bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adding value to core outcome set development using multimethod systematic reviews
Authors: Brunton Ginny , Webbe James , Oliver Sandy , Gale Chris
Published: December 2019

Trials evaluating the same interventions rarely measure or report identical outcomes. This limits the possibility of aggregating effect sizes across studies to generate high‐quality evidence through systematic reviews and meta‐analyses. To address this problem, core outcome sets (COS) establish agreed sets of outcomes to be used in all future trials. When developing COS, potential outcome domains are identified by systematically reviewing the outcomes of trials, and increasingly, through primary qualitative research exploring the experiences of key stakeholders, with relevant outcome domains subsequently determined through transdisciplinary consensus development. However, the primary qualitative component can be time consuming with unclear impact. We aimed to examine the potential added value of a qualitative systematic review alongside a quantitative systematic review of trial outcomes to inform COS development in neonatal care using case analysis methods. We compared the methods and findings of a scoping review of neonatal trial outcomes and a scoping review of qualitative research on parents', patients', and professional caregivers' perspectives of neonatal care. Together, these identified a wider range and greater depth of health and social outcome domains, some unique to each review, which were incorporated into the subsequent Delphi process and informed the final set of core outcome domains. Qualitative scoping reviews of participant perspectives research, used in conjunction with quantitative scoping reviews of trials, could identify more outcome domains for consideration and could provide greater depth of understanding to inform stakeholder group discussion in COS development. This is an innovation in the application of research synthesis methods.
Rapid methods for the separation of natural mixtures of beauverolides, cholesterol acyltransferase inhibitors, isolated from the fungus Isaria fumosorosea
Authors: Šimčíková Daniela , Tůma Petr , Jegorov Alexandr , Šimek Petr , Heneberg Petr
Published: December 2019

Beauverolides (beauveriolides) are abundant, biologically active cyclodepsipeptides produced by many entomopathogenic fungi, including those that are used as biopesticides. Beauverolides act as cholesterol acyltransferase inhibitors in humans; thus, their mode of action has been the subject of pharmacological and clinical research. The cost‐effective analytical methods are needed for fast, routine laboratory analysis of beauverolides. We isolated beauverolides from the fungal strain Isaria fumosorosea PFR 97‐Apopka and opened the rings of the isolated beauverolides using a pyridine alkaline medium. We separated fractions of cyclic and linearized beauverolides by thin‐layer chromatography, and found the chloroform–acetate (9:1, v/v) and chloroform–acetonitrile–acetate (8:1:1, v/v/v) mobile phases, respectively, to be the most efficient. We examined all the fractions by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry using ion trap and Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry. For rapid screening of the contents of cyclic, and, particularly, linearized beauverolides, we developed a novel analytical method that consisted of using capillary electrophoresis coupled with contactless conductivity detection. Furthermore, we improved the separation of the peptides by applying capillary micellar electrokinetic chromatography with the N‐cyclohexyl‐2‐aminoethanesulfonic acid:SDS:NaOH buffer, pH 9.8 as the background electrolyte. The described novel methods allow fast and cost‐effective separation of chemically related groups of beauverolides.
Effects of thyroplasty implant stiffness on glottal shape and voice acoustics
Authors: Cameron Brian H. , Zhang Zhaoyan , Chhetri Dinesh K.
Published: December 2019

Objectives

Vocal fold (VF) stiffness and geometry are determinant variables in voice production. Type 1 medialization thyroplasty (MT), the primary surgical treatment for glottic insufficiency, changes both of these variables. Understanding the cause and effect relationship between these variables and acoustic output might improve voice outcomes after MT. In this study, the effects of thyroplasty implants with variable stiffness on glottal shape and acoustics were investigated.

Methods

In an ex vivo human larynx phonation model, bilateral MT with implants of four stiffness levels (1386, 21.6, 9.3, and 5.5 kPa) were performed. Resulting acoustics and aerodynamics were measured across multiple airflow levels. A vertical partial hemilaryngectomy was performed and stereoscopic images of the VF medial surface taken to reconstruct its three‐dimensional (3D) surface contour. The results were compared across implants.

Results

The effects of implant stiffness on acoustics varied by airflow. Softer implants resulted in improved acoustics, as measured by cepstral peak prominence (CPP), at lower airflow levels compared to stiffer implants but this relationship reversed at high airflow levels. Stiffer implants generally required less airflow to generate a given subglottal pressure. Stiffer implants resulted in greater medialized surface area and maximal medialization, but all implants had similar effects on overall VF medial surface contour.

Conclusion

Softer implants result in less medialization but better acoustics at low airflow rates. Stiffer implants provide better acoustics and more stable pressure‐flow relationships at higher airflow rates. This highlights a potential role for patient‐specific customized thyroplasty implants of various stiffness levels.

Level of Evidence

NA.
Complete Lω1,ω‐sentences with maximal models in multiple cardinalities
Authors: Baldwin John , Souldatos Ioannis
Published: December 2019

In [5], examples of incomplete sentences are given with maximal models in more than one cardinality. The question was raised whether one can find similar examples of complete sentences. In this paper, we give examples of complete ‐sentences with maximal models in more than one cardinality. From (homogeneous) characterizability of κ we construct sentences with maximal models in κ and in one of and more. Indeed, consistently we find sentences with maximal models in uncountably many distinct cardinalities.
Supramolecular Tandem Assay for Pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate by the Reporter Pair of Guanidinocalix[5]Arene and Fluorescein
Authors: Yue Yu‐Xin , Kong Yong , Yang Fan , Zheng Zhe , Hu Xin‐Yue , Guo Dong‐Sheng
Published: December 2019

Guanidinocalix[5]arene and fluorescein reporter pair has been chosen to set up a supramolecular tandem assay principle based on the differential recognition of pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate (the substrate of alkaline phosphatase, ALP), pyridoxal (the product of ALP) and phosphate (the product of ALP). This supramolecular tandem assay system offers an opportunity to monitor the activity of ALP in a label‐free, continuous, and real‐time manner. More importantly, a calibration curve can be given for selective and quantitative detection of pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate (biomarker for several diseases).
The stem cell inhibitor salinomycin decreases colony formation potential and tumor‐initiating population in docetaxel‐sensitive and docetaxel‐resistant prostate cancer cells
Authors: Gruber Martina , Handle Florian , Culig Zoran
Published: December 2019

Background

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most frequently diagnosed tumors in men. In general, therapies for localized PCa are curative. However, treatment of advanced PCa is considered palliative since development of therapy resistance occurs rapidly. It has been shown that tumor‐initiating cells are likely involved in therapy resistance. They are not eliminated by conventional therapies and thereby lead to tumor progression and relapse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the known stem cell inhibitor salinomycin on this critical subpopulation of cells.

Methods

Expression of the cell surface markers CD24 and CD44 was assessed by immunofluorescence and fluorescence‐activated cell sorting. Colony formation efficiency and classification of colony types with varying tumor‐initiating potential (holoclones, meroclones, and paraclones) were analyzed in an automated way by the newly developed CATCH‐colonies software in the absence or presence of salinomycin.

Results

Automated high‐resolution colony formation analysis consistently identified the various colony types in a broad range of PCa cell lines. Serial clonogenic assays confirmed that holoclones show the highest colony formation potential and maintain their tumor‐initiating capacity over multiple rounds. Furthermore, holoclones showed high expression of CD44, while CD24 was not expressed in these clones, thus representing the well‐described tumor‐initiating CD24−/CD44high population. Salinomycin decreased the CD24−/CD44high population in both docetaxel‐sensitive PC3 and docetaxel‐resistant (DR) PC3‐DR. Moreover, treatment of PC3, DU145, PC3‐DR, and DU145‐DR with salinomycin led to a significant reduction in the colony formation potential by targeting the colonies with high tumor‐initiating potential.

Conclusions

Taken together, we demonstrated that salinomycin specifically targets the tumor‐initiating cell population in docetaxel‐sensitive and docetaxel‐resistant PCa cells and may represent a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of advanced PCa.
Prediction of the initial folding sites and the entire folding processes for Ig‐like beta‐sandwich proteins
Authors: Aumpuchin Panyavut , Hamaue Shoya , Kikuchi Takeshi
Published: December 2019

Describing the whole story of protein folding is currently the main enigmatic problem in molecular bioinformatics study. Protein folding mechanisms have been intensively investigated with experimental as well as simulation techniques. Since a protein folds into its specific 3D structure from a unique amino acid sequence, it is interesting to extract as much information as possible from the amino acid sequence of a protein. Analyses based on inter‐residue average distance statistics and a coarse‐grained Gō‐model simulation were conducted on Ig and FN3 domains of a titin protein to decode the folding mechanisms from their sequence data and native structure data, respectively. The central region of all domains was predicted to be an initial folding unit, that is, stable in an early state of folding. This common feature coincides well with the experimental results and underscores the significance of the β‐sandwich proteins' common structure, namely, the key strands for folding and the Greek‐key motif, which is located in the central region. We confirmed that our sequence‐based techniques were able to predict the initial folding event just next to the denatured state and that a 3D‐based Gō‐model simulation can be used to investigate the whole process of protein folding.
Beneficial effects of Codonopsis lanceolata extract on systolic blood pressure levels in prehypertensive adults: A double‐blind, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Shin You Kyoung , Hsieh Yu Shan , Han A Young , Lee Kwang‐Won , Seol Geun Hee
Published: December 2019

Codonopsis lanceolata (CL) extract was shown to have antihypertensive effects in hypertensive rats. This randomized controlled trial was designed to investigate the ability of CL extract to prevent hypertension (HTN) in prehypertensive subjects. Eighty subjects aged 19–60 years with a systolic blood pressure (BP) of 120–139 mmHg and a diastolic BP of 80–89 mmHg were recruited over 3 months. Subjects were randomized 1:1 to a CL group and a placebo (PL) group and administered CL extract and starch, respectively, for 6 weeks. (BP) was measured and blood sampled at baseline and at the end of the trial. Relative to baseline, systolic BP was significantly decreased, and catalase activity was significantly increased following CL treatment in both the elevated systolic BP and stage 1 HTN subgroups. In the elevated systolic BP subgroup, serum nitrite concentration relative to baseline was significantly increased in CL compared to PL treated subjects (p = .038). In subjects with stage 1 HTN, high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (p = .020) and malondialdehyde (p = .039) showed significantly greater reductions from baseline in the CL than in the PL group. In summary, CL was effective in preventing endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and lipid peroxidation in prehypertensive subjects, with these effects differing according to baseline systolic BP levels.
Berberine combined with stachyose induces better glycometabolism than berberine alone through modulating gut microbiota and fecal metabolomics in diabetic mice
Authors: Li Cai‐Na , Wang Xing , Lei Lei , Liu Min‐Zhi , Li Rong‐Cui , Sun Su‐Juan , Liu Shuai‐Nan , Huan Yi , Zhou Tian , Liu Quan , Cao Hui , Bai Guo‐Liang , Han Yu‐Wei , Shen Zhu‐Fang
Published: December 2019

Berberine (BBR), a small alkaloid, is used as a hypoglycemic agent in China. Stachyose (Sta), a Rehmannia glutinosa oligosaccharide, acts as a prebiotic. This study aimed to evaluate whether BBR combined with Sta produced better glycometabolism than BBR alone, and explored the effects on gut microbiota and metabolomics. Type‐2 diabetic db/db mice were administered BBR (100 mg/kg), Sta (200 mg/kg), or both by gavage once daily. Glucose metabolism, the balance of α‐ and β‐cells, and mucin‐2 expression were ameliorated by combined treatment of BBR and Sta, with stronger effects than upon treatment with BBR alone. The microbial diversity and richness were altered after combined treatment and after treatment with BBR alone. The abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila was increased by combined treatment compared to treatment with BBR alone, while the levels of the metabolite all‐trans‐heptaprenyl diphosphate were decreased and the levels of fumaric acid were increased, which both showed a strong correlation with A. muciniphila. In summary, BBR combined with Sta produced better glycometabolism than BBR alone through modulating gut microbiota and fecal metabolomics, and may aid in the development of a novel pharmaceutical strategy for treating Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Roselle) supplementation in regulating blood lipids among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Boxun , Yue Rensong , Wang Ying , Wang Lizhen , Chin Jiawei , Huang Xiaoying , Jiang Yayi
Published: December 2019

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Roselle) in regulating blood lipids among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders. PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and Clinical Trials were searched to identify the randomised controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria. Study selection, data extraction, and risk assessment were performed according to Cochrane handbook; available data were analysed using STATA 15.0 software. Eventually, nine trials involving 503 participants were included in this meta‐analysis. The results showed that compared with the control group, H. sabdariffa supplementation could reduce total cholesterol (WMD = −14.66; 95% CI [−18.22, −11.10]; p = .000; I2 = 46.9%) and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD = −9.46; 95% CI [−14.93, −3.99]; p = .001; I2 = 50.1%) but could not effectively reduce triglyceride (WMD = −0.77; 95% CI [−7.87, 6.33]; p = 0.832; I2 = 0%). Meanwhile, there were no serious adverse reactions reported in the included studies. To summarise, current evidence suggests that the benefits of H. sabdariffa supplementation to patients with metabolic diseases are associated with its cholesterol‐lowering effects; however, more high‐quality clinical trials are needed to confirm these results.
Robust nonparametric regression: A review
Authors: Čížek Pavel , Sadıkoğlu Serhan
Published: December 2019

Nonparametric regression methods provide an alternative approach to parametric estimation that requires only weak identification assumptions and thus minimizes the risk of model misspecification. In this article, we survey some nonparametric regression techniques, with an emphasis on kernel‐based estimation, that are additionally robust to atypical and outlying observations. While the main focus lies on robust regression estimation, robust bandwidth selection and conditional scale estimation are discussed as well. Robust estimation in popular nonparametric models such as additive and varying‐coefficient models is summarized too. The performance of the main methods is demonstrated on a real dataset.

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Robust Methods

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Nonparametric Methods
The Powerful Placebo Effect in Cough: Relevance to Treatment and Clinical Trials
Authors: Eccles Ron
Published: December 2019

Interest in the placebo effect of medicines has developed from the use of placebo treatments as controls in clinical trials into a whole new area of research around how placebos fit into a psychosocial model of therapeutics. The large placebo effect associated with cough medicines is both a problem and an opportunity for researchers: a problem for clinical trials on new actives as the active must beat the large placebo effect, and an opportunity for harnessing the placebo effect to produce effective cough medicines without any pharmacologically active ingredient. This review discusses the mechanisms associated with the placebo effect of cough medicines and distinguishes between a ‘perceived placebo effect’ and a true ‘placebo effect’. The efficacy of sweeteners in cough syrups is discussed as well as viscosity, mucoadhesion, and flavoring. The complexity of modern cough medicines is demonstrated by an example of a medicine which contains one active ingredient, and eighteen excipients which provide a complex and intense sensory experience to enhance the placebo effect and complement the pharmacological activity of the medicine.
Academic Celebrity
Authors: Walsh Peter William , Lehmann David
Published: December 2019

This article examines the institution of celebrity within academia. Academic celebrity has parallels with the celebrity seen in the wider world, though it is born of conditions unique to the fields of higher education and research and exhibits its own special characteristics. Whilst the scholarly prominence of academics can be based on more or less impersonal measures, especially citation statistics, academic celebrity, like popular celebrity, has emotional and subjective dimensions that call for non-subjective analysis. That challenge is met in this article by pointing to the cultural and institutional underpinnings of the phenomenon. In outlining some of academic celebrity’s defining features, we explore the critical difference between scholarly prominence, which is based on the perception of an academic’s excellence within their field, and celebrity, which incorporates adulation from colleagues and students. In reviewing the literature on the subject, we find models elaborating the ways in which modernity, in contrast to Elias’s court society (Rojek), or the world of aristocratic artistic patronage (Bourdieu), creates the conditions for the adulation of celebrities and the emergence of celebrity as an institution. We also find views critical of both the vulgarising effect of celebrity on literary and artistic taste (Coser), and its self-perpetuating character (Boorstin, Merton). Finally, we examine aspects of academic celebrity’s institutionalisation: the dynamic that drives the creation of new fields of specialisation within which academic celebrity is embedded, and the ‘managerial university’, which is said to generate and sustain it (Moran).
Plea Bargaining and the Miscarriage of Justice
Authors: Beenstock Michael , Guetzkow Josh , Kamenetsky-Yadan Shir
Published: December 2019

Objectives

We examine whether, on average, plea bargaining encourages guilty pleas among defendants who are factually innocent.

Methods

We develop a formal theory of plea bargaining in which defendants take into account the possibility of false convictions or acquittals when making plea-bargain decisions. We use an incidentally truncated bivariate probit model to test the theory, which predicts that if innocent defendants plead guilty, the correlation (ρ) between the unobserved heterogeneity regarding selection into trial and regarding conviction at trial should be sufficiently positive. The method does not require knowledge of whether individual defendants are factually guilty or innocent. Sinceρis also predicted to vary directly with the unobserved toughness of prosecutors, we develop a decomposition theorem to distinguish between the effects of defendants and prosecutors in plea bargain decisions.

Results

Using data on 2012 criminal cases decided in Israeli courts from 2010 to 2011, we find thatρis large and positive. Hence, defendants who did not plea bargain were positively selected in terms of conviction. This means that defendants who accepted plea bargains had smaller counterfactual conviction probabilities than observationally similar defendants who went to trial.

Conclusions

The results indicate that, on average, factually innocent defendants in Israel during this period took plea bargains instead of going to trial. This contradicts “innocence effect” theory, which predicts that factually innocent defendants, on average, reject plea bargains. Our findings are important for research on shadow trial theory, since they show that selection into plea bargains cannot be ignored when inferring counterfactual trial outcomes for plea bargainers.
Middle School Effects of the Dating Matters® Comprehensive Teen Dating Violence Prevention Model on Physical Violence, Bullying, and Cyberbullying: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Vivolo-Kantor Alana M. , Niolon Phyllis Holditch , Estefan Lianne Fuino , Le Vi Donna , Tracy Allison J. , Latzman Natasha E. , Little Todd D. , Lang Kyle M. , DeGue Sarah , Tharp Andra Teten
Published: December 2019

Few comprehensive primary prevention approaches for youth have been evaluated for effects on multiple types of violence. Dating Matters®: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships (Dating Matters) is a comprehensive teen dating violence (TDV) prevention model designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and evaluated using a longitudinal stratified cluster-randomized controlled trial to determine effectiveness for preventing TDV and promoting healthy relationship behaviors among middle school students. In this study, we examine the prevention effects on secondary outcomes, including victimization and perpetration of physical violence, bullying, and cyberbullying. This study examined the effectiveness of Dating Matters compared to a standard-of-care TDV prevention program in 46 middle schools in four high-risk urban communities across the USA. The analytic sample (N = 3301; 53% female; 50% Black, non-Hispanic; and 31% Hispanic) consisted of 6th–8th grade students who had an opportunity for exposure to Dating Matters in all three grades or the standard-of-care in 8th grade only. Results demonstrated that both male and female students attending schools implementing Dating Matters reported 11% less bullying perpetration and 11% less physical violence perpetration than students in comparison schools. Female Dating Matters students reported 9% less cyberbullying victimization and 10% less cyberbullying perpetration relative to the standard-of-care. When compared to an existing evidence-based intervention for TDV, Dating Matters demonstrated protective effects on physical violence, bullying, and cyberbullying for most groups of students. The Dating Matters comprehensive prevention model holds promise for reducing multiple forms of violence among middle school-aged youth. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01672541
Automated measurement of bone scan index from a whole-body bone scintigram
Authors: Shimizu Akinobu , Wakabayashi Hayato , Kanamori Takumi , Saito Atsushi , Nishikawa Kazuhiro , Daisaki Hiromitsu , Higashiyama Shigeaki , Kawabe Joji
Published: December 2019

Purpose

We propose a deep learning-based image interpretation system for skeleton segmentation and extraction of hot spots of bone metastatic lesion from a whole-body bone scintigram followed by automated measurement of a bone scan index (BSI), which will be clinically useful.

Methods

The proposed system employs butterfly-type networks (BtrflyNets) for skeleton segmentation and extraction of hot spots of bone metastatic lesions, in which a pair of anterior and posterior images are processed simultaneously. BSI is then measured using the segmented bones and extracted hot spots. To further improve the networks, deep supervision (DSV) and residual learning technologies were introduced.

Results

We evaluated the performance of the proposed system using 246 bone scintigrams of prostate cancer in terms of accuracy of skeleton segmentation, hot spot extraction, and BSI measurement, as well as computational cost. In a threefold cross-validation experiment, the best performance was achieved by BtrflyNet with DSV for skeleton segmentation and BtrflyNet with residual blocks. The cross-correlation between the measured and true BSI was 0.9337, and the computational time for a case was 112.0 s.

Conclusion

We proposed a deep learning-based BSI measurement system for a whole-body bone scintigram and proved its effectiveness by threefold cross-validation study using 246 whole-body bone scintigrams. The automatically measured BSI and computational time for a case are deemed clinically acceptable and reliable.
A Comprehensive Comparison of LRYGB and LSG in Obese Patients Including the Effects on QoL, Comorbidities, Weight Loss, and Complications: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hu Zhihao , Sun Junfeng , Li Ruixin , Wang Zhuoyin , Ding Hengxuan , Zhu Tianyu , Wang Guojun
Published: December 2019

Purpose

To systematically and comprehensively evaluate the differences between laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) versus sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in obese patients.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from inception to December 2018. The meta-analysis was performed by the RevMan 5.3 software.

Results

Twenty-three articles with 7443 patients were included. In short term (< 3 years), LRYGB was superior to LSG in terms of improving comorbidities (T2D, odds ratio (OR) 1.93, 1.06–3.52, P < 0.05, hypertension, OR 1.59, 1.08–2.34, P < 0.05, dyslipidemia, OR 1.61, 1.05–2.46, P < 0.05), but there were no differences in the midterm and long term. Quality of life (QoL) after bariatric surgery was included, but no differences were observed in the QoL after LRYGB or LSG (gastrointestinal quality of life index (GIQLI) and Moorehead–Ardelt quality of life questionnaire (M-A-Q), P > 0.05). LRYGB achieved a higher EWL% than LSG (after 3 years, WMD 5.48, 0.13–10.84. P < 0.05; after 5 years, WMD 4.55, 1.04–8.05, P < 0.05) in long term, but no significant differences were found during 0.25- to 2.0-year follow-up. The rate of early and late complications was much higher in LRYGB than in LSG (early complications, OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.53–2.91, P < 0.001; late complications, OR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.93–3.49, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

This meta-analysis showed that LRYGB was more effective than LSG in comorbidities’ resolution or improvement in short term. For weight loss, LRYGB had better long-term effects than LSG. In addition, no differences were observed in the quality of life after LRYGB or LSG. LRYGB was associated with more complications than LSG.
Teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in teaching word problem solving strategies
Authors: Csíkos Csaba , Szitányi Judit
Published: December 2019

This research addressed Hungarian pre-service and in-service (both elementary and lower secondary) teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge concerning the teaching of word problem solving strategies. By means of a standardized interview protocol, participants (N = 30) were asked about their judgement on the difficulty of teaching word problems, the factors they find difficult, and their current teaching practice. Furthermore, based on a comparative analysis of Eastern European textbooks, we tested how teachers’ current beliefs and views relate to the word problem solving algorithm described in elementary textbooks. The results suggest that in the teachers’ opinion, explicit teaching of a step-by-step algorithm is feasible and desirable as early as in the 1st school grade. According to our results, two approaches (namely, paradigmatic- and narrative-oriented) concerning how to teach the process of word problems solving, originally revealed by Chapman, were found. Furthermore, teachers in general agreed with the approach taken in the textbooks on the subject of what kinds of word problems should be used, and that explicit teaching of word problem solving strategies should be introduced by using simple, routine word problems as examples.
Mechanisms of change in psychological interventions for posttraumatic stress symptoms: A systematic review with recommendations
Authors: Kangaslampi Samuli , Peltonen Kirsi
Published: December 2019

Psychological interventions can alleviate posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, further development of treatment approaches calls for understanding the mechanisms of change through which diverse interventions affect PTSS. We systematically searched the literature for controlled studies of mechanisms of change in psychological interventions for PTSS. We aimed to detect all empirically studied mechanisms and evaluate the level of evidence for their role in the alleviation of PTSS. We identified 34 studies, of which nine were among children. We found evidence for improvements in maladaptive posttraumatic cognitions as a general mechanism of change involved in diverse interventions, among both adults and children. We also found some preliminary evidence for increases in mindfulness as a mechanism of change in mindfulness- and spiritually-oriented interventions among adults. We found scant, mixed empirical evidence for other mechanisms of change. Notably, studies on changes in traumatic memories as a mechanism of change were lacking, despite clinical emphasis on their importance. A major limitation across reviewed studies was that most could not establish temporal order of changes in mechanisms and PTSS. Including thorough analyses of mechanisms of change beyond cognitions in all future trials and improving the reporting of findings would aid the development and implementation of even more effective interventions.
Postdigital Possibilities: Operaismo, Co-research, and Educational Inquiry
Authors: Carmichael Patrick
Published: December 2019

There are parallels between the post-Marxist traditions ofoperaismo(workerism) and autonomism and emerging ideas about the ‘postdigital’.Operaistanalyses and approaches, and particularly the work of Romano Alquati on co-research, have the potential to contribute to discourses as to what might be involved in postdigital inquiry in educational settings, and to better understand of critical data literacies. For such educational inquiry to evolve into a comprehensive strategy of ‘co-research’, it is argued that what is needed are models of teacher inquiry with the potential to challenge dominant rhetorics, to support emancipatory research and development, and to establish the postdigital as a counter-hegemonic educational programme.
Comparative statistical analysis of simulated ice management effectiveness
Authors: Price Amy , Yulmetova Maria , Khalil Sarah
Published: December 2019

Ice management is critical for safe and efficient operations in ice-covered waters; thus, it is important to understand the impact of the operator’s experience in effective ice management performance. This study evaluated the confidence intervals of the mean and probability distributions of two different sample groups, novice cadets and experienced seafarers, to evaluate if there was a difference in effective ice management depending on the operator’s level of experience. The ice management effectiveness, in this study, is represented by the “clearing-to-distance ratio” that is the ratio between the area of cleared ice (km2) and the distance travelled by an ice management vessel (km) to maintain that cleared area. The data analysed in this study was obtained from a recent study conducted by Memorial University’s “Safety at Sea” research group. With the distribution fitting analysis providing inconclusive results regarding the normality of the data, the confidence intervals of the dataset means were obtained using both parametric approaches, such ast-test, Cox’s method, and Johnsont-approach, and non-parametric methods, namely Jackknife and Bootstrap methods, to examine if the assumption of normality was valid. The comparison of the obtained confidence interval results demonstrates that the mean efficiency of the cadets is more consistent, while it is more varied among seafarers. The noticeable difference in ice management performance between the cadet and seafarer sample groups is revealed, thus, proving that crew experience positively influences ice management effectiveness.
Smooth adaptive fixed time convergent controller design for BTT missiles with uncertainties
Authors: Yun Y. , Tang S. , Guo J. , Yun Y.
Published: December 2019

A smooth adaptive sliding-mode-based controller is developed for BTT missiles considering nonlinear couplings and aerodynamic uncertainties, wherein fixed-time stability theory is synthesised into sliding-mode control algorithm, such that control variables follow the desired command within fixed-bounded convergence time. Unlike other terminal sliding-mode-related works, the bound of settling time is independent of initial states, indicating that performance metrics, for instance the convergence rate, can be evaluated in advance. The control input is designed to be intrinsically smooth, based on adaptive estimations, and therefore the problem of singularity and chattering is effectively eliminated. Simulation results demonstrate the satisfactory performance and validate the effectiveness of the designed approach.
The distribution and magnitude of subglacial erosion on millennial timescales at Engabreen, Norway
Authors: Rand Cari , Goehring Brent M.
Published: December 2019

We quantify the magnitude of millennial-scale glacial erosion at Engabreen, a temperate glacier in coastal northern Norway, using the in situ cosmogenic nuclides carbon-14 (14C) and beryllium-10 (10Be) in bedrock exposed recently by glacial retreat. Nuclide concentrations show no dependence on distance down or across the valley. As such, resulting Holocene erosion depths along two transects perpendicular to glacier flow are highly variable with no systematic distribution, ranging from 0.10 to 2.95 m. We observed 14C–10Be ratios elevated above the production ratio in samples of abraded bedrock, which is counter to the expectation for surfaces covered during the Holocene and exposed only recently. Muon reactions produce nuclides at greater depths than do spallation reactions and 14C at production rates at higher than those of 10Be, resulting in 14C–10Be ratios that increase with depth. Therefore, elevated 14C–10Be ratios indicate that sampled sites were deeply plucked during recent cover, the Little Ice Age in this case, and then rapidly abraded prior to retreat. Our results suggest that, while glacial erosion can generate a u-shaped valley profile over long periods of time (e.g., 105–107 years), the discontinuous nature of glacial plucking produces spatially variable patterns of erosion over shorter millennial timescales.
Personalized training pathways for translational science trainees: Building on a framework of knowledge, skills, and abilities across the translational science spectrum
Authors: Pusek Susan , Knudson Beth , Tsevat Joel , Patino Cecilia M. , Chaplin David D. , Ingbar David H. , Umans Jason G. , Nagel Joan , Jackson Rebecca D.
Published: December 2019

Background:

In order to conduct translational science, scientists must combine domain-specific expertise with knowledge on how to identify and cross translational hurdles, and insights on positioning discoveries for the next translational stage. Expert educators from the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Consortium identified 97 knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) important to include in training programs for translational scientists. To assist educators and trainees to use these KSAs, a conceptual model called “Personalized Pathways” was developed that prioritizes KSAs based on trainee background, research area, or phenotype, and expertise on the research team.

Purpose:

To understand how CTSA educators prioritize specific KSAs when developing personalized training plans for different translational phenotypes and to identify areas of similarity and difference across phenotypes.

Methods:

A web-based, cross-sectional survey of CTSA educators was done. For a selected phenotype, respondents recommended one of four levels of mastery for each of the 97 KSAs. Results were tabulated by frequency, weighted by importance, and divided into tertiles representing high, middle, and lower priority KSAs. Agreement across phenotypes was compared using Krippendorff’s alpha.

Results:

Ten KSAs were high training priority for Preclinical, Clinical, and Community-Engaged phenotypes. These address research methods, responsible conduct of research, team building, and communicating research results. Nine KSAs were in the next tertile for priority reflecting KSAs in biostatistics, bioinformatics, regulatory precepts, and translating implications of research findings.

Conclusion:

A smaller set of KSAs can be prioritized for training Preclinical-, Clinical-, and Community-Engaged researchers. Future work should explore this approach for other phenotypes.
Select document: Florence Newton's trial for witchcraft, Cork, 1661: Sir William Aston's transcript
Authors: Sneddon Andrew
Published: December 2019

This article examines the sole extant and complete set of signed witness statements for an Irish witchcraft trial. These testimonies were given at Florence Newton's trial for witchcraft at Cork assizes in September 1661, and were signed by the presiding judge, Sir William Aston. The Aston manuscript has been annotated and transcribed in its full, original form for the first time, providing historians with a unique document with which to explore one of the few Irish witchcraft trials. This article also provides suggestions for new ways of looking at the case, and more importantly demonstrates that Newton was not, as once thought, put to death for witchcraft under the 1586 Irish Witchcraft Act but died during her trial. Furthermore, taken in the context of early modern European witchcraft, the case is shown to be an important example of a witch trial occurring in a highly gendered, contested, post-conflict society.
Active Flow Control of Flapping Airfoil Using Openfoam
Authors: Manoj Kumar Vedulla , Wang Chin-Cheng
Published: December 2019

The concept of the fixed wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) has received increasing interest over the past few decades, with the principal aim of carrying out the surveillance missions. The design of the flapping wing MAVs still is in infancy stage. On the other hand, there has been increasing interest over the flow control using plasma actuators in worldwide. The aim of this research is to study the flow control of a flapping airfoil with and without plasma actuation in OpenFOAM. The OpenFOAM CFD platform has been used to develop our own plasma solver. For the plasma induced turbulence in the flow regime, k-ε turbulence model was adopted to address the interaction between plasma and fluid flows. For the plasma-fluid interaction, we use reduced-order modelling to solve the plasma induced electric force. A two dimensional NACA0012 flapping airfoil without plasma actuation study has been benchmarked with previous published literature. We have not only focused on the active flow control but also analyzed the important parameter reduced frequency at different values, those are 0.1, 0.05 and 0.025. Reduced frequency (κ) is very important parameter of an airfoil in the unsteady motion. Our major contribution is testing the several reduced frequencies with the plasma actuation. The positive and beneficial effects of the plasma actuator for all cases have been observed. From the observed results, the flapping with plasma actuation at reduced frequency of 0.1 showed the 14.285 percent lift improvement and the 16.19 percent drag reduction than the flapping without plasma actuation at the respective dynamic stall angles. The maximum lift coefficient is increased with the increase in reduced frequency. In overall, plasma actuators are effective in the flow control of a flapping airfoil. In future, the combination of the flapping with plasma actuators will be a promising application to boast the maneuverability of MAVs.
Breakfast consumption modulates postprandial glycaemic, insulinaemic and NEFA response in pre-diabetic Asian males
Authors: Peh Elaine Wan Yi , Koecher Katie , Menon Ravi , Henry Christiani Jeyakumar
Published: December 2019

Breakfast consumption is associated with a variety of nutritional and lifestyle-related health outcomes. The objective of the present study was to investigate how the consumption of breakfast affected blood glucose, insulin and NEFA profiles. A lower postprandial blood glucose, insulin and NEFA response is associated with a lower risk of development of metabolic diseases. In a randomised crossover non-blind design, thirteen pre-diabetic Chinese adult males (BMI 26·7 (sd4·2) kg/m2) attended two sessions where they either consumed a high-glycaemic index breakfast or no breakfast consumption. Changes in glycaemic response over 27 h periods were measured using the Medtronic MiniMed iProTM2 continuous glucose monitoring system. Blood samples were collected using a peripheral venous catheter at fixed intervals for 3 h after the test meal and 3 h after standardised lunch consumption. Postprandial glucose, insulin and NEFA response was calculated as total AUC and incremental AUC using the trapezoidal rule that ignored the area under the baseline. It was found that breakfast consumption significantly decreased postprandial glucose, insulin and NEFA excursion response at lunch time (P= 0·001). Consumption of breakfast attenuated blood glucose profiles by minimising glycaemic excursions and reduced both insulinaemic and NEFA responses in pre-diabetic Asian males during the second meal. This simple dietary intervention may be a novel approach to help improve subsequent lunch glycaemic responses in Asians at high risk of developing diabetes.
High salt intake during puberty leads to cardiac remodelling and baroreflex impairment in lean and obese male Wistar rats
Authors: Rosa G. B. , Cavalet L. C. , de Melo A. B. S. , Junior M. D. F. , Lopes P. R. , Cardoso R. A. , Ferreira L. A. , Tomé F. D. , Nagib P. R. A. , Celes M. R. N. , Pedrino G. R. , Castro C. H. , Mathias P. C. F. , Gomes R. M.
Published: December 2019

Modern lifestyle increases the prevalence of obesity and its co-morbidities in the young population. High-salt (HS) diets are associated with hypertension and cardiac remodelling. The present study evaluated the potential effects of cardiometabolic programming induced by HS intake during puberty in lean and obese rats. Additionally, we investigated whether HS could exacerbate the impairment of cardiovascular parameters in adult life due to postnatal early overnutrition (PO). At postnatal day 3 (PN3), twenty-four litters of Wistar rats were divided into two groups: normal litter (NL, nine pups/dam) and small litter (SL, three pups/dam) throughout the lactation period; weaning was at PN21. At PN30, the pups were subdivided into two more groups: NL plus HS (NLHS) and SL plus HS (SLHS). HS intake was from PN30 until PN60. Cardiovascular parameters were evaluated at PN120. SL rats became overweight at adulthood due to persistent hyperphagia; however, HS exposure during puberty reduced the weight gain and food intake of NLHS and SLHS. Both HS and obesity raised the blood pressure, impaired baro- and chemoreflex sensitivity and induced cardiac remodelling but no worsening was observed in the association of these factors, except a little reduction in the angiotensin type-2 receptor in the hearts from SLHS animals. Our results suggest that the response of newborn offspring to PO and juveniles to a HS diet leads to significant changes in cardiovascular parameters in adult rats. This damage may be accompanied by impairment of both angiotensin signalling and antioxidant defence in the heart.
War Makes the Regime: Regional Rebellions and Political Militarization Worldwide
Authors: Eibl Ferdinand , Hertog Steffen , Slater Dan
Published: December 2019

War can make states, but can it also make regimes? This article brings the growing literatures on authoritarianism and coups into conversation with the older research tradition analyzing the interplay between war and state formation. The authors offer a global empirical test of the argument that regional rebellions are especially likely to give rise to militarized authoritarian regimes. While this argument was initially developed in the context of Southeast Asia, the article deepens the original theory by furnishing a deductively grounded framework embedded in rational actor approaches in the coup and civil–military literatures. In support of the argument, quantitative tests confirm that regional rebellions make political militarization more likely not simply in a single region, but more generally.
Effects of plasma electron temperature and magnetic field on the propagation dynamics of Gaussian laser beam in weakly relativistic cold quantum plasma
Authors: Aggarwal Munish , Goyal Vimmy , Kashyap Richa , Kumar Harish , Gill Tarsem Singh
Published: December 2019

Self-focusing of Gaussian laser beam has been investigated in quantum plasma under the effect of applied axial magnetic field. The nonlinear differential equation has been derived for studying the variations in the beam-width parameter. The effect of initial plasma electron temperature and the axial magnetic field on self-focusing and normalized intensity are studied. Our investigation reveals that normalized intensity increases to tenfolds where quantum effects are dominant. The normalized intensity further increases to twelvefolds on increasing the magnetic field.
Everyday encounters with difference in urban parks: forging ‘openness to otherness’ in segmenting cities
Authors: Barker Anna , Crawford Adam , Booth Nathan , Churchill David
Published: December 2019

In a context of hyper-diversity and social polarisation, it has been suggested that public parks constitute crucial arenas in which to safeguard deliberative democracy and foster social relations that bind loosely connected strangers. Drawing on empirical research, we offer a more circumspect and nuanced understanding of the – nonetheless vital – role that parks can play in fostering civic norms that support the capacity for living with difference. As ‘spaces apart’, parks have distinctive atmospheres that afford opportunities for convivial encounters in which ‘indifference to difference’ underpins ‘openness to otherness’. As places in which difference is rendered routine and unremarkable, the potency of parks for social cohesion derives from fleeting and unanticipated interactions and the weak ties they promote, rather than strong bonds of community that tend to solidify lines of cultural differentiation. Both by design and unintentionally, regulation and law can serve to foster or constrain the conditions that sustain conviviality.