bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitochondria-targeting theranostics
Authors: Kang Han Chang
Published: November 2018

Background

Interest in subcellular organelle-targeting theranostics is substantially increasing due to the significance of subcellular organelle-targeting drug delivery for maximizing therapeutic effects and minimizing side effects, as well as the significance of theranostics for delivering therapeutics at the correct locations and doses for diseases throughout diagnosis. Among organelles, mitochondria have received substantial attention due to their significant controlling functions in cells.

Main body

With the necessity of subcellular organelle-targeting drug delivery and theranostics, examples of mitochondria-targeting moieties and types of mitochondria-targeting theranostics were introduced. In addition, the current studies of mitochondria-targeting theranostic chemicals, chemical conjugates, and nanosystems were summarized.

Conclusion

With the current issues of mitochondria-targeting theranostic chemicals, chemical conjugates, and nanosystems, their potentials and alternatives are discussed.
System-Level Factors Associated With Use of Outpatient Specialty Palliative Care Among Patients With Advanced Cancer
Authors: Yu Justin A. , Ray Kristin N. , Park Seo Young , Barry Amanda , Smith Cardinale B. , Ellis Peter G. , Schenker Yael
Published: November 2018

PURPOSE:

The proportion of patients with advanced cancer who receive outpatient specialty palliative care (OSPC) is as low as 2.0%. Improved understanding of the system-level factors influencing use of OSPC could inform adaptations to the delivery of palliative care to maximize access. We examined associations between OSPC use among patients with advanced solid tumors and oncology-OSPC clinic colocation and patient travel time to an OSPC clinic.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced solid tumors receiving oncologic treatment between January 1 and December 31, 2016, within a comprehensive cancer center network with well-established, oncology-specific OSPC clinics. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of clinic colocation and geographic access with OSPC use.

RESULTS:

Of 9,485 patients with advanced solid tumors, 478 (5.0%) received OSPC services in 2016. After controlling for age, sex, marital status, cancer type, insurance, treatment intent, and illness severity, patients whose oncologist practices were colocated with OSPC clinics were more likely to use OSPC (odds ratio [OR], 19.2; 95% CI, 14.1 to 26.2). Compared with patients who lived > 90 minutes from an OSPC clinic, patients with travel times of < 30 minutes (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 2.2 to 4.6) and 31 to 60 minutes (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.6 to 3.6) were also more likely to use OSPC.

CONCLUSION:

Among patients with advanced solid tumors, colocation of oncology and OSPC clinics and shorter patient travel time were associated with greater odds of using OSPC. Future efforts to increase OSPC use in this population should consider clinic colocation and travel burden.
Targeted Therapy for Colorectal Cancers With Non-V600 BRAF Mutations: Perspectives for Precision Oncology
Authors: Dankner Matthew
Published: November 2018

BRAF mutations are found in up to 10% of colorectal cancers (CRC). Whereas the majority of BRAF mutant CRCs harbor V600 mutations, up to 25% express non-V600 BRAF mutations. It has been established that BRAF V600E mutations in CRC predict unresponsiveness to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition—cetuximab and/or panitumumab—as a result of the constitutive activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway downstream of EGFR signaling. As more centers begin using next-generation sequencing assays to detect BRAF mutations, oncologists are more frequently confronted with treating patients with non-V600 BRAF mutations. In many instances, clinicians may be hesitant to use EGFR inhibitors for these patients, as it is largely assumed that tumors with non-V600 BRAF mutations activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in a similar manner to RAS or BRAF V600E mutations and would therefore be equally refractory to EGFR inhibition; however, the evidence that currently exists to substantiate this claim is mixed and incomplete. Recent data demonstrate that non-V600 BRAF mutant CRC is a distinct clinical entity with a favorable prognosis compared with CRC with V600E mutations. Preclinical data and several case reports suggest that a subset of BRAF non-V600 mutations that impair the protein's kinase activity may in fact confer heightened sensitivity to EGFR inhibition because of dependency on upstream receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. This review summarizes the clinical characteristics and targeted therapy approaches for non-V600 BRAF mutant CRCs, speculates on the value of non-V600 BRAF mutations as predictive biomarkers of responsiveness to EGFR inhibitors, and highlights outstanding questions in this emerging area of precision oncology.
The Energy Cost of Sitting versus Standing Naturally in Man
Authors: BETTS JAMES A. , SMITH HARRY A. , JOHNSON-BONSON DRUSUS A. , ELLIS TOM I. , DAGNALL JOSEPH , HENGIST AARON , CARROLL HARRIET , THOMPSON DYLAN , GONZALEZ JAVIER T. , AFMAN GREGG H.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Prolonged sitting is a major health concern, targeted via government policy and the proliferation of height-adjustable workstations and wearable technologies to encourage standing. Such interventions have the potential to influence energy balance and thus facilitate effective management of body/fat mass. It is therefore remarkable that the energy cost of sitting versus standing naturally remains unknown.

Methods

Metabolic requirements were quantified via indirect calorimetry from expired gases in 46 healthy men and women (age, 27 ± 12 yr; mass, 79.3 ± 14.7 kg; body mass index, 24.7 ± 3.1 kg·m−2, waist/hip, 0.81 ± 0.06) under basal conditions (i.e., resting metabolic rate) and then, in a randomized and counterbalanced sequence, during lying, sitting and standing. Critically, no restrictions were placed on natural/spontaneous bodily movements (i.e., fidgeting) to reveal the fundamental contrast between sitting and standing in situ while maintaining a comfortable posture.

Results

The mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) increment in energy expenditure was 0.18 (95% CI, 0.06–0.31 kJ·min−1) from resting metabolic rate to lying was 0.15 (95% CI, 0.03–0.27 kJ·min−1) from lying to sitting and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.53–0.77 kJ·min−1) from sitting to standing. An ancillary observation was that the energy cost of each posture above basal metabolic requirements exhibited marked interindividual variance, which was inversely correlated with resting heart rate for all postures (r = −0.5; −0.7 to −0.1) and positively correlated with self-reported physical activity levels for lying (r = 0.4; 0.1 to 0.7) and standing (r = 0.6; 0.3–0.8).

Conclusions

Interventions designed to reduce sitting typically encourage 30 to 120 min·d−1 more standing in situ (rather than perambulation), so the 12% difference from sitting to standing reported here does not represent an effective strategy for the treatment of obesity (i.e., weight loss) but could potentially attenuate any continued escalation of the ongoing obesity epidemic at a population level.
Ιστορική εξέλιξη των συστημάτων επιλογής στελεχών εκπαίδευσης κατά τη μεταπολίτευση
Authors: Κελεσίδης Ευάγγελος Αλέξανδρος
Published: November 2018

Η επιλογή στελεχών της εκπαίδευσης αποτελεί μια πολύ σημαντική διαδικασία στη λειτουργία της εκπαίδευσης καθώς αυτά τα στελέχη, σύμφωνα με το νόμο, έχουν την ευθύνη να διαχειρίζονται και να εφαρμόζουν την εκπαιδευτική πολιτική στην περιοχή της αρμοδιότητάς τους.Από το 1982, που καταργήθηκε η μονιμότητα των στελεχών της εκπαίδευσης με τον Ν. 1304/1982 και εν συνεχεία με τους Ν. 1566/1985, 2187/2000 και τέλος τον Ν. 4547/2018 με τον οποίο και θεσμοθετείται το σημερινό μοντέλο διοίκησης και καθοδήγησης στην εκπαίδευση, έχουν θεσπιστεί δεκαοκτώ (18) νομοθετικά κείμενα (και πολλά άλλα με μικρότερες τροποποιήσεις). Διαφαίνεται ότι επί 35 και πλέον έτη, μέχρι και το 2018, δεν κατέστη εφικτό η ελληνική Πολιτεία με τις αναγκαίες πολιτικές και εκπαιδευτικό-συνδικαλιστικές συναινέσεις να περιγράψει με σαφήνεια τις ανάγκες και τις απαιτήσεις της κάθε θέσης έτσι ώστε να καταλήξει και στα κριτήρια που πρέπει να πληρούν τα πρόσωπα που θα στελεχώσουν αυτές τις θέσεις και να καταλήξει σε ένα αποτελεσματικό, αξιόπιστο, αντικειμενικό και αποδεκτό σύστημα επιλογής.Στο παρόν άρθρο επιχειρείται η ιστορική ανασκόπηση και καταγραφή των εκάστοτε διαδικασιών επιλογής των στελεχών εκπαίδευσης από το 1982 ως σήμερα (2018). Μέσα από αυτήν την αναδρομή, τη συγκριτική παρουσίαση και το δημιουργικό-κριτικό αναστοχασμό καταβάλλεται προσπάθεια να συνειδητοποιηθούν οι αλλαγές και οι εκάστοτε επιδιώξεις ώστε να εξαχθούν συμπεράσματα για τις απαιτήσεις μας από μια τέτοια διαδικασία στο παρόν και στο μέλλον.
Do you cov me? Effect of coverage reduction on species identification and genome reconstruction in complex biological matrices by metagenome shotgun high-throughput sequencing
Authors: Cattonaro Federica , Spadotto Alessandro , Radovic Slobodanka , Marroni Fabio
Published: November 2018

Shotgun metagenomics sequencing is a powerful tool for the characterization of complex biological matrices, enabling analysis of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms in a single experiment, with the possibility of de novo reconstruction of the whole metagenome or a set of genes of interest. One of the main factors limiting the use of shotgun metagenomics on wide scale projects is the high cost associated with the approach. However, we demonstrate that—for some applications—it is possible to use shallow shotgun metagenomics to characterize complex biological matrices while reducing costs. Here we compared the results obtained on full size, real datasets with results obtained by randomly extracting a fixed number of reads. The main statistics that were compared are alpha diversity estimates, species abundance, and ability of reconstructing the metagenome in terms of length and completeness. Our results show that a classification of the communities present in a complex matrix can be accurately performed even using very low number of reads. With samples of 100,000 reads, the alpha diversity estimates were in most cases comparable to those obtained with the full sample, and the estimation of the abundance of all the present species was in excellent agreement with those obtained with the full sample. On the contrary, any task involving the reconstruction of the metagenome performed poorly, even with the largest simulated subsample (1M reads). The length of the reconstructed assembly was sensibly smaller than the length obtained with the full dataset, and the proportion of conserved genes that were identified in the meta-genome was drastically reduced compared to the full sample. Shallow shotgun metagenomics can be a useful tool to describe the structure of complex matrices, but it is not adequate to reconstruct de novo—even partially—the metagenome.
Estimating Contextual Motivating Factors in Virtual Interorganizational Communities of Practice: Peer Effects and Organizational Influences
Authors: Zhao Kexin , Zhang Bin , Bai Xue
Published: November 2018

Virtual interorganizational communities of practice (IOCoPs) enable professionals belonging to different organizations to exchange and share knowledge via computer-mediated interactions. Since knowledge sharing is socially embedded, contextual factors likely play an important role in encouraging individuals’ community participation. Specifically, professionals in IOCoPs are embedded in two different social environments: the virtual community where they interact with online peers and organizations where they utilize their knowledge. Therefore it is important to simultaneously study motivating factors generated from these two different contexts, including peer effects within and organizational influences outside the virtual community. In this research, we apply a novel econometric identification method to analyze a unique data set collected from a virtual IOCoP in the financial trading sector. We find that, after controlling for individual-level characteristics, contextual motivating factors from peers and organizations are influential both quantitatively and qualitatively in determining community participation. Differentiating multiple-level motivating factors across different contexts enables us to shed light on various mechanisms that IOCoPs can apply to engage collective learning and knowledge management across organizations.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0752 .
Arthroscopic repair of the meniscus
Authors: Vaquero-Picado Alfonso , Rodríguez-Merchán E. Carlos
Published: November 2018

From the biomechanical and biological points of view, an arthroscopic meniscal repair (AMR) should always be considered as an option. However, AMR has a higher reoperation rate compared with arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, so it should be carefully indicated. Compared with meniscectomy, AMR outcomes are better and the incidence of osteoarthritis is lower when it is well indicated. Factors influencing healing and satisfactory results must be carefully evaluated before indicating an AMR. Tears in the peripheral third are more likely to heal than those in the inner thirds. Vertical peripheral longitudinal tears are the best scenario in terms of success when facing an AMR. ‘Inside-out’ techniques were considered as the gold standard for large repairs on mid-body and posterior parts of the meniscus. However, recent studies do not demonstrate differences regarding failure rate, functional outcomes and complications, when compared with the ‘all-inside’ techniques. Some biological therapies try to enhance meniscal repair success but their efficacy needs further research. These are: mechanical stimulation, supplemental bone marrow stimulation, platelet rich plasma, stem cell therapy, and scaffolds and membranes. Meniscal root tear/avulsion dramatically compromises meniscal stability, accelerating cartilage degeneration. Several options for reattachment have been proposed, but no differences between them have been established. However, repair of these lesions is actually the reference of the treatment. Meniscal ramp lesions consist of disruption of the peripheral attachment of the meniscus. In contrast, with meniscal root tears, the treatment of reference has not yet been well established.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2018;3:584-594. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.3.170059
Acerca de dos mosaicos hallados en Fuente Álamo (Puente Genil, Córdoba). A tenor de los dibujos de la Comisión de Antigüedades de la Real Academia de la Historia
Authors: Neira Jiménez Luz
Published: November 2018

En el marco de las investigaciones sobre el yacimiento de Fuente Álamo (Puente Genil, Córdoba), cuyas excavaciones han puesto de manifiesto varias fases de ocupación y funcionalidad diferente desde la época altoimperial hasta la ocupación islámica, este artículo se inscribe en el análisis de los numerosos pavimentos musivos del asentamiento rural y aborda en concreto el estudio de dos mosaicos perdidos que fueron hallados en el siglo XIX, según consta en el informe de la Comisión de Antigüedades de la Real Academia de la Historia, que aportaba dibujos de los mismos.Dado que los resultados de las excavaciones llevadas a cabo en los últimos años en Fuente Álamo reflejan que no todos los pavimentos pertenecen a la misma etapa de la denominada en principio villa del siglo IV, este trabajo presenta un estudio inédito de la iconografía de uno de los mosaicos fragmentarios – con representaciones de un thiasos marino -y el esquema geométrico del segundo, así como su posible atribución a una de las fases documentadas.
Review of Sociolinguistics and mobile communication by Ana Deumert
Authors: Bock Zannie
Published: November 2018

In the “Acknowledgements” to Sociolinguistics and mobile communication, Deumert comments that during the writing process, the text “developed a life of its own” and took her on a journey to places, both theoretical and virtual, which she had not anticipated (p. x). What makes her book such a pleasure to read is that it takes her audience on the same journey, now carefully planned and crafted to ensure maximum coherence, interest and accessibility.
The nature and context of Kaaps: a contemporary, past and future perspective
Authors: Hendricks Frank
Published: November 2018

In this contribution, which serves as orientation for this special edition, the accent falls chiefly on the contemporary manifestation of Kaaps as colloquial variety of Afrikaans, but also on its historic roots and the challenges regarding its future. Besides a reflection on the name “Kaaps” and other alternative names, this language form is described with reference to its origin, traditional speakers, geographic situation, sociolectic nature, linguistic character and its contextual usages. Kaaps is presented as a variety of the dialect group Southwestern Afrikaans which as a form of colloquial Afrikaans refers back historically to the seventeenth century influence of slaves on the formation of Afrikaans and which is currently chiefly manifested as a sociolect associated with the working class of the Cape Peninsula. The social assessment, lingua-political treatment and survival potential of this variety are also reviewed.
The Language of Urban Development in Johannesburg's Inner City
Authors: Baro Gilles
Published: November 2018

This article engages with the language used by urban developers when planning areas of a city and how it influences the way media and social actors come to represent place. Its theoretical approach proposes a language of urban development based on Markus and Cameron’s (2002) language of buildings concept, which looks at the discourse used by architects and promoters in the construction of buildings. An analysis of interviews with developers and social actors of the inner city of Johannesburg as well as media articles portraying the area shows a correlation between the discourse used by all three bodies in terms of both the Western aspiration of an urban development model and the importance of safety and cleanliness to signify accessibility of place in Johannesburg.
Klassifikation von Optimierungsproblemen
Authors: Gröll Lutz
Published: November 2018

Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt einen Überblick zur Optimierung, wobei das Problem als solches und nicht die Algorithmen oder konkrete Anwendungen im Mittelpunkt stehen. Die Probleme werden eingeordnet, ihre Grundideen skizziert, und es werden Software-Tools zu ihrer Lösung genannt. Darüber hinaus diskutiert der Beitrag die Frage der Existenz und Eindeutigkeit von Lösungen für Optimierungsprobleme. Mit Hilfe erweiterter Ableitungskalküle werden notwendige Bedingungen für glatte und nichtglatte Zielfunktionen in endlich- und unendlichdimensionalen Räumen und auf Mannigfaltigkeiten formuliert. Diese mathematisch anspruchsvolleren Darstellungen richten sich an die in der Forschung tätigen Ingenieure.
Effects of salinity and temperature on the performance of Cymodocea nodosa and Ruppia cirrhosa: a medium-term laboratory study
Authors: Tsioli Soultana , Orfanidis Sotiris , Papathanasiou Vasillis , Katsaros Christos , Exadactylos Athanasios
Published: November 2018

The effects of salinity and temperature on the photosynthetic and growth performance of the seagrasses Cymodocea nodosa and Ruppia cirrhosa were studied to understand their local seasonality and distribution. Cymodocea nodosa shoots were collected from Cape Vrasidas, and R. cirrhosa shoots from the coastal lagoon Fanari, all from the Eastern Macedonian and Thrace Region, Greece. Effective quantum yield (ΔF/Fm′), leaf chlorophyll-a content (mg g−1 wet mass) and growth (% of maximum) were tested at different temperatures (10–40°C) and salinities (5–60). The results showed that: (a) R. cirrhosa was more euryhaline (5–55/60) than C. nodosa (10–50), (b) the upper thermal tolerance of C. nodosa (34–35°C) was higher than that of R. cirrhosa (32–34°C), (c) C. nodosa could not tolerate 10°C, whereas R. cirrhosa could, and (d) the growth optimum of C. nodosa was 30°C and that of R. cirrhosa 20–30°C. The thermal optima and tolerances of growth and photosynthesis confirm the seasonal patterns of R. cirrhosa but not of C. nodosa. However, the sensitivity of C. nodosa to low salinities and temperatures may explain its absence from shallow coastal lagoons. Ruppia cirrhosa could be vulnerable to future climate change.
Communicating laboratory results to patients and families
Authors: Witteman Holly O. , Zikmund-Fisher Brian J.
Published: November 2018

People are increasingly able to access their laboratory results via patient portals. The potential benefits provided by such access, such as reductions in patient burden and improvements in patient satisfaction, disease management, and medical decision making, also come with potentially valid concerns about such results causing confusion or anxiety among patients. However, it is possible to clearly convey the meaning of results and, when needed, indicate required action by designing systems to present laboratory results adapted to the people who will use them. Systems should support people in converting the potentially meaningless data of results into meaningful information and actionable knowledge. We offer 10 recommendations toward this goal: (1) whenever possible, provide a clear takeaway message for each result. (2) Signal whether differences are meaningful or not. (3) When feasible, provide thresholds for concern and action. (4) Individualize the frame of reference by allowing custom reference ranges. (5) Ensure the system is accessible. (6) Provide conversion tools along with results. (7) Design in collaboration with users. (8) Design for both new and experienced users. (9) Make it easy for people use the data as they wish. (10) Collaborate with experts from relevant fields. Using these 10 methods and strategies renders access to laboratory results into meaningful and actionable communication. In this way, laboratories and medical systems can support patients and families in understanding and using their laboratory results to manage their health.
Less is more: why all paradigms are defective, and why that is a good thing
Authors: Janda A. Laura , Tyers M. Francis
Published: November 2018

Only a fraction of lexemes are encountered in all their paradigm forms in any corpus or even in the lifetime of any speaker. This raises a question as to how it is that native speakers confidently produce and comprehend word forms that they have never witnessed. We present the results of an experiment using a recurrent neural network computational learning model. In particular, we compare the model’s production of unencountered forms using two types of training data: full paradigms vs. single word forms for Russian nouns, verbs, and adjectives. In the long run, the model displays better performance when exposed to the more naturalistic training on single word forms, even though the other training data is much larger as it includes full paradigms for each and every word. We discuss why “defective” paradigms may be better for human learners as well.
The Assessment of Reasoning Tool (ART): structuring the conversation between teachers and learners
Authors: Thammasitboon Satid , Rencic Joseph J. , Trowbridge Robert L. , Olson Andrew P.J. , Sur Moushumi , Dhaliwal Gurpreet
Published: November 2018

Background

Excellence in clinical reasoning is one of the most important outcomes of medical education programs, but assessing learners’ reasoning to inform corrective feedback is challenging and unstandardized.

Methods

The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine formed a multi-specialty team of medical educators to develop the Assessment of Reasoning Tool (ART). This paper describes the tool development process. The tool was designed to facilitate clinical teachers’ assessment of learners’ oral presentation for competence in clinical reasoning and facilitate formative feedback. Reasoning frameworks (e.g. script theory), contemporary practice goals (e.g. high-value care [HVC]) and proposed error reduction strategies (e.g. metacognition) were used to guide the development of the tool.

Results

The ART is a behaviorally anchored, three-point scale assessing five domains of reasoning: (1) hypothesis-directed data gathering, (2) articulation of a problem representation, (3) formulation of a prioritized differential diagnosis, (4) diagnostic testing aligned with HVC principles and (5) metacognition. Instructional videos were created for faculty development for each domain, guided by principles of multimedia learning.

Conclusions

The ART is a theory-informed assessment tool that allows teachers to assess clinical reasoning and structure feedback conversations.
Diaminomaleonitrile as a versatile building block for the synthesis of 4,4′-biimidazolidinylidenes and 4,4′-bithiazolidinylidenes
Authors: Doomanlou Mahsa , Kabirifard Hassan , Asadi Mehdi , Moloudi Maryam , Mirfazli Seyedeh Sara
Published: November 2018

Ring closure reactions of diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN) with electrophilic aryl isocyanates and aryl isothiocyanates lead to the formation of the target 5,5′-diimino-1,1′-diaryl-4,4′-biimidazolidinylidene-2,2′-diones 2a,b and 2,2′-diarylimino-4,4′-bithiazolidinylidenes 4a–e, respectively. The protocol provides a new strategy for the synthesis of a wide range of alkenes with two electron-donating and two withdrawing substituents of DAMN in moderate to good yields.
Organosolv pretreated beech wood as a substrate for acetone butanol ethanol extractive fermentation
Authors: González-Peñas Helena , Lú-Chau Thelmo A. , Botana Nicolás , Moreira María Teresa , Lema Juan M. , Eibes Gemma
Published: November 2018

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation has a high potential for industrial application in lignocellulose-based biorefinery. Nevertheless, strong end-product inhibition is a severe limitation of this process, which can be partially solved by in situ product recovery techniques, such as extractive fermentation. In this work, the hydrolyzed cellulose from organosolv pre-treated beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) was fermented by Clostridium beijerinckii CECT 508 and compared with synthetic P2 medium in conventional and extractive fermentation processes. The conventional control fermentation yielded 9.12 g l−1 of ABE with C. beijerinckii CECT 508, while ABE overproduction of 40% was observed with cellulose hydrolysate as a substrate. After extractive batch fermentation based on 2-butyl-1-octanol as extractant, the final ABE titer was doubled in the P2 control medium over the conventional batch, with respective increases of 50, 190, and 140% for butanol (B), acetone (A) and ethanol (E). In the case of ABE as a hydrolysate medium, the total production increased by 10% with liquid extraction, while mainly B was responsible for this improvement. The total productivity was nevertheless gradually decreased in extractive fermentation, with a significantly slower production rate and the microbial growth compared to conventional fermentation. Moreover, solvent production and sugar consumption stopped, although the aqueous B concentration was below the inhibition threshold. The mid-term toxicity of the extraction solvent 2-butyl-1-octanol seems responsible for these results and this issue should be considered in future research.
ScaDS Dresden/Leipzig – A competence center for collaborative big data research
Authors: Jäkel René , Peukert Eric , Nagel Wolfgang E. , Rahm Erhard
Published: November 2018

The efficient and intelligent handling of large, often distributed and heterogeneous data sets increasingly determines the scientific and economic competitiveness in most application areas. Mobile applications, social networks, multimedia collections, sensor networks, data intense scientific experiments, and complex simulations nowadays generate a huge data deluge. Nonetheless, processing and analyzing these data sets with innovative methods open up new opportunities for its exploitation and new insights. Nevertheless, the resulting resource requirements exceed usually the possibilities of state-of-the-art methods for the acquisition, integration, analysis and visualization of data and are summarized under the term big data. ScaDS Dresden/Leipzig, as one Germany-wide competence center for collaborative big data research, bundles efforts to realize data-intensive applications for a wide range of applications in science and industry. In this article, we present the basic concept of the competence center and give insights in some of its research topics.
Law and the Economy: An Introduction to Coasian Law and Economics
Authors: Wang Ning
Published: November 2018

Ronald Coase was a founding father of modern law and economics. Yet, Coase distanced himself from the economic analysis of law, which today dominates the law and economics scholarship, and proposed an alternative research program, which is referred to here as “law and the economy”. As market transaction presumes the delineation of rights, which are primarily defined and enforced by law, law obviously anchors the foundation of a market economy. Moreover, changes in the legal system are a main source of institutional change that reassigns rights and redraws constraints under which rights are exercised, thus fundamentally affecting transaction costs and how the economy works. “Law and the economy” recognizes the law as an integral part of the economy and calls for the study of the economic impact of law.
Privacy, Interests, and Inalienable Rights
Authors: Moore Adam D.
Published: November 2018

Some rights are so important for human autonomy and well-being that many scholars insist they should not be waived, traded, or abandoned. Privacy is a recent addition to this list. At the other end of the spectrum is the belief that privacy is a mere unimportant interest or preference. This paper defends a middle path between viewing privacy as an inalienable, non-waivable, non-transferrable right and the view of privacy as a mere subjective interest. First, an account of privacy is offered that clarifies the concept and demonstrates how privacy is directly related to human health and well-being. Second, along with considering and rejecting several accounts for why privacy might be considered an inalienable right, an argument is offered for why it is morally permissible to waive, transfer, abandon, or alienate privacy.
Being Realistic about International Trade Justice
Authors: Neuhäuser Christian
Published: November 2018

The current philosophical debate on just international trade has moved away from purely idealistic theorizing into the direction of non-ideal theory. At the same time most philosophical thought on just trade is still rather idealistic and the main argument of the paper is that some philosophical reasoning about international trade justice should be more realistic. The paper develops in three steps. In a first step I will give a short overview over normative questions that arise with respect to international trade. I will then highlight a proposal brought forward by Leif Wenar, because he is aware of the realist challenge and tries to counter it. In a second step I will discuss why it is important to integrate a realist perspective into philosophical considerations of international trade justice. Trade agreements are embedded in political contexts that influence the normative perspective one should take on trade justice. This leads to the third part of the article, where I will explore how a realist approach can go along with more idealistic perspectives, which leads to a weakly realist perspective on trade justice.
Improved dispersibility of once-dried cellulose nanofibers in the presence of glycerol
Authors: Moser Carl , Henriksson Gunnar , Lindström Mikael
Published: November 2018

To investigate the dispersibility of dried cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), various additions (glycerol, octanol, glycol, and sodium perchlorate) were added to CNFs prior to drying. Glycerol was the only species to show any significant effect on re-dispersibility. The sedimentation was slower, and the transmittance of the solution was comparable to that of its undried counterpart. Increasing the amount of glycerol showed a clear trend with regard to dispersibility. The mechanical properties of films were maintained for samples that were dried and redispersed in the presence of glycerol.
Street-level Citizenship: le cas de la promotion de la citoyenneté dans les politiques extrascolaires de la jeunesse à Genève
Authors: Grand Jérôme
Published: November 2018

Cet article analyse la formulation et la mise en oeuvre d’une politique sociale visant à promouvoir la citoyenneté. En s’intéressant au cas de la Fondation pour l’animation socioculturelle genevoise mandatée par l’État de Genève pour « favoriser la citoyenneté active », l’article cherche à mettre en lumière la norme de citoyenneté véhiculée par l’État, mais aussi à rendre compte de sa mise en oeuvre par des animateurs socioculturels au bénéfice de dispositions individuelles et confrontés à la réalité des contextes.
Costs, Risks and Responsibility. Negotiating the Value of Disabled Workers Between Disability Insurance and Employers
Authors: Nadai Eva , Gonon Anna , Rotzetter Fabienne
Published: November 2018

Drawing on the theoretical framework of the Economics of Convention this paper analyses the employment of people with disabilities as a valuation process. Based on case studies and interviews in business companies and disability insurance offices, it explores how employers and disability insurance determine the value of disabled workers. Inasmuch as employers are not willing to adapt performance standards, job design and work organisation, disability insurance attains individual exceptions for its clients at best, while disabling standards remain intact.
The Role of Interfacial Rheology in Agricultural Drift Control
Authors: Penfield Kevin , Dempsey Logan , Wall Jason , Sun Susan
Published: November 2018

The importance of controlling spray droplet size in the minimization of spray drift in the application of agricultural chemicals is widely acknowledged. Self-emulsifying tank-mix additives are an important tool for achieving this control. Understanding how these additives work is key in developing products that are both more efficient and more effective. Certain aspects of the performance of emulsion-based additives are well understood. In particular, oil droplets have been shown to induce perforations in the sheet emerging from a spray nozzle. The growth of these perforations results in the formation of a web that then shatters, creating spray droplets. Fragmentation closer to the nozzle outlet is believed to cause the generation of larger spray droplets. It has been suggested that the properties of deformable oil-phase droplets are important, while in general solid particles are ineffective in reducing drift. Beyond these details the mechanism of spray formation from tank mixes containing emulsions is not well understood. In this study we evaluated the relations between oil-droplet rheology and spray quality for tank-mix and model systems. In particular, we used an optical tensiometer equipped with a pulsating drop module to measure the effects of individual tank-mix components on the dilatational rheology of paraffinic and seed-oil droplets. Spray patterns of these systems were evaluated in a vertically oriented low-speed wind tunnel using industry-established laser-diffraction and imaging techniques. The correlation between these properties are presented.
Efficacy of Water-Conditioning Adjuvants for Dicamba-Tolerant Soybean
Authors: Zollinger Richard K. , Bernards Mark L. , Young Bryan G. , Peterson Dallas E. , Kruger Greg R.
Published: November 2018

Glyphosate and dicamba are weak-acid herbicides and can bind with antagonistic salts in the spray carrier. Diammonium sulfate (AMS) is commonly used as an adjuvant with several weak-acid herbicides to enhance activity and overcome antagonistic salts. Dicamba use in resistant soybean will prohibit the addition of AMS due to the formation of volatile dicamba acid. Glyphosate and dicamba were each applied with AMS and ten commercial non-AMS water-conditioning (WC) adjuvants. Data were combined across 5 geographic locations and 17 grass and broadleaf species. The efficacy of glyphosate and dicamba was reduced when applied in 1,000 ppm hard water. AMS at 8.5 lb/100 gal water completely overcame hard-water antagonism. Control from glyphosate and dicamba applied in hard water with ten WC adjuvants was generally less than the standard of AMS but relatively similar in control. A WC adjuvant containing methylated seed oil provided control equal to the control obtained with AMS. Adjuvants did not contain sulfate salts but did contain acetic and carboxylic acids. At least one adjuvant contained a dipotassium salt. At least three adjuvants contained monocarbamide dihydrogen sulfate (AMADS). AMADS in WC adjuvants apparently was neutralized to some level to prevent a spray solution pH below 5.5. Hard water conditioned by sulfate from AMADS and the slow conversion of urea in AMADS to ammonia may enhance and optimize herbicide phytotoxicity similar to AMS.
Nonlinear Derivation of Spread Factor Due to Viscous Energy Losses
Authors: Wilde Scott C. , Hoffmann W. Clint , Fritz Bradley K.
Published: November 2018

Water-sensitive paper (WSP) provides a quick and easy method for evaluating the coverage and deposition from spray applications. The most common metric recorded is the percentage coverage as measured by droplet size, which is highly influenced by the stain diameter resulting from the droplet deposition and spread on the paper. Complicating this process is the fact that the stain diameter, and thus the spread factor, is affected by the physical properties of the spray solution, meaning different spray solutions require unique spread-factor relations to accurately estimate the droplet size and deposition on WSP. Because past techniques for determining a spread factor have been cumbersome and time-consuming, a more empirical process was developed using the physical properties of the spray and an energy balance equation. The specific objective of this work was to develop a formula for calculating the spread factor on WSP based on the physical properties of the spray.
Influence of Nozzle Type, Speed, and Pressure on Droplet Size and Weed Control from Glyphosate, Dicamba, and Glyphosate Plus Dicamba
Authors: Rodrigues Andre O. , Campos Lucas G. , Creech Cody F. , Fritz Bradley K. , Antuniassi Ulisses R. , Kruger Greg R.
Published: November 2018

Improper or suboptimal application techniques can cause decreased weed control and increased environmental contamination. Droplet size is a key factor in pesticide applications in regard to both drift and efficacy. Droplet size can be altered by several application parameters, such as nozzle type, pressure, orifice size, and spray solution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of nozzle type, application speed, and pressure when using glyphosate, dicamba, or glyphosate plus dicamba on droplet size and control of common lambsquarters, velvetleaf, kochia, and grain sorghum. The study was conducted with two herbicides, glyphosate at 0.77 kg ae ha−1 and dicamba at 0.56 kg ae ha−1, tested alone and in combination. The application rate was 94 L ha−1 at three different speeds (8, 16, and 24 kph), and the pressures used were low, medium, and high for each speed and orifice size combination. The pressures were combined with the appropriate orifice size to deliver a fixed spray volume. An XR, AIXR, and TTI nozzle were used (two of which are venturi nozzle designs). The droplet size ranged from 219 to 232 µm for the XR nozzle across the three solutions, 440 to 482 µm for the AIXR nozzle, and 740 to 828 µm for the TTI nozzle. Solutions using dicamba resulted in the largest droplet size, followed by glyphosate and then the combination. There were no significant interactions for nozzle × herbicide across all species.
Validation of Standard Water-Conditioning Testing
Authors: Adams Jason W. , Zollinger Richard K.
Published: November 2018

“A Test Method for Evaluating Water Conditioning Adjuvants” was published as a standardized test method in order to evaluate new products. Artificial hard water is mixed to 1,000 mg L−1 CaCl and MgCl. Water-conditioning agents are mixed with herbicides and evaluated for the ability to overcome the antagonistic effects of cations in the water. Although this is an effective test method, a comparison of the salt type used has never been conducted. The objective of this research was to validate the standardized test method in comparison to three artificially mixed hard-water samples mixed to 500 mg L−1 calcium using CaCl, CaFo, and CaNO3. Field trials were conducted near Hillsboro, ND, in 2016 and 2017. Glyphosate and mesotrione were applied at 342 and 70 g ae ha−1, respectively. Three types of water conditioners were evaluated with glyphosate diammonium sulfate (AMS), AMS replacement, and monocarbamide dihydrogen sulfate (AMADS). AMADS was not included in the mesotrione study. Indicator species included flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and conventional corn (Zea mays L.) for the glyphosate study and amaranth, foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauvois), quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), and sunflower for the mesotrione study. Herbicide antagonism was similar between the simulated hard-water samples. Within each type of water-conditioning adjuvant, antagonism was overcome similarly in all water types. The results of these studies validate the previously published test method.
Diabetic ketoacidosis following PEG-asparaginase therapy
Authors: Ahmad Miriam Hinaa , Shafiq Ismat
Published: November 2018

We report a case of a 21-year-old African American female with history of pre-diabetes, and a diagnosis of a rare leukemia, blastic-plasmacytoid dendritic neoplasm (BPDCN), who developed diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) after the third dose of PEG-asparaginase infusion. She was successfully treated with insulin. Asparaginase is a vital part of treatment protocols for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs. Asparaginase therapy has been reported to cause hyperglycemia especially when used in conjunction with glucocorticoids for the treatment of ALL in the pediatric population. Multiple mechanisms for hyperglycemia have been hypothesized which include decreased insulin secretion, impaired insulin receptor function and excess glucagon formation. Hyperglycemia is usually self-limiting but can deteriorate to diabetic ketoacidosis. DKA is a rare adverse effect with asparaginase therapy with an incidence rate of about 0.8%.

Learning points:

DKA is a rare finding following asparaginase therapy.

Hyperglycemia is most commonly seen with asparaginase treatment when used along with glucocorticoid.

Frequent blood glucose monitoring and prompt initiation of insulin treatment with hyperglycemia can prevent severe complications.

Patients and physician education on this complication can reduce morbidity due to DKA.
Long-term complications in patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism: a cross-sectional study
Authors: David K , Moyson C , Vanderschueren D , Decallonne B
Published: November 2018

Objective

Chronic hypoparathyroidism and its treatment may lead to symptoms and complications affecting quality of life. We determined complications in chronic hypoparathyroid patients.

Design

Retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism treated with active vitamin D supplements in a tertiary care centre during the year 2015. Primary outcome parameters were history of kidney stones and seizures and presence of renal and cerebral calcifications on imaging. Secondary outcome parameters were current symptoms of paraesthesia/cramps, hospitalization due to hyper/hypocalcaemia and hypercalciuria.

Subjects

One hundred and seventy patients were included – 143 (84%) with post-surgical hypoparathyroidism (PSHP), 16 (9%) with non-surgical hypoparathyroidism (NSHP) and 11 (7%) with pseudo-hypoparathyroidism (PHP).

Results

History of kidney stones and seizures was present in 15 and 9% of patients, respectively. Renal and cerebral imaging was performed in 51 and 26% of the patients, with 22 and 25% of these patients having renal and cerebral calcifications respectively. Both history of seizures and cerebral calcifications were significantly more in NSHP and PHP than in PSHP patients. No association was observed between seizures and cerebral calcifications. Cramps/paraesthesia were present in 16%, and hospitalization related to hypocalcaemia was reported in 5% of the patients. Calciuria was screened in 47% at the time of consultation, and in 76% of the patients during the past 5 years. In 36% of these patients, calciuria was increased.

Conclusions

Patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism frequently develop ectopic calcifications. Non-surgical patients suffer more from seizures and cerebral calcifications than patients that developed hypoparathyroidism post surgery. There is a need for increased screening of long-term complications, according to the guidelines.
The current landscape of European registries for rare endocrine conditions
Authors: Ali S R , Bryce J , Cools M , Korbonits M , Beun J G , Taruscio D , Danne T , Dattani M , Dekkers O M , Linglart A , Netchine I , Nordenstrom A , Patocs A , Persani L , Reisch N , Smyth A , Sumnik Z , Visser W E , Hiort O , Pereira A M , Ahmed S F , _ _
Published: November 2018

Objective

To identify cross-border international registries for rare endocrine conditions that are led from Europe and to understand the extent of engagement with these registries within a network of reference centres (RCs) for rare endocrine conditions.

Methods

Database search of international registries and a survey of RCs in the European Reference Network for rare endocrine conditions (Endo-ERN) with an overall response rate of 82%.

Results

Of the 42 conditions with orphacodes currently covered within Endo-ERN, international registries exist for 32 (76%). Of 27 registries identified in the Orphanet and RD-Connect databases, Endo-ERN RCs were aware of 11 (41%). Of 21 registries identified by the RC, RD-Connect and Orphanet did not have a record of 10 (48%). Of the 29 glucose RCs, the awareness and participation rate in an international registry was highest for rare diabetes at 75 and 56% respectively. Of the 37 sex development RCs, the corresponding rates were highest for disorders of sex development at 70 and 52%. Of the 33 adrenal RCs, the rates were highest for adrenocortical tumours at 68 and 43%. Of the 43 pituitary RCs, the rates were highest for pituitary adenomas at 43 and 29%. Of the 31 genetic tumour RCs, the rates were highest for MEN1 at 26 and 9%. For the remaining conditions, awareness and participation in registries was less than 25%.

Conclusion

Although there is a need to develop new registries for rare endocrine conditions, there is a more immediate need to improve the awareness and participation in existing registries.