bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Awful Gladness”: The Dual Political Rhetorics of Du Bois’s “Of the Passing of the First-Born”
Authors: Menzel Annie
Published: February 2018

W.E.B. Du Bois’s elegy for his infant son, “Of the Passing of the First-Born,” in The Souls of Black Folk, has received relatively scant attention from political theorists. Yet it illuminates crucial developments in Du Bois’s political thought. It memorializes a tragedy central to his turn from scientific facts to rhetorical appeals to emotion. Its rhetoric also exemplifies a broader tension in his writings, between masculinist and elitist commitments and more insurrectionary impulses. In its normalizing rhetorical mode, which dominates, the elegy depicts an idealized patriarchal bourgeois household—potentially eliciting white readers’ sympathetic identification, but failing to displace the gendered and classed logic of racial exclusion. Its moments of transgressive rhetoric complicate or refuse such identification, celebrating Burghardt’s racial impurity and invoking a lineage of black maternal ambivalence. Though each is vexed and ephemeral, these moments of transgressive rhetoric reveal countervailing impulses that Du Bois would articulate in later writings.
The pyrolysis of industrial alliaceous plant wastes: Illustration of process and characterization of products
Authors: Caglar Atila , Aydinli Bahattin
Published: February 2018

Biomass is one of the renewable energy and material sources. Agricultural biomass wastes are in top list in terms of quantity and uniformity. The stalks, leafs, and peels of them have taken considerable attention for various purposes. The biomass and wastes in recycling of matter and recuperation of chemicals with thermochemical conversion techniques are an efficient way in environmental perspective. The alliaceous plant reaches huge amount and its peels take attention in terms of difficulty of recycling with potential valuable compounds like its pulp. Here the pyrolysis of this garlic peel wastes was accomplished to obtain various valuable solid and liquid products that were analyzed with miscellaneous methods (thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and scanning electron microscope). Three basic zones were appeared in thermal analysis for pyrolysis process. The valorization of these wastes to obtain precious chemicals and combustible compounds equivalent to petroleum products was illustrated by this way. Also carbonaceous compounds have been sequestered in solid and liquid forms by this way. The main fuel additives, methanol was obtained in remarkable amount (22.5%) from the liquid products. Also, porous material was produced from the solid products.
Quantification of 10 steroid hormones in human saliva from Chinese adult volunteers
Authors: Liu Jian , Qiu Xuemei , Wang Daoming , Li Yantao , Zong Yang , Liu Yichen , Zhang Yue , Yang Ping , Zuo Yong , Yang Huanming , Wang Jian , Du Yutao , Zi Jin
Published: February 2018

Objective

This study was performed to investigate the effects of age and sex on 10 salivary steroid hormones and analyze the correlations between salivary and plasma hormones.

Methods

The concentrations of 10 salivary steroid hormones in 1090 Chinese adult volunteers were examined using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and a related investigation was performed on the concentrations of salivary hormones in this population.

Results

The concentrations of androstenedione (A4), 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), aldosterone (ALD), cortisone (COR), corticosterone (CORT), cortisol (F), progesterone (P), and testosterone were significantly different between men and women (Student’s t-test). Differences in 17-OHP and ALD concentrations were highly significant between women in the follicular and luteal phases of their menstrual cycle (Student’s t-test). Five salivary steroid hormones (17-OHP, A4, CORT, COR, and F) significantly decreased with increasing age (Kruskal–Wallis test). A high linear correlation between salivary and plasma 17-OHP, P, A4, and F were observed with obvious sex-related differences (Pearson’s correlation, r > 0.7).

Conclusions

Our results provide important knowledge regarding the descriptive characteristics of salivary hormones in relation to age and sex and their correlations with plasma hormones.
‘Being Urban’ in the Context of Global Urbanization: The Case of India
Authors: Channa Subhadra Mitra
Published: February 2018

Western intellectual sources have dominated the social sciences to an extent that most definitions originate from a Eurocentric meaning system; words like urban, wild, nature, and culture being no exception. This paper interrogates and makes a critical assessment of what urban may mean in a non-western context, taking Delhi, the capital of India, as an example. It demonstrates that the meaning of a phrase, ‘being urban’, can only be understood in its historical, social/cultural, and political context; that the notion of a civil society, and meaning of terms such as public and private may be contextualized in varying moral universes and value systems to mean quite different things in different contexts. Overall the paper seeks to illuminate the futility of monolithic and reductionist constructs and value of situational and ethnographically constructed meanings of social and cultural phenomena. It demonstrates that even dichotomies like urban/non-urban are fuzzy and fluid, given the actual situation of real cities and their population; that a city is not defined by structure alone but by the people who live in it.
A comparative study of a mentalization-based versus a psychodynamic group therapy session
Authors: Kalleklev Jens , Karterud Sigmund
Published: February 2018

Aims:

The purpose of this study was to explore how mentalization-based group therapy (MBT-G) for patients with borderline personality disorder may be both different and similar to a more traditional psychodynamic group psychotherapy approach.

Material and methods:

The study is a comparative case-study examining a supposedly representative clinical example of MBT-G and a supposedly representative clinical example of a psychodynamic group (PDG). Both groups were composed mainly of patients with borderline personality disorder. The study used a mixed methodological approach with quantitative research methods, including MBT-G Adherence and Quality Scale and Reflective Functioning Scale (RF-scale), and qualitative content analysis.

Results:

1) The MBT-G therapists focused consistently on mental states and emotions. This was reflected both in a significantly higher intervention frequency, and in a higher proportion of theoretically assumed mentalizing-promoting interventions. 2) We observed an increase in mentalizing (defined as RF) among some patients in the MBT-G group. In the PDG session, RF development were less systematic, and had lesser impact. 3) Interventions with ‘demand’ characteristics might play an important role in developing a mentalizing group discourse. 4) In both groups, therapists and patients actively structured the sessions, but the MBT-G session more explicitly engaged in ‘meta’ discussions about it, i.e. discussing whether a topic should or should not be put on the agenda.

Conclusion:

Despite similarities between the approaches, differences in choice of therapeutic focus and consistency suggest that the two methods engage patients in different therapy processes. The results warrant studies that include more sessions in order to validate or falsify the resulting hypotheses.
Performance Funding Policy Impacts on STEM Degree Attainment
Authors: Li Amy Y.
Published: February 2018

Performance funding policies for higher education allocate appropriations to public institutions based on student outcomes such as degree completions. This study investigates whether a special science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) incentive in 13 state performance funding policies leads to greater undergraduate degree completions in STEM fields. This study applies a conceptual framework of principal–agent theory and anticipatory policy effects. Incorporating a panel data set on 551 public 4-year institutions from 2003-2004 to 2014-2015, results from difference-in-differences analyses suggest that the STEM incentive increases total STEM bachelor’s degrees completed as well as STEM bachelor’s degrees completed as a proportion of all bachelor’s degrees. Findings are robust to alternative specifications, suggesting that institutions are responding to the performance funding STEM incentive by graduating more students in these high-demand fields.
Economic growth, welfare models and inequality in the context of globalisation
Authors: Tridico Pasquale , Paternesi Meloni Walter
Published: February 2018

The recent economic crisis was a test case for many advanced countries to determine the capacity of their socio-economic model to cope with the challenges of globalisation and financial crash. From this perspective, the aim of this article is to explore whether the expansion of the welfare state should be seen as a barrier to economic growth and competitiveness, as ‘neoliberal’ economists often argue, or whether increasing public social provision might contribute to enhancing real income. After a comparative discussion of the evolution of different welfare models in developed countries, we advance our argument that public social spending is not a drain on competitiveness or an obstacle to economic efficiency. On the contrary, we explore the possibility that increasing welfare expenditure can stimulate economic growth along with lowering inequality, while the so-called ‘efficiency thesis’ (according to which globalisation needs to be accompanied by the retrenchment of welfare states in order to promote external competitiveness) produces worse economic performance and higher inequality. As a test of this hypothesis, we analyse empirical data on 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries from 1990 to 2013. We use econometric analysis to indicate that the so-called ‘compensation thesis’ (a process whereby globalisation is regulated through expansion of welfare states) may contribute to real income dynamics, while greater income inequality may inhibit per capita gross domestic product growth.
Evaluation of Quantra Hologic Volumetric Computerized Breast Density Software in Comparison With Manual Interpretation in a Diverse Population
Authors: Richard-Davis Gloria , Whittemore Brianna , Disher Anthony , Rice Valerie Montgomery , Lenin Rathinasamy B , Dollins Camille , Siegel Eric R , Eswaran Hari
Published: February 2018

Objective:

Increased mammographic breast density is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer development, regardless of age or ethnic background. The current gold standard for categorizing breast density consists of a radiologist estimation of percent density according to the American College of Radiology (ACR) Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) criteria. This study compares paired qualitative interpretations of breast density on digital mammograms with quantitative measurement of density using Hologic’s Food and Drug Administration–approved R2 Quantra volumetric breast density assessment tool. Our goal was to find the best cutoff value of Quantra-calculated breast density for stratifying patients accurately into high-risk and low-risk breast density categories.

Methods:

Screening digital mammograms from 385 subjects, aged 18 to 64 years, were evaluated. These mammograms were interpreted by a radiologist using the ACR’s BI-RADS density method, and had quantitative density measured using the R2 Quantra breast density assessment tool. The appropriate cutoff for breast density–based risk stratification using Quantra software was calculated using manually determined BI-RADS scores as a gold standard, in which scores of D3/D4 denoted high-risk densities and D1/D2 denoted low-risk densities.

Results:

The best cutoff value for risk stratification using Quantra-calculated breast density was found to be 14.0%, yielding a sensitivity of 65%, specificity of 77%, and positive and negative predictive values of 75% and 69%, respectively. Under bootstrap analysis, the best cutoff value had a mean ± SD of 13.70% ± 0.89%.

Conclusions:

Our study is the first to publish on a North American population that assesses the accuracy of the R2 Quantra system at breast density stratification. Quantitative breast density measures will improve accuracy and reliability of density determination, assisting future researchers to accurately calculate breast cancer risks associated with density increase.
Late Presentation of Infected Silicone Granulomas in the Lower Limb
Authors: Jessop Zita M , Welck Matthew , Zinser Emily , Garlick Nicholas , Hopkins Susan
Published: February 2018

Introduction:

Dermal fillers are used for multiple cosmetic indications including gluteal and thigh augmentation. Complications, although infrequent, are increasing due to the dramatic growth of dermal filler use. Our aim was to describe how the complication of infected silicone granulomas can present following lower limb augmentation.

Methods:

Two cases presented with pain, oedema, and erythema at the site of previous silicone filler injection, following a considerable delay after the last injection (range 4-7 years). We collected data on their biochemistry, haematology, histology, microbiology, and imaging at the time of presentation.

Results:

Complications included prolonged cellulitis with recurrent abscesses at sites of previous silicone dermal filler injection. Histology revealed infiltration of chronic inflammatory cells suggestive of silicone granuloma in both cases. Patients were reluctant to divulge use of cosmetic fillers or failed to recognise their significance given the time delay making diagnosis difficult. Delayed or recurring infections can suggest the presence of atypical organisms and we present the first reported case of silicone granuloma infection with Propionibacterium acnes.

Conclusions:

Microorganisms can induce immune-mediated hypersensitivity and are believed to be the trigger for delayed activation of a quiescent foreign body to a granulomatous reaction. The substantial time delay between injection and reaction must be recognised and may be attributable to atypical microorganisms or biofilm formation. Previous antibiotic use can affect expedient microbiological diagnosis and treatment requires close collaboration with microbiologists. It is important that clinicians are aware of these important complications which are becoming more common with increased use of filler augmentation.
Health promotion in young people: Identifying the predisposing factors of self-care health habits
Authors: Ruiz-Palomino Estefanía , Giménez-García Cristina , Ballester-Arnal Rafael , Gil-Llario María Dolores
Published: February 2018

Unhealthy behaviors are strongly associated with chronic diseases, disabilities, or mortality. Identifying the predisposing factors that influence on self-care healthy habits will improve an early detection of high-risk groups. Four hundred and sixty-six Spanish young people aged 18–25 years were assessed. Global perceived health self-care was predicted by Value of health and Conscientiousness, both in females ( R2 = 0.185; F = 29.661; p < 0.001) and males ( R2 = 0.154; F = 17.849; p < 0.001). The results have shown gender differences in health self-care habits. Health promotion policies should include specific health consciousness-based strategies.
Online feminist practice, participatory activism and public policies against gender-based violence in Spain
Authors: Núñez Puente Sonia , Fernández Romero Diana , Vázquez Cupeiro Susana
Published: February 2018

This article presents and reflects upon the results of a survey involving a sample of women who have experienced gender-based violence and who have turned to an institutional centre to tackle their situation. In aiming to move beyond a descriptive treatment, we consider the plurality of user types and their remote use patterns in relation to the resources offered by virtual feminist communities designed to promote increased sociopolitical mobilisation in the fight against violence against women. We will observe the progressive emergence of protest actions organised by Spanish virtual feminist communities, which make use of new technologies to contribute productively to the debate and to political action in innovative organisations and formats. The article discusses how feminist virtual communities are using digital spaces for their work combatting violence against women, and whether this work is apparent to those who experience this violence. Finally, we tackle the implications of this work for online feminist activism in terms of a more interactive and social constructivist model of activism, as well as considering its relationship to institutional-legal discourse and public policies that require women to recognise themselves as victims.
The primacy of narrative agency: Re-reading Seyla Benhabib on narrativity
Authors: Lucas Sarah Drews
Published: February 2018

The central claim of this article is that narrative agency, which I will define as a subject’s capacity to make sense of herself as an ‘I’ over time and in relation to other ‘I’s, is a precondition for identity formation. I engage with two critiques of this claim: first, that narrative agency is limited by, rather than primary to, subordinating gender norms and, second, that a view of narrative agency as primary is committed to too ambitious a conception of the communicability of narratives. I argue that the narrative model survives these two criticisms by emphasising its irreducibility, its inherent relationality and its generative potential. I then suggest some of the ways in which a concept of narrative agency might help feminist critical theory to posit mutual recognition and respect as productive criteria for progressive self and social transformation.
Figuring the Angry Inch: Transnormativity, the black femme and the fraudulent phallus; or fleshly remainders of the ‘ungendered’ and the ‘unthought’
Authors: hollis o'neil æryka j.
Published: February 2018

This article takes up Hortense Spillers’ conception of ‘ungendered’ flesh and Saidiya Hartman’s notion of the ‘position of the unthought’ occupied by the figure of the Black- qua-Slave in order to explore their resonance for considering the interrelations between anti-black racial antagonism, ontological positioning and hegemonic renderings of gender formation and sexual taxonomies. Examining the performance and reception of the recent Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Taye Diggs as a case study, it asks what role race, and specifically (anti-)blackness, plays in the representation, recognition and intelligibility of proper, (non-)normative gendered corporealities within the dominant imaginary and collective unconscious.
‘Creating justice between us’: Audre Lorde’s theory of the erotic as coalitional politics in the Women’s Movement
Authors: Strongman SaraEllen
Published: February 2018

This article asks how interracial sex and/or sexual attraction might be an integral part of cross-racial feminist work. Focusing on the work of black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde, I argue that for some black women sex and intimate relationships with white women during the Women’s Movement were an important part of their survival and their feminist and anti-racist praxis. Drawing on recent black feminist scholarship, I read Lorde’s work against the grain of the anti-pornography feminist movement contemporaneous with her career and suggest that sex with white women was often a productive, enriching and necessary experience for her as she worked to build cross-racial political alliances.
Utopian Plans for the Modern World
Authors: Stephenson Bruce
Published: February 2018

Sustainability, as put forth in the Brutland Commission’s landmark report, Our Common Future, imposes “limits to growth” to ensure development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Grounded in urban planning, sustainability took root nearly a century ago in a set of regional plans John Nolen and Lewis Mumford put forth to limit growth and strike a balance between ecological relations and consumer demand. If their works were Utopian, they were also culled from the study of nature and history and they left a timeless legacy.
Management of multiple sclerosis patients in central European countries: current needs and potential solutions
Authors: Berger Thomas , Adamczyk-Sowa Monika , Csépány Tünde , Fazekas Franz , Hojs Fabjan Tanja , Horáková Dana , Illes Zsolt , Klimová Eleonóra , Leutmezer Fritz , Rejdak Konrad , Rozsa Csilla , Šega Jazbec Saša , Szilasiová Jarmila , Turčáni Peter , Vachová Marta , Vécsei László , Havrdová Eva
Published: February 2018

Multiple sclerosis (MS) experts in Europe are facing rapidly rising demands of excellence due to the increasing complexity of MS therapy and management. A central European expert board of MS experts met to identify needs and obstacles with respect to raising quality of MS care in central and Eastern European countries. There are substantial variations across countries regarding delivery of care and its cost structure, as well as access to treatment. To date, Eastern European countries are often less able to afford reimbursement of immunomodulatory agents than Western countries. Overall, approximately 40% of working-age patients are not working due to MS. Costs rise steeply with increasing disability; indirect costs constitute the bulk of the financial burden in patients with severe MS. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment is meanwhile obligatory as the diagnostic interface in the management of MS patients. Recommended measures directed at improving quality of care include the collection of patient data in registries, enhanced education of healthcare professionals, implementation of national strategies aiming at reducing regional variation, optimization of approval processes, and removal of administrative barriers. Local partnerships with authorities such as those that represent the interests of employees can contribute to leverage the importance of epidemiological data. The need for education extends to (neuro)radiologists who are responsible for reporting MRI findings in expert quality. Dissemination of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging in MS (MAGNIMS) protocol would be an important step in this context. Also, clinical freedom of choice is rated as essential. Physicians should have access to a range of treatment options due to the complexity of disease. Guidelines such as the upcoming EAN-ECTRIMS clinical practice guideline also aim at providing a basis for argumentation in negotiations with national health authorities.
Nocturnal polyuria: Literature review of definition, pathophysiology, investigations and treatment
Authors: Kass-Iliyya Antoine , Hashim Hashim
Published: February 2018

Nocturnal polyuria (NP) is characterised by increased urine production overnight in comparison to daytime. It has significant adverse events in adults including reduced quality of life, increased risk of falls and increased mortality.

Although NP can be a manifestation of other significant conditions like heart failure and sleep apnoea, there are lots of unanswered questions about NP. What is the underlying pathophysiology? Is NP a physiological manifestation of ageing? Is the circadian change of vasopressin release the primary pathology? Or is it a secondary phenomenon to a low diurnal production of urine? Is the primary pathology at the kidney level or is there another humoral, cardiac, or endovascular element? In this article, we summarise the available English-language literature on the subject of NP, including its epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment.

Level of evidence: Not applicable for this multicentre audit.
Computation of modern anthropogenic-deposit thicknesses in urban areas: A case study in Rome, Italy
Authors: Luberti Gian Marco
Published: February 2018

In comparison with naturally stratified deposits, anthropogenic strata often have large variability in physical and chemical characteristics, which can be determined only through field surveys and laboratory tests. The estimation of their spatial distribution, based on the modelling of their basal surface, may output imprecise results, since the interpolation process is often affected by insufficient input data, which are provided by available borehole-log data. This paper reports the results of a multitemporal-analysis methodology, which is supported by historical maps that are generally available for urban centres. The methodology allows the spatial characterization of major portions of anthropogenic deposits, which were mainly produced after the Industrial Revolution, worldwide. The first tests seemed to be satisfactory, although the selected area, which has been greatly urbanized since the end of the 19th century, is part of a city in which humans have made important modifications since ancient times.
Watching Reality TV Programs With Concurrent Sexual and Alcohol Themes Is Associated With Risky Drinking and Sexual Experiences
Authors: Kim Janna L. , Schooler Deborah E. , Lazaro Sarah Kay , Weiss Jie
Published: February 2018

The real-life risks associated with engaging in sexual behavior while intoxicated or high are rarely depicted on television. This study examined whether heavy exposure to sexual and alcohol content on fictional and reality TV programs would be associated with emerging adults’ risky sexual and alcohol experiences. Of particular interest were programs in which sexual and alcohol themes were perceived to co-occur most strongly and the genre of TV exposure. Participants were 320 male and female undergraduate students between 18 and 25 years of age ( M = 20). Results showed heavier exposure to reality TV programs perceived to have strong, concurrent sexual and alcohol themes, and perceiving reality TV content as realistic was each associated with more harmful drinking patterns and more frequent sexual behavior while intoxicated or high. Methodological and health implications of the findings are discussed.
Sarcoidosis mortality in Sweden: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Rossides Marios , Kullberg Susanna , Askling Johan , Eklund Anders , Grunewald Johan , Arkema Elizabeth V.
Published: February 2018

We aimed to investigate sarcoidosis mortality in a large, population-based cohort, taking into account disease heterogeneity.

Individuals with incident sarcoidosis (n=8207) were identified from the Swedish National Patient Register using International Classification of Disease codes (2003‒2013). In a subset, cases receiving treatment ±3 months from diagnosis were identified from the Prescribed Drug Register. Nonsarcoidosis comparators from the general population were matched to cases 10:1 on birth year, sex and county. Individuals were followed for all-cause death in the Cause of Death Register. Adjusted mortality rates, rate differences and hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated, stratifying by age, sex and treatment status.

The mortality rate was 11.0 per 1000 person-years in sarcoidosisversus6.7 in comparators (rate difference 2.7 per 1000 person-years). The HR for death was 1.61 (95% CI 1.47‒1.76), with no large variation by age or sex. For cases not receiving treatment within the first 3 months, the HR was 1.13 (95% CI 0.94‒1.35). The HR was 2.34 (95% CI 1.99‒2.75) for those receiving treatment.

Individuals with sarcoidosis are at a higher risk of death compared to the general population. For the majority, the increased risk is small. However, patients whose disease leads to treatment around diagnosis have a two-fold increased risk of death. Future interventions should focus on this vulnerable group.
The role of air pollution and lung function in cognitive impairment
Authors: Hüls Anke , Vierkötter Andrea , Sugiri Dorothea , Abramson Michael J. , Ranft Ulrich , Krämer Ursula , Schikowski Tamara
Published: February 2018

Air pollution has been associated with impaired lung and cognitive function, especially impairment in visuo-construction performance (VCP). In this article, we evaluate whether the effect of air pollution on VCP is mediated by lung function.

We used data from the SALIA cohort (baseline 1985–1994 and follow-up 2007–2010) including 587 women aged 55 years at baseline. Particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposures at baseline were estimated via land-use regression models. Lung function was characterised by averages between baseline and follow-up. We used age- and height-controlled Global Lung Initiative (GLI) z-scores of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC. VCP was assessed at follow-up with the CERAD-Plus neuropsychological test battery and causal mediation analysis was conducted.

An increase of one interquartile range in FEV1and FVC was positively associated with VCP (β=0.18 (95% CI 0.02–0.34) and β=0.23 (95% CI 0.07–0.39), respectively). The proportion of the association between NO2on VCP mediated by FEV1was 6.2% and this was higher in never smokers (7.2%) and non-carriers of theAPOE-ε4allele (11.2%). However, none of the mediations were statistically significant.

In conclusion, air pollution associated VCP was partially mediated by lung function. Further studies on the mechanisms underlying this pathway are required to develop new strategies to prevent air pollution induced cognitive impairment.
Comparing and optimizing ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systems use for patient room terminal disinfection: an exploratory study using radiometry and commercial test cards
Authors: Masse Vincent , Hartley Michael J. , Edmond Michael B. , Diekema Daniel J.
Published: February 2018

Background

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) systems are gaining popularity, however objective comparisons of their characteristics are lacking. While environmental cultures and reduction of hospital-associated infections rates are excellent study endpoints, they are impractical for centers with limited resources who want to compare or optimize UVGI systems use.

Methods

We evaluated radiometry and commercial test cards, two simple and low cost tools, to compare 2 full size UVGI systems (Tru-D and Optimum-UV Enlight) and 2 small units (Lumalier EDU 435 and MRSA-UV Turbo-UV).

Results

Radiometry-derived output curves show that if both large devices emit enough energy to reach C. difficile lethal doses at 10 ft, the reduction in output in distance is almost perfectly logarithmic. In a patient room environment, Enlight and Tru-D performed similarly when compared using radiometry and commercial test cards. The two small devices reached C. difficile range around the bathroom with the device raised above the floor, but longer times are needed.

Conclusions

Despite different workflows and price points, no clear superiority emerges between Tru-D and Enlight. Bathroom disinfection should be dealt with separately from the main room and small, cheaper units can be used. Radiometry and commercial test cards are promising ways to compare UVGI systems, but further validation is needed using correlation with environmental cultures.

Trial registration

Not applicable.
Maintenance for Repaired RC Column Exposed to Chloride Attack Based on Probability Distribution of Service Life
Authors: Jung Sang-Hwa , Yang Hyun-Min , Yang Keun-Hyeok , Kwon Seung-Jun
Published: February 2018

Chloride attack is one of the most critical deterioration due to rapid corrosion initiation and propagation which can cause structural safety problem. Extended service life through repairing is very important for determination of maintenance strategy. Conventionally adopted models for estimation of life cycle cost have shown step-shaped elevation of cost, however the extension of service life is much affected by quality of construction and repairing materials, which means engineering uncertainties in residual service life. In the paper, reinforced concrete column with three different mix proportions exposed to chloride attack are considered, and repairing numbers with related costs are evaluated through probabilistic technique for maintenance. With a given exposure condition, service lives with normal probabilistic distribution are considered, and the effect of design parameters such as coefficient of variation of service life and 1st repairing timing are investigated. The comparison of results from conventional approach (step-function) and probabilistic approach are performed. When calculating repair frequency for intended service life through probabilistic model, the required repair frequency is evaluated to be 6.71 times for OPC, 4.09 times for SG30, and 2.95 times for SG50, respectively. The probabilistic model for repairing cost is evaluated to be effective for reducing the repair frequency reasonably with changing the intended service life and design parameters.
Prevalence, factors and reasons associated with missed first appointments among out-patients with schizophrenia at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City
Authors: Ibironke Thomas Felicia , Osasu Olotu Sunday , Ohiole Omoaregba Joyce
Published: February 2018

Background

Non-attendance to clinic appointments is associated with poorer treatment outcomes. There is a dearth of information about missed first clinic appointments among patients with schizophrenia in Nigeria.

Aims

To determine the prevalence, correlates and reasons for missed first appointment among out-patients with schizophrenia at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.

Method

A cross-sectional descriptive study among 275 out-patients with schizophrenia, using the Mini International Neuro-Psychiatric Interview and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale.

Results

The prevalence of missed first appointment was 31%. Higher BPRS score was associated with missing the appointment. The main reasons for missed appointments were: forgetting the appointment date and patient's refusal to come to the clinic.

Conclusions

Missed first out-patient clinic appointment is common among patients with schizophrenia at the study site, forgetting appointment dates being a common reason. Among other recommendations, methods of reminding patients and caregivers of appointment dates at the study location may need to be explored.

Declaration of interest

None.
Assessing the readability of the self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
Authors: Patalay Praveetha , Hayes Daniel , Wolpert Miranda
Published: February 2018

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is one of the most widely used measures in child and adolescent mental health in clinical practice, community-based screening and research. Assessing the readability of such questionnaires is important as young people may not comprehend items above their reading ability when self-reporting. Analyses of readability in the present study indicate that the self-report SDQ might not be suitable for young people with a reading age below 13–14 years and highlight differences in readability between subscales. The findings suggest a need for caution in using the SDQ as a self-report measure for children below the age of 13, and highlight considerations of readability in measure development, selection and interpretation.

Declaration of interest

None.
Home-Based e-Health Platform for Multidimensional Telemonitoring of Symptoms, Body Weight, Sleep, and Circadian Activity: Relevance for Chronomodulated Administration of Irinotecan, Fluorouracil-Leucovorin, and Oxaliplatin at Home—Results From a Pilot Study
Authors: Innominato Pasquale , Komarzynski Sandra , Karaboué Abdoulaye , Ulusakarya Ayhan , Bouchahda Mohamed , Haydar Mazen , Bossevot-Desmaris Rachel , Mocquery Magali , Plessis Virginie , Lévi Francis
Published: February 2018

Purpose

To assess the impact of chronomodulated irinotecan fluorouracil-leucovorin and oxaliplatin (chronoIFLO4) delivered at home on the daily life of patients with cancer in real time using a home-based e-Health multifunction and multiuser platform. This involved multidimensional telemonitoring of circadian rest-activity rhythm (CircAct), sleep, patient-reported outcome measures, and body weight changes (BWCs).

Patients and Methods

Patients received chronoIFLO4 fortnightly at home. Patients completed the 19-item MD Anderson Symptom Inventory on an interactive electronic screen, weighed themselves on a dedicated scale, and continuously wore a wrist accelerometer for CircAct and sleep monitoring. Daily data were securely teletransmitted to a specific server accessible by the hospital team. The clinically relevant CircAct parameter dichotomy index I < O and sleep efficiency (SE) were calculated. The dynamic patterns over time of patient-reported outcome measures, BWC, I < O, and SE informed the oncology team on tolerance in real time.

Results

The platform was installed in the home of 11 patients (48 to 72 years of age; 45% men; 27% with performance status = 0), who were instructed on its use on site. They received 26 cycles and provided 5,891 data points of 8,736 expected (67.4%). The most severe MD Anderson Symptom Inventory scores were: interference with work (mean: 5.1 of 10) or general activity (4.9), fatigue (4.9), distress (4.2), and appetite loss (3.6). Mean BWC was −0.9%, and mean SE remained > 82%. CircAct disruption (I < O ≤ 97.5%) was observed in four (15%) cycles before chronoIFLO4 start and in five (19%) cycles at day 14.

Conclusion

The patient-centered multidimensional telemonitoring solution implemented here was well accepted by patients receiving multidrug chemotherapy at home. Moreover, it demonstrated that chronoIFLO4 was a safe therapeutic option. Such integrated technology allows the design of innovative management approaches, ultimately improving patients’ experience with chemotherapy, wellbeing, and outcomes.
Perspectives on Strengthening Cancer Research and Control in Latin America Through Partnerships and Diplomacy: Experience of the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Global Health
Authors: Frech Silvina , Muha Catherine A. , Stevens Lisa M. , Trimble Edward L. , Brew Roxanne , Perin Doug Puricelli , Luciani Silvana , Mohar Alejandro , Piñeros Marion , Vidaurre Tatiana , Morgan Douglas R. , Hawk Ernest T. , Schmeler Kathleen M. , Foxhall Lewis E. , Rabadan-Diehl Cristina , Duran Denise , Rendler-Garcia Melissa , Cazap Eduardo L. , Santini Luiz , Zoss Walter , Delgado Lucia B. , Pearlman Paul C. , Given Leslie , Hohman Karin , Lopez Melissa S. , Kostelecky Brenda
Published: February 2018

According to the Pan American Health Organization, noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, are the leading causes of preventable and premature death in the Americas. Governments and health care systems in Latin America face numerous challenges as a result of increasing morbidity and mortality from cancer. Multiple international organizations have recognized the need for collaborative action on and technical support for cancer research and control in Latin America. The Center for Global Health at the US National Cancer Institute (NCI-CGH) is one entity among many that are working in the region and has sought to develop a strategy for working in Latin America that draws on and expands the collaborative potential of engaged, skilled, and diverse partners. NCI-CGH has worked toward developing and implementing initiatives in collaboration with global partners that share the common objectives of building a global cancer research community and translating research results into evidence-informed policy and practice. Both objectives are complementary and synergistic and are additionally supported by an overarching strategic framework that is focused on partnerships and science diplomacy. This work highlights the overall strategy for NCI-CGH engagement in Latin America through partnerships and diplomacy, and highlights selected collaborative efforts that are aimed at improving cancer outcomes in the region.
Validating upstream regulators of Yorkie activity in Hippo signaling through scalloped-based genetic epistasis
Authors: Yu Jianzhong , Pan Duojia
Published: February 2018

Genetic studies in Drosophila have been instrumental in characterizing the Hippo pathway, which converges on the co-activator Yorkie to regulate target gene transcription. A routinely used strategy to interrogate upstream regulators of Yorkie involves the examination of selected Hippo target genes upon loss or gain of function of a suspected pathway regulator. A caveat with this strategy is that aberrant expression of a given Hippo target per se does not distinguish whether it is caused by changes in Yorkie or Yorkie-independent inputs converging on the same target gene. Building on previous findings that the DNA-binding transcription factor Scalloped mediates both Yorkie overexpression and loss-of-function phenotypes yet is itself dispensable for normal eye development, we describe a simple strategy to distinguish these possibilities by analyzing double-mutant clones of scalloped and a suspected Yorkie regulator. We provide proof of principle that this strategy can be used effectively to validate canonical Yorkie regulators and to exclude proteins that impact target expression independent of Yorkie. The described methodology and reagents should facilitate efforts to assess the expanding repertoire of proteins implicated in regulation of Yorkie activity.
Lineage- and stage-specific expressed CYCD7;1 coordinates the single symmetric division that creates stomatal guard cells
Authors: Weimer Annika K. , Matos Juliana L. , Sharma Nidhi , Patell Farah , Murray James A. H. , Dewitte Walter , Bergmann Dominique C.
Published: February 2018

Plants, with cells fixed in place by rigid walls, often utilize spatial and temporally distinct cell division programs to organize and maintain organs. This leads to the question of how developmental regulators interact with the cell cycle machinery to link cell division events with particular developmental trajectories. In Arabidopsis leaves, the development of stomata, two-celled epidermal valves that mediate plant-atmosphere gas exchange, relies on a series of oriented stem cell-like asymmetric divisions followed by a single symmetric division. The stomatal lineage is embedded in a tissue in which other cells transition from proliferation to postmitotic differentiation earlier, necessitating stomatal lineage-specific factors to prolong competence to divide. We show that the D-type cyclin, CYCD7;1, is specifically expressed just prior to the symmetric guard cell-forming division, and that it is limiting for this division. Further, we find that CYCD7;1 is capable of promoting divisions in multiple contexts, likely through RBR1-dependent promotion of the G1/S transition, but that CYCD7;1 is regulated at the transcriptional level by cell type-specific transcription factors that confine its expression to the appropriate developmental window.
Preparation of Monodisperse LiCoO2 Hollow Particles by Membrane Emulsification Using Anodic Porous Alumina
Authors: Yanagishita Takashi , Inoue Taito , Kondo Toshiaki , Masuda Hideki
Published: February 2018

Monodisperse LiCoO2 hollow particles were prepared by membrane emulsification using ordered anodic porous alumina. An aqueous solution containing metal salts and a chelating agent was used as the dispersed phase for the emulsification. The uniform-sized emulsion droplets formed by membrane emulsification were solidified on a filter membrane by drying in air. LiCoO2 hollow particles were formed by calcination of the precursor particles. The obtained monodisperse particles are expected to be suitable for use as an active cathode material for Li-ion batteries because of their large surface area and uniform size.
Vascular Nitric Oxide–Superoxide Balance and Thrombus Formation after Acute Exercise
Authors: PRZYBOROWSKI KAMIL , PRONIEWSKI BARTOSZ , CZARNY JOANNA , SMEDA MARTA , SITEK BARBARA , ZAKRZEWSKA AGNIESZKA , ZOLADZ JERZY A. , CHLOPICKI STEFAN
Published: February 2018

Introduction

An acute bout of strenuous exercise in humans results in transient impairment of nitric oxide (NO)–dependent function, but it remains unknown whether this phenomenon is associated with increased risk of thrombotic events after exercise. This study aimed to evaluate effects of a single bout of exhaustive running in mice on the balance of vascular NO/reactive oxygen species production, and on thrombogenicity.

Methods

At different time points (0, 2, and 4 h) after exercise and in sedentary C57BL/6 mice, the production of NO and superoxide (•O2
−) in aorta was measured by electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping and by dihydroethidium/high-performance liquid chromatography–based method, respectively, whereas collagen-induced thrombus formation was analyzed in a microchip-based flow-chamber system (total thrombus-formation analysis system). We also measured pre- and postexercise plasma concentration of nitrite/nitrate and 6-keto-PGF1α.

Results

An acute bout of exhaustive running in mice resulted in decreased production of NO and increased production of •O2
− in aorta, with maximum changes 2 h after completion of exercise when compared with sedentary mice. However, platelet thrombus formation was not changed by exercise as evidenced by unaltered time to start of thrombus formation, capillary occlusion time, and total thrombogenicity (area under the flow pressure curve) as measured in a flow-chamber system. Strenuous exercise increased the plasma concentration of nitrite but did not affect nitrate and 6-keto-PGF1α concentrations.

Conclusion

An acute bout of strenuous exercise in mice reduced NO and in parallel increased •O2
− production in aorta. This response was most pronounced 2 h after exercise. Surprisingly, the reduced NO and increased •O2
− production in mice after exercise did not result in increased platelet-dependent thrombogenicity. These results show that transient reduction in NO bioavailability does not modify thromboresistance in healthy mice after exercise.
Application of 80-kVp scan and raw data-based iterative reconstruction for reduced iodine load abdominal–pelvic CT in patients at risk of contrast-induced nephropathy referred for oncological assessment: effects on radiation dose, image quality and renal function
Authors: Nagayama Yasunori , Tanoue Shota , Tsuji Akinori , Urata Joji , Furusawa Mitsuhiro , Oda Seitaro , Nakaura Takeshi , Utsunomiya Daisuke , Yoshida Eri , Yoshida Morikatsu , Kidoh Masafumi , Tateishi Machiko , Yamashita Yasuyuki
Published: February 2018

Objective:

To evaluate the image quality, radiation dose, and renal safety of contrast medium (CM)-reduced abdominal–pelvic CT combining 80-kVp and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) in patients with renal dysfunction for oncological assessment.

Methods:

We included 45 patients with renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate  <45 ml per min per 1.73 m2) who underwent reduced-CM abdominal–pelvic CT (360 mgI kg–1, 80-kVp, SAFIRE) for oncological assessment. Another 45 patients without renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate >60 ml per lmin per 1.73 m2) who underwent standard oncological abdominal–pelvic CT (600 mgI kg–1, 120-kVp, filtered-back projection) were included as controls. CT attenuation, image noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were compared. Two observers performed subjective image analysis on a 4-point scale. Size-specific dose estimate and renal function 1–3 months after CT were measured.

Results:

The size-specific dose estimate and iodine load of 80-kVp protocol were 32 and 41%,, respectively, lower than of 120-kVp protocol (p < 0.01). CT attenuation and contrast-to-noise ratio of parenchymal organs and vessels in 80-kVp images were significantly better than those of 120-kVp images (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in quantitative or qualitative image noise or subjective overall quality (p > 0.05). No significant kidney injury associated with CM administration was observed.

Conclusion:

80-kVp abdominal–pelvic CT with SAFIRE yields diagnostic image quality in oncology patients with renal dysfunction under substantially reduced iodine and radiation dose without renal safety concerns.

Advances in knowledge:

Using 80-kVp and SAFIRE allows for 40% iodine load and 32% radiation dose reduction for abdominal–pelvic CT without compromising image quality and renal function in oncology patients at risk of contrast-induced nephropathy.