bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conceptual and Practical Issues in the Application of Emotion Regulation in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Authors: Dunkley Christine
Published: September 2017

While emotion regulation skills are taught in skills training group, the individual therapy modality is an opportunity for therapists to further strengthen these skills. This chapter describes a variety of reasons why therapists might not take up this opportunity. It summarizes the differential features, or “signature” of each emotion, in the domains of temperature, facial expression, body posture, breathing, muscle-tone, voice tone, and actions within the environment. It then describes the coaching of a discernment skill; i.e., how to “check the facts” to see not only whether the emotion is justified, but if so, also if it is being experienced with more (or less) intensity than the situation warrants. Finally, case examples are given to show the down-regulation of a specific emotion. The end of the chapter provides a summary of key points for the clinician to remember in strengthening emotion regulation skills.
Teaching Mindfulness Skills in DBT
Authors: Stanton Maggie , Dunkley Christine
Published: September 2017

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) differs from other approaches by teaching mindfulness as a set of skills. In contrast to mindfulness-based therapies such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), DBT makes a distinction between observe, describe, and participate (the “What Skills”) and teaches each as a separate skill. DBT makes explicit the way in which these skills are practised, i.e. non-judgementally, one-mindfully, and effectively (the “How Skills”). In addition, the skill of “Wise Mind” teaches the client how to make decisions and choices that provide a synthesis of both logical and emotional perspectives. Mindfulness skills are acquired in skills group, strengthened in individual therapy, and generalized via phone contact. Thus, the chapter is organized around these three modes of delivering therapy. Client examples and scenarios demonstrate the process and strategies used with attention to overcoming challenges that can arise when teaching these skills.
Behavioural Foundations of DBT
Authors: Chapman Alexander L.
Published: September 2017

This chapter discusses and illustrates how behavioural theory and science guide many aspects of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Behavioural theory informs the DBT approach to case formulation, the ongoing assessment of behaviour throughout therapy, and the selection, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based interventions. As described later in this chapter, behavioural theory also influences the style and “flavour” of DBT sessions. As the focus of the first stage of DBT often focuses on the treatment of suicidal and self-injurious behaviour, the chapter emphasizes these behaviours via several examples, and also touches upon some other common behaviours targeted in DBT.
Responding to Clients’ In-session Clinical Behaviours
Authors: Heard Heidi L.
Published: September 2017

During treatment sessions, clients engage in a range of clinically relevant behaviours, including therapy-interfering behaviours and secondary targets. Utilizing the term “in-session clinical behaviour” (ICB) to encompass any client behaviour that occurs during a session and adversely impacts either the treatment or another part of the client’s life, this chapter focuses on applying DBT principles and strategies to these behaviours in an array of treatment contexts. It reviews principles of behavioural definition for ICBs and discusses how to engage clients in the treatment of these behaviours. It then describes behavioural conceptualizations of the proximal factors leading to and maintaining ICBs, and attends to time and other contextual constraints that may preclude a detailed behavioural chain analysis. Finally, it describes the solution implementation of cognitive-behavioural change procedures to treat ICBs, ranging from brief, single solution interventions to comprehensive solution analyses.
Rediscovering the Winter Solstice Alignment at Newgrange, Ireland
Authors: Hensey Robert
Published: September 2017

Newgrange was the first prehistoric site in Ireland to have its astronomical alignment widely accepted, and since its discovery in 1967 has remained the best-known astronomically oriented archaeological monument on this island. This chapter investigates the discovery of the winter solstice orientation at this key light-centred site. It proposes a possible new explanation for the astronomically oriented ‘roof-box’: that its origins can be found in a previously unidentified extension to the passage during a phase of enlargement. Additionally, the chapter attempts to answer several fundamental questions. Is it conceivable that knowledge of the solstice was retained in the local community from the Late Neolithic? Could the solar orientation at Newgrange have been observed before its modern discovery through excavation, perhaps more than once? Finally, to what extent may pre-excavation reports of a winter solstice connection with Newgrange have influenced the reconstruction of the monument’s ‘roof-box’ and outer passage?
Revisiting the Classical Ideal of Citizenship
Authors: Balot Ryan
Published: September 2017

Building on Pocock’s influential account, this essay investigates Greek and Roman citizenship as a resource for the critical analysis of contemporary theory and ideology – in particular, the models of citizenship based on “neo-Roman” and liberal democratic ideals. On the one hand, a reconsideration of Roman theory and practice reveals the undesirable features fossilized in the Roman and “neo-Roman” tradition. The rule of law disguised the workings of unaccountable elite power; non-domination was idealized only because domination was so pervasive, beginning with the freedom/slavery dichotomy; and citizenship was often nothing more than a civil religion. Conversely, re-examining classical Greek theory and practice enables us to grasp the ethical and dialogical possibilities of citizenship that our liberal democratic models typically neglect. Hence, instead of limiting themselves to advising statesmen in specific times and places, political theorists should think more freely and broadly about our highest aspirations as citizens.
Denationalization
Authors: Gibney Matthew
Published: September 2017

Citizenship in the modern state is in many ways uniquely secure as a status. Yet states have always possessed some bases through which they may remove citizenship, including fraud, disloyalty, acquisition of another citizenship, marriage to a foreigner, and threat to public order. Indeed, denationalization powers have recently gained attention as many liberal states have created new laws to strip citizenship from individuals involved with terrorism. In this chapter, I explore the practice of denationalization. I first consider the definition, grounds, and historical development of denationalization power. I then draw from recent academic work to show how denationalization offers insights into questions of significance relating to the ethical limits of state power, the historical development of citizenship status, and the way restrictive immigration controls impact upon state members. I conclude with a discussion of some outstanding issues raised by the denationalization for scholars of citizenship.
Diasporas and Transnational Citizenship
Authors: Collyer Michael
Published: September 2017

This chapter sketches out a compromise between broad and narrow understandings of transnationalism to examine a broad set of relationships within a narrowly defined context. The relationships involve both state institutions and non-state expressions of belonging and both established and potential members. The context is explicitly extra-territorial, examining how these relationships change when individuals are absent from the territory of citizenship. The chapter argues that extra-territorial citizenship is a normative development in citizenship that will have lasting impact, providing a challenge to the ongoing territorial bias in citizenship studies and to territorial understandings of state sovereignty. Yet a narrow understanding of citizenship, as the extension of formal rights to extraterritorial citizens, is likely to fade away in practice. In contrast, a broader understanding of citizenship as a form of transnational engagement is flourishing. As citizenship responds to greater mobility this must become a more central element of citizenship studies.
Citizenship and Technology
Authors: Dumbrava Costica
Published: September 2017

Technological developments have complex, ambiguous and sometimes contradictory effects of on the institutions, norms and practices of citizenship. The chapter investigates the relationship between technology and citizenship by exploring the tensions between inclusion and emancipation, on the one hand, and exclusion and control, on the other hand. It discusses inclusionary and exclusionary aspects of developments in the areas of digital and biotechnologies in respect to access to legal status, political participation, and identity. It also examines the emancipatory potential of technologies at the level of citizenship practices and issues related to social and political control, which are triggered by increased and pervasive surveillance. The chapter suggests that the tensions between citizenship and technology are not inherent but rather derived from the circumstances in which technologies are adopted, the ways in which they are used, and the ongoing political struggles over citizenship.
Introduction: Citizenship—Quo Vadis?
Authors: Shachar Ayelet , Bauböck Rainer , Bloemraad Irene , Vink Maarten
Published: September 2017

Introduces the handbook’s aims, themes, and scope.
Citizenship and Nationhood
Authors: Gans Chaim
Published: September 2017

Citizenship in this chapter means membership of a state. Nationhood means membership of a “nation”, which is a particular type of cultural and/or ethnic collective. I first set out the reasons that liberals and anti-liberals have given for making citizenship and nationhood coterminous. Second, I describe the major historical and sociological explanations that were advanced for the processes that helped create this overlap, the methods that states and other political agents have adopted to realize it, and the practical and moral obstacles that these agents have always faced. Third, I discuss the positions of contemporary liberals on the issue, including the position I believe to be appropriate. The discussion concludes that the ideal of full overlap between citizenry and nationhood should be rejected both constitutionally and certainly demographically. However, it endorses arrangements allowing for a limited identification of states’ citizenries with one or a few national groups.
Lexis
Authors: Hanks Patrick
Published: September 2017

The lexicon constitutes the basic raw material of natural language. The article starts by clarifying the various meanings of the term ‘word’: tokens, types, lemmas, phrasemes, and lexical entries. It goes on to ask whether names are words. Next, it asks whether the lexicon of a language is a finite set. Word frequencies in text can now be computed and compared, using data from large corpora. The distribution of words in any text or collection of texts conforms approximately to Zipf’s prediction of a harmonic progression down the frequency ranks from a few exceptionally frequent words to a large number of very rare words. The article goes on to summarize the main European theories of word use and word meaning, including semasiological approaches (Wikins and Roget), necessary and sufficient conditions for definition (Leibniz), prototype theory (Rosch), stereotype theory (Putnam), preference semantics (Wilks), selectional restrictions (Chomsky), generative lexicon theory (Pustejovsky), lexical functional grammar (Bresnan and Kaplan), frame semantics (Fillmore), and the contrast between the ‘idiom principle’ and the ‘open-choice principle’ (Sinclair). The article also discusses the views of modern lexicographers such as Sinclair, Kilgarriff, Atkins, and Hanks, who reject the notion that words have meaning, typically in favour of the idea that phraseology is equally important (if not more so) for understanding meaning.
Britain and Ireland
Authors: Avis Paul
Published: September 2017

This chapter begins by noting the contribution of British ecumenists to the ecumenical movement and then proceeds to survey the ecumenical scene in Britain and Ireland against the political and constitutional background of the United Kingdom—comprising England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—and the separate jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland. It notes the favourable ecumenical climate in England and Wales and goes on to outline local ecumenical relationships, including Local Ecumenical Partnerships, the ecumenical instruments for each nation and for all four, and various forms of cooperation at the national level. The chapter then turns to examples of theological dialogue, proposals for closer unity, and the problems of their reception and implementation, with a particular focus on the Anglican-Methodist Covenant.
Pobladores of New Mexico
Authors: Sunseri Jun Oeno
Published: September 2017

Eighteenth-century New Mexican buffer villages located on the most exposed margins of the Spanish colony were built by pluralistic communities that included people of Spanish descent, nomadic Native American groups, and Pueblo allies. These grants of land on the late colonial frontier were settled by communities for whom an ability to mobilize multiple and situational identities was a critical survival skill during a time of increased captive raiding by nomadic groups. Positioned to protect administrative centers, their physical and social distance created opportunities for new kinds of identity performance and anxiety-generating upward mobility, despite their rank within the socioracial hierarchy known as the sistema de castas. Later nineteenth-century villages would live through a collapse of those labels. Recent archaeological investigations of pobladore communities in New Mexico speak to the plurality of cultures manifested on the frontier and epitomized by Genízaro villages.
Cooking Technologies
Authors: Blinman Eric , Heidke James M. , Miller Myles R.
Published: September 2017

Inferences regarding pre-colonial southwestern cooking are limited by preservation and the ambiguity of multiple-use features. Documented techniques are stone boiling, pit roasting, boiling in pottery jars, and heating on comals or griddle stones, with fermentation as an additional food-processing category. The plastic nature of pottery allowed the design of vessel forms specifically for cooking, but storage rather than cooking was the original impetus for pottery production in the Sonoran Desert. The subsequent northward spread of pottery technology does appear to coincide with cooking use, despite initial inefficient vessel forms. Theoretical models and experimental studies have linked subsequent changes in vessel shape and surface texture with gains in efficiency once cooking jars were fully embraced by farming households. Fermentation evidence is arguable in the southern Southwest, and the apparent absence in the north is enigmatic. Residue studies and the use of cooking as an integrative framework hold potential for future research.
Soil Microbiomes Associated with Verticillium Wilt-Suppressive Broccoli and Chitin Amendments are Enriched with Potential Biocontrol Agents
Authors: Inderbitzin Patrik , Ward Judson , Barbella Alexandra , Solares Natalie , Izyumin Dmitriy , Burman Prabir , Chellemi Dan O. , Subbarao Krishna V.
Published: September 2017

Two naturally infested Verticillium wilt-conducive soils from the Salinas Valley of coastal California were amended with disease-suppressive broccoli residue or crab meal amendments, and changes to the soil prokaryote community were monitored using Illumina sequencing of a 16S ribosomal RNA gene library generated from 160 bulk soil samples. The experiment was run in a greenhouse, twice, with eggplant as the Verticillium wilt-susceptible host. Disease suppression, plant height, soil microsclerotia density, and soil chitinase activity were assessed at the conclusion of each experiment. In soil with high microsclerotia density, all amendments significantly reduced Verticillium wilt severity and microsclerotia density, and increased soil chitinase activity. Plant height was increased only in the broccoli-containing treatments. In total, 8,790 error-corrected sequence variants representing 1,917,893 different sequences were included in the analyses. The treatments had a significant impact on the soil microbiome community structure but measures of α diversity did not vary between treatments. Community structure correlated with disease score, plant height, microsclerotia density, and soil chitinase activity, suggesting that the prokaryote community may affect the disease-related response variables or vice versa. Similarly, the abundance of 107 sequence variants correlated with disease-related response variables, which included variants from genera with known antagonists of filamentous fungal plant pathogens, such as Pseudomonas and Streptomyces. Overall, genera with antifungal antagonists were more abundant in amended soils than unamended soils, and constituted up to 8.9% of all sequences in broccoli+crabmeal-amended soil. This study demonstrates that substrate-mediated shifts in soil prokaryote communities are associated with the transition of Verticillium wilt-conducive soils to Verticillium wilt-suppressive soils, and suggests that soils likely harbor numerous additional antagonists of fungal plant pathogens that contribute to the biological suppression of plant disease.
Cumulative Incidence of a Subsequent Surgery After Stress Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Procedure
Authors: Wu Jennifer M. , Dieter Alexis A. , Pate Virginia , Funk Michele Jonsson
Published: September 2017

(Abstracted from Obstet Gynecol 2017;129:1124–1130)

A commonly cited article published in1997 estimated that the risk of reoperation after stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) was 29%. However, this high reoperation rate was based on only 400 women who underwent surgery in the Northwest region of the United States in 1995 (Obstet Gynecol 1997;89:501).
Outcome After Implementation of a Modern Management Strategy for Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy
Authors: Kohari Katherine S. , Carroll Rachel , Capogna Stephanie , Ditchik Andrew , Fox Nathan S. , Ferrara Lauren A.
Published: September 2017

(Abstracted from J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2017;30(11):1342–1346)

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes, including stillbirth, spontaneous preterm birth, and passage of meconium. Management of ICP patients consists of both controlling symptoms and minimizing fetal/neonatal risk for complications.
Associations of Maternal Antidepressant Use During the First Trimester of Pregnancy With Preterm Birth, Small for Gestational Age, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring
Authors: Sujan Ayesha C. , Rickert Martin E. , Öberg A. Sara , Quinn Patrick D. , Hernández-Díaz Sonia , Almqvist Catarina , Lichtenstein Paul , Larsson Henrik , D'Onofrio Brian M.
Published: September 2017

(Abstracted from JAMA 2017;317(15):1553–1562)

While antidepressant use during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth and neurodevelopmental outcomes, these associations may be attributed to confounding factors, such as genetic influences, maternal stress, or poor health practices during pregnancy. This study used 4 observational designs to investigate these associations, including sibling and paternal information.
A prospective multicenter cohort study of cutaneous melanoma: clinical staging and potential associations with HIF-1α and VEGF expressions
Authors: Martínez-García Miguel Ángel , Riveiro-Falkenbach Erica , Rodríguez-Peralto José L. , Nagore Eduardo , Martorell-Calatayud Antonio , Campos-Rodríguez Francisco , Farré Ramón , Hernández Blasco Luis , Bañuls Roca Jose , Chiner Vives Eusebi , Sánchez-de-la-Torre Alicia , Abad Capa Jorge , Montserrat Josep Maria , Almendros Isaac , Pérez-Gil Amalia , Cabriada Nuño Valentin , Cano-Pumarega Irene , Corral Peñafiel Jaime , Diaz Cambriles Trinidad , Mediano Olga , Dalmau Arias Joan , Gozal David
Published: September 2017

Melanoma is a highly prevalent cancer that is associated with substantial mortality. Although clinical staging procedures can serve as relatively robust prognostic indicators, we aimed to determine whether assessments of the abundance of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in postexcisional melanoma tumor tissues may enable more accurate determination of tumor aggressiveness. We carried out a multicenter prospective study, in which we systematically evaluated 376 consecutive patients diagnosed with melanoma, and performed histochemical assessments for both HIF-1α and VEGF immunoreactivity in the tumor biopsies. Multivariate analyses showed that higher HIF-1α expression, but not high VEGF, were associated significantly and independently with increased tumor aggressiveness as derived from several well-established aggressiveness criteria. A limitation of this study was that this was a descriptive prospective study lacking a post-hoc verification arm. Thus, the presence of increased numbers of positively labeled HIF-1α cells in melanoma tumors may potentially serve as an indicator of tumor phenotype and prognosis, and accordingly guide therapy.
The ethics of creating genetically modified children using genome editing
Authors: Ishii Tetsuya
Published: September 2017

Purpose of review

To review the recent ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding human reproduction involving germline genome editing.

Recent findings

Genome editing techniques, such as CRISPR/Cas9, have facilitated genetic modification in human embryos. The most likely purpose of germline genome editing is the prevention of serious genetic disease in offspring. However, complex issues still remain, including irremediable risks to fetuses and future generations, the role of women, the availability of alternatives, long-term follow-up, health insurance coverage, misuse for human enhancement, and the potential effects on adoption. Further discussions, a broad consensus, and appropriate regulations are required before human germline genome editing is introduced into the global society.

Before germline genome editing is used for disease prevention, a broad consensus must be formed by carefully discussing its ethical, legal, and social issues.
Performance of simple noninvasive scoring systems for the prediction of advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Lang Sonja , Kütting Fabian , Staub Agnes , Schramowski Jessica , Schramm Christoph , Kasper Philipp , Goeser Tobias , Steffen Hans-Michael , Demir Münevver
Published: September 2017

Background and aim

The aim of the study was to analyze the diagnostic performance and clinical utility of simple noninvasive tests for the detection of advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection seen at a tertiary referral center in Germany.

Patients and methods

We retrospectively analyzed 239 adult CHB patients with available liver biopsies. Patient demographics, hepatitis B markers, antiviral treatment, laboratory parameters, results from liver imaging, and histology were recorded. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were determined along with the area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) using published formulas and cut-off values for fibrosis index based on the four factors, aspartate aminotransferase–alanine aminotransferase ratio index (AAR), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and age–platelet index.

Results

The median documented duration of CHB infection was 31 months (range: 6–340 months); 86% of the patients were Caucasian and 71% were men. The AUROCs for the detection of advanced fibrosis were 0.75 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67–0.82], 0.72 (95% CI: 0.64–0.80), 0.48 (95% CI: 0.39–0.56), and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.66–0.81) for fibrosis index the four factors, APRI, AAR, and age–platelet index, respectively. Patients with advanced fibrosis on biopsy were misclassified as having mild fibrosis in 35% (APRI) to 82% (AAR) of cases.

Conclusion

Because of their moderate test performance (AUROCs: 0.48–0.75) and their high misclassification rate, we could not confirm a reliable clinical utility for the analyzed noninvasive fibrosis scoring systems for the prediction of advanced fibrosis in mostly Caucasian CHB patients.
One-day low-intensity combined arm–leg (Cruiser) ergometer exercise intervention: cardiorespiratory strain and gross mechanical efficiency in one-legged and two-legged exercise
Authors: Simmelink Elisabeth K. , Wervelman Thijs , de Vries Hendrik S. , Geertzen Jan H.B. , Dekker Rienk , van der Woude Lucas H.V.
Published: September 2017

This study aims to research whether there is a difference in cardiorespiratory variables and gross mechanical efficiency (GE) in healthy individuals during low-intensity one-legged and two-legged exercise on the combined arm–leg (Cruiser) ergometer and whether motor learning occurs. The outcome of this study will support the use of the Cruiser ergometer in future as a testing and training instrument in the rehabilitation of patients with a lower limb amputation. Twenty-eight healthy men participated in this randomized-controlled trial. One group (n=14) used one leg and both arms during the exercise and the other group (n=14) used both legs and both arms. All participants performed a 1-day low-intensity exercise protocol. This included a standardized pretest and post-test of three bouts of 4 min exercise at 40 W and an exercise intervention of seven bouts of 2×4 min exercise at 40 W. The one-legged and two-legged group differed significantly in the heart rate and GE between the pretest and post-test. At the post-test, the one-legged group showed motor learning. GE improved significantly in both groups over the duration of the three exercise bouts of the pretest, but it did not improve during the post-test. There are differences in cardiorespiratory variables and GE between one-legged and two-legged exercise on the Cruiser ergometer. When using this ergometer in the rehabilitation of patients with a lower limb amputation, it is important to consider these differences and the occurrence of motor learning.
Ubiquitination-Deficient Mutations in Human Piwi Cause Male Infertility by Impairing Histone-to-Protamine Exchange During Spermiogenesis
Authors: Gou Lan-Tao , Kang Jun-Yan , Dai Peng , Wang Xin , Li Feng , Zhao Shuang , Zhang Man , Hua Min-Min , Lu Yi , Zhu Yong , Li Zheng , Chen Hong , Wu Li-Gang , Li Dangsheng , Fu Xiang-Dong , Li Jinsong , Shi Hui-Juan , Liu Mo-Fang
Published: September 2017

(Abstracted from Cell 2017;169:1090–1104)

Genetic studies in worms, flies, fish, and mice indicate that the evolutionarily conserved Piwi proteins are specifically expressed during the development of the animal germline and are essential for gametogenesis in animals. Vertebrate Piwi proteins include MIWI in mice and HIWI in humans.
Medication Errors at Hospital Admission and Discharge: Risk Factors and Impact of Medication Reconciliation Process to Improve Healthcare
Authors: Breuker Cyril , Macioce Valérie , Mura Thibault , Castet-Nicolas Audrey , Audurier Yohan , Boegner Catherine , Jalabert Anne , Villiet Maxime , Avignon Antoine , Sultan Ariane
Published: September 2017

Objective

First, the aim of the study was to assess the prevalence, characteristics, and severity of unintended medication discrepancies (UMDs) and medication errors (MEs) at admission and discharge of hospitalization. Second, the aim of the study was to identify clinical and hospitalization factors associated with risk of UMDs as well as characteristics of the medication reconciliation process associated with UMDs detection.

Methods

This prospective observational study included all adult patients admitted from 2013 to 2015 in the Endocrinology-Diabetology-Nutrition Department of Montpellier Hospital, France. Clinical pharmacists conducted medication reconciliation by collecting the best possible medication history from different sources and comparing it with admission and discharge prescriptions to identify discrepancies. Unintended medication discrepancies corrected by the physician were considered as MEs. Risk factors of UMDs were identified with logistic regression.

Results

Of 904 patients included, 266 (29.4%) had at least one UMD, at admission or at discharge. In total, 378 (98.2%) of 385 UMDs were considered to be MEs. Most MEs were omissions (59.3%). Medication errors were serious or very serious in 36% of patients and had potentially moderate severity in almost 40% of patients. The risk of UMDs increased constantly with the number of treatments (P < 0.001). Thyroid (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.12–2.86) and infectious diseases (adjusted OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.17–2.78) were associated with UMDs risk at admission. The best type of source for the detection of UMDs was the general practitioner or nurse (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.51–4.63).

Conclusions

Unintended medication discrepancies are frequent at hospital and depend on intrinsic clinical parameters but also on practice of medication reconciliation process, such as number and type of sources used.
The use of methylphenidate to relieve fatigue
Authors: Rojí Rocío , Centeno Carlos
Published: September 2017

Purpose of review

To review recent evidence on the efficacy and safety of methylphenidate as a symptomatic treatment of patients with cancer-related fatigue (CRF).

Recent findings

Five clinical trials published since 2011 were identified. Two of these concluded that methylphenidate is more efficacious than placebo in providing relief from CRF, but the remaining three showed no difference in favour of methylphenidate. The studies were heterogeneous as per the dosage, scales used for evaluating fatigue and the target group studied. None of the studies detected serious reactions, and only mild and infrequent side-effects of methylphenidate were reported. Three new metanalyses show the slightly superior effect of methylphenidate compared to placebo in CRF.

Overall, literature supports the existence of moderate benefit of methylphenidate in CRF, backed up by weak evidence. Future studies should aim at better identifying the profile of patients who would benefit most from this pharmacological intervention.
Cardiac Surgery After Heart Transplantation: Elective Operation or Last Exit Strategy?
Authors: Goekler Johannes , Zuckermann Andreas , Osorio Emilio , Brkic Faris F. , Uyanik-Uenal Keziban , Laufer Guenther , Aliabadi-Zuckermann Arezu
Published: September 2017

Background

Because of improved long-term survival after heart transplantation (HTx), late graft pathologies such as valvular disease or cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) might need surgical intervention to enhance longer survival and ensure quality of life. To this date, there exist no guidelines for indication of cardiac surgery other than retransplantation after HTx.

Methods

In this retrospective, single-center study, we evaluated patients who underwent cardiac surgery after HTx at our institution.

Results

Between March 1984 and October 2016, 17 (1.16%) of 1466 HTx patients underwent cardiac surgery other than retransplantation after HTx. Indication were valvular disease (n = 7), CAV (n = 6), and other (n = 4). Of these, 29.4% (n = 5) were emergency procedures and 70.6% were elective cases. Median age at time of surgery was 61 years (interquartile range, 52-66 years); 82.4% (n = 14) were male. Median time to surgery after HTx was 9.3 years (2.7-11.1 years). In-hospital, mortality was 11.8% (n = 2); later need of retransplantation was 11.8% (n = 2) due to progressing CAV 3 to 9 months after surgery. One-year survival was 82.35%; overall survival was 47.1% (n = 8) with a median follow-up of 1477 days (416-2135 days). Overall survival after emergency procedures was 209 days (36-1119.5 days) whereas, for elective procedures, it was 1583.5 days (901.5-4319 days).

Conclusions

Incidence of cardiac surgery after HTx in our cohort was low (1.16%) compared with that of other studies. In elective cases, long-term survival was good.
From lake to estuary, the tale of two waters. A study of aquatic continuum biogeochemistry
Authors: Julian Paul , Osborne Todd Z.
Published: September 2017

The balance of fresh and saline water is essential to estuarine ecosystem function. Along the fresh-brackish-saline water gradient within the C-43 canal/Caloosahatchee River estuary (CRE) the quantity, timing and distribution of water and associated water quality significantly influences ecosystem function. Long-term trends of water quality and quantity were assessed from Lake Okeechobee to the CRE between May 1978 to April 2016. Significant changes to monthly flow volumes were detected between the lake and the estuary which correspond to changes in upstream management. and climatic events. Across the 37-year period total phosphorus (TP) flow-weighted mean (FWM) concentration significantly increased at the lake, meanwhile total nitrogen (TN) FMW concentrations significantly declined at both the lake and estuary headwaters. Between May 1999 and April 2016, TN, TP and total organic carbon (TOC), ortho-P and ammonium conditions were assessed within the estuary at several monitoring locations. Generally nutrient concentrations decreased from upstream to downstream with shifts in TN:TP from values >20 in the freshwater portion, ~20 in the estuarine portion and <20 in the marine portion indicating a spatial shift in nutrient limitations along the continuum. Aquatic productivity analysis suggests that the estuary is net heterotrophic with productivity being negatively influenced by TP, TN and TOC likely due to a combination of effects including shading by high color dissolved organic matter. We conclude that rainfall patterns, land use and the resulting discharges of run-off drives the ecology of the C-43/CRE aquatic continuum and associated biogeochemistry rather than water management associated with Lake Okeechobee.
Synthetic negative feedback circuits using engineered small RNAs
Authors: Kelly Ciarán L. , Harris Andreas W. K. , Steel Harrison , Hancock Edward J. , Heap John T. , Papachristodoulou Antonis
Published: September 2017

Negative feedback is known to endow biological and man-made systems with robust performance in the face of uncertainties and disturbances. To date, synthetic biological feedback circuits have relied upon protein-based, transcriptional regulation to control circuit output. Small RNAs (sRNAs) are non-coding RNA molecules which can inhibit translation of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). In this paper, we designed, modelled and built two synthetic negative feedback circuits that use rationally-designed sRNAs for the first time. The first circuit builds upon the well characterisedtet-based autorepressor, incorporating an externally-inducible sRNA to tune the effective feedback strength. This allows more precise fine-tuning of the circuit output in contrast to the sigmoidal input-output response of the autorepressor alone. In the second circuit, the output is a transcription factor that induces expression of an sRNA which negatively regulates the translation of the mRNA encoding this output, creating direct, closed-loop, negative feedback. Analysis of the noise profiles of both circuits showed that the use of sRNAs did not result in large increases in noise. Stochastic and deterministic modelling of both circuits agreed well with experimental data. Finally, simulations using fitted parameters allowed dynamic attributes of each circuit such as response time and disturbance rejection to be investigated.
iSeg: an efficient algorithm for segmentation of genomic and epigenomic data
Authors: Girimurugan S.B. , Liu Yuhang , Lung Pei-Yau , Vera Daniel L. , Dennis Jonathan H. , Bass Hank W. , Zhang Jinfeng
Published: September 2017

Background

Identification of functional elements of a genome often requires dividing a sequence of measurements along a genome into segments where adjacent segments have different properties, such as different mean values. This problem is often called the segmentation problem in the field of genomics, and the change-point problem in other scientific disciplines. Despite dozens of algorithms developed to address this problem in genomics research, methods with improved accuracy and speed are still needed to effectively tackle both existing and emerging genomic and epigenomic segmentation problems.

Results

We designed an efficient algorithm, called iSeg, for segmentation of genomic and epigenomic profiles. iSeg first utilizes dynamic programming to identify candidate segments and test for significance. It then uses a novel data structure based on two coupled balanced binary trees to detect overlapping significant segments and update them simultaneously during searching and refinement stages. Refinement and merging of significant segments are performed at the end to generate the final set of segments. By using an objective function based on thep-values of the segments, the algorithm can serve as a general computational framework to be combined with different assumptions on the distributions of the data. As a general segmentation method, it can segment different types of genomic and epigenomic data, such as DNA copy number variation, nucleosome occupancy, nuclease sensitivity, and differential nuclease sensitivity data. Using simple t-tests to computep-values across multiple datasets of different types, we evaluate iSeg using both simulated and experimental datasets and show that it performs satisfactorily when compared with some other popular methods, which often employ more sophisticated statistical models. Implemented in C++, iSeg is also very computationally efficient, well suited for large numbers of input profiles and data with very long sequences.

Conclusions

We have developed an effective and efficient general-purpose segmentation tool for sequential data and illustrated its use in segmentation of genomic and epigenomic profiles.
Oscillations synchronize amygdala-to-prefrontal primate circuits during aversive learning
Authors: Taub Aryeh , Paz Rony
Published: September 2017

The contribution of oscillatory synchrony in the primate amygdala-prefrontal pathway to aversive learning remains unknown. We found increased power and phase synchrony in the theta range during aversive conditioning. The synchrony was linked to single-unit spiking and exhibited specific directionality between input and output measures in each region. Although it was correlated with the development of conditioned responses, it declined once the association stabilized. The results suggest that amygdala spikes aid to synchronize ACC activity and transfer error-signal information to support memory formation.

Highlights

Tone-odor conditioning induces theta phase-reset in primate amygdala and dACC

A directional phase-locking develops between amygdala spikes and dACC Theta

Information transfer from Amygdala to dACC decreases once memory stabilizes
Rats and axolotls share a common molecular signature after spinal cord injury enriched in collagen-1
Authors: Didangelos Athanasios , Bartus Katalin , Tica Jure , Puglia Michele , Roschitzki Bernd , Bradbury Elizabeth J.
Published: September 2017

Spinal cord injury (SCI) in mammals leads to irreversible tissue damage and loss of function. In contrast, axolotls are able to regenerate scar-free the injured spinal cord. To explore new pathological mechanisms, we compared rat versus axolotl transcriptomics and isolated genes shared between species post-SCI. Unexpectedly, multiple transcripts involved in extracellular matrix remodelling, in particular collagen-1, were upregulated in both species after SCI. Proteomics validated persistent expression of the collagen-enriched matrix signature at the protein level. Collagen-1 accumulated in early and advanced rat lesions. Importantly, collagen-1 was likely associated with pathological vascular remodelling rather than classic fibrosis and the transcription factor SP1 was predicted and validated to regulate, at least in part, the expression of collagen-1 in rat lesions.
Snord116-dependent diurnal rhythm of DNA methylation in mouse cortex
Authors: Coulson Rochelle L. , Yasui Dag H. , Dunaway Keith , Laufer Benjamin I. , Vogel Ciernia Annie , Mordaunt Charles E. , Totah Theresa S. , LaSalle Janine M.
Published: September 2017

Rhythmic oscillations of physiological processes depend on integrating the circadian clock and diurnal environment. DNA methylation is epigenetically responsive to daily rhythms, as a subset of CpG dinucleotides in brain exhibit diurnal rhythmic methylation. A major genetic effect on rhythmic methylation was identified in a mouseSnordll6deletion model of the imprinted disorder Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Of the >23,000 diurnally rhythmic CpGs identified in wild-type cortex, 97% lost rhythmic methylation in PWS cortex. Circadian dysregulation of a second imprintedSnordcluster at the Temple/Kagami-Ogata syndrome locus was observed at the level of methylation, transcription, and chromatin, providing mechanistic evidence of crosstalk. Genes identified by diurnal epigenetic changes in PWS mice overlapped rhythmic and PWS-specific genes in human brain and were enriched for PWS-relevant obesity phenotypes and pathways. These results support the proposed evolutionary relationship between imprinting and sleep, and suggest possible chronotherapy in the treatment of PWS and related disorders.
Within and across-trial dynamics of human EEG reveal cooperative interplay between reinforcement learning and working memory
Authors: Collins Anne GE , Frank Michael J
Published: September 2017

Learning from rewards and punishments is essential to survival, and facilitates flexible human behavior. It is widely appreciated that multiple cognitive and reinforcement learning systems contribute to behavior, but the nature of their interactions is elusive. Here, we leverage novel methods for extracting trial-by-trial indices of reinforcement learning (RL) and working memory (WM) in human electroencephalography to reveal single trial computations beyond that afforded by behavior alone. Within-trial dynamics confirmed that increases in neural expectation were predictive of reduced neural surprise in the following feedback period, supporting central tenets of RL models. Cross-trial dynamics revealed a cooperative interplay between systems for learning, in which WM contributes expectations to guide RL, despite competition between systems during choice. Together, these results provide a deeper understanding of how multiple neural systems interact for learning and decision making, and facilitate analysis of their disruption in clinical populations.

One sentence summary

Decoding of dynamical neural signals in humans reveals cooperation between cognitive and habit learning systems.
Differentiating control, monitoring and oversight
Authors: Cullen Margaret M. , Brennan Niamh M.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

Boards of directors are assumed to exercise three key accountability roles – control, monitoring and oversight roles. By researching one board type – investment fund boards – and the power relations around those boards, the purpose of this paper is to show that such boards are not capable of operating the three key roles assumed of them.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted 25 in-depth interviews and a focus group session with investment fund directors applying a grounded theory methodology.

Findings

Because of their unique position of power, the authors find that fund promoter organisations (that establish and attract investors to the funds) exercise control and monitoring roles. As a result, contrary to prior assumptions, oversight is the primary role of investment fund boards, rather than the control role or monitoring role associated with corporate boards. The findings can be extended to other board-of-director contexts in which boards (e.g. subsidiary boards, boards of state-owned entities) have legal responsibility but limited power because of power exercised by other parties such as large shareholders.

Practical implications

Shareholders and regulators generally assume boards exercise control and monitoring roles. This can lead to an expectations gap on the part of shareholders and regulators who may not consider the practical realities in which boards operate. This expectations gap compromises the very objective of governance – investor protection.

Originality/value

Based on interviews with investment fund directors, the authors challenge the control-role theory of investment fund boards of directors. Building on our findings, and following subsequent conceptual engagement with the literature, the authors differentiate control, monitoring and oversight roles, terms which are often used interchangeably in prior research. The authors distinguish between the three terms on the basis of the level of influence implied by each.
The Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal Community in its 30th year
Authors: Carnegie Garry D. , Napier Christopher J.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the origins and development of the “Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (AAAJ) Community”, a flourishing international interdisciplinary accounting research community. This scholarly community has emerged over some 30 years from the publication in 1988 of the inaugural issue of AAAJ under the joint editorship of James Guthrie and Lee Parker. This historical account discusses the motivation for establishing the journal and the important publishing initiatives, developments and trends across this period. The study positions the journal as a key thought leader, the catalyst for other Community activities such as the Asia-Pacific Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting conference.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation involved a selective review of the contents of AAAJ, particularly the annual editorials published since inception, and other relevant literature, analysis of the main research themes and the most cited papers, and oral history interviews with the joint editors. The future prospects for the AAAJ Community are addressed.

Findings

The AAAJ Community has shaped and led developments in interdisciplinary accounting research. Recognised for innovation and with a reputation for nurturing scholars, AAAJ continues to grow in stature as one of the world’s leading accounting journals, challenging the status quo and fostering inclusive scholarship.

Research limitations/implications

The study does not examine the journal’s publication patterns nor assess in detail the research studies that have been published in the journal.

Originality/value

The study recognises AAAJ as central to the development of an interdisciplinary accounting research community, firmly located in the sociological, critical and interpretative tradition also associated with some other leading accounting journals.