bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Obesity Prevention Worksite Wellness Interventions for Health Care Workers: A Narrative Review
Authors: Upadhyaya Mudita , Sharma Shreela , Pompeii Lisa A. , Sianez Monica , Morgan Robert O.
Published: August 2019

Background: Health care workers face elevated risk of obesity due to their unique work requirements. The purpose of this systematic review was to present a narrative summary of the characteristics and effectiveness of worksite wellness programs focusing on preventing obesity among health care workers. Method: The databases Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and PubMed were searched. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies published in English (between 2000 and 2018) that (a) were worksite interventions, (b) had intervention directed toward health care employees, and (c) reported weight-related outcomes were included. We excluded commercial weight loss studies. Two coders extracted data on the following: purpose, key study characteristics, design, type and dosage of intervention, outcome measure(s), attrition rate, and risk of bias. Results: Of the 51 studies included in this review, the majority (75%, n = 38) targeted diet and physical activity behaviors. The majority reported improved weight outcomes in favor of the intervention. Overall, moderate- to high-intensity behavioral strategies, using any mode of intervention delivery (phone, face-to-face, or Internet), delivered by a trained professional were effective in improving weight-related outcomes. Environmental strategies were effective in improving healthier habits. Self-directed strategies worked better for motivated employees. Discussion: Multicomponent interventions offered in health care settings may be successful in improving employee weight. Across study designs, several gaps in the reporting of intervention design, dosage, fidelity, and system-level outcomes were found. Conclusion/Applying research to practice: Occupational health professionals should continue to be creative in developing multicomponent interventions (combining behavioral/educational, environmental, and organizational support) and use evidence guidance frameworks/tools to design an intervention and report dosage outcomes.
Minocycline-loaded calcium polyphosphate glass microspheres as a potential drug-delivery agent for the treatment of periodontitis
Authors: Gibson Iain , Momeni Arash , Filiaggi Mark
Published: August 2019

Background: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease with a bacterial etiology that affects the supporting structures of the teeth and is a major cause of tooth loss. The objective of this study was to investigate the drug loading and in vitro release of minocycline from novel calcium polyphosphate microspheres intended for use in treating periodontitis. Methods: Calcium polyphosphate coacervate, produced by a precipitation reaction of calcium chloride and sodium polyphosphate solutions, was loaded with minocycline and subsequently used to produce microspheres by an emulsion/solvent extraction technique. Microspheres classified by size were subjected to a 7-day elution in a Tris-buffer solution under dynamic conditions. The physicochemical characteristics of the drug-loaded microspheres were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis, Phosphorus-31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. Drug loading and release were determined using ultraviolet -visible (UV/VIS) spectrophotometry. Results: Minocycline-loaded calcium polyphosphate microspheres of varying size were successfully produced, with small and large microspheres having volume mean diameters of 22 ± 1 µm and 193 ± 5 µm, respectively. Polyphosphate chain length and calcium to phosphorus mole ratio remained stable throughout microsphere production. Drug loading was 1.64 ± 0.16, 1.35 ± 0.55, and 0.84 ± 0.14 weight% for the coacervate and large and small microspheres, respectively, corresponding to mean encapsulation efficiencies of 81.7 ± 12.2 % and 50.9 ± 3.9 % for the large and small microspheres. Sustained drug release was observed in vitro over a clinically relevant 7-day period, with small and large microspheres exhibiting similar elution profiles. Antibiotic release generally followed microsphere degradation as measured by Ca and P ion release. Conclusions: This study demonstrated successful drug loading of calcium polyphosphate microspheres with minocycline. Furthermore, in vitro sustained release of minocycline over a 7-day period was observed, suggesting potential utility of this approach for treating periodontitis.
Assessment of lower limb rotational profile and its correlation with the tibial tuberosity-trochlea groove distance: A radiological study
Authors: Thakrar Raj R , Al-Obaedi Ossama , Theivendran Kanthan , Snow Martin
Published: August 2019

Objective:

The purpose of our study was to determine whether there is a correlation between the lower limb rotational profile and tibial tuberosity-trochlea groove (TT-TG) distance.

Design and patients:

The computed tomography cross-sectional imaging on 50 patients’ lower limbs (100 limbs) was investigated at our institution. The TT-TG distance was measured along with rotational measurements including femoral version (FV), tibial torsion and knee joint rotation angle (KJRA). Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 had a TT-TG ≥ 20 mm which was considered pathological and group 2 with a non-pathological TT-TG (≤19 mm). Rotational angles were compared between groups. Statistical analysis was performed using the t-test and Mann–Whitney U analysis.

Results and conclusions:

Our results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the mean KJRA ( p = 0.026) between the pathological (mean = 10.6, standard deviation (SD) = 7.79°) and the non-pathological TT-TG groups (mean = 6.99, SD = 5.06°). A higher mean value for FV and tibial torsion was also demonstrated in patients with a pathological TT-TG (18.2 vs. 13.7, 32.8 vs. 30.9, p > 0.05, respectively). In conclusion, there was a statistically significant higher mean value for the KJRA in patients with a pathological TT-TG. Hence, a lateralized tibial tubercle as demonstrated by an increase in the TT-TG distance may be associated with a coexisting lower limb rotational malalignment.
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical myelopathy using stand-alone tricortical iliac crest autograft: Predictive factors for neurological and fusion outcomes
Authors: Yeung Kenneth Kam Leung , Cheung Prudence Wing Hang , Cheung Jason Pui Yin
Published: August 2019

Purpose:

The purpose of this article is to investigate the outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery with stand-alone tricortical iliac crest autograft and to determine predictive factors for poor neurological recovery, non-union, graft collapse and loss of C2–C7 sagittal alignment.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study involving patients with cervical myelopathy who underwent ACDF surgery with stand-alone tricortical iliac autograft between 2006 and 2016, with a minimum 2-year postoperative follow-up. Outcomes included the change in Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores clinically and timing of fusion, graft height and C2–7 angle measured on lateral radiographs. Any complication such as neurological deterioration, non-union, graft collapse or loss of angle was recorded. Delayed union was considered as radiological union identified only beyond postoperative 6 months. Risk factors including age, smoking, drinking, comorbidities and operative levels were analysed through a multivariate regression for their respective influences on the various outcomes.

Results:

Of the 69 patients studied, none of the patients had non-union, while 33 (47.1%) achieved fusion in 6 months. The most common complications were anterior protrusion of graft (5.8%) and hoarseness (2.9%). The 1-year mean change in JOA score was 3.9 ± 2.7. The C2–7 angle gradually became more kyphotic, despite an initial lordosis correction intraoperatively. The graft height also gradually collapsed during subsequent follow-ups. Multivariate regression model suggested that diabetics (cumulative odds ratio 7.4) and drinkers (cumulative odds ratio 8.6) were associated with delayed union.

Conclusion:

ACDF using tricortical iliac crest autograft has satisfactory outcomes with low occurrence of complications. Diabetics and drinkers were predictors of delayed union.
Baseball Pitching Biomechanics Shortly After Ulnar Collateral Ligament Repair
Authors: Fleisig Glenn S. , Diffendaffer Alek Z. , Drogosz Monika , Cain E. Lyle , Emblom Benton A. , Dugas Jeffrey R.
Published: August 2019

Background:

The probability of returning to competition for injured baseball pitchers is similar after ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) repair as after UCL reconstruction, but the time to return is significantly quicker after UCL repair. Previous research has found no differences in pitching biomechanics between pitchers with and without a history of UCL reconstruction, but pitching biomechanics after UCL repair has not been studied.

Hypothesis:

There will be significant differences in pitching biomechanics between pitchers returning to play after UCL repair and pitchers with no injury history.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

A total of 33 pitchers were tested shortly after UCL repair (9.8 ± 2.6 months) and compared with a matched group of 33 uninjured pitchers. Each group comprised 14 college pitchers and 19 high school pitchers. Shoulder and elbow passive ranges of motion were measured. The biomechanics of 10 fastballs was then collected using a 12-camera automated motion capture system. Ball velocity was measured using a separate 3-camera optical tracking system. Data were compared between the UCL repair group and the control group using the Student t test (significance set at P < .05).

Results:

There were no differences in passive range of motion or fastball velocity between the 2 groups. There were no differences in joint kinetics during pitching, but 3 kinematic variables showed significant differences. Specifically, the UCL repair group produced less elbow extension (flexion: 27° ± 6° vs 24° ± 4°, respectively; P = .03), less elbow extension velocity (2442 ± 367 vs 2631 ± 292 deg/s, respectively; P = .02), and less shoulder internal rotation velocity (6273 ± 1093 vs 6771 ± 914 deg/s, respectively; P = .049 ) compared with the control group.

Conclusion:

Elbow extension, elbow velocity, and shoulder velocity differed between pitchers with a recent history of UCL repair and a matched control group, but it is unclear whether this has clinical significance, as there were no differences in ball velocity and passive range of motion. Furthermore, it is unknown whether these few differences in pitching biomechanics resolve with time.

Clinical Relevance:

Elbow and shoulder kinematics during pitching might not be completely regained within the first year after UCL repair, although passive range of motion and pitch velocity show no difference in comparison to other healthy pitchers.
Caregiver Experiences With an Innovative Farmers’ Market Incentive Program for Children in Flint, Michigan
Authors: Saxe-Custack Amy , Lofton Heather Claire , Hanna-Attisha Mona , Tata Zachary , Ceja Tiffany , LaChance Jenny
Published: August 2019

An innovative farmers’ market incentive program designed specifically for children was implemented to address persistent challenges with accessing fresh, nutrient-rich foods in a food desert community. The current study sought to qualitatively examine caregiver perceptions of the incentive program. Following distribution of farmers’ market incentives to all children (ages 0 to 15 years) at 43 Flint-area early childcare facilities and elementary schools, researchers conducted semistructured interviews with 37 caregivers (mean age = 39.59 ± 11.73 years). The majority were female (87%) and African American (53%). Through these interviews, researchers explored family experiences with the farmers’ market incentive program, as well as changes in environmental factors that may have resulted from program participation. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim for textual analysis. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns across transcripts and formulate emerging themes. Four recurrent themes emerged during interviews: (1) fruit and vegetable access, (2) child influence, (3) autonomous grocery shopping, and (4) program expansion. Interview participants indicated that the farmers’ market incentive program was an effective tool to both encourage families to visit the farmers’ market and purchase fresh foods there. Program design, particularly distribution to children, was credited with introducing families to the local farmers’ market. The current study suggests that a farmers’ market incentive program targeting children who reside in a food desert community may have meaningful impacts on access to fresh, nutrient-rich foods.
Deep Democracy: Urban Governmentality and the Horizon of Politics
Authors: Appadurai Arjun
Published: August 2019

This paper describes the work of an alliance formed by three civic organisations in Mumbai to address poverty—the NGO SPARC, the National Slum Dwellers Federation and Mahila Milan, a cooperative representing women’s savings groups.* It highlights key features of their work which include putting the knowledge and capacity of the poor and the savings groups that they form at the core of all their work (with NGOs in a supporting role); keeping politically neutral and negotiating with whoever is in power; driving change through setting precedents (for example, a community-designed and managed toilet, a house design developed collectively by the urban poor that they can build far cheaper than public or private agencies) and using these to negotiate support and changed policies (a strategy that develops new ‘legal’ solutions on the poor’s own terms); a horizontal structure as the Alliance is underpinned by, accountable to and serves thousands of small savings groups formed mostly by poor women; community-to-community exchange visits that root innovation and learning in what urban poor groups do; and urban poor groups undertaking surveys and censuses to produce their own data about ‘slums’ which official policies lack and need) to help build partnerships with official agencies in ways that strengthen and support their own organisations. The paper notes that these are features shared with urban poor federations and alliances in other countries and it describes the international community exchanges and other links between them. These groups are internationalising themselves, creating networks of globalisation from below. Individually and collectively, they seek to demonstrate to governments (local, regional, national) and international agencies that urban poor groups are more capable than they in poverty reduction, and they also provide these agencies with strong community-based partners through which to do so. They are, or can be, instruments of deep democracy, rooted in local context and able to mediate globalising forces in ways that benefit the poor. In so doing, both within nations and globally, they are seeking to redefine what governance and governability mean.
Identification of goals and barriers to treatment from 92 consecutive consultations with families considering peanut oral immunotherapy
Authors: Blackman Andrea C. , Anagnostou Aikaterini
Published: August 2019

Background:

Peanut allergy has become an important public health issue. It can be the cause of severe reactions and also the trigger of significant anxiety for the allergic individual, especially with regards to the risk of unintentional accidental exposures. Peanut oral immunotherapy (POIT) is a newly developed treatment approach that has been shown to be highly effective in multiple research studies and has been associated with an acceptable safety profile. This treatment modality is likely to become more mainstream in the next few years with new commercial entities pursuing United States Food and Drug Administration approval for relevant products and multiple providers offering various forms of immunotherapy in their practices.

Methods:

The aim of our study was to obtain an accurate assessment of goals of treatment as well as concerns and barriers from families considering POIT in either the research or clinical setting. A single clinician allergist met with all the families and conducted semi-structured interviews on POIT. Families were provided with standardized written information on POIT prior to the consultation, which was used as a formalized instrument to communicate treatment protocols. Conversations were not recorded, but collected information was scribed by a second clinician who did not actively participate in the consultation. Scribed information was coded by the investigators. Thematic analysis identified common topics emerging from the discussions.

Results:

We report on the results of 92 consecutive family consultations on POIT conducted over a period of 1 year. Approximately 50% of the families had already researched POIT online, with 25% of families reported being part of Facebook parent groups. Groups identified the following areas as the most important considerations: efficacy, practical information, safety, benefits and goals, eligibility criteria and support in making the right decision. For all families pursuing POIT for their child, the initial goal was achieving protection from accidental exposure and cross-contamination and for approximately one-quarter, consumption of high peanut doses was the ultimate goal.

Conclusion:

Our research adds to the limited available data in this area and provides information that may be used as an initial platform for clinical consultations and shared decision-making in POIT. Obtaining a better understanding of patients’ expectations and concerns will hopefully facilitate this process, enabling more fruitful and engaging interactions between families and healthcare providers in the field of food allergy.
Task-oriented Motor Learning in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Post Stroke
Authors: Alashram Anas R. , Annino Giuseppe , Mercuri Nicola Biagio
Published: August 2019

Background: Upper extremity deficits are the most popular symptoms following stroke. Task-oriented training has the ability to increase motor area excitability in the brain, which can stimulate the recovery of motor control.

Objective: This study was aimed to examine the efficiency of the task-oriented approach on paretic upper extremity following a stroke, and to identify efficient treatment dosage in those populations.

Method: We searched through PubMed, Scopus, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), National Rehabilitation Information (REHABDATA), and Web of Science databases. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and pseudo-RCTs those investigating upper extremity in patients with stroke published in English language were selected. Different scales and measurement methods to assess range of motion, strength, spasticity, and upper extremity function were considered. The quality assessment of included articles was evaluated utilizing the PEDro scale. Effect sizes were calculated.

Results: Six RCTs were included in the present study. The quality assessment for included studies ranged from 6 to 8 with 6.5 as a median. A total of 456 post-stroke patients, 41.66% of which were women, were included in all studies. The included studies demonstrated a meaningful influence of task-oriented training intervention on the hemiplegic upper limb motor functions but not spasticity post-stroke.

Conclusion: Task-oriented training does not produce a superior effect than other conventional physical therapy interventions in treating upper extremity in patients with stroke. There is no evidence supporting the beneficial effect of task-oriented on spasticity. Task-oriented training with the following dosage 30 to 90 minutes/session, 2 to 3 sessions weekly for 6 to 10 weeks may improve motor function and strength of paretic upper extremity post-stroke.
Open Source Infrastructure for Health Care Data Integration and Machine Learning Analyses
Authors: Isoviita Veli-Matti , Salminen Liina , Azar Jimmy , Lehtonen Rainer , Roering Pia , Carpén Olli , Hietanen Sakari , Grénman Seija , Hynninen Johanna , Färkkilä Anniina , Hautaniemi Sampsa
Published: August 2019

PURPOSE

We have created a cloud-based machine learning system (CLOBNET) that is an open-source, lean infrastructure for electronic health record (EHR) data integration and is capable of extract, transform, and load (ETL) processing. CLOBNET enables comprehensive analysis and visualization of structured EHR data. We demonstrate the utility of CLOBNET by predicting primary therapy outcomes of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) on the basis of EHR data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CLOBNET is built using open-source software to make data preprocessing, analysis, and model training user friendly. The source code of CLOBNET is available in GitHub. The HGSOC data set was based on a prospective cohort of 208 patients with HGSOC who were treated at Turku University Hospital, Finland, from 2009 to 2019 for whom comprehensive clinical and EHR data were available.

RESULTS

We trained machine learning (ML) models using clinical data, including a herein developed dissemination score that quantifies the disease burden at the time of diagnosis, to identify patients with progressive disease (PD) or a complete response (CR) on the basis of RECIST (version 1.1). The best performance was achieved with a logistic regression model, which resulted in an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.86, with a specificity of 73% and a sensitivity of 89%, when it classified between patients who experienced PD and CR.

CONCLUSION

We have developed an open-source computational infrastructure, CLOBNET, that enables effective and rapid analysis of EHR and other clinical data. Our results demonstrate that CLOBNET allows predictions to be made on the basis of EHR data to address clinically relevant questions.
Anesthesia Capacity of District-Level Hospitals in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Gajewski Jakub , Pittalis Chiara , Lavy Chris , Borgstein Eric , Bijlmakers Leon , Mwapasa Gerald , Cheelo Mweene , Le Grace , Juma Adinan , Kachimba John , Marealle Paul , Mkandawire Nyengo , Chilonga Kondo , Brugha Ruairi
Published: August 2019

BACKGROUND:

District-level hospitals (DLHs) are the main providers of surgical services for rural populations in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Skilled teams are essential for surgical care, and gaps in anesthesia impact negatively on surgical capacity and outcomes. This study, from a baseline of a project scaling-up access to safe surgical and anesthesia care in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia, illustrates the deficit of anesthesia care in DLHs.

METHODS:

We undertook an in-depth investigation of anesthesia capacity in 76 DLHs across the 3 countries, July to November 2017, using a mixed-methods approach. The quantitative component assessed district-level anesthesia capacity using a standardized scoring system based on an adapted and extended Personnel, Infrastructure, Procedures, Equipment and Supplies (PIPES) Index. The qualitative component involved semistructured interviews with providers from 33 DLHs, exploring how weaknesses in anesthesia impacted district surgical team practices and quality, volume, and scope of service provision.

RESULTS:

Anesthesia care at the district level in these countries is provided only by nonphysician anesthetists, some of whom have no formal training. Ketamine anesthesia is widely used in all hospitals, compensating for shortages of other forms of anesthesia. Pediatric size supplies/equipment were frequently missing. Anesthesia PIPES index scores in Malawi (M = 8.0), Zambia (M = 8.3), and Tanzania (M = 8.4) were similar (P = .59), but an analysis of individual PIPES components revealed important cross-country differences. Irregular availability of reliable equipment and supply is a particular priority in Malawi, where only 29% of facilities have uninterrupted access to electricity and 23% have constant access to water, among other challenges. Zambia is mostly affected by staffing shortages, with 30% of surveyed hospitals lacking an anesthesia provider. The challenge that stood out in Tanzania was nonavailability of functioning anesthesia machines among frequent shortages of staff and other equipment.

CONCLUSIONS:

Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia are falling far short of ensuring universal access to safe and affordable surgical and anesthesia care for district and rural populations. Mixed-methods situation analyses, undertaken in collaboration with anesthesia specialists—measuring and understanding deficits in district hospital anesthetic staff, equipment, and supplies—are needed to address the critical neglect of anesthesia that is essential to providing surgical responses to the needs of rural populations in SSA.
Dehumanizing Slave Personhood
Authors: DeLombard Jeannine Marie
Published: August 2019

Afrohumanism is crucial to the forward-looking “project of thinking humanity from perspectives beyond the liberal humanist subject, Man” (Weheliye 2014: 8). It is another question, however, whether such a humanist approach provides the best historical analytic for understanding slavery and its carceral afterlives. This question becomes particularly pressing when we consider that today’s prison-industrial complex, like the American slaveholder of the past, extracts profits by strategically exploiting—rather than denying—the lucrative humanity of its captive black and brown subjects. To illustrate these claims, this article examines a seldom-discussed slave case, United States v. Amy (1859), which was tried before Supreme Court chief justice Roger B. Taney two years after his infamous decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). Centering on the figure of the legal person rather than the human or the citizen, United States v. Amy alerts us to the lethal legacy of slave personhood as a debilitating mixture of civil death and criminal culpability. Nowhere, perhaps, is that legacy more evident than in viral videos of police misconduct. And nowhere do we see a more vivid assertion of black counter-civility than in the dash cam video of the late Sandra Bland’s principled, outraged response to her pretextual traffic stop by Trooper Brian Encinia. The essay closes by considering Bland’s arrest and subsequent death in custody in the context of her own and other African Americans’ efforts to achieve and maintain a civil presence in an American law and culture where black personhood remains legible primarily as criminality.
A Corporate Plantation Reading Public: Labor, Literacy, and Diaspora in the Global Black South
Authors: McInnis Jarvis C.
Published: August 2019

This essay reconstructs the history of the Cotton Farmer, a rare African American newspaper edited and published by black tenant farmers employed by the Delta and Pine Land Company, once the world’s largest corporate cotton plantation located in the Mississippi delta. The Cotton Farmer ran from 1919 to circa 1927 and was mainly confined to the company’s properties. However, in 1926, three copies of the paper circulated to Bocas del Toro, Panama, to a Garveyite and West Indian migrant laborer employed on the infamous United Fruit Company’s vast banana and fruit plantations. Tracing the Cotton Farmer’s hemispheric circulation from the Mississippi delta to Panama, this essay explores the intersections of labor, literacy, and diaspora in the global black south. What do we make of a reading public among black tenant farmers on a corporate cotton plantation in the Mississippi delta at the height of Jim Crow? How did the entanglements of labor and literacy at once challenge and correspond with conventional accounts of sharecropping in the Jim Crow South? Further, in light of the Cotton Farmer’s circulation from Mississippi’s cotton fields to Panama’s banana fields, this essay establishes the corporate plantation as a heuristic for exploring the imperial logics and practices tying the US South to the larger project of colonial domination in the Caribbean and Latin America, and ultimately reexamines black transnationalism and diaspora from the position of corporate plantation laborers as they negotiated ever-evolving modes of domination and social control on corporate plantations in the global black south. In so doing, it establishes black agricultural and corporate plantation laborers as architects of black geographic thought and diasporic practice alongside their urban, cosmopolitan contemporaries.
Race Leaders, Race Traitors, and the Necropolitics of Black Exceptionalism in Paul Beatty’s Fiction
Authors: Wolfson Roberta
Published: August 2019

This essay examines two oppositional figures in Paul Beatty’s debut novel, The White Boy Shuffle (1996), and most recent novel, The Sellout (2015): the exalted race leader and the excoriated race traitor. Positioned at extreme ends of the spectrum of exceptionalism, these figures function to perpetuate a phenomenon that the essay’s author terms the necropolitics of black exceptionalism, the paradox of justifying the violent oppression of the majority of black people by celebrating or censuring a single black figure. In exploring the absurd dimensions of these extreme figures through the lens of satire, both novels denounce black exceptionalism as a necropolitical tool of oppression that entrenches the social death and civic exclusion of black people in a modern US society that purports to be color-blind and postracial. Emerging within the postmodern turn of the African American literary tradition, these novels take on a nihilistic tone to raise questions about how the black community might effectively (if at all) achieve civil progress in the contemporary age. Ultimately, these satirical novels reimagine historically necropolitical spaces, such as the basketball court, the plantation, and the segregated urban neighborhood, as potential, albeit vexed sites of black agency, empowerment, and community building.
Single cell transcriptomic landscapes of pattern formation, proliferation and growth in Drosophila wing imaginal discs
Authors: Deng Mingxi , Wang Ying , Zhang Lina , Yang Yang , Huang Shengshuo , Wang Jiguang , Ge Hao , Ishibashi Toyotaka , Yan Yan
Published: August 2019

Organ formation relies on the orchestration of pattern formation, proliferation and growth during development. How these processes are integrated at individual cell level remains unclear. Studies using Drosophila wing imaginal discs as a model system have provided valuable insights into pattern formation, growth control and regeneration in the past decades. Here we provided single cell transcriptomic landscapes of pattern formation, proliferation and growth of wing imaginal discs. We found that patterning information is robustly maintained in the single cell transcriptomic data and can provide reference matrices to computationally map single cells into discrete spatial domains. Assignment of wing disc single cells to spatial sub-regions facilitates examination of patterning refinement processes. We also clustered single cells into different proliferation and growth states and evaluated the correlation between cell proliferation/growth states and spatial patterning. Furthermore, the single cell transcriptomic analysis allowed us to quantitatively examine the disturbance of differentiation, proliferation and growth in a well-established tumor model. We made a database to explore these datasets at: http://drosophilayanlab-virtual-wingdisc.ust.hk:3838/v2/
A Critical Review of Exercise Training in Hemodialysis Patients: Personalized Activity Prescriptions Are Needed
Authors: Wilund Kenneth R. , Viana João L. , Perez Luis M.
Published: August 2019

Exercise training appears to have modest or inconsistent benefits in hemodialysis patients. This may be due to the low volume and intensity of exercise often prescribed. To address this, research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of individualized exercise prescriptions as a component of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention strategy that gives patients more autonomy to choose preferred types of physical activity.
Falling through the worm hole: an exploration of the imaging workup of the vermiform appendix in the pediatric population
Authors: Sams Cassandra , Ayyala Rama S , Swenson David W.
Published: August 2019

Despite the thousands of articles discussing appendicitis in the literature, the dilemma of how to best diagnosis and manage pediatric appendicitis remains unsettled. Over the past decade, evidence has been mounting about the use of antibiotics as the sole therapy in uncomplicated appendicitis in the adult population. This debate has even recently bled over into the lay press. While this change in practice pattern is still in its infancy for the pediatric population, radiologists should be aware of this change in therapy and how it can impact the imaging work-up and relevant findings. This article concisely summarizes the imaging findings and various imaging pathways to arrive at the diagnose of appendicitis with an emphasis of how to best be of use to our surgical colleagues in this evolving paradigm. It also highlights venues for further research, namely increasing accuracy of differentiating complicated from uncomplicated appendicitis.
Strengthened Formulations and Valid Inequalities for Single Delay Management in Public Transportation
Authors: Dal Sasso Veronica , De Giovanni Luigi , Labbé Martine
Published: August 2019

The delay management problem arises in public transportation networks, often characterized by the necessity of connections between different vehicles. The attractiveness of public transportation networks is strongly related to the reliability of connections, which can be missed when delays or other unpredictable events occur. Given a single initial delay at one node of the network, the delay management problem is to determine which vehicles have to wait for the delayed ones, with the aim of minimizing the dissatisfaction of the passengers. In this paper, we present strengthened mixed integer linear programming formulations and new families of valid inequalities. The implementation of branch-and-cut methods and tests on a benchmark of instances taken from real networks show the potential of the proposed formulations and cuts.
5 ways to use…: £ shop treasures
Authors: Mountain Julie
Published: August 2019

Some ideas for buying and using items stocked in pound shops. By Julie Mountain
In the clear
Authors: Kovendrakumar Radhika
Published: August 2019

What are the effects of dummy use on young children's speech and language development? Radhika Kovendrakumar gives advice, based on research she did for her pre-school
Hidden gems
Authors: Marlen Dorothy
Published: August 2019

How Steiner parent-and-child groups support families in the first three years and introduce them to the education and care approach. By Dorothy Marlen
Ofsted: best practice guide – observation, assessment and planning: Under observation
Authors: Crown Hannah
Published: August 2019

What do good observations consist of? Hannah Crown speaks to Outstanding-rated Apple Tree Private Day Nursery in Rochdale to find out
Analysis of the India-Myanmar timber trade
Authors: MARIA-SUBE ELODIE , WOODGATE GRAHAM
Published: August 2019

Abstract. Maria-Sube E, Woodgate G. 2019. Analysis of the India-Myanmar Timber Trade. Asian J For 3: 1-9. Myanmar’s forest cover declined by 1.8% annually between 2000 and 2015: the result of on-going civil wars and institutional weaknesses. As Myanmar transitioned from military dictatorship, round log exports were banned in 2014. Until 2014, India was the most important importer of timber from Myanmar in terms of value, and the second most important in terms of volume, after China. This article assesses the value and volume of timber traded between Myanmar and India from 2010 until 2015. In addition to trade flows, the timber species and main actors involved in the timber trade are identified and the governance environment of trade is assessed. The paper goes on to investigate the impact of recent regulatory changes enacted by the Government of India and the prospects for the future of the India-Myanmar trade. The analysis showed that (i) from an economic perspective the timber trade between the two countries, once active, is currently stalled. (ii) From a governance perspective, illegality occurs to a limited extent at the international border but probably happens to a greater extent at timber auctions in Myanmar. Finally (iii), from a social and environmental point of view, as infrastructure expands it will be crucial to include forest management and timber trade governance in discussions regarding border relations between the two countries.
Tree species diversity and structural composition: The case of Durgapur Hill Forest, Netrokona, Bangladesh
Authors: RAHMAN MD. RAYHANUR , RAHMAN Md. MIZANUR , CHOWDHURY Md. ARIF , AKHTER JARIN
Published: August 2019

Abstract. Rahman MdR, Rahman MdM, Chowdhury MdA, Akhter J. 2019. Tree species diversity and structural composition: The case of Durgapur Hill Forest, Netrokona, Bangladesh. Asian J For 3: 10-19. Tree species diversity and stand structure of Durgapur hill forest were assessed through stratified random sampling method using sample plots of 20 m x 20 m in size during the period of October 2017 to May 2018. A total of 1436 stems of ≥5 cm DBH of 56 tree species belonging to 50 genera and 29 families were enumerated from sample area. Density (855 stem ha-1) and Basal area (29.27 m2 ha-1) of tree species were enumerated. Besides, Shannon-Wiener’s, Margalef’s, Simpson’s and Pielou’s diversity index were recorded for all the tree species. The study showed that the most dominant 10 species have 58% of the total IVI (174.29 out of 300). Where, Acacia auriculiformis showed the maximum Importance Value Index (51.02) followed by Shorea robusta (24.23). Number of individual tree species were highest (49) in the height range of 7- <12 m whereas maximum (52) species were recorded in the DBH (cm) range of 5- <10 cm. However, Acacia auriculiformis, Shorea robusta, and Tectona grandis were found as the most dominant species based on hierarchical cluster analysis. Therefore, current study will be helpful to the future policymakers in formulating forest resource management plan of Durgapur hill forest.
Antioxidant and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Euchresta horsfieldii
Authors: Prihantini Amalia Indah , KRISNAWATI  , ALI SETYAYUDI
Published: August 2019

Abstract. Prihantini AI, Krisnawati, Setyayudi A. 2019. Antioxidant and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Euchresta horsfieldii. Biofarmasi J Nat Prod Biochem 17: 61-64. Euchresta horsfieldii, known as pranajiwa, is a medicinal plant that is widely grown in Bali and West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Its seeds or fruits are commonly used for body freshness and stamina. The present study aimed to investigate the biological activities of leaves, root, stem, fruits, seeds of the E. horsfieldii. Antioxidant, alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities and total phenolic compound were evaluated from methanolic extracts of all parts of E. horsfieldii. The result showed that leaf extract of E. horsfieldii exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 215.11±08.06 µg/mL. Meanwhile, the root extract had the highest alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity and total phenolic compound with IC50 29.76±13.17 µg/mL and 763±0.01 mg GAE/100mg dry extract, respectively. In conclusion, the study suggested that E. horsfieldii is potential as natural source of antioxidant and alpha-glucosidase inhibitor agents.
Between experience and social ‘norms’, identification and compliance: economic and sexual intimate partner violence against women in Lithuania
Authors: Grigaitė Ugnė , Karalius Mažvydas , Jankauskaitė Margarita
Published: August 2019

This article discusses economic and sexual violence against women, which are the two forms of intimate partner violence the least recognised by both Lithuanian society and the survivors of such abuse themselves. The authors of this article analyse the roots of this lack of recognition, and how it is affected and influenced by the patriarchal context and gendered conditioning of Lithuanian society. The article also explores how this conditioning contributes to the reasons why women in contemporary Lithuania still tend not to seek help, regardless of the endemic prevalence of intimate partner violence perpetrated against them. The article is based on a recent study completed in Lithuania. It suggests that a better recognition of economic and sexual coercive control as well as abandonment of ‘victim blaming’ attitudes could be followed by a broader education on gender equality and recognition of gendered stereotypes, in order to more effectively prevent and also respond to this significant social problem.
Therapy for the ‘age of anxiety’: Probing connections between R. D. Laing and Marshall McLuhan
Authors: Brignola Jenna
Published: August 2019

This article links Marshall McLuhan and R. D. Laing based upon their common emphasis on relationships as environments. In contrast to the classic psychiatric understanding of diagnosis, Laing proposes a much more environmentally – or relationally – focused definition, which echoes McLuhan’s discussion of the changes from print to electric culture. I argue that both Laing and McLuhan would agree that psychoanalysis’ emphasis upon the individual fails and must be replaced – precisely because it attempts to retain the culture, logics and values of print culture, even while reflecting the symptoms of an electric age. However, I conclude, Laing fails to recognize ways in which his own way of seeing is blind to the power imbalance in his recasting of the therapeutic situation. Therefore, there is a need to account for the unequal relations implicit in Laing’s approach, better connecting it, again, to the electric ‘global village’ that McLuhan described so well.
The Tribe Game: Media ecology for beginners
Authors: Fry Katherine G.
Published: August 2019

The Tribe Game, adaptable to groups of varied age and experience, is useful in numerous educational settings, and is an enjoyable introduction to thinking in media ecology terms, especially for those who have had no prior exposure to some of the seminal concepts. Participants work collaboratively and creatively in groups while the leader guides them, giving them a wide berth of control over their reactions and responses as they imagine they are an oral society first, then one in which literacy has been introduced.
A multiparty imaginary dialogue about power and cybernetics1
Authors: Guddemi Phillip
Published: August 2019

This article is written as a multisided dialogue intended to present a number of ideas about power. Some of these ideas are my own, expressed in a kind of evolutionary idiom of adaptation though they were partly developed in reaction to Foucault (and are far more indebted to Foucault and cybernetics than to contemporary evolutionist thinking). There is a deep irony in that my way of thinking is primarily rooted in the cybernetic anthropology of Gregory Bateson; however, he was deeply sceptical of the concept of power. My personification of him in this dialogue, as ‘Bateson’, demonstrates this scepticism and brings into the discussion other relevant ideas of his. The third participant in the dialogue, Mary Midgley, is included because her consideration of Hobbes’ ideas leads us to consider yet another, probabilistic, way of thinking about power.
A COOPERAÇÃO JUDICIÁRIA EM MATÉRIA PENAL NA UNIÃO EUROPEIA – A PROVA E A PROTEÇÃO DOS DIREITOS FUNDAMENTAIS
Authors: Piton André Paulino
Published: August 2019

A União Europeia tem hoje um impressionante conjunto de mecanismosde cooperação judiciária responsáveis pela prevenção e pela repressão dacriminalidade no espaço de Liberdade, Segurança e Justiça. A criação destesinstrumentos, que permitem a descoberta da verdade material, também levanta alguns problemas sob a ótica da proteção dos direitos dos suspeitos acusados ou de pessoas envolvidas num processo penal com dimensão europeia. Deste modo, não podemos deixar de questionar-nos, de modo prospetivo, sobre qual o caminho a seguir na edificação e na consolidação deste projeto europeu. Para isto, faremos algumas considerações sobre a decisão europeia de investigação em matéria penal e as garantias dos direitos fundamentais como princípios processuais desse espaço que queremos de segurança, mas principalmente de liberdade e justiça.
A DELAÇÃO PREMIADA E O PROCESSO PENAL COMO MERCADO DE COMPRA E VENDA DE INFORMAÇÕES
Authors: Rosa Alexandre Morais da , Sant’Ana Raquel Mazzuco
Published: August 2019

O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar a delação premiadae a sua evolução no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro, em paralelo ao contextoda justiça negocial que permite a compreensão do mercado penal. Assim, pormeio da utilização da barganha, aponta-se a existência de um processo penalnegociado, cujas regras e parâmetros são diferentes do processo tradicional.Para tanto, tratar-se-á sobre a relação custo-benefício, bem como a ampliaçãodo uso impactante da delação premiada, com a proposta de modulação domapa-mental preexistente para compreender o instituto no mercado de compra e venda de informações. No entanto, é necessário apontar os limites democráticos ao modelo importado e vislumbrar a sua compatibilidade com o regime atual de construção da verdade.
RACIONALIDADE COLETIVA NO STF E PRECEDENTES VINCULANTES: O EXEMPLO DO CONCEITO DE VIDA NA ADPF N. 54
Authors: Püschel Flavia Portella
Published: August 2019

Objetivo deste artigo é explicitar a relação entre o procedimento deagregação das posições individuais dos ministros para composição dos acórdãos do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) e o modo como tais acórdãos devem ser considerados para a constituição de precedentes judiciais vinculantes. A hipótese que se investiga, com base na teoria dos agentes coletivos de Christian LIST e Philip PETTIT, é que o sistema de votação por maioria, como empregado pelo STF, é incapaz de garantir fundamentos racionais coletivos para as decisões da corte e que tal característica institucional é de fundamental importância para odesenvolvimento de uma teoria brasileira do precedente. Conclui-se que, por falta de fundamento racional coletivo, nem toda decisão do STF constitui precedente, ainda que o julgamento tenha sido unânime, e que o estabelecimento da própria regra de precedente, nos casos em que ela exista, é um desafio que não pode ser superado sem análise dos fundamentos de todos os votos. O modo como o STJ empregou a decisão da ADPF n. 54 é evidência de que tais preocupações não são sempre reconhecidas, o que cria um risco de seleção arbitrária de posiçõesindividuais em casos já julgados e de aumento da fragmentação jurisprudencial.
O DIREITO E OS DIREITOS HUMANOS FRENTE À NANOTECNOLOGIA NA SOCIEDADE COMPLEXA DE RISCO E GLOBAL
Authors: Berwig Juliane Altmann , Engelmann Wilson
Published: August 2019

O presente artigo objetiva abordar os Direitos Humanos nas suasdimensões evolutivas e a sua relação com as novas tecnologias, especialmente a nanotecnologia. Neste sentido, dentre as dimensões dos Direitos Humanos, a Terceira está sendo desafiada a compreender suas facetas diante das inúmeras inovações nanotecnológicas em uma sociedade de risco e global. Ao mesmo tempo, o tradicional Direito está sendo criticado a transformar-se, sendo capaz de acompanhar as evoluções tecnológicas e resguardar os riscos humanos e ambientais. Diante disso, o artigo se utilizará da pesquisa bibliográfica comometodologia e da matriz sistêmico-construtivista para abordar os Direitos Humanos em suas dimensões e evoluções na sociedade de risco de Niklas Luhmann, a fim de demonstrar as etapas evolutivas das dimensões dos Direitos Humanos e sua relação com os riscos da nanotecnologia. Ao final, concluir-se-á que a resposta para a proteção dos Direitos Humanos aos riscos nanotecnológicos deve partir de uma discussão internacional e não isoladamente nacional, diante na sociedade global conectada. Para tanto, é necessário desafiar o Direito a partir das experiências globais, flexíveis e transdisciplinares.