bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of Interleukin-1 Signaling in a Mouse Model of Kawasaki Disease–Associated Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Wakita Daiko , Kurashima Yosuke , Crother Timothy R. , Noval Rivas Magali , Lee Youngho , Chen Shuang , Fury Wen , Bai Yu , Wagner Shawn , Li Debiao , Lehman Thomas , Fishbein Michael C. , Hoffman Hal M. , Shah Prediman K. , Shimada Kenichi , Arditi Moshe
Published: March 2016

Objective—

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of acquired cardiac disease in US children. In addition to coronary artery abnormalities and aneurysms, it can be associated with systemic arterial aneurysms. We evaluated the development of systemic arterial dilatation and aneurysms, including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the
Lactobacillus casei
cell-wall extract (LCWE)–induced KD vasculitis mouse model.

Methods and Results—

We discovered that in addition to aortitis, coronary arteritis and myocarditis, the LCWE-induced KD mouse model is also associated with abdominal aorta dilatation and AAA, as well as renal and iliac artery aneurysms. AAA induced in KD mice was exclusively infrarenal, both fusiform and saccular, with intimal proliferation, myofibroblastic proliferation, break in the elastin layer, vascular smooth muscle cell loss, and inflammatory cell accumulation in the media and adventitia.
Il1r
−/−
,
Il1a
−/−
, and
Il1b
−/−
mice were protected from KD associated AAA. Infiltrating CD11c
+
macrophages produced active caspase-1, and caspase-1 or NLRP3 deficiency inhibited AAA formation. Treatment with interleukin (IL)-1R antagonist (Anakinra), anti–IL-1α, or anti–IL-1β mAb blocked LCWE-induced AAA formation.

Conclusions—

Similar to clinical KD, the LCWE-induced KD vasculitis mouse model can also be accompanied by AAA formation. Both IL-1α and IL-1β play a key role, and use of an IL-1R blocking agent that inhibits both pathways may be a promising therapeutic target not only for KD coronary arteritis, but also for the other systemic arterial aneurysms including AAA that maybe seen in severe cases of KD. The LCWE-induced vasculitis model may also represent an alternative model for AAA disease.
Stroke and Embolic Events in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Haruki Shintaro , Minami Yuichiro , Hagiwara Nobuhisa
Published: March 2016

Background and Purpose—

Stroke and systemic embolic events are known to occur as complications of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and these complications are more common in patients with accompanying atrial fibrillation (AF). The diagnosis of AF is sometimes difficult, however, and it is possible that subclinical asymptomatic paroxysmal episodes or a first episode of AF in patients without previously documented AF may lead to embolic events. We investigated the prevalence of embolic events in patients with HCM and evaluated risk factors for these events in patients without documented AF.

Methods—

This study enrolled 593 patients with clinically diagnosed HCM (age at diagnosis, 51.0±15.6 years) from 1980 to 2010.

Results—

During a mean follow-up of 10.7±7.5 years, 68 (11.5%) experienced stroke and embolic events. AF had been documented before the event in 29 (42.6%) of them. AF was documented for the first time at the time of the event in 5 (7.4%) and after the event in 10 (14.7%). Among the 431 patients without previously documented AF (39 with events and 392 without events), older age at diagnosis and left atrial dimension ≥48 mm were identified as the independent determinants of the embolic event after adjusting for sex and classic prognostic markers related to HCM.

Conclusions—

The incidence of stroke and embolic events was about 1.0% per year in the HCM cohort. AF had not been previously documented before the event in more than half of patients with events. Older age and enlarged left atrial dimension are possible risk factors for embolic events in patients with HCM without documented AF.
Shape of the Central Sulcus and Disability After Subcortical Stroke
Authors: Jouvent Eric , Sun Zhong Yi , De Guio François , Duchesnay Edouard , Duering Marco , Ropele Stefan , Dichgans Martin , Mangin Jean-François , Chabriat Hugues
Published: March 2016

Background and Purpose—

Both brain and cognitive reserves modulate the clinical impact of chronic brain diseases. Whether a motor reserve also modulates the relationships between stroke and disability is unknown. We aimed to determine whether the shape of the central sulcus, a marker of the development of underlying motor connections, is independently associated with disability in patients with a positive history of small subcortical ischemic stroke.

Methods—

Shapes of central sulci were reconstructed from high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and ordered without supervision according to a validated algorithm in 166 patients with a positive history of small subcortical ischemic stroke caused by CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy With Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy), a severe monogenic cerebral small vessel disease affecting young patients. Ordinal logistic regression modeling was used to test the relationships between modified Rankin scale, a disability scale strongly weighted toward motor disability, and sulcal shape.

Results—

Modified Rankin scale was strongly associated with sulcal shape, independent of age, sex, and level of education (proportional odds ratio =1.19, 95% confidence interval =1.06–1.35;
P
=0.002). Results remained significant after further adjustment for brain atrophy, volume of lacunes, and volume of white matter hyperintensities of presumed vascular origin.

Conclusions—

The severity of disability in patients with a positive history of small subcortical ischemic stroke caused by a severe cerebral small vessel disease is related to the shape of the central sulcus, independently of the main determinants of disability. These results support the concept of a motor reserve that could modulate the clinical severity in patients with a positive history of small subcortical ischemic stroke.
Dopamine Gene Profiling to Predict Impulse Control and Effects of Dopamine Agonist Ropinirole
Authors: MacDonald Hayley J. , Stinear Cathy M. , Ren April , Coxon James P. , Kao Justin , Macdonald Lorraine , Snow Barry , Cramer Steven C. , Byblow Winston D.
Published: March 2016

Dopamine agonists can impair inhibitory control and cause impulse control disorders for those with Parkinson disease (PD), although mechanistically this is not well understood. In this study, we hypothesized that the extent of such drug effects on impulse control is related to specific dopamine gene polymorphisms. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study aimed to examine the effect of single doses of 0.5 and 1.0 mg of the dopamine agonist ropinirole on impulse control in healthy adults of typical age for PD onset. Impulse control was measured by stop signal RT on a response inhibition task and by an index of impulsive decision-making on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. A dopamine genetic risk score quantified basal dopamine neurotransmission from the influence of five genes: catechol-O-methyltransferase, dopamine transporter, and those encoding receptors D1, D2, and D3. With placebo, impulse control was better for the high versus low genetic risk score groups. Ropinirole modulated impulse control in a manner dependent on genetic risk score. For the lower score group, both doses improved response inhibition (decreased stop signal RT) whereas the lower dose reduced impulsiveness in decision-making. Conversely, the higher score group showed a trend for worsened response inhibition on the lower dose whereas both doses increased impulsiveness in decision-making. The implications of the present findings are that genotyping can be used to predict impulse control and whether it will improve or worsen with the administration of dopamine agonists.
Inclusion and the Epistemic Benefits of Deliberation
Authors: Min John B.
Published: March 2016

Contrary to the popular belief, I argue that a more inclusive polity does not necessarily conflict with the goal of improving the epistemic capacities of deliberation. My argument examines one property of democracy that is usually thought of in non-epistemic terms, inclusion. Inclusion is not only valuable for moral reasons, but it also has epistemic virtues. I consider two epistemic benefits of inclusive deliberation: (a) inclusive deliberation helps to create a more complete picture of the world that everyone dwells together; and (b) inclusive deliberation can be helpful in reducing biases and errors endemic to a society. Having advanced two epistemic arguments for inclusive deliberation, I argue that the Deweyan model best captures the knowledge-pooling function of deliberation.
The “Orient” in the “New World”: The Carreira da Índia and the Flows between Asia and Portuguese America
Authors: Lúzio Jorge
Published: March 2016

The history of Brazil in its colonial period is characterized by the movement of Asian people, goods, and merchandise radiating from Brazilian ports that received ships via the Carreira da Índia, the main sea route integrating the Portuguese Empire both commercially and politically. Asian memory and imagination were present in the urban centres of the Portuguese American colonies in the form of cultural material before the actual presence of Asians, which began to occur through cycles of immigration into Brazilian lands during the nineteenth century. This article traces the circulation of ivory carvings from Asia into Portuguese America as a way of illustrating the presence of Asian material cultures in the New World, as well as the relevance of the Carreira da Índia to these cultural connections.
The West and the Tropics of Area Studies
Authors: Sakai Naoki
Published: March 2016

Both Asia and Latin America are regarded as areas in the disciplines of area studies. What must be called into question is the assumption that these areas are primarily geographic designations. This paper investigates in what sense the “area” of area studies connotes a geographic location and how it is differentiated from other terms such as territory. It discusses the history of the modern international world in which the world has been bifurcated into the West, where a system of international law has been applied, and the Rest, where residents have not been protected by international law. Both Asia and Latin America are designations that preserve the legacy of modern colonialism: both are geographic indices for the regions and populations to be “discovered” and posited from the viewpoint of the West. In this respect, Asia and Latin America as “areas” still preserve the microphysics of modern colonial power in their geopolitical referentiality.
A world catalogue of Phragmataecia (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), with a new species from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
Authors: YAKOVLEV ROMAN V.
Published: March 2016

Phragmataecia valikhanovi Yakovlev & Witt sp. nov. is described from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The Catalogue of the Genus Phragmataecia Newman, 1850 is provided.
Fast and Simultaneous Determination of the Number and Mass Concentrations of Gold Nanorod Colloid Using an Improved Optical Extinction-Scattering Spectroscopic Method
Authors: Yang Guoce , Bai Benfeng , Liu Wenqi , Wu Xiaochun
Published: March 2016

Accurate determination of the concentrations, including the mass concentration (MC) and number concentration (NC), of metal nanoparticle (NP) colloid is highly demanded in the synthesis, metrology, and application of NPs. The commonly used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can only measure the MC of NPs, which is destructive to the NPs and requires advanced operation skills. Here, we present a simple approach based on an improved optical extinction-scattering spectroscopic (OESS) method to fast determining the MC and NC of metal nanorod colloids simultaneously. Unlike most existing spectroscopic methods that can only deal with low-concentration NP colloids, the improved OESS method can accurately solve the inverse scattering problem of NP colloids with higher concentrations, so that a two-dimensional joint probability density function of both the width and aspect ratio of nanorods can be retrieved, which makes the basis for the accurate determination of the MC and NC of the colloids in a large range of concentration. The reliability and accuracy of the method are validated by measuring several typical nanorod colloids with different concentrations and comparing the results with those obtained by the standard ICP-MS method. It is shown that the improved OESS method can cover a broad MC measurement range of at least 10–50 µg/mL and a NC measurement range of 109–1011/mL. The uncertainty and sources of error in the measurement are also analyzed. Since the improved OESS method is fast, cost-effective, non-destructive, and easy to implement, it provides a simple way to determine the concentrations of metal NPs and has the potential to be extended to other metal NPs.
The Effect of Age and Size on Reputation of Business Ethics Journals
Authors: Cahn E. Susanna , Glass Victor
Published: March 2016

Business ethics journals have appeared on a few ranked lists that are specific to this niche discipline. As with more traditional academic disciplines, these rankings are used for academic rewards such as faculty tenure and promotion, along with department and school ratings. Journal ranking has been subject to considerable criticism even as its administrative use persists. Among the criticisms are that journal quality is a poor proxy for article quality, citation rate is an imperfect reflection of article influence, and bias may be introduced into rankings by visibility characteristics such as journal age, size, circulation, and experience of the rater with a journal. This research note studies the effect of journal age and size on the rankings of business ethics journals compiled by Beets, Lewis, and Brower, by Albrecht, Thompson, Hoopes, and Rodrigo, and by Serenko and Bontis. Significant correlation was found for journal age with the administratively derived Beets et al. ranking. No significant correlation was found for size in any ranking study. Results were not significant for the Albrecht et al. and the Serenko and Bontis rankings representing the perspectives from surveys of active researchers or citation analysis. Perhaps sometimes a journal’s reputation precedes it, as perception of journal quality may be biased by journal visibility, either because it has been published and available for a number of years, or because it is well known and likely to be cited.
Conflict and insecurity: A sociological perspective on perceptions of insecurity in conflict-affected Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Van der Bracht Koen , Flaam Hélène , Vlassenroot Koen , Van de Putte Bart
Published: March 2016

This article focuses on insecurity perceptions in conflict-affected areas. The authors apply sociological theories on the determinants of perceived security risks and test hypotheses concerning theories on social and physical vulnerability, social disorder and social integration in the area where the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has operated. The study uses data from a survey conducted in 2013 in the territory of Faradje (Haut-Uele) and applies multilevel models to 443 individuals living within 21 different villages and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. The results indicate that insecurity perceptions and fear of attacks are still widespread, causing individuals to adapt their behaviour and IDPs to refrain from returning home. These concerns are unaffected by social and physical vulnerabilities. The study finds a positive significant effect of the presence of IDPs in the villages and IDP camps on insecurity perceptions. This suggests possible effects of social disorder and a lack of social integration due to the arrival of IDPs in the area. Although improving the security situation itself is an important factor, this article shows that addressing insecurity perceptions might be an important factor as well.
Safety climate and increased risk: The role of deadlines in design work
Authors: Daniels Kevin , Beesley Nick , Cheyne Alistair , Wimalasiri Varuni
Published: March 2016

Although much research indicates positive safety climate is associated with reduced safety risk, we argue this association is not universal and may even be reversed in some contexts. Specifically, we argue that positive safety climate can be associated with increased safety risk when there is pressure to prioritize production over safety and where workers have some detachment from the consequences of their actions, such as found in engineering design work. We used two indicators of safety risk: use of heuristics at the individual level and design complexity at the design team level. Using experience sampling data ( N = 165, 42 design teams, k = 5752 observations), we found design engineers’ perceptions of team positive safety climate were associated with less use of heuristics when engineers were not working to deadlines, but more use of heuristics when engineers were working to deadlines. Independent ratings were obtained of 31 teams’ designs of offshore oil and gas platforms ( N = 121). For teams that worked infrequently to deadlines, positive team safety climate was associated with less design complexity. For teams that worked frequently to deadlines, positive team safety climate was associated with more design complexity.
Does formal housing encourage settlement intention of rural migrants in Chinese cities? A structural equation model analysis
Authors: Liu Zhilin , Wang Yujun , Chen Shaowei
Published: March 2016

A growing body of literature has attempted to understand the social integration of rural migrants in Chinese cities, and specifically patterns and determinants of migrant settlement intention. However, few studies have directly investigated the role of housing access in migrant settlement in cities. Based on a 12-city migrant survey conducted in 2009, this paper adopts the structural equation modelling approach to delineate the causal relationship between housing access and migrant settlement intention. We found a positive correlation between access to formal housing and stronger settlement intention, but such relationship was more attributed to a sorting process in which rural migrants who are more willing to settle down strive to expand their access to formal housing. Meanwhile, controlling for socio-demographic variables, sociocultural attachment factors are more significant predictors of migrant settlement intention than economic opportunities and achievements. These findings imply the necessity of a combination of affordable housing policy and other social policy measures if the government hopes to achieve the goal of boosting permanent settlement of rural migrants in cities and towns.
Impression management through people tagging in the enterprise: Implications for social media sampling and design
Authors: Raban Daphne Ruth , Danan Avinoam , Ronen Inbal , Guy Ido
Published: March 2016

People tagging allows a person to tag one’s self or others; it is reciprocal and therefore has social implications. The main uses of corporate people tagging systems are for building internal social networks, solving problems, and seeking expertise. We explored the statistical and terminological relation between self-presentation and perception by others as reflected by the use of tags in a people tagging system within a large enterprise.

Due to the features of the power law distribution of the data, two different samples were analyzed. Using content analysis, we found that when there are few self or social tags, users prefer to use tags from the Environment and Technology categories, providing tags that tend to be objective or factual. When tagging approaches saturation, it becomes more subjective and social, using tags from the Individual category. Self-tags tend to be more factual describing technology expertise while social tags augment the individual tags by adding a personal dimension. The more people tag and get tagged, the more terminological overlap develops. We conclude by providing practical advice on how to create a sustainable system by balancing originality and duplication using interactivity and feedback.
Western or Traditional Healers? Understanding Decision Making in the Hmong Population
Authors: Lor Maichou , Xiong Phia , Park Linda , Schwei Rebecca J. , Jacobs Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2016

Research has documented the influence of cultural values, beliefs, and traditional health practices on immigrants’ health care utilization in their host countries. We describe our findings of how Hmong immigrants to the United States make decisions about whether and when to use traditional and/or Western health services. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 Hmong adults. We found their decisions depended on whether they classified the illness as spiritual or not and how they evaluated the effectiveness of different treatment options for their illness. Hmong participants’ expectations for effective treatment in traditional or Western health care encounters combined with physical evidence of an illness influenced their decisions and often led them to shift from one type of care to the other. Understanding cultural differences in perceptions of the causes of illnesses and the link between perceived cause and treatment is important to improving care for the Hmong population.
The Development of EU Law in the Field of Occupational Health and Safety: A New Way of Thinking
Authors: Liu Kai , Liu Wen
Published: March 2016

Workplace accident and disease prevention have been the focus of law-making activity in European Union (EU) since the creation of the common market. In more than half a century, the EU occupational health and safety (OHS) law grew from nothing into the present legal system, experiencing stages of development through the introduction of important European Community (EC) treaties, for example, the Rome Treaty, Paris Treaty, Maastricht Treaty, Lisbon Treaty and other European-wide legal documents such as the European Social Charter 1961, and seven rounds of EU enlargements for the accession of new member states. With these developments, the approaches adopted in EU OHS law are also involving. In the first few decades, a prescriptive approach was dominant until the introduction of the Framework Directive 89/391, which marked the shift towards a goal-oriented approach. In the later development, the evolution in approach also presents a shift towards the social dialogue approach.
Data colonialism through accumulation by dispossession: New metaphors for daily data
Authors: Thatcher Jim , O’Sullivan David , Mahmoudi Dillon
Published: March 2016

In recent years, much has been written on ‘big data’ in both the popular and academic press. After the hubristic declaration of the ‘end of theory’ more nuanced arguments have emerged, suggesting that increasingly pervasive data collection and quantification may have significant implications for the social sciences, even if the social, scientific, political, and economic agendas behind big data are less new than they are often portrayed. Compared to the boosterish tone of much of its press, academic critiques of big data have been relatively muted, often focusing on the continued importance of more traditional forms of domain knowledge and expertise. Indeed, many academic responses to big data enthusiastically celebrate the availability of new data sources and the potential for new insights and perspectives they may enable. Undermining many of these critiques is a lack of attention to the role of technology in society, particularly with respect to the labor process, the continued extension of labor relations into previously private times and places, and the commoditization of more and more aspects of everyday life. In this article, we parse a variety of big data definitions to argue that it is only when individual datums by the million, billion, or more are linked together algorithmically that ‘big data’ emerges as a commodity. Such decisions do not occur in a vacuum but as part of an asymmetric power relationship in which individuals are dispossessed of the data they generate in their day-to-day lives. We argue that the asymmetry of this data capture process is a means of capitalist ‘accumulation by dispossession’ that colonizes and commodifies everyday life in ways previously impossible. Situating the promises of ‘big data’ within the utopian imaginaries of digital frontierism, we suggest processes of data colonialism are actually unfolding behind these utopic promises. Amid private corporate and academic excitement over new forms of data analysis and visualization, situating big data as a form of capitalist expropriation and dispossession stresses the urgent need for critical, theoretical understandings of data and society.
Pathogenesis of New Strains of Newcastle Disease Virus From Israel and Pakistan
Authors: Pandarangga P. , Brown C. C. , Miller P. J. , Haddas R. , Rehmani S. F. , Afonso C. L. , Susta L.
Published: March 2016

In the past few years, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains with epizootic characteristics belonging to subgenotypes VIIi and XIIIb emerged in the Middle East and Asia. In this study, 2 NDV strains—1 representative of subgenotype VIIi isolated in Israel ( Kvuzat/13) and 1 representative of subgenotype XIIIb isolated in Pakistan ( Karachi/07)—were characterized by intracerebral pathogenicity index and detailed clinicopathologic assessment. The intracerebral pathogenicity index values for Kvuzat/13 and Karachi/07 were 1.89 and 1.85, respectively, classifying these strains as virulent by international standards. In 4-week-old White Leghorn chickens, both strains caused 100% mortality within 4 ( Kvuzat/13) and 5 ( Karachi/07) days postinfection. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry for NDV nucleoprotein showed that both strains had wide systemic distribution, especially targeting lymphoid organs and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues in the respiratory and intestinal tracts. Results of the animal experiment confirm that both Kvuzat/13 and Karachi/07 are highly virulent and behaved as velogenic viscerotropic NDV strains.
Development of a two-stage Lau-Wan Wankel pump/mixer
Authors: Lim BY , Lau MWS , Wan S , Leong J , Lim A , Huo D , Goh KL
Published: March 2016

A two-stage Wankel pump/mixer device has been designed and prototyped as part of a final-year undergraduate project. Based on the concept of the Wankel rotary engine, the device features a ‘two-apex’ rotor instead of the conventional ‘three-apex’ rotor. The novelty of the device addresses a unique axis of rotation for the rotor, driven by a crankshaft. In particular, in order for the motion of the rotor to exhibit a trajectory to consistency with an epitrochoid, the rotational motion is guided by the linear motion of a pin sliding along a groove within the rotor; this novel linear-to-rotational motion approach is known as the Lau-Wan design. The feasibility of the Lau-Wan design has been demonstrated in an earlier project. Here, the prototype comprises two Lau-Wan pump/mixers serially connected to form a two-stage system—the aim is to study the effectiveness of the mixing of fluids as the fluids flow from one stage to the other when both rotors are rotating ‘in phase’. A simple drive system was implemented by (a) coupling the two crankshafts using a timing belt and (b) coupling a low-speed motor to one of the two stages using a timing belt. Experiment was conducted to analyze the flow pattern of liquids in both stages using two types of liquid with different colors (and a slight variation in the viscosity). The flow pattern within the chamber of the first stage shows somewhat similar mixing patterns to those predicted by computational fluid models. We note that (1) the extent of drawing the fluid into the chamber, followed by compressing the fluid, depends on the rotor position, (2) laminar flow dominates the flow pattern during the suction and compressive actions of the rotor but micro-turbulence occurs in the regions adjacent to the rotor, (3) when the rotor rotates, the number of laminar layers somewhat increases with time. On the other hand, the second stage appears to be very efficient at drawing one of the two fluids; this may be attributed to the viscosity of the fluids. Within the limitations of the preliminary design, these characteristics suggest that the prototype exhibits a positive displacement pumping action, as well as mixing action.
Recycling and management of waste lead-acid batteries: A mini-review
Authors: Li Malan , Liu Junsheng , Han Wei
Published: March 2016

As a result of the wide application of lead-acid batteries to be the power supplies for vehicles, their demand has rapidly increased owing to their low cost and high availability. Accordingly, the amount of waste lead-acid batteries has increased to new levels; therefore, the pollution caused by the waste lead-acid batteries has also significantly increased. Because lead is toxic to the environment and to humans, recycling and management of waste lead-acid batteries has become a significant challenge and is capturing much public attention. Various innovations have been recently proposed to recycle lead and lead-containing compounds from waste lead-acid batteries. In this mini-review article, different recycling techniques for waste lead-acid batteries are highlighted. The present state of such recycling and its future perspectives are also discussed. We hope that this mini-review can provide useful information on recovery and recycling of lead from waste lead-acid batteries in the field of solid waste treatment.
The Troubling Trichotomy 10 Years Later
Authors: Barrocas Albert
Published: March 2016

A decade ago, “Nutrition Support and The Troubling Trichotomy: A Call To Action” was published in this journal, identifying existing conflicts among technological, ethical, and legal aspects of nutrition support therapy, particularly in terminal or end‐of‐life situations. Over the past 10 years, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and others have responded to the action call. A “state of the trichotomy” reveals that while much has been achieved, differences in all 3 aspects will continue to exist due to their dynamic and ever‐changing states. The technology arena has made it possible to increase the delivery of nutrition support in alternative settings with the use of telemedicine and social media. Critical/crucial conversations and earlier declarations of individual wishes for care and treatment while having decision‐making capacity have been enhanced with the focus on patient‐centered and family‐centered care. The definition of death as brain death has been challenged in at least one instance. Conflicts between the state's interests and the individual's interests have added to recent legal controversies. Notwithstanding the progress made over the past 10 years, several challenges remain. The future challenges presented by the Troubling Trichotomy can be best confronted if we ACT—Accountability, Communication, and Teamwork. The focus of teamwork should move from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teams to transdisciplinary teams, reflecting the shift to function rather than form presented by the new healthcare environment. The transdisciplinary team will be able address the opportunities of the Troubling Trichotomy in the next decade by incorporating the 12 Cs, as detailed in the article.
The Extent and Risk of Violent Victimization Among International College Students Enrolled in the United States: A Gendered Analysis
Authors: Daigle Leah E. , Hoffman Chrystina Y. , Johnson Lee M.
Published: March 2016

Although the risk of being violently victimized in college has been established for college students in the United States in general, this risk has not been explored for international college students. Using data from the Fall 2012 National College Health Assessment Survey, the extent to which international college students experience violent victimization is assessed. In addition, the risk factors for violent victimization for international students are compared with those for domestic students. Finally, in multivariate analyses, whether being an international student influences risk of violent victimization is examined and whether this relationship is moderated by gender is considered. Findings indicate that international students in general have lower risk profiles, in that they reported lower rates of drug use, binge drinking, being a first-year undergraduate student, and having a disability. Multivariate analyses, however, revealed that being an international student reduces the odds of violent victimization among only females.
Excessive Iron and α-Synuclein Oligomer in Brain are Relevant to Pure Apathy in Parkinson Disease
Authors: Wang Fang , Yu Shu-Yang , Zuo Li-Jun , Cao Chen-Jie , Hu Yang , Chen Ze-Jie , Piao Ying-shan , Wang Ya-Jie , Wang Xiao-Min , Chen Sheng-Di , Chan Piu , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2016

Objectives:

To investigate the demographic features, clinical features, and potential mechanism in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with pure apathy.

Method:

A total of 145 patients with PD without depression and dementia and 30 age-matched controls were consecutively recruited. Patients with PD were evaluated by Apathy Scale (AS), scales for motor symptoms and quality of life. The levels of iron, oxidative and neuroinflammatory factors, α-synuclein oligomer, and dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with PD and controls were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, chemical colorimetric method, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Comparisons between PD with pure apathy and with no pure apathy groups and correlation between AS score and the levels of above factors were analyzed.

Results:

There were 64 (44.14%) cases in PD-apathy group. The PD-apathy group had older age, (97.81 ± 10.82) years versus (61.86 ± 10.80) years, and severer quality of life ( P < .05). The PD-apathy and PD without apathy groups presented no remarkable differences in motor symptoms ( P > .05). The levels of iron, hydroxyl radical (·OH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and α-synuclein oligomer in CSF in PD-apathy group were significantly higher than that in PD without the apathy group ( P < .05). In patients with PD, the AS score was positively correlated with the levels of iron, ·OH, H2O2 and α-synuclein oligomer in CSF ( r = 19.838, .063, 1.046, and 0.498, respectively, P < .05). In PD-apathy group, iron level was positively correlated with ·OH level ( r = .011, P < .05), and H2O2 level was positively correlated with α-synuclein oligomer level in CSF ( r = .045, P < .05).

Conclusion:

Patients with PD had high prevalence of pure apathy. Patients with PD having pure apathy had older age. Pure apathy reduced quality of life for patients without worsening motor function. Excessive iron and α-synuclein oligomer in brain commonly contributed to pure apathy of PD through potential mechanism of oxidative stress.
Identification, uncertainty modeling and robust controller design for an electromechanical actuator
Authors: Salloum Rafik , Arvan Mohammad Reza , Moaveni Bijan
Published: March 2016

Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) are of interest for applications which require easy control and high dynamics. This paper addresses the experimental identification, structured and unstructured uncertainties modeling, and robust control design for an EMA system with harmonic drive. Two robust controllers are designed by two proposed approaches: The first is based on Kharitonov theorem, which not only robustly stabilizes the uncertain EMA system but also maintains the pre-specified margins and bandwidth constraints. The second is feedback compensation design procedure based on H∞ control theory, verifying good tradeoff between the powerful H∞ controller and the unique features of feedback compensation, such as simplicity, effectiveness, low sensitivity to parameters variations, low cost, and easy implementation. Simulation and experiments prove the robustness and high tracking performance of the robust EMA systems which reveals the affectivity of the proposed robust control design methods.
Impact of guide vane opening angle on the flow stability in a pump-turbine in pump mode
Authors: Zhu Di , Xiao Ruofu , Tao Ran , Liu Weichao
Published: March 2016

In the pump mode (storage mode) of a pump-turbine, unstable head variations occur as the flow rate decreases, leading to unstable, unsafe operation. Thus, the hydrodynamics of pump-turbines in the unstable operating range should be investigated to improve their designs. This study presents experimental and numerical studies of the hydrodynamics. The experiments investigated the external characteristics with the head instabilities captured by both the model tests and the computational fluid dynamics simulations. The computational fluid dynamics model used detached eddy simulations to study the flow details which showed that hydraulic losses were the reason for the unstable head variations and the poor flow regime was the source of the losses. In the unstable, low flow rate range, the flow direction is no longer consistent with the guide vane direction, so undesirable flow structures develop in the passages. Therefore, appropriate guide vane opening angles are needed to improve the flow regime and reduce the hydraulic losses. These will enhance the operating stability and safety in engineering applications.
A three-dimensional finite element simulation approach to analyze material removal in electrochemical discharge machining
Authors: Goud Mudimallana , Sharma Apurbba Kumar
Published: March 2016

Industrial applications of glass and ceramic materials have increased manifold due to their relatively low friction, high compression strength, high temperature and wear resistance, and excellent chemical inertness, etc. In microelectromechanical systems the use of glass, along with silicon and polymer, has become very popular. However, microfabrication of glass is a difficult process. The electrochemical discharge machining is now often used as one of the chipless machining solutions for these materials. The electrochemical discharge machining, however, is a complex process with multiple controllable parameters and exhibits stochastic nature. The mechanism of material removal in the process is yet to be understood well in spite of many theories. In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a three-dimensional finite element model for simulation of material removal in electrochemical discharge machining drilling in order to explore the mechanism further and correlated the findings with the experimentally obtained values. The model outputs were compared with experimental results available in literature. The computed results from the model show good agreement with the trial results.
A method to predict vertical vehicle motion caused by track irregularities
Authors: Furukawa Atsushi
Published: March 2016

In this study, the author uses parametric models to predict the track geometry-induced dynamic behavior of a vehicle. The characteristics of vehicle dynamics in these models are directly identified through the spatial as opposed to the frequency domain. One of the former’s merits is that we can identify the characteristics of vehicle dynamics with fewer observed points than when we use spectral analysis, making it easier to obtain fewer data set for identification. Another is that we can determine the parameters to represent dynamic behavior of a vehicle using statistical criteria. With these models, we can predict vertical acceleration of a vehicle and its wheel load as well as estimate track conditions by taking into account both ride comfort and operating safety.
Complications after colonoscopy and surgery in a population-based colorectal cancer screening programme
Authors: Saraste Deborah , Martling Anna , Nilsson Per J , Blom Johannes , Törnberg Sven , Hultcrantz Rolf , Janson Martin
Published: March 2016

Objectives

To report complications after colonoscopy and surgery in patients with neoplasia detected through a population based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programme in the capital region of Sweden.

Methods

Patients who after a positive FOBT screening result underwent colonoscopy from 1 January 2008 to 30 June 2012 were included. Mortality and complications within 30 days after colonoscopy or subsequent surgery were identified through national registers, and complications were assessed through review of medical charts. Complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo classification.

Results

After 2984 colonoscopies, the complication rate was 1%. The risk of post-polypectomy bleeding was 14/1000. The risk of perforation was 1/1000 after a diagnostic colonoscopy and 2.5/1000 after a colonoscopy with polypectomy. One patient developed a post-polypectomy syndrome. There was one death which was not related to the colonoscopy. After surgery for 37 adenomas and 155 CRCs, the total complication rates were 27% and 50%, respectively. The rate of anastomotic leakage was 13% and 12% after surgery for adenomas and CRC, respectively. There were no deaths after surgery. The overall complication rate after colonoscopy and surgery for adenomas and cancer was 4%.

Conclusions

Overall complication rates were acceptable and mortality low; however, the rate of anastomotic leakage after surgery for both adenomas and CRC was higher than expected.
Impact of Chronic Nitrate Therapy in Patients With Ischemic Heart Failure
Authors: Moreira-Silva Sofia , Urbano Joana , Nogueira-Silva Luís , Bettencourt Paulo , Pimenta Joana
Published: March 2016

Purpose:

There is a lack of knowledge on the effects of nitrates alone in heart failure (HF). We aimed to assess the impact of nitrates use in the occurrence of ischemic events in patients with ischemic HF attending an HF clinic.

Methods:

We performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort of 632 patients managed in an HF clinic between January 2000 and December 2011. Patients with ischemic etiology were selected (n = 290). Patients were classified according to chronic nitrates use (n = 83 nitrates users vs n = 194) and followed up for 5 years for the occurrence of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke.

Results:

Nitrates users had more frequently diabetes, dyslipidemia, and higher body mass index but were less frequently treated with statins. Thirty adverse events were recorded (n = 16 in nitrates group). Variables significantly associated with the occurrence of the end point in univariate analysis were arterial hypertension, diabetes, and nitrates use. Male gender, beta-blockers, statin, and clopidogrel use had a protective effect on the occurrence of the end point. In multivariate analysis, nitrates use remained an independent predictor of adverse outcome when adjusted for each of the variables: arterial hypertension, gender, diabetes, beta-blocker, and clopidogrel use; however, when adjusted for statin use, nitrates were no longer associated with the outcome.

Conclusion:

Long-term nitrates use in patients with ischemic HF was associated with higher occurrence of ischemic events, defined as fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke. Our results, although from a retrospective analysis, do not support a role for chronic nitrate use in HF.
The Art of Criteria
Authors: Faulkner Sandra L.
Published: March 2016

The author presents ars criteria (the art of criteria) poems as a re-entry into the dialogue about rigor and quality in qualitative research using arts-based research, and poetry in particular. This piece uses found poetry to address questions of critical rigor and vigorous application of criteria in qualitative research. She argues that we need to continue to dialogue about applying criteria with rigor or adopting vigorous criteria and believes that “flexible criteria” exist and should be used when evaluating poetic inquiry.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Workforce Agenda
Authors: Delaney Kathleen R.
Published: March 2016

BACKGROUND: The mental health service delivery transformation has created models of care that generate demand for a workforce with particular competencies. OBJECTIVE: This article develops a psychiatric mental health (PMH) nursing workforce agenda in light of demand generated by new models of care and the capacity/capabilities of the PMH RN and advanced practice nurse (APN) workforce. DESIGN: Examine the current capacity of the PMH nursing workforce and how health care reform and related service delivery models create demand for a particular set of behavioral health workforce competencies. RESULTS: PMH RNs and APNs have an educational background that facilitates development of competencies in screening, care coordination, leveling care, and wellness education. PMH RNs are a large workforce but the size of the PMH APN group is inadequate to meet demand. CONCLUSION: The specialty must strategize on how to build requisite PMH RN and APN competencies for the evolving service landscape.
Nonclinical Safety Profile of Etelcalcetide, a Novel Peptide Calcimimetic for the Treatment of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Fielden Mark R. , Dean Charles , Black Kurt , Sawant Satin G. , Subramanian Raju , Tomlinson James E. , Walter Sarah , Zimmermann Cameron , Griggs Mark W. , McKeon Marie E. , Lewis Elise M. , Beevers Carol , Pyrah Ian
Published: March 2016

Etelcalcetide is a novel d-amino acid peptide that functions as an allosteric activator of the calcium-sensing receptor and is being developed as an intravenous calcimimetic for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis. To support clinical development and marketing authorization, a comprehensive nonclinical safety package was generated. Primary adverse effects included hypocalcemia, tremoring, and convulsions. Other adverse effects were considered sequelae of stress associated with hypocalcemia. Cardiovascular safety evaluations in the dog revealed an anticipated prolongation of the corrected QT interval that was related to reductions in serum calcium. Etelcalcetide did not affect the human ether-a-go-go gene ion channel current. Etelcalcetide was mutagenic in some strains of Salmonella, however, based on the negative results in 2 in vitro and 2 in vivo mammalian genotoxicity assays, including a 28-day Muta mouse study, etelcalcetide is considered nongenotoxic. Further support for a lack of genotoxicity was provided due to the fact that etelcalcetide was not carcinogenic in a 6-month transgenic rasH2 mouse model or a 2-year study in rats. There were no effects on fertility, embryo–fetal development, and prenatal and postnatal development. All of the adverse effects observed in both rat and dog were considered directly or secondarily related to the pharmacologic activity of etelcalcetide and the expected sequelae associated with dose-related reductions in serum calcium due to suppression of parathyroid hormone secretion. These nonclinical data indicate no safety signal of concern for human risk beyond that associated with hypocalcemia and associated QT prolongation.
Surface Anatomy of the Nail for the Dermatologist
Authors: Solish Danielle , Weinberg Tessa , Murray Christian
Published: March 2016

Expert diagnosis of cutaneous pathology requires precise anatomic description. In this brief report the authors review the clinically relevant surface anatomy of the nail and relate it to a case of squamous cell carcinoma.