contingent on the source user's status and network position: a high-status connecting user contributes more to information diffusion when tweets are generated by a low-status source user, and a connecting user who is embedded in a well-connected network contributes more to information diffusion when tweets are generated by a source user in a brokerage position. After exploring data on tweets about Apple products and services, we find evidence that support this set of theoretical claims. Such findings would also provide a useful guidance for practitioners to enhance information diffusion by effectively designing the sequence of content recipients based on their network positions.
The Role of Sense of Presence and Irritation in the Context of Mobile Social Network Sites
Authors: Park Jonghwa , Jung Yoonhyuk , Cho Wooje
Published: February 2018

While mobile social network sites (SNSs) function as a platform for social and self-communication that leads to sense of others and oneself, users may feel irritation derived from social interaction and technical frustration in using mobile SNSs. Because of the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, sense of presence and irritation are more influential to users' satisfaction of mobile SNSs. This study investigates the influence of a sense of presence and irritation on users' satisfaction with mobile SNSs. Additionally, the study examines a moderating effect of mobile SNS use intensity between sense of presence (social and self-presence) and irritation (social and technological irritation) and their outcomes. The study contributes to knowledge on social media users, particularly in the mobile context, by proposing and demonstrating a presence-irritation model
A population neuroscience approach to the study of cerebral small vessel disease in midlife and late life: an invited review
Authors: Jorgensen Dana R. , Shaaban C. Elizabeth , Wiley Clayton A. , Gianaros Peter J. , Mettenburg Joseph , Rosano Caterina
Published: February 2018

Aging in later life engenders numerous changes to the cerebral microvasculature. Such changes can remain clinically silent but are associated with greater risk for negative health outcomes over time. Knowledge is limited about the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of potentially detrimental changes in the cerebral microvasculature that occur with advancing age. In this review, we summarize literature on aging of the cerebral microvasculature, and we propose a conceptual framework to fill existing research gaps and advance future work on this heterogeneous phenomenon. We propose that the major gaps in this area are attributable to an incomplete characterization of cerebrovascular pathology, the populations being studied, and the temporality of exposure to risk factors. Specifically, currently available measures of age-related cerebral microvasculature changes are indirect, primarily related to parenchymal damage rather than direct quantification of small vessel damage, limiting the understanding of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) itself. Moreover, studies seldom account for variability in the health-related conditions or interactions with risk factors, which are likely determinants of cSVD pathogenesis. Finally, study designs are predominantly cross-sectional and/or have relied on single time point measures, leaving no clear evidence of time trajectories of risk factors or of change in cerebral microvasculature. We argue that more resources should be invested in 1) developing methodological approaches and basic science models to better understand the pathogenic and etiological nature of age-related brain microvascular diseases and 2) implementing state-of-the-science population study designs that account for the temporal evolution of cerebral microvascular changes in diverse populations across the lifespan.
BQ323636.1, a Novel Splice Variant toNCOR2, as a Predictor for Tamoxifen-Resistant Breast Cancer
Authors: Gong Chun , Man Ellen P.S. , Tsoi Ho , Lee Terence K.W. , Lee Paul , Ma Sai-Ting , Wong Lai-San , Luk Mai-Yee , Rakha Emad A. , Green Andrew R. , Ellis Ian O. , Lam Eric W.-F. , Cheung Kwok-Leung , Khoo Ui-Soon
Published: February 2018

Purpose: Adjuvant tamoxifen treatment revolutionized the management of estrogen receptor (ER)–positive breast cancers to prevent cancer recurrence; however, drug resistance compromises its clinical efficacy. The mechanisms underlying tamoxifen resistance are not fully understood, and no robust biomarker is available to reliably predict those who will be resistant. Here, we study BQ323636.1, a novel splice variant of the NCOR2 gene, and evaluate its efficacy in predicting tamoxifen resistance in patients with breast cancer.

Experimental Design: A monoclonal anti-BQ323636.1 antibody that specifically recognizes the unique epitope of this splice variant was generated for in vitro mechanistic studies and for in vivo analysis by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays of two independent cohorts of 358 patients with more than 10 years clinical follow-up data, who had ER-positive primary breast cancer and received adjuvant tamoxifen treatment. An orthotopic mouse model was also used.

Results: Overexpression of BQ323636.1 conferred resistance to tamoxifen in both in vitro and in an orthotopic mouse model. Mechanistically, coimmunoprecipitation showed BQ323636.1 could bind to NCOR2 and inhibit the formation of corepressor complex for the suppression of ER signaling. Nuclear BQ3232636.1 overexpression in patients samples was significantly associated with tamoxifen resistance (P = 1.79 × 10−6, sensitivity 52.9%, specificity 72.0%). In tamoxifen-treated patients, nuclear BQ323636.1 overexpression was significantly correlated with cancer metastasis and disease relapse. Nuclear BQ323636.1 was also significantly associated with poorer overall survival (P = 1.13 × 10−4) and disease-specific survival (P = 4.02 × 10−5).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that BQ323636.1 can be a reliable biomarker to predict tamoxifen resistance in patients with ER-positive breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 24(15); 3681–91. ©2018 AACR.

See related commentary by Jordan, p. 3480
Durable Clinical Benefit in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Who Discontinue PD-1/PD-L1 Therapy for Immune-Related Adverse Events
Authors: Martini Dylan J. , Hamieh Lana , McKay Rana R. , Harshman Lauren C. , Brandao Raphael , Norton Craig K. , Steinharter John A. , Krajewski Katherine M. , Gao Xin , Schutz Fabio A. , McGregor Bradley , Bossé Dominick , Lalani Aly-Khan A. , De Velasco Guillermo , Michaelson M. Dror , McDermott David F. , Choueiri Toni K.
Published: February 2018

The current standard of care for treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients is PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors until progression or toxicity. Here, we characterize the clinical outcomes for 19 mRCC patients who experienced an initial clinical response (any degree of tumor shrinkage), but after immune-related adverse events (irAE) discontinued all systemic therapy. Clinical baseline characteristics, outcomes, and survival data were collected. The primary endpoint was time to progression from the date of treatment cessation (TTP). Most patients had clear cell histology and received anti–PD–1/PD-L1 therapy as second-line or later treatment. Median time on PD-1/PD-L1 therapy was 5.5 months (range, 0.7–46.5) and median TTP was 18.4 months (95% CI, 4.7–54.3) per Kaplan–Meier estimation. The irAEs included arthropathies, ophthalmopathies, myositis, pneumonitis, and diarrhea. We demonstrate that 68.4% of patients (n = 13) experienced durable clinical benefit off treatment (TTP of at least 6 months), with 36% (n = 7) of patients remaining off subsequent treatment for over a year after their last dose of anti–PD-1/PD-L1. Three patients with tumor growth found in a follow-up visit, underwent subsequent surgical intervention, and remain off systemic treatment. Nine patients (47.4%) have ongoing irAEs. Our results show that patients who benefitted clinically from anti–PD-1/PD-L1 therapy can experience sustained beneficial responses, not needing further therapies after the initial discontinuation of treatment due to irAEs. Investigation of biomarkers indicating sustained benefit to checkpoint blockers are needed. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(4); 402–8. ©2018 AACR.
Basophil Membrane Expression of Epithelial Cytokine Receptors in Patients with Severe Asthma
Authors: Boita Monica , Heffler Enrico , Omedè Paola , Bellocchia Michela , Bussolino Claudia , Solidoro Paolo , Giorgis Veronica , Guerrera Francesco , Riva Giuseppe , Brussino Luisa , Bucca Caterina , Rolla Giovanni
Published: February 2018

Background: Severe asthma is a heterogeneous disease, which is characterized by airway damage and remodeling. All triggers of asthma, such as allergens, bacteria, viruses, and pollutants, interact with the airway epithelial cells, which drive the airway inflammatory response through the release of cytokines, particularly IL-25, IL-33, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). Objectives and Methods: To investigate whether the expression of the IL-25, IL-33, and TSLP receptors on the basophil membrane are associated with asthma severity. Twenty-six patients with asthma (11 severe and 15 moderate/mild) and 10 healthy subjects (controls) were enrolled in the study. The results of the basophil activation test and flow cytometry analysis were assessed to investigate basophil membrane expression of IL-25, TSLP, and IL-33 receptors before and after IgE stimulation. Results: IL-25 and IL-33 receptor expression on the basophil membrane at baseline were significantly higher in patients with severe asthma than in those with mild/moderate asthma or healthy subjects, independent of atopy, eosinophilia, asthma control, and exacerbation frequency. Following IgE stimulation, a significantly higher increase in the IL-25 and IL-33 receptors was observed in mild/moderate versus severe asthma. Conclusions: The high expression of the IL-25 and IL-33 receptors on the basophil membrane of patients with severe asthma indicates an overstimulation of basophils by these cytokines in severe asthma. This finding can possibly be used as a biomarker of asthma severity.
Sex Differences in the Impact of BDNF Genotype on the Longitudinal Relationship between Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance
Authors: Watts Amber , Andrews Shea J. , Anstey Kaarin J.
Published: February 2018

Background: Physical activity may preserve cognitive function in older adults, but benefits vary by sex and genetic factors. Objective: We tested the longitudinal association between physical activity and cognitive performance to de termine whether a common genetic polymorphism for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF Val66Met) moderated this effect. Methods: In a 12-year longitudinal population-based sample of older adults (n = 2,218), we used growth curve modeling to investigate whether the benefits of physical activity on cognitive preservation differed by BDNF genotype and sex across multiple cognitive domains including processing speed, attention, working memory, and episodic verbal memory. Results: The relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance was dependent on BDNF carrier status in males (Δχ2 [Δdf] = 12.94 [4], p = 0.01), but not in females (Δχ2 [Δdf] = 4.38 [4], p = 0.36). Cognition benefited from physical activity in male BDNF met noncarriers, but not met carriers, whereas cognition was not statistically significantly related to physical activity in females regardless of genotype. Conclusion: We observed longitudinal, but not cross-sectional, effects of physical activity on cognitive performance. Our study highlights the importance of longitudinal follow-up and consideration of sex differences in the relationships between physical activity, BDNF genotype, and cognitive decline. The findings contribute to understanding gene-lifestyle interactions in promoting cognitive health.
Safe-Sex Knowledge, Self-Assessed HIV Risk, and Sexual Behaviour of Young Portuguese Women
Authors: Costa Eleonora C.V. , McIntyre Teresa , Ferreira Domingos
Published: February 2018

Background: Young women make up most cases of HIV infection in Portugal (e.g., 26% in 2012), but their sexual behaviour, ability to recognize sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk in partners, and knowledge and practice of safe sex are underresearched. Methods: We studied these issues in a group of 177 women from Northern Portugal, together with their social, educational, and religious background. The women filled out several self-report questionnaires developed in the USA that have been adapted and validated for use in Portugal. They assess HIV knowledge, risk perception, and sexual risk behaviour. Results: We documented good knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention, although there are still some myths; 79.9% of the women knew that condoms prevent HIV transmission, but only 46% of them declared to use them regularly. Thus, knowledge does not imply adequate preventive behaviour. Women lacking higher education had poorer knowledge of HIV biology and of partner HIV risk. Despite being aware of HIV cases in their communities, most women deemed themselves at little risk, especially those lacking higher education, with many arguing that monogamy protects them, and, importantly, many preferring to ignore their partners’ current and past behaviour when assessing their exposure. Conclusion: These results point to important intervention targets for campaigns to curb STD infections among young women.
ANÁLISE DA ADOÇÃO DO LEAN MANUFACTURING NA GESTÃO DE PROJETOS DE TECNOLOGIA DA INFORMAÇÃO: Estudo de Caso em uma Multinacional desse Segmento
Authors: Aramuni João Paulo Carneiro , Maia Luiz Cláudio Gomes
Published: February 2018

Este artigo, parte de uma dissertação de mestrado, apresenta um estudo sobre gestão ágil de projetos por meio do modelo Lean Manufacturing da Toyota. A resistência conservadora que visa à utilização de modelos tradicionais de gestão cria uma barreira psicológica que impede a proliferação da filosofia ágil e a mudança cultural dentro da organização. Nos últimos anos, os modelos ágeis ganharam espaço e encontraram um habitat natural de crescimento no mercado de TI. Em especial, destaca-se a metodologia de gestão ágil do Lean Manufacturing que há mais de quinze anos está transformando a maneira como empresas trabalham pelo mundo, tornando-as mais competitivas, flexíveis e estruturadas.
GESTÃO DO DESIGN NA PRÁTICA: DISCUSSÃO DOS FATORES HUMANOS E PROCESSUAIS ENVOLVIDOS
Authors: Moreira Bruna Ruschel , Bernardes Maurício Moreira e Silva , Almendra Rita Assoreira
Published: February 2018

Com o objetivo de identificar os fatores relacionados com a Gestão do Design (GD) na prática, esta investigação realizou uma pesquisa-ação com cinco companhias brasileiras desenvolvedoras de produtos e atuantes em diferentes segmentos de mercado. Para tanto, foram desenvolvidas 22 atividades que envolveram gestores e colaboradores dessas organizações. As ações foram realizadas através de uma prática integrada em que estavam presentes, ao mesmo tempo, os integrantes das cinco empresas. Ao longo das implementações, foram identificados importantes fatores processuais (descritos como fatores críticos de sucesso, inputs e outputs) e humanos (denominados como vetores positivos, negativos e principais atores) compreendidos como influenciadores do processo de implementação da GD em companhias. Além deles, observaram-se distintos papéis dentre os envolvidos nos níveis estratégico, tático e operacional das companhias e os impactos que eles possuem na dimensão global das organizações. Desta forma, este artigo se propõe a discutir tais resultados e, ao final, busca fazer uma inter-relação entre eles.
Transdisciplinaridade do Design: Niveis de Realidade Distintos
Authors: Vieira Sonia Liliana da Silva
Published: February 2018

Partindo das noções de disciplina, design e transdisciplinaridade, este artigo faz uma revisão da literatura e desdobra perspectivas sobre e para o desenvolvimento do design transdisciplinar. O design como disciplina, engloba diversas disciplinas de projeto, disciplinas estas anfitriãs do design, que nutrindo o seu espaço particular, se sobrepõem em espaços partilhados, e a suas influências particulares são visíveis em abordagens dorsais e artefactos resultantes. Um dos desafios do design transdisciplinar passa pela identificação das suas invariantes, quer de natureza especifica ou não especifica do design, com  influência transdisciplinar capaz de alcançar e influenciar outras disciplinas. Designers, investigadores e educadores almejam identificar tais características. Este conhecimento, uma vez integrado é de grande utilidade e aplicação no desenvolvimento dos processos sociais de investigação, educação e pratica do design.
CARACTERIZAÇÃO DA IDENTIDADE MORFOLÓGICA DO ESPAÇO ARQUITETÔNICO DE UMA HABITAÇÃO EVOLUTIVA
Authors: Ludovico Sonia Santos de Alencar , Brandão Douglas Queiroz
Published: February 2018

Este artigo trata da análise morfológica do arranjo espacial arquitetônico de uma habitação projetada para um condomínio horizontal na cidade de Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. Refere-se a um trabalho desenvolvido no âmbito do Grupo Multidisciplinar de Estudos da Habitação, da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso. Entre alguns fatores que imprimem características de qualidade a uma habitação estão a flexibilidade e a ampliabilidade (capacidade evolutiva), e a condição para isso ocorrer depende inteiramente da forma gerada no projeto. Considerando que a configuração geométrica dos espaços projetados resulta ou não em uma forma que potencializa a capacidade evolutiva, o dinamismo e a longevidade da habitação, este artigo procura mostrar, através da aplicação da metodologia da gramática da forma, a decomposição da planta arquitetônica de uma habitação. A aplicação dessa metodologia possibilitou identificar o vocabulário das formas emergentes do processo conceptivo, avaliar o tipo de flexibilidade proposta nos projetos como um quesito de qualidade projetual e detectar o potencial evolutivo da habitação. Como resultado das análises realizadas, constatou-se que a conformidade com os critérios de qualidade de projeto é determinada através da habilidade e visão do projetista de prever condições que possibilitem e favoreçam a aplicação dos princípios de qualidade projetual. No caso estudado, aspectos como a capacidade de expansão da habitação, observada através do seu potencial evolutivo, e a possibilidade de expansão e flexibilidade contínua da moradia foram identificados e analisados no projeto.