bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dilemas éticos presentados como conflictos de interés
Authors: Kottow Miguel
Published: June 2019

Conflictos de interés es un tema que recibe acrecentada atención en investigación médica, práctica clínica y educación. La crítica a conflictos de interés, y las penalidades correspondientes, han sido insuficientemente debatidas, aplicándose en forma inadecuada por escaso sustento conceptual. Los genuinos conflictos de interés son situaciones en que cursos de acción alternativos son éticamente equivalentes, la toma de decisiones depende menos de una deliberación moral que de una ponderación personal de intereses. Por el contrario, situaciones usualmente entendidas como conflictos de interés suelen ser tentaciones por proseguir una opción atractiva pero indebida, porque causa daño y transgrede estándares éticos generalmente aceptados. Ejemplos de transgresiones morales, presentadas como conflictos de interés éticamente neutros, son prestadores de cuidados de salud que han sido persuadidos de favorecer ciertos productos, pacientes referidos a estudios clínicos no terapéuticos que implican riesgos y terapias subóptimas, científicos patrocinados por la industria, que entregan resultados e informes sesgados o participan en ghost-writing, educadores patrocinados que elogian productos más allá de la evidencia objetiva. Todas estas manchas morales, en que la integridad cede ante incentivos materiales a costa de provocar riesgos y situaciones lesivas, constituyen falsos conflictos de interés, cuando son de hecho transgresiones éticas. La declaración abierta ha sido la respuesta más frecuentemente recomendada para evitar el ocultamiento de intereses conflictivos y éticamente sospechosos. Las regulaciones de tales declaraciones revelan una actitud utilitarista, más preocupada por la magnitud de patrocinios que por la transgresión ética subyacente. Educación y vigilancia han de dirigirse y corregir la actitud moral hacia influencias indebidas de incentivos y estrategias de mercado falsamente presentadas como conflictos de interés.
Cáncer de mama y sexualidad: ¿una discapacidad emergente?
Authors: Rodríguez Pía , Pino Juan
Published: June 2019

Fundamentos: Ante la relevancia del cáncer de mama y su impacto en la salud pública, sumado a las pocas referencias bibliográficas sobre estudios psicosociales en la materia y la necesidad de comprender la situación desde una perspectiva cultural y situada de las personas, surgió la interrogante de conocer las vivencias en la sexualidad de las mujeres tratadas por carcinoma ductal invasor en la Unidad de Patología Mamaria (UPM) del Hospital Regional de Concepción, Chile. Método: Estudio cualitativo exploratorio con usuarias de una Unidad de Patología Mamaria y tratadas por carcinoma ductal invasor (noviembre 2014 – junio 2015). Muestreo intencional con entrevista en profundidad semiestructurada, análisis de contenido semánticamente orientado. Resultados: Se encontraron principalmente dificultades en la interacción y comunicación con sus parejas debido a la transformación física como consecuencia de la cirugía de mamas y de la quimioterapia. Al mismo tiempo se evidenció distanciamiento entre las parejas debido al impacto que genera el tratamiento. Sin embargo, se observaron algunos casos en los cuales sus parejas manifestaron apoyo y compañía durante el proceso, lo cual impactó significativamente en las vidas de las usuarias y de éstas. Conclusión: Las mujeres manifiestan conflictos íntimos con sus parejas principalmente como consecuencia del estigma y cambio corporal que existe en el tratamiento de cáncer de mama, generando restricciones y limitaciones en la participación social que enfrentan en su vida personal y comunitaria, gatillando una emergente expresión de discapacidad.
Observatorio de políticas públicas en salud universidad de chile: experiencia local de control social en políticas públicas
Authors: Crispi Francisca , Menay Javiera , González Cristián , Viches Juan , González Fernanda
Published: June 2019

Los Observatorios de Políticas Públicas en Salud son organismos dedicados al monitoreo, seguimiento y evaluación de sistemas y políticas públicas, a través de revisión analítica de proyectos y/o estrategias establecidas a nivel nacional. En la Universidad de Chile, el Observatorio de Políticas Públicas en Salud (OPPS) se conforma el año 2011 al alero de las movilizaciones estudiantiles de la Facultad de Medicina, donde se concluye que las universidades públicas deben aportar al control social en las políticas públicas de salud, a través de la deliberación y empoderamiento ciudadano. Con este horizonte, se conforma la organización y se establecen sus objetivos y orgánica. El trabajo desarrollado hasta la fecha abarca cuatro ejes: 1) Revisión y análisis bibliográfico de políticas públicas de salud, 2) Formación en políticas y sistemas de salud, 3) Promoción del debate en torno a políticas públicas y 4) Articulación con actores del sector salud. Dada su composición estudiantil, sus principales limitantes corresponden a la ausencia de formación crítica efectiva en los currículos de las carreras de la salud, y la sobrecarga académica de los estudiantes, que en el contexto de su carácter de actividad extracurricular, dificulta el cumplimiento de los objetivos. La réplica y fortalecimiento de estas instancias requieren la participación de todos los actores de la comunidad universitaria, haciendo converger sus conocimientos, experiencias y perspectivas en torno a los temas estudiados. Además, su inclusión en la estructura institucional formalizaría el compromiso universitario con la formación estudiantil crítica, contribuyendo al debate nacional en políticas públicas.
The Effect of Teacher Feedback on the Simple Past Tense Acquisition in Senior High School Students' English Writing
Authors: Zhong Qin , Yan Minwei , Zou Fangfang
Published: June 2019

Teacher feedback is an essential part which can not be overlooked in English writing teaching. Whether teacherfeedback is effective and which type of feedback is more effective in improving learners’ writing proficiency haveattracted more and more researchers’ attention. Direct feedback is the feedback that teachers correct students’ errorsdirectly under the form or the right using habit of target language. Indirect feedback is the feedback that teachersonly mark out or point out students’ errors but not correct errors. This study explores the effects of two differentkinds of feedback (direct feedback and indirect feedback) on the acquisition of English simple past tense in highschool students’ writing. And it attempts to answer the following three questions: 1) Do teachers’ direct and indirectfeedback in English writing influence senior high school students’ acquisition of simple past tense? 2) If so, whichkind of feedback (direct or indirect feedback) has the greater influence on improving students’ acquisition of simplepast tense in English writing? 3) What perceptions do students have towards teachers’ direct and indirect feedback inEnglish writing?The result showed that the two kinds of feedback have an influence on the acquisition of the target structure,however, there is no significant difference between direct and indirect feedback group, which states that indirectfeedback class was not better than direct feedback class.
The Spatial Spillover Effect of Financial Agglomeration on China’s Regional Economic Growth
Authors: Wu Maoguo , Gu Nan
Published: June 2019

With the development of economic globalization and economic integration, the regional capital flow accelerated, the flow of resources to expand the scope of the financial industry agglomeration effect is most obvious, leading to form a financial center in some areas highly concentrated. The paper analyzes the agglomeration of China’s current banking industry, securities industry and the insurance industry three big financial pillar industries, through the establishment of comprehensive evaluation index system of financial agglomeration, of China’s provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) of the financial agglomeration level determination. The relevant panel data collected from 2006-2015 in 31 provinces in China, combined with the geographical position, building spatial econometric model, to study China’s financial agglomeration on the spatial spillover effect of economic growth. The empirical results show that the provincial financial agglomeration has a significant impact on the economy and the surrounding provinces, and has a significant spatial spillover effect. At the same time, the financial agglomeration has different characteristics on the economic development of the eastern, central and western regions. The paper puts forward some policy suggestions on the development of the financial industry under the new situation of the supply side reform in different regions.
Head and neck amyloidosis – a report on five cases
Authors: Orłowska Anna , Mastalerek Jan , Jaskólska Magdalena , Rzepakowska Anna , Grzybowski Jakub , Gotlib Tomasz , Niemczyk Kazimierz
Published: June 2019

BACKGROUND: Amyloidosis is a group of diseases caused by extracellular accumulation of insoluble fibers referred to as amyloid fibers in tissues and organs. Amyloid fibers have a secondary beta-sheet structure which makes them resistant to proteolysis. In histological examination, amyloid deposits stain with Congo red and show apple-green birefringence in polarized light. Amyloid deposits disturb the function of organs and cause clinical symptoms. Their formation or accumulation within the system may be acquired or inherited. Due to the location of amyloid deposits, one may distinguish systemic and localized amyloidosis with the formation of tumors (usually composed of immunoglobulin light chains).
CASE REPORTS: Five cases of amyloidosis in the head and neck region are presented in this paper. Locations of the amyloid deposits were as follows: larynx, nasopharynx, sublingual and submandibular gland and the tongue. The initial clinical presentation correlated with the location of amyloid tumour in our patients. Two patients had a history of local recurrence of the disease. Surgical resection and histopathological examination were performed. Sections stained with Congo red confirmed the diagnosis of amyloidosis. Three patients had potential conditions that predisposed them to amyloidosis, including previous radiotherapy, chronic inflammation due to hepatitis C virus infection and graft versus host disease.
CONCLUSION: Amyloidosis should be considered as a possible cause of pathological symptoms in the head and neck region. The diagnosis requires a histopathological examination. The systemic form of the disease must be ruled out in all patients with head and neck amyloidosis. In localized amyloidosis, surgical resection of lesions is the procedure of choice; however, maintenance of organ's functionality should be taken into account.
Advanced sinonasal malignancy – therapeutic challenge
Authors: Bieńkowska Karolina , Rzepakowska Anna , Osuch-Wójcikiewicz Ewa , Niemczyk Kazimierz
Published: June 2019

Maxillofacial tumors are rare malignancies that constitute about 0.2-0.5% of all human malignancies. The initial symptoms of the disease are non-typical and imitate inflammation of paranasal sinuses. Most often, patients report one-sided nasal obstruction with bloody and purulent discharge and headaches. In addition to physical examination - often with the use of endoscopic nasal cavity assessment, it is necessary to perform computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses and magnetic resonance for accurate assessment of the extent of the lesions. Histopathological examination of tumor specimens is necessary for making the final diagnosis and planning treatment. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histological type in the sinonasal region. Other common malignancies in this area include adenocarcinoma, carcinoma adenoides cysticum, lymphomas, melanoma, and olfactory neuroblastoma. The treatment of choice of all malignant changes in the sinonasal complex, except for lymphomas, is surgical treatment. Unfortunately, a still high percentage of lesions is diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease, when the infiltration includes the skull base. In these cases, the decision to perform a radical surgical treatment in the patient is very difficult and requires a lot of experience in the surgery of the skull base. However, due to the low radiosensitivity and low effectiveness of chemotherapy in sinonasal malignancy, resection of lesions and complementary treatment contribute to the prolongation of overall survival in this group of patients.
The article discusses the cases of two patients with advanced cancer of the sinonasal complex reffered to the Otolaryngology Department of the Medical University of Warsaw.
Hungarian Psychotherapists’ Experiences of the Cooperation with Spiritual Directors and Pastoral Counselors : A Qualitative Study
Authors: Jáki Zsuzsanna , Ittzés András , Kiri Edith A. , Sallay Viola , Kővári Magdolna , Tomcsányi Teodóra
Published: June 2019

There has been a constantly growing interest towards the themes of psychotherapy and spirituality in the past decades. The questions and experiences concerning spirituality can come up and play an important role in the psychotherapeutic relationship. Often another helping relationship, spiritual direction or pastoral counseling is already present in religious people’s life, before or at the time of starting psychotherapy. In our research we tried to find answers to the question of how psychotherapists approach cooperation with spiritual directors and pastoral counselors, what attitudes and experiences they have in this regard. In the research semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with 31 Hungarian psychotherapists, and they were analyzed with the method of Grounded Theory. Four main categories evolved during the analysis of the interviews. In the first main category, where there is no cooperation between the helping professionals, codes refer to the attitudes, whether the psychotherapists would be open to cooperate, what professional considerations they would follow, and in what framework the cooperation could be realized. In the second main category the psychotherapist and the spiritual director work parallel with the patient, without contacting each-other, in the third the psychotherapist is in contact with the spiritual director / pastoral counselor, and in the fourth the psychotherapist evaluates the experiences of the cooperation.
Risk Aspects of Online Activities in Victims of Cyberbullying
Authors: Niklová Miriam , Novocký Michal , Dulovics Mário
Published: June 2019

This study focuses on the risks of online activity within the social network sites used by primary and secondary school pupils, with regard to bullying in cyberspace. Questionnaires were used to collect the empirical data. In the first scale, an exploratory factor analysis related to the online activity of pupils was used. It indicated four factors, namely: passive use of social networking sites, active communication on social networking sites, access to high-risk media content, and searching for self-development media content. In the second scale that focused on the forms of cyberbullying, two factors were indicated, namely: bullying through online communication and bullying through visual aggression. The study identified 189 respondents out of 931 pupils from the research sample who had been repeatedly cyberbullied. The research was conducted with pupils of secondary schools and high schools in the Slovak Republic. A relationship between the frequency types of social networking sites’ usage and the extent of bullying in cyberspace was observed. The research confirmed the existence of a direct dependence between the frequency of active communication on social networking sites and the extent of bullying through online communication. No statistically significant connection was confirmed between the other factors.
Existential Habit
Authors: Lee Bonita ,   Romanian Academy - Iasi Branch
Published: June 2019

This exposition focuses on purposeful behaviours as efforts toward self-actualization. I introduce habit as a set of value-based behaviours that is different than the typical habit of physical movements. Each of those praxis is controlled by cognition driven by values – both personal and societal, and their following habits are the result of complex learning. I will then elaborate on three important topics: (1) awareness and efficacy with respect to habit, (2) collective habit, and (3) implications of existential habit on the individual’s as well as the society’s wellbeing.
Taxonomic revision of the Canthidium Erichson, 1847 species of the gigas group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae)
Authors: Carvalho de Santa Edrielly , Pacheco Thaynara L. , Vaz-de-Mello Fernando Z.
Published: June 2019

The gigas species group of the subgenus Canthidium (Neocanthidium) is defined and described. This species group is composed of three described species [C. gigas Balthasar, 1939, Brazilian Atlantic Forest, including intrusions into Cerrado, C. bokermanni (Martínez et al., 1964), Chaco and western Cerrado in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, and C. kelleri (Martínez et al., 1964), Brazilian Cerrado and neighbouring open areas] and three new species: Canthidium stofeli sp. nov. from the western and southern regions of the Brazilian Amazon, Canthidium feeri sp. nov. from French Guiana, and Canthidium ayri sp. nov. from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We present descriptions and redescriptions, illustrations, an identification key and comments on the distributions of the species of the gigas group.
Neuroplasticidade na Educação e Reabilitação Cognitiva da Deficiência Intelectual
Authors: Freitas Patricia Martins de , Ribeiro Denise Oliveira
Published: June 2019

Resumo: Na deficiência intelectual os déficits no processamento cognitivo impõem limitações na funcionalidade desses indivíduos, impactando severamente os aspectos sociais, comportamentais e educacionais. A inclusão escolar cria a oportunidade de inserir as crianças com deficiências no ensino regular, mas as práticas pedagógicas utilizadas não tem permitido o desenvolvimento da alfabetização e de habilidades matemáticas, proporcionando apenas um ambiente adequado para socialização e recreação. De modo geral a formação dos professores possui lacunas que estão relacionadas a pouco ou nenhum conhecimento das contribuições, ferramentas e estratégias das neurociências para adaptação curricular. O presente estudo tem como objetivo descrever brevemente o perfil funcional da deficiência intelectual, demonstrando técnicas que favorecem a adaptação curricular para essas crianças ao estabelecer a relação entre educação e neuroplasticidade. As intervenções psicoeducacionais precisam de um planejamento do currículo de forma individualizada, direcionando as atividades para as necessidades de cada aluno. A aplicação de técnicas comportamentais tem sido bastante eficiente no processo de aquisição de habilidades funcionais e escolares, disponibilizando uma série de ferramentas que favoreçam o desenvolvimento de atividades de vida diária e emergência de habilidades escolares como leitura, escrita e aritmética.
Práticas Pedagógicas no Processo de Reabilitação de Alunos com Surdocegueira
Authors: Bigate Thaís Ferreira , Lima Neuza Rejane Wille
Published: June 2019

O presente estudo buscou analisar as práticas pedagógicas empregadas no processo de reabilitação de alunos com surdogueira do Instituto Benjamin Constant. A surdocegueira é uma deficiência que compromete os principais sentidos de recepção de informação, logo, os professores devem utilizar práticas distintas daquelas usadas com os demais alunos com deficiência visual e, se a população surdocega tem como principal característica a heterogeneidade, deve existir diferenças nos atendimentos de alunos que apresentam distinto período de aquisição da deficiência e de graus de perda da audição e da visão. A fim de compreender esse processo, o estudo de caso foi selecionado como metodologia e a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de levantamento bibliográfico e entrevista semiestruturada. Concluiu-se que a principal dificuldade encontrada pelos professores foi a comunicação e que a presença de um tradutor e intérprete de Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras) é fundamental nesse contexto. As ações mencionadas pelos professores foram consideradas relevantes, possibilitando o acesso dos alunos com surdocegueira aos conteúdos das aulas.
Levantamento e análise dos conflitos pelos usos da água na bacia do Ribeirão da Prata - MG
Authors: Magalhães Júnior Hélio de , De Azevedo Lopes Frederico Wagner
Published: June 2019

A bacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão da Prata está localizada no alto curso da bacia do Rio das Velhas, na região do Quadrilátero Ferrífero, abrangendo os municípios de Caeté e Raposos em Minas Gerais. Atualmente, a bacia tem sofrido ameaças devido a distintos interesses de usos das águas, como para mineração, abastecimento de água, lançamento de efluentes, balneabilidade e preservação. Neste contexto, o objetivo do trabalho é levantar e analisar os conflitos reais e potenciais de usos da água na Bacia do Ribeirão da Prata, de forma a possibilitar um diagnóstico atualizado da bacia, como ferramenta de suporte ao gerenciamento de recursos hídricos. Deste modo, foi realizado um levantamento histórico de usos das águas na bacia do Ribeirão da Prata, bem como a identificação dos conflitos pela água na bacia e os atores sociais envolvidos. Após a identificação dos usos demandados, foi realizada a avaliação da qualidade das águas e sua conformidade aos usos identificados, por meio da utilização de dados secundários. Conforme o levantamento realizado, a bacia estudada é uma região potencialmente conflituosa, especialmente por demandas distintas do setor minerário, abastecimento doméstico e lazer (balneabilidade), sendo este último, incompatível com a qualidade de água verificada.
Introduction : Réponses aux nouvelles routes de la soie chinoises
Authors: Genevaz Juliette
Published: June 2019

Les Nouvelles routes de la soie, lancées en 2013 par Xi Jinping et renommées Belt and Road Initiative (bri) en 2016, ont rénové la politique étrangère de la Chine. Le projet de construction d’infrastructures intercontinentales pour accroître la connectivité internationale de la Chine marque la volonté de Xi de redessiner son voisinage occidental. Les travaux qui décryptent la bri visent principalement à comprendre les arrière-pensées stratégiques du projet. Notre étude analyse la réception de la bri dans cinq pays non occidentaux concernés. En Inde, en Russie, en Indonésie, en Éthiopie et à Djibouti, la bri occupe un rôle central dans le discours politique, qu’il s’agisse d’appropriation ou de résistance. Au-delà des intentions, notre approche réfléchit aux dynamiques sous-jacentes à la nouvelle multipolarité du monde.
Epidemiological scenario of Dengue in the state of Manipur during the last 3 years
Authors: Singh Leimapokpam Shivadutta , Singh Rajkumar Manojkumar , Singh Huidrom Lokhendro
Published: June 2019

Background. In recent years, Dengue has been emerging as a global health problem with approximately 2.5 billion people being affected by it .In the last 50 years, the incidence of dengue infection has increased 30-fold, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 96 million cases of dengue occur annually. The epidemiology of dengue fever (DF) is complex in the Indian subcontinent as all the four serotypes are circulating. And there is no systematic epidemiological study done on dengue cases in Manipur, a north-eastern state of India. This study is therefore done to report observations on dengue cases from a virus diagnostic and research laboratory of Manipur to present an epidemiological scenario of the state for the last three years. Method. We used the dengue data extracted from the laboratory register of Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) from 2016 to 2018. All suspected outpatient and inpatients dengue cases from public and private health services are included in the VRDL database whose informed consent were obtained. We evaluated the overall features of the data for generating seasonal pattern, geographical pattern, gender wise distribution, age wise distribution and seroprevelance pattern of dengue cases for the study period from 2016 to 2018. Results. A total of 1689 cases of suspected patients of dengue virus infection were tested for dengue ELISA test and 272(16.10%) samples were found to be seropositive. The month wise distribution of dengue cases is quite an interesting as the three years of study shows variant pattern in observation. In all the three years dengue seropositive cases were seen higher in male population. But there is no significant value to the positivity of dengue seropositive towards male than female (The chi-square statistic is 2.1314.The p-value is .344481. The result is not significant at p < .05.). Conclusion. Our study presents a comparative epidemiological study on seroprevelance of dengue in the state of Manipur from the year 2016 to 2018. The findings in the present study extend the knowledge of the geographical distribution and seroprevelance of dengue in the state of Manipur for the last three years. This is an attempt to present epidemiological dengue seroprevelance in the state of Manipur which in future would be a reference from public health concerns for taking up necessary action plan to curtail the spread of dengue.
Polymorphisms and distribution of South American manatees (Trichechus spp.)
Authors: Bonvicino Cibele Rodrigues , Viana Maria Carolina , de Oliveira Edivaldo HC , Emin-Lima Renata , Silva Júnior José de Sousa e , Sousa Maura Elisabeth M , Siciliano Salvatore
Published: June 2019

Traditionally, the morphological attributes and the range of Trichechus species have been clearly established. However, we herein show that morphological traits, like belly and pectoral flipper coloration in South American manatees may be polymorphic. Karyotypic analysis of T. manatus allowed the precise identification of this species and confirmed the variability of the observed morphological findings. Molecular analysis based on cytochrome b DNA and the D-loop mitochondrial region showed shared haplotypes between T. inunguis and T. manatus, suggesting the presence of an ancestral polymorphism. These findings showed the need of improving the identification of these species before implementing conservation strategies. Finally, we present a complete report on the extant distribution of these species in South America.
Modularity, criticality, and evolvability of a developmental gene regulatory network
Authors: Verd Berta , Monk Nicholas AM , Jaeger Johannes
Published: June 2019

The existence of discrete phenotypic traits suggests that the complex regulatory processes which produce them are functionally modular. These processes are usually represented by networks. Only modular networks can be partitioned into intelligible subcircuits able to evolve relatively independently. Traditionally, functional modularity is approximated by detection of modularity in network structure. However, the correlation between structure and function is loose. Many regulatory networks exhibit modular behaviour without structural modularity. Here we partition an experimentally tractable regulatory network—the gap gene system of dipteran insects—using an alternative approach. We show that this system, although not structurally modular, is composed of dynamical modules driving different aspects of whole-network behaviour. All these subcircuits share the same regulatory structure, but differ in components and sensitivity to regulatory interactions. Some subcircuits are in a state of criticality, while others are not, which explains the observed differential evolvability of the various expression features in the system.
Post-decision processing in primate prefrontal cortex influences subsequent choices on an auditory decision-making task
Authors: Tsunada Joji , Cohen Yale , Gold Joshua I
Published: June 2019

Perceptual decisions do not occur in isolation but instead reflect ongoing evaluation and adjustment processes that can affect future decisions. However, the neuronal substrates of these across-decision processes are not well understood, particularly for auditory decisions. We measured and manipulated the activity of choice-selective neurons in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) while monkeys made decisions about the frequency content of noisy auditory stimuli. As the decision was being formed, vlPFC activity was not modulated strongly by the task. However, after decision commitment, vlPFC population activity encoded the sensory evidence, choice, and outcome of the current trial and predicted subject-specific choice biases on the subsequent trial. Consistent with these patterns of neuronal activity, electrical microstimulation in vlPFC tended to affect the subsequent, but not current, decision. Thus, distributed post-commitment representations of graded decision-related information in prefrontal cortex can play a causal role in evaluating past decisions and biasing subsequent ones.
Acetaminophen Serum Levels in Patients with unknown Poisoning and Loss of Consciousness
Authors: Ala Alireza , Shams Vahdati Samad , Bakhsh Rigi Ghader , Habibollahi Paria , Tajodini Shahrad , Jannati Kobra
Published: June 2019

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of acetaminophen in patients with unknown poisoning and loss of consciousness, and to assess whether measuring serum acetaminophen level in all patients with drug overdose or decreased level of consciousness changes outcome. Methods & Materials: In a descriptive-analytical study, 300 patients with loss of consciousness and a history of drug toxicity with an unknown drug that referred to the emergency unit constituted the study sample. Serum acetaminophen levels of patients, the outcome, mortality, and morbidity of patients were evaluated. Results: The mean age of patients was 28.88±8.67 years. The minimum age of patients was 15 years and the maximum age of patients was 58 years. The mean serum level of acetaminophen in patients was 0.62±0.55 μg/ml. The highest level and the lowest level of acetaminophen in patients were 2.8 μg/ml and 0.2 μg/ml respectively. Serum acetaminophen level in patients was less than the toxic level (less than 30 μg/ml). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, acetaminophen as a widely used and available drug is not a common cause of poisoning in patients with loss of consciousness in our region.
Evaluating Serum Urea, Creatinine and Hemoglobin Level in Chronic Renal Failure of Pre and Post Dialysis at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Hassen Kedir Endris , Yeshanew Addisu Gize
Published: June 2019

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate serum urea, creatinine and hemoglobin level in chronic renal failure pre and post dialysis at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methodology: Cross sectional study design was conducted From February to May 2017 to all chronic kidney failure patients Ethio-Egyptian Nephrology unit in SPHMMC Addis Ababa Ethiopia. 5 ml of the blood will be obtained from each patient before and after dialysis. Each sample was divided in to two; half of the blood was placed in tubes containing anticoagulant (EDTA) and half in clot activator tubes. Clotted blood was centrifuge to separate serum and used for the estimation of creatinine and urea. Non-clotted blood samples were used for complete blood count and hemoglobin in blood Analyzer Sysmax KX-21. Percentages of reduction in urea and creatinine values were calculated using the values of blood samples withdrawn from each patient before and after each hemodialysis sessions.

Results: A total of 33 chronic kidney patients participated in this study. Out of this only 26 patients (78.79%) attend the dialysis unit for four months the rest either passed away or kidney transplantation done. The study population comprised 80.8% male and 19.2% female. Before the dialysis, 12 (46.2%) patients serum urea level was 101-122 mg/dl, however after dialysis, 14 (53.8%) patients had serum urea level were between 20 – 50.99 mg/dl and 11 (42.3%) patients had serum urea level were between 51 – 100 mg/dl. Most of the patients, (53.8%) undergoing hemodialysis serum creatinine level before dialysis were between 7.6 – 10.5 mg/dl. The majority of patients’ (42.3%), serum creatinine level after dialysis was between 3.0 – 3.92 mg/dl.  The majority (73.1%) of the patient hemoglobin level was between 7.0 – 11.0 mg/dl and 23.1% of the patients were between 11.1 – 14.0 mg/dl. Patients with chronic kidney disease have high serum urea and creatinine level before hemodialysis.

Conclusion: Hemodialysis decreases the burden of kidney in chronic kidney disease patients.
Effect of the Sowing Speed on the Distribution Regularity of Maize Seeds
Authors: Nadin Wesley , Pereira Pedro Silvério Xavier , Rondon Onassis Henrique Simon , Afonso Matheus Farinha , Pallaoro Dryelle Sifuentes , Camili Elisangela Clarete , Silva Antônio Renan Berchol Da
Published: June 2019

This work aimed to evaluate the influence of the sowing speed on the regularity of longitudinal distribution of maize seeds through a pneumatic metering seeder. The experimentation of 4 sowing speeds (4, 6, 8 and 10 km h-1) was performed in randomized blocks design with four replicates. The parameters evaluated were the mean distance between plants, coefficient of variation of the distance between plants, percentage of acceptable, flawed and double spacings, precision index, plant stand, initial population, mean seed deposition depth, and coefficient of variation of the seed deposition depth. The increase in the operating speed linearly reduced the percentage of acceptable spacings, plant stand, initial population, and mean seed deposition depth. Conversely, it linearly increased the values of mean distance between plants, coefficient of variation of the distance between plants, percentage of double and flawed spacings, precision index, and coefficient of variation of the deposition depth. Therefore, the increase in the displacement speed of the tractor-seeder set reduced the regularity of the longitudinal distribution of the plants, as well as the sowing quality.
Unscented summation information‐weighted consensus filter for distributed sensor networks with incomplete information
Authors: Yao Peng , Liu Gang , Liu Yanfei , Tian Qi
Published: June 2019

In order to improve network scalability and fault tolerance, the distributed sensor networks are desirable. However, the distributed state estimation becomes challenging when some sensors have insufficient information due to restricted observability, and/or have imparity information due to unequal measurement‐noise covariances. Centralized summation information‐fusion (CSI) model is presented which performs weighted least‐squares estimation for all measurement information to achieve the optimal centralized state estimation. The CSI model revises the initialization and covariance propagation in the original information‐weighted consensus filter (ICF). Since centralized information fusion is a summation mode and is approached by the average consensus protocol, all the covariances involved in the CSI model contain the information regarding the total number of nodes. The artificially preset initial values are considered as measurement information and fused in accordance with the CSI model. By combining the CSI model with unscented transform, distributed unscented summation information‐weighted consensus filter (USICF) is proposed. USICF realizes the nonlinear estimation in the context of highly incomplete information. Theoretical analysis and experimental verification showed that USICF achieves better performance than UICF that is based on ICF.
Advances in Biomaterials and Technologies for Vascular Embolization
Authors: Hu Jingjie , Albadawi Hassan , Chong Brian W. , Deipolyi Amy R. , Sheth Rahul A. , Khademhosseini Ali , Oklu Rahmi
Published: June 2019

Minimally invasive transcatheter embolization is a common nonsurgical procedure in interventional radiology used for the deliberate occlusion of blood vessels for the treatment of diseased or injured vasculature. A wide variety of embolic agents including metallic coils, calibrated microspheres, and liquids are available for clinical practice. Additionally, advances in biomaterials, such as shape‐memory foams, biodegradable polymers, and in situ gelling solutions have led to the development of novel preclinical embolic agents. The aim here is to provide a comprehensive overview of current and emerging technologies in endovascular embolization with respect to devices, materials, mechanisms, and design guidelines. Limitations and challenges in embolic materials are also discussed to promote advancement in the field.
Fluorinated 2D Lead Iodide Perovskite Ferroelectrics
Authors: Sha Tai‐Ting , Xiong Yu‐An , Pan Qiang , Chen Xiao‐Gang , Song Xian‐Jiang , Yao Jie , Miao Shu‐Rong , Jing Zheng‐Yin , Feng Zi‐Jie , You Yu‐Meng , Xiong Ren‐Gen
Published: June 2019

Hybrid perovskite materials are famous for their great application potential in photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Among them, lead‐iodide‐based perovskites receive great attention because of their good optical absorption ability and excellent electrical transport properties. Although many believe the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect (FEPV) plays a crucial role for the high conversion efficiency, the ferroelectricity in CH3NH3PbI3 is still under debate, and obtaining ferroelectric lead iodide perovskites is still challenging. In order to avoid the randomness and blindness in the conventional method of searching for perovskite ferroelectrics, a design strategy of fluorine modification is developed. As a demonstration, a nonpolar lead iodide perovskite is modified and a new 2D fluorinated layered hybrid perovskite material of (4,4‐difluorocyclohexylammonium)2PbI4, 1, is obtained, which possesses clear ferroelectricity with controllable spontaneous polarization. The direct bandgap of 2.38 eV with strong photoluminescence also guarantees the direct observation of polarization‐induced FEPV. More importantly, the 2D structure and fluorination are also expected to achieve both good stability and charge transport properties. 1 is not only a 2D fluorinated lead iodide perovskite with confirmed ferroelectricity, but also a great platform for studying the effect of ferroelectricity and FEPV in the context of lead halide perovskite solar cells and other optoelectronic applications.
Precise Deciphering of Brain Vasculatures and Microscopic Tumors with Dual NIR‐II Fluorescence and Photoacoustic Imaging
Authors: Guo Bing , Feng Zhe , Hu Dehong , Xu Shidang , Middha Eshu , Pan Yutong , Liu Chengbo , Zheng Hairong , Qian Jun , Sheng Zonghai , Liu Bin
Published: June 2019

Diagnostics of cerebrovascular structures and microscopic tumors with intact blood–brain barrier (BBB) significantly contributes to timely treatment of patients bearing neurological diseases. Dual NIR‐II fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is expected to offer powerful strength, including good spatiotemporal resolution, deep penetration, and large signal‐to‐background ratio (SBR) for precise brain diagnostics. Herein, biocompatible and photostable conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CP NPs) are reported for dual‐modality brain imaging in the NIR‐II window. Uniform CP NPs with a size of 50 nm are fabricated from microfluidics devices, which show an emission peak at 1156 nm with a large absorptivity of 35.2 L g−1 cm−1 at 1000 nm. The NIR‐II fluorescence imaging resolves hemodynamics and cerebral vasculatures with a spatial resolution of 23 µm at a depth of 600 µm. The NIR‐II PAI enables successful noninvasive mapping of deep microscopic brain tumors (<2 mm at a depth of 2.4 mm beneath dense skull and scalp) with an SBR of 7.2 after focused ultrasound‐induced BBB opening. This study demonstrates that CP NPs are promising contrast agents for brain diagnostics.
Porphyrin‐Based Porous Organic Frameworks as Oxygen Reservoirs to Overcome Tumor Hypoxia for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Wei Gaofei , Huang Liangfeng , Shen Yifeng , Huang Zeqian , Xu Xiaoyu , Zhao Chunshun
Published: June 2019

Photodynamic therapy kills cancer cells by transferring energy from lasers to tumor‐dissolved O2 to generate highly cytotoxic reactive oxygen species using a photosensitizer. However, the effectiveness of PDT is impaired by the aggregation of photosensitizer and an inadequate oxygen supply in tumors. Here, to overcome above limitations, novel porous organic frameworks (POFs) are reported using photosensitizer porphyrin as building blocks connected through imine condensation reactions. Upon both characteristic with the high porosity and the large surface area, TAPP‐B4‐POFs exhibit excellent O2 carrying capacity. After carrying O2, O2@TAPP‐B4‐POFs generate ROS efficiency in both normoxic and hypoxic environment, which can induce cancer cell apoptosis. Moreover, the antitumor experiment on 4T1 murine breast cancer model demonstrates that O2@TAPP‐B4‐POFs can almost completely suppress tumor progression with good security. These results reveal that photosensitizer‐based POFs materials are promising candidates as oxygen reservoirs to overcome tumor hypoxia for enhanced photodynamic therapy.
Advances in High‐Performance Carbon‐Nanotube Thin‐Film Electronics
Authors: Si Jia , Xu Lin , Zhu Maguang , Zhang Zhiyong , Peng Lian‐Mao
Published: June 2019

The device standards necessary for high‐performance carbon nanotube (CNT) field‐effect transistors (FETs) for integrated circuits (ICs) are discussed by illustrating key device metrics. Recent advances in solution‐processed CNT network‐materials are introduced and some important progress made in CNT‐network film‐based transistors and ICs is explored. The status of aligned CNT thin‐film materials and representative work in high‐performance electronics is discussed. Finally, the major challenges to the further development of high‐performance CNT thin‐film electronics and the prospects in this exciting field are summarized.
Optimizing catalyst pore network structure in the presence of deactivation by coking
Authors: Ye Guanghua , Wang Haizhi , Zhou Xinggui , Keil Frerich J. , Coppens Marc‐Olivier , Yuan Weikang
Published: June 2019

Designing the pore network structure is an effective approach to improve the performance of industrial catalyst particles, although it receives less attention than designing catalytic surfaces or active sites. This work presents a first example of the optimization of catalyst pore network structures in the presence of deactivation by coke formation, using a three‐dimensional pore network model. Propane dehydrogenation in a Pt‐Sn/Al2O3 catalyst particle is taken as the model reaction system. Catalyst particles with unimodal and bimodal pore‐size distributions are investigated, both being commonly used in industry. The porosity, connectivity, pore size, and their spatial distributions are optimized under two separate assumptions: constant intrinsic activity per unit catalyst weight and constant intrinsic activity per unit internal surface area. The optimized catalyst shows up to 14‐fold improvement in the time‐averaged propene formation rate, when compared to a benchmark catalyst. This significant improvement is primarily because of reductions in diffusion resistance and pore blockage.
Body proportionality and adiposity are not related in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old Yucatec Maya children
Authors: Vazquez‐Gomez Alonso , Ávila‐Escalante María Luisa , Azcorra Hugo , Varela‐Silva Maria Inês , Dickinson Federico
Published: June 2019

Objective

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between relative leg length (RLL) (leg length × 100/height) and adiposity in a sample of 6‐ to 8‐year‐old children of Maya ancestry from Motul and Merida, Mexico.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study included 260 children (128 girls) measured between 2011 and 2015. The RLL was used as a measure of body proportionality. Linear regression models were performed to examine the association between RLL (predictor) and three adiposity indicators (outcome variables): fat mass index (kg/m2), waist circumference (z‐score), and sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds (z‐score).

Results

The prevalence of stunting was 12%, and a higher prevalence (19%) of short RLL (leg stunting) was found. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 16% and 20%, respectively, but the highest prevalence was found for abdominal obesity (40%). None of the adiposity indicators were related to RLL (P > .05), even after adjusting for the influence of children's sex and age.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the coexistence of short RLL and high body adiposity is not observed in all populations. Our findings do not discount the possibility that a negative association between RLL and adiposity is expressed at older ages.
Refining the phenotype of the THG1L (p.Val55Ala mutation)‐related mitochondrial autosomal recessive congenital cerebellar ataxia
Authors: Walker Melissa A. , Lerman‐Sagie Tally , Swoboda Kathryn , Lev Dorit , Blumkin Lubov
Published: June 2019

Roughly 40 genes have been linked to autosomal recessive (AR) ataxia syndromes. Of these, at least 10 encode gene products localizing to the mitochondrion. tRNA‐histidine guanylyltransferase 1 like (THG1L) localizes to the mitochondrion and catalyzes the 3′–5′ addition of guanine to the 5′‐end of tRNA‐histidine. Previously, three siblings with early onset cerebellar dysfunction, developmental delay, pyramidal signs, and cerebellar atrophy on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were reported to carry homozygous V55A mutations in THG1L. Fibroblasts derived from these individuals showed abnormal mitochondrial networks when subjected to obligatory oxidative phosphorylation. A carrier rate of 0.8%, but no THG1L V55A homozygotes, was found in a cohort of 3,232 unrelated Ashkenazi Jewish individuals, and no homozygotes were found in Exac or gnomAD. This variant is reported with an allelic frequency of 0.02% in Exac, and is not listed in gnomAD. A similar phenotype was recently reported for another, homozygous variant p.L294P was reported with a similar, but more severely affected phenotype [Shaheen et al. (2019); Genetics in Medicine 21: 545–552]. Here, we report two additional Ashkenazi Jewish patients, carrying the same homozygous V55A mutation. We present bioinformatic analyses of the V55A mutation demonstrating high conservation in metazoan species. We refine the clinical and radiological phenotype and discuss the uniqueness of the clinical course of this novel mitochondrial AR ataxia in comparison to the diverse molecular etiologies and clinical phenotypes of other known mitochondrial AR ataxias.
MWCNTs@NHBut/PTA: New efficient solid acid catalyst for solvent free synthesis of benzochromenopyrimidines
Authors: Ahmadi Masoumeh , Moradi Leila , Sadeghzadeh Masoud
Published: June 2019

In this study, a novel and eco‐friendly synthesis of benzochromenopyrimidines catalyzed by phosphotugstic acid immobilized on aminated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs@NHBut/PTA) is reported. New solid acid catalyst was prepared through a simple process with good percentage of organo metallic groups and characterized with FTIR, TEM, SEM, EDX and TGA techniques. Reusable catalytic system provides a convenient, safe and green pathway to generate a variety of benzochromenopyrimidines under mild conditions.