bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘You're not sure that you are gay yet’: The perpetuation of the ‘phase’ in the lives of young disabled LGBT + people
Authors: Toft Alex , Franklin Anita , Langley Emma
Published: April 2019

Contemporary discourse on sexuality presents a picture of fluidity and malleability, with research continuing to frame sexuality as negotiable, within certain parameters and social structures. Such investigation is fraught with difficulties, due in part to the fact that as one explores how identity shifts, language terms such as ‘phase’ emerge conjuring images of a definitive path towards an end-goal, as young people battle through a period of confusion and emerge at their true or authentic identity. Seeing sexuality and gender identity as a phase can delegitimise and prevent access to support, which is not offered due to the misconception that it is not relevant and that one can grow out of being LGBT+. This article explores the lives of disabled LGBT + young people from their perspective, using their experiences and stories to explore their identities and examine how this links to the misconception of their sexuality and gender as a phase. Taking inspiration from the work of scholars exploring sexual and gender identity, and sexual storytelling; the article is framed by intersectionality which allows for a detailed analysis of how identities interact and inform, when used as an analytic tool. The article calls for a more nuanced understanding of sexuality and gender in the lives of disabled LGBT + young people, which will help to reduce inequality and exclusion.
Harnessing creativity through arts-based research to support teachers’ identity development
Authors: McKay Loraine , Sappa Viviana
Published: April 2019

Although prevalently focused on research-based outcomes (i.e. better understanding of a particular phenomenon, process or experience), arts-based researchers have widely emphasised the transformational potentialities of arts for individuals. In particular, the arts create space for thinking differently and provide opportunities to explore intuitive and emotionally connected ideas that do not rely on words alone. The arts are powerful instruments to activate individual and collective reflection, creativity and ability to approach life situations from different perspectives. Thus, arts are particularly powerful to promote the creative and transformational processes that are essential for professional identity development, including reflection and reflexivity on self. In this paper we aim at conceptualising the high potential of art-based research, as a creative process, for teachers’ identity development. Based on a systematic scientific literature analysis we intend to map the different ways arts can be used to support teachers’ professional identity development while clarifying which transformational and learning processes are involved.
Transparency: Transitioning From Human–Machine Systems to Human-Swarm Systems
Authors: Roundtree Karina A. , Goodrich Michael A. , Adams Julie A.
Published: April 2019

Swarm robotic systems are gaining in interest with the prospect of their use for various applications, including monitoring, tracking, infrastructure support, and protection. Prior human-swarm system research investigated transparency for these systems, but assumed perfect communication scenarios. Real-world human-swarm systems will not have perfect communication due to human processing limitations caused by a large number of individual entities, emergent behavior due to varying environments, and bandwidth issues. Factors that affect transparency or are influenced by transparency were identified from various human–machine system domains; however, understanding the relationship between factors can help designers identify what criteria can be implemented to achieve transparency for swarms. Challenges that may arise based on transparency criteria from human–machine systems are examined to identify improvements for spatial swarm systems.
Influencing Factors of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Self-Efficacy Among Men Who Have Sex With Men
Authors: Qu Dou , Zhong Xiaoni , Lai Minqing , Dai Jianghong , Liang Hao , Huang Ailong
Published: April 2019

This research examines the level of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) self-efficacy among HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) in China and identifies the influencing factors associated with the level of PrEP self-efficacy in terms of social-demographic characteristics and social psychological factors. The data were gathered from a baseline assessment of a longitudinal randomized controlled intervention trial. From April 2013 to March 2015, nonprobability sampling was used to recruit HIV-negative MSM at Chongqing, Guangxi, Xinjiang, and Sichuan in west China. A total of 1884 HIV-negative MSM were analyzed. Chi-square test and nonparametric rank sum test were used for univariate analysis. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to discuss the factors that influence the level of PrEP self-efficacy. Overall levels of PrEP self-efficacy were low, and five factors were found to effect PrEP self-efficacy: age, residence, AIDS-related knowledge, PrEP-related motivation, and anxiety. Age and anxiety score were negatively related to PrEP self-efficacy. The higher the age and anxiety score, the lower the PrEP self-efficacy. AIDS-related knowledge and PrEP-related motivation were actively related to PrEP self-efficacy. The higher the knowledge and motivation score, the higher the PrEP self-efficacy. In addition, the PrEP self-efficacy level of MSM in rural areas is lower than that in urban areas. The lower level of self-efficacy in the MSM population needs to be improved. Pertinent interventions should be taken to promote the self-efficacy of PrEP in MSM, to enhance their willingness to take medicine, improve their medication adherence, and thus reduce HIV infection among MSM.
Ice towns: Television representations of crystal methamphetamine use in rural Australia
Authors: Waller Lisa , Clifford Katrina
Published: April 2019

The Australian news media regularly presents crystal methamphetamine use as a non-metropolitan ‘epidemic’ sweeping through country towns with devastating consequences for affected communities. Considerations of place and the notion of rurality are therefore crucial to understanding how these media representations are constructed and their power to influence national understandings of rural people, places and policy debates. In order to explore these complexities, we apply Simon Cottle’s ‘communicative architecture of television’ methodology to an analysis of three long-form reportage television programmes on the theme of ice use in small Australian towns. Theories of ‘social imaginaries’ inform the argument that a distinctive Australian ‘agrarian imaginary’ can be discerned through the reporting’s strong associations with the connections and contradictions attached to ideas and emotions about ‘the bush’. The television programmes draw on what Cottle terms ‘mythic’ and ‘collective’ frames that reach into the cultural reservoirs of communities to reinforce national perceptions, values and narratives about how rural communities ought to be, and by extension, how they ought to deal with complex social problems, such as illicit drug distribution and use.
How many calories do nurses burn at work? A real-time study of nurses’ energy expenditure
Authors: Allan Julia , Sadko Klaudia , Bell Cheryl , Johnston Derek
Published: April 2019

Background

Nurses have high rates of overweight and obesity, and physical inactivity is one key determinant of weight gain.

Aims

The present study aims to quantify nurses’ energy expenditure over a standard 12-hour shift to establish whether activity levels at work are too low to maintain a healthy body weight.

Methods

Ward-based nurses ( n = 96, 90 female, mean age = 36 years, mean experience = 10 years, mean body mass index = 26.6) wore heart rate and physical activity monitors for the duration of one full working shift. Heart rate and activity data were used in combination with demographic information to estimate each nurse’s energy expenditure over 12 hours.

Results

On average, nurses burned 2.12 kcals per minute while at work, equating to 1521 kcals/6364 kJ ( SD = 403 kcals/1686 kJ) per 12-hour shift. Energy expenditure over 12 hours varied markedly between nurses (from 812 kcals/3397 kJ to 3005 kcals/12,573 kJ) but was sufficient in 72% of participants (assuming minimal resting levels of energy expenditure for the 12 hours not at work) to burn off a daily calorie intake of 2000 kcals.

Conclusions

Three-quarters of nurses expend more energy on working days than is required to maintain a healthy body weight if dietary intake does not exceed recommended levels.
Data and market definition of Internet-based businesses
Authors: Li Liang
Published: April 2019

Market definition is the first step of competition analysis. In practice, relevant markets are mostly defined for the end products and services and it is also the same for current cases concerning Internet-based businesses (IBBs). Data has important influence on the competition of IBBs. However, instead of selling data directly, the IBBs usually use data to produce, improve and innovate products and services. Under such circumstances, there may be no relevant market defined for such data following the conventional market definition methods. This article’s investigation shows that online data play different roles in the competition of IBBs and the conventional competition analysis methods only miss some aspects but not all of them. Alternative approaches including the input market definition and the putative online data market definition proposition fail to solve the problem. What might be of help is to switch focus to improving the relevant market definition methods for products and services which online data are related to and pay more attention to the inner relationship between online data and the Internet-based products and services when identifying which market to define.
Measuring Plantar Tissue Stress in People With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Critical Concept in Diabetic Foot Management
Authors: Lazzarini Peter A. , Crews Ryan T. , van Netten Jaap J. , Bus Sicco A. , Fernando Malindu E. , Chadwick Paul J. , Najafi Bijan
Published: April 2019

Excessive stress on plantar tissue over time is one of the leading causes of diabetic foot ulcers among people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Plantar tissue stress (PTS) is a concept that attempts to integrate several well-known mechanical factors into one measure, including plantar pressure, shear stress, daily weight-bearing activity, and time spent in prescribed offloading interventions (adherence). Despite international diabetic foot guidelines recommending the measure of each of these individual mechanical factors in people with neuropathy, only recently has technology enabled their combined measurement to determine PTS. In this article we review the concept of PTS, the mechanical factors involved, and the findings of pivotal articles reporting measures of PTS in people with neuropathy. We also discuss key existing gaps in this field, including the lack of standards to measure and report PTS, a lack of practical solutions to measure shear stress, and the lack of PTS thresholds that may indicate benefit or detriment to people with neuropathy. To address some of these gaps, we propose recommended clinical and research standards for measuring and reporting PTS in people with neuropathy. Last, we forecast future clinical, research, and technological advancements that may use PTS to highlight the importance of this critical concept in the prevention and management of diabetic foot ulcers.
Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy: a systematic review
Authors: Godbole Rohit H. , Saggar Rajan , Kamangar Nader
Published: April 2019

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a fatal disease process in which pulmonary hypertension (PH) develops in the setting of malignancy. The purpose of this study is to present a detailed analysis of cases of PTTM reported in literature in the hopes of achieving more ante‐mortem diagnoses. We conducted a systematic review of currently published and available cases of PTTM by searching the term “pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy” on the Pubmed.gov database. Seventy‐nine publications were included consisting of 160 unique cases of PTTM. The most commonly reported malignancy was gastric adenocarcinoma (94 cases, 59%). Cough and dyspnea were reported in 61 (85%) and 102 (94%) cases, respectively. Hypoxemia was reported in 96 cases (95%). Elevation in D‐dimer was noted in 36 cases (95%), presence of anemia in 32 cases (84%), and thrombocytopenia in 30 cases (77%). Common findings on chest computed tomography (CT) included ground‐glass opacities (GGO) in 28 cases (82%) and nodules in 24 cases (86%). PH on echocardiography was noted in 59 cases (89%) with an average right ventricular systolic pressure of 71 mmHg. Common features of PTTM that are reported across the published literature include presence of dyspnea and cough, hypoxemia, with abnormal CT findings of GGO, nodules, and mediastinal/hilar lymphadenopathy, and PH. PTTM is a universally fatal disease process and this analysis provides a detailed examination of all the available published data that may help clinicians establish an earlier diagnosis of PTTM.
Modeling variation of clinical team processes with multiple sequence alignment
Authors: Bahr Nathan J , Herzberg S , Lambert W , Hansen M , McNulty JJ , Cohen A , Gorman PN , Guise JM
Published: April 2019

Our objective was to model process variation of Emergency Medical Service teams responding to simulated pediatric emergencies and determine if sequence alignment distinguishes performance quality. We performed a retrospective process analysis by watching and coding activities in videos from standardized simulations of 42 Emergency Medical Service teams. Teams were classified into high- or low-performing groups based on the Clinical Teamwork Scale™. Activities were coded according to resuscitation tasks, performer, and times. We used ClustalG to align task sequences within and between groups, and measured similarity. Teams within and between performance levels had an average sequence similarity of 52 ± 7% and 50 ± 7%. Teams performed clinically appropriate tasks that varied in prioritization, for example, performing compressions or connecting the EKG monitor early. There was no statistical difference in gross similarity between groups but specific differences in prioritization may have had clinically meaningful implications. Alignment could improve by accounting for task duration and concurrency.
Engaging Patient and Family Advisors in Health-Care System Planning: Experiences and Recommendations
Authors: Wheeler Sarah , MacKay Jenna , Moody Lesley , D’Souza Junell , Gilbert Julie
Published: April 2019

Background:

Patient and family advisors (PFAs) contributed to the development of the Ontario Cancer Plan IV (OCP IV), a 4-year strategic plan for Ontario, Canada’s cancer system produced by Cancer Care Ontario.

Objective:

To understand the barriers and facilitators PFAs experience when they are engaged in health-care system planning and provide recommendations for future engagement.

Method:

Patient and family advisors who had an ongoing involvement in the development of the OCP IV were invited to take part in an interview. Qualitative data were analyzed for emergent themes and recommendations were generated.

Results:

Key emergent themes highlighted necessary elements for effective engagement of PFAs. These included rapport (feeling valued, included as an equal and having supportive interpersonal relationships), communication (clarity and transparency, shared language and understanding, feeling heard, and effective teleconferencing), and leadership (from PFAs and staff). Recommendations for optimizing PFA engagement in health-care system planning were generated.

Conclusion:

Patient and family advisors can be effectively engaged in system-level strategic planning by building reciprocal rapport, effective communication, and strong leadership. Notably, developing “systems literacy” in PFAs is key to ensuring the voices of patients and their families are heard and reflected in health-care system plans.
Acute Annular Outer Retinopathy: Literature Review and a Report of 2 Cases
Authors: Gupta R. Rishi , Iaboni Douglas S.M. , Seamone Mark E. , Archambault Cyril , Lederer David E.
Published: April 2019

Purpose:

Acute annular outer retinopathy (AAOR) is an uncommon disease. We present 2 illustrative cases and demonstrate disease evolution using multimodal imaging. The 18 previously reported cases in the peer-reviewed English literature are also reviewed.

Methods:

We conducted a case series and literature review.

Results:

We observed complete structural resolution by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence in 1 case. In the literature review, 20 cases of AAOR were identified, including the 2 we have presented. Fifteen cases were unilateral and 5 bilateral, resulting in a total of 25 eyes with AAOR. Presenting symptoms included visual field defects (72%), decreased vision (48%), and photopsia (36%). Sixty-eight percent had a final visual acuity better than or equal to 20/40, while a minority (14%) were 20/200 or worse. Clinically, all eyes had a peripapillary annular band of gray-white opacification of the deep retina.

Conclusions:

We have reviewed and summarized the 18 previously reported cases of AAOR in the English literature and have shown for the first time that AAOR may undergo complete recovery of the external limiting membrane and ellipsoid zone on SD-OCT with resolution of disease. There is still much to be understood regarding the pathogenesis of and optimal management of AAOR.
Evaluating Costs of Biologic Drugs for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis in the United States
Authors: Feldman Steven R. , Wu Jashin J. , Armstrong April W. , Lebwohl Mark , Jacobson Abby A. , Lingohr-Smith Melissa , Lin Jay
Published: April 2019

Objective:

To provide a contemporary comparative assessment of biologic drug costs and cost effectiveness for treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the United States.

Methods:

A literature search was conducted in PubMed on October 4, 2018 with the search terms of “psoriasis,” “biologic,” and “cost” with a filter of publication dates within the last 5 years (2014-2018). Studies included in this review were required to be conducted from a United States perspective.

Results:

Of the 16 studies retrieved, the costs associated with use of biologic drugs for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis were relatively high, with some drugs exhibiting sustained lower costs than others. Some comparative findings on the cost-effectiveness of biologic drugs based on the annual treatment cost per Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75 responder concluded that the annual treatment cost was lowest for brodalumab 210 mg at US$48 782; the cost was highest for ustekinumab 45/90 mg (US$87 243), followed by adalimumab 40 mg (US$82 655), ixekizumab 160 mg (US$77 957), and secukinumab 300 mg (US$75 671). The annual treatment cost per PASI 100 responder was also lowest for brodalumab at US$87 585. This pattern remained consistent in other cost studies, with brodalumab being the treatment with the lowest treatment costs when compared to other biologic drugs.

Conclusion:

Brodalumab was consistently observed to be the least costly treatment option among biologic drugs used to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the United States, which is largely the result of its low-drug cost and high-PASI response rate.
Two cases of long-lasting, sub-microscopic Plasmodium malariae infections in adults from coastal Tanzania
Authors: Schindler Tobias , Jongo Said , Studer Fabian , Mpina Maximilian , Mwangoka Grace , Mswata Sarah , Ramadhani Kamaka , Sax Julian , Church L. W. Preston , Richie Thomas L. , Tanner Marcel , Hoffman Stephen L. , Abdulla Salim , Daubenberger Claudia
Published: April 2019

Background

Malaria is endemic in Tanzania with majority of clinical cases caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Additionally, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale spp. are also present and clinical manifestations caused by these infections are not well described. Clinical episodes caused by P. malariae infections are often characterized by a relatively mild illness with a low number of parasites, which can persist for long periods. In this report, two cases of P. malariae infections that were identified during a clinical trial evaluating the P. falciparum malaria vaccine candidate, PfSPZ Vaccine are described. The two participants were followed up and monitored for clinical and laboratory parameters to assess vaccine safety providing the opportunity to study clinical manifestations of P. malariae over 4 months.

Case presentation

Two young, healthy Tanzanian men infected with low density asexual blood stage P. malariae diagnosed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) are described. Retrospective analysis of collected and stored blood samples revealed that the two volunteers had constant asexual blood stage parasitaemia for more than 4 months. During the 132 days of infection, the volunteers’ vital signs, body temperature and serum biochemistry all remained within normal ranges. Haematological abnormalities, which were transiently outside normal ranges, were regarded as not clinically significant. During this time period, four consecutive evaluations of blood samples by thick blood smear microscopy conducted by an experienced microscopist were all negative, indicating the presence of low-density sub-microscopic infections.

Conclusions

The two cases of P. malariae infections presented here confirm the ability of this Plasmodium species to persist at low density in the human host for extended time periods without causing clinical symptoms. The presented data also demonstrate that clinical study sites in malaria endemic regions need to have a strong malaria diagnostic infrastructure, including the ability of capturing sub-microscopic parasitaemia and differentiation of Plasmodium species.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02613520, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02613520, Registered: November 24th 2015, Enrolment of the first participant to the trial: December 15th 2015, Trial was registered before the first participant was enrolled
Numb regulates cell tension required for mammary duct elongation
Authors: Chatterjee Sudipa June , Halaoui Ruba , Deagle Rebecca Catherine , Rejon Carlis , McCaffrey Luke
Published: April 2019

The mammary gland undergoes extensive expansion of a ductal network through the stroma during puberty and is an excellent model for understanding epithelial tube morphogenesis. To investigate a role for Numb, a multifaceted adapter protein, in epithelial tube morphogenesis, we conditionally deleted it from the mammary epithelium. We report that Numb-depletion results in altered extracellular-matrix organization, reduced cell tension, altered cell shape, and increased cell packing density, which results in a 50% reduction in mammary duct elongation. Using laser ablation in vitro and geometric-based cell force inference in vivo, we determined that Numb-deficient cells have altered cortical tension. Duct elongation defects were associated with altered E-cadherin distribution, but were independent of proliferation, apoptosis in ducts or end buds. This highlights a critical role for Numb in a mechanical mechanism that is required to maintain cell packing density during epithelial tube elongation.
Quantitative proteomic profiling of tumor-associated vascular endothelial cells in colorectal cancer
Authors: Wang Guoqiang , Yang Qiongzhi , Li Maoyu , Zhang Ye , Cai Yu-xiang , Liang Xujun , Fu Ying , Xiao Zhefeng , Zhou Minze , Xie Zhongpeng , Huang Huichao , Huang Yahui , Chen Yongheng , He Qiongqiong , Peng Fang , Chen Zhuchu
Published: April 2019

To investigate the global proteomic profiles of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in the tumor microenvironment and antiangiogenic therapy for colorectal cancer (CRC), matched pairs of normal (NVECs) and tumor-associated VECs (TVECs) were purified from CRC tissues by laser capture microdissection and subjected to iTRAQ based quantitative proteomics analysis. Here, 216 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified and performed bioinformatics analysis. Interestingly, these proteins were implicated in epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, angiogenesis and HIF-1 signaling pathway, which may play important roles in CRC angiogenesis. Among these DEPs, we found that Tenascin-C (TNC) was upregulated in TVECs of CRC and correlated with CRC multistage carcinogenesis and metastasis. Furthermore, the reduction of tumor-derived TNC could attenuate human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation, migration and tube formation through ITGB3/FAK/Akt signaling pathway. Based on the present work, we provided a large-scale proteomic profiling of VECs in CRC with quantitative information, a certain number of potential antiangiogenic targets and a novel vision in the angiogenesis bio-mechanism of CRC.
Barhl2 maintains T-cell factors as repressors, and thereby switches off the Wnt/β-Catenin response driving Spemann organizer formation
Authors: Sena Elena , Rocques Nathalie , Borday Caroline , Amin Harem Sabr Muhamad , Parain Karine , Sitbon David , Chesneau Albert , Durand Béatrice C.
Published: April 2019

A hallmark of Wnt/β-Catenin signaling is the extreme diversity of its transcriptional response, which varies depending on cell and developmental context. What controls this diversity is poorly understood. In all cases, the switch from transcriptional repression to activation depends on a nuclear increase in β-Catenin, which detaches the transcription factor T-cell Factor-7 like 1 (Tcf7l1) bound to Groucho (Gro) transcriptional co-repressors from its DNA binding sites and transiently converts Tcf7/Lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 (Lef1) into a transcriptional activator. One of the earliest and evolutionarily conserved functions of Wnt/β-Catenin signaling is the induction of the blastopore lip organizer. Here, we demonstrate that the evolutionarily conserved BarH-like homeobox-2 (Barhl2) protein stabilizes the Tcf7l1-Gro complex and maintains repressed expression of Tcf target genes by a mechanism that depends on histone deacetylase 1 (Hdac-1) activity. In this way, Barhl2 switches off the Wnt/β-Catenin-dependent early transcriptional response, thereby limiting the formation of the organizer in time and/or space. This study reveals a novel nuclear inhibitory mechanism of Wnt/Tcf signaling that switches off organizer fate determination.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mutant TDP-43 may cause synaptic dysfunction through altered dendritic spine function
Authors: Jiang Tongcui , Handley Emily , Brizuela Mariana , Dawkins Edgar , Lewis Katherine E. A. , Clark Rosemary M. , Dickson Tracey C. , Blizzard Catherine A.
Published: April 2019

Altered cortical excitability and synapse dysfunction are early pathogenic events in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and animal models. Recent studies propose an important role for TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), the mislocalization and aggregation of which are key pathological features of ALS. However, the relationship between ALS-linked TDP-43 mutations, excitability and synaptic function is not fully understood. Here, we investigate the role of ALS-linked mutant TDP-43 in synapse formation by examining the morphological, immunocytochemical and excitability profile of transgenic mouse primary cortical pyramidal neurons that over-express human TDP-43A315T. In TDP-43A315T cortical neurons, dendritic spine density was significantly reduced compared to wild-type controls. TDP-43A315T over-expression increased the total levels of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropinionic acid (AMPA) glutamate receptor subunit GluR1, yet the localization of GluR1 to the dendritic spine was reduced. These postsynaptic changes were coupled with a decrease in the amount of the presynaptic marker synaptophysin that colocalized with dendritic spines. Interestingly, action potential generation was reduced in TDP-43A315T pyramidal neurons. This work reveals a crucial effect of the over-expression mutation TDP-43A315T on the formation of synaptic structures and the recruitment of GluR1 to the synaptic membrane. This pathogenic effect may be mediated by cytoplasmic mislocalization of TDP-43A315T. Loss of synaptic GluR1, and reduced excitability within pyramidal neurons, implicates hypoexcitability and attenuated synaptic function in the pathogenic decline of neuronal function in TDP-43-associated ALS. Further studies into the mechanisms underlying AMPA receptor-mediated excitability changes within the ALS cortical circuitry may yield novel therapeutic targets for treatment of this devastating disease.
Who Benefits from Information Disclosure? The Case of Retail Gasoline
Authors: Luco Fernando
Published: April 2019

How does online price disclosure affect competition when both consumers and firms can use the disclosed information? This paper addresses this question exploiting the sequential implementation of an online price-disclosure policy in the Chilean retail gasoline industry. The results show that disclosure increased margins by 9 percent on average, though the effects varied across the country depending on the intensity of local search behavior. Because margins increased the least, and even decreased, in high-search areas, where income is also higher, the results also show that price disclosure policies may have important distributional effects. (JEL D83, L11, L71, L81, O13, Q35, Q41)
Cost-effectiveness of glaucoma screening in cataract camps versus opportunistic and passive screening in urban India: A study protocol
Authors: Sabherwal Shalinder , John Denny , Dubey Suneeta , Mukherjee Saptarshi , Menon Geetha R. , Majumdar Atanu
Published: April 2019

India has an estimated 12 million people affected with glaucoma; however, no organised screening programme exists. Cases are usually detected opportunistically. This study documents the protocol for detecting glaucoma in suspects in cataract camps conducted by Shroff Charity Eye Hospital in North India. We report a cost-effectiveness alongside prospective study design of patients attending cataract camps where glaucoma screening will be integrated. The eligible population for glaucoma screening is non-cataract patients. Patients will undergo glaucoma screening by a trained optometrist using a pre-determined glaucoma screening algorithm. Specific diagnostic cut-off points will be used to identify glaucoma suspects. Suspected patients will be referred to the main hospital for confirmatory diagnosis and treatment. This group will be compared to a cohort of patients arriving from cataract camps conducted by the institute in similar areas and undergoing examination in the hospital. The third arm of the study includes patients arriving directly to the hospital for the first time. Cost data will be captured from both the screening components of cataract-only and glaucoma screening-integrated camps for screening invitation and screening costs. For all three arms, examination and treatment costs will be captured using bottom-up costing methods at the hospital. Detection rates will be calculated by dividing the number of new cases identified during the study by total number of cases examined. Median, average and range of costs across the three arms will be calculated for cost comparisons. Finally, cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted comparing cost per case detected across the three arms from a quasi-societal perspective with a time horizon of 1 year. Ethics approval for the study has been obtained from the institutional ethics committee of the hospital. The study protocol will be useful for researchers and practitioners for conducting similar economic evaluation studies in their context.
Turning the tables: A university league-table based on quality not quantity
Authors: Barnett Adrian G. , Moher David
Published: April 2019

Background: Universities closely watch international league tables because these tables influence governments, donors and students. Achieving a high ranking in a table, or an annual rise in ranking, allows universities to promote their achievements using an externally validated measure. However, league tables predominantly reward measures of research output, such as publications and citations, and may therefore be promoting poor research practices by encouraging the “publish or perish” mentality.

Methods: We examined whether a league table could be created based on good research practice. We rewarded researchers who cited a reporting guideline, which help researchers report their research completely, accurately and transparently, and were created to reduce the waste of poorly described research. We used the EQUATOR guidelines, which means our tables are mostly relevant to health and medical research.

Results: Our cross-sectional tables for the years 2016 and 2017 included 14,408 papers with 47,876 author affiliations. We ranked universities and included a bootstrap measure of uncertainty. We clustered universities in five similar groups in an effort to avoid over-interpreting small differences in ranks.

Conclusions: We believe there is merit in considering more socially responsible criteria for ranking universities, and this could encourage better research practice internationally if such tables become as valued as the current quantity-focused tables.
Obtaining Urea from Effluents of Gold Cyanidation Process
Authors: RAMIREZ CARLOS DARIO LOPEZ , CHAVERRA DAIRO E. , BAENA OSCAR JAIME RESTREPO
Published: April 2019

Cyanide is one of the most used reagents in the precious metal extraction process; as well as the most efficient from the point of view of the dissolution process, but it is also a toxic product that requires a lot of care in handling. Likewise, the residual solutions of the process must be followed because they can be a risk of contamination of water, animals and human health. In the artisanal processes of obtaining gold and silver, neutralization of the residual solutions is used to passivate the present cyanide. During this process ammonium cyanate is formed which decomposes rapidly in the presence of air and sunlight in carbon dioxide and ammonia gas, contributing to the greenhouse effect. In this work, the use of the ammonium cyanate obtained in the process of neutralization of the cyanide solutions as a reagent to obtain urea is proposed. Urea was obtained indirectly through the use of the reagent kit UREA/BUN-COLOR. The process is effective at pH ≤ 4.5 with a rapid increase in solution temperature and the addition of hydrogen peroxide. The urea crystals begin to form at 50°C. The cyanide/urea ratio obtained was 1/7.5.
Of Raids and Returns: Sex work movement, police oppression, and the politics of the ordinary in Sonagachi, India
Authors: Dasgupta Simanti
Published: April 2019

Drawing on ethnographic work with Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a grassroots sex worker organisation in Sonagachi, the iconic red-light district in Kolkata, India, this paper explores the politics of the detritus generated by raids as a form of state violence. While the current literature mainly focuses on its institutional ramifications, this article explores the significance of the raid in its immediate relation to the brothel as a home and a space to collectivise for labour rights. Drawing on atyachar (oppression), the Bengali word sex workers use to depict the violence of raids, I argue that they experience the raid not as a spectacle, but as an ordinary form of violence in contrast to their extraordinary experience of return to rebuild their lives. Return signals both a reclamation of the detritus as well as subversion of the state’s attempt to undermine DMSC’s labour movement.
FT-IR Spectroscopic Detection of Biochemical and Structural Changes Associated with Early Tumor Transformation in Hamster Oral Carcinogenesis
Authors: SETHUPATHI R. , GOHULKUMAR M. , KRISHNAKUMAR N.
Published: April 2019

FT-IR spectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopic technique that can be used to investigate the biochemical changes at the molecular level in various tissue transformation conditions [hyperplasia, dysplasia and well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (WDSCC)] with respect to control tissues in DMBA-induced hamster oral carcinogenesis. The results revealed that a significant increase in the amount of proteins and nucleic acid contents and a decrease in the amount of lipids contents are observed in WDSCC when compared to control, hyperplasia, dysplasias. In addition, the detailed secondary structure of proteins in the control and various tissue transformation conditions is also presented. Further, the diagnostic algorithms based on PC-LDA achieved an overall sensitivity of 80-100 % and specificity of 81- 100 %. The present study further shows a great potential of FT-IR spectroscopy as a complimentary tool, which may provide a rapid screening method and have potential use in the diagnosis of dysplasia and early, non-invasive oral cancer.
Isolation, Characterization and Assessment for Central Nervous System Effects of Novel Phytomolecule from Galphimia glauca Cav. Stems
Authors: REDDY VAISHNAVI VEERA , THALLURI BHARGAVI , RAO GARIGE BABA SHANKAR , MANDA RAM MOHAN , BAKSHI VASUDHA
Published: April 2019

The investigation had explored the in vivo central nervous system (CNS) effects of novel isolated phytoconstituent from Galphimia glauca stems. The isolated molecule coded as “BS-2” was subjected to toxicological, central analgesic and central nervous system depressant studies on Swiss albino mice and Wistar rats. The LD-50 of BS-2 was found to be > 2000 mg/kg. The mice treated with BS-2 at 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg doses exhibited significant effect in the hot plate test (P < 0.5) and tail clip test (83 % inhibition). Mice treated with BS-2 prolonged the time of sleep induced by sodium pentobarbital (40 mg/kg, i.p.). Throughout the hole-board experiment and open field test the BS-2 at 50 mg/kg exhibited a significant (P ≤ 0.001) dose-dependent activity. The BS-2 was characterized by Rf value, melting point, IR spectra, mass spectra and 1H NMR spectrum. The BS-2 showed potential in vivo central pain relieving and central nervous system depressant effects.
Elemental and Phytochemicals Profile in Ethno Medicinal Plants Used for Treating Cardiovascular Diseases by Mizo-Tribe of North Eastern India
Authors: RAJAN J.P. , MISHRA R.K. , SINGH K.B.
Published: April 2019

Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) were used to detect elements as well as phytochemicals in the Centella asiatica and Elsholtzia communis having possible roles for cardio-protections. Elements namely K, Cl, Ca, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu were present in varying concentration with notable concentration of K, Cl and Fe. Phytochemicals such as stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, phytol and N-hexadeconic acid were detected in the C. asiatica while E. communis was found to contain β-carotene, β-sitosterol, phytol and N-hexadeconic acid. The study reveals that these two ethnomedicinal herbs are found to contain elements and phytochemical known for their cardio-protective roles.
A Facile Solvent-Free Route for One-Pot Multicomponent Synthesis of Benzylpyrazolyl Coumarins Derivatives in Presence of Effective Synergetic Catalytic System
Authors: KAMBLE NARENDRA R. , KAMBLE VINOD T.
Published: April 2019

A combinatorial library of benzylpyrazolyl coumarin derivatives have been synthesized by a green one-pot four-component reaction between aryl hydrazine/hydrazine hydrate (1), ethyl acetoacetate (2), aromatic aldehydes (3) and 4-hydroxycoumarin (4) catalyzed by niobium pentachloride with silver salt under solvent-free conditions has been developed. Experimental simplicity, simple work-up procedure and solvent-free reaction condition at room temperature are important features of the present protocol.
Performing Trauma: The Ghosts of Slavery in Yoruba Music and Ritual Dance
Authors: Ojo Olatunji
Published: April 2019

Drawing on popular songs and oral accounts, this article explores how the Yoruba people remember and memorialize their experiences of slavery and its impact on the people, as well as the community violence associated with slavery. The article highlights local recollection and dramatization of various modes of enslavement, anti-slavery tactics, the demographic impact of warfare and population dislocation, and the divergent experiences of slaves and slaveholders, as well as the linkages among slavery, religion, ethnicity, and gender.
Phoenix Rise: A History of the Architectural Reconstruction of the Burnt City of Kumase, 1874–1960
Authors: Yeboah Tony
Published: April 2019

This work presents a history of the reconstruction of the architectural landscape and built environment of Kumase, the traditional capital of the Asante nation of the Gold Coast (now Ghana), following its destruction at the hands of the military forces of imperial Britain in 1874. It converges archival documents, oral histories of individuals instrumental in the built environment of Kumase, and some secondary sources of historical information to explain how the colonizing British political regime and its agents, as well as Asante political authorities and citizenry, acted to architecturally reconstruct Kumase between 1874 and the 1960 emergence of the Republic of Ghana under an African government led by Kwame Nkrumah. This material demonstrates that the planning and reconstruction process involved two processes: architectural imposition and architectural hybridization. The first involved an official colonial regime-controlled introduction of British and European plans, methods, and structures. The second involved a shaping of the built environment through a democratic combination of both foreign and local architectural ideas and inventiveness, which produced the hybrid Akan courtyard house.
Introducing a Pre-Determined Feedback Pool for Evaluating Students’ Online Discussion Participation
Authors: Perera-Diltz Dilani , Davis R.J. , Uzuner Smith Sedef , Sheperis Carl
Published: April 2019

As self-regulation for successful online learning is a relatively new focus in online education, more attention is directed toward initiatives to help students become more cognizant of their learning efforts in online learning environments. Grounded in the idea that self-regulation is feedback dependent, we argue for the necessity of instructor feedback on student performance in online classes.  The specific focus is instructor feedback on students’ online discussion contributions.  To assist instructors in managing their feedback practices in large online classes with numerous discussion entries, we present a feedback pool that includes a range of predetermined comments instructors can choose from while assessing their students’ discussion participation.
Bulk-edge correspondence and long-range hopping in the topological plasmonic chain
Authors: Pocock Simon R. , Huidobro Paloma A. , Giannini Vincenzo
Published: April 2019

The existence of topologically protected edge modes is often cited as a highly desirable trait of topological insulators. However, these edge states are not always present. A realistic physical treatment of long-range hopping in a one-dimensional dipolar system can break the symmetry that protects the edge modes without affecting the bulk topological number, leading to a breakdown in bulk-edge correspondence (BEC). Hence, it is important to gain a better understanding of where and how this occurs, as well as how to measure it. Here we examine the behaviour of the bulk and edge modes in a dimerised chain of metallic nanoparticles and in a simpler non-Hermitian next-nearest-neighbour model to provide some insights into the phenomena of bulk-edge breakdown. We construct BEC phase diagrams for the simpler case and use these ideas to devise a measure of symmetry-breaking for the plasmonic system based on its bulk properties. This provides a parameter regime in which BEC is preserved in the topological plasmonic chain, as well as a framework for assessing this phenomenon in other systems.
Hybridization of epsilon-near-zero modes via resonant tunneling in layered metal-insulator double nanocavities
Authors: Caligiuri Vincenzo , Palei Milan , Biffi Giulia , Krahne Roman
Published: April 2019

The coupling between multiple nanocavities in close vicinity leads to the hybridization of their modes. Stacked metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nanocavities constitute a highly versatile and very interesting model system to study and engineer such mode coupling, as they can be realized by lithography-free fabrication methods with fine control on the optical and geometrical parameters. The resonant modes of such MIM cavities are epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) resonances, which are appealing for nonlinear photophysics and a variety of applications. Here, we study the hybridization of ENZ resonances in MIMIM nanocavities, obtaining a very large mode splitting reaching 0.477 eV, Q-factors of the order of 40 in the visible spectral range, and fine control on the resonance wavelength and mode linewidth by tuning the thickness of the dielectric and metallic layers. A semiclassical approach that analyzes the MIMIM structure as a double quantum well system allows to derive the exact analytical dispersion relation of the ENZ resonances, achieving perfect agreement with numerical simulations and experiments. Interestingly, the asymmetry of the mode splitting in a symmetric MIMIM cavity is not reflected in the classical model of coupled oscillators, which can be directly related to quantum mechanical tunneling for the coupling of the two cavities. Interpreting the cavity resonances as resonant tunneling modes elucidates that they can be excited without momentum matching techniques. The broad tunability of high-quality ENZ resonances together with their strong coupling efficiency makes such MIMIM cavities an ideal platform for exploring light-matter interaction, for example, by the integration of quantum emitters in dielectric layers.
New syntheses towards C-glycosyl type glycomimetics
Authors: Somsák László , Bokor Éva , Juhász László , Kun Sándor , Lázár László , Juhász-Tóth Éva , Tóth Marietta
Published: April 2019

Glycomimetics are compounds that resemble carbohydrate molecules in their chemical structure and/or biological effect. A large variety of compounds can be designed and synthesized to get glycomimetics, however, C-glycosyl derivatives represent one of the most frequently studied subgroup. In the present survey syntheses of a range of five- and six membered C-glycopyranosyl heterocycles, anhydro-aldimine type compounds, exo-glycals, C-glycosyl styrenes, carbon-sulfur bonded oligosaccharide mimics are described. Some of the C-glycopyranosyl azoles, namely 1,2,4-triazoles and imidazoles belong to the most efficient glucose analog inhibitors of glycogen phosphorylase known to date. Biological studies revealed the therapeutical potential of such inhibitors. Other synthetic derivatives offer versatile possibilities to get further glycomimetics.