bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct quantification of gamma H2AX by cell‐based high throughput screening for evaluation of genotoxicity of pesticides in a human thyroid cell lines
Authors: Hershman Jerome M. , France Bryan , Hon Kevin , Damoiseaux Robert
Published: June 2017

Genotoxicity is thought to be the cause of many cancers. Genotoxicity due to environmental toxins may be partly responsible for the dramatic increase in the incidence of papillary thyroid cancer over the past two decades. Here, we present a fully automatable assay platform that directly quantifies the phosphorylation of nuclear histone gamma H2AX (γH2AX), a specific cellular marker for DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) via immunohistochemistry and laser scanning cytometry. It multiplexes γH2AX with total cell number measured as propidium iodide and calculates the percentage of cells with DSBs. Validation of this assay using NTHY‐ori‐3‐1 human thyroid cells and etoposide showed that it was an excellent choice for high throughput applications. We used the assay to test the genotoxic effects of the EPA Toxcast Phase 1 pesticide library of 309 compounds. Compounds were evaluated in dose response and the DSB was quantified. We found that 19 pesticides induce DSB in vitro, highlighting a need to further assess these pesticides for their long‐term oncogenic effects on the thyroid gland. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:522–528, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Transport phenomena study in a solar spouted bed dryer within a draft tube
Authors: Esmailie Fateme , Ghadamian Hossein , Aminy Mohammad
Published: June 2017

This research investigated a high drying rate solar dryer with low‐intensity energy consumption. In a brief issue, the solar spouted bed dryer was designed, fabricated and tested through this study. To cover this purpose, a 1D dynamic model was developed for this dryer's bed section. The mentioned accurate model is able to predict this type of solar dryer behavior which includes mass, momentum and energy transfer phenomena. The mentioned model solves the governing equations‐mass, momentum, and energy balance equations‐simultaneously using MATLAB software. By this system test pilot modeling and experiments, Design and manufacture of a high drying rate solar dryer with low energy intensity are achieved. Comparison between the model and experimental results shows that the maximum error percentage related to output profiles were approximately less than 3.6% that consider an appropriate band of errors. Based on experiments, the system is able to eliminate 85,500 mg water from 150 g corn grains during 90 min test interval. The considerable achievement contributed to the energy consumption intensity is equal to 93.3 kJ/g of corn, which can be a valuable energy heat rate. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 488–497, 2018
Applications of R to evaluate environmental data science problems
Authors: Kadiyala Akhil , Kumar Ashok
Published: June 2017

Open source programming languages and software platforms play a vital role in the progress of research towards developing new methods for addressing data science problems. R is one such platform that the research community may adapt and make the required changes to the codes in accordance with the requisite needs, specifically when analyzing data in different forms (structured, semistructured, unstructured). This study demonstrated the applications of R for analyzing in‐bus carbon dioxide concentrations by: (i) importing the data into RStudio; (ii) performing an exploratory data analysis; (iii) developing statistical regression models; and (iv) developing tree models using machine learning methods. The readers may adopt the methods discussed in this paper to successfully address their own data science problems. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 36: 1358–1364, 2017
The effect of childcare activities on cognitive status and depression in older adults: gender differences in a 4.4‐year longitudinal study
Authors: Trevisan Caterina , Pamio Maria Valentina , Curreri Chiara , Maggi Stefania , Baggio Giovannella , Zambon Sabina , Sartori Leonardo , Perissinotto Egle , Crepaldi Gaetano , Manzato Enzo , Sergi Giuseppe
Published: June 2017

Objectives

Although involvement in childcare activities seems to promote better physical and mental health in older adults, its impact on cognitive status and depression has not yet been fully elucidated. We aimed to analyze the association between engagement in childcare activities and cognitive and psychological status over a 4.4‐year period in community‐dwelling older adults.

Methods

Two thousand one hundred four subjects older than 65 years without severe cognitive impairment at baseline were categorized according to the frequency of their involvement in childcare activities (everyday, occasionally, never). The participants' cognitive status and depressive symptoms were evaluated at baseline and after 4.4 years.

Results

During the follow‐up, 269 (12.8%) new cases of cognitive impairment and 229 (10.9%) new cases of depression were registered. Men engaged in childcare showed an almost 20% lower risk of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. Women demonstrated similar results, except for those occasionally involved in childcare, who had a higher risk of cognitive decline compared with women who never engaged in it. The risk of developing depression was reduced in men involved daily (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.30–0.62, p < 0.0001) and occasionally in childcare, who also demonstrated a lower risk of exacerbating depressive symptoms compared with subjects who never involved in it. The onset of depression was reduced in women occasionally engaged in childcare (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.56–0.82, p < 0.0001), but not significantly in those daily involved in it.

Conclusions

Involvement of older adults in childcare activities seems to lower the risk of cognitive impairment in both genders and to prevent onset or worsening of depression particularly in older men. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contemporary Issues in Women's Health
Authors: Boama Vincent , Guinto Valerie T. , Sosa Claudio G.
Published: June 2017

How effective is progesterone, pessary, or cerclage in preventing preterm birth in singleton and twin pregnancies?

Associations between maternal body mass index and neonatal cerebral palsy

Salpingectomy for ovarian cancer prevention

Resources for Women's Health
Interactions of Phosphate Metabolism With Serious Injury, Including Burns
Authors: Porter Craig , Sousse Linda E , Irick Ryan , Schryver Eric , Klein Gordon L
Published: June 2017

Approximately 85% of the body's phosphate pool resides within the skeleton. The remaining 15% is stored as high‐energy phosphates or in its free form, where it acts as a substrate for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Accordingly, phosphate plays a crucial role in energy metabolism. Trauma and critical illness result in a hypermetabolic state in which energy expenditure increases. The impact of trauma and critical illness on the body's phosphate stores and phosphate‐dependent metabolic reactions is poorly understood. We had previously observed that after severe burn trauma, increased energy expenditure is temporally related to a marked reduction in serum concentrations of both parathyroid hormone and fibroblast growth factor 23, both of which have phosphaturic effects. The aim of this article is to describe as far as is known the similarities and differences in phosphate metabolism in different types of injury and to infer what these differences tell us about possible signaling pathways that may link increased phosphate utilization and phosphate retention. © 2017 The Authors. JBMR Plus is published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
A Green Synthesis of 7‐amino‐5‐(4‐aroyl)‐1,3‐dimethyl‐2,4‐dioxo‐1,2,3,4,5,8‐hexahydropyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine‐6‐carbonitrile Derivatives by a One‐pot Three‐component Reaction
Authors: Javahershenas Ramin , Khalafy Jabbar
Published: June 2017

The synthesis of polyfunctionalized 7‐amino‐5‐(4‐aroyl)‐1,3‐dimethyl‐2,4‐dioxo‐1,2,3,4,5,8‐hexahydropyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine‐6‐carbonitrile derivatives by a green approach was achieved via one‐pot three‐component reaction of arylglyoxals, malononitrile, and 1,3‐dimethyl‐6‐aminouracil in the presence of urea as organocatalyst in EtOH:H2O (1:1) at 60°C. This protocol provides a mild and fast procedure to structurally diverse bicyclic pyridopyrimidines in good to excellent yields.
Recent changes in monthly surface air temperature over Peru, 1964–2014
Authors: Vicente‐Serrano Sergio M. , López‐Moreno Juan I. , Correa Kris , Avalos Grinia , Bazo Juan , Azorin‐Molina Cesar , Domínguez‐Castro Fernando , Kenawy Ahmed El , Gimeno Luis , Nieto Raquel
Published: June 2017

This study assessed changes in the maximum and minimum surface air temperatures across Peru during the period 1964–2014. For this purpose, we employed the most complete records of air temperature series that were also subjected to a rigorous quality control and homogenization protocol. Based on the homogenized series, we created a monthly gridded data set of maximum and minimum air temperatures at a 5 × 5 km grid spacing. The results suggest a general warming trend in surface air temperature across Peru, albeit with clear spatial and seasonal variation. Our results also reveal some differences in the detectable trends between maximum and minimum air temperatures. Maximum air temperature trends mainly increased during the austral summer (DJF), but cold season minimum air temperature trends showed an opposite pattern, with the strongest warming being recorded in the austral winter (JJA). In addition, maximum air temperature trends exhibited a clear elevation‐warming dependency, with the strongest warming recorded at highly elevated sites. On the contrary, this dependency is weakened for minimum air temperature trends, as lower magnitudes of change and even a cooling trend were observed at high elevations during most months of the year. For mean air temperature trends, there are no clear spatial and temporal seasonal differences across Peru.
Penetrance estimate of LRRK2 p.G2019S mutation in individuals of non‐Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry
Authors: Lee Annie J. , Wang Yuanjia , Alcalay Roy N. , Mejia‐Santana Helen , Saunders‐Pullman Rachel , Bressman Susan , Corvol Jean‐Christophe , Brice Alexis , Lesage Suzanne , Mangone Graziella , Tolosa Eduardo , Pont‐Sunyer Claustre , Vilas Dolores , Schüle Birgitt , Kausar Farah , Foroud Tatiana , Berg Daniela , Brockmann Kathrin , Goldwurm Stefano , Siri Chiara , Asselta Rosanna , Ruiz‐Martinez Javier , Mondragón Elisabet , Marras Connie , Ghate Taneera , Giladi Nir , Mirelman Anat , Marder Karen ,   for the Michael J. Fox LRRK2 Cohort Consortium
Published: June 2017

Background

Penetrance estimates of the leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) p.G2019S mutation for PD vary widely (24%‐100%). The p.G2019S penetrance in individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry has been estimated as 25%, adjusted for multiple covariates. It is unknown whether penetrance varies among different ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to estimate the penetrance of p.G2019S in individuals of non‐Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry and compare penetrance between Ashkenazi Jews and non‐Ashkenazi Jews to age 80.

Methods

The kin‐cohort method was used to estimate penetrance in 474 first‐degree relatives of 69 non‐Ashkenazi Jewish LRRK2 p.G2019S carrier probands at 8 sites from the Michael J. Fox LRRK2 Cohort Consortium. An identical validated family history interview was administered to assess age at onset of PD, current age, or age at death for relatives in different ethnic groups at each site. Neurological examination and LRRK2 genotype of relatives were included when available.

Results

Risk of PD in non‐Ashkenazi Jewish relatives who carry a LRRK2 p.G2019S mutation was 42.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 26.3%‐65.8%) to age 80, which is not significantly higher than the previously estimated 25% (95% CI: 16.7%‐34.2%) in Ashkenazi Jewish carrier relatives. The penetrance of PD to age 80 in LRRK2 p.G2019S mutation carrier relatives was significantly higher than the noncarrier relatives, as seen in Ashkenazi Jewish relatives.

Conclusions

The similar penetrance of LRRK2 p.G2019S estimated in Ashkenazi Jewish carriers and non‐Ashkenazi Jewish carriers confirms that p.G2019S penetrance is 25% to 42.5% at age 80 in all populations analyzed. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Botulinum toxin: State of the art
Authors: Jankovic Joseph
Published: June 2017

Botulinun neurotoxin (BoNT) has emerged as one of the most multipurpose therapeutic agents in modern medicine with more clinical applications than any other drug currently on the market. Initially developed in the treatment of strabismus and neurologic movement disorders, the use of botulinun neurotoxin has been expanding during the past 3 decades to include the treatment of a variety of ophthalmologic, gastrointestinal, urologic, orthopedic, dermatologic, dental, secretory, painful, cosmetic, and other conditions. In addition to onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox), abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport), incobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin), and RimabotulinumtoxinB (Myobloc or NeuroBloc) there are other novel botulinun neurotoxin products currently in development. With a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms of botulinun neurotoxin and advances in biotechnology, future botulinun neurotoxin products will likely be even more effective and customized to the specific indication and tailored to the needs of the patients. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Estimating missing hourly climatic data using artificial neural network for energy balance based ET mapping applications
Authors: Koksal Eyup Selim , Cemek Bilal , Cetin Sakine , Gowda Prasanna H. , Howell Terry A.
Published: June 2017

Remote sensing based evapotranspiration (ET) mapping has become an important tool for water resources management at a regional scale. Accurate hourly climatic data and alfalfa‐reference ET (ETr) are crucial inputs for successfully implementing remote sensing based ET models such as Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) and Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL). In Turkey, hourly climatic data may not be available at all locations, either due to cost constraints or due to equipment malfunctioning. In this study, the artificial neural network (ANN) technique was used to estimate missing and unmeasured hourly climatic data and ETr for the agriculturally important semi‐humid Bafra plains located in northern Turkey. Modelled and actual climatic data were used to derive ET maps from two Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper images acquired on 2 September 2009 and 4 August 2010. The METRIC algorithm was used to generate ET maps. Accuracy assessment of the METRIC‐derived ET maps indicated that climatic data and ETr estimated through ANN could be used for accurately mapping ET, where hourly climatic data are missing or not measured.
Accuracy assessment of rainfall prediction by global models during the landfall of tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean
Authors: Bhomia Swati , Jaiswal Neeru , Kishtawal C. M.
Published: June 2017

The rainfall prediction accuracy of seven state‐of‐the‐art operational models during landfall (LF) of tropical cyclones formed in the North Indian Ocean was assessed. The rainfall predicted by these models 1–3 days (24–72 h) before the LF day of tropical cyclones was compared with TRMM_3B42 rainfall data. Cyclone induced rainfall occurs along its track; thus rainfall within 600 km along the cyclone track was used for comparison. The error in cyclone track prediction affects the rainfall prediction. This has been taken care of by shifting the rainfall distribution over the cyclone best track positions provided by the India Meteorological Department. The validation statistics for the rainfall prediction accuracy of the models were computed by combining the forecasts generated by these seven models during LF of nine cyclones formed in the North Indian Ocean during 2010–2013. The skill of the models was analysed using different rainfall validation measures/statistics. Based on these validation statistics it was found that, of the seven global models, the models from four centres, namely the National Center for Environment Prediction, the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts, the UK Meteorological Office and the Canadian Meteorological Centre, performed closer to the observations. However, there was no single model which was able to exhibit all the features of the observed rainfall.
Motion estimation for cardiac functional analysis using two x‐ray computed tomography scans
Authors: Fung George S. K. , Ciuffo Luisa , Ashikaga Hiroshi , Taguchi Katsuyuki
Published: June 2017

Purpose

This work concerns computed tomography (CT)‐based cardiac functional analysis (CFA) with a reduced radiation dose. As CT‐CFA requires images over the entire heartbeat, the scans are often performed at 10–20% of the tube current settings that are typically used for coronary CT angiography. A large image noise then degrades the accuracy of motion estimation. Moreover, even if the scan was performed during the sinus rhythm, the cardiac motion observed in CT images may not be cyclic with patients with atrial fibrillation. In this study, we propose to use two CT scan data, one for CT angiography at a quiescent phase at a standard dose and the other for CFA over the entire heart beat at a lower dose.

Methods

We have made the following four modifications to an image‐based cardiac motion estimation method we have previously developed for a full‐dose retrospectively gated coronary CT angiography: (a) a full‐dose prospectively gated coronary CT angiography image acquired at the least motion phase was used as the reference image; (b) a three‐dimensional median filter was applied to lower‐dose retrospectively gated cardiac images acquired at 20 phases over one heartbeat in order to reduce image noise; (c) the strength of the temporal regularization term was made adaptive; and (d) a one‐dimensional temporal filter was applied to the estimated motion vector field in order to decrease jaggy motion patterns. We describe the conventional method iME1 and the proposed method iME2 in this article. Five observers assessed the accuracy of the estimated motion vector field of iME2 and iME1 using a 4‐point scale. The observers repeated the assessment with data presented in a new random order 1 week after the first assessment session.

Results

The study confirmed that the proposed iME2 was robust against the mismatch of noise levels, contrast enhancement levels, and shapes of the chambers. There was a statistically significant difference between iME2 and iME1 (accuracy score, 2.08 ± 0.81 versus 2.77 ± 0.98, P < 0.01) and the improvement by the score of + 0.69 seemed clinically relevant. Inter‐observer concordance was good: The inter‐class correlation coefficient was 0.63 and Kendall's rank correlation coefficients were in the range of 0.41–0.67 (P < 0.01), respectively. Intra‐observer reproducibility between sessions was good with the inter‐class correlation coefficient of 0.76.

Conclusion

We have proposed iME2 method for CT‐CFA with two CT scans. The observer study verified the robustness and accuracy of iME2 method and its improved performance over iME1 method.
Development of a Monte Carlo multiple source model for inclusion in a dose calculation auditing tool
Authors: Faught Austin M. , Davidson Scott. E. , Fontenot Jonas , Kry Stephen F. , Etzel Carol , Ibbott Geoffrey S. , Followill David S.
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston (IROC‐H) (formerly the Radiological Physics Center) has reported varying levels of agreement in their anthropomorphic phantom audits. There is reason to believe one source of error in this observed disagreement is the accuracy of the dose calculation algorithms and heterogeneity corrections used. To audit this component of the radiotherapy treatment process, an independent dose calculation tool is needed.

Methods

Monte Carlo multiple source models for Elekta 6 MV and 10 MV therapeutic x‐ray beams were commissioned based on measurement of central axis depth dose data for a 10 × 10 cm2field size and dose profiles for a 40 × 40 cm2field size. The models were validated against open field measurements consisting of depth dose data and dose profiles for field sizes ranging from 3 × 3 cm2to 30 × 30 cm2. The models were then benchmarked against measurements inIROC‐H's anthropomorphic head and neck and lung phantoms.

Results

Validation results showed 97.9% and 96.8% of depth dose data passed a ±2% Van Dyk criterion for 6 MV and 10 MV models respectively. Dose profile comparisons showed an average agreement using a ±2%/2 mm criterion of 98.0% and 99.0% for 6 MV and 10 MV models respectively. Phantom plan comparisons were evaluated using ±3%/2 mm gamma criterion, and averaged passing rates between Monte Carlo and measurements were 87.4% and 89.9% for 6 MV and 10 MV models respectively.

Conclusions

Accurate multiple source models for Elekta 6 MV and 10 MV x‐ray beams have been developed for inclusion in an independent dose calculation tool for use in clinical trial audits.
Registration strategies for multi‐modal whole‐body MRI mosaicing
Authors: Ceranka Jakub , Polfliet Mathias , Lecouvet Frédéric , Michoux Nicolas , de Mey Johan , Vandemeulebroucke Jef
Published: June 2017

Purpose

To test and compare different registration approaches for performing whole‐body diffusion‐weighted (wbDWI) image station mosaicing, and its alignment to corresponding anatomical T1 whole‐body image.

Methods

Four different registration strategies aiming at mosaicing of diffusion‐weighted image stations, and their alignment to the corresponding whole‐body anatomical image, were proposed and evaluated. These included two‐step approaches, where diffusion‐weighted stations are first combined in a pairwise (Strategy 1) or groupwise (Strategy 2) manner and later non‐rigidly aligned to the anatomical image; a direct pairwise mapping of DWI stations onto the anatomical image (Strategy 3); and simultaneous mosaicing of DWI and alignment to the anatomical image (Strategy 4). Additionally, different images driving the registration were investigated. Experiments were performed for 20 whole‐body images of patients with bone metastases.

Results

Strategies 1 and 2 showed significant improvement in mosaicing accuracy with respect to the non‐registered images (P < 0.006). Strategy 2 based on ADC images increased the alignment accuracy between DWI stations and the T1 whole‐body image (P = 0.0009).

Conclusions

A two‐step registration strategy, relying on groupwise mosaicing of the ADC stations and subsequent registration to T1, provided the best compromise between whole‐body DWI image quality and multi‐modal alignment. Magn Reson Med 79:1684–1695, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
In‐situ Generated and Premade 1‐Copper(I) Alkynes in Cycloadditions
Authors: Wang Xinyan , Wang Xingyong , Wang Xuesong , Zhang Jianlan , Liu Chulong , Hu Yuefei
Published: June 2017

The copper(I)‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) was discovered in 2002, which has become the most remarkable example for “click chemistry” to date. In CuAAC reaction, 1‐copper(I) alkyne has been recognized to be a key intermediate. However, many contradictory experimental results for this intermediate were reported in literature. For example, only the in‐situ generated 1‐copper(I) alkyne was used, while the premade 1‐copper(I) alkyne proved to be inefficient under the standard conditions. The kinetic studies indicated that CuAAC reaction had a strict second‐order dependence on Cu(I) and the DFT studies demonstrated that 1‐copper(I) alkyne intermediate should be a dinuclear copper(I) complex. But these results were inconsistent with the structure of the premade 1‐copper(I) alkyne. Although hundreds of structurally different ligands were reported to significantly enhance the efficiency of CuAAC reaction, their functions were assigned to prevent the oxidation and the disproportionation of Cu(I) ion. Based on the investigation of the references and our works, we proposed that the in‐situ generated 1‐copper(I) alkyne in CuAAC reaction is not identical with the premade 1‐copper(I) alkyne. The ligands may play dual roles to activate the 1‐copper(I) alkyne by blocking the polymerization of the in‐situ formed 1‐copper(I) alkynes and dissociating the polymeric structures of the premade 1‐copper(I) alkynes. As a result, we first disclosed that carboxylic acids can function as such activators and a novel carboxylic acid‐catalyzed CuAAC strategy was developed, which has been proven to be the most convenient and highly efficient CuAAC method to date. Furthermore, highly efficient and regioselective methods for the syntheses of 1,4,5‐trisubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles were developed by using the premade 1‐copper(I) alkynes as substrates, in which the novel function of the premade 1‐copper(I) alkynes as excellent dipolarophiles was first disclosed and applied. In this article, a series of works reported by our group for the in‐situ generated and the premade 1‐copper(I) alkynes in cycloadditions are reviewed.
Philosophical aesthetics and cognitive science
Authors: Meskin Aaron , Robson Jon , Ichino Anna , Goffin Kris , Monseré Annelies
Published: June 2017

Philosophical aesthetics is the branch of philosophy which explores issues having to do with art, beauty, and related phenomena. Philosophers have often been skeptical about the place of empirical investigation in aesthetics. However, in recent years many philosophical aestheticians have turned to cognitive science to enrich their understanding of their subject matter. Cognitive scientists have, in turn, been inspired by work in philosophical aesthetics. This essay focuses on a representative subset of the areas in which there has been fruitful dialog between philosophical aestheticians and cognitive scientists. We start with some general topics in philosophical aesthetics—the definition of art and the epistemic status of aesthetic judgments. We then move on to discussing research concerning the roles that imagination and perception play in our aesthetic engagement. We conclude with a discussion of the emerging field of experimental philosophical aesthetics. WIREs Cogn Sci 2018, 9:e1445. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1445

This article is categorized under:

Philosophy > Value
A randomized feasibility pilot trial of hearing treatment for reducing cognitive decline: Results from the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders Pilot Study
Authors: Deal Jennifer A. , Albert Marilyn S. , Arnold Michelle , Bangdiwala Shrikant I. , Chisolm Theresa , Davis Sonia , Eddins Ann , Glynn Nancy W. , Goman Adele M. , Minotti Melissa , Mosley Thomas , Rebok George W. , Reed Nicholas , Rodgers Elizabeth , Sanchez Victoria , Sharrett A. Richey , Coresh Josef , Lin Frank R.
Published: June 2017

Introduction

Hearing loss (HL) is prevalent and independently related to cognitive decline and dementia. There has never been a randomized trial to test if HL treatment could reduce cognitive decline in older adults.

Methods

A 40‐person (aged 70–84 years) pilot study in Washington County, MD, was conducted. Participants were randomized 1:1 to a best practices hearing or successful aging intervention and followed for 6 months. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02412254.

Results

The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders Pilot (ACHIEVE‐P) Study demonstrated feasibility in recruitment, retention, and implementation of interventions with no treatment‐related adverse events. A clear efficacy signal of the hearing intervention was observed in perceived hearing handicap (mean of 0.11 to −1.29 standard deviation [SD] units; lower scores better) and memory (mean of −0.10 SD to 0.38 SD).

Discussion

ACHIEVE‐P sets the stage for the full‐scale ACHIEVE trial (N = 850, recruitment beginning November 2017), the first randomized trial to determine efficacy of a best practices hearing (vs. successful aging) intervention on reducing cognitive decline in older adults with HL.
Osteolipoma: a painless mandibular mass
Authors: Arantes Diele Carine Barreto , Gomez Ricardo Santiago , Noronha Vladimir Reimar Augusto Souza
Published: June 2017

Lipoma is the most common benign mesenchymal soft tissue neoplasm in adults. It is rarely seen in the oral cavity and comprises 1–4% of all benign oral lesions. There are different types of lipomatous tumors that contain other predominant mesenchymal elements such as cartilaginous/osseous tissues. Osteolipoma is a rare histopathologic variant of lipoma accounting for less than 1% of all lipomatous cases. Eight cases of this type of lipoma were reported in the mandibular buccal vestibule. The present study aims to report a rare condition: a patient with osteolipoma situated in the mandibular region. In addition, a literature review is presented.
Wall-resolved large eddy simulation for aeroengine aeroacoustic investigation
Authors: Lin Y. , Vadlamani R. , Savill M. , Tucker P.
Published: June 2017

The work presented here forms part of a larger project on Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) of aeroengine aeroacoustic interactions. In this paper, we concentrate on LES of near-field flow over an isolated NACA0012 aerofoil at zero angle-of-attack and a chord based Reynolds number ofRec= 2 × 105. A wall-resolved compressible Numerical Large Eddy Simulation (NLES) approach is employed to resolve streak-like structures in the near-wall flow regions. The calculated unsteady pressure/velocity field will be imported into an analyticallybased scheme for far-field trailing-edge noise prediction later. The boundary-layer mean and root-mean-square (rms) velocity profiles, the surface pressure fluctuation over the aerofoil, and the wake flow development are compared with experimental data and previous computational simulations in our research group. It is found that the results from the wall-resolved compressible NLES are very encouraging as they correlate well with test data. The main features of the wall-resolved compressible NLES, as well as the advantages of such compressible NLES over previous incompressible LES performed in our research group, are also discussed.
ESSENTIAL DIMENSION OF GENERIC SYMBOLS IN CHARACTERISTIC
Authors: MCKINNIE KELLY
Published: June 2017

In this article the$p$-essential dimension of generic symbols over fields of characteristic$p$is studied. In particular, the$p$-essential dimension of the length$\ell$generic$p$-symbol of degree$n+1$is bounded below by$n+\ell$when the base field is algebraically closed of characteristic$p$. The proof uses new techniques for working with residues in Milne–Kato$p$-cohomology and builds on work of Babic and Chernousov in the Witt group in characteristic 2. Two corollaries on$p$-symbol algebras (i.e, degree 2 symbols) result from this work. The generic$p$-symbol algebra of length$\ell$is shown to have$p$-essential dimension equal to$\ell +1$as a$p$-torsion Brauer class. The second is a lower bound of$\ell +1$on the$p$-essential dimension of the functor$\operatorname{Alg}_{p^{\ell },p}$. Roughly speaking this says that you will need at least$\ell +1$independent parameters to be able to specify any given algebra of degree$p^{\ell }$and exponent$p$over a field of characteristic$p$and improves on the previously established lower bound of 3.
A continuity question of Dubins and Savage
Authors: Laraki R. , Sudderth W.
Published: June 2017

Lester Dubins and Leonard Savage posed the question as to what extent the optimal reward function U of a leavable gambling problem varies continuously in the gambling house Γ, which specifies the stochastic processes available to a player, and the utility function u, which determines the payoff for each process. Here a distance is defined for measurable houses with a Borel state space and a bounded Borel measurable utility. A trivial example shows that the mapping Γ ↦ U is not always continuous for fixed u. However, it is lower semicontinuous in the sense that, if Γn converges to Γ, then lim inf Un ≥ U. The mapping u ↦ U is continuous in the supnorm topology for fixed Γ, but is not always continuous in the topology of uniform convergence on compact sets. Dubins and Savage observed that a failure of continuity occurs when a sequence of superfair casinos converges to a fair casino, and queried whether this is the only source of discontinuity for the special gambling problems called casinos. For the distance used here, an example shows that there can be discontinuity even when all the casinos are subfair.
Percolation and best-choice problem for powers of paths
Authors: Benevides Fabricio Siqueira , Sulkowska Małgorzata
Published: June 2017

The vertices of thekth power of a directed path withnvertices are exposed one by one to a selector in some random order. At any time the selector can see the graph induced by the vertices that have already appeared. The selector's aim is to choose online the maximal vertex (i.e. the vertex with no outgoing edges). We give upper and lower bounds for the asymptotic behaviour ofpn,kn1/(k+1), wherepn,kis the probability of success under the optimal algorithm. In order to derive the upper bound, we consider a model in which the selector obtains some extra information about the edges that have already appeared. We give the exact asymptotics of the probability of success under the optimal algorithm in this case. In order to derive the lower bound, we analyse a site percolation process on a sequence of thekth powers of a directed path withnvertices.
On the convergence of the quasi-regression method: polynomial chaos and regularity
Authors: Kim Je Guk
Published: June 2017

We present an analysis of convergence of a quasi-regression Monte Carlo method proposed by Glasserman and Yu (2004). We show that the method surely converges to the true price of an American option even under multiple underlyings via polynomial chaos expansion and weaker conditions than those used in Glasserman and Yu (2004). Further, we show the number of simulation paths grows exponentially in the number of basis functions to obtain convergence in implementing the method. Finally, we propose a rate of convergence considering regularity of value functions.
Gandhi, Lawyers, and the Courts' Boycott during the Non-Cooperation Movement
Authors: JAFFE JAMES
Published: June 2017

This article analyses the role of the legal profession and the evolution of aspects of Indian nationalist ideology during the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920–22. Very few legal professionals responded to Gandhi's call to boycott the British courts despite significant efforts to establish alternative institutions dedicated to resolving disputes. First identified by leading legal professionals in the movement as courts of arbitration, these alternative sites of justice quickly assumed the name ‘panchayats’. Ultimately, this panchayat experiment failed due to a combination of apathy, repression, and internal opposition. However, the introduction of the panchayat into the discourse of Indian nationalism ultimately had profound effects, including the much later adoption of constitutionalpanchayati raj. Yet this discourse was then and remains today a contested one. This is largely a legacy of Gandhi himself, who, during the Non-Cooperation Movement, imagined the panchayat as a judicial institution based upon arbitration and mediation. Yet, after the movement's failure, he came to believe the panchayat was best suited to functioning as a unit of village governance and administration.
Rapid improvement in beliefs, mood, and performance following an experimental success experience in an analogue test of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy
Authors: Grant P. M. , Perivoliotis D. , Luther L. , Bredemeier K. , Beck A. T.
Published: June 2017

Background

Negative symptoms significantly contribute to disability and lack of community participation for low functioning individuals with schizophrenia. Cognitive therapy has been shown to improve negative symptoms and functional outcome in this population. Elucidation of the mechanisms of the therapy would lead to a better understanding of negative symptoms and the development of more effective interventions to promote recovery. The objective of this study was to determine (1) whether guided success at a card-sorting task will produce improvement in defeatist beliefs, positive beliefs about the self, mood, and card-sorting performance, and (2) whether these changes in beliefs and mood predict improvements in unguided card-sorting.

Methods

Individuals with schizophrenia having prominent negative symptoms and impaired neurocognitive performance (N = 35) were randomized to guided success (n = 19) or a control (n = 16) condition.

Results

Controlling for baseline performance, the experimental group performed significantly better, endorsed defeatist beliefs to a lesser degree, reported greater positive self-concept, and reported better mood than the control condition immediately after the experimental session. A composite index of change in defeatist beliefs, self-concept, and mood was significantly correlated with improvements in card-sorting.

Conclusions

This analogue study supports the rationale of cognitive therapy and provides a general therapeutic model in which experiential interventions that produce success have a significant immediate effect on a behavioral task, mediated by changes in beliefs and mood. The rapid improvement is a promising indicator of the responsiveness of this population, often regarded as recalcitrant, to cognitively-targeted behavioral interventions.
The Cult Statues of the Pantheon
Authors: Thomas Edmund
Published: June 2017

This article reconsiders the possible statuary of the Pantheon in Rome, both in its original Augustan form and in its later phases. It argues that the so-called ‘Algiers Relief’ has wrongly been connected with the Temple of Mars Ultor and is in fact evidence of the association of the Divus Julius with Mars and Venus in the Pantheon of Agrippa, a juxtaposition which reflects the direction of Augustan ideology in the 20sb.c.and the building's celestial purpose. This triple statue group became the focus of the later Pantheon, and its importance is highlighted by the hierarchized system of architectural ornament of the present building.
In-motion Alignment for Low-cost SINS/GPS under Random Misalignment Angles
Authors: Cui Xiao , Mei Chunbo , Qin Yongyuan , Yan Gongmin , Fu Qiangwen
Published: June 2017

This paper presents a reliable in-motion alignment algorithm for a low cost Strapdown Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (SINS/GPS) combination under random misalignment angles, which transforms attitude alignment into an attitude estimation problem. Based on Rodrigues parameters, an alignment model with a linear state-space equation and a second order nonlinear measurement equation is established. Furthermore, by employing a Taylor expansion on the nonlinear measurement equation, we implement a second order Extended Kalman Filter (EKF2). The proposed method uses a single filter that can not only determine the initial attitude, but also estimate the sensor errors. In addition, a scheme is given for avoiding singularity, which makes the algorithm more widely suitable for random misalignment angles. Experimental ground tests are performed with a low-cost Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS) SINS, which validates the efficacy of the proposed method. The performance compared to the traditional alignment algorithm is also given.
Eye-Tracking Evidence of a Maintenance Bias in Social Anxiety
Authors: Fernandes Catarina , Silva Susana , Pires Joana , Reis Alexandra , Ros Antónia Jimenez , Janeiro Luís , Faísca Luís , Martins Ana Teresa
Published: June 2017

Background:The mechanisms and triggers of the attentional bias in social anxiety are not yet fully determined, and the modulating role of personality traits is being increasingly acknowledged.Aims:Our main purpose was to test whether social anxiety is associated with mechanisms of hypervigilance, avoidance (static biases), vigilance-avoidance or the maintenance of attention (dynamic biases). Our secondary goal was to explore the role of personality structure in shaping the attention bias.Method:Participants with highvslow social anxiety and different personality structures viewed pairs of faces (free-viewing eye-tracking task) representing different emotions (anger, happiness and neutrality). Their eye movements were registered and analysed for both whole-trial (static) and time-dependent (dynamic) measures.Results:Comparisons between participants with high and low social anxiety levels did not yield evidence of differences in eye-tracking measures for the whole trial (latency of first fixation, first fixation direction, total dwell time), but the two groups differed in the time course of overt attention during the trial (dwell time across three successive time segments): participants with high social anxiety were slower in disengaging their attention from happy faces. Similar results were obtained using a full-sample, regression-based analysis.Conclusion:Our results speak in favour of a maintenance bias in social anxiety. Preliminary results indicated that personality structure may not affect the maintenance (dynamic) bias of socially anxious individuals, although depressive personality structures may favour manifestations of a (static) hypervigilance bias.
Heritage language exposure impacts voice onset time of Dutch–German simultaneous bilingual preschoolers
Authors: STOEHR ANTJE , BENDERS TITIA , VAN HELL JANET G. , FIKKERT PAULA
Published: June 2017

This study assesses the effects of age and language exposure on VOT production in 29 simultaneous bilingual children aged 3;7 to 5;11 who speak German as a heritage language in the Netherlands. Dutch and German have a binary voicing contrast, but the contrast is implemented with different VOT values in the two languages. The results suggest that bilingual children produce ‘voiced’ plosives similarly in their two languages, and these productions are not monolingual-like in either language. Bidirectional cross-linguistic influence between Dutch and German can explain these results. Yet, the bilinguals seemingly have two autonomous categories for Dutch and German ‘voiceless’ plosives. In German, the bilinguals’ aspiration is not monolingual-like, but bilinguals with more heritage language exposure produce more target-like aspiration. Importantly, the amount of exposure to German has no effect on the majority language's ‘voiceless’ category. This implies that more heritage language exposure is associated with more language-specific voicing systems.
Deep inspirational breath hold to reduce cardiac dose in left-sided breast radiotherapy
Authors: Welgemoed Camarie , Rogers Jonathan , McNaught Patti , Cleator Susan , Riddle Pippa , Gujral Dorothy
Published: June 2017

Background

During left-sided breast radiotherapy, the heart is often exposed to radiation dose. Shielding can be utilised to reduce heart exposure, but compromises the dose delivered to the breast tissue and, in a proportion of patients, to the tumour bed. Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) can be used as a technique to move the heart away from the treatment area and thus reduce heart dose. This study examines the efficacy of the Elekta Active Breathing Coordinator (ABC), a DIBH method, in reducing heart dose.

Materials and methods

In total, 12 patients receiving radiotherapy to the left breast were planned for treatment with both a free-breathing (FB) and an ABC scan. The dose volume histogram data for the plans was analysed with respect to heart V13, V5 Gy, mean heart dose and ipsilateral lung V18 Gy. Tumour bed D98%, threshold lung volume in breath hold (BH) and the maximum BH time for each patient was also measured. Patients then received their radiotherapy treatment using the ABC plan and the systematic error in the craniocaudal, lateral and vertical axes was assessed using orthogonal imaging.

Results

The median heart V13 Gy for FB and DIBH patients was 3% (range, 0·85–11·28) and 0% (range, 0–1·56), respectively, with a mean heart dose of 2·62 Gy (range, 1·21–4·93) in FB and 1·51 Gy (range, 1·17–2·22) in ABC. The median lung V18 Gy was 8·7% (3·08–14·87) in FB plans and 9% (4·88–12·82) in ABC plans. The mean systematic set-up errors in all three planes were within the departmental set-up tolerance of 5 mm for both techniques. Median FB tumour bed D98% was 97·4% (92·8–99·5) and 97·5% (97·3–98·5) for ABC.

Conclusion

ABC represents a good method of reducing radiation dose to the heart while not compromising on dose to the tumour bed, and it has a clear advantage over FB radiotherapy in reducing the risk of cardiac toxicity. It is tolerated well by patients and does not produce any difficulties in patient positioning.
International Science Group Decries Trump Climate Pact Exit
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: June 2017

The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics also criticizes the U.S. withdrawal from the Green Climate Fund as perhaps more damaging than the nation’s exit from the Paris climate agreement.
Cooperation and Trust in Japanese and British Samples: Evidence From Incomplete Information Games
Authors: Krockow Eva M. , Takezawa Masanori , Pulford Briony D. , Colman Andrew M. , Kita Toshimasa
Published: June 2017

Most human relationships are characterized by reciprocal patterns of give-and-take that can be studied using a decision-making task called the Centipede game. The game involves 2 players alternating in choosing between cooperation and defection, with their choices affecting payoffs to themselves and the co-player. We compared trust and cooperation of Japanese and U.K. samples in the Centipede game. To increase the game’s applicability to real-life decision situations, we added 3 treatment conditions to manipulate payoff information. Our between-subjects design comprised the following 4 conditions: (a) full payoff information, (b) full payoff information framed as percentages, (c) partial payoff information with absolute (own payoff) information only, and (d) partial payoff information with relative information only. Comparing Japanese and U.K. students’ decisions, the Japanese cooperated significantly more frequently than the British. The manipulation of payoff information also affected decision making. In Japan, both treatment conditions with incomplete information yielded significantly higher cooperation levels than the control. In the U.K., only the condition with absolute payoff information produced significantly higher cooperativeness. Overall, these findings suggest that Japanese samples cooperate more frequently in repeated interactions than British samples and that this may be due to the assurance-based trust elicited by reciprocal relationships that has been identified as a typical feature of Japanese culture. In situations with incomplete information, expectations about the stake size may guide decision making, with lower expectations resulting in higher cooperation levels.