bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Video to Communicate with Parents
Authors: Clapham Joyce A. , Teller Henry
Published: April 2017

Video tape is shown to be a convenient, low-cost, low-tech means to communicating with parents and to modeling skills and strategies for parents to use at home with their children who are enrolled in programs for the deaf and hard of hearing. Video tapes can help to make a child's education accessible to the rest of the family. In this article, applications for video tapes to be used to instruct and communicate with parents of deaf and hard of hearing students are presented. Positive outcomes from the use of video tapes in preschool and elementary classrooms in rural southeastern Louisiana and in an all-Hispanic high school program in Texas are reported.
Enhancing and Expanding Supported Employment in a Large Rural State: Montana's Projects with Industry
Authors: Steere Daniel E. , Ellerd David , Sampson Marsha , Barry Michelle
Published: April 2017

Over five years of operation, the Montana Projects with Industry (PWI) program assisted 65 people with severe disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive community employment. In addition, the project supported four existing rehabilitation agencies to establish active Business Advisory Councils to assist them in increasing job placement activities. This article describes the accomplishments of the project over its five years of operation. In addition, strategies that contribute to positive employment outcomes are described. Finally, continuing challenges in enhancing and expanding supported employment services are addressed.
A Rural Work Experience Model that Works: Lessons from the Real World
Authors: Elrod G. Franklin , Cahalane Benita H. , Combe Joanne
Published: April 2017

Transition education for students with disabilities means different things to different educators based upon the communities in which they reside. Thus, teachers often bring pre-conceived notions to the school setting about what constitutes an effective school-to-work program. The Skills Training Program described in this article takes site-based work experiences to the rural communities in which students live and builds a bridge between school and the job site. Special educators from rural and remote school districts in eastern Oregon surveyed local employers and designed a model to implement a work experience program for students with disabilities in an area with limited employment resources. This article describes the organizational process of this tri-county work experience model and reports on the outcome of enhancing associated work skills.
Risk Communication in Rural Special Education
Authors: Bull Kay Sather , Kimball Sarah
Published: April 2017

Risk communication, a methodology adapted from environmental science, is proposed as a method of communication which has a rich history of use and research in other disciplines. This methodology is recommended for those in rural special education programs who communicate with parents and teachers in the more remote districts. Coming from risk decision making literature, risk communication is part of that process described as: (a) hazard identification, (b) hazard assessment, (c) risk assessment, (d) risk management, (e) risk analysis, and (f) risk communication. Each of these processes is described using rural special education examples. Additionally, risk communication factors, psychological and socioeconomic/cultural factors, are explored. Processes for improving risk communication from presentation style, trust development, reliability, outrage prevention, evaluation of communication and personal/cultural factors are also explored.
The Circle of Life: Preparing Teachers to Work with American Indian Students with Disabilities
Authors: Herbert Michael A. , Mayhew John C. , Sebastian Joan P.
Published: April 2017

This article describes a federally funded project designed to prepare teachers to work with American Indian students with disabilities. The model teacher preparation project is designed to address the multicultural and educational needs of American Indian students with disabilities grades K-12 in rural/remote as well as urban regions. The six components of the preparation program include: (a) cultural sensitivity and awareness, (b) non-biased assessment, (c) language and culture, (d) curriculum and instructional strategies, (e) transition and collaboration, and (f) field experiences. Project outcomes, including the number of individuals prepared and illustrations of field assignments, are discussed.
A Model Project for Identifying Rural Gifted and Talented Students in the Visual Arts
Authors: De Leon Jozi , Argus-Calvo Beverley , Medina Catherine
Published: April 2017

The following article describes a program that was designed to identify gifted and talented Hispanic and Native American children in the visual arts in two rural schools. The multidimensional identification procedures as well as the need of each community are presented. The overall outcomes are discussed emphasizing the positive effects that were observed in the participating students.
A Review of Psychological and Educational Assessment of Northern American Indian/Alaska >Native Children
Authors: Amos Terese Lipinski
Published: April 2017

An overview of psychological and educational assessment of Native children is provided. The focus is on American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children, with particular emphasis on upper North American Indian, Alaska Native, and Canadian Native children.
Strategies for Developing Inclusive Practices in Small, Rural Schools
Authors: Beloin Kim S.
Published: April 2017

This article showcases several small, rural schools in Wisconsin who have made a commitment to utilizing inclusive school practices. By re-aligning current building-based resources in innovative ways, the professionals in these four schools have designed unique inclusive education models and practices that respond to the educational needs of a diverse range of learners. This article describes four successful rural school inclusion models in detail. These rural school inclusion models focus on: (a) scheduling for cross-categorical programming, (b) including students with challenging behaviors, (c) co-teaching, and (d) practicing inclusive education in a rural high school. Other small, rural schools who are moving towards inclusion, will benefit from the discussed experiences these models encountered during the re-alignment of their resources.
Psychological Services and Rural Schools: Making the Relationship Work
Authors: Páez Doris , Rhodes Robert
Published: April 2017

The issues which are unique to special education and the provision of school psychological services in rural schools are briefly delineated. In addition, strategies for assisting school personnel to have more effective school psychology services are presented. These strategies are discussed within a collaborative consultation model in which the goals (i.e., primary, secondary or tertiary prevention), levels of services (i.e., community/school system, students, parents, or school personnel), and best approach (i.e., direct or indirect) of service delivery are delineated.
Identification of Potential Aggressive Behavior in Rural At-Risk Minority Youth: A Community Response
Authors: French Laurence Armand , Rodriguez Richard F.
Published: April 2017

School violence has emerged as a critical issue in the U.S. today. While the focus was traditionally on urban school and gangs, recent shootings in suburban and rural schools has brought attention to non-urban school settings. This is a study of a rural, multicultural state with a high at-risk youth population. New Mexico has the highest Hispanic population (38%) as well as a high American Indian representation (22 different tribes). Ranking high in youth violence, substance abuse, poverty, teen pregnancies, and with a significant school drop-out rate, a multicultural intervention effort was initiated to address this phenomenon. The program involves cutlural-centric approaches involving families, schools, and the juvenile justice system.
Morality and the Ethic of Care: Peaceable Rural Schools, Caring Rural Communities
Authors: Thurston Linda P. , Berkeley Terry R.
Published: April 2017

There is violence and a loss of personal safety in rural schools as there is in urban and suburban schools. The impact is felt by children, teachers, support staff, administrators, and citizens in the communities in which those schools are located. These tensions are as widespread as are the great differences and increased diversity of America's rural communities. In this article, these concerns are discussed. Solutions are presented with violence and the loss of personal safety being highlighted as resolvable problems via a consideration of all members of the community moving to an ethic of caring, living in communities characterized as caring, thus, attending peaceable schools.

Morality and the Ethic of Care: Peaceable Rural Schools, Caring Rural Communities

“To educate a person in mind but not in morals is a menace to society.” T. Roosevelt

“A question a'int really a question if you know the answer too.” J. Prine

“The best thing for disturbances of the spirit…is to learn.” T.H. White

Recently on National Public Radio's “Morning Edition” it was reported in Butte, Montana, the Superintendent of Schools now has the principals in the district hold regular safety drills for her students, teachers, aides, and other staff in light of the recent spate of publicized attacks of violence taking place in American schools, especially those taking place in Rural Schools.
Employment Setting Changes of SLPS in a Rural State
Authors: Mcelhanon Janeé , Baggs Terry , Holloway Tracy , Diebold Martin
Published: April 2017

Serious shortages of speech-language pathologists (SLP) continue to exist in rural areas in spite of increasing numbers of available personnel and mandated provision of services. This study identifies employment change factors which impact on the shortage of SLPs in rural schools. A questionnaire was mailed to every nationally certified and state licensed SLP in a southern, rural state, requesting historical employment change information such as sequence and length of employment and reasons for accepting employment in each employment. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize group data. Results showed that respondents employed in schools remain longer in those positions than do their counterparts in healthcare. Despite popular opinion, when SLPs leaves a school for other employment, the majority take positions in other schools. Factors that facilitate these changes are discussed.
How the M.A.P. Club Changed Perceptions of Students with Special Needs
Authors: Brennan J. Patrick , Brennan Kathleen B.
Published: April 2017

Job clubs can improve the perceptions of the community, school personnel, general education students and students with specials needs towards other students with special needs in a small rural southern high school. Public relations strategies used by the club can improve the overall images of its members and positively effect self-esteem, confidence, and responsibility in the students. The opinions of the other students, faculty and staff, community and administration improve towards the students with special needs. This article describes the Marketing and Production Club (M.A.P. Club) which helped students with special needs at a small rural high school find success.
Maintaining School-Based Prereferral Teams: An Eight Year Study
Authors: Hammond Helen , Ingalls Lawrence
Published: April 2017

The establishment of prereferral intervention teams has become a recommended practice for educators to use to address the diverse needs of students within the classrooms. Although the concept of utilizing prereferral teams is widely accepted, educators are continually facing challenges at maintaining these teams within their schools. All too often, the teams are formed and operate for 1 or 2 years and then the teams are dismantled and their operations are discontinued. This article will explore the many factors that support and hinder the operations of prereferral teams. Follow-up data will be analyzed from prereferral teams within a tri-school district who have had their teams in operation for approximately 8 years. Common factors that team members stated supported and hindered their operations will be summarized.
Evaluating the Transition Component in IEPs of Secondary Students with Disabilities
Authors: Shearin Alma , Roessler Richard , Schriner Kay
Published: April 2017

Using an outcome/skill checklist, four raters evaluated the transition content of 68 Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs) prepared following the Congressional mandate to include school-to-work goals and linkages. Data indicated that the plans were unclear regarding residential, postsecondary education, and employment goals for many students. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), specific plans to meet these goals or a rationale as to why they are not addressed is required. Although the plans provided justifications for not addressing a variety of life goals, important skill areas were overlooked such as personal care, safety, family planning, child care, clothing selection and care, and self-advocacy training. The plans included few linkages with adult agencies, with vocational rehabilitation mentioned in only 7% of the plans. To improve transition planning, the authors recommend that IEP teams use the checklist presented in this article.
Distance Education Programs Preparing Personnel for Rural Areas: Current Practices, Emerging Trends, and Future Directions
Authors: Ludlow Barbara L. , Brannan Sara A.
Published: April 2017

In this study, a review of the professional literature from 1985 through 1999 was conducted to identify any reports of technology-mediated distance education programs designed to prepare special education and related services personnel in rural areas. Data collection involved an index search of refereed journals as well as conference programs or proceedings of professional organizations, an online search of Web sites of colleges and universities, and contacts with professional colleagues known to be engaged in distance education. For each reference or report located, data were collected to answer questions related to the target population, the technologies used for delivery, the program components, the funding sources, and the intended outcomes of the program. Where needed data were lacking, researchers sought additional information by reviewing the program's Web site, brochure or other material, and interviewing personnel reposnsible for each program to clarify inconsistencies ro obtain missing data. Analysis of the data revealed that many of the distance education programs that currently exist in special education and related services are focussed on personnel preparation in rural areas. In addition, the technologies utilized for distance education have changed considerably over time as new options became available, with most programs making use of a combination of media for distance delivery. The demonstrated longevity of many distance education programs suggests that this mode of delivery will continue to have a major impact on personnel supply and demand in rural special education and disability services in the years to come.
Vaginal McCall culdoplasty versus laparoscopic uterosacral plication to prophylactically address vaginal vault prolapse
Authors: Niblock Kathy , Bailie Emily , McCracken Geoff , Johnston Keith
Published: April 2017

Background

Studies have shown that vaginal vault prolapse can affect up to 43% of women following hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse. Many techniques have been described to prevent and treat vaginal vault prolapse. The primary objective of our study was to compare McCall’s culdoplasty (when performed along side vaginal hysterectomy) with laparoscopic uterosacral plication (when performed along side total laparoscopic hysterectomy) for prevention of vaginal vault prolapse. Secondary outcomes included inpatient stay and perioperative complications.

A retrospective comparison study comparing 73 patients who underwent ‘laparoscopic hysterectomy and uterosacral plication’ against 70 patients who underwent ‘vaginal hysterectomy and McCall culdoplasty’. All operations were carried out by two trained surgeons.

Results

There was no significant difference between BMI or parity. There were statistically significantly more patients presenting with post hysterectomy vault prolapse (PHVP) in the group of patients who had undergone uterosacral plication (12 out of 73) compared with McCalls culdoplasty (0 out of 70) P = 0.000394. Inpatient stay in the uterosacral plication group was significantly shorter mean 1.8 compared to 3.6 for McCall group (P-Value is <0.00001). There was no significance in the perioperative complications between both groups (P = 0.41).

Conclusions

McCalls is a superior operation to prevent PHVP compared to uterosacral plication with no difference in terms of perioperative complications.
Thermodynamics in cancers: opposing interactions between PPAR gamma and the canonical WNT/beta‐catenin pathway
Authors: Lecarpentier Yves , Claes Victor , Vallée Alexandre , Hébert Jean‐Louis
Published: April 2017

Cancer cells are the site of numerous metabolic and thermodynamic abnormalities. We focus this review on the interactions between the canonical WNT/beta‐catenin pathway and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) in cancers and their implications from an energetic and metabolic point of view. In numerous tissues, PPAR gamma activation induces inhibition of beta‐catenin pathway, while the activation of the canonical WNT/beta‐catenin pathway inactivates PPAR gamma. In most cancers but not all, PPAR gamma is downregulated while the WNT/beta‐catenin pathway is upregulated. In cancer cells, upregulation of the WNT/beta‐catenin signaling induces dramatic changes in key metabolic enzymes that modify their thermodynamic behavior. This leads to activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase1 (PDK‐1) and monocarboxylate lactate transporter. Consequently, phosphorylation of PDK‐1 inhibits the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH). Thus, a large part of pyruvate cannot be converted into acetyl‐coenzyme A (acetyl‐CoA) in mitochondria and only a part of acetyl‐CoA can enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This leads to aerobic glycolysis in spite of the availability of oxygen. This phenomenon is referred to as the Warburg effect. Cytoplasmic pyruvate is converted into lactate. The WNT/beta‐catenin pathway induces the transcription of genes involved in cell proliferation, i.e., MYC and CYCLIN D1. This ultimately promotes the nucleotide, protein and lipid synthesis necessary for cell growth and multiplication. In cancer, activation of the PI3K‐AKT pathway induces an increase of the aerobic glycolysis. Moreover, prostaglandin E2 by activating the canonical WNT pathway plays also a role in cancer. In addition in many cancer cells, PPAR gamma is downregulated. Moreover, PPAR gamma contributes to regulate some key circadian genes. In cancers, abnormalities in the regulation of circadian rhythms (CRs) are observed. CRs are dissipative structures which play a key‐role in far‐from‐equilibrium thermodynamics. In cancers, metabolism, thermodynamics and CRs are intimately interrelated.
Epidemiology of burn injuries in Nepal: a systemic review
Authors: Tripathee Sanjib , Basnet Surendra Jung
Published: April 2017

Burn is a global public health problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Southeast-Asian countries share a big burden of burn injuries, and Nepal is not an exception. We performed a systemic review to examine the epidemiological characteristics of burn injures in Nepal. Relevant epidemiological studies were identified through systemic search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. Reference lists from relevant review articles were also searched. Studies were included if they meet our selection criteria. Eight studies were included in our systemic review. Most of the burn victims belong to the working age group between 15–60 years old. Flame burns were found to be the most common cause of burn injury followed by scald burns, whereas scald burns were the most common cause of burn injury among the pediatric population. Most patients sustained less severe burn injuries, with home being the most common place of burn injury. The average hospital stay among the burn victims ranged from 13 to 60 days. Mortality among the burn victims ranged from 4.5 to 23.5%, with highest mortality among the flame burn patients. Developed nations have significantly reduced the burn incidence through effective intervention program. Although, burn injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nepal, effective intervention programs are lacking due to the limited epidemiological data related to burn injuries. Further large scale research is imperative to investigate the problem and assess the effectiveness of an intervention program.
Porosity estimation in the Fort Worth Basin constrained by 3D seismic attributes integrated in a sequential Bayesian simulation framework
Authors: Blouin Martin , Le Ravalec Mickaele , Gloaguen Erwan , Adelinet Mathilde
Published: April 2017

The accurate inference of reservoir properties such as porosity and permeability is crucial in reservoir characterization for oil and gas exploration and production as well as for other geologic applications. In most cases, direct measurements of those properties are done in wells that provide high vertical resolution but limited lateral coverage. To fill this gap, geophysical methods can often offer data with dense 3D coverage that can serve as proxy for the variable of interest. All the information available can then be integrated using multivariate geostatistical methods to provide stochastic or deterministic estimate of the reservoir properties. Our objective is to generate multiple scenarios of porosity at different scales, considering four formations of the Fort Worth Basin altogether and then restricting the process to the Marble Falls limestones. Under the hypothesis that a statistical relation between 3D seismic attributes and porosity can be inferred from well logs, a Bayesian sequential simulation (BSS) framework proved to be an efficient approach to infer reservoir porosity from an acoustic impedance cube. However, previous BBS approaches only took two variables upscaled at the resolution of the seismic data, which is not suitable for thin-bed reservoirs. We have developed three modified BSS algorithms that better adapt the BSS approach for unconventional reservoir petrophysical properties estimation from deterministic prestack seismic inversion. A methodology that includes a stochastic downscaling procedure is built and one that integrates two secondary downscaled constraints to the porosity estimation process. Results suggest that when working at resolution higher than surface seismic, it is better to execute the workflow for each geologic formation separately.
Seismic expression and geomorphology of igneous bodies: A Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, case study
Authors: Infante-Paez Lennon , Marfurt Kurt J.
Published: April 2017

Very little research has been done on volcanic rocks by the oil industry due to the misconception that these rocks cannot be “good reservoirs.” However, in the past two decades, significant quantities of hydrocarbons have been produced from volcanic rocks in China, New Zealand, and Argentina. In frontier basins, volcanic piles are sometimes misinterpreted to be hydrocarbon anomalies and/or carbonate buildups. Unlike clastic and carbonate systems, the 3D seismic geomorphology of igneous systems is only partially documented. We have integrated 3D seismic data, well logs, well reports, core data, and clustering techniques such as self-organizing maps to map two distinct facies (pyroclastic and lava flows), within a Miocene submarine volcano in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. Three wells; Kora-1–3 drilled the pyroclastic facies within the volcano encountering evidence of a petroleum system, whereas the Kora-4 well drilled the lava-flow facies, which was barren of hydrocarbons. By integrating results from geochemistry and basin modeling reports prepared for Crown Mineral, New Zealand, we concluded that the reason that Kora-4 was dry was due to a lack of source charge — not to the absence of reservoir quality. Moreover, the Kora-1 well drilled a thick sequence (>[Formula: see text]) of pyroclastic flows in this submarine volcano by chance and found high peaks of gas in the mudlogs near the top 25 m of this sequence. A long-term test in this upper volcanic section resulted in 32 API oil flow of 668 barrels of oil per day for 254 h — a result that challenges the misconception that volcanic rocks cannot be good reservoirs.
Randomized Phase II Study Investigating Pazopanib Versus Weekly Paclitaxel in Relapsed or Progressive Urothelial Cancer
Authors: Jones Robert J. , Hussain Syed A. , Protheroe Andrew S. , Birtle Alison , Chakraborti Prabir , Huddart Robert A. , Jagdev Satinder , Bahl Amit , Stockdale Andrew , Sundar Santhanam , Crabb Simon J. , Dixon-Hughes Judith , Alexander Laura , Morris Anna , Kelly Caroline , Stobo Jon , Paul James , Powles Thomas
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Two previous single-arm trials have drawn conflicting conclusions regarding the activity of pazopanib in urothelial cancers after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy.

Patients and Methods

This randomized (1:1) open-label phase II trial compared the efficacy of pazopanib 800 mg orally with paclitaxel (80 mg/m2days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days) in the second-line setting. The primary end point was overall survival (OS).

Results

Between August 2012 and October 2014, 131 patients, out of 140 planned, were randomly assigned. The study was terminated early on the recommendation of the independent data monitoring committee because of futility. Final analysis after the preplanned number of deaths (n = 110) occurred after a median follow-up of 18 months. One hundred fifteen deaths had occurred at the final data extract presented here. Median OS was 8.0 months for paclitaxel (80% CI, 6.9 to 9.7 months) and 4.7 months for pazopanib (80% CI, 4.2 to 6.4 months). The hazard ratio (HR) adjusted for baseline stratification factors was 1.28 (80% CI, 0.99 to 1.67; one-sided P = .89). Median progression-free survival was 4.1 months for paclitaxel (80% CI, 3.0 to 5.6 months) and 3.1 months for pazopanib (80% CI, 2.7 to 4.6 months; HR, 1.09; 80% CI, 0.85 to 1.40; one-sided P = .67). Discontinuations for toxicity occurred in 7.8% and 23.1% for paclitaxel and pazopanib, respectively.

Conclusion

Pazopanib did not have greater efficacy than paclitaxel in the second-line treatment of urothelial cancers. There was a trend toward superior OS for paclitaxel.
The Novel Comes of Age: When Literature Started Talking with Children
Authors: Ferguson Frances
Published: April 2017

“The Novel Comes of Age” aims to discuss the importance of conversation as Anna Laetitia Barbauld instantiates it in her Lessons for Children and Hymns in Prose for Children and in Evenings at Home, which she and her brother John Aikin jointly authored. As Barbauld lays out her account of the novel in her early treatment of the novel as a genre, she identifies the prominence of conversation as its distinctive feature. Exchanges—and particularly exchanges that take the form of riddles and solutions—suggest how the novel both documents the movements of consciousness and establishes a realism more reliant on dialogue than on thick description of setting.
Bating the Lobster
Authors: Ravindranathan Thangam
Published: April 2017

This essay considers the lobster of Samuel Beckett’s early story “Dante and the Lobster” as what disturbs the count. Assumed to be dead, only to then be revealed alive when it is about to enter the cooking pot, the lobster here is an “incalculable factor” that unsettles narrative consciousness and time. The author reads various aspects of this disturbance, and particularly how the lobster’s “nervous [. . .] life” as encrypted in two small terms of the story—“cruel pot” and “neuter creature”—emerges as an early inscription of a trapped or unvoicable “I” foretelling the self’s dispossession in Beckett’s later writings.
DROSHA targets its own transcript to modulate alternative splicing
Authors: Lee Dooyoung , Nam Jin-Wu , Shin Chanseok
Published: April 2017

The nuclear RNase III enzyme DROSHA interacts with its cofactor DGCR8 to form the Microprocessor complex, which initiates microRNA (miRNA) maturation by cleaving hairpin structures embedded in primary transcripts. Apart from its central role in the biogenesis of miRNAs, DROSHA is also known to recognize and cleave miRNA-like hairpins in a subset of transcripts without apparent small RNA production. Here, we report that the human DROSHA transcript is one such noncanonical target of DROSHA. Mammalian DROSHA genes have evolved a conserved hairpin structure spanning a specific exon–intron junction, which serves as a substrate for the Microprocessor in human cells but not in murine cells. We show that it is this hairpin element that decides whether the overlapping exon is alternatively or constitutively spliced. We further demonstrate that DROSHA promotes skipping of the overlapping exon in human cells independently of its cleavage function. Our findings add to the expanding list of noncanonical DROSHA functions.
Unwinding focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
Authors: Peev Vasil , Hahm Eunsil , Reiser Jochen
Published: April 2017

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) represents the most common primary glomerular disease responsible for the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States (US). The disease progresses from podocyte injury to chronic kidney disease (CKD), ultimately leading to total nephron degeneration. Extensive basic science research has been conducted to unwind the mechanisms of FSGS and, with those insights, understand major contributors of CKD in general. As a result, several putative molecules and pathways have been studied, all implicated in the disease; some serve, in addition, as early biomarkers. The ongoing research is currently focusing on understanding how these molecules and pathways can interplay and be utilized as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Among these molecules, the soluble urokinase plasminogen activating receptor (suPAR) has been studied in detail, both clinically and from a basic science perspective. By now, it has emerged as the earliest and most robust marker of future CKD. Other circulating factors harming podocytes include anti-CD40 auto-antibody and possibly cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor-1. Understanding these factors will aid our efforts to ultimately cure FSGS and possibly treat a larger portion of CKD patients much more effectively.
Linking cortical microtubule attachment and exocytosis
Authors: Noordstra Ivar , Akhmanova Anna
Published: April 2017

Exocytosis is a fundamental cellular process whereby secreted molecules are packaged into vesicles that move along cytoskeletal filaments and fuse with the plasma membrane. To function optimally, cells are strongly dependent on precisely controlled delivery of exocytotic cargo. In mammalian cells, microtubules serve as major tracks for vesicle transport by motor proteins, and thus microtubule organization is important for targeted delivery of secretory carriers. Over the years, multiple microtubule-associated and cortical proteins have been discovered that facilitate the interaction between the microtubule plus ends and the cell cortex. In this review, we focus on mammalian protein complexes that have been shown to participate in both cortical microtubule capture and exocytosis, thereby regulating the spatial organization of secretion. These complexes include microtubule plus-end tracking proteins, scaffolding factors, actin-binding proteins, and components of vesicle docking machinery, which together allow efficient coordination of cargo transport and release.
Picopore: A tool for reducing the storage size of Oxford Nanopore Technologies datasets without loss of functionality
Authors: Gigante Scott
Published: April 2017

Oxford Nanopore Technologies' (ONT's) MinION and PromethION long-read sequencing technologies are emerging as genuine alternatives to established Next-Generation Sequencing technologies. A combination of the highly redundant file format and a rapid increase in data generation have created a significant problem both for immediate data storage on MinION-capable laptops, and for long-term storage on lab data servers. We developed Picopore, a software suite offering three methods of compression. Picopore's lossless and deep lossless methods provide a 25% and 44% average reduction in size, respectively, without removing any data from the files. Picopore's raw method provides an 88% average reduction in size, while retaining biologically relevant data for the end-user. All methods have the capacity to run in real-time in parallel to a sequencing run, reducing demand for both immediate and long-term storage space.
Introducing the Brassica Information Portal: Towards integrating genotypic and phenotypic Brassica crop data
Authors: Eckes Annemarie H. , Gubała Tomasz , Nowakowski Piotr , Szymczyszyn Tomasz , Wells Rachel , Irwin Judith A. , Horro Carlos , Hancock John M. , King Graham , Dyer Sarah C. , Jurkowski Wiktor
Published: April 2017

The Brassica Information Portal (BIP) is a centralised repository for Brassica phenotypic data. Trait data associated with Brassica research and breeding experiments conducted on Brassica crops, used as vegetables, for livestock fodder and biofuels, is hosted on the site, together with information on the experimental plant materials used, as well as trial design. BIP is an open access and open source project, built on the schema of CropStoreDB, and as such can provide trait data management strategies for any crop data. A new user interface and programmatic submission/retrieval system helps to simplify data access for scientists and breeders. BIP opens up the opportunity to apply big data analyses to data generated by the Brassica Research Community. Here, we present a short description of the current status of the repository.
Case Report: Making a diagnosis of familial renal disease – clinical and patient perspectives
Authors: Iqbal Zahra , Sayer John A.
Published: April 2017

Background: A precise molecular genetic diagnosis has become the gold standard for the correct identification and management of many inherited renal diseases.

Methods: Here we describe a family with familial focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and include a clinical and patient perspective on the diagnostic workup and relaying of genetic results following whole exome sequencing.

Results: Through next generation sequencing approaches, we identified a pathogenic mutation in TRPC6, the underlying cause of the phenotype. The identification of this mutation had important clinical consequences for the family, including allowing a living-unrelated kidney transplant to proceed in the index case. There are also wider ranging social and ethical dilemmas presented when reaching a genetic diagnosis like this one, which are explored here by both physicians and the index case.

Conclusions: Through physician and patient perspectives in a family with inherited renal failure we explore the implications and the magnitude of a molecular genetic diagnosis.
MSL: Facilitating automatic and physical analysis of published scientific literature in PDF format
Authors: Ahmed Zeeshan , Dandekar Thomas
Published: April 2017

Published scientific literature contains millions of figures, including information about the results obtained from different scientific experiments e.g. PCR-ELISA data, microarray analysis, gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry data, DNA/RNA sequencing, diagnostic imaging (CT/MRI and ultrasound scans), and medicinal imaging like electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), echocardiography  (ECG), positron-emission tomography (PET) images. The importance of biomedical figures has been widely recognized in scientific and medicine communities, as they play a vital role in providing major original data, experimental and computational results in concise form. One major challenge for implementing a system for scientific literature analysis is extracting and analyzing text and figures from published PDF files by physical and logical document analysis. Here we present a product line architecture based bioinformatics tool ‘Mining Scientific Literature (MSL)’, which supports the extraction of text and images by interpreting all kinds of published PDF files using advanced data mining and image processing techniques. It provides modules for the marginalization of extracted text based on different coordinates and keywords, visualization of extracted figures and extraction of embedded text from all kinds of biological and biomedical figures using applied Optimal Character Recognition (OCR). Moreover, for further analysis and usage, it generates the system’s output in different formats including text, PDF, XML and images files. Hence, MSL is an easy to install and use analysis tool to interpret published scientific literature in PDF format.
Grafitos e tabus nas organizações: um estudo iconográfico em banheiros
Authors: Da Silva Alexsandra Nascimento , Saraiva Luiz Alex Silva
Published: April 2017

Partindo do pressuposto de que os banheiros constituem lugares “à margem” da organização, já que são espaços de passagem e se destinam à excreção, nesse estudo se analisa de que forma a comunicação expressa relações sociais na organização. Foi feita uma pesquisa iconográfica, baseada em fotografias de grafitos de 78 banheiros de uma universidade, material examinado por meio da análise de conteúdo. Os grafitos analisados expressam tabus ligados à sexualidade e à escatologia, e mesmo sendo o banheiro um não-lugar, onde a livre expressão é “tolerada”, há tentativas de controle nos níveis individual, organizacional e social. As principais contribuições apontam que inclusão e exclusão são estreitamente relacionadas às relações de poder. Os sujeitos alinhados à posição hegemônica condenam a diferença entre os sujeitos e, ao valorizar a homogeneidade, submetem os indivíduos à medida que controlam sua forma de se comunicar nas organizações.
Representação Social do Endividamento Individual
Authors: Carvalho Helder Araujo de , Sousa Felipe Gerhard Paula , Fuentes Verónica Ligia Peñaloza
Published: April 2017

Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar a ideia de endividamento na visão dos próprios indivíduos, uma vez que não há consenso na literatura teórica sobre o conceito. Para a obtenção dos propósitos da pesquisa, foram realizadas 300 entrevistas estruturadas de curta duração. Os dados, ademais, foram analisados por meio da técnica de evocação de palavras, dado que o método permite o acesso à representação social de um conceito decompondo-o em ideias centrais e periféricas, a partir da visão de diferentes classes e estratos sociais. Os principais resultados do estudo revelam que há uma multiplicidade de aspectos e variáveis que contribuem para a formação do conceito, porquanto diversos construtos e dimensões competem para a formação do fenômeno. Sucintamente, o endividamento representa para os respondentes o produto de contas, gastos, dívidas e obrigações decorrentes da confluência de fatores gerados por ações individuais e/ou externas, resultando em disposições emocionais perniciosas ao indivíduo. Ao fim, serão expostas as contribuições finais da pesquisa, bem como as principais limitações do estudo e as sugestões para trabalhos futuros.
Determinantes e dificuldades de crescimento para mulheres empreendedoras
Authors: Machado Hilka Pelizza Vier , Guedes Alexandre , Gazola Sebastião
Published: April 2017

ResumoO objetivo desta pesquisa foi identificar determinantes e dificuldades de crescimento de empresas de mulheres, bem como a relação de características da empresa e das empreendedoras com estas variáveis. A pesquisa foi realizada com uma amostra de 102 empreendedoras. O instrumento para coleta de dados foi um questionário estruturado. O tratamento dos dados foi realizado com análises descritivas e exploratórias. O teste de Spearman mostrou a correlação entre as determinantes e dificuldades de crescimento com características da empresa e das empreendedoras. A análise de Cluster mostrou grupos de atributos similares relacionados a determinantes e dificuldades de crescimento. As principais determinantes foram: tempo dedicado ao negócio, conhecimento prévio, capacidade criativa e inovadora e novos produtos e serviços. As principais dificuldades foram falta de qualificação pessoal, falta de auto confiança, baixa capacidade inovadora; falta de planejamento, falta de organização, falta de informações sobre o negócio e falta de estratégia de crescimento.
Using a Conic Bundle Method to Accelerate Both Phases of a Quadratic Convex Reformulation
Authors: Billionnet Alain , Elloumi Sourour , Lambert Amélie , Wiegele Angelika
Published: April 2017

We present algorithm MIQCR-CB that is an advancement of MIQCR. MIQCR is a method for solving mixed-integer quadratic programs and works in two phases: the first phase determines an equivalent quadratic formulation with a convex objective function by solving a semidefinite problem (SDP); in the second phase, the equivalent formulation is solved by a standard solver. Because the reformulation relies on the solution of a large-scale semidefinite program, it is not tractable by existing semidefinite solvers even for medium-sized problems. To surmount this difficulty, we present in MIQCR-CB a subgradient algorithm within a Lagrangian duality framework for solving (SDP) that substantially speeds up the first phase. Moreover, this algorithm leads to a reformulated problem of smaller size than the one obtained by the original MIQCR method, which results in a shorter time for solving the second phase. We present extensive computational results to show the efficiency of our algorithm. First, we apply MIQCR-CB to the k-cluster problem that can be formulated by a binary quadratic program. As an illustration of the efficiency of our new algorithm, for instances of size 80 and of density 25%, MIQCR-CB is on average 78 times faster for phase 1 and 24 times faster for phase 2 than the original MIQCR. We also compare MIQCR-CB with QCR and with BiqCrunch, two methods devoted to binary quadratic programming. We show that MIQCR-CB is able to solve most of the 225 considered instances within three hours of CPU time. We also present experiments on two classes of general integer instances where we compare MIQCR-CB with MIQCR, Couenne, and Cplex12.6. We demonstrate the significant improvement over the original MIQCR approach. Finally, we show that MIQCR-CB is able to solve almost all of the considered instances, whereas Couenne and Cplex12.6 are not able to solve half of them.
Parallel Nonstationary Direct Policy Search for Risk-Averse Stochastic Optimization
Authors: Moazeni Somayeh , Powell Warren B. , Defourny Boris , Bouzaiene-Ayari Belgacem
Published: April 2017

This paper presents an algorithmic strategy to nonstationary policy search for finite-horizon, discrete-time Markovian decision problems with large state spaces, constrained action sets, and a risk-sensitive optimality criterion. The methodology relies on modeling time-variant policy parameters by a nonparametric response surface model for an indirect parametrized policy motivated by Bellman’s equation. The policy structure is heuristic when the optimization of the risk-sensitive criterion does not admit a dynamic programming reformulation. Through the interpolating approximation, the level of nonstationarity of the policy, and consequently, the size of the resulting search problem can be adjusted. The computational tractability and the generality of the approach follow from a nested parallel implementation of derivative-free optimization in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation. We demonstrate the efficiency of the approach on an optimal energy storage charging problem, and illustrate the effect of the risk functional on the improvement achieved by allowing a higher complexity in time variation for the policy.

The online supplement is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2016.0733 .
Pricing and Capacity Allocation for Shared Services
Authors: Kostami Vasiliki , Kostamis Dimitris , Ziya Serhan
Published: April 2017

We study the pricing and capacity allocation problem of a service provider who serves two distinct customer classes. Customers in each class are inherently heterogeneous in their willingness to pay for service, but their utilities are also affected by the presence of other customers in the system. Specifically, customer utilities depend on how many customers are in the system at the time of service as well as who these other customers are. We find that if the service provider can price discriminate between customer classes, pricing out a class, i.e., operating an exclusive system, can sometimes be optimal and depends only on classes’ perceptions of each other. If the provider must charge a single price, an exclusive system is even more likely. We extend our analysis to a service provider who can prevent class interaction by allocating separate capacity segments to the two customer classes. Under price discrimination, allocating capacity is optimal if the “net appreciation” between classes, as defined in the paper, is negative. However, under a single-price policy, allocating capacity can be optimal even if this net appreciation is positive. We describe in detail how the nature of asymmetry in classes’ perception of each other determines the optimal strategy.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2016.0606 .
Be a change agent in medical education: How exactly?
Authors: Sharma Neel
Published: April 2017

Evoking change in medical education is often discussed, but the reality is that as a trainee, highlighting the real issues is no easy task. This reflective piece aims to highlight the difficulties in promoting change in the hope to bring about discussion in how to move forward
Learning from the under nurse: a look at Swedish social care
Authors: Hurtley Rosemary
Published: April 2017

There is a growing need for our social care system to adapt to the demands of an ageing population. Rosemary Hurtley outlines how the care system works in Sweden, and the learning points we can take away to provide the best possible care here in the UK
Latino Student Persistence Strategies in Transferring from Community College to Tier 1 Universities: A Phenomenological Analysis
Authors: Harris Linwood N.
Published: April 2017

This study is a departure from discussions on why community college students do not transfer in large numbers, but instead, provides an analysis of Latino students from community college who have successfully transferred to Tier 1 universities. The conceptual framework included student engagement theory (Kuh, 2003), the support for student autonomy (Koestner et al., 2015), and the importance of students studying to mastery (Sarwat & Irshad, 2012).  These theories were applied to the central research question, ‘What strategies do Latino students from a community college use to create a successful transition from community college to Tier 1 colleges and universities?’ The researcher generated six themes on how Latino students experienced successful transfer: institutional support, student transfer experiences, strategies to adapt, financial support, studying to mastery, and family support as major factors for academic success.   These findings would be significant to student development specialists in community colleges.  Further, such findings can be used to support Latino community college students as they sought transfer to four-year colleges and universities.