bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lower Leg Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome in Patients 50 Years of Age and Older
Authors: de Bruijn Johan A. , van Zantvoort Aniek P.M. , Winkes Michiel B. , van der Cruijsen-Raaijmakers Marike , Hoogeveen Adwin R. , Teijink Joep A.W. , Scheltinga Marc R.M.
Published: March 2018

Background:

Lower leg chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is usually diagnosed in young and athletic individuals. The presence of CECS in older patients has received little attention in the literature, and patient characteristics are unknown.

Purpose:

To determine the prevalence of CECS in older patients (≥50 years) and to assess whether older patients with CECS differ clinically from younger patients with CECS.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

All individuals with exercise-induced lower leg pain who visited a referral center for CECS between January 2001 and December 2013 were eligible for analysis. Patients were included if history, physical examination, and dynamic intracompartmental pressure measurement indicated CECS. Characteristics of patients 50 years of age or older were compared with characteristics of patients younger than 50.

Results:

A total of 698 patients with CECS were included: 98 patients were aged 50 years or older and 600 patients were younger than 50 years. Older individuals more often reported a history of lower leg events or comorbidities (≥50 years, 45% vs <50 years, 25%; P < .01) and unilateral symptoms (≥50 years, 45% vs <50 years, 22%; P < .01). Most older patients (62%) did not participate in sport or only walked or hiked, whereas the same was true of only 7% of the younger population. Pain (≥50 years, 94%; <50 years, 96%) and tightness (≥50 years, 57%; <50 years, 62%) were the predominant symptoms of CECS in both groups. Type of CECS differed significantly ( P < .01); the anterior muscle compartment was involved more frequently in older patients (≥50 years, 82% vs <50 years, 59%) and deep flexor muscle CECS was more often diagnosed in younger patients (≥50 years, 26% vs <50 years, 53%).

Conclusion:

In the present population, 1 in 7 patients diagnosed with lower leg CECS was 50 years of age or older. These individuals were less active and had more comorbidities than patients younger than 50 years. Older individuals predominantly have anterior CECS. Clinicians should consider CECS in older individuals with exercise-induced lower leg pain, particularly if it is unilateral.
Examining the Category Functioning of the ECERS-R Across Eight Data Sets
Authors: Fujimoto Ken A. , Gordon Rachel A. , Peng Fang , Hofer Kerry G.
Published: March 2018

Classroom quality measures, such as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised (ECERS-R), are widely used in research, practice, and policy. Increasingly, these uses have been for purposes not originally intended, such as contributing to consequential policy decisions. The current study adds to the recent evidence of problems with the ECERS-R standard stop-scoring by analyzing eight studies offering 14 waves of data collection in approximately 4,000 classrooms. Our analysis, which featured the nominal response model, generalized partial credit model, partial credit model, within-category averages of total scores, and point-biserial correlations, revealed that all 36 items had categories that did not follow an ordinal progression with respect to quality. Additionally, our results showed that the category problems accumulated to the scale score. The results caution against the use of the standard raw scoring and encourage development of alternative scoring methods for the ECERS-R.
Teaching the Basics of Negotiation in One Class
Authors: Wertheim Edward , Glick Leonard , Larson Barbara Zepp
Published: March 2018

This interactive negotiation exercise was primarily developed for situations where only one or two sessions could be devoted to teaching negotiations. The exercise, which is conducted by the instructor with the whole class, involves a two-party negotiation that puts the students in the role of a board member for a nonprofit camp, negotiating with a prospective buyer whose positions are presented sequentially by the instructor. There are multiple decision points during the exercise, each of which requires students to recommend specific tactics or offer amounts. Students come out of the exercise with a greater understanding of the basics of negotiation including negotiation planning; when to make a first offer; how to determine goals, targets, and walkaways; ZOPA; reciprocity; anchoring; emotions; overcoming impasses; and distributive versus integrative negotiations. The exercise has been used in graduate, undergraduate, and executive education settings and is also well suited to a onetime presentation or a workshop.
The Usefulness of Photodynamic Eye for Sentinel Lymph Node Identification in Patients with Cervical Cancer
Authors: Furukawa Naoto , Oi Hidekazu , Yoshida Shozo , Shigetomi Hiroshi , Kanayama Seiji , Kobayashi Hiroshi
Published: March 2018

Aims and background

We studied the potential use of sentinel lymph node identification using a near-infrared fluorescence imaging technique in the treatment of cervical cancer.

Methods and study design

Directly before the start of the operation, 0.2 ml of 5 mg/ml indocyanine green was prepared and injected into 4 sites in the cervix using a 26-gauge standard needle, at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions. When the operation was advanced to the pelvis, near-infrared fluorescence imaging was performed using photodynamic eye (Hamamatsu Photonics Co., Japan). The sentinel lymph nodes and other dissected lymph nodes were histologically examined to find any metastases.

Results

Twelve patients were examined. Their ages ranged from 36 to 68 years (median, 58). Sentinel lymph nodes were identified in 10 patients (83%), and all were bi-laterally identified. The median maximum tumor diameter of dissected cervical tumors was 35 mm (22–65); histology was squamous cell carcinoma in 8 patients and adenocarcinoma in 2 patients. Capillary lymphatic space involvement was found in 8 of the 10 patients. The site of the sentinel lymph node was the right external iliac node in 8 patients, the right obturator node in 8, the left external iliac node in 9, and the left obturator node in 8. Lymph node metastasis was found in 2 of the 12 patients, and all were sentinel lymph nodes. No metastasis from lymph nodes other than sentinel lymph nodes was observed.

Conclusions

Photodynamic eye achieved a detection rate similar to that obtained with the blue dye and radioisotope method. It is also easier to use than the other two methods. Free full text available at www.tumorionline.it
Optimizing therapy in advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Lim Sean H. , Johnson Peter W. M.
Published: March 2018

The treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma has evolved continuously since the introduction of extended-field radiotherapy in the 1960s to involved-field and then involved-node radiotherapy, multiagent chemotherapy, combined chemoradiotherapy, risk-adapted and response-adapted modulation, and, most recently, introduction of antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint-blocking antibodies. These changes have translated into progressively increasing cure rates, so that 10-year survival figures now exceed 80%, compared with <50% 40 years ago. The challenge now is how to improve upon success while maintaining, or if possible improving, the quality of life for survivors. Steering between undertreatment, with the risk of avoidable recurrences, and overtreatment, with the risk of unnecessary toxicity, remains complex because control of the lymphoma and the probability of survival are no longer closely linked. This requires trials with long follow-up and continuous reappraisal of the interaction between the illness; the method used to define risk, and the type of treatment involved. One important factor in this is age: outcomes in older patients have not improved at the same rate as those in the population under 60 years of age, reflecting the need for different approaches. Recently, treatment has moved from being primarily risk-based, using baseline characteristics such as anatomical stage and severity of the illness, to a more dynamic approach that takes account of the response to therapy, using functional imaging to make an early appraisal, with the option to modulate subsequent treatment. The results of several trials indicate that this has advantages, but a combination of risk- and response-adaptation is probably ideal.
Isolated choanal and gut atresias: pathogenetic role of serine protease inhibitor type 2 (SPINT2) gene mutations unlikely
Authors: Niederwanger Christian , Lechner Silvia , König Lisa , Janecke Andreas R. , Pototschnig Claus , Häussler Beatrice , Scholl-Bürgi Sabine , Müller Thomas , Heinz-Erian Peter
Published: March 2018

Background

Choanal (CA) and gastrointestinal atresias (GA) are an important feature of syndromic congenital sodium diarrhea (sCSD), a disorder recently associated with mutations in the gene for serine protease inhibitor type 2 (SPINT2). It is, however, not known whether isolated non-syndromic CA and GA themselves might result from SPINT2 mutations.

Methods

We performed a prospective cohort study to investigate 19 CA and/or GA patients without diarrhea (“non-sCSD”) for potential sCSD characteristic clinical features and SPINT2 mutations.

Results

We found a heterozygous SPINT2 splice mutation (c.593-1G>A), previously demonstrated in sCSD in homozygous form, in only 1 of the 19 patients of the “non-sCSD” cohort. This patient presented with isolated anal atresia and borderline low laboratory parameters of sodium balance. In the remaining 18 non-sCSD CA/GA patients investigated, SPINT2 sequence analysis and clinical markers of sodium homeostasis were normal. None of the 188 healthy controls tested in a regional Tyrolean population harbored the c.593-1G>A mutation, which is also not listed in the ExAc and gnomAD databases.

Conclusions

The finding of only one heterozygous SPINT2 mutation in 19 patients with isolated CA/GA was not statistically significant. Therefore, SPINT2 mutations are an unlikely cause of non-sCSD atresia.

Trial registration ISRCTN73824458. Retrospectively registered 28 September 2014
Advances in 6C seismology: Applications of combined translational and rotational motion measurements in global and exploration seismology
Authors: Schmelzbach Cedric , Donner Stefanie , Igel Heiner , Sollberger David , Taufiqurrahman Taufiq , Bernauer Felix , Häusler Mauro , Van Renterghem Cédéric , Wassermann Joachim , Robertsson Johan
Published: March 2018

Over the past few decades, the potential of collocated measurements of 6C data (3C of translational and 3C of rotational motion) has been demonstrated in global seismology using high-sensitivity, observatory-based ring laser technology. Proposed applications of 6C seismology range from tomographic reconstruction of near-receiver structure to the reduction of nonuniqueness in seismic source inverse problems. Applications to exploration problems have so far been hampered by the lack of appropriate sensors, but several applications have been proposed and demonstrated with array-derived rotational motion estimates. With the recent availability of, for example, fiber-optic-based high-sensitivity rotational motion sensors, widespread applications of 6C techniques to exploration problems are in sight. Potential applications are based on, for example, the fact that the extended set of combined translational and rotational motion observations enables carrying out array-type processing with single-station recordings such as wavefield separation and surface-wave suppression. Furthermore, measuring the rotational component (curl) of the seismic wavefield enables direct isolation of the S-wave constituents and could significantly improve S-wave exploration. Rotational measurements provide estimates of the spatial wavefield gradient at the free surface that allow carrying out analyses such as local slowness estimation and wavefield reconstruction. Furthermore, rotational motion measurements can help to resolve wavefield infidelity introduced by seismic instruments that are not well-coupled to the ground.
Multiphysics fluid monitoring: Toward targeted monitoring design under uncertainty
Authors: Altundas Yusuf Bilgin , Chugunov Nikita
Published: March 2018

Properly designed multiphysics measurements program can improve the accuracy of fluid front monitoring (FFM) by combining tools with various spatial resolutions and desired contrast in time-lapse measurements, consequently enabling better sweep efficiency and increased oil recovery. We have introduced a new workflow for multiphysics FFM feasibility studies that determines the suitability of measurements considered for monitoring and enables informed decision making on where, when, and how often the measurements need to be performed. The workflow integrates petrophysically and thermodynamically consistent multiphysics responses for seismic, electromagnetic, and neutron capture measurements. We argue that, in the presence of multiple sources of uncertainty, reservoir performance should be analyzed from a 4D probabilistic standpoint, rather than just by looking at a traditional spread in cumulative production curves. Consequently, the monitoring program should be designed around our understanding of reservoir 4D probabilistic performance through consistent multiphysics modeling. We have developed a set of approaches to enable addressing both tasks on a single platform with all relevant sources of uncertainties including parametric and model uncertainties in effective medium modeling and reservoir simulation. The developed workflow is illustrated using the ISAPP Field Development Optimization Challenge benchmark data set introduced in 2017.
Vol-PACT: A Foundation for the NIH Public-Private Partnership That Supports Sharing of Clinical Trial Data for the Development of Improved Imaging Biomarkers in Oncology
Authors: Dercle Laurent , Connors Dana E. , Tang Ying , Adam Stacey J. , Gönen Mithat , Hilden Patrick , Karovic Sanja , Maitland Michael , Moskowitz Chaya S. , Kelloff Gary , Zhao Binsheng , Oxnard Geoffrey R. , Schwartz Lawrence H.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

To develop a public-private partnership to study the feasibility of a new approach in collecting and analyzing clinically annotated imaging data from landmark phase III trials in advanced solid tumors.

Patients and Methods

The collection of clinical trials fulfilled the following inclusion criteria: completed randomized trials of > 300 patients, highly measurable solid tumors (non–small-cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, renal cell cancer, and melanoma), and required sponsor and institutional review board sign-offs. The new approach in analyzing computed tomography scans was to transfer to an academic image analysis laboratory, draw contours semi-automatically by using in-house–developed algorithms integrated into the open source imaging platform Weasis, and perform serial volumetric measurement.

Results

The median duration of contracting with five sponsors was 12 months. Ten trials in 7,085 patients that covered 12 treatment regimens across 20 trial arms were collected. To date, four trials in 3,954 patients were analyzed. Source imaging data were transferred to the academic core from 97% of trial patients (n = 3,837). Tumor imaging measurements were extracted from 82% of transferred computed tomography scans (n = 3,162). Causes of extraction failure were nonmeasurable disease (n = 392), single imaging time point (n = 224), and secondary captured images (n = 59). Overall, clinically annotated imaging data were extracted in 79% of patients (n = 3,055), and the primary trial end point analysis in each trial remained representative of each original trial end point.

Conclusion

The sharing and analysis of source imaging data from large randomized trials is feasible and offer a rich and reusable, but largely untapped, resource for future research on novel trial-level response and progression imaging metrics.
Acetylcholine Modulates the Hormones of the Growth Hormone/Insulinlike Growth Factor-1 Axis During Development in Mice
Authors: Lecomte Marie-José , Bertolus Chloé , Ramanantsoa Nélina , Saurini Françoise , Callebert Jacques , Sénamaud-Beaufort Catherine , Ringot Maud , Bourgeois Thomas , Matrot Boris , Collet Corinne , Nardelli Jeannette , Mallet Jacques , Vodjdani Guilan , Gallego Jorge , Launay Jean-Marie , Berrard Sylvie
Published: March 2018

Pituitary growth hormone (GH) and insulinlike growth factor (IGF)-1 are anabolic hormones whose physiological roles are particularly important during development. The activity of the GH/IGF-1 axis is controlled by complex neuroendocrine systems including two hypothalamic neuropeptides, GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin (SRIF), and a gastrointestinal hormone, ghrelin. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is involved in tuning GH secretion, and its GH-stimulatory action has mainly been shown in adults but is not clearly documented during development. ACh, together with these hormones and their receptors, is expressed before birth, and somatotroph cells are already responsive to GHRH, SRIF, and ghrelin. We thus hypothesized that ACh could contribute to the modulation of the main components of the somatotropic axis during development. In this study, we generated a choline acetyltransferase knockout mouse line and showed that heterozygous mice display a transient deficit in ACh from embryonic day 18.5 to postnatal day 10, and they recover normal ACh levels from the second postnatal week. This developmental ACh deficiency had no major impact on weight gain and cardiorespiratory status of newborn mice. Using this mouse model, we found that endogenous ACh levels determined the concentrations of circulating GH and IGF-1 at embryonic and postnatal stages. In particular, serum GH level was correlated with brain ACh content. ACh also modulated the levels of GHRH and SRIF in the hypothalamus and ghrelin in the stomach, and it affected the levels of these hormones in the circulation. This study identifies ACh as a potential regulator of the somatotropic axis during the developmental period.
Meeting Report – proteostasis in Ericeira
Authors: Adrain Colin , Henis-Korenblit Sivan , Domingos Pedro M.
Published: March 2018

It was a sunny Ericeira, in Portugal, that received the participants of the EMBO Workshop on Proteostasis, from 17 to 21 November 2017. Most participants gave talks or presented posters concerning their most recent research results, and lively scientific discussions occurred against the backdrop of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.

Proteostasis is the portmanteau of the words protein and homeostasis, and it refers to the biological mechanisms controlling the biogenesis, folding, trafficking and degradation of proteins in cells. An imbalance in proteostasis can lead to the accumulation of misfolded proteins or excessive protein degradation, and is associated with many human diseases. A wide variety of research approaches are used to identify the mechanisms that regulate proteostasis, typically involving different model organisms (yeast, invertebrates or mammalian systems) and different methodologies (genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, cell biology and organismal biology). Around 140 researchers in the proteostasis field met in the Hotel Vila Galé, Ericeira, Portugal for the EMBO Workshop in Proteostasis, organized by Pedro Domingos (ITQB-NOVA, Oeiras, Portugal) and Colin Adrain (IGC, Oeiras, Portugal). In this report, we attempt to review and integrate the ideas that emerged at the workshop. Owing to space restrictions, we could not cover all talks or posters and we apologize to the colleagues whose presentations could not be discussed.
NFAT control of immune function: New Frontiers for an Abiding Trooper
Authors: Vaeth Martin , Feske Stefan
Published: March 2018

Nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) was first described almost three decades ago as a Ca2+/calcineurin-regulated transcription factor in T cells. Since then, a large body of research uncovered the regulation and physiological function of different NFAT homologues in the immune system and many other tissues. In this review, we will discuss novel roles of NFAT in T cells, focusing mainly on its function in humoral immune responses, immunological tolerance, and the regulation of immune metabolism.
Emergent Leadership Structures in Informal Groups: A Dynamic, Cognitively Informed Network Model
Authors: Carnabuci Gianluca , Emery Cécile , Brinberg David
Published: March 2018

This paper advances novel theory and evidence on the emergence of informal leadership networks in groups that feature no formally designated leaders or authority hierarchies. We integrate insights from relational schema and network theory to develop and empirically test a three-step process model. The model’s first hypothesis is that people use a “linear ordering schema” to process information about leadership relations. The second hypothesis argues that when an individual experiences a particular leadership attribution to be inconsistent with the linear ordering schema, that individual will tend to reduce the ensuing cognitive inconsistency by modifying that leadership attribution. Finally, the third hypothesis builds on this inconsistency-reduction mechanism to derive implications about a set of network structural features (asymmetry, acyclicity, transitivity, popularity, and inverse popularity) that are predicted to emerge endogenously as a group’s informal leadership network evolves. We find broad support for our proposed theoretical model using a multi-method, multi-study approach combining experimental and observational data. Our study contributes to the organizational literature by illuminating a socio-cognitive dynamics underpinning the evolution of informal leadership structures in groups where formal authority plays a limited role.

The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1171 .
Gender Bias, Social Impact Framing, and Evaluation of Entrepreneurial Ventures
Authors: Lee Matthew , Huang Laura
Published: March 2018

Recent studies find that female-led ventures are penalized relative to male-led ventures as a result of role incongruity or a perceived “lack of fit” between female stereotypes and expected personal qualities of business entrepreneurs. We examine whether social impact framing that emphasizes a venture’s social–environmental welfare benefits, which research has shown to elicit stereotypically feminine attributions of warmth, diminishes these penalties. We initially investigate this proposition in a field study of evaluations of early-stage ventures and find evidence of lessened gender penalties for female-led ventures that are presented using a social impact frame. In a second study, we experimentally validate this effect and show that it is mediated by the effect of social impact framing on perceptions of the entrepreneur’s warmth. The effect of social impact frames on venture evaluations did not apply to men, was not a result of perceptions of increased competence, and was not conditional on the gender of evaluators. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that social impact framing increases attributions of warmth for all entrepreneurs but with positive consequences on business evaluation only for female-led ventures, for which increased perceptions of warmth attenuate female entrepreneurs’ gender role incongruity.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1172 .
Can we have mathematical understanding of physical phenomena?
Authors: Tȃrziu Gabriel
Published: March 2018

Can mathematics contribute to our understanding of physical phenomena? One way to try to answer this question is by getting involved in the recent philosophical dispute about the existence of mathematical explanations of physical phenomena. If there is such a thing, given the relation between explanation and understanding, we can say that there is an affirmative answer to our question. But what if we do not agree that mathematics can play an explanatory role in science? Can we still consider that the above question can have an affirmative answer? My main aim here is to give an account that takes mathematics, in some of the cases discussed in the literature, as contributing to our understanding of physical phenomena despite not being explanatory.
Credit Risk Management and Financial Performance of Microfinance Institutions in Kampala, Uganda
Authors: Kalu Emenike O. , Shieler Bashabe , Amu Christian U.
Published: March 2018

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether relationship exist between credit risk management techniques and financial performance of microfinance institutions in Kampala, Uganda. Specifically, the study examined whether there is a relationship between credit risk identification, credit risk appraisal, credit risk monitoring, credit risk mitigation and financial performance of microfinance institutions in Kampala using sample of 60 members of staff in finance and credit departments of three licensed microfinance institutions in Kampala, Uganda namely Finca Uganda Ltd, Pride Microfinance Ltd, UGAFODE Microfinance Ltd. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and it comprised of closed ended questions. Secondary data was collected from the microfinance institutions (MDI’s) annual reports (2011 - 2015).  Frequencies and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the population. Pearson linear correlation coefficient was adopted to examine relationship between credit risk management techniques and financial performance.  The findings indicate that credit risk identification and credit risk appraisal has a strong positive relationship on financial performance of MDIs, while credit risk monitoring and credit risk mitigation have moderate significant positive relationship on financial performance of MDIs. The study recommends, among others, that the credit risk appraisal process should identify and analyse all loss exposures, and measure such loss exposures. This should guide in selection of technique or combination of techniques to handle each exposure.  The study concludes that MDIs should continually emphasise effective credit risk identification, credit risk appraisal, credit risk monitoring, and credit risk mitigation techniques to enhance maximum financial performance.
Mozart's Figaro and Don Giovanni, Operatic Canon, and National Politics in Nineteenth-Century Prague
Authors: Nedbal Martin
Published: March 2018

After the enormous success of Le nozze di Figaro at Prague's Nostitz Theater in 1786 and the world premiere of Don Giovanni there in 1787, Mozart's operas became canonic works in the Bohemian capital, with numerous performances every season throughout the nineteenth century. These nineteenth-century Prague Mozart productions are particularly well documented in the previously overlooked collection of theater posters from the Czech National Museum and the mid-nineteenth-century manuscript scores of Le nozze di Figaro. Much sooner than elsewhere in Europe, Prague's critics, audiences, and opera institutions aimed at historically informed, “authentic” productions of these operas. This article shows that the attempts to transform Mozart's operas into autonomous artworks, artworks that would faithfully reflect the unique vision of their creator and not succumb to changing audience tastes, were closely linked to national politics in nineteenth-century Prague. As the city's population became more and more divided into ethnic Czechs and Germans, both groups appropriated Mozart for their own narratives of cultural uniqueness and cultivation. The attempts at historic authenticity originated already in the 1820s, when Czech opera performers and critics wanted to perform Don Giovanni in a form that was as close as possible to that created by Mozart in 1787 but distorted in various German singspiel adaptations. Similar attempts at historical authenticity are also prominent in Bedřich Smetana's approach to Le nozze di Figaro, during his tenure as the music director of the Czech Provisional Theater in the late 1860s. German-speaking performers and critics used claims of historical authenticity in the 1830s and 40s to stress Prague's importance as a prominent center of German culture. During the celebrations of the 1887 Don Giovanni centennial, furthermore, both the Czech and German communities in Prague appropriated Mozart's operas into their intensely nationalistic debates.
“Svesti la giubba,” or, Uncloaking the Genesis of Pagliacci
Authors: Giger Andreas
Published: March 2018

In 1943 Allied bombs destroyed the archives of Leoncavallo's publisher, Sonzogno, and of the Teatro Dal Verme, where Pagliacci was first performed. As a result, many sources pertaining to the opera's compositional history were lost, and scholarship has relied almost exclusively on Leoncavallo's unpublished autobiographical manuscript, “Appunti.” Contextual sources such as notifications in the press, eyewitness accounts, and a large body of mostly unpublished correspondence now suggest that Leoncavallo cloaked the opera's genesis to protect its legacy.

Leoncavallo was twice charged with having imitated an existing play. In his protracted defense, he took every opportunity to distinguish his libretto from the literary tradition to which it belongs and tie it instead to the verismo movement (with which critics had associated it since the premiere). He began to claim, for instance, that the libretto was based on a crime of passion he had witnessed in Montalto and invented a version of that crime that matched the libretto. Furthermore, in preparation of the first performance in Paris, he actively contributed to a staging faithfully depicting Montalto in an attempt to highlight the originality of the story. And as he was tightening the opera's connection to verismo, he was concealing aspects that would have reflected poorly on the opera's reception, including Sonzogno's initial concerns regarding the music and the presence of substantial musical self-borrowings.
El juez de vigilancia penitenciaria en España, como referente de la ejecución penal en América Latina
Authors: Huertas Díaz Omar , Rumbo Bonfil Cristina , Uribe Taborda Alicia
Published: March 2018

Si bien la cárcel es la pena más antigua y opresora que ha sido implementada en el mundo, infortunadamente aún no existe una pena que pueda reemplazar el ejercicio y función de esta, son los jueces de vigilancia penitenciaria los que en exclusiva hacen ejecutar lo juzgado en ejercicio de la potestad jurisdiccional, y con ello cumplen no solo con el mandamiento judicial determinado en una sentencia, sino también cumplen con lo consagrado en el mandato constitucional y se convierte en automático en un ente garante de los derechos de las personas privadas de la libertad, teniendo la gran labor de reivindicar la función jurídico-estatal de las instituciones penitenciarias. Es de vital importancia analizar la creación y función de esta figura dentro del sistema penitenciario en España, que en mucho ha servido de ejemplo para países latinoamericanos como México y Colombia, y que ha dado la pauta de la instauración de un moderno modelo de ejecución penal
Estado cosmopolita en América Latina
Authors: Llano Franco Jairo Vladimir , Angélica Rengifo Rosa , Marcela Rojas Lina
Published: March 2018

El presente artículo se centra en reflexionar sobre la concepción del modelo de Estado cosmopolita en América Latina, iniciando con la idea de lo que para efectos de la investigación se ha decido llamar cosmopolitismo tradicional, sustentado por Kant (1795) frente a la propuesta moderna de cosmopolitismo, la cual sostienen autores como Cortina, 1997; Nussbaum, 1999; de Sousa Santos, 2010, esto con el fin de delimitar el concepto, posteriormente se enfatiza en el fracaso de los modelos de Estado actualmente imperantes en la mayoría de países latinoamericanos, y cómo el Estado cosmopolita representa una solución a lo que esos modelos no han podido lograr; de igual forma, se hace mención a aquellas teorías jurídicas y de otras ramas que sostienen la viabilidad del modelo de Estado cosmopolita.
La extradición y la cooperación internacional. Falta de justicia, legitimidad o incapacidad del Estado colombiano: su historia
Authors: Osorio Montoya Rodrigo Orlando
Published: March 2018

La extradición es la figura jurídica judicial de mayor expresión en materia de cooperación internacional; siendo los casos más notorios los de terrorismo, narcotráfico, blanqueo de capitales, armas, trata de personas, organizaciones criminales y demás conductas punibles conexas a los anteriores, así como los delitos contenidos en el Estatuto de Roma. Esta figura cooperativa en algunos estamentos ha superado una serie de barreras de conveniencia política, económicas, jurídicas y sociales, convirtiéndose en una institución más viable y de mayor validez, pues ha pasado de ser una política de gobierno a ser una política estatal, además de ampliar su espectro de aplicabilidad, pasándose de la simple remisión de criminales a la reciprocidad de información, investigación, asistencia judicial, entre otros. Es así que los países se encuentran hoy con la obligación internacional de efectuar y ratificar tratados en donde se generen compromisos de asistencia mutua en materia de cooperación internacional, basados en el principio o denominada formula del latín: aut dedere aut judicare (extraditar o juzgar), emanado desde los convenios de Ginebra de 1949, con el propósito de que si el estamento está imposibilitado de juzgar al criminal o desea entregarlo a la nación requirente, este pueda ser procesado por el solicitante.Es de aclarar que esta norma se hizo a un lado durante décadas, tiene su reaparición legal en los artículos 8 y 9 del proyecto de código de crímenes contra la paz y la seguridad de la humanidad de 1996, en donde se trataba tímidamente este principio y el de jurisdicción universal. Lo anterior se retoma en 1998 al adoptarse el Estatuto de Roma de la Corte Penal Internacional.
KERAGAAN GENOTIPE DAN FENOTIPE IKAN UCENG Nemacheilus fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1846) ASAL BOGOR, TEMANGGUNG, DAN BLITAR
Authors: Ath-thar Muhammad Hunaina Fariduddin , Ambarwati Arifah , Soelistyowati Dinar Tri , Kristanto Anang Hari
Published: March 2018

Ikan uceng (Nemacheilus fasciatus) merupakan ikan asli Indonesia yang hidup di sungai dan potensial sebagai komoditas budidaya lokal yang bernilai ekonomi. Pengenalan sumber genetik ikan uceng berdasarkan lokasi geografis perlu dilakukan untuk pengembangan budidaya jangka panjang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi potensi genotipe dan fenotipe ikan uceng asal Bogor (Jawa Barat), Temanggung (Jawa Tengah), dan Blitar (Jawa Timur). Tiga primer (OPA-12, OPC-04, dan OPC-06) digunakan untuk analisis genotipe dengan metode PCR-RAPD, sedangkan performa fenotipik dievaluasi berdasarkan analisis truss morfometrik dan kinerja pertumbuhannya. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ikan uceng asal Temanggung memiliki heterozigositas dan tingkat polimorfisme tertinggi yaitu 0,153 dan 34,69%. Fenotipe truss morfometrik interpopulasi ikan uceng asal Temanggung dan Bogor memiliki tingkat inklusivitas sebesar 10%, sedangkan populasi Blitar menunjukkan tingkat keseragaman intrapopulasi yang tertinggi (96,7%). Sintasan tertinggi terdapat pada populasi ikan uceng asal Temanggung (96,66 ± 3,33%) yang diikuti dengan peningkatan nilai faktor kondisi, namun laju pertumbuhan spesifik tertinggi yaitu populasi asal Blitar (1,082 ± 0,164%). Berdasarkan keragaan genotipe dan fenotipe populasi ikan uceng asal Temanggung menunjukkan potensial sebagai sumber genetik budidaya dengan tingkat keragaman genetik, sintasan, dan inklusivitas tertinggi.Barred loach (Nemacheilus fasciatus) is an Indonesian native fish and has a potential as an economically valuable aquaculture species. The genetics resource identification of barred loach based on geographical location is needed in order to determine its aquaculture potential. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the genotype and phenotype performance of barred loach originated from Bogor (West Java), Temanggung (Central Java), and Blitar (East Java). Three primer (OPA-12, OPC04, and OPC-06) were used in the genotype analysis using PCR-RAPD method, while phenotype performance was evaluated based on truss morphometric analysis and growth performance. The result indicated that barred loach from Temanggung had highest heterozigosity (0.153) and polymorphism (34.69%) compared to the others. The highest intrapopulation sharing component gained by barred loach from Blitar (96.7%), while the interpopulation sharing component by barred loach from Temanggung and Bogor (10%). Barred loach from Temanggung had the highest survival rate (96.66 ± 3.33%) with increasing of condition factor. The highest specific growth rate resulted by barred loach from Blitar (1.08 ± 0.16%). Barred loach from Temanggung potential for genetic resources as highest polymorphism, inclusivity, and survival rate.
Three-dimensional modelling for seismic assessment of plain concrete arch bridges
Authors: Mahmoudi Moazam Adel , Hasani Nemat , Yazdani Mahdi
Published: March 2018

There are many century-old plain-concrete-arch railway bridges in Iran in need of seismic assessment. Given the logistical difficulties of conducting field tests, the use of computer models is being investigated as an alternative. Three-dimensional finite-element models were created for two bridges that had already been physically tested. After calibration with the test results, the modelled bridges were then subjected to a modelled earthquake to evaluate their behaviour under seismic loading. The results demonstrate that seismic response depends entirely on the geometrical and material properties, and that bridges perform better in a transverse direction.
Worst-case spatial correlation length in probabilistic slope stability analysis
Authors: Zhu D. , Griffiths D. V. , Fenton G. A.
Published: March 2018

This note investigates the reliability of undrained slopes by the random finite-element method. The focus of this note is on the worst-case spatial correlation length, namely the correlation length at which the probability of slope failure reaches a maximum. It is shown that the worst-case phenomenon is most pronounced when the mean factor of safety is relatively low or the coefficient of variation is relatively high. Knowledge of the worst-case spatial correlation length is valuable, as it can be employed for conservative design in the absence of substantial soil field data.
Alternative approach to traffic state analysis on Indian roads using image processing
Authors: Reddy Santosh Kumar , Ram Bhargav , O'Byrne Michael , Vanajakshi Lelitha , Ghosh Bidisha
Published: March 2018

In India, video monitoring of urban roads in order to estimate traffic condition parameters (volume, speed and density) is difficult due to the heterogeneous nature of the traffic and poor lane discipline. As an alternative, a methodology to estimate levels of traffic congestion on urban roads using image processing of monitored video recordings was developed. Four levels of congestion, from completely congested to free-flow conditions, were identified utilising surrogates such as area occupancy or average velocity along with additional attributes such as the number of corner features extracted using image processing. The algorithm was adjusted for changes in lighting and camera angles. The performance of the framework was evaluated on videos recorded from a major road in Chennai, India. The findings indicated that the proposed framework is well-suited for real-time identification of traffic states and has potential as a cost-effective tool for updating traveller information systems in similar road transport networks.
A current approach to teratogenic infections in pregnancy
Authors: DAĞLAR Gülseren , BİLGİÇ Dilek
Published: March 2018

Infections experienced in pregnancy have
negative effects on pregnancy and intrauterine infections fall within the most
important reasons of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Teratogenic infections
create a clinically similar picture, they should be assessed together. Another
point making the said infections important is the fact that they cause advanced
sequelae in fetus even though they progress asymptomatically in pregnant woman.
It may be possible
only with proof-based approaches to diagnose the infection in the women and
fetuses who experienced infection during their youths, to manage pregnancy, to
provide quality healthcare in order to carry out both delivery and postnatal
care safely in preventing the transmission of infection from mother to child,
to avoid unnecessary applications, to increase the functionality of the
applications which are non-routine but proven to be useful, to avoid using
unpractical applications. Healthcare professionals should take proof-based
approaches as a guide in providing healthcare in order to reach the said
targets and integrate them into clinical practice. The purpose in this
compilation is to discuss the operations in case of infectious diseases in
pregnancy (vaccination, serological screening and diagnosis tests, prenatal
diagnosis tests, treatment and newborn breastfeeding) with the results of
meta-analysis and systematic compilation of randomized studies in the
literature
Management and Care of Epilepsy During Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum
Authors: COŞKUN Anahit , ASLAN Sedef , ORAL Gizem
Published: March 2018

A B S T R A C TEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder that
affects 0.5% of women in reproductive age. This health condition can cause
pregnancy complications and vital problems in terms of mother, fetus and
newborn. Therefore, the management of epilepsy is of special importance in
preconceptional, pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods. It is suggested that
epileptic women planning pregnancy, especially who are using antiepileptic drugs
(AED,) should start to use adequate dose of folic acid 2-3 months before
pregnancy because of the risk of neural tube defects. In order to have a
healthy pregnancy for both mother and fetus, using prenatal screening and
diagnostic tests, appropriate monotherapy drug selection, control of seizures, education
and counseling on routine pregnancy monitoring and care would be appropriate.
The AED regime must be maintained regularly in the innatal period. There is no
problem for the vaginal deliveries of epileptic pregnant women. However,
literature suggests that cesarean birth is preferred. K vitamin supplements
should not be forgotten due to the risk of hemorrhage in infants of epileptic
mothers using AED. Although many AED’s pass from mother to baby, it is stated
that they are not harmful to the baby and there is no contraindication to
breastfeeding. For this reason, nurses support and counseling for breastfeeding
mothers is very important in the postnatal period. In order to avoid triggering
postpartum seizures, epileptic mothers have a greater need for sleeping,
resting, nutrition, and support systems compared to other postpartum
populations. This support should also be maintained in relation to neonatal
care. Postpartum hormonal contraceptives for epileptic women should not be the
first choice because of the interaction with AEDs. In this article, the
importance of preconceptional care in epilepsy, prognosis of epilepsy during
pregnancy, its effects on pregnancy, fetus and neonatal health, management of
epilepsy in prenatal, innatal and postnatal periods are discussed in the light
of literature.
Total laparoscopic hysterectomy experience within time period
Authors: ŞENTÜRK Metin , ÖGE Tufan
Published: March 2018

Objective: To evaluate single surgerion experience of total
laparscopic hyserectomy within a time period. Materials and methods: This retrospective type study included
81 cases of total laparoscopic hysterectomy performed during January and
December 2016 due to benign. The first 6 months and the last month were
examined in 2 groups. Analysis of the data was done using t test. Results: The highest hysterectomy indications of 81 patients
included in the study were endometrial hyperplasia. There were no significant
differences in age, parity, BMI, duration of hospital stay, and blood loss
between the first 6 months and the last month. When the operation periods of total
laparoscopic hysterectomies were compared between the first 6 months and the
last 6 months by a single surgeon, it was observed that the operations
performed in the last 6 months decreased significantly in duration(p<0,05). 

Conclusion: The operation time significant decrease after a
certain learning curve
PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY BASED COMBINATION THERAPY APPLICATION FOR OVARIAN CANCER
Authors: ERDEM S. Sibel , AKGUL OBEIDIN Vildan , PARLAR Rabia Edibe , SAHİN Ubeydullah
Published: March 2018

Cancer is one of the most
leading causes of death in Turkey as well as in the world. It is very critical
to cure the cancer via targeted therapy that is locally applied and shows minimum
side effects for patient’s life quality. 
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a local, photochemistry based treatment,
which has minimum side effects.  In
brief, PDT is a result of a combination of photosensitizer, a drug that is
activated by light, light and oxygen that generates free radicals and/or
singlet oxygen and starts series of reactions in cell and eventually cause cell
death. While light, oxygen and photosensitizer has no cytotoxic effect alone,
combination of three starts all photochemical reactions and as a result
cytotoxicity is generated in the tissue. Photosensitizer, converting light
energy to the chemical energy in the cell, is the most critical component of
PDT. One way to improve effectiveness of PDT is to combine it with different
treatment modalities. Cancer and other degenerative diseases involve several pathological
mechanisms and require multiple treatment methods such as combination
therapies. A combination therapy targets to bring together current therapies
and/or drugs to act upon different cellular signaling pathways/ cell damage
pathways thus activating various mechanisms in the cell increasing the success
rate of the treatment.  In the light of
these information, a new combination
therapy, based on PDT and chemotherapy, has been investigated towards SKOV-3
over cancer cell line.  A novel and
water-soluble photosensitizer and a chemotherapy drug called Irinotecan that is
been used in clinic were employed.  Our
results showed that outcome of the combination therapy, which is composed of
PDT and chemotherapy, highly depends on the order of the treatment. For
instance, when PDT applied first, strong antagonism is observed at certain drug
concentrations. On the other hand, synergism is observed using the same drug
concentrations yet by only changing the order of the treatment.