bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceived Costs of Care Influence Post‐Acute Care Choices by Clinicians, Patients, and Caregivers
Authors: Ayele Roman , Jones Jacqueline , Ladebue Amy , Lawrence Emily , Valverde Patricia , Leonard Chelsea , Cumbler Ethan , Allyn Rebecca , Burke Robert E.
Published: February 2019

Background/Objective

Older adults frequently receive post‐acute care (PAC) after hospital discharge, but little is known about how perceived costs influence PAC choices. This research study sought to understand how clinicians, patients, and their caregivers evaluate the cost of skilled nursing facility (SNF) care in their decisions about whether to utilize SNFs after hospital discharge.

Design

Guided by principles of social constructivist theory, we conducted a qualitative interpretative study using semistructured interviews with clinicians, patients, and caregivers.

Setting

The study took place in three SNFs and three hospitals located in an urban area. Purposive sampling was used to maximize variability in SNFs, hospitals, units within hospitals, and staff.

Participants

A total of 104 participants made up the study: 25 hospital clinicians, 20 SNF clinicians, 20 hospital patients, 15 SNF patients, 14 hospital caregivers, and 10 SNF caregivers who were directly involved in patients’ transition from acute hospitalization to SNFs.

Measurements

Central themes related to how perceived costs of care influence PAC choices.

Results

Clinicians, patients, and caregivers did not understand the nuances of SNF insurance coverage or out‐of‐pocket costs. They felt constrained by insurance coverage in their discharge disposition choices and faced delays in hospital discharge due to insurance authorization processes. Some clinicians reacted to these constraints by “documenting failure,” sending patients home to “fail” so they could justify SNF to insurers. Others changed their recommendations to provide patients “some” postdischarge care, even if inadequate, because of cost constraints. Clinicians discussed conserving resources to take maximal advantage of insurance‐covered SNF days. Overall, cost constraint resulted in patient safety concerns, clinician professional dilemma, and moral distress.

Conclusion

Improving patient and caregiver understanding about costs and constraints of PAC would improve decision making. There is a need for improved comprehension of cost and insurance coverage of SNF care for informed patient and provider decision making at the time of hospital discharge. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:703–710, 2019.
Religiosity and Premarital Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents: An Analysis of Functional Form
Authors: Hayward George M.
Published: February 2019

While numerous studies show a persistent inverse association between religion variables and adolescents’ sexual behaviors, the nature of this relationship is not well understood. Specifically, many previous studies presuppose that the associations between adolescent religiosity and sexual behaviors are linear. However, a number of studies have also identified important nonlinearities of religious influence during adolescence, with highly religious individuals being distinct from their peers. Incorporating this knowledge into a theoretically motivated modeling approach, this article provides a comparative analysis of functional forms describing the relationships between religiosity and adolescent sexual behaviors. Using data from two waves of the National Study of Youth and Religion, a linear functional form is compared with nonlinear alternatives that link multiple religion measures to outcomes of sexual activity. Results show that the majority of these relationships are best defined by nonlinear functional forms, suggesting that the influence of religiosity increases as individuals become more religious.
The Effect of SME Productivity Increases on Large Firm Productivity in the EU
Authors: van Stel André , Lokshin Boris , de Vries Nardo
Published: February 2019

We examine the impact of labour productivity growth of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) on labour productivity growth of large firms in a 19‐year panel of 26 European countries. We apply a dynamic panel data model that allows for macro‐level interdependencies in productivity between small and large firms. Our main finding concerns a sizable positive effect of labour productivity increases of SMEs on the productivity of large firms. This positive effect is especially evident for medium‐sized and small firms (rather than micro firms). Furthermore, the impact of SME productivity on large‐firm productivity is increasing with the size of the SME sector. Our analysis indicates that scale effects play a role in the transmission of productivity effects from SMEs to large firms, both in terms of the size of individual SMEs (medium‐sized and small versus micro) and in terms of the share of the SME sector in the economy.
Prebiotics – an added benefit of some fibre types
Authors: Lockyer S. , Stanner S.
Published: February 2019

Prebiotics are food components that are selectively used by gut bacteria, conferring a health benefit, most notably stimulating the growth of bifidobacteria. Accepted prebiotics at present are the fibre types galacto‐oligosaccharides, fructo‐oligosaccharides and inulin, some forms of which occur naturally in foods such as pulses, grains, fruit and vegetables. Prebiotics can also be isolated and produced commercially for use as functional ingredients and supplements. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the place of prebiotics in a healthy, balanced diet, to explore potential health effects, particularly in relation to gut health, and to consider whether there are implications of consuming a diet low in prebiotics. Dietary fibre is important for health, with high‐fibre diets reducing risk of several chronic diseases, via its effects on bowel function, gut microbiota, and cholesterol and glycaemic levels. The prebiotic effects of some fibre types may contribute to these effects. Evidence from supplementation studies carried out in humans suggests that consumption of prebiotics may confer an array of health benefits such as cholesterol lowering, relief of symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, increased satiety and immunomodulatory effects, though more studies are needed. Findings from observational and intervention studies indicate that exclusion diets, such as low‐carbohydrate, gluten‐free and the low Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols diet, result in changes to the gut microbiota such as reduced abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species, though whether or not there are any long‐term health implications remains unknown. Studies investigating whether prebiotic supplements may be useful in conjunction with such diets (when these are required for medical reasons) to help restore levels of bacteria that are considered to be beneficial, are warranted. Overall, there is a need to promote high‐fibre foods across the UK population as intakes currently fall well below recommendations.
Hybridization among species of Veronica subg. Pseudolysimachium in the Altai detected by SRAP markers
Authors: Kosachev Petr , Mayland‐Quellhorst Eike , Albach Dirk C.
Published: February 2019

Members of Veronica subg. Pseudolysimachium are widely known and cultivated for their large and dense ornamental inflorescences. Their success as cultivated plants stems in part to the cross‐compatibility of members of the subgenus and in part to their wide ecological amplitude ranging from species growing in wetlands to those of semi‐deserts. Due to large morphological variation and the presence of intermediate forms growing in sympatry of their putative parents, hybridization between the species is believed to be frequent. The Russian Altai is a center of diversity for the subgenus and many hybrid taxa have been described from there based on morphology. Here, we test these hybrid hypotheses using dominant SRAP markers. The method relies on primers anchored in open reading frames and amplifying intronic regions, which are scored as fragment length polymorphisms. Using seven primer pairs, we analyzed 63 loci without missing data. Our data support a close relationship of V. × grisea, V. × schmakovii and V. taigischensis with V. longifolia while the influence from the other suggested parents V. incana, V. porphyriana and V. pinnata was weak (at most). Similarly, V. × sessiliflora shows strong genetic similarity with V. porphyriana but only slight influence from V. pinnata. Overall, the methodology worked reliably and provided a large number of variable polymorphisms. The lack of support for the hybrid hypotheses may be due to the relatively low number of loci analysed and/or possible backcrossing with one of the parents.
Development of an Agrobacterium‐delivered CRISPR/Cas9 system for wheat genome editing
Authors: Zhang Zhengzhi , Hua Lei , Gupta Ajay , Tricoli David , Edwards Keith J. , Yang Bing , Li Wanlong
Published: February 2019

CRISPR/Cas9 has been widely used for genome editing in many organisms, including important crops like wheat. Despite the tractability in designing CRISPR/Cas9, efficacy in the application of this powerful genome editing tool also depends on DNA delivery methods. In wheat, the biolistics based transformation is the most used method for delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 complex. Due to the high frequency of gene silencing associated with co‐transferred plasmid backbone and low edit rate in wheat, a large T0 transgenic plant population are required for recovery of desired mutations, which poses a bottleneck for many genome editing projects. Here, we report an Agrobacterium‐delivered CRISPR/Cas9 system in wheat, which includes a wheat codon optimized Cas9 driven by a maize ubiquitin gene promoter and a guide RNA cassette driven by wheat U6 promoters in a single binary vector. Using this CRISPR/Cas9 system, we have developed 68 edit mutants for four grain‐regulatory genes, TaCKX2‐1, TaGLW7, TaGW2, and TaGW8, in T0, T1, and T2 generation plants at an average edit rate of 10% without detecting off‐target mutations in the most Cas9‐active plants. Homozygous mutations can be recovered from a large population in a single generation. Different from most plant species, deletions over 10 bp are the dominant mutation types in wheat. Plants homozygous of 1160‐bp deletion in TaCKX2‐D1 significantly increased grain number per spikelet. In conclusion, our Agrobacterium‐delivered CRISPR/Cas9 system provides an alternative option for wheat genome editing, which requires a small number of transformation events because CRISPR/Cas9 remains active for novel mutations through generations.
CRISPR/Cas in Arabidopsis: overcoming challenges to accelerate improvements in crop photosynthetic efficiencies
Authors: Khumsupan Panupon , Donovan Sophie , McCormick Alistair J.
Published: February 2019

The rapid and widespread adoption of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas technologies has allowed genetic editing in plants to enter a revolutionary new era. In this mini review, we highlight the current CRISPR/Cas tools available in plants and the use of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model to guide future improvements in crop yields, such as enhancing photosynthetic potential. We also outline the current socio‐political landscape for CRISPR/Cas research and highlight the growing need for governments to better facilitate research into plant genetic‐editing technologies.
Effect of tibial rotation on the tibial plateau angle measurement in dogs: An ex vivo study
Authors: Buirkle Corinne L. , Aulakh Karanvir S. , Gines J. Alberto , Rademacher Nathalie , Liu Chin‐Chi , Barnes Katherine
Published: February 2019

Objective

To determine the effect of tibial rotation on radiographic tibial plateau angle (TPA) measurement in normal and cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL)‐deficient stifles.

Study design

Cadaveric study.

Sample population

Five pairs of canine cadaver hind limbs with no stifle osteoarthritis.

Methods

Mediolateral radiographs of each specimen were obtained at 0°, 10°, 20°, and 30° of internal and external rotation of the tibia with both intact and transected CrCL. Two Kirschner wires were placed at the cranial and caudal landmarks of the tibial plateau, and the 0° views were imaged again, representing the anatomic TPA. Five observers measured the TPA twice on all images. Measurements were compared by using a mixed‐model ANOVA. Intraobserver and interobserver variability were evaluated by using the coefficient of variation.

Results

Tibial plateau angle did not differ among the anatomic, CrCL‐intact, and CrCL‐deficient 0° views or between the CrCL‐intact and CrCL‐deficient views at the various tibial rotations. The only difference detected was between CrCL‐intact stifles radiographed at 0° and external rotation (range, 1.16°‐1.6°; P = .016, P = .001, and P < .001). Tibial rotation, CrCL transection, and their interaction all failed to influence intraobserver and interobserver variability (P > .05).

Conclusion

In CrCL‐deficient stifles, tibial rotation of up to 30° internally and externally did not result in clinically relevant changes in TPA measurements.

Clinical significance

The TPA can be successfully measured with up to 30° of internal and external tibial rotation in CrCL‐deficient stifles with no osteoarthritic changes.
Calcium modulation of cardiac sodium channels
Authors: Johnson Christopher N.
Published: February 2019

Modification of voltage‐gated Na+ channel (NaV) function by intracellular Ca2+ has been a topic of much controversy. Early studies relied on measuring NaV function in the absence or presence of intracellular Ca2+, and generated seemingly disparate results. Subsequent investigations revealed the mechanism(s) of Ca2+‐driven NaV modulation are complex and involve multiple accessory proteins. The Ca2+‐sensing protein calmodulin (CaM) has a central role in tuning NaV function to [Ca2+]i, but the mechanism has been obscured by other proteins (such as fibroblast growth factors (FGF) or CaM‐dependent kinase II (CaMKII)) that can also modify channel function or exert an influence in a Ca2+‐dependent manner. Significant progress has been made in understanding the architecture of full‐length ion channels and the structural and biophysical details of NaV–accessory protein interactions. Interdisciplinary structure–function studies are beginning to resolve the effect each interaction has on NaV gating. Carefully designed structure‐guided or strategically selected disease‐associated mutations are able to impair NaV–accessory protein interactions without altering other properties of channel function. Recently CaM was found to engage part of NaV1.5 that is required for channel inactivation with high affinity. Careful impairment of this interaction disrupted NaV1.5's ability to recover from inactivation. Such results support a paradigm of CaM‐facilitated recovery from inactivation (CFRI). How NaV–CaM, CaMKII and FGF/fibroblast growth factor homologous factor interactions affect the timing or function of CFRI in cardiomyocytes remain open questions that are discussed herein. Moreover whether CFRI dysfunction or premature activation underlie certain NaV channelopathies are important questions that will require further investigation.

image
Spectral, spatial, and temporal characteristics of underwater ambient noise in the Beaufort Sea in 1994 and 2016
Authors: Chen R. , Poulsen A. , Schmidt H.
Published: February 2019

Climate induced changes in the Arctic Ocean have severely impacted underwater acoustic communication and navigation; understanding underwater noise characteristics is critical to improving the performance of these operations. Ambient noise from the Beaufort Sea recorded in experiments more than 20 years apart (SIMI94 and ICEX16) are compared to determine differences that may be attributed to the region's rapidly changing environment. Spectral comparison shows noise within 20–350 Hz is ∼30 dB louder in 1994 than 2016; however, this is likely due to higher array self noise during SIMI94. Beamforming results show ambient noise vertical directionality is focused near the horizontal during SIMI94 but more spread in elevation during ICEX16, with a robust noise notch at the horizontal. Numerical modeling demonstrates that this difference may be attributed to ambient noise during ICEX16 being dominated by surface noise sources at discrete ranges rather than the historical assumption of a continuous and uniform distribution of sources. Temporal statistics of transient ice events show more acoustic activity during SIMI94 than ICEX16 and appear to support the new proposed surface source distribution for ICEX16.
Linking immunity and sickness-induced sleep
Authors: Oikonomou Grigorios , Prober David A.
Published: February 2019

An antimicrobial peptide induces sleep after sleep deprivation or infection
Comparative evaluation of group-based mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment and management of chronic pain: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Khoo Eve-Ling , Small Rebecca , Cheng Wei , Hatchard Taylor , Glynn Brittany , Rice Danielle B , Skidmore Becky , Kenny Samantha , Hutton Brian , Poulin Patricia A
Published: February 2019

Question

This review compares mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) to cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in its ability to improve physical functioning and reduce pain intensity and distress in patients with chronic pain (CP), when evaluated against control conditions.

Study selection and analysis

Ovid MEDLINE, EmbaseClassic+Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify randomised controlled trials. The primary outcome measure was physical functioning. Secondary outcomes were pain intensity and depression symptoms. We used random and fixed effects (RE and FE) network meta-analyses (NMA) to compare MBSR, CBT and control interventions on the standardised mean difference scale.

Findings

Twenty-one studies were included: 13 CBT vs control (n=1095), 7 MBSR vs control (n=545) and 1 MBSR vs CBT vs control (n=341). Of the 21 articles, 12 were determined to be of fair or good quality. Findings from RE NMA for change in physical functioning, pain intensity and depression revealed clinically important advantages relative to control for MBSR and CBT, but no evidence of an important difference between MBSR and CBT was found.

Conclusions

This review suggests that MBSR offers another potentially helpful intervention for CP management. Additional research using consistent measures is required to guide decisions about providing CBT or MBSR.
Involvement of M1 and M3 receptors in isolated pancreatic islets function during weight cycling in ovariectomized rats
Authors: Pacher Kayo Augusto Salandin , Camargo Thaís Furtado , Andrade Thiago Antonio Moretti , Barbosa-Sampaio Helena Cristina Lima , Amaral Maria Esméria Corezola do
Published: February 2019

We investigated the structural and functional adaptations of the pancreas during weight cycling in animals submitted to hypoestrogenism. Female Wistar rats were distributed among the following test groups: ShamAL (AL, ad libitum); OVXAL (ovariectomized); and OVXcycle (dietary restriction with weight cycling). The ShamAL and OVXAL groups received commercial feed ad libitum, whereas the OVXcycle group received 21 days of commercial feed ad libitum, and 21 days of caloric restriction, with caloric intake amounting to 40% of the amount of feed consumed by the rats in the OVXAL group. The tolerance tests for glucose and insulin were applied. After euthanasia, the pancreas and adipose tissue were collected. The disappearance of glucose during the insulin assay occurred at a higher rate in tissues from the OVXcycle group, compared with the OVXAL group. Fasting glycemia and perirenal adipose tissue were lower in the OVXcycle group. By comparison with the ShamAL and OVXAL groups, the OVXcycle group showed higher protein expression of the M1 and M3 receptors and SOD1–2, as well as higher carbachol-induced insulin secretion. Under highly stimulatory conditions with 16.7 mmol/L glucose, the OVXAL and OVXcycle groups presented lower insulin secretion compared with the ShamAL group. Morphological analysis revealed higher iron deposition in the OVXAL islets by comparison with the OVXcycle group. These results show that ovariectomy accelerated the loss of pancreatic islet function, and that weight cycling could restore the function of the islets.
Development and application of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant S1 for serological testing of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus
Authors: Shan Ying , Liu Yajie , Liu Ziqi , Li Guowei , Chen Cong , Luo Hao , Chen Yunlu , Guo Ningning , Shi Xingfen , Zhang Xian , Fang Weihuan , Li Xiaoliang
Published: February 2019

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes severe infectious diseases in all ages of swine and leads to serious economic losses. Serologic tests are widely accepted and used to detect anti-PEDV antibodies that could indicate PEDV infection or vaccination. In this study, PEDV recombinant S1 protein (rS1) was expressed with the Bac-to-Bac system and purified by nickel-affinity chromatography. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on rS1 (rS1-ELISA) was then developed and optimized by checkerboard assays with serial dilutions of antigen and serum. Serum samples from 453 domestic pigs and 42 vaccinated pigs were analyzed by the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test and rS1-ELISA. Taking IFA as a gold standard, rS1-ELISA produced a high sensitivity (90.7%) and specificity (94.6%) by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. In addition, ROC analysis also revealed that rS1-ELISA was consistent with IFA (area under the curve 0.9583 ± 0.0082). This rS1-ELISA was then applied to antibody detection in inactivated PEDV vaccinated pigs. The antibody could be detected 2–4 weeks after the first inoculation. These results indicated that the rS1-ELISA established in this study provides a promising and reliable tool for serologic detection of anti-PEDV IgG antibodies in infected or vaccinated pigs.
DETERMINATION OF THE LÉVY EXPONENT IN ASSET PRICING MODELS
Authors: BOUZIANIS GEORGE , HUGHSTON LANE P.
Published: February 2019

We consider the problem of determining the Lévy exponent in a Lévy model for asset prices given the price data of derivatives. The model, formulated under the real-world measure [Formula: see text], consists of a pricing kernel [Formula: see text] together with one or more non-dividend-paying risky assets driven by the same Lévy process. If [Formula: see text] denotes the price process of such an asset, then [Formula: see text] is a [Formula: see text]-martingale. The Lévy process [Formula: see text] is assumed to have exponential moments, implying the existence of a Lévy exponent [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] in an interval [Formula: see text] containing the origin as a proper subset. We show that if the prices of power-payoff derivatives, for which the payoff is [Formula: see text] for some time [Formula: see text], are given at time [Formula: see text] for a range of values of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the so-called benchmark portfolio defined by [Formula: see text], then the Lévy exponent is determined up to an irrelevant linear term. In such a setting, derivative prices embody complete information about price jumps: in particular, the spectrum of the price jumps can be worked out from current market prices of derivatives. More generally, if [Formula: see text] for a general non-dividend-paying risky asset driven by a Lévy process, and if we know that the pricing kernel is driven by the same Lévy process, up to a factor of proportionality, then from the current prices of power-payoff derivatives we can infer the structure of the Lévy exponent up to a transformation [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are constants.
Feasibility of Using a Negative Stiffness Damper to Two Interconnected Stay Cables for Damping Enhancement
Authors: Zhou Peng , Liu Min , Xiao Huigang , Li Hui
Published: February 2019

The dynamic behavior of stay cables has a significant impact on the safety and serviceability of cable-stayed bridges. As tuning such dynamic behavior could be effectively achieved by a damping increase on stay cables, this paper investigates on the feasibility of increasing damping on two stay cables simultaneously through interconnecting them with a negative stiffness damper (NSD). It presents the passive realization of the NSD through the following process. First, under harmonic excitations, the steady-state dynamic responses of the two cables in the network are derived. Then, the asymptotic solutions for the additional modal damping ratios are formulated with the critical viscous damping and negative stiffness determined approximately. Subsequently, a parametric analysis is performed to verify the theoretical derivations using two stay cables of a real long-span cable-stayed bridge, under a series of numerical evaluations consisting of sinusoidal excitations and white noises vibrational responses for both cables. Both the theoretical and numerical results show superior damping enhancement by the NSD, in that the vibration responses of the two cables are reduced remarkably.
IN-HOUSE OR OUTSOURCING SKILLS: HOW BEST TO MANAGE FOR INNOVATION?
Authors: DORAN JUSTIN , RYAN GERALDINE , BOURKE JANE , CROWLEY FRANK
Published: February 2019

Innovation is essential for driving business survival, development, and growth. Today, managers within firms continuously search for new ways to gain competitive advantage. In many cases, this comes from the effective use of intangible assets such as workplace skills and abilities. Despite this, little is known about what types of skills are required for innovation, whether these vary by innovation-type, or whether it matters if these skills are outsourced. This paper addresses these issues using data collected on eight skill types as part of the 2008–2010 Irish Community Innovation Survey. We find that there is substantial heterogeneity in the effectiveness of skills at generating different kinds of innovation. In addition, for some types of innovation, it is best to develop the skills in-house (e.g., Engineering skills for product innovation) while for others it is best to outsource the skills (e.g., Multimedia skills for process and organisational innovation).
Evaporate facies recognition using an unsupervised artificial neural network in the northern Arabia Plate
Authors: Zhang Si-Hai , Xu Yin , Teng Mee Kee
Published: February 2019

The carbonate–evaporite depositional combination of Late Jurassic age, incorporates the most prolific oil-producing intervals in the world and forms many giant fields. The succession is the top member of four upwards-shoaling carbonate–anhydrite cycles of Upper Kimmeridgian age, and is overlain by the impermeable anhydrite in northern Arabia. The weak depositional contrasts in carbonate ramp settings make the lateral seal configurations subtle and tough to recognize. Multiple attribute analyses based on an artificial neural network (ANN) can delineate the internal character of the reservoir and seal in a consistent way.

In order to recognize the sedimentary facies and characterize stratigraphic traps within this reservoir interval, multiple seismic attributes were input to an unsupervised ANN. Unsupervised ANN offers a powerful means of classification, implemented here using a single-layer perceptron network. The network is trained by comparing the neurons to the input vectors using competitive-learning techniques. Once a neuron migrates to the centre of a class, the network stabilizes, training is finished and the neuron is assigned to a representative class. Without prior information, the unlabelled class is calibrated and analysed by lithofacies generated from log and core data. Further sedimentary facies are recognized by integrating local geological knowledge.

The depositional environments in the study area are well characterized by the unsupervised ANN, and the recognized sedimentary facies are consistent with the drilled wells and the resulting geological model. Lagoonal deposits of the inner-ramp, ramp-crest shoal and proximal deposits of the middle ramp are recognized within the study area. The widespread ramp crest with peloid and oolitic grainstones provides good reservoirs, whereas the lagoonal deposits distributed between the shoals have a greater abundance of tight limestone with low porosity and permeability, thereby forming a good lateral seal. The selected study area, covering the Rimthan Arch is considered a favorable area for the presence of stratigraphic traps. The sedimentary facies recognition helps to define potential areas for favourable prospect definition and hence prospect ranking.
Activation of the cannabinoid receptor 2 increases renal perfusion
Authors: Pressly J. D. , Soni H. , Jiang S. , Wei J. , Liu R. , Moore B. M. , Adebiyi A. , Park F.
Published: February 2019

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an increasing clinical problem that is associated with chronic kidney disease progression. Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) activation has been shown to mitigate some of the deleterious tubular effects due to AKI, but its role on the renal vasculature has not been fully described. In this study, we investigated the effects of our novel CB2 receptor agonist, SMM-295, on renal vasculature by assessing cortical perfusion with laser Doppler flowmetry and changes in luminal diameter with isolated afferent arterioles. In this study, intravenously infused SMM-295 (6 mg/kg) significantly increased cortical renal perfusion (13.8 ± 0.6%; P < 0.0001; n = 7) compared with vehicle (0.1 ± 1.5%; n = 10) normalized to baseline values in anesthetized C57BL/6J mice. This effect was not dependent upon activation of the CB1 receptor (met-anandamide; 6 mg/kg iv) and was predominantly abolished in Cnr2 knockout mice with SMM-295 (6 mg/kg iv). Ablation of the renal afferent nerves with capsaicin blocked the SMM-295-dependent increase in renal cortical perfusion, and the increased renal blood flow was not dependent upon products synthesized by cyclooxygenase or nitric oxide synthase. The increased renal perfusion by CB2 receptor activation is also attributed to a direct vascular effect, since SMM-295 (5 μM) engendered a significant 37 ± 7% increase ( P < 0.0001; n = 4) in luminal diameters of norepinephrine-preconstricted afferent arterioles. These data provide new insight into the potential benefit of SMM-295 by activating vascular and nonvascular CB2 receptors to promote renal vasodilation, and provide a new therapeutic target to treat renal injuries that impact renal blood flow dynamics.
Normality Ranges of Menstrual Fluid Volume During Reproductive Life Using Direct Quantification of Menses with Vaginal Cups
Authors: Donoso Manuel B. , Serra Ramón , Rice Gregory E. , Gana María Teresa , Rojas Carolina , Khoury Maroun , Arraztoa José Antonio , Monteiro Lara J. , Acuña Stephanie , Illanes Sebastián E.
Published: February 2019

Objective: To determine the normal limits of menstrual fluid volume during reproductive life, quantified by direct measurement. Methods: This was an observational, prospective clinical trial of healthy women aged 20–49 years old, with normal menstrual periods, recruited in a Natural Family Planning Unit. Women collected their menstrual fluid for at least 3 menstrual periods using a vaginal cup. Menstrual volume and different covariables were evaluated using a multilevel mixed-effects linear regression. Results: Ninety-six cycles from 28 patients between 24 and 49 years old were analyzed. The average menstrual volume was 86.7 mL with a range from 15 to 271 mL. The 50th percentile of all samples was 81 mL and the 95th percentile was 162 mL. For multiparous patients the 50th percentile was 93 mL and the 95th was 169 mL. Menstrual fluid volume was higher in multigravida (99.1 mL) than in nulliparous women (45.9 Ml; p < 0.02). No statistically significant associations were identified between different variables and menstrual volume. Conclusion: A menstrual volume over 169 mL should be considered abnormal on multiparous patients. Age was not associated with changes on menstrual fluid volume.
Effects of Long-Term Cinacalcet Administration on Parathyroid Gland in Hemodialysis Patients with Secondary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Okuno Senji , Inaba Masaaki , Ishimura Eiji , Nakatani Shinya , Chou Hidenori , Shoji Shigeichi , Yamakawa Tomoyuki
Published: February 2019

Background/Aim: Cinacalcet, an allosteric modulator of the calcium (Ca) sensing receptor, reduces the level of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in serum as well as parathyroid gland volume following administration in hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, though long-term results are yet to be reported. Methods: Serum parameters (n = 23), together with total parathyroid gland volume (n = 18), were determined in Japanese hemodialysis patients given cinacalcet treatment for 8 years. Results: Following initiation of cinacalcet therapy, levels of serum Ca, phosphate, and intact PTH were significantly decreased. Furthermore, the baseline total volume of the parathyroid gland was 1,272 mm3 (496–2,836 mm3), which was then decreased after 6 months to 796 mm3 (377–1,146 mm3) and then to 332 mm3 (175–570 mm3) after 8 years. There was significant positive correlation between parathyroid gland volume at the start of cinacalcet treatment and reduction in volume during the 8 years cinacalcet treatment. The dose of phosphate binder was significantly decreased in a time-dependent manner after 8 years of cinacalcet treatment, likely because serum phosphate showed a progressive decrease with the treatment. Conclusion: In the present patients, long-term treatment with cinacalcet progressively decreased the total volume of parathyroid glands, as well as levels of intact PTH and phosphate in serum in a time-dependent manner. On the contrary, cinacalcet administration did not cause secondary failure or over-suppress the transition of parathyroid gland activity to hypoparathyroid status. These results suggest that cinacalcet treatment may postpone the need for parathyroidectomy and/or reduce its use even after long-term administration for up to 8 years.
Arquitectura moderna y modernización urbanística en Latino América (1930 – 1950):
Authors: Fusco Martín
Published: February 2019

Las manifestaciones de la arquitectura y el urbanismo modernos en latino América aparecen como objeto de la historiografía local a principios de la década de 1970, cuando ya han sido colocadas en el capítulo de las reproducciones periféricas por los constructores del canon internacional. Desde ese momento, la construcción de la historia de la experiencia moderna en la región ha sido abordada desde diferentes perspectivas. Si los primeros relatos apuntan a servir a la crítica de la producción contemporánea, ya en la década de 1980 toman forma planteos historiográficos tendientes a abandonar el relato canónico y a interpretar a la arquitectura moderna en latino América a través de una serie de circunstancias que emergen de los contextos locales. En la década de 1990, un exacerbado regionalismo elabora un discurso planteado desde la perspectiva de la dependencia para avalar a cierta práctica profesional abocada a expresar la identidad americana. Tal posición se ha diluido durante las últimas dos décadas, dando lugar a enfoques que atraviesan el saber disciplinar por otros saberes y contemplan las improntas de actores antes ignorados, reemplazando el relato único por una multiplicidad de historias y otorgando mayor densidad a la interpretación.
A model combining a Bayesian network with a modified genetic algorithm for green supplier selection
Authors: Zhang Hao , Cui Yan
Published: February 2019

With the advancement of agricultural modernization, many suppliers of agricultural means of production have delivery delay problems and have created environmental pollution and other issues, which affect the coordination and overall efficiency of the agricultural supply chain. Focusing on the green suppliers, this paper puts forward a series of evaluation indexes and considers the influence of environmental performance for performing uncertainty event reasoning based on a Bayesian network – establishing a complete selection and evaluation system for retail enterprises and downstream customers. In addition, an improved genetic algorithm is combined with the Bayesian approach to quantify the evaluation indicators, which solves the problems of the traditional methods of information occlusion and an unreasonable selection scheme, and provides an intelligent and efficient selection of green suppliers.
An Analysis of the Error Associated to Single and Double Exponential Approximations of Theoretical Poroelastic Models
Authors: Islam Md Tauhidul , Chaudhry Anuj , Righetti Raffaella
Published: February 2019

The temporal evolutions of displacements, strains, stresses, and fluid pressure in a poroelastic material under sustained compression are theoretically expressed as sums of an infinite number of exponentials. However, estimation of an infinite number of time constants is impractical in experimental settings. In the past, empirical models containing a finite number of exponentials have been proposed and used to approximate the theoretical poroelastic models. At the present time, however, the degree of error associated with such approximations is unclear. In this paper, we present an analysis of the error encountered when approximating a poroelastic model containing an infinite number of exponentials with a single or double exponential model. As a testing platform, the presented error analysis is applied to the estimation of effective Poisson’s ratio (EPR) and fluid pressure in a uniform cylindrical poroelastic sample and a cylindrical poroelastic sample containing an inclusion under stress relaxation. Our results show that, when the infinite number of exponentials in the theoretical models are approximated with finite number of exponentials, significant error is invoked only in the first few time samples of the EPR and fluid pressure, while the error is negligible for the remaining time samples. We also show that, when estimating clinically relevant mechanical parameters such as Poisson’s ratio or the product of aggregate modulus and interstitial permeability, such approximation invokes small error (<3%) in comparison to the general model with infinite number of exponentials. Therefore, such approximation may be acceptable in techniques aiming at reconstructing mechanical parameters from poroelastographic data.
Cuckoo search-based method for trajectory planning of quadrotor in an urban environment
Authors: Hu Hanjie , Wu Yu , Xu Jinfa , Sun Qingyun
Published: February 2019

Express by micro aerial vehicle (MAV) becomes more and more popular because it can avoid the influence of terrain and save more space for taking-off and landing of aircraft. At present, quadrotor is often used in the express industry due to its flexibility and easy operation, and the flight trajectory plays an important role in the efficiency and safety level of express service. In this paper, the trajectory planning problem is studied for quadrotor delivering goods in urban environment with the purpose of avoiding the heavy ground traffic, and a cuckoo search (CS)-based trajectory planning method is proposed to solve the problem. First, a conceptual model containing all the key elements of the delivery task is developed, which presents a general idea of solving the problem. Some characteristics of the urban environment and the delivery task, such as the wind field, dense buildings and inclination of shipped goods, are taken into account in the trajectory planning model. The goal of the delivery task is to make the goods reach the destination accurately. When designing the CS-based trajectory planning algorithm, the basics of CS algorithm are explained, and then it is integrated into the trajectory planning problem. Comparative experiments are carried out to investigate the superiority of the proposed method, and the influences of parameters in CS algorithm are also discussed to conclude its performance in trajectory planning problem.
Japanese public library services for dyslexic children
Authors: Ikeshita Hanae
Published: February 2019

In Japan, most public libraries do not provide sufficient easy-reading materials or offer reading facilities that are suitable for children with dyslexia. In contrast, in Europe, public libraries provide special facilities for children with reading disabilities, allowing them to see, read or listen to books in various ways. This study compares support services for children with reading disabilities at public libraries in Europe and Japan, focusing on support for children with dyslexia. Information was gathered through interviews with librarians. After interviewing European librarians working in children’s libraries, we found that each of them runs events for children, where the children have the opportunity to discover books. Children were able to acquire knowledge through these events and pursue knowledge using these newly-discovered books. It is suggested that adopting the concept of the European children’s library in Japanese libraries might give all Japanese children the opportunity to read more books.
CRC Screening Results: Patient Comprehension and Follow-up
Authors: Azulay Revital , Valinsky Liora , Hershkowitz Fabienne , Magnezi Racheli
Published: February 2019

Background:

Fecal occult blood tests are recommended for colorectal cancer screening, but are only effective if colonoscopy follows positive results. Patients with positive results often do not complete follow-up. This study examined the association between patient comprehension and adherence to colonoscopy after positive FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test).

Methods:

Five hundred twenty-two patients completed a telephone questionnaire regarding the FIT and its implications 120 days after a positive result. Patients were asked whether they had the test, received the results, and required follow-up. These questions were used to identify the degree to which patients understood medical information. A participant who answered “no” to any question was defined as having “low comprehension” regarding the FIT, and participants who answered “yes” to all 3 questions, as having “high comprehension”.

Results:

Comprehension and colonoscopy adherence were significantly associated. Adherence to colonoscopy was significantly higher among participants with high comprehension, after adjusting for gender, age, education, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrates a link between health comprehension and patient follow-up after positive FIT and contributes to understanding the implications of health comprehension in terms of health promotion. We recommend patients undergoing screening tests receive clear explanations regarding need for follow-up of positive results thus reducing health disparities associated with health comprehension.
Multidisciplinary Care for Critical Limb Ischemia: Current Gaps and Opportunities for Improvement
Authors: Armstrong Ehrin J. , Alam Syed , Henao Steve , Lee Arthur C. , DeRubertis Brian G. , Montero-Baker Miguel , Mena Carlos , Cua Bennett , Palena Luis Mariano , Kovach Richard , Chandra Venita , AlMahameed Amjad , Walker Craig M.
Published: February 2019

Critical limb ischemia (CLI), defined as ischemic rest pain or nonhealing ulceration due to arterial insufficiency, represents the most severe and limb-threatening manifestation of peripheral artery disease. A major challenge in the optimal treatment of CLI is that multiple specialties participate in the care of this complex patient population. As a result, the care of patients with CLI is often fragmented, and multidisciplinary societal guidelines have not focused specifically on the care of patients with CLI. Furthermore, multidisciplinary care has the potential to improve patient outcomes, as no single medical specialty addresses all the facets of care necessary to reduce cardiovascular and limb-related morbidity in this complex patient population. This review identifies current gaps in the multidisciplinary care of patients with CLI, with a goal toward increasing disease recognition and timely referral, defining important components of CLI treatment teams, establishing options for revascularization strategies, and identifying best practices for wound care post-revascularization.
Bidirectional Effects of Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate on Severe Acute Pancreatitis in a Rat Model
Authors: Yang Huan , Ma ShuCan , Guo Yu , Cui DongLai , Yao JinFeng
Published: February 2019

Introduction:

The mechanism by which intestinal mucosal barrier is damaged in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)-associated impairment is not fully understood.

Methods:

We established an l-arginine-induced SAP rat model, pretreated with or without pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to evaluate the pathological alterations. Western blotting was conducted to detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins. Oxidative stress was assessed by the levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase.

Results:

We found significant injury of the intestinal mucosal barrier in SAP rats, with overexpression of Beclin-1, LC3, and p65. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate showed a bidirectional effect in protecting SAP rats. A high dose of PDTC aggravated disease in rats, while a low or medium dose of PDTC pretreatment, was able to alleviate tissue damage. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate changed the expression of Beclin-1, LC3, and p65 in the intestines. The fatty acid-binding protein level was increased in SAP rats with high-dose PDTC or without PDTC pretreatment and was reduced in SAP rats with low- or medium-dose PDTC exposure.

Conclusions:

Autophagy is involved in the impairment of intestinal mucosal barrier during SAP. A suitable dose of PDTC (1 or 10 mg/kg) may decrease the severity of SAP by inhibiting autophagy in intestinal mucosal cells.
Hippocampal Sclerosis, Argyrophilic Grain Disease, and Primary Age-Related Tauopathy
Authors: Jicha Gregory A. , Nelson Peter T.
Published: February 2019

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Hippocampal sclerosis, argyrophilic grain disease, and primary age-related tauopathy are common Alzheimer disease mimics that currently lack clinical diagnostic criteria. Increased understanding of these pathologic entities is important for the neurologist who may encounter patients with an unusually slowly progressive degenerative dementia that may appear to meet criteria for Alzheimer disease but who progress to develop symptoms that are unusual for classic Alzheimer disease

RECENT FINDINGS

Hippocampal sclerosis has traditionally been associated with hypoxic/ischemic injury and poorly controlled epilepsy, but it is now recognized that hippocampal sclerosis may also be associated with a unique degenerative disease of aging or may be an associated pathologic finding in many cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Argyrophilic grain disease has been recognized as an enigma in the field of pathology for over 30 years, but recent discoveries suggest that it may overlap with other tau-related disorders within the spectrum of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Primary age-related tauopathy has long been recognized as a distinct clinical entity that lies on the Alzheimer pathologic spectrum, with the presence of neurofibrillary tangles that lack the coexistent Alzheimer plaque development; thus, it is thought to represent a distinct pathologic entity.

Despite advances in dementia diagnosis that suggest that we have identified and unlocked the mysteries of the major degenerative disease states responsible for cognitive decline and dementia in the elderly, diseases such as hippocampal sclerosis, argyrophilic grain disease, and primary age-related tauopathy demonstrate that we remain on the frontier of discovery and that our diagnostic repertoire of diseases responsible for such clinical symptoms remains in its infancy. Understanding such diagnostic confounds is important for the neurologist in assigning appropriate diagnoses and selecting appropriate therapeutic management strategies for patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia.