bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to Compare Parametric and Nonparametric Person‐Fit Statistics Using Real Data
Authors: Sinharay Sandip
Published: December 2017

Person‐fit assessment (PFA) is concerned with uncovering atypical test performance as reflected in the pattern of scores on individual items on a test. Existing person‐fit statistics (PFSs) include both parametric and nonparametric statistics. Comparison of PFSs has been a popular research topic in PFA, but almost all comparisons have employed simulated data. This article suggests an approach for comparing the performance of parametric and nonparametric PFSs using real data. This article then shows that there is no clear winner between , a popular parametric PFS, and , a popular nonparametric statistic, in a comparison using the suggested approach. This finding is contradictory to the common finding shown by Karabatsos, Dimitrov and Smith, and Tendeiro and Meijer that is more powerful than several parametric PFSs including and .
First record of non‐native hybrid catfish Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum × Leiarius marmoratus in the Upper Paraná River basin, Brazil
Authors: Yabu M. H. S. , Vidotto‐Magnoni A. P. , Casimiro A. C. R. , Garcia D. A. Z. , Costa A. D. A. , Prado F. D. D. , Porto‐Foresti F. , Orsi M. L.
Published: December 2017

The aim of this study is to report the presence of a three non‐native hybrid long‐whiskered catfishes (family Pimelodidae) in the Upper Paraná River basin, Brazil. Genetic analyses demonstrated that the three presumptive hybrids were a result of the crossbreeding of Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum (central Amazonas River basin and Lower Paraná River) and Leiarius marmoratus (Amazonas, Essequibo and Orinoco rivers), producing a hybrid commonly known in Brazil as cachandiá. The potential threat to biodiversity, due to possible genetic contamination, competition and predation of wild stocks, of such artificially produced hybrid fishes is discussed.
Comparison of vegetable shortening and cocoa butter as vehicles for cortisol manipulation in Salmo trutta
Authors: Birnie‐Gauvin K. , Peiman K. S. , Larsen M. H. , Aarestrup K. , Gilmour K. M. , Cooke S. J.
Published: December 2017

This study demonstrates that vegetable shortening and cocoa butter are two effective vehicles for intraperitoneal cortisol implants in juvenile teleosts, specifically brown trout Salmo trutta, residing in north temperate freshwater environments. Each vehicle showed a different pattern of cortisol elevation. Vegetable shortening was found to be a more suitable vehicle for long‐term cortisol elevation [elevated at 3, 6 and 9 days post treatment (dpt)], while cocoa butter may be better suited for short‐term cortisol elevation (only elevated at 3 dpt). Additionally, plasma cortisol levels were higher with cortisol–vegetable shortening than with cortisol–cocoa butter implants. Plasma glucose levels were elevated 6 and 9 dpt for fishes injected with cortisol–vegetable shortening, but did not change relative to controls and shams in cortisol–cocoa butter fishes. In conclusion, vegetable shortening and cocoa butter are both viable techniques for cortisol manipulation in fishes in temperate climates, providing researchers with different options depending on study objectives.
Family Focused Care for Refugees and Displaced Populations: Global Opportunities for Family Therapists
Authors: Patterson Jo Ellen , Abu‐Hassan Hana H. , Vakili Susanna , King Ashley
Published: December 2017

Recent global crises have created a significant increase in the number of people leaving their countries. Distress experienced by these refugees often leads to posttraumatic stress disorder and depression and can also result in psychotic disorders, substance abuse, and interpersonal violence. The World Health Organization leads the organizing of refugee services as part of a larger initiative to provide mental health services to citizens in low‐ and middle‐income countries. The World Health Organization has identified challenges in providing care, including a provider shortage, issues with how refugees access and receive care and a lack of uniformity in mental health services. By applying the values and systemic orientation of the profession, family therapists can address some of the challenges in treating mental health concerns of these at‐risk populations.
Family (Law) Assemblages: New Modes of Being (Legal)
Authors: Swennen Frederik , Croce Mariano
Published: December 2017

This article advances a new model for family law to address emerging non‐conventional family formations, particularly between parents and children. We contend that the conventional model of kinship categories as static, predefined statuses should be replaced with a model whereby the state accommodates kinship categories the law users themselves produce within their fluid and nomadic family assemblages and that they actively revise when negotiating state recognition. We claim that this model would better reflect and govern the emerging kinship system. We corroborate this by drawing on insights from family research that takes issue with the fragmentation of kinship, particularly the fragmentation of motherhood. We then elaborate on a conception of state recognition as the capacity to trace connections and identify normative frameworks, one that valorizes the self‐organizing force of social practices but at the same time holds onto the filtering role of the state.
Poverty's Monument: Social Problems and Organizational Field Emergence in Historical Perspective
Authors: Wadhwani R. Daniel
Published: December 2017

This article draws on historical institutionalism as an approach to studying the relationship between business institutions and major social problems. Using the historical case of the emergence of savings banking as an organizational response to poverty in the nineteenth‐century United States, I develop three conceptual claims about how social problems shape the processes of institutional and organizational change. First, I show how the ‘historical framing’ of social problems shapes the processes of problematization, design, and legitimation related to institutional change. Second, I demonstrate how the dynamics of cooperation, competition, and alignment between an emerging organizational field and other fields shape the evolution of institutional responses to social problems. And finally, I illustrate how historical revisionism as a methodological approach can help management scholars re‐consider settled empirical and theoretical claims in a way that takes social problems into account.
A Bibliometric Analysis of the Knowledge Exchange Patterns Between Major Technology and Innovation Management Journals (1999–2013)
Authors: Sarin Shikhar , Haon Christophe , Belkhouja Mustapha
Published: December 2017

This essay takes a longitudinal look at the knowledge flow patterns between major technology and innovation management (TIM) journals and the effect on their impact factors. We analyze the flow of 29,776 citations from 4171 articles published in the top six dedicated TIM journals between 1999 and 2013. Findings indicate one subset of journals becoming more firmly rooted in the TIM domain, while the others becoming increasingly insulated from it. JPIM displays peculiar knowledge flow patterns, suggesting a broadening of its knowledge base and impact. Our bibliometric analysis provides one of the most comprehensive and detailed year‐by‐year looks at the intradomain knowledge exchange patterns over a 15‐year period.
Hypergammaglobulinemia is a strong predictor of disease progression, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death in patients with compensated cirrhosis
Authors: Cacciola Irene , Filomia Roberto , Alibrandi Angela , Franzè Maria Stella , Caccamo Gaia , Maimone Sergio , Saitta Carlo , Saffioti Francesca , Squadrito Giovanni , Raimondo Giovanni
Published: December 2017

Background & Aims

The outcome of compensated cirrhosis may vary considerably and cannot be predicted by routinely performed tests at present. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible predictors of clinical evolution in patients with Child‐Pugh (C‐P) class A cirrhosis because of untreatable causes by analysing clinical/biochemical/instrumental parameters evaluated at the time of diagnosis and during the subsequent long‐lasting follow‐up.

Methods

Two hundred and seventy‐two consecutive C‐P class A cirrhotic patients (155 males; median age 63 years, range 34‐81) were analysed. All patients were followed up for a median time of 96 months (range 21‐144) through periodically performed clinical/biochemical/ultrasonographic and esophagogastroduodenoscopic examinations.

Results

During the follow‐up, 97 individuals (36%) were clinically stable, 104 (38%) developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 71 (26%) progressed towards C‐P class B/C without developing cancer. One hundred and thirty‐one patients (48%) died or underwent liver transplantation. Multivariate regression analysis showed that clinical stability was significantly associated with older age (P < .001), the absence of diabetes (P = .04) and of oesophageal varices (P < .001), serum albumin >3.5 gr/dL (P = .01) and gamma globulin <1.8 gr/dL (P = .01). HCC development was significantly associated with younger age (P = .01) and serum gamma globulin values ≥1.8 gr/dL (P < .001). C‐P score progression was associated with oesophageal varices (P < .001), lower serum albumin (P = .03) and cholesterol (P = .01) values, and hypergammaglobulinemia (P = .02). Death was associated with younger age (P < .001) and hypergammaglobulinemia (P = .01). Multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan‐Meier's survival test confirmed that gammaglobulinemia ≥1.8 g/dL was a significant predictor of death (P < .02, and P < .01 respectively).

Conclusions

Hypergammaglobulinemia identifies C‐P class A cirrhotic patients at higher risk of disease progression, HCC development and death.
A Risky Place? Media and the Health Landscape in the (In)secure U.S.‐Mexico Borderlands
Authors: Fleuriet Kathryn Jill , Castañeda Heide
Published: December 2017

In this paper, we consider how news stories about one area of the U.S.‐Mexico borderlands, the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, further propagate notions of a region filled with people characterized as dangerously noncompliant with American ideals of citizenship, prosperity, and security. Using Ethnographic Content Analysis, we conducted a systematic analysis of Valley, state and national mainstream news media stories from 2010–2016 about health or health care in the Rio Grande Valley. Ethnographic research with Valley leaders, residents, and journalists completed the media analysis. We argue that the Rio Grande Valley is framed as both an unruly internal colony as well as a racialized periphery, due to its proximity to Mexico. We detail how these news stories are received and acted upon by seasoned local journalists who use their trade to offer different scripts, rooted in actual lives and experiences of residents. We conclude with alternative versions of the U.S.‐Mexico border region from borderlands scholars to reflect on how dominant media representations of places and people can be weathervanes for political discourse that shape state and national action about “the border.”
Long‐standing overt ventriculomegaly without aqueductal stenosis: A case report
Authors: Ikumi Kazuhiro , Tsuboi Takashi , Atsuta Naoki , Takeuchi Kazuhito , Koike Haruki , Katsuno Masahisa
Published: December 2017

We report a case of long‐standing overt ventriculomegaly without aqueductal stenosis. A 66‐year‐old woman developed progressive gait disturbance. Her gait was wide‐based, with a difficulty in turning. Prominent macrocephaly was present, which suggests the presence of long‐standing hydrocephalus since childhood. Cognitive impairments were detected on neuropsychological tests. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging revealed marked enlargement of the third and lateral ventricles. Aqueductal stenosis was not apparent; however, endoscopic third ventriculostomy partly ameliorated gait disturbance. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy can be a therapeutic option for long‐standing overt ventriculomegaly even if the aqueduct is patent.
Case of congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles type 1 with progressive cerebellar ataxia
Authors: Yamashita Toru , Takahashi Yoshiaki , Tsunoda Keiichiro , Nomura Emi , Shang Jingwei , Sato Kota , Takemoto Mami , Hishikawa Nozomi , Ohta Yasuyuki , Abe Koji
Published: December 2017

A 70‐year‐old women presented classical CEFOM1 phenotypes such as bilateral ptosis and external ophthalmoplegia, but also progressive cerebellar ataxia, carrying a previously reported heterozygous missense mutation of KIF21A p.Arg941Gln. The present case is the first report of CFEOM1 showing cerebellar atrophy with hypoperfusion, mainly of the vermis, indicating that cerebellar function should be carefully evaluated in CFFOM1 patients.
Effect of Intra‐wound Vancomycin for Spinal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Xie Lun‐li , Zhu Jun , Yang Mao‐sheng , Yang Chang‐yuan , Luo Shun‐hong , Xie Yu , Pu Dan
Published: December 2017

Intra‐site prophylactic vancomycin in spine surgery is an effective method of decreasing the incidence of postsurgical wound infection. However, there are differences in the prophylactic programs used for various spinal surgeries. Thus, this systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using intra‐wound vancomycin during spinal surgery and to explore the effects of dose‐dependence and the method of administration in a subgroup analysis. A total of 628 citations or studies were searched in PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, and Google Scholar that were published before August 2016 with the terms “local vancomycin”, “intra‐wound vancomycin”, “intraoperative vancomycin”, “intra‐site vancomycin”, “topical vancomycin”, “spine surgery”, and “spinal surgery”. Finally, 19 retrospective cohort studies and one prospective case study were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review and meta‐analysis. The odds of developing postsurgical wound infection without prophylactic local vancomycin use were 2.83‐fold higher than the odds of experiencing wound infection with the use of intra‐wound vancomycin (95% confidence interval, 2.03–3.95; P = 0.083; I2 = 32.2%). The subgroup analysis including the dosage and the method of administration, revealed different results compared to previous research. The value of I2 in the 1‐g group was 27.2%, which was much lower than in the 2‐g group (I2 = 57.6%). At the same time, the value of I2 was 0.0% (P = 0.792, OR = 2.70) when vancomycin powder was directly sprinkled into all layers of the wound. However, there is high heterogenicity (I2 = 60.0%, P = 0.007, OR = 2.83) when vancomycin powder is not exposed to the bone graft and instrumentation. There are differences found with the method of local application of vancomycin for reducing postoperative wounds and further studies are necessary, including investigations focusing on the dose‐dependent effects during spinal or the topical pharmacokinetic and other orthopaedic surgeries.
Safety and efficacy analysis of one‐stop intervention for treating nonvalvular atrial fibrillation
Authors: Hu Hongde , Cui Kaijun , Jiang Jian , Fu Hua , Zeng Rui
Published: December 2017

Background

Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia. The treatment strategy for AF mainly includes controlling symptoms and decreasing the rate of complications. Our study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combination treatment of catheter ablation and left atrial appendage (LAA) closure (one‐stop intervention) in patients with nonvalvular AF.

Methods and results

Thirty‐four patients with symptomatic AF (mean CHA2DS2‐VASc score 4.1 ± 1.3, mean HAS‐BLED score 3.8 ± 1.2) were included. Patients first received radiofrequency‐based left atrial ablation, and then the Watchman device (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA, USA) or AMPLATZER Cardiac Plug (ACP) (St. Jude Medical, Inc., St. Paul, MN, USA) was implanted for LAA closure. Follow‐up was performed at 45 days and 3 months after LAA closure to assess for recurrence of AF and prevent stroke. Radiofrequency ablation and LAA closure were successful in 100% of patients without evidence of residual flow at the final transesophageal echocardiography evaluation. A Watchman device was implanted in 29 (85.3%) patients, and an ACP was implanted in five (14.7%) patients. No device‐related thrombus formation or embolization was identified at the 45‐day or 3‐month follow‐up. Serious complications, including death, transient ischemic attack, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, or major bleeding, were also not identified during the follow‐ups.

Conclusion

For symptomatic patients with nonvalvular AF and a high risk of stroke, the one‐stop intervention is feasible, safe, and efficacious.
Is law failing to address air pollution? Reflections on international and EU developments
Authors: Yamineva Yulia , Romppanen Seita
Published: December 2017

Air pollution is a major global environmental problem, with various adverse effects on health and the environment. This introductory article provides an overview of related global and regional legal instruments. The article evaluates the legal landscape in terms of its coverage, geographic scope and effectiveness, and concludes that the legal measures currently in place fall far short of providing an adequate response to the problem of air pollution. Thus, there is a clear need to strengthen global and regional cooperation to improve air quality. Such cooperation is likely to take non‐binding and flexible forms and involve both wider participation among States and broader engagement of various stakeholders. The informal character of cooperation also makes it possible to experiment with new governance approaches that are difficult to implement within the context of traditional international law.
Finishing the job: The Montreal Protocol moves to phase down hydrofluorocarbons
Authors: Roberts Mark W.
Published: December 2017

In October 2016, parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer unanimously agreed to amend the Protocol to allow for the phase‐down of the super greenhouse gases hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Kigali Amendment is expected to mitigate 70–100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents by 2050, and prevent up to 0.5 degrees Celsius increase in the Earth's temperature by 2100. Prioritizing energy‐efficient technologies in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector could potentially double these mitigation gains. By phasing down HFCs, the Montreal Protocol will be able to restore the ozone layer without exacerbating global climate change.
The Future of the SNA in a Broad Information System Perspective
Authors: Vanoli Andre
Published: December 2017

In this article, three questions are considered in relation to the general issue raised by the title of the IARIW‐OECD Conference on the “Future of National Accounts: W(h)ither the SNA”. Firstly, often so much is expected from the System of National Accounts (SNA) that a crucial clarification is needed as to the possible ambitions which can be assigned in the future to it in terms of extension of its coverage. More precisely, my query concerns the integrated “central framework” of the SNA. Secondly, I ask some questions about the revision strategy of the central framework. Thirdly, taking stock of my previous conclusions, I would like to briefly specify the position of what I propose to call the “System of National Economic Accounts” (SNEA), in a broad information system's perspective that distinguishes four spheres, the Economy, Nature, People and Society.
The Power of Intersectionality to Transcend National Identity in the United States
Authors: Lawrence Amanda
Published: December 2017

Since the mid‐1800s, when the early women's movement began in the United States, Women of Colour have been marginalized by white Feminists. The ‘waves of Feminism’ frame the movement by marking changes in American history that benefit white women while excluding the diverse and unequal experiences of Non‐white women. It is necessary to re‐evaluate the history of women in America and the many ways in which Non‐white women shape the Feminist dialogue. White Feminists must be intersectional and expand their understanding of Feminism beyond the realm of gender, to include race, class, religion, sexual orientation, etc., in order for Feminism to successfully achieve its mission to transcend socio‐cultural limitations on women.
The Burden of Proof: Women and National Identity in ‘Islamic’ and ‘Secular’ States – The Case of Egypt
Authors: Davis‐Packard Kent
Published: December 2017

The call for the implementation of Shari'a law to create an ‘Islamic’ national identity can go no farther than a mere political statement in the Middle East and North Africa. The case of Egypt provides a model example of parallel examples in the region. In Egypt, Shari'a is not defined consistently, has evolved over time to include European legal codes, and the legitimate voice over the interpretation of its source texts is constantly put into question by entities vying for political power through the use of religious dogmatism. The result of these ambiguities is a weak national identity that must draw upon the only source accepted, for the time being, by society as validation that the state is ‘Islamic’. Over time, the jurisdiction of Islamic law has been limited to matters of personal status, because the exigencies of the law would prove fatal to the long‐standing military‐backed, authoritarian regimes in the region. As personal status laws primarily affect women's rights – including the right to marry, divorce, work, travel, have custody over their children, and inherit – it is women who bear the burden of the weak national ‘Islamic’ state identity. The irony is that the resulting restrictions imposed by the state on women are not authentically Islamic and reflect instead the need to differentiate from the West as well as norms associated with pre‐Islamic customary laws. The key to stabilizing states in the Middle East and North Africa and ending the perpetual state of Islamic revivalism in the region, therefore, is to liberate women by disentangling national identity from this false version of Islam. To do this, Egyptians from across the political spectrum must unify around authentic spiritual principles found in both secularism and Islam.
Levinas's Philosophy of Perception
Authors: Bower Matt E. M.
Published: December 2017

Levinas is usually discussed as a philosopher wrestling with the nature of our experience of others, ethical obligation, and the divine. Unlike other phenomenologists, such as Husserl and Heidegger, he is not often mentioned in discussions about issues in philosophy of mind. His work in that area, especially on perception, is underappreciated. He gives an account of the nature of perceptual experience that is remarkable both in how it departs from that of others in the phenomenological tradition and for how it fits in among presently available views about the nature of perceptual experience, namely, as a form of naïve realism.
The Rise of the Machines: Deleuze's Flight from Structuralism
Authors: Thornton Edward
Published: December 2017

In this paper, I offer an account of the conceptual shift that occurs between the work completed by Gilles Deleuze prior to 1969 and his later work with Félix Guattari, beginning in 1972 with Anti‐Oedipus. Against previous interpretations, which have concentrated on the developments initiated by Deleuze, I argue for the primary importance of Guattari's influence, especially his insistence on a theory of “machinic processes.” The importance of these processes is made manifest in Deleuze and Guattari's move away from theories of structuralism. In order to carry out this task, I offer a close reading of Guattari's essay “Machine and Structure.” This essay was first written as a review of Deleuze's acclaimed work in Difference and Repetition and Logic of Sense and formed the basis for Deleuze and Guattari's first meeting. In the concluding sections of the paper, I show how the integration of the concept of the machine allows Deleuze and Guattari to develop a theory of the unconscious that operates outside of the boundaries traditionally set by structuralist analysis.
Constitutivism, Error, and Moral Responsibility in Bishop Butler's Ethics
Authors: Dick David G.
Published: December 2017

In his writings on moral philosophy, Bishop Joseph Butler adopts an identifiably “constitutivist” strategy because he seeks to ground normativity in features of agency. Butler's constitutivist strategy deserves our attention both because he is an influential precursor to much modern moral philosophy and because it sheds light on current debates about constitutivism. For example, Butler's approach can easily satisfy the “error constraint” that is often thought to derail modern constitutivist approaches. It does this by defining actions relative to the kind of being who performs them, instead of relative to the circumstances of their performance. This gives Butler a conceptually stable account of something that is both fully an action yet morally bad, for which an agent might be held morally responsible. Should modern constitutivists wish to model their views on Butler's in order to satisfy the error constraint, they need not adopt all his theological and other commitments, but they will have to avoid the currently popular constitutivist strategy of deriving normative force from the inescapability of a given principle.
Observed Interactions in Families of Adolescent Suicide Attempters
Authors: Aiken Christine S. , Wagner Barry M. , Benjamin Hinnant J.
Published: December 2017

Family interactions of 71 adolescents hospitalized following a suicide attempt were compared with those of 29 psychiatric controls, using observational methods and a 2‐year prospective, longitudinal design. Parent–adolescent dyadic interactions were coded for emotional validation and invalidation, and problem‐solving constructiveness. There were no between‐group differences for parents. However, adolescents who had attempted suicide displayed more emotional invalidation than controls. Within the suicide attempt group, maternal constructive problem solving predicted greater declines in youth suicide ideation, and a similar trend was observed for fathers. Adolescents who displayed more unconstructive problem solving with fathers were more likely to reattempt suicide during the follow up.
Turning Liberal: Legislators’ Individual Preferences and the Regulation of Pre‐Implantation Genetic Diagnosis in Switzerland
Authors: Baumann Markus
Published: December 2017

Most policy‐making decisions taken in parliamentary democracies are essentially matters of party competition. Yet, in some policies, the linkage function of political parties is limited by purpose, which is frequently the case in free votes with a morality dimension. This has led to a debate in the literature on the determinants of Legislators’ preferences in free votes. The present research note adds to this debate by analyzing the parliamentary procedure to regulate pre‐implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in Switzerland. By assessing whether and to what degree MPs based their decision on their personal characteristics and on the preferences of their constituents, the contribution shows that not only are MPs’ voting decisions determined by these individual level factors, but also that these factors have detectable effects on the legislative outcome.
Making News: Newspapers and the Institutionalisation of New Regions
Authors: van Gorp Bouke , Terlouw Kees
Published: December 2017

Regions have gained importance over the last decades. Old regions have picked up momentum while novel forms of municipal co‐operation and multi‐level governance have generated new regions. This paper examines the extent to which some new regions in the Netherlands have become familiar to the population, based on evidence from an analysis of newspaper articles. The study focused on the reports about several old and new regions within the borders of the traditional region of Noord‐Brabant, a Dutch province with a well‐established identity. In the dynamic constellation of Noord‐Brabant, news reports hinted at the institutionalisation of some of the new regions that have become meaningful places outside the administrative context in which they were originally created. The institutionalisation of some new regions did not result in a de‐institutionalisation of older regions in the same area but in a more complex layering of the identities of these regions with respect to each other.
Evaluation of the impact of banking umbilical cord blood units with high cell dose for ethnically diverse patients
Authors: Stritesky Gretta , Wadsworth Kimberly , Duffy Merry , Buck Kelly , Dehn Jason
Published: December 2017

BACKGROUND

Umbilical cord blood units provide an important stem cell source for transplantation, particularly for patients of ethnic diversity who may not have suitably matched available, adult‐unrelated donors. However, with the cost of cord blood unit acquisition from public banks significantly higher than that for adult‐unrelated donors, attention is focused on decreasing cost yet still providing cord blood units to patients in need. Historical practices of banking units with low total nucleated cell counts, including units with approximately 90 × 107 total nucleated cells, indicates that most banked cord blood units have much lower total nucleated cell counts than are required for transplant.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The objective of this study was to determine the impact on the ability to identify suitable cord blood units for transplantation if the minimum total nucleated cell count for banking were increased from 90 × 107 to 124 or 149 × 107. We analyzed ethnically diverse patients (median age, 3 years) who underwent transplantation of a single cord blood unit in 2005 to 2016. A cord blood unit search was evaluated to identify units with equal or greater human leukocyte antigen matching and a greater total nucleated cell count than that of the transplanted cord blood unit (the replacement cord blood unit).

RESULTS

If the minimum total nucleated cell count for banking increased to 124 or 149 × 107, then from 75 to 80% of patients would still have at least 1 replacement cord blood unit in the current (2016) cord blood unit inventory. The best replacement cord blood units were often found among cords with the same ethnic background as the patient.

CONCLUSION

The current data suggest that, if the minimum total nucleated cell count were increased for banking, then it would likely lead to an inventory of more desirable cord blood units while having minimal impact on the identification of suitable cord blood units for transplantation.
The pathogenesis of paraesophageal empyema in dogs and constancy of radiographic and computed tomography signs are linked to involvement of the mediastinal serous cavity
Authors: Gendron Karine , McDonough Sean P. , Flanders James A. , Tse May , Scrivani Peter V.
Published: December 2017

The mediastinal serous cavity is a normal anatomic space in the caudal mediastinum. Aims of this anatomic and case series study were to describe the signs of pathologic expansion of the mediastinal serous cavity observed during computed tomography (CT), review the underlying anatomy, perform a literature review, and evaluate the medical records of several dogs with mediastinal serous cavity empyema (paraesophageal empyema). The mesothelial lined mediastinal serous cavity is a cranial extension of the omental bursa, separated from the peritoneal cavity by the diaphragm, in the dorsal part of the caudal mediastinum, to the right of the esophagus, between the heart base and diaphragm. In five adult, large‐breed dogs with surgically and histologically confirmed paraesophageal empyema, macroscopic plant material was found at surgery in two dogs, adherence to adjacent lung was present in three different dogs, accessory lobectomy was performed in two dogs with subacute‐chronic pyogranulomatous pneumonia, and one dog had concurrent pyothorax and mediastinitis, but none had esophageal abnormalities. This study expands our understanding of the pathogenesis and basis for the imaging appearance of paraesophageal empyema in dogs by clarifying the underlying anatomic structures that direct development of this condition. The term empyema accurately describes this condition because the purulent material accumulates within an existing body cavity. The study also provides initial evidence that the development of paraesophageal empyema might be due to local extension of lung disease, such as foreign body migration or pneumonia. Computed tomography was helpful for diagnosis, assessing size, and determining the spread of disease.
HOW RADICALLY CAN GOD BE RECONCEIVED BEFORE CEASING TO BE GOD? THE FOUR FACES OF PANENTHEISM
Authors: Clayton Philip
Published: December 2017

Panentheism has often been put forward as a means for bringing theology and science into dialogue, perhaps even resolving some of the major tensions between them. A variety of “faces” of panentheism are distinguished, including conservative, metaphysical, apophatic, and naturalist panentheisms. This series of increasingly radical panentheisms is explored, each one bringing its own core commitments, and each describing very different relationships between religion and science. We consider, for example, the diverse ways that the radical panentheisms construe emergent phenomena in the natural world. In the end, comparing the increasingly radical forms of panentheism yields a new understanding of the state of the religion/science dialogue today.
Dispositivos intraorales utilizados para el tratamiento de la apnea obstructiva del sueño en pacientes edéntulos. Revisión de la literatura y bases de patentes
Authors: Galdón Torres Roneith Alexandra , Peña Petit Vanessa , Zuluaga Daniel , Suárez Castillo Angela , Lara Hernández Laura Catalina , Otero Mendoza Liliana Margarita , Hidalgo Martínez Patricia
Published: December 2017

Introducción: la apnea obstructiva del sueño (AOS) se considera un problema de salud pública que afecta en gran medida a hombres y mujeres entre 50 y 70 años de edad, donde en ocasiones son, además, pacientes edéntulos, lo cual dificulta su tratamiento. Objetivo: identificar los aparatos intraorales existentes para tratar la AOS leve y moderada en pacientes edéntulos. Metodología: se buscó literatura sobre el tema en bases de datos y de patentes. Resultados: se encontraron cinco artículos y dos patentes. El objetivo terapéutico de todos los dispositivos es aumentar la vía aérea superior entre la base de la lengua y la pared posterior de la faringe, mediante el avance mandibular. Dentro de las principales desventajas que presentan estos dispositivos están falta de retención, dificultad para mantener la dimensión vertical, problemas musculares y trastornos en la articulación temporomandibular. Conclusión: existen pocos dispositivos intraorales efectivos en la literatura para el tratamiento de la AOS en pacientes edéntulos. Esto hace necesario diseñar futuras investigaciones en esta área.
Utilidad de la estimulación continua del núcleo pedunculopontino para el tratamiento de la enfermedad de Parkinson
Authors: Barbosa Balaguera Sthepany , Borda Miguel German , Zorro Oscar , Acevedo González Juan Carlos
Published: December 2017

Resumen

El núcleo pedunculopontino contiene gran cantidad de conexiones que modulan la actividad motora en los humanos; por este motivo, se ha planteado que su estimulación profunda tendría beneficios significativos en el tratamiento de la enfermedad de Parkinson. Con una carga orgánica y social significativa, la enfermedad de Parkinson reúne una serie de signos y síntomas, principalmente motores, que afectan significativamente la calidad de vida de los pacientes que la padecen. Actualmente, se encuentran dentro de un área de investigación con gran potencial para dar manejo a los síntomas de esta enfermedad, y se desconoce si su estimulación cerebral profunda podría orientar futuras intervenciones con resultados óptimos. Por esta razón, la revisión busca esclarecer la utilidad de este procedimiento; sin embargo, es bastante controvertido y su evidencia escasa, además de que es difícil centrarse únicamente en un núcleo para resolver los problemas relacionados con dicha enfermedad. 
Transición epitelio mesénquima: de lo molecular a lo fisiológico
Authors: Troncoso Daniela , Madariaga Perpiñan Ithzayana , Aldana Mancera Sergio Andrés , Herreño Pachón Angélica María , Chaparro Ramírez Viviana Paola , Molina Camargo Mónica Lorena , Rey Vargas Laura , Ramírez Rodríguez Andrea Carolina , Montoya Estupiñan Christian Fernando , Valderrama Álvarez Andrea , Cañas Arboleda Alejandra , Rojas Moreno Adriana Patricia
Published: December 2017

Resumen

La transición epitelio mesénquima (EMT) es un proceso compuesto de diferentes fases, donde una célula epitelial adquiere un fenotipo mesenquimal. Dentro de los cambios involucrados se encuentran: pérdida de la polaridad celular, adquisición de una capacidad migratoria, capacidad invasora, resistencia a la apoptosis y aumento en la producción de componentes de la matriz extracelular. Todos estos cambios ocurren como una consecuencia de la activación y represión de genes involucrados con rutas de señalización específicas relacionadas con este evento. La EMT está relacionada con procesos fisiológicos y patológicos como el cáncer. Consta de tres fases: una de células no migratorias, células premigratorias y células migratorias; cada una de ellas producto de diferentes señales intra o extracelulares, factores de transcripción (TGF-B, Snail, TWIST, Sox, Slug, ZEB1, entre otras) y proteínas involucradas (E-cadherina, integrina, vimentina, ocludinas y claudinas). 
Sensitivity Analysis on the Effect of D32 and Dv90 on the Evaporation Efficiency of Gas Turbine Inlet Fogging for Power Augmentation
Authors: Chaker Mustapha
Published: December 2017

Gas turbine output is strongly dependent on the ambient air temperature. This decrease usually occurs in the hot afternoon during the peak demand for power. One way to counter this drop in output is to cool the inlet air using one of the available cooling technologies such as the inlet fog cooling of gas turbine engines for power augmentation. This technology is well established with over 1000 fogging systems installed all around the world on gas turbines of various makes and sizes ranging from 5 MW to 250 MW. Two types of statistical droplet diameters are used to characterize the droplet sizes from nozzles used in the fogging systems, namely D32 (Sauter mean diameter) (SMD) and Dv90 (diameter for which 90% of the water volume in the spray is less than or equal to). This paper will show the importance of each diameter on the performance of fogging systems. For this purpose, a heat and mass transfer theoretical model is developed to analyze the dynamics of evaporation of fog droplets. The model will quantify the evaporative efficiency of fog droplets for different D32 and Dv90 values derived from experimentally measured droplet size distributions at two typical ambient psychrometric conditions: hot and dry, and cold and humid.
Identification and tuning of zinc-site nitrogen-related complexes in ZnO material
Authors: Xu Zhonghua , Tang Kun , Zhu Shunming , Ma Jingrui , Ye Jiandong , Gu Shulin
Published: December 2017

In this article, the authors have designed an experiment to artificially introduce the recently proposed zinc-site nitrogen complex acceptors. The novel acceptors have been introduced in ZnO film samples grown at an atmosphere with extra-high oxygen partial pressure. The shallowness of the nitrogen complex acceptors has been experimentally verified. The concentration of the nitrogen-related complex acceptors could be tuned by varying the VI/II ratio in gas during growth. The modulation of the carrier concentration has been observed in accordance with the change of the complex concentration. Although theories predict higher formation rate of the complexes as monotonically increasing the oxygen chemical potential, experiments show that oxygen interstitials and/or antisite oxygen would compete the formation of the zinc-site nitrogen acceptors at extra-oxygen-rich gaseous condition.
Evolution and Diversity of Inherited Spiroplasma Symbionts in Myrmica Ants
Authors: Ballinger Matthew J. , Moore Logan D. , Perlman Steve J.
Published: December 2017

Microbial partners play important roles in the biology and ecology of animals. In insects, maternally transmitted symbionts are especially common and can have host effects ranging from reproductive manipulation to nutrient provisioning and defense against natural enemies. In this study, we report a genus-wide association of
Myrmica
ants with the inherited bacterial symbiont
Spiroplasma
. We screen
Myrmica
ants collected from the wild, including the invasive European fire ant,
Myrmica rubra
, and find an extraordinarily high prevalence of this symbiont—8 of 9 species, 42 of 43 colonies, and 250 of 276 individual workers harbored
Spiroplasma
—only one host species was uninfected. In our screens, each host species carried a distinct
Spiroplasma
strain, and none were infected with more than one strain. All symbionts belong to the
citri
clade, allied most closely with pathogenic strains of
Spiroplasma
infecting corn crops and honeybees, and there is strong evidence of host-symbiont persistence across evolutionary time scales. Genome sequencing of two
Spiroplasma
symbionts revealed candidate genes that may play a part in the symbiosis, a nutrient transporter absent from other
Spiroplasma
strains, and a ribosome-inactivating protein previously implicated in parasite defense. These results together suggest long-term, likely mutualistic, relationships atypical of
Spiroplasma
-insect associations with potential significance for broad ecological interactions with
Myrmica
.

IMPORTANCE
Animal-associated microbial symbionts can dramatically affect the biology of their hosts. The identification and characterization of these intimate partnerships remain an essential component of describing and predicting species interactions, especially for invasive host species. Ants perform crucial ecological functions as ecosystem engineers, scavengers, and predators, and ants in the genus
Myrmica
can be aggressive resource competitors and reach high densities in their native and invaded habitats. In this study, a novel symbiosis is identified between
Myrmica
ants and the facultative bacterial symbiont
Spiroplasma
. Broad host distribution, high frequencies of infection, and host-symbiont codivergence over evolutionary time scales, an uncommon feature of
Spiroplasma
associations, suggest an important likely mutualistic interaction. Genome sequencing identified highly divergent gene candidates that may contribute to
Spiroplasma
's role as a possible defensive or nutritional partner in
Myrmica
.
Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus vallismortis NBIF-001, a Novel Strain from Shangri-La, China, That Has High Activity against Fusarium oxysporum
Authors: Liu Xiaoyan , Min Yong , Huang Daye , Zhou Ronghua , Fang Wei , Liu Cuijun , Rao Ben , Zhang Guangyang , Wang Kaimei , Yang Ziwen
Published: December 2017

Bacillus vallismortis
NBIF-001, a Gram-positive bacterium, was isolated from soil in Shangri-La, China. Here, we provide the complete genome sequence of this bacterium, which has a 3,929,787-bp-long genome, including 4,030 protein-coding genes and 195 RNA genes. This strain possesses a number of genes encoding virulence factors of pathogens.
Two Draft Genome Sequences of
Sphingobacterium
sp. Strains Isolated from Honey
Authors: Veress Alexandra , Wilk Tímea , Kiss János , Papp Péter P. , Olasz Ferenc
Published: December 2017

Here, we report two annotated draft genome sequences of
Sphingobacterium
sp. strains isolated from honey. The genomes of strains 1.A.4 and 1.A.5 show a limited similarity to each other and to genomes of other
Sphingobacterium
species, indicating that these isolates may represent new species.
Changes in older people’s care profiles during the last 2 years of life, 1996–1998 and 2011–2013: a retrospective nationwide study in Finland
Authors: Aaltonen Mari , Forma Leena , Pulkki Jutta , Raitanen Jani , Rissanen Pekka , Jylha Marja
Published: December 2017

Objectives

The time of death is increasingly postponed to a very high age. How this change affects the use of care services at the population level is unknown. This study analyses the care profiles of older people during their last 2 years of life, and investigates how these profiles differ for the study years 1996–1998 and 2011–2013.

Design

Retrospective cross-sectional nationwide data drawn from the Care Register for Health Care, the Care Register for Social Care and the Causes of Death Register. The data included the use of hospital and long-term care services during the last 2 years of life for all those who died in 1998 and in 2013 at the age of ≥70 years in Finland.

Methods

We constructed four care profiles using two criteria: (1) number of days in round-the-clock care (vs at home) in the last 2 years of life and (2) care transitions during the last 6 months of life (ie, end-of-life care transitions).

Results

Between the study periods, the average age at death and the number of diagnoses increased. Most older people (1998: 64.3%, 2013: 59.3%) lived at home until their last months of life (profile 2) after which they moved into hospital or long-term care facilities. This profile became less common and the profiles with a high use of care services became more common (profiles 3 and 4 together in 1998: 25.0%, in 2013: 30.9%). People with dementia, women and the oldest old were over-represented in the latter profiles. In both study periods, fewer than one in ten stayed at home for the whole last 6 months (profile 1).

Conclusions

Postponement of death to a very old age may translate into more severe disability in the last months or years of life. Care systems must be prepared for longer periods of long-term care services needed at the end of life.
Do changing levels of maternal exercise during pregnancy affect neonatal adiposity? Secondary analysis of the babies after SCOPE: evaluating the longitudinal impact using neurological and nutritional endpoints (BASELINE) birth cohort (Cork, Ireland)
Authors: Norris Tom , McCarthy Fergus P , Khashan Ali S , Murray Deidre M , Kiely Mairead , Hourihane Jonathan O’B , Baker Philip N , Kenny Louise C
Published: December 2017

Objective

To investigate whether changing levels of exercise during pregnancy are related to altered neonatal adiposity.

Design

Secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study.

Setting

Cork, Ireland.

Participants

1200 mother–infant pairs recruited as part of a prospective birth cohort, Babies After SCOPE: Evaluating the Longitudinal Impact Using Neurological and Nutritional Endpoints (BASELINE).

Main outcome measures

Neonatal adiposity was assessed within several days of birth using air displacement plethysmography (PEAPOD). Per cent body fat (BF%) as a continuous outcome and a pair of dichotomous variables; high or low adiposity, representing BF% >90th or <10th centile, respectively. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between exercise and the respective outcomes.

Results

Crude analysis revealed no association between a changing level of exercise (since becoming pregnant) at 15 weeks’ gestation and any of the outcomes (BF%, low adiposity and high adiposity). At 20 weeks’ gestation, analyses revealed that relative to women who do not change their exercise level up to 20 weeks, those women who decreased their exercise level were more likely to give birth to a neonate with adiposity above the 90th centile (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.46). This association was maintained after adjustment for putative confounders (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.47).

Conclusions

We observed a possible critical period for the association between changing exercise levels and neonatal adiposity, with no association observed with exercise recall for the first 15 weeks of gestation, but an association with a decreasing level of exercise between 15 and 20 weeks. These results should be interpreted in line with the limitations of the study and further studies utilising objectively measured estimates of exercise are required in order to replicate these findings.

Trial registration number

NCT01498965.