bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Delta Opioid Peptide [d-Ala2, d-Leu5] Enkephalin (DADLE) Exerts a Cytoprotective Effect in Astrocytes Exposed to Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation by Inducing Autophagy
Authors: Wang Shuyan , Cao Xiaoqiong , Duan Yale , Zhang Guangming
Published: January 2019

Astrocytes protection and functional regulation are important strategies to protect against neuronal damage caused by ischemia. Activation of the delta opioid receptor (DOR) could reduce astrocytes damage, although the mechanism remains unclear. The present study aimed to test the effect of DOR activation on autophagy in astrocytes exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), and to further investigate whether this effect has a protective effect on astrocytes. Primary cultured rat cortical astrocytes were treated with various doses of [d-Ala2, d-Leu5]-Enkephalin (DADLE, a selective DOR agonist) followed by 6 h OGD. Cell viability was evaluated by CCK-8 assay and lactate dehydrogenase release. Autophagic vacuole was analyzed with LC3 immunofluorescent staining. The levels of autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins were analyzed by western blot. Results demonstrated that treatment with 10 nM DADLE was sufficient to increase cell viability and induced autophagy in astrocytes. The DADLE-induced autophagy displayed a cytoprotective effect on astrocytes. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA, an autophagy inhibitor) reversed the protective effect of DADLE. Naltrindole (a DOR antagonist) only partially antagonized the role of DADLE, which indicated that DADLE might have a cytoprotective mechanism independent of DOR. Further results showed that DADLE significantly enhanced the level of Bcl-2 protein and reduced the level of Bax protein in astrocytes exposed to OGD. Our results suggest a novel mechanism in which DADLE induces autophagy in astrocytes and exerts cytoprotective effects by inhibiting apoptosis.
The effects of sample preparation on the interlaminar shear strength test values of unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites
Authors: Sun Ying , Lu Yonggen , Guo Xiaoye
Published: January 2019

Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) is an important indicator to measure the interfacial adhesion between the fiber and the matrix. The ILSS values of the unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites prepared under different process conditions were investigated. Three main factors in the sample preparation, namely pressure in the molding process, fiber content of the composite, and whether to add vacuum treatment in the sample preparation process, were probed in this work. We found that the samples prepared under high pressure presented low ILSS values, but the sample prepared without pressure was not suitable for testing and the optimum pressure was 0.5 MPa. The sample prepared at lower fiber content was also not suitable for testing. However, the ILSS value decreased when the fiber content was further increased and the optimum fiber content was 60 wt%. The ILSS value was significantly increased by adding the process of vacuum treatment in the preparation.
Perspectives of the Kyrgyz Republic on Eurasia
Authors: Nurmatov Temirbek
Published: January 2019

The Kyrgyz Republic was a co-founder of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), one of the first countries to sign the Collective Security Treaty (CST). Participation in the Treaty is a guarantee of its own security for Kyrgyzstan. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), becoming the culmination of the formal economic integration of Russia and Central Asian countries, set as its primary goal the creation of common regional markets for goods, services, capital and labour, which implies unrestricted freedom of trade and labour migration between member countries and unified customs procedures. The participation of Kyrgyzstan in the EAEU is a historically conditioned need for the revival and strengthening of trade and economic ties. Kyrgyzstan’s road, rail and air links mainly pass through the EEU countries.
Clinical programs, social justice and transformation through student learning
Authors: Stevenson-Graf Lindsey
Published: January 2019

This article considers whether different types of Clinical Legal Education (CLE) programs have the same potential to provide a transformative learning experience for students. The author uses Mezirow’s theory to postulate that, although addressing a societal need, ‘missing middle’ Clinical Legal Education programs – those that assist middle-income Australians – may not provide the necessary environment, including an environment ripe for ‘disorienting dilemmas’, for transformative learning. After a comparison of missing middle clinics in Australia and poverty law clinics in the United States of America (US), the author suggests that disorienting dilemmas may only be offered by Clinical Legal Education programs aimed at assisting society’s most vulnerable people.
Leadership Perceptions of Principals with and without Special Education Backgrounds
Authors: Schulze Rob , Boscardin Mary Lynn
Published: January 2019

This study investigated the perceptions of leadership by public school principals with and without special education backgrounds. Utilizing Q-sort methodology, principals sorted 47 leadership statements. Findings indicated prior special education experience was not a predictor of subsequent leadership perceptions. Instead, two factors emerged where one was composed of younger, less educated, less experienced principals in lower-performing schools who valued instructional and transactional leadership and the other was composed of older, more educated, more experienced, and more ethnically diverse principals who worked in higher-performing schools who valued transformational-collaborative leadership. The results suggest principals with and without special education backgrounds follow a developmental path.
Principal Competencies that Make a Difference
Authors: Hitt Dallas Hambrick , Woodruff Dennis , Meyers Coby V. , Zhu Guorong
Published: January 2019

Literature in the field of school leadership substantiates principals‘ influence on student achievement. Less clarity is available concerning principals’ influence on school turnaround or the competencies needed for principals to effectively engage in and sustain the turnaround of low-performing schools. This study seeks to illuminate principal competencies that support an individual's ability to influence turnaround as evidenced by increased student achievement. We analyzed behavioral event interviews conducted with 19 principals whose schools experienced a rapid increase in student achievement. This sample is the successful 10% of a population of 200 principals who each attempted to lead a turnaround. From the interview data, we derived seven competencies that capture the specific characteristics and actions of principals leading turnaround. Our research provides an initial framework for the actions, behaviors, and dispositions of successful turnaround principals. Results of this study suggest ways to improve the selection and development of turnaround principals.
Coaching Principals for the Complexity of School Reform
Authors: Lochmiller Chad R.
Published: January 2019

This multi-case qualitative study describes how leadership coaches working in a university-based coaching program provided support to school principals in three urban elementary schools in the western United States. Drawing on qualitative data collected during a single school year, the study examines which issues leadership coaches prioritized and how they provided coaching support. A thematic analysis of the data produced four findings. These findings suggest that coaches focused their work on classroom instruction and adopted differentiated responses to support based on principal and school needs. The article concludes by discussing the implications for leadership preparation and school reform.
Context for Content Teachers' Learning
Authors: Russell Felice Atesoglu
Published: January 2019

This article examines the context for content teachers‘ professional learning concerning English learners (ELs), paying particular attention to the role of leadership in supporting and constraining this capacity development. The contextual features of the school are analyzed, specifically the leadership of the principal and an EL facilitator, as well as supports that influenced the development of teacher capacity. The data used in this analysis comes from a yearlong qualitative case study of professional learning and the instruction of ELs in one diverse, urban high school. Data analysis revealed two main themes (1) the significance of the role and vision of the principal and (2) the relevance of cultural norms, structures, and activities that contributed to content teachers’ capacity to meet the needs of ELs. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
(Re)constructing the Language of the Achievement Gap to an Opportunity Gap
Authors: Flores Osly J.
Published: January 2019

This article situates the counternarrative of three African American female school principals and their leadership practices toward equity using a critical race theory framework (CRT). The data come from a larger exploratory study that addressed the understanding of the so-called achievement gap by school leaders. Four prevalent themes emerged through the use of a CRT analysis: (1) Mind-set toward opportunity gap; (2) recognizing issues: race, racism, and interest convergence; (3) holistic approaches toward “Our” students; and (4) the (real) opportunity of loss. I conclude with four contexts for implication for school leadership practice.
Student Bullying, Teacher Protection, and Administrator Role Ambiguity
Authors: Kearney W. Sean , Smith Page
Published: January 2019

This investigation examines the impact teacher protection and principal role ambiguity have on elementary school student bullying. Data were collected from 1,554 teachers and 198 campus administrators from 104 elementary schools in Texas. HLM analyses are employed to identify the effect that teacher protection, administrator role ambiguity, school size, and socioeconomic status have on student bullying. The findings indicate when teachers espouse a belief in protecting students from bullying and administrators clearly understand their roles, bullying incidents decrease. Thus, enhancing teacher protection and administrator role clarity may serve as useful tools to help educators reduce incidents of school bullying.
Academic Optimism, Enabling Structures, and Student Achievement
Authors: Anderson Karen , Kochan Frances , Kensler Lisa A. W. , Reames Ellen H.
Published: January 2019

This study examined the relationships between enabling structures, academic optimism, and student achievement to determine whether academic optimism served as a mediator between the two. Student achievement was measured using both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests. Findings indicated a relationship between academic optimism, enabling structures, and student achievement. Also, academic optimism appeared to serve as a mediator between enabling structures and norm-referenced assessments but did not correlate with criterion-referenced tests. This study is one of only a few seeking to establish connections among enabling structures, academic optimism, and student achievement, measured at the school level, in elementary schools. The use of mediation also offers a unique perspective on the literature.
Homeschooling: A Growing School Choice Option for Meeting Special Educational Needs
Authors: Morse Mary L. , Bell Sherry Mee
Published: January 2019

The unexplained, rapid growth of homeschooling over the past two decades provides the context for this quantitative study. The relation between parental involvement in education, special educational needs, and the school choice option of homeschooling is examined via completion of an online survey. Of the 309 homeschooling families that responded to the survey, more than half (50.8%) had a child who attended public or private school before they made the decision to homeschool, and 60.6% of these families indicated they were currently homeschooling a child who had special educational needs (SEN). Results suggest that when parents perceive needs of a child with SEN are not being met in a public or private school, the child's SEN is an important factor in their decision to homeschool. Furthermore, for all participating homeschooling parents (those with and without children with special educational needs) in this sample, the desire to be more involved in their children's education was rated as the most important factor in the decision to homeschool.
“Fuck Off to the Tampon Bible”: Misrecognition and Researcher Intimacy in an Online Mapping of “Lad Culture”
Authors: Diaz-Fernandez Silvia , Evans Adrienne
Published: January 2019

Digital forms of networked misogyny have received much attention of late, both in public and academic discussions of changing gender relations. However, less work has paid attention to how lad culture emerges online, or how the researcher experiences the affective fabrics therein. In this article, we explore our engagement with platforms hosted by the companies UniLad and The Lad Bible. We define our experience of this field as intimate because (a) we downloaded them onto our personal mobile devices and social media accounts and (b) of how they are experienced as proximal, “sticky” and deeply affective. We approach digital lad culture through a methodology of misrecognition, drawing on the work of Sarah Ahmed, Jessica Benjamin, and Nancy Fraser. We show how accounts of the researcher’s own experiences through a methodology of misrecognition are crucial, providing new ways of researching, and, in turn, new ways of challenging, the digital proliferation of misogyny and sexism.
Intimacy, Cosmopolitanism, and Digital Media: A Research Manifesto
Authors: Lambert Alex
Published: January 2019

Research into intimacy must grapple with its ambiguity while attempting to place it within a contemporary technological and political context. I argue for a metaphysics of intimacy that provides a ground for research. Through a critical reading of the philosophy of Peter Sloterdijk, I suggest a formal dialectic between intimacy and cosmopolitanism. Intimacy is an enclosure over time, while cosmopolitanism is an opening through an event. These ideal forms become actual in digital media, which often reveal the dark side of intimacy, as they withhold the cosmopolitan event and hence the possibility of diverse yet cohesive collectives. I outline various fields of research where the contradiction between intimacy and cosmopolitanism can be explored and potentially resolved through methodologies that critically imagine alternative designs.
Male Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators’ Perceptions of the Positives and Negatives of Peer Interactions in Group Batterer Intervention Programs
Authors: Morrison Penelope K. , George Donna , Cluss Patricia A. , Miller Elizabeth , Hawker Lynn , Fleming Rhonda , Bicehouse Terry , Burke Jessica , Chang Judy C.
Published: January 2019

Seventy-six adult male perpetrators of intimate partner violence enrolled in a batterer intervention program (BIP) were interviewed on their perspectives of the intra-BIP group peer interactions. A majority of participants endorsed positives aspects of working with peers in the group context. Only one negative aspect arose, namely, other group members who disrupted the BIP process in some way. More importantly, a minority of participants expressed indifference toward the group process. This study has implications for training of BIP facilitators and for future research on BIPs that helps to tailor the approaches these groups use to maximize client engagement.
Implications for maintaining vascular access device patency and performance: Application of science to practice
Authors: Hawthorn Alexandra , Bulmer Andrew C , Mosawy Sapha , Keogh Samantha
Published: January 2019

Introduction:

Vascular access devices are commonly inserted devices that facilitate the administration of fluids and drugs, as well as blood sampling. Despite their common use in clinical settings, these devices are prone to occlusion and failure, requiring replacement and exposing the patient to ongoing discomfort/pain, local vessel inflammation and risk of infection. A range of insertion and maintenance strategies are employed to optimize device performance; however, the evidence base for many of these mechanisms is limited and the mechanisms contributing to the failure of these devices are largely unknown.

Aims/objectives:

(1) To revisit existing understanding of blood, vessel physiology and biological fluid dynamics; (2) develop an understanding of the implications that different clinical practices have on vessel health, and (3) apply these understandings to vascular access device research and practice.

Method:

Narrative review of biomedical and bioengineering studies related to vascular access practice.

Results/outcomes:

Current vascular access device insertion and maintenance practice and policy are variable with limited clinical evidence to support the theoretical assumptions underpinning these regimens. This review demonstrates the physiological response to vascular access device insertion, flushing and infusion on the vein, blood components and blood flow. These appear to be associated with changes in intravascular fluid dynamics. Variable forces are at play that impact blood componentry and the endothelium. These may explain the mechanisms contributing to vascular access failure.

Conclusion:

This review provides an update to our current knowledge and understanding of vascular physiology and the hemodynamic response, challenging some previously held assumptions regarding vascular access device maintenance, which require further investigation.
Time to First Cigarette and Self-Reported Health Among US Adult Smokers
Authors: Sung Baksun
Published: January 2019

Background:

Numerous studies have reported that shorter time to first cigarette (TTFC) is linked to elevated risk for smoking-related morbidity. However, little is known about the influence of early TTFC on self-reported health among current smokers. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine the association between TTFC and self-reported health among US adult smokers.

Methods:

Data came from the 2012-2013 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS). Current smokers aged 18 years and older (N = 3323) were categorized into 2 groups based on TTFC: ≤ 5 minutes (n = 1066) and >5 minutes (n = 2257). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control selection bias.

Results:

After adjusting for sociodemographic and smoking behavior factors, current smokers with early TTFC had higher odds for poor health in comparison with current smokers with late TTFC in the prematching (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-2.08) and postmatching (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.22-2.09) samples.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, smokers with early TTFC were associated with increased risk of poor health in the United States. To reduce early TTFC, elaborate efforts are needed to educate people about harms of early TTFC and benefits of stopping early TTFC.
Association between angiotensinogen T174M polymorphism and the risk of diabetic nephropathy: A meta-analysis
Authors: Liu Nina , Wang Youmin
Published: January 2019

Objective:

Although the angiotensinogen ( AGT) gene T174M polymorphism has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN), study results have been inconsistent. The present meta-analysis was conducted to determine the correlation of AGT T174M polymorphism with DN.

Methods:

We retrospectively extracted relevant studies from Embase as well as PubMed databases. Additionally, a fixed- or random-effects model was employed for calculation of pooled odds ratio (OR) along with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results:

In total, we identified six studies (1179 cases and 927 controls) regarding the AGT gene T174M polymorphism. The pooled ORs for the association between the AGT T174M polymorphism and DN risk were not statistically significant under all genetic models (M vs T: OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.84–1.75; MM vs TT: OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 0.93–4.04; MT vs TT: OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.76–1.63; the dominant model: OR =1.19, 95% CI = 0.80–1.77; the recessive model: OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 0.93–4.03). Subgroup analyses based on the type of race showed the M allele of the AGT T174M polymorphism increased DN risk in Asians, but not in Caucasians.

Conclusions:

Our study indicated that the T174M polymorphism in the AGT gene was associated with DN in Asians.
A Comparison of Intergenerational Service-Learning and Traditional Pedagogy among Undergraduate Psychology Students
Authors: Zucchero Renee' A. , Gibson Jennifer E.
Published: January 2019

This study examined student outcomes of participating in a semester-long, intergenerational service-learning course compared to a traditional pedagogy course. At the beginning and end of the semester, students ( N = 161) voluntarily completed a series of measures assessing six outcomes across four domains: personal, social, citizenship, and academic. Results from mixed analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance tests suggest service-learning students only outperformed the traditional pedagogy group on self-efficacy for community service (i.e., a personal outcome). Service-learning students maintained a high level of self-efficacy across the semester, while the self-efficacy of those in traditional pedagogy courses declined. There were no significant group differences over time in social, citizenship, or academic outcomes. These results suggest more tempered support for service-learning than many previous studies. Factors potentially affecting the results include the service-learning dosage, broader educational context, and methodological rigor. Future studies may further illuminate possible effects of the educational context.
Challenging the “Love of Possessions”: Repatriation of Sacred Objects in the United States and Canada
Authors: Dekker Jennifer L
Published: January 2019

In 1990, the United States passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), requiring the repatriation of ancestral remains, funerary, and sacred objects from museums to source communities. Since then, hundreds of thousands of repatriations have occurred, allowing for respectful treatment of ancestors and reconnections to spiritual, communal practice, and ceremony. In Canada, repatriation has been recommended by the Assembly of First Nations, the Canadian Museum Association, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, but there is no federal law. Does Canada have a functioning alternative? This examination provides a comparison of how repatriation differs in the two countries, demonstrating that case-by-case negotiations in Canada currently allow for more flexibility and customization to the needs of different Indigenous communities but that the transparency, coordination, and funding associated with NAGPRA would be a significant benefit to claimants in Canada.
Voila!: The Rockefeller Archive Center's Exhibit Creation Process
Authors: Vassari Marissa
Published: January 2019

The Rockefeller Archive Center (RAC) in Sleepy Hollow, New York, hosts groups ranging from foundation staff to college-level classes. Over the course of a year, the RAC hosts approximately 30 visiting groups that include from as few as 10 people to as many as 45. The aim is to engage visiting groups with the RAC's vast collections by creating hands-on, tailored exhibits. The RAC has created policies and procedures, exhibit guides, and workflow templates that allow for documentation of each exhibit and encourage inclusiveness and transparency among staff. Employing a new, standardized approach by using these tools has made all phases of the exhibit process more efficient and allows the RAC to provide a rich, immersive archival experience for visitors. This article offers a case study in standardized exhibit creation that may benefit professionals in other institutions who are seeking to develop work processes and policies without diminishing the visitor experience.
Effects of internal and external factors on business performance of start-ups in South Korea: The engine of new market dynamics
Authors: Seo Young Wook , Lee Yoo Hwan
Published: January 2019

This study explored the effects of the innovation system of start-ups and community support and resources on business performance of start-up companies using a survey of 213 start-ups across the different industry sectors in South Korea. In this article, we adopt the partial least square of structural equation model for analyzing the structural relationships of venture creation activities. First, the findings show that both the local community support and external partnership have significant impacts on the social norms and performance-based culture, but the path coefficient of local community support is somewhat greater than external partnership. Second, the test results also indicate that discovery and exploitation, which can be recognized as the major factors of innovation system in the start-up companies, are highly associated with their dynamic capabilities. Moreover, the dynamic capabilities can be also affected by the social norms and performance-based culture due to the paradigm of open innovation. Third, with regard to the total effect, the combination of discovery and local community support plays a central role for improving business performance of start-ups amid a rapidly changing market and economic environment.
Soft tissue leiomyosarcoma—diagnostics, management, and prognosis: Data of the registry cancer of the center of Tunisia
Authors: Mestiri Sarra , Elghali Mohamed Amine , Bourigua Rym , Abdessayed Nihed , Nasri Salsabil , Amine Ben Abdallah , Missaoui Nabiha , Ben Maitig Mahmoud , Hmissa Sihem , Sriha Badreddine , Mokni Moncef
Published: January 2019

Background:

Soft tissue leiomyosarcomas are rare, accounting for almost 5%–10% of all soft tissue sarcomas; they account for almost 1% of all sarcomas. They are aggressive tumors where location, size, and management require a multidisciplinary approach. Since there are few series published, we here analyze epidemiological pattern, clinical and pathologic features of soft tissue leiomyosarcomas.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective study of 29 consecutive cases of histologically proven soft tissue leiomyosarcoma extracted from the database of the Cancer Registry of the Center of Tunisia and the Department of Pathology of Farhat Hached University Hospital of Sousse of Tunisia, during a 10-year period (from January 1996 to December 2005). Epidemiologic details, clinico-pathological features, and treatment modalities were assessed with focus on patients’ 5-year overall survival, tumor relapse, and metastases.

Results:

Soft tissue leiomyosarcoma accounted for 17.5% of all soft tissue sarcomas diagnosed at our pathology department. Most of patients were of advanced age (median: 52 years), with extremes ranging from 12 and 87 years. There was a slight male predominance (sex-ratio = 1.07). Tumors were located mostly in the lower limbs (45%). Deep sites as retroperitoneum was found only in two cases. Tumor size was more than 5 cm in 83% of cases (average size = 9.4 cm). Five cases had metastasis on initial staging. For 24 patients, the disease was locally limited at the moment of diagnosis. Palliative chemotherapy was indicated for four patients and surgery was performed for 20 patients. Local recurrence occurred in 11 patients (55% of operated patients) and metastasis in 6 patients. Overall, 5-year survival was about 24%.

Conclusion:

Our study results highlight the scarcity of soft tissue leiomyosarcoma. Unfortunately, unusual tumor sites, disease’s advanced stages, and intralesional resection made the prognosis poorer than in other series. Clinical course of soft tissue leiomyosarcoma was highly marked by local recurrence and metastasis.
The Association between the Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors and the Risk of Hypomagnesemia in a National Cohort of Veteran Patients with HIV
Authors: Sutton S. Scott , Magagnoli Joseph , Cummings Tammy , Hardin James W.
Published: January 2019

Objectives:

To examine the risk of hypomagnesemia of HIV-positive patients adherent to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).

Methods:

A cohort study utilizing the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure was conducted on patients with (1) a complete antiretroviral therapy, (2) a serum magnesium measure during the study period, and (3) adherent to PPIs. Statistical analyses evaluated baseline characteristics between cohorts and a Cox proportional hazards model evaluating the association of hypomagnesemia while adjusting for baseline covariates.

Results:

A total of 6047 patients met the study inclusion criteria, 329 patients in the PPI cohort and 5718 patients in the non-PPI cohort. The stratified Cox proportional hazards model results revealed that the risk of hypomagnesemia for the PPI cohort is 3.16 times higher compared to the non-PPI cohort (adjusted hazard ratio = 3.16, 95% confidence interval = 2.56-3.9).

Conclusions:

Proton pump inhibitors medication usage in HIV-positive patients is associated with a higher risk of hypomagnesemia compared to non-PPI patients.
Efficacy and Safety of Elbasvir/Grazoprevir in Hepatitis C Virus GT1- and GT4-Infected People Aged 65 Years or Older
Authors: Flamm Steven , Peng Cheng-Yuan , Shibolet Oren , Nahass Ronald , Hwang Peggy , Barr Eliav , Robertson Michael N. , Haber Barbara A.
Published: January 2019

Background: In elderly individuals aged ≥65 years with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, efficacious and safe HCV therapy is complicated by frequent comorbidities and concomitant medications. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of elbasvir/grazoprevir (EBR/GZR) in people aged ≥65 years. Methods: This is an integrated retrospective analysis of EBR/GZR administered for 12 weeks in participants with HCV genotype 1 or 4 infection enrolled in 12 Phase 2/3 clinical trials. The primary end point was sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12; HCV RNA below the lower limit of quantification). Results: Most participants aged ≥65 years were receiving ≥1 concomitant medication (322/339; 95.0%) and had ≥1 comorbidity (334/339; 99%). SVR12 rates were 95.3% (323/339) in participants aged ≥65 years and 95.4% (2,041/2,139) in those aged <65 years. Rates of adverse events, drug-related adverse events, serious adverse events, and discontinuations were similar in participants aged ≥65 years and those aged <65 years. In participants aged ≥65 years, median estimated glomerular filtration rate was similar at baseline and at the end of treatment. Conclusion: The efficacy and safety of EBR/GZR were similar in participants with HCV infection aged ≥65 years and those aged <65 years.
The central role of inflammatory signaling in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Sallman David A. , List Alan
Published: January 2019

In cancer biology, tumor-promoting inflammation and an inflammatory microenvironment play a vital role in disease pathogenesis. In the past decade, aberrant innate immune activation and proinflammatory signaling within the malignant clone and the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment were identified as key pathogenic drivers of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In particular, S100A9-mediated NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation directs an inflammatory, lytic form of cell death termed pyroptosis that underlies many of the hallmark features of the disease. This circuit and accompanying release of other danger-associated molecular patterns expands BM myeloid-derived suppressor cells, creating a feed-forward process propagating inflammasome activation. Furthermore, somatic gene mutations of varied functional classes license the NLRP3 inflammasome to generate a common phenotype with excess reactive oxygen species generation, Wnt/β-catenin–induced proliferation, cation flux-induced cell swelling, and caspase-1 activation. Recent investigations have shown that activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome complex has more broad-reaching importance, particularly as a possible disease-specific biomarker for MDS, and, mechanistically, as a driver of cardiovascular morbidity/mortality in individuals with age-related, clonal hematopoiesis. Recognition of the mechanistic role of aberrant innate immune activation in MDS provides a new perspective for therapeutic development that could usher in a novel class of disease-modifying agents.
MDS overlap disorders and diagnostic boundaries
Authors: Tanaka Tiffany N. , Bejar Rafael
Published: January 2019

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal diseases defined by clinical, morphologic, and genetic features often shared by related myeloid disorders. The diagnostic boundaries between these diseases can be arbitrary and not necessarily reflective of underlying disease biology or outcomes. In practice, measures that distinguish MDS from related disorders may be difficult to quantify and can vary as disease progression occurs. Patients may harbor findings that are not consistent with a single diagnostic category. Several overlap disorders have been formally described, such as the myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPNs). These disorders are characterized by hematopoietic dysplasia with increased proliferation of monocytes, neutrophils, or platelets. They may have mutational profiles that distinguish them from the disorders they resemble and reflect important differences in pathophysiology. MDS also shares diagnostic borders with other diseases. For example, aplastic anemia and hypoplastic MDS can be difficult to distinguish in patients with pancytopenia and bone marrow hypocellularity. Genetic features may help in this regard, because they can identify differences in prognosis and risk of progression. The boundary between MDS and secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) is arbitrarily defined and has been redefined over the years. Genetic studies have demonstrated that sAML clones can precede clinical progression from MDS by many months, suggesting that MDS with excess blasts could be viewed as an overlap between a dysplastic bone marrow failure syndrome and an oligoblastic leukemia. This review will describe the diagnostic boundaries between MDS, MDS/MPNs, sAML, clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance, and aplastic anemia and how genetic approaches may help to better define them.
Aspirin inhibits platelets from reprogramming breast tumor cells and promoting metastasis
Authors: Johnson Kelly E. , Ceglowski Julia R. , Roweth Harvey G. , Forward Jodi A. , Tippy Mason D. , El-Husayni Saleh , Kulenthirarajan Rajesh , Malloy Michael W. , Machlus Kellie R. , Chen Wendy Y. , Italiano Joseph E. , Battinelli Elisabeth M.
Published: January 2019

It is now recognized that compounds released from tumor cells can activate platelets, causing the release of platelet-derived factors into the tumor microenvironment. Several of these factors have been shown to directly promote neovascularization and metastasis, yet how the feedback between platelet releasate and the tumor cell affects metastatic phenotype remains largely unstudied. Here, we identify that breast tumor cells secrete high levels of interleukin 8 (IL-8, CXCL8) in response to platelet releasate, which promotes their invasive capacity. Furthermore, we found that platelets activate the Akt pathway in breast tumor cells, and inhibition of this pathway eliminated IL-8 production. We therefore hypothesized inhibiting platelets with aspirin could reverse the prometastatic effects of platelets on tumor cell signaling. Platelets treated with aspirin did not activate the Akt pathway, resulting in reduced IL-8 secretion and impaired tumor cell invasion. Of note, patients with breast cancer receiving aspirin had lower circulating IL-8, and their platelets did not increase tumor cell invasion compared with patients not receiving aspirin. Our data suggest platelets support breast tumor metastasis by inducing tumor cells to secrete IL-8. Our data further support that aspirin acts as an anticancer agent by disrupting the communication between platelets and breast tumor cells.
Dynamic modeling of bedding-plane slip during hydraulic fracturing
Authors: He Zhenhua , Duan Benchun
Published: January 2019

Whether the tip stresses around a dynamically propagating hydraulic fracture (HF) could activate a bedding plane (BP) or not is an important question for HF propagation and microseismicity generation. BP slip has been proposed to be one main source of microseismicity during HF treatments in unconventional reservoirs. However, a BP perpendicular to a principal stress direction is unlikely to be activated in a simple geomechanical model. We have applied a dynamic finite-element geomechanics method to examine the induced dynamic shear stress and the activation of BPs that are perpendicular to the HF based on the Cotton-Valley tight-sand reservoir properties. We work in a 2D vertical-plane framework. The induced dynamic stresses around a HF tip could be significant. We explore three different scenarios for the BP activation. In the first scenario, an HF is dynamically propagating toward two symmetric BPs, but has not touched them yet. We find that only low-strength BPs can be activated in this scenario. In the second scenario, an HF dynamically propagates toward two symmetric BPs and then it crosses them by a short distance. The BPs could be more easily activated in this scenario compared with the first scenario. The slip length and maximum slip decrease with cohesion, critical slip distance, or maximum principal stress. In the third scenario, an HF dynamically propagates toward two symmetric BPs, and then fluid invasion into the BPs occurs after the HF touches them. Large shear slippage and slip length happen in this scenario because fluid invasion weakens the BPs. In all of the scenarios, different senses of shear could occur along the BPs and a rupture typically propagates bilaterally from the initiation point on the BPs.
Reducing computation cost by Lax-Wendroff methods with fourth-order temporal accuracy
Authors: Liu Hongwei , Zhang Houzhu
Published: January 2019

Explicit time-marching finite-difference stencils have been extensively used for simulating seismic wave propagation, and they are the most computationally intensive part of seismic forward modeling, reverse time migration, and full-waveform inversion. The time-marching step, determined by both the stability condition and numerical dispersion, is a key factor in the computational cost. In contrast with the widely used second-order temporal stencil, the Lax-Wendroff stencil is more cost effective because the time-marching step can be much larger. It can be proved, using theory and numerical tests, that the Lax-Wendroff stencil does enable larger time steps. In terms of numerical dispersion, the time steps for second-order and Lax-Wendroff stencils are functions of the number of shortest wavelengths away from the source location. These functions are derived by evaluating the relative L2-norm of the differences between the analytical and numerical solutions. The method for determining the time-marching step is model adaptive and easy to implement. We use the pseudo spectral method for the computation of spatial derivatives, and the wave equations that we solved are for isotropic media only, but the described principles can be easily implemented for more complicated types of media.
Elimination of mutual inductance effect for small-loop transient electromagnetic devices
Authors: Fu Zhihong , Wang Haowen , Wang Yao , Fu Nengyi , Tai Heng-Ming , Qin Shanqiang
Published: January 2019

The transient electromagnetic (TEM) method is a widely used nonintrusive geophysical method for ground exploration. Due to the mutual inductance between the transmitter (TX) coil and the receiver (RX) coil, the primary field generated by the emission current reduces the accuracy of the near-surface detection. Because the feature signal [Formula: see text] carrying the target information is mainly distributed in the early secondary-field response, the expanded detection signal will reduce the near-surface investigation capability of the TEM device due to the following three aspects: the loss of the proportion of [Formula: see text] in the detection signal due to the excessively high primary-field response, the loss of [Formula: see text] due to the clipping loss, and the reduction of the noise margin in the case in which the detection signal is magnified. These problems are particularly significant in small-loop devices due to the tight coil distribution. The mutual inductance can be reduced by adjusting the relative positions of the TX and RX coils, a configuration called the weak-coupling coil design. We have analyzed the design principle of the weak-coupling coil design and developed a new design scheme — the crossing-loop design. Simulation results indicate that the crossing-loop design performs superiorly in terms of the detection sensitivity and the investigation depth, compared with the nonweak-coupling coil design and other weak-coupling coil designs such as the gradient coils, opposing coils, and the bucking coil design. The experimental results indicate that the crossing-loop design provides much better near-surface investigation capability than the central-loop device with the same TX coil, which is a typical nonweak-coupling coil design.
Velocity analysis and subsurface source location improvement using moveout-corrected gathers
Authors: Lellouch Ariel , Reshef Moshe
Published: January 2019

The location of subsurface seismic events is important for various geophysical applications. For example, it can be used for underground intrusion detection, monitoring precursors of natural hazards (e.g., sinkholes, rock-falls, landslides, etc.), tracking the structural integrity of mines, locating trapped personnel, and microseismic reservoir monitoring. For a useful analysis, it is imperative that located events be as close as possible to their true spatial position. Although a variety of location methods have been developed, most assume that the correct velocity model is known and are very sensitive to errors in its estimation. Velocity is often estimated at recording borehole locations and calibrated if possible. However, calibration requires manual picking that may induce errors. We use moveout-corrected gathers, whose flatness serves as an objective function, for picking-free velocity model inversion using known source locations. These gathers can be constructed using any implementation of seismic wave propagation. To limit computational costs, we use an eikonal traveltimes solver. The inverse problem is solved using a global optimization approach with an adequate borehole-driven model parameterization. The method performs well in constructing an effective velocity model for location with or without knowledge of the source origin time. We show its application on reservoir-scale synthetic examples as well as a 3D shallow subsurface field one and show the significant final improvement in location accuracy. A single known source is used for calibration of the velocity model. The updated model is not necessarily correct, but it can be effectively used to improve location.
Efficient modeling of wave propagation in a vertical transversely isotropic attenuative medium based on fractional Laplacian
Authors: Zhu Tieyuan , Bai Tong
Published: January 2019

To efficiently simulate wave propagation in a vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) attenuative medium, we have developed a viscoelastic VTI wave equation based on fractional Laplacian operators under the assumption of weak attenuation ([Formula: see text]), where the frequency-independent [Formula: see text] model is used to mathematically represent seismic attenuation. These operators that are nonlocal in space can be efficiently computed using the Fourier pseudospectral method. We evaluated the accuracy of numerical solutions in a homogeneous transversely isotropic medium by comparing with theoretical predictions and numerical solutions by an existing viscoelastic-anisotropic wave equation based on fractional time derivatives. To accurately handle heterogeneous [Formula: see text], we select several [Formula: see text] values to compute their corresponding fractional Laplacians in the wavenumber domain and interpolate other fractional Laplacians in space. We determined its feasibility by modeling wave propagation in a 2D heterogeneous attenuative VTI medium. We concluded that the new wave equation is able to improve the efficiency of wave simulation in viscoelastic-VTI media by several orders and still maintain accuracy.
Amplitude variation with offset and azimuth inversion for fluid indicator and fracture weaknesses in an oil-bearing fractured reservoir
Authors: Pan Xinpeng , Zhang Guangzhi , Yin Xingyao
Published: January 2019

Fluid identification and fracture discrimination play an important role in the exploration and development of an oil-bearing fractured reservoir. The most common fluid indicator in fractured reservoirs, the normal-to-shear fracture compliance ratio, is influenced by the fluid content and the fracture intensity. To reduce the ambiguities in the discrimination of the fluid and fracture parameters, we have aimed to extend the scattering theory to implement the fluid identification and fracture detection by incorporating the azimuthal data in an oil-bearing fractured reservoir via the proposed Bayesian amplitude variation with offset and azimuth (AVOAz) inversion approach. The background medium is, as far as the scattering theory is concerned, an isotropic medium without fractures, and the fractured medium is corresponding to a perturbed medium. The elastic parameters of a saturated anisotropic medium can be parameterized as a perturbation over a homogeneous isotropic background medium. We used the scattering theory to derive a generalized AVOAz approximation that provided the iterative estimates of hydrocarbon fluid indicator, shear modulus, density, and fracture weaknesses in a Bayesian scheme. The inversion algorithm is based on a convolutional model and a weak-contrast and small-weakness PP-wave reflection coefficient. The approach is applied to an oil-bearing field data set from a fractured marlstone reservoir. We observe that reasonable estimates of fluid indicator and fracture weaknesses are inverted, which can be used to perform the discrimination of fluid and fracture parameters. We conclude that the proposed approach provides us a potentially powerful tool to estimate the reservoir fluid and fracture properties in a more straightforward and efficient manner than those previous methods.
Praxis makes perfect?
Authors: Bailey Cate
Published: January 2019

Cate Bailey outlines the origin and goals of the new trainees' section of the BJPsych Bulletin. ‘Praxis’ will involve two components. The first will be clinically inspired and problem based. Trainees will have an opportunity to collaborate with experts from different disciplines to examine how existing literature and knowledge can be applied to practice, with a clinical scenario forming the basis for discussion. The second component will be made up of commissioned or proposed editorial-type articles on subjects which fall broadly under the heading of personal and professional development. This will offer a space for reflection on relevant contemporary topics such as resilience, burnout, supervision, and patient involvement and co-production.

Declaration of interest

C.B. is editor of the BJPsych Bulletin trainees' section.