bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Japanese Bereaved Family Members’ Perspectives of Palliative Care Units and Palliative Care
Authors: Kinoshita Satomi , Miyashita Mitsunori , Morita Tatsuya , Sato Kazuki , Shoji Ayaka , Chiba Yurika , Miyazaki Tamana , Tsuneto Satoru , Shima Yasuo
Published: April 2015

The study purpose was to understand the perspectives of bereaved family members regarding palliative care unit (PCU) and palliative care and to compare perceptions of PCU before admission and after bereavement. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted, and the perceptions of 454 and 424 bereaved family members were obtained regarding PCU and palliative care, respectively. Family members were significantly more likely to have positive perceptions after bereavement (ranging from 73% to 80%) compared to before admission (ranging from 62% to 71%). Bereaved family members who were satisfied with medical care in the PCU had a positive perception of the PCU and palliative care after bereavement. Respondents younger than 65 years of age were significantly more likely to have negative perceptions of PCU and palliative care.
Improving Diabetes Care for Hospice Patients
Authors: Lee Sei J. , Jacobson Margaret A. , Johnston C. Bree
Published: April 2015

Although type 2 diabetes guidelines recommend less aggressive glycemic control for patients with limited life expectancy, many hospice patients continue their glucose-lowering medications, resulting in an increased risk of hypoglycemia. Three common reasons for overly tight glycemic control in hospice patients include (1) discussions about reducing or stopping chronic medications are uncomfortable; (2) many patients and families believe that mild hyperglycemia can cause symptoms; and (3) until 2014, Healthcare Information and Data Information Set (HEDIS) quality indicators for glycemic control included hospice patients. To address these issues, we recommend (1) providers discuss with patients and families upon hospice enrollment that diabetes medications can be reduced or discontinued as their life-limiting disease progresses; (2) keeping blood glucose levels between 200 and 300 mg/dL; and (3) educate providers that HEDIS measures now exclude hospice patients. Implementing these recommendations should decrease the risk of hypoglycemia in hospice patients and improve their quality of life.
Designing a Measurement Framework for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood Programs
Authors: McConnell Scott R. , Wackerle-Hollman Alisha K. , Roloff Tracy A. , Rodriguez Michael
Published: April 2015

The overall architecture and major components of a measurement system designed and evaluated to support Response to Intervention (RTI) in the areas of language and literacy in early childhood programs are described. Efficient and reliable measurement is essential for implementing any viable RTI system, and implementing such a system in early childhood programs presents several special challenges. This article describes (a) the general approach taken to developing and evaluating this measurement system, including its conceptual and methodological foundations, methods, and results for developing items and scales for second-generation Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs 2.0), and (b) use of these scales in a larger decision-making framework for differentiating language and literacy instruction to match the needs of preschool children at risk of academic difficulties. The authors conclude with a review of some challenges associated with developing measurement for differentiated instruction in early childhood settings.
Targeting Escalation in Reported Domestic Abuse
Authors: Bland Matthew , Ariel Barak
Published: April 2015

Practitioners dealing with domestic abuse often claim that the problem escalates over time in both seriousness and frequency. We tested those claims on 36,000 police records of domestic abuse between 2009 and 2014 reported to Suffolk Constabulary in the east of England. Using the Cambridge Crime Harm Index as the measure of harm severity, we found no escalation in the majority of cases; 76% of all unique victim and offender units (dyads) had zero repeat calls. Among the cohort of 727 dyads who called police 5 or more times, there was no evidence for statistically significant escalating harm severity, but some evidence of increasing frequency. Less than 2% of dyads accounted for 80% of all domestic abuse harm, but in over half of these highest harm dyads, there had been no prior contact with police regarding domestic abuse. These findings suggest the need for more engagement of nonpolice agencies in predicting serious harm.
Ethnic Differences in Parent–Adolescent Agreement on Internalizing Disorders
Authors: Verhulp Esmée E. , Stevens Gonneke W. J. M. , Vollebergh Wilma A. M.
Published: April 2015

Disagreement between parents and adolescents on the internalizing problems of adolescents poses a threat to diagnoses based on both parent- and adolescent-reported internalizing problems. In this article, we analyze ethnic differences in parent–adolescent agreement on internalizing disorders as reported in a diagnostic interview. A two-phase study design was used. In the first phase, a large sample of adolescents was screened for internalizing disorders using the Youth Self-Report. In the second phase, adolescents from each ethnic group (native Dutch, Surinamese Dutch, Turkish Dutch, Moroccan Dutch) were selected, with half scoring in the borderline/clinical range and half in the normal range. Diagnostic interviews were subsequently conducted with 348 parents and adolescents. Moroccan Dutch parents reported fewer internalizing disorders compared with native Dutch parents. Combining parent and adolescent reports therefore resulted in a lower amount of internalizing disorders among Moroccan Dutch adolescents. Results furthermore showed that (parent- and adolescent-reported) internalizing diagnoses were related to mental health service use in all ethnic groups. Professionals in the field should be sensitive to possible discrepancies between parents and adolescents when diagnosing adolescents’ internalizing disorders, in particular, because underreports of internalizing disorders among parents might contribute to lower levels of mental health service use among adolescents belonging to certain ethnic groups.
Universal deformations of micropolar isotropic elastic solids
Authors: Zubov Leonid M
Published: April 2015

For homogeneous nonlinear isotropic micropolar solids a class of universal deformations is obtained. The kinematics of micropolar media is determined by two independent fields, which are the position vector of material particles and the microrotation tensor which describes the rotational degrees of freedom. We present two types of universal deformation. The first type is uniform deformations. Here the deformation gradient tensor and the microrotation tensor are both constant. In addition the microrotation tensor coincides with the macrorotation tensor from the polar decomposition of the deformation gradient or differs from the latter by a half-turn about one of the principal axes of the stretch tensor. The second type of universal deformation consists of six families of non-uniform deformations. It is obtained for incompressible materials. Each family includes a few subfamilies which differ from each other by the form of the microrotation tensor.
Effect of heating rate on highly heat-resistant spore-forming microorganisms
Authors: Gómez-Jódar Isabel , Ros-Chumillas María , Palop Alfredo
Published: April 2015

Highly heat-resistant spore-forming Bacillus cause nonsterility problems in canned food and reduce the shelf life of many processed foods. The aim of this research was to evaluate the thermal inactivation of Bacillus sporothermodurans IIC65 , Bacillus subtilis IC9, and Geobacillus stearothermophilus T26 under isothermal and nonisothermal conditions. The data obtained showed that B. sporothermodurans and B. subtilis were more heat resistant than G. stearothermophilus. The survival curves of B. sporothermodurans and B. subtilis showed shoulders, while the survival curves of G. stearothermophilus showed tails. Under nonisothermal treatment, at heating rates of 1 and 20 ℃/min, time needed to completely inactivate G. stearothermophilus was shorter than that required for B. sporothermodurans and B. subtilis. In complex heat treatments (heating–holding–cooling), the survival curves of B. sporothermodurans and B. subtilis showed the same activation shoulders than those obtained under isothermal treatments and the activation shoulders were again absent in the case of G. stearothermophilus. Predictions fitted quite well the data obtained for B. sporothermodurans. In contrast, the data for B. subtilis showed half a log cycle more survival than expected and in the case of G. stearothermophilus, the survival curve obtained showed much higher inactivation than expected.
Payment by Results in the UK: Progress to date and future directions for evaluation
Authors: Battye Fraser
Published: April 2015

In the UK, Payment by Results (PbR) is a central element in public service reform. This policy intention is being translated into practice through programmes of varying designs and scale, operating in multiple areas of policy. There are few completed evaluations of these programmes – although results are starting to emerge – and empirical evidence is lacking. This, combined with the strength of feeling, political imperative and conceptual confusion surrounding PbR, has meant that debate has often been heated and focused on whether or not ‘PbR works’. Within this context, this article examines the role of evaluation in approaching PbR. It argues that evaluation’s focus should be on explanation (looking within programmes; surfacing and testing their theories) and refinement (using findings to improve programmes; using theories to look across programmes) to advance the debate on PbR from ‘for or against?’ to ‘when, how, for whom and under what circumstances?’ The article advocates a Realist approach to this undertaking, setting out an illustrative framework of PbR’s mechanisms and hypothesized outcomes for exploration and development.
Evaluating the evidence – a move to more Realistic Evaluation: A case study of Regional Selective Assistance in Scotland
Authors: Hayton Keith
Published: April 2015

This article considers how evaluation practice can improve so that the support offered to decision makers is a better reflection of the reality being evaluated. The article examines a number of evaluations of the same intervention, Regional Selective Assistance administered by Scottish Enterprise, one of Scotland’s two public sector economic development agencies. The assumptions underpinning the evaluations have changed over time. The earlier ones assumed that it was possible to evaluate the intervention in isolation: ignoring the factors that Realistic Evaluation highlights as affecting impacts: Context, Mechanisms and the Outcome Configuration. Later evaluations implicitly acknowledged these factors. However, the evaluations produced different results so that, rather than triangulation resulting in a degree of consensus, policy makers were presented with different views as to the effectiveness of the same intervention. The conclusion is that both evaluators and policy makers need to explicitly accept the Realistic Evaluation agenda and realize that causality is far more complicated than is often assumed. This would be aided if there was more transparency in evaluation methodologies and the use of different approaches to evaluate the same intervention so that any findings were triangulated.
What if ‘What Works’ Doesn’t?
Authors: Lehmann Erika R.
Published: April 2015

The contribution discusses the risks and benefits of the push for evidence-based decision making. More particularly, it focuses on the risks of a results-focused approach; the special risks of the preferential treatment of RCTs; and the benefits of an evidence-focused approach.
Democratic evaluation for the 21st century
Authors: Picciotto Robert
Published: April 2015

The evaluation discipline has long been put at the service of liberal democratic values. But contemporary evaluation practice is threatened by vested interests, western democracy is under stress and internationalization has propelled evaluation towards illiberal and patrimonial states. What is to be done in contexts where democracy is absent and/or evaluation has been captured by powerful interests whether globally, within countries or within organizations? Are existing democratic evaluation approaches still relevant? Is it time to try something new? This article reviews the evidence and recommends adoption of a progressive evaluation model designed to complement, update and renew existing democratic and social justice evaluation approaches.
Effects of a culturally sensitive assessment on symptom profiles in native Dutch and Moroccan patients with a first psychosis referral
Authors: Zandi Tekleh , Havenaar Johan M. , Laan Wijnand , Kahn René S. , van den Brink Wim
Published: April 2015

Previous studies have reported a higher incidence of psychosis in Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands than among native-born residents. However, this disparity was substantially attenuated when cultural differences in symptom presentation were taken into account. To better understand the impact of different diagnostic procedures on incidence rates, we examined the effects of the use of a culturally sensitive diagnostic interview, compared to a standard semi-structured diagnostic interview, on symptom profiles among Moroccan immigrant and native Dutch patients in the Netherlands. A total of 26 Dutch and 26 Moroccan patients referred with a possible first psychosis diagnosis were interviewed twice: once with the standard version and once with a culturally adapted version of the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History questionnaire (CASH and CASH-CS, respectively). Among native Dutch patients, symptoms profiles based on CASH and CASH-CS interviews were very similar. By contrast, among Moroccan immigrant patients, symptom profiles based on CASH and CASH-CS interviews differed substantially, with more mania symptoms (+30%; p < .05) and fewer delusions (−31%; p < .05) reported when using the CASH-CS. These results suggest that the over-diagnosis of schizophrenia in Moroccan immigrants with a first psychosis referral may be related to a tendency to under-detect mood symptoms and over-detect positive psychotic symptoms when a standard diagnostic procedure is used. This bias may be corrected, at least in part, by the use of a culturally sensitive interview instrument such as the CASH- CS.
Work-related psychosocial risk factors and mental health problems amongst nurses at a university hospital in Estonia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Freimann Tiina , Merisalu Eda
Published: April 2015

Aim: Rapid changes in the Estonian health care system have placed extra pressure on the nursing profession, but the potential impacts of psychosocial changes have not been investigated. We aimed to explore the work-related psychosocial risk factors and their relationships with mental health problems (MHPs) amongst nurses at the university hospital in Estonia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken amongst registered nurses at Tartu University Hospital (TUH). Psychosocial work factors and MHPs (stress, somatic symptoms, depressive symptoms and burnout) were measured using version two of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II). Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s r correlation with sequential Bonferroni correction were used to analyse the data. Results: The analysis was based on 404 nurses (45% of the full-time working population of nurses). The highest mean scores recorded for the positive work-related psychosocial factors studied were meaning of work, role clarity, social relationships and mutual trust between employees. The highest scores for the negative factors studied were the demands for hiding emotions, work pace, cognitive and emotional demands. Stress and burnout showed the highest mean scores amongst the MHPs. Quantitative and emotional demands were positively related to all of the studied MHPs, while work pace and role conflicts had a positive correlation with stress and burnout. All of the studied negative psychosocial factors were significantly correlated with burnout. Conclusions: Work-related psychosocial risk factors such as quantitative demands (work load), emotional demands, work pace and role conflicts, had significant positive relationships with MHPs in nurses in Estonia, and may contribute to high levels of stress as well as burnout amongst nurses.
An experimental study of the load and heat influence from combustion on engine friction
Authors: Allmaier H , Knauder C , Salhofer S , Reich FM , Schalk E , Ofner H , Wagner A
Published: April 2015

The friction power losses of a turbo-charged heavy-duty diesel engine of the 13 litre class are investigated both by fired engine tests as well as by pressurized motoring tests. During pressurized motoring compressed air is applied to the engine intake which creates loads comparable with fired operation but without the strong and changing thermal influence of combustion. By using this combined approach the influence of the load and the thermal influence of the combustion can be studied separately for the first time. It is found that pressurized motoring yields comparable but generally a bit higher friction power losses as in fired operation. In particular, for full load operation, the agreement between the two methods is very good which supports the reasoning that for full load operation the mechanical load is the dominant factor for the friction power losses. However, for part load operation significant differences arise. Without the thermal influence from combustion, increasing the load on the engine leads to a rather linear increase in the friction power losses as is seen from pressurized motoring. This is in contrast to the fired engine tests, where the friction power losses stay almost constant over a rather large range of part loads and only increase for full load operation. It is argued that the reason for this different behaviour is the thermal impact from combustion.
A Method for Recruiting Participants from Isolated Islands of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) for Survey Research
Authors: Moosa Sheena , Koopman-Boyden Peggy
Published: April 2015

Representing isolated small island communities through social survey research continues to be challenging. We examine a locally developed method to reach and recruit older people (65+ years) for a survey on well-being in the small island developing state of Maldives. The use of messengers to recruit participants is examined in the context of these isolated islands. The approach allowed for the participation of the isolated island communities in the survey yielding a high response rate. We consider the aspects of this approach for further application to survey research in isolated communities.
Lock-In and Team Effects
Authors: Dronyk-Trosper Trey , Stitzel Brandli
Published: April 2015

How important is recruiting to a football program’s success? While prior research has attempted to answer this question, we utilize an extensive panel set covering 13 years of games along with a two-stage least squares approach to investigate the effects of recruiting on team success. This article also includes new control variables to account for omitted variable bias that prior work may have missed. We also split our sample to investigate whether recruiting displays heterogeneous effects across schools. Additionally, we find evidence that the benefits of recruiting are driven by team-specific effects, indicating that team success may be more heavily derived from the ability of teams to harness and improve their recruits than their ability to utilize each athlete’s raw abilities. This leads to important revelations regarding future research into both the value of recruits and what drives a football team’s success.
Censorship and the Politics of Micro-Fascism
Authors: Liang Lawrence
Published: April 2015

Although censorship has classically been understood as a vertical problem of repressive state laws being used to curb individual freedoms, there has been a gradual paradigm shift in the nature of censorship with right-wing religious organizations, political leaders, and overzealous individuals using the law to curb dissent or to proscribe speech that they disagree with. The infamous Dinanath Batra who used the laws to ensure that Penguin withdrew Wendy Doniger’s book is symptomatic of a phenomenon in which laws are used horizontally against other citizens. In the aftermath of the BJP’s electoral victory, we have already seen the law being used against individuals who have been critical of Narendra Modi. This article examines how hate speech legislations may be systematically abused by right-wing organizations to create chilling effects and the dangers that they pose to democratic dissent.
Modi-Masculinity
Authors: Srivastava Sanjay
Published: April 2015

Media discourses—both independent journalism and advertisements—during the 2014 general election in India articulated a gendered focus on a significant aspect of Narendra Modi’s public representation relating to his forceful masculinity. His election campaign—as well as popular discourse that surrounded his pre-prime ministerial persona—significantly focused upon his “manly” leadership style: efficient, dynamic, potent, and capable of removing all policy-roadblocks through sheer force of personality. In this, he is implicitly counterpoised to Manmohan Singh, his “impotent” predecessor, and more generally against an “effeminate” Indian type who is unable to strike hard at both external enemies (Pakistan and China, say) and internal threats (“Muslim terrorists,” most obviously). His “56-inch chest”—able and willing to bear the harshest burdens in the service of “Mother India”—was a frequently invoked metaphor in the election. This article suggests that Modi-masculinity is a reformulation of older versions of Indian masculinist discourse in a time of consumerist modernity and that the media has played a significant role in the re-making. The discussion suggests that Modi-masculinity stands at the juncture of new consumerist aspirations, the politics of “Indian traditions” and gender, and the re-fashioning of masculine identities.
Organizing Popular Discourse with and against the Media
Authors: Ohm Britta
Published: April 2015

This article follows a comparative perspective on media narratives and practices pertaining to India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, previously Chief Minister of the Indian State of Gujarat, and Turkey’s former Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I argue that both have attained a current position of nearly opposition-free leadership by buttressing a “people’s unity” of those who believe in the reliability of particular information. Modi has achieved this by successfully avoiding journalistic and legal investigation into his actions and politics ever since the mass-mediated, anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat 2002, supporting, instead, the people’s confidence in their own capacity to identify the “truth.” Modi, thus, democratically procured his own intangibility. Erdoğan, in contrast, is more vulnerable to democratic opposition, even though he successfully claims to provide his supporters legal and moral guidance against the historically adversarial and nationalist-secular media system and against critical information about himself.
Influence of structural imperfections—twisting and distortion—on the vibrational behavior of carbon nanotubes
Authors: Imani Yengejeh Sadegh , Öchsner Andreas
Published: April 2015

Several types of carbon nanotubes in their perfect and imperfect form were simulated, and their vibrational behavior was studied by performing computational examinations with fixed-free boundary conditions. Both computational and analytical results were compared in the case of perfect tubes. Afterward, three kinds of imperfections, that is, twisting angle, z-distortion along the longitudinal axis and xy-distortion along the radial axis, were introduced to the structure of perfect carbon nanotubes, and the natural frequencies of imperfect carbon nanotubes were numerically evaluated and compared with the behavior of the perfect ones. It was concluded that the existence of any type of imperfection in the structure of carbon nanotubes leads to a lower natural frequency and, as a result, lower vibrational stability. However, this trend was more visible for the carbon nanotubes with higher chirality.
Music Worlds and Body Techniques: On the Embodiment of Musicking
Authors: Crossley Nick
Published: April 2015

Despite the large amount of sociological work on human embodiment very little has been done on the embodiment of music or musicking. In this paper I seek to open this area up by way of two key concepts: ‘body techniques’ and ‘music worlds’. Specifically I seek to explore the role of body techniques within music worlds. The first part of the paper engages with the work of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Culture Studies on subcultures, considering how this might shed light upon the body techniques used by audiences in music worlds. The second part turns to artists, support personnel and their body techniques. In this second part specific attention is given to the interplay between body techniques and other key elements of music worlds, namely networks, conventions, resources and places.
De-Institutionalization of High Culture? Realized Curricula in Secondary Education in Flanders, 1930–2000
Authors: Daenekindt Stijn , Roose Henk
Published: April 2015

Based on findings and suggestions originating from educational research, several cultural sociologists have claimed that the education system has contributed to the erosion of the institutionalized character of fine arts throughout the 20th century. However, empirical research to substantiate this claim is scarce. We focus on secondary education in Flanders to study the centrality of high culture. Our goal is twofold. First, we want to reflect on the ways the education system can – via the process of institutionalization – infuse certain cultural products with status. Second, we offer an exploratory analysis by studying whether the extent of institutionalization of traditional high culture in the education system has decreased over the course of the 20th century. Our analyses indicate that, in the period 1930–2000, both high and low cultural forms are increasingly being represented in the school context. However, we find that the increase of high culture is especially situated in the academic track – the most prestigious track, designed to cultivate the future elite. In this way, throughout the 20th century, the education system continued to channel high culture to the upper social strata of society, thus infusing these forms of culture with status.
How to Assess the Quality of Glucose Clamps? Evaluation of Clamps Performed With ClampArt, a Novel Automated Clamp Device
Authors: Benesch Carsten , Heise Tim , Klein Oliver , Heinemann Lutz , Arnolds Sabine
Published: April 2015

Background:

There are no widely accepted parameters to assess the quality of glucose clamps. Thus, we selected different parameters describing clamp quality. These parameters were then evaluated in glucose clamps carried out with ClampArt, a novel CE-marked, state-of-the-art fully automated glucose clamp device employing continuous blood glucose (BG) measurements and minute-by-minute adaptations of glucose infusion rate (GIR).

Methods:

Thirty-nine glucose clamps were performed in 10 healthy and 29 subjects with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) (total duration 583 h). ClampArt-based BG measurements were compared with those obtained with a laboratory reference method. Clamp quality was assessed by 5 parameters: (1) difference (mg/dl) of all paired BG measurements of ClampArt versus reference method (“trueness”), (2) coefficient of variation (CV, %) of ClampArt’s BG measurements at target clamp level (“precision”), (3) mean absolute relative difference (MARD, %) at target clamp level (“accuracy”), (4) difference (mg/dl) between ClampArt and target BG (“control deviation”), and (5) percentage operational time (“utility”).

Results:

ClampArt-based BG measurements showed a trueness of 1.2 ± 2.5 mg/dl. CV and MARD at target BG were 5.5 ± 2.1% and 5.3 ± 2.3%, respectively. There were only small deviations from target level (1.2 ± 1.6 mg/dl). Operational time was as high as 95.4% ± 4.1% (means ± SD).

Conclusions:

The selected parameters seem to be adequate to characterize clamp quality. The novel, fully automated clamp device ClampArt achieves high clamp quality, which in future trials should be compared with other (automated and manual) clamp methods.
Rate-of-Change Dependence of the Performance of Two CGM Systems During Induced Glucose Swings
Authors: Pleus Stefan , Schoemaker Michael , Morgenstern Karin , Schmelzeisen-Redeker Günther , Haug Cornelia , Link Manuela , Zschornack Eva , Freckmann Guido
Published: April 2015

Introduction:

The accuracy of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems is often assessed with respect to blood glucose (BG) readings. CGM readings are affected by a physiological and a technical time delay when compared to BG readings. In this analysis, the dependence of CGM performance parameters on the BG rate of change was investigated for 2 CGM systems.

Methods:

Data from a previously published study were retrospectively analyzed. An established CGM system (Dexcom G4, Dexcom, San Diego, CA; system A) and a prototype system (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany; system B) with 2 sensors each were worn by 10 subjects in parallel. Glucose swings were induced to achieve rapidly changing BG concentrations. Mean absolute relative differences (MARD) were calculated in different BG rate-of-change categories. In addition, sensor-to-sensor precision was assessed.

Results:

At BG rates of change of –1 mg/dl/min to 0 mg/dl/min and 0 mg/dl/min to +1 mg/dl/min, MARD results were 12.6% and 11.3% for system A and 8.2% and 10.0% for system B. At rapidly changing BG concentrations (<–3 mg/dl/min and ≥+3 mg/dl/min), higher MARD results were found for both systems, but system B was less affected (system A: 24.9% and 29.6%, system B: 10.6% and 16.3%). The impact of rate of change on sensor-to-sensor precision was less pronounced.

Conclusions:

Both systems were affected by rapidly changing BG concentrations to some degree, although system B was mostly unaffected by decreasing BG concentrations. It would seem that technological advancements in CGM systems might allow for a more precise tracking of BG concentrations even at rapidly changing BG concentrations.
Productive measures: Culture and measurement in the context of everyday neoliberalism
Authors: Beer David
Published: April 2015

This article reflects on how data circulations and data analysis have become a central and routine part of contemporary life; it does this through the lens of a particular cultural form: the game of football. More specifically, the article focuses upon the role of data in the production and playing of football, with the suggestion that forms of measurement and pattern recognition are now central to the performance of footballers and the recruitment and organization of squads. The article reflects on what this case study reveals about the implications of data, metrics and analytics for contemporary culture and suggests that we can use examples like football to see how embedded these data-processes are in the social world. This article presents the concept of productive measures as one means for analysing such developments.
Comparative analysis of human ex vivo–generated platelets vs megakaryocyte-generated platelets in mice: a cautionary tale
Authors: Wang Yuhuan , Hayes Vincent , Jarocha Danuta , Sim Xiuli , Harper Dawn C. , Fuentes Rudy , Sullivan Spencer K. , Gadue Paul , Chou Stella T. , Torok-Storb Beverly J. , Marks Michael S. , French Deborah L. , Poncz Mortimer
Published: April 2015

Key Points

Infused human megakaryocytes release young platelets in the lungs with characteristics similar to donor platelets. Platelets released from ex vivo–derived megakaryocytes are preactivated and compare poorly to donor platelets.
How I treat refractory and early relapsed acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Thol Felicitas , Schlenk Richard F. , Heuser Michael , Ganser Arnold
Published: April 2015

Between 10% and 40% of newly diagnosed patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) do not achieve complete remission with intensive induction therapy and are therefore categorized as primary refractory or resistant. Few of these patients can be cured with conventional salvage therapy. They need to be evaluated regarding eligibility for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as this is currently the treatment with the highest probability of cure. To reduce the leukemia burden prior to transplantation, salvage chemotherapy regimens need to be employed. Whenever possible, refractory/relapsed patients should be enrolled in clinical trials as we do not have highly effective and standardized treatments for this situation. Novel therapies include tyrosine kinase inhibitors, small-molecule inhibitors (eg, for Polo-like kinase 1 and aminopeptidase), inhibitors of mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 and IDH2, antibody-based therapies, and cell-based therapies. Although the majority of these therapies are still under evaluation, they are likely to enter clinical practice rapidly as a bridge to transplant and/or in older, unfit patients who are not candidates for allogeneic HSCT. In this review, we describe our approach to refractory/early relapsed AML, and we discuss treatment options for patients with regard to different clinical conditions and molecular profiles.
Characteristic repartition of monocyte subsets as a diagnostic signature of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
Authors: Selimoglu-Buet Dorothée , Wagner-Ballon Orianne , Saada Véronique , Bardet Valérie , Itzykson Raphaël , Bencheikh Laura , Morabito Margot , Met Elisabeth , Debord Camille , Benayoun Emmanuel , Nloga Anne-Marie , Fenaux Pierre , Braun Thorsten , Willekens Christophe , Quesnel Bruno , Adès Lionel , Fontenay Michaela , Rameau Philippe , Droin Nathalie , Koscielny Serge , Solary Eric
Published: April 2015

Key Points

An increase in the classical monocyte subset to >94% of total monocytes discriminates CMML from other monocytoses with high specificity. This characteristic increase in classical monocytes disappears in CMML patients who respond to hypomethylating agents.
CMV reactivation drives posttransplant T-cell reconstitution and results in defects in the underlying TCRβ repertoire
Authors: Suessmuth Yvonne , Mukherjee Rithun , Watkins Benjamin , Koura Divya T. , Finstermeier Knut , Desmarais Cindy , Stempora Linda , Horan John T. , Langston Amelia , Qayed Muna , Khoury Hanna J. , Grizzle Audrey , Cheeseman Jennifer A. , Conger Jason A. , Robertson Jennifer , Garrett Aneesah , Kirk Allan D. , Waller Edmund K. , Blazar Bruce R. , Mehta Aneesh K. , Robins Harlan S. , Kean Leslie S.
Published: April 2015

Key Points

CMV reactivation fundamentally resets posttransplant CD8 reconstitution, resulting in massive expansion of CMV-specific CD8 Tem. CMV reactivation is associated with defects in the underlying TCRβ immune repertoire.
The rice ALS3 encoding a novel pentatricopeptide repeat protein is required for chloroplast development and seedling growth
Authors: Lin Dongzhi , Gong Xiaodi , Jiang Quan , Zheng Kailun , Zhou Hua , Xu Jianlong , Teng Sheng , Dong Yanjun
Published: April 2015

Background

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins play essential roles in modulating the expression of organelle genes and have expanded greatly in higher plants. However, molecular mechanisms of most rice PPR genes remain unclear.

Results

In this study, a new rice PPR mutant, asl3 (albino
seedling
lethality3) exhibits an albino lethal phenotype at the seedling stage. This albino phenotype was associated with altered photosynthetic-pigment and chloroplast development. Map-based cloning showed that ASL3 encodes a novel rice PPR protein with 10 tandem PPR motifs, which localizes to the chloroplast. ASL3 showed tissue-specific expression, as it was highly expressed in the chlorenchyma, but expressed at much lower levels in roots and panicles. RNAi of ASL3 confirmed that ASL3 plays an essential role in the early development and chloroplast development in rice. Moreover, expression analysis revealed that the asl3 mutation severely affected the transcriptional levels of important genes associated with plastid translation machinery and photosynthesis, which may impair photosynthesis and finally led to the seedling death in asl3 mutant. These results evidenced the important role of ASL3 in the early development of rice, especially chloroplast development.

Conclusions

The ASL3 gene encoded a novel chloroplast-targeted PPR protein with 10 tandem PPR motifs in rice. Disruption of the ASL3 would lead to a defective chloroplast and seedling lethality, and affected expression levels of genes associated with chloroplast development and photosynthesis at early leaf stage of rice.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)-associated acute cor pulmonale and patent foramen ovale: a multicenter noninvasive hemodynamic study
Authors: Legras Annick , Caille Agnès , Begot Emmanuelle , Lhéritier Gwenaëlle , Lherm Thierry , Mathonnet Armelle , Frat Jean-Pierre , Courte Anne , Martin-Lefèvre Laurent , Gouëllo Jean-Paul , Mercier Emmanuelle , Vignon Philippe ,   on behalf of the ARCO and CRICS network
Published: April 2015

Introduction

Acute cor pulmonale (ACP) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) remain common in patients under protective ventilation for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We sought to describe the hemodynamic profile associated with either ACP or PFO, or both, during the early course of moderate-to-severe ARDS using echocardiography.

Methods

In this 32-month prospective multicenter study, 195 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS were assessed using echocardiography during the first 48 h of admission (age: 56 (SD: 15) years; Simplified Acute Physiology Score: 46 (17); PaO2/FiO2: 115 (39); VT: 6.5 (1.7) mL/kg; PEEP: 11 (3) cmH2O; driving pressure: 15 (5) cmH2O). ACP was defined by the association of right ventricular (RV) dilatation and systolic paradoxical ventricular septal motion. PFO was detected during a contrast study using agitated saline in the transesophageal bicaval view.

Results

ACP was present in 36 patients, PFO in 21 patients, both PFO and ACP in 8 patients and the 130 remaining patients had neither PFO nor ACP. Patients with ACP exhibited a restricted left ventricle (LV) secondary to RV dilatation and had concomitant RV dysfunction, irrespective of associated PFO, but preserved LV systolic function. Despite elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), patients with isolated PFO had a normal RV systolic function. sPAP and PaCO2 levels were significantly correlated.

Conclusions

In patients under protective mechanical ventilation with moderate-to-severe ARDS, ACP was associated with LV restriction and RV failure, whether PFO was present or not. Despite elevated sPAP, PFO shunting was associated with preserved RV systolic function.
Quantification of HER family receptors in breast cancer
Authors: Nuciforo Paolo , Radosevic-Robin Nina , Ng Tony , Scaltriti Maurizio
Published: April 2015

The clinical success of trastuzumab in breast cancer taught us that appropriate tumor evaluation is mandatory for the correct identification of patients eligible for targeted therapies. Although HER2 protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays are routinely used to select patients to receive trastuzumab, both assays only partially predict response to the drug. In the case of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the link between the presence of the receptor or its amplification and response to anti-EGFR therapies could not be demonstrated. Even less is known for HER3 and HER4, mainly due to lack of robust and validated assays detecting these proteins. It is becoming evident that, besides FISH and IHC, we need better assays to quantify HER receptors and categorize the patients for individualized treatments. Here, we present the current available methodologies to measure HER family receptors and discuss the clinical implications of target quantification.
Fixed point theorems of ordered contractive mappings on cone metric spaces over Banach algebras
Authors: Yin Jiandong , Wang Tao , Yan Qi
Published: April 2015

In this paper, the concept of ordered contractive mappings is introduced on cone metric spaces over Banach algebras, and some existence theorems of fixed points for such mappings are obtained. As an application of a result, an example is given at the end of the paper.
A genome draft of the legless anguid lizard, Ophisaurus gracilis
Authors: Song Bo , Cheng Shifeng , Sun Yanbo , Zhong Xiao , Jin Jieqiong , Guan Rui , Murphy Robert W , Che Jing , Zhang Yaping , Liu Xin
Published: April 2015

Background

Transition from a lizard-like to a snake-like body form is one of the most important transformations in reptilian evolution. The increasing number of sequenced reptilian genomes is enabling a deeper understanding of vertebrate evolution, although the genetic basis of the loss of limbs in reptiles remains enigmatic. Here we report genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation for the Asian glass lizard Ophisaurus gracilis, a limbless lizard species with an elongated snake-like body form. Addition of this species to the genome repository will provide an excellent resource for studying the genetic basis of limb loss and trunk elongation

Findings

O. gracilis genome sequencing using the Illumina HiSeq2000 platform resulted in 274.20 Gbp of raw data that was filtered and assembled to a final size of 1.78 Gbp, comprising 6,717 scaffolds with N50 = 1.27 Mbp. Based on the k-mer estimated genome size of 1.71 Gbp, the assembly appears to be nearly 100% complete. A total of 19,513 protein-coding genes were predicted, and 884.06 Mbp of repeat sequences (approximately half of the genome) were annotated. The draft genome of O. gracilis has similar characteristics to both lizard and snake genomes.

Conclusions

We report the first genome of a lizard from the family Anguidae, O. gracilis. This supplements currently available genetic and genomic resources for amniote vertebrates, representing a major increase in comparative genome data available for squamate reptiles in particular
Acute Kidney Injury: An Acceptable Risk of Treatment with Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade in Primary Care?
Authors: Bedford Michael , Farmer Christopher KT , Irving Jean , Stevens Paul E
Published: April 2015

Background:

Use of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade has become increasingly widespread driven by evidence-based guidance. There is concern about the role of these agents in the genesis of avoidable acute kidney injury (AKI).

Objectives:

To investigate the association between AKI and use of RAS blockade.

Design:

Multilevel hierarchical analysis of a large cohort of patients registered with UK general practitioners.

Setting:

Primary care practices in East and West Kent, United Kingdom.

Patients:

244,715 patients from 27 practices.

Measurements:

Demographic, clinical, biochemical and prescription data.

Methods:

Analyses of data acquired between 02/3/2004 and 17/04/2012 using multilevel logistic regression to determine the relationship between AKI and use of RAS blockade; further analysed by indication for treatment with RAS blockade.

Results:

Sufficient serum creatinine data were available to define AKI in 63,735 patients with 208,275 blood test instances. In 95,569 instances the patient was prescribed a RAS antagonist of which 5.4% fulfilled criteria for AKI. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for AKI in those prescribed RAS blockade was 1.93 (1.81–2.06, 95%CI) falling to 1.11 (1.02–1.20, 95%CI) when adjusted for age, gender, co-morbidity, GFR category, proteinuria, systolic blood pressure and diuretic therapy. In patients with an evidence-based indication there was no difference in absolute risk of AKI. However, prescription of RAS blockade in the absence of indication appeared to be associated with greater risk of AKI. When analysis was repeated with AKIN2/AKIN3 as the outcome, although risk of AKI remained significant when unadjusted (OR 1.73, 95%CI 1.42–2.11, p<0.001), after full adjustment there was no increased risk (OR 0.83, 95%CI 0.63–1.09) in those taking RAS antagonists. However, when analysed by indication AKIN2/AKIN3 was significantly more likely in those prescribed RAS antagonists without indication (OR 2.04, 95%CI 1.41–2.94, p<0.001).

Limitations:

Observational database study. No information concerning hospitalisation. Prescribing assumptions and potential inaccurate coding. Potential survival bias; patients surviving longer will contribute more data.

Conclusions:

Use of RAS antagonists increased the risk of AKI, independent of common confounding variables. After correction for confounders the risk fell away and became non-significant for moderate and severe AKI. However, where there was no evidence-based indication for RAS antagonists the risk of AKI, whether mild, moderate or severe, remained greater.
Behaviour of the plathelminth Symsagittifera roscoffensis under different light conditions and the consequences on the symbiotic algae Tetraselmis convolutae
Authors: Nissen Matthias , Shcherbakov Denis , Heyer Arnd , Brümmer Franz , Schill Ralph O.
Published: April 2015

Symsagittifera roscoffensis is a plathelminth living in symbiosis with the green algae Tetraselmis convolutae. Host and symbiont are a model system for the study of endosymbiosis, so far mainly focused on their biochemical interactions. S. roscoffensis is well known for its positive phototaxis that is hypothesized to optimize the symbiont's light perception for photosynthesis. In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of phototaxis using light sources of different wavelength and brightness by videotracking. Furthermore, we compared the behavioral data with the electron transfer rate of the photosystem from cultured symbiotic cells. The symbiotic algae is adapted to low light conditions showing a positive electron transfer rate (ETR) already at a photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of 0.112 µmol m−2 s−1 (mol photons per square meter and second), and S. roscoffensis showed a positive phototactic behaviour for light intensities up to 459.17 µmol m−2 s−1 which are not optimal regarding the needs of the symbiotic cells and even may harm host and symbiont. Red light can not be detected by the animals and therefore their eyes seem to be not suitable for measuring the exact photosynthetically active radiation to the benefit of the photosymbionts.