bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetic Characterizations of Ginsenoside Ocotillol, RT5 and F11, the Promising Agents for Alzheimer’s Disease from American Ginseng, in Rats and Beagle Dogs
Authors: Li Yuzhong , Hu Hong , Li Zhenguo , Li Ruihua , Xu Fang , Zhao Chengyan , An Yue , Liu Yonge , Wang Zhongli , Zhang Binbin , Geng Cong
Published: April 2019

Background: Ocotillol, RT5 and F11, the main active components of ocotillol type ginsenosides, have attracted a lot of attention due to their beneficial effects on neurodegenerative disease models of Alzheimer’s disease. Pharmacokinetic (PK) is a bridge linking the herbal medicines and their pharmacological responses. However, few data are available regarding PK behaviors of ocotillol type ginsenosides. Methods: The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods were developed and validated to calculate the concentrations of 3 ginsenosides in different biological matrices. Rat and beagle dog plasma samples were deproteinized with methanol and separated on Shim-pack GIST C18 column. All of the analytes were detected in positive ion mode using multiple reaction monitoring. Results: The methods showed good linearity (r > 0.996) in the established concentration range. All validated data, such as specificity, intra- and inter-day precision, accuracy, extraction recovery, matrix effect, and stability were within required limits. The values of Cmax and AUC(0–t) indicated ocotillol type ginsenosides had low systemic exposure and poor absorption into blood. T1/2 and MRT(0–t) demonstrated the elimination process of ocotillol type ginsenosides might be slow. Double peaks were observed in the mean plasma concentration versus time profiles of ocotillol, RT5, and F11 after oral intake. Conclusions: This was the first PK investigation of the ocotillol type ginsenosides in rats and beagle dogs. The results we found here were helpful to our understanding of the absorption mechanism of ocotillol type ginsenosides and provided the scientific basis for further pre-clinical research.
Genotype-Phenotype Correlation in Long-Term Cohort of Japanese Patients with Moyamoya Disease
Authors: Nomura Shunsuke , Yamaguchi Koji , Akagawa Hiroyuki , Kawashima Akitsugu , Moteki Yosuke , Ishikawa Tatsuya , Aihara Yasuo , Saito Taiichi , Okada Yoshikazu , Kawamata Takakazu
Published: April 2019

Background: Homozygosity of this p.R4810K founder variant of RNF213moyamoya disease (MMD) susceptibility gene is known to influence the severity of the clinical disease phenotype at disease onset. However, the association between this genotype and long-term clinical manifestations has remained unclear. Objectives: The principal goal of this study was to investigate whether and how the p.R4810K variant of RNF213influences the long-term phenotype in Japanese patients with MMD. Method: This retrospective cohort study included 94 Japanese patients with MMD who underwent direct or combined bypass for revascularization with the p.R4810K genotype determined in our hospital. The following phenotypic parameters were analyzed at disease onset and over a long-term period: age and initial presentation at onset, recurrent stroke after initial revascularization, and final modified Rankin Scale. Results: The p.R4810K genotype was significantly associated with the phenotype at onset, especially in younger patients. Over a median follow-up period of 100 months, recurrent stroke occurred in 6 out of 94 patients: none out of 5 patients with the homozygous variant, 5 out of 64 with the heterozygous variant, and 1 out of 25 in the wild-type group. There were no significant differences among the genotypes. In particular, recurrent cerebral hemorrhage occurred in 5 patients, all possessing the heterozygous variant. The log-rank test showed no difference between the genotypes in the stroke-free survival rate. Furthermore, the p.R4810K genotype was not associated with a poor functional condition. Conclusions: The p.R4810K founder variant of RNF213 affects the phenotype at disease onset. However, the optimal revascularization may be effective, regardless of the genotype, even for the homozygous variant, which has been thought to be the most pathogenic. This genotype may not strongly influence the long-term clinical manifestations or poor prognosis in MMD.
ВИЗНАЧНИЙ НАУКОВЕЦЬ, ПЕДАГОГ І ЛІКАР Б.М. ДИКИЙ (ДО 80-РІЧНОГО ЮВІЛЕЮ)
Authors: Kolektyv Tvorchyy
Published: April 2019

Стисло висвітлено основні біографічні віхи й творчий доробок професора Б.М. Дикого – відомого лікаря-інфекціоніста, педагога, науковця, професора кафедри інфекційних хвороб та епідеміології Івано-Франківського національного медичного університету.
ВІДОМОМУ ІНФЕКЦІОНІСТУ, ПРОФЕСОРУ О.М. ЗІНЧУКУ ВИПОВНИЛОСЯ 60 РОКІВ
Authors: Kolektyv Tvorchyy
Published: April 2019

Стисло висвітлено основні біографічні віхи й творчий доробок професора О.М. Зінчука – відомого лікаря-інфекціоніста, педагога, науковця, завідувача кафедри інфекційних хвороб Львівського національного медичного університету імені Данила Галицького.
СТОМА И.О. МИКРОБИОМ ЧЕЛОВЕКА / И.О. СТОМА, И.А. КАРПОВ. – МИНСК: ДОКТОР ДИЗАЙН, 2018. – 122 с.
Authors: Andreychyn M. A.
Published: April 2019

...
Adventitial Cell Atlas of wt (Wild Type) and ApoE (Apolipoprotein E)-Deficient Mice Defined by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
Authors: Gu Wenduo , Ni Zhichao , Tan Yuan-Qing , Deng Jiacheng , Zhang Si-Jin , Lv Zi-Chao , Wang Xiao-Jian , Chen Ting , Zhang Zhongyi , Hu Yanhua , Jing Zhi-Cheng , Xu Qingbo
Published: April 2019

Objective—

Vascular adventitia encompasses progenitors and is getting recognized as the major site of inflammation in early stage of atherosclerosis. However, the cellular atlas of the heterogeneous adventitial cells, the intercellular communication, the cellular response of adventitia to hyperlipidemia, and its contribution to atherosclerosis have been elusive.

Approach and Results—

Single-cell RNA sequencing was applied to wt (wild type) and ApoE (apolipoprotein E)-deficient aortic adventitia from 12-week-old C57BL/6J mice fed on normal laboratory diet with early stage of atherosclerosis. Unbiased clustering analysis revealed that the landscape of adventitial cells encompassed adventitial mesenchyme cells, immune cells (macrophages, T cells, and B cells), and some types of rare cells, for example, neuron, lymphatic endothelial cells, and innate lymphoid cells. Seurat clustering analysis singled out 6 nonimmune clusters with distinct transcriptomic profiles, in which there predominantly were stem/progenitor cell–like and proinflammatory population (Mesen II). In ApoE-deficient adventitia, resident macrophages were activated and related to increased myeloid cell infiltration in the adventitia. Cell communication analysis further elucidated enhanced interaction between a mesenchyme cluster and inflammatory macrophages in ApoE-deficient adventitia. In vitro transwell assay confirmed the proinflammatory role of SCA1
+
(stem cell antigen 1 positive) Mesen II population with increased CCL2 (chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 2) secretion and thus increased capacity to attract immune cells in ApoE-deficient adventitia.

Conclusions—

Cell atlas defined by single-cell RNA sequencing depicted the heterogeneous cellular landscape of the adventitia and uncovered several types of cell populations. Furthermore, resident cell interaction with immune cells appears crucial at the early stage of atherosclerosis.
Secretoneurin Is an Endogenous Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II Inhibitor That Attenuates Ca
2+
-Dependent Arrhythmia
Authors: Ottesen Anett H. , Carlson Cathrine R. , Eken Olav Søvik , Sadredini Mani , Myhre Peder L. , Shen Xin , Dalhus Bjørn , Laver Derek R. , Lunde Per Kristian , Kurola Jouni , Lunde Marianne , Hoff Jon Erik , Godang Kristin , Sjaastad Ivar , Pettilä Ville , Stridsberg Mats , Lehnart Stephan E. , Edwards Andrew G. , Lunde Ida G. , Omland Torbjørn , Stokke Mathis K. , Christensen Geir , Røsjø Helge , Louch William E.
Published: April 2019

Background:

Circulating SN (secretoneurin) concentrations are increased in patients with myocardial dysfunction and predict poor outcome. Because SN inhibits CaMKIIδ (Ca
2+
/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIδ) activity, we hypothesized that upregulation of SN in patients protects against cardiomyocyte mechanisms of arrhythmia.

Methods:

Circulating levels of SN and other biomarkers were assessed in patients with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT; n=8) and in resuscitated patients after ventricular arrhythmia–induced cardiac arrest (n=155). In vivo effects of SN were investigated in CPVT mice (RyR2 [ryanodine receptor 2]-R2474S) using adeno-associated virus-9–induced overexpression. Interactions between SN and CaMKIIδ were mapped using pull-down experiments, mutagenesis, ELISA, and structural homology modeling. Ex vivo actions were tested in Langendorff hearts and effects on Ca
2+
homeostasis examined by fluorescence (fluo-4) and patch-clamp recordings in isolated cardiomyocytes.

Results:

SN levels were elevated in patients with CPVT and following ventricular arrhythmia–induced cardiac arrest. In contrast to NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) and hs-TnT (high-sensitivity troponin T), circulating SN levels declined after resuscitation, as the risk of a new arrhythmia waned. Myocardial pro-SN expression was also increased in CPVT mice, and further adeno-associated virus-9–induced overexpression of SN attenuated arrhythmic induction during stress testing with isoproterenol. Mechanistic studies mapped SN binding to the substrate binding site in the catalytic region of CaMKIIδ. Accordingly, SN attenuated isoproterenol induced autophosphorylation of Thr287-CaMKIIδ in Langendorff hearts and inhibited CaMKIIδ-dependent RyR phosphorylation. In line with CaMKIIδ and RyR inhibition, SN treatment decreased Ca
2+
spark frequency and dimensions in cardiomyocytes during isoproterenol challenge, and reduced the incidence of Ca
2+
waves, delayed afterdepolarizations, and spontaneous action potentials. SN treatment also lowered the incidence of early afterdepolarizations during isoproterenol; an effect paralleled by reduced magnitude of L-type Ca
2+
current.

Conclusions:

SN production is upregulated in conditions with cardiomyocyte Ca
2+
dysregulation and offers compensatory protection against cardiomyocyte mechanisms of arrhythmia, which may underlie its putative use as a biomarker in at-risk patients.
Predictors of Clinical Evolution in Prehypertrophic Fabry Disease
Authors: Camporeale Antonia , Pieroni Maurizio , Pieruzzi Federico , Lusardi Paola , Pica Silvia , Spada Marco , Mignani Renzo , Burlina Alessandro , Bandera Francesco , Guazzi Marco , Graziani Francesca , Crea Filippo , Greiser Adreas , Boveri Sara , Ambrogi Federico , Lombardi Massimo
Published: April 2019

Background:

In prehypertrophic Fabry disease, low myocardial T1 values, reflecting sphingolipid storage, are associated with early structural and ECG changes. The correlations between T1 values and functional parameters have not been explored. Furthermore, the potential prognostic role of T1 in predicting disease worsening is still unknown.

Methods:

ECG, 2D echocardiography, cardiopulmonary test, and cardiac magnetic resonance were performed in 44 Fabry patients without left ventricular hypertrophy (35.7±14.5 years, 68.2% females). After a 12-month follow-up, clinical stability was evaluated using Fabry Stabilization Index.

Results:

At baseline, T1 values showed a negative correlation with left ventricular mass (
r
=−0.79;
P
<0.0001), maximum wall thickness (
r
=−0.79;
P
<0.0001), Sokolow-Lyon Index (
r
=−0.54;
P
<0.0001), left atrial volume (
r
=−0.49;
P
<0.0002), and Mainz Severity Score Index (
r
=−0.61;
P
<0.0001). No significant differences in systo-diastolic function and exercise capacity were observed comparing normal and low T1 Fabry patients. Arrhythmias were reported in 2 females with low T1 and late gadolinium enhancement. Five patients (40.0±12.4 years, 2 females) showed clinical worsening (Fabry Stabilization Index >20%) at follow-up. Higher left ventricular wall thickness (odds ratio, 2.61; CI, 1.04–6.57;
P
=0.04), left atrial volume (odds ratio, 1.24; CI, 1.02–1.51;
P
=0.03), and lower T1 values (odds ratio, 0.98; CI, 0.96–0.99;
P
=0.03) at baseline were independently associated with clinical worsening at follow-up.

Conclusions:

In prehypertrophic Fabry disease, low T1 values correlate with early electrocardiographic, morphological cardiac changes, and worsening of global disease severity but are not associated with functional abnormalities. The presence of low T1 values is a risk factor for disease worsening, thus representing a potential new tool in prognostic stratification and therapeutic approach.
Somatosensory Deficits After Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Kessner Simon S. , Schlemm Eckhard , Cheng Bastian , Bingel Ulrike , Fiehler Jens , Gerloff Christian , Thomalla Götz
Published: April 2019

Background and Purpose—

About 50% to 80% of stroke survivors present with somatosensory deficits. Somatosensory deficits because of an ischemic stroke are determined by the infarct location. However, a detailed understanding of the long-term effect of lesions on somatosensory performance is lacking.

Methods—

This prospective observational study enrolled 101 ischemic stroke patients. For voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping, magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging infarct lesions were segmented within 5 days after stroke. Standardized tests such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Rivermead Assessment of Somatosensory Performance were performed during acute stage, after 3 and 12 months. This included bilateral testing for multiple tactile and proprioceptive somatosensory modalities (pressure, light touch, sharp-dull discrimination, temperature discrimination, sensory extinction, 2-point discrimination, and joint position and movement sense). We further study the association of acute somatosensory deficit with functional outcome 12 months after stroke assessed by the modified Rankin Scale using univariate and multiple linear regression analysis also including acute motor deficit assessed by the arm research action test.

Results—

Sixty patients (59.4%) showed impairment in at least one somatosensory modality. Light touch was most frequently affected (38.7%), whereas temperature was least frequently affected (21.8%). After 3 months, significant recovery was observed in all somatosensory modalities, with only minor additional improvements after 12 months. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed significant associations of lesions in the primary and secondary somatosensory and insular cortex with somatosensory deficits. Acute somatosensory deficit was associated with functional outcome at 12 months. However, including the acute motor deficit, somatosensory deficit was no longer an independent predictor of functional outcome.

Conclusions—

Our study confirms that somatosensory deficits are frequent in acute ischemic stroke but largely recover over time. Infarct lesions in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex and insula show a robust association with somatosensory impairment. Long-term disability is influenced by somatosensory deficits but driven by motor symptoms.
Evaluation of the Performance Characteristics of the Lightning Imaging Sensor
Authors: Zhang Daile , Cummins Kenneth L. , Bitzer Phillip , Koshak William J.
Published: April 2019

The Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) that was on board the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured optical emissions produced by lightning. In this work, we quantify and evaluate the LIS performance characteristics at both the pixel level of LIS events and contiguous clusters of events known as groups during a recent 2-yr period. Differences in the detection threshold among the four quadrants in the LIS pixel array produce small but meaningful differences in their optical characteristics. In particular, one LIS quadrant (Q1, X ≥ 64; Y ≥ 64) detects 15%–20% more lightning events than the others because of a lower detection threshold. Sensitivity decreases radially from the center of the LIS array to the edges because of sensor optics. The observed falloff behavior is larger on orbit than was measured during the prelaunch laboratory calibration and is likely linked to changes in cloud scattering pathlength with instrument viewing angle. Also, a two-season comparison with the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) has uncovered a 5–7-km north–south LIS location offset that changes sign because of periodic TRMM yaw maneuvers. LIS groups and flashes that had any temporally and spatially corresponding NLDN reports (i.e., NLDN reported the radio signals from the same group and/or from other groups in the same flash) tended to be spatially larger and last longer (only for flashes) than the overall population of groups/flashes.
Evaluating Knowledge to Support Climate Action: A Framework for Sustained Assessment. Report of an Independent Advisory Committee on Applied Climate Assessment
Authors: Moss R. H. , Avery S. , Baja K. , Burkett M. , Chischilly A. M. , Dell J. , Fleming P. A. , Geil K. , Jacobs K. , Jones A. , Knowlton K. , Koh J. , Lemos M. C. , Melillo J. , Pandya R. , Richmond T. C. , Scarlett L. , Snyder J. , Stults M. , Waple A. M. , Whitehead J. , Zarrilli D. , Ayyub B. M. , Fox J. , Ganguly A. , Joppa L. , Julius S. , Kirshen P. , Kreutter R. , McGovern A. , Meyer R. , Neumann J. , Solecki W. , Smith J. , Tissot P. , Yohe G. , Zimmerman R.
Published: April 2019

As states, cities, tribes, and private interests cope with climate damages and seek to increase preparedness and resilience, they will need to navigate myriad choices and options available to them. Making these choices in ways that identify pathways for climate action that support their development objectives will require constructive public dialogue, community participation, and flexible and ongoing access to science- and experience-based knowledge. In 2016, a Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) was convened to recommend how to conduct a sustained National Climate Assessment (NCA) to increase the relevance and usability of assessments for informing action. The FAC was disbanded in 2017, but members and additional experts reconvened to complete the report that is presented here. A key recommendation is establishing a new nonfederal “climate assessment consortium” to increase the role of state/local/tribal government and civil society in assessments. The expanded process would 1) focus on applied problems faced by practitioners, 2) organize sustained partnerships for collaborative learning across similar projects and case studies to identify effective tested practices, and 3) assess and improve knowledge-based methods for project implementation. Specific recommendations include evaluating climate models and data using user-defined metrics; improving benefit–cost assessment and supporting decision-making under uncertainty; and accelerating application of tools and methods such as citizen science, artificial intelligence, indicators, and geospatial analysis. The recommendations are the result of broad consultation and present an ambitious agenda for federal agencies, state/local/tribal jurisdictions, universities and the research sector, professional associations, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, and private-sector firms.
Storytelling, Leadership, and the Law: Using Amicus Briefs to Understand the Impact of School District Policies and Practices Related to Transgender Student Inclusion
Authors: Lewis Maria M. , Eckes Suzanne E.
Published: April 2019

Purpose: In 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a highly publicized case brought by a transgender student, G.G., who was denied access to the bathroom that corresponds with his gender identity. Ultimately, the Court never heard this case, but the documents submitted to the Court remain a part of the historical record, worthy of examination beyond their legal value. In this study, we analyze the first person accounts presented in the “friend of the court” (amicus) briefs to better understand the human impact of policies and practices related to transgender student inclusion. Method: This research utilizes legal research methods to bound the study design. We draw from legal storytelling, which originates in law, and narrative inquiry, which can be found in educational research. In doing so, we provide a synthesis of all amicus briefs submitted in the G.G. case that include personal, firsthand accounts, stories, and experiences. Findings: Overall, the personal stories highlight the implications of inclusive and noninclusive policies and practices. Where noninclusive policies were in place, individuals shared experiences of bullying, academic harm, medical concerns, and inconsistencies in implementation. On the other hand, inclusive policies were associated with confidence building and academic engagement, and a benefit to all students. Stories also reveal that common fears such as safety or privacy did not materialize in the experiences of individuals represented in the briefs. Implications: Informed by these stories, we present implications for research, policy, and practice. Stories reveal the importance of leadership, communication, and professional development.
Estimating Annual Births to Hepatitis B Surface Antigen–Positive Women in the United States by Using Data on Maternal Country of Birth
Authors: Koneru Alaya , Schillie Sarah , Roberts Henry , Sirotkin Barry , Fenlon Nancy , Murphy Trudy V. , Nelson Noele P.
Published: April 2019

Objective:

A national estimate of births to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)–positive women can help public health programs plan surveillance, educational, and outreach activities to improve identification and management of at-risk women and infants. Stratifying mothers by country of birth allows for the application of region-specific HBsAg prevalence estimates, which can more precisely estimate the number of at-risk infants. The objective of our study was to estimate the number of births to HBsAg-positive women in the United States with more granularity than previous models.

Methods:

We developed a model that incorporated maternal country of birth (MCOB) and updated HBsAg prevalence estimates. We assessed birth certificate data by MCOB, and we stratified US-born mothers by race/ethnicity, US territory–born mothers by territory, and non–US-born mothers by region. We multiplied and summed data in each subcategory by using HBsAg prevalence estimates calculated from the 2009-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys or Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program. We compared the findings of our MCOB model with a race/ethnicity model.

Results:

In 2015, an estimated 20 678 infants were born to HBsAg-positive women in the United States, representing 0.5% of all births. Births to US-born and non–US-born women comprised 77.2% and 21.5% of all births, respectively, and 40.1% and 57.9% of estimated births to HBsAg-positive women, respectively. The estimated contribution of births to HBsAg-positive women varied by MCOB region, from 4 (0.03%) infants born to women from Australia/Oceania to 5795 (28.0%) infants born to women from East Asia. Our MCOB model estimated 5666 fewer births to HBsAg-positive women than did the race/ethnicity model.

Conclusions:

As global vaccine programs reduce HBsAg prevalence, the MCOB model can incorporate evolving HBsAg prevalence estimates for women from various regions of the world.
“Why Wouldn’t I Have Asked Him?”: Herbert Gans, Chapter 9 of the Kerner Report, and the Resolution of a Dilemma
Authors: Loessberg Rick
Published: April 2019

There are always a number of stories involved in any group report. The 700-page Kerner Report, which sought to explain the causes of the rioting that had occurred in 1967, is no exception. Some of these stories have been previously discussed in other works. However, given the magnitude of the Kerner Commission’s assignment, it is not surprising that many of its stories have not yet been told. One such example is the story behind the writing of the report’s Chapter 9 that concluded that the black and European immigrant experiences were not comparable. Not originally contemplated, the chapter’s need surfaced only about a month before the Commission completed its work. How it came to be, how one of the nation’s foremost sociologists became involved, and how it helped the Commission keep its breakneck pace is what one former staff member calls a “fascinating backstory” and further increases our knowledge of the Commission.
Strategies of self-organising communities in a gentrifying city
Authors: van Holstein Ellen
Published: April 2019

While commonly pitched as potential spaces for the empowerment of marginalised minority groups, self-organised projects such as community gardens are also susceptible to neoliberal discourses and governance mechanisms. While relationships between community gardening and gentrification are now well established, less is known about the grassroots strategies of garden groups in the context of such conditions and the ways in which gentrification changes the community gardening movement itself. This paper combines conceptual approaches to community gardens as shaping citizen-subjectivities and as projects positioned in networks to offer detailed insight into strategic responses of community gardeners to a gentrifying environment. The paper highlights how demographic change, neighbourhood densification and changes in the attitude of local government shape three community gardens in Sydney, Australia. The paper reveals that, more than government policy, changes that gardeners observe in the neighbourhood and their perceptions of local government’s attitude towards different community gardens in the vicinity, shape how they manage community gardens. Interactions and responses of garden groups to perceived threats, as well as changes in the projects’ social composition, can lead to the emergence of conflict and competition. As it becomes increasingly clear that inequalities in the surrounding urban environment manifest as part of the social fabric of community spaces, the paper demonstrates that communities are differently positioned to articulate strategies in response to perceived precarity and that these strategies can amplify unequal opportunities for distinct garden groups to persist into the future.
Non-pathological criminal incapacity relating to provocation or emotional stress – an overview of developments in South African law
Authors: Hoctor Shannon
Published: April 2019

The development of the defence of non-pathological incapacity reflects a movement towards recognizing that an accused person should not be punished unless he or she is indeed blameworthy. This is furthermore consistent with the rights to dignity, and freedom and security of the person, set out in the Bill of Rights. However, policy concerns about the availability of a defence based on provocation or emotional stress have been raised. The development of the defence in this context and its apparent, but as yet uncertain, demise in the wake of the judgement of the Supreme Court of Appeal in S v Eadie is examined in this article, which provides an overview of the issues animating this area of law.
Culturally Humble People Change, or Do They?
Authors: McElroy-Heltzel Stacey E. , Gazaway Sarah E. , Davis Don E.
Published: April 2019

Regardless of political/religious affiliation, people tend to hold prejudice towards those with whom they disagree. Cultural humility may be a factor that could mitigate the negative effects of disagreements stemming from religious differences. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore whether cultural humility was related to changes in viewpoint following a religious disagreement. A sample of 174 undergraduate college students were paired with a student with whom they disagreed and discussed a contentious religious issue. Afterward, they rated their discussion partner’s cultural humility, their own change in viewpoint, and perceptions of their partner’s change in viewpoint. Results indicated that perceptions of the discussion partner’s cultural humility were related to perceptions of the discussion partner’s change in viewpoint, but not to the partner’s actual self-reported change in viewpoint. We discuss implications of this discrepancy, including potential bias in zero-acquaintance ratings and possible implications for ongoing negotiations in real-world situations.
Why so timely? Politics of representation and its entanglement in presentism
Authors: Güçler Arda
Published: April 2019

What gives representation its democratic essence? The recent democratic theory literature, particularly spearheaded by Nadia Urbinati, defends representative mediation as a facilitator of ongoing democratic contestation and revision. While I agree with this agonistic defence, I take issue with how Urbinati construes it. For her, representative contestation works in the teleological sense of testing opinions over time and sublimating them into ideological forms as a safeguard against the threat of immediacy (i.e. arbitrariness and authenticity). This article locates the traces of such presentism within Urbinati’s own teleological framework, which I see as compromising her commitment to the agonistic vein in representative politics. When our relationship to the future is imagined from such a teleological angle, I argue, the scope of our representative options becomes significantly narrowed down and the possibility of beginning anew looks quite slim. I develop this critique by tapping into Jacques Derrida’s affirmation of untimeliness.
Role of Career Adaptability and Its Resources in Predicting Vocational Attitudes of Indian IT Professionals
Authors: Santra Sayoni , Giri V. N.
Published: April 2019

Indian Information Technology (IT) market is going through a dynamic state of existence with employment uncertainties, but simultaneously creating promising opportunities. Amidst such unpredictability and possibilities, Indian IT professionals have been striving hard to build a career identity, demonstrating their capabilities to withstand unforeseen and abrupt vocational shocks. In career construction, such capability comes from career adaptability, reflected through resources of concern, control, curiosity and confidence. Yet, attention towards career adaptability is sparse in Indian IT vocational literature. The present study attempts to fill that gap by examining career adaptability and its links with vocational attitudes of career satisfaction and turnover intention. For this, data were collected from 434 Indian IT professionals. Overall, career adaptability was positively related to career satisfaction while turnover intention was independent of it. At the dimensional level, independently, all resources of career adaptability were positively related to career satisfaction. Concern and confidence had relatively greater degree of positive association than curiosity and control. Further, concern led to increased turnover intention, other resources being unrelated to it. Findings may facilitate human resource management of Indian IT organizations and independent career practitioners to enhance the vocational success of their employees and clients.
Austerity in a disadvantaged West Midlands neighbourhood: Everyday experiences of families and family support professionals
Authors: Jones Demelza , Lowe Pam , West Karen
Published: April 2019

This article examines everyday effects of austerity in Kingshurst – a disadvantaged urban neighbourhood in the West Midlands. It draws on qualitative data gathered from local families with children, and public and third sector professionals working in the area in family support services. While some of the issues raised are common to other disadvantaged communities across the UK, we recognise that austerity is experienced in specific socio-spatial contexts: in this case, Kingshurst’s circumstance of deprivation within a local authority borough that (as a whole) is above averagely affluent. This shaped the ways that residents and professionals framed the disadvantage they encountered in their everyday lives and work, in particular strengthening understandings of austerity as unfairly and unevenly experienced on the bases of geography and social class, and highlighting territorial stigma towards the neighbourhood by professionals and decision-makers which impeded residents’ engagement with the family support services available to them locally.
IT maturity model for public agencies in developing countries: The case of Mongolia
Authors: Kwak Nayeon , Lee Choong C , Hwang Seong Hoon , Yun Haejung
Published: April 2019

As the digital divide between developed and developing countries continues to widen, there have been increasing international attempts to narrow the gap. One such attempt involves assessing the IT maturity level of each developing country and consciously improving the weak areas thus identified. However, the majority of IT maturity evaluation tools, which are the key component of this attempt, are specialized for developed countries or cannot be accessible due to confidentiality. Accordingly, a new IT maturity evaluation methodology needs to be developed that can be shared by developing countries. This study suggests an IT maturity evaluation framework and measurement tools, which could be used by public agencies of a developing country to comprehensively evaluate multi-layered informatization areas. Theoretically based on the Information Orientation Model and the IT Business Value Model, both of which are widely implemented worldwide, an evaluation model and measurement items were developed and applied to Mongolian government agencies in order to verify their validity and reliability. Main dimensions of the model are composed of informatization innovation competence, informatization use competence, informatization foundation competence, and informatization exchange competence. Since the model is a theoretically and practically valid assessment tool reflecting the reality of developing countries, it will be useful in diagnosing IT maturity levels, identifying weak areas, deriving improvement strategies, and establishing development plans in each public agency of developing countries.
‘You Are Too Out!’: A mixed methods study of the ways in which digital divides articulate status and power in China
Authors: Xiao ZhiMin
Published: April 2019

This study investigates the differences in adolescent engagement with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), such as computers, the Internet, and mobile phones. Involving 698 second-year high school students from urban, rural, and ethnic Tibetan regions of China, it finds that patterns of access and use indicate status and power, and the meanings teenagers pour into the technologies articulate social and educational differences. On average, Tibetans are disadvantaged in access, and the return on parental education is greater for the mainstream Han than it is for Tibetans. However, state ‘preferential policies’ have mitigated Tibetans’ plight in use, which makes the least privileged to be Han students with parents having no more than six years of education.
Short-course olanzapine to prevent delayed emesis following carboplatin/paclitaxel for gynecologic cancer: a randomised study
Authors: Celio Luigi , Saibene Gabriella , Lepori Stefano , Festinese Fabrizio , Niger Monica , Raspagliesi Francesco , Lorusso Domenica
Published: April 2019

Purpose:

To explore efficacy of short-course olanzapine with or without low-dose dexamethasone for prevention of delayed emesis in gynecologic cancer patients receiving carboplatin/paclitaxel.

Methods:

This was a prospective study in 81 chemo-naive patients receiving 0.25 mg intravenous palonosetron, 16 mg dexamethasone, and 10 mg oral olanzapine before chemotherapy. On days 2 and 3, patients randomly received 10 mg olanzapine (arm A; n=27), 10 mg olanzapine plus 4 mg dexamethasone (arm B; n=27), or 8 mg dexamethasone (reference arm C; n=27). The primary endpoint was total control (TC; no vomiting, no rescue antiemetics, and no nausea) on days 2–5, using a diary. Secondary endpoints included proportion of patients with no emesis impact on daily life using the Functional Living Index–Emesis (FLIE) questionnaire, and patient’s satisfaction with antiemetic coverage.

Results:

Fifty-two percent of patients in arm A ( P=0.406), 59% in arm B ( P=0.779), and 67% in arm C had a delayed TC. Secondary analyses showed no significant difference across arms in any efficacy endpoint. FLIE scores as well as mean satisfaction scores were similar across arms.

Conclusions:

In this exploratory study with a small sample size, we did not find any clue about better control of delayed emesis with either olanzapine regimen in gynecologic cancer patients treated with carboplatin/paclitaxel and receiving the same prophylaxis for acute emesis.
Clinical characteristics and prognosis associated with multiple primary malignant tumors in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients
Authors: Jiang Yanan , Miao Zhaoyi , Wang Jinhuan , Chen Jing , Lv Yangyang , Xing Donghui , Wang Xiaofang , Wang Yafei , Cao Zeng , Zhao Zhigang
Published: April 2019

Objective:

Patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) occasionally present with multiple primary malignant tumors (MPMTs). This study aimed to determine the clinical characteristics, survival, and risk factors of these patients.

Methods:

The median follow-up of 92 patients was 13.5 months (range 0.3–72). Overall, 21 patients had synchronous MPMTs and 71 had metachronous MPMTs. We classified patients in the latter group into metachronous first group (n=27) and metachronous second group (n=44).

Results:

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most frequent histologic lymphoma type. The digestive system was the commonest site affected by the solid cancer. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 86.5% and 70.5%, respectively. The overall survival (OS) rates were 67.9% and 36.2% at 2 and 3 years, respectively, in the metachronous first group; 73.8% and 73.8%, respectively, in the metachronous second group; and 68.1% and 56.7%, respectively, in the synchronous tumor group. There was no difference in the survival rate among the 3 groups before 2 years, but after 2 years, a shorter OS rate was observed in the metachronous first group than in the metachronous second group and synchronous tumor group. For all patients, age >60 years, male sex, and ⩾3 involved nodal sites were considered independent prognostic factors associated with survival.

Conclusions:

OS time was shorter in patients with NHL who developed a second tumor than in those who were diagnosed with solid cancer synchronously and second neoplasm after previous solid tumors. Long-term follow-up and effective treatment should be provided to these patients.
Another workplace is possible: Learning to own and changing subjectivities in American employee owned companies
Authors: Souleles Daniel
Published: April 2019

Work life in America, as the literature would have it at least, is pretty uniformly miserable. This article will draw on the literature on practice-based learning as well as democratic political change, in order to help show and theorize a way in which capitalist firms form employee owned trusts (an Employee Stock Ownership Plan), and develop an “ownership culture.” Employee Stock Ownership Plans with an ownership culture are fairly wide spread, tend to pay people more, and seem to create an environment in which people are happy to work. While Employee Stock Ownership Plans are not a panacea for all that troubles us, they do seem to go a fair ways towards mitigating some of the work-place-based misery and larger patterns of material inequality that comes with our contemporary moment, and they seem to have been missing from social-scientific thinking about contemporary economic organizing and its possibilities for change.
Quantification of Energy Saving Potential for A Passenger Train Based on Inter-Run Variability in Speed Trajectories
Authors: Yuan Weichang , Frey H. Christopher , Rastogi Nikhil
Published: April 2019

Passenger train energy consumption is dependent on speed trajectories. The variability of passenger train energy consumption owing to the variability in speed trajectories can help identify ways to reduce train energy use via improved operations. Empirical fuel use data from a portable measurement emission measurement system (PEMS) and empirical speed trajectories measured using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver were used to verify and quantify real-world energy consumption variability and the variability in empirical speed trajectories, respectively. To identify potential realistic speed trajectories that can lead to energy saving (i.e., eco-driving), a Markov chain based speed trajectory simulator was used to simulate inter-run variability in speed trajectories. An energy index model (EIM) was used to compare energy consumption among different speed trajectories. The results show inter-run variability in fuel use associated with inter-run variability in the empirical speed trajectories. There is also inter-segment variability in fuel use related to the segment length and grade. The Markov chain based speed trajectory simulator can simulate realistic inter-run variability in speed trajectories based on calibration using empirical speed trajectories. The number of empirical speed trajectories used for simulator calibration affects the range of simulated inter-run variability. The EIM provides an accurate estimation of the empirical fuel use. Eco-driving, such as reducing the peak speed, can reduce energy consumption without compromising travel time. The methodology shown in this study is not system-specific and can be applied to other passenger train systems.
Coupling National Performance Management Research Data Set and the Highway Performance Monitoring System Datasets on a Geospatial Level
Authors: Pandit Darshan Mukund , Kaushik Kartik , Cirillo Cinzia
Published: April 2019

Integration of various datasets is crucial given the emphasis placed on holistic reporting of performance measures of various variables related to road transportation by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act. None is more confounding than the merger of geospatial datasets, which is necessary, for example, to combine vehicle travel time and volume information for road segments. Such a merged dataset is released through the National Performance Management Research Dataset (NPMRDS). The NPMRDS is supposed to exclusively cover the National Highway System (NHS) and Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) sub-selected from the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). However, one finds that the coverage is not perfect. There are not only many extra road segments included in the NPMRDS, but also some NHS/STRAHNET roads segments are not fully covered by corresponding NPMRDS segments. Further, one finds very little literature about the method Texas Transportation Institute uses to orchestrate the conflation. Therefore, it was endeavored to create a conflation algorithm which might perform better. The benchmark for the proposed algorithm is the identification of the segments wrongly conflated during the creation of the NPMRDS geospatial dataset. The proposed methodology uses a combination of five measures of similarity between the HPMS and NPMRDS segments. The proposed method successfully identifies significant numbers of mismatched segments: about 5% excess NPMRDS segments, and about 3% HPMS segments without NPMRDS counterpart.
Uber Economics: Evaluating the Monetary and Travel Time Trade-Offs of Transportation Network Companies and Transit Service in Chicago, Illinois
Authors: Schwieterman Joseph P.
Published: April 2019

The potential diversion of passengers from public transit to transportation network companies (TNCs) is attracting considerable attention in metropolitan regions. Despite this, relatively little microeconomic analysis has been made available to explore how service attributes affect choices between the services offered by TNCs and public transit. To fill this shortfall, this study evaluates prices and service levels for Lyft, Lyft Line, UberX, UberPool, and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) services in Chicago. Analysis of 3,075 fares and estimated travel times for 620 trips in the 4- to 11-mile range shows TNCs tend to be relatively costly when expressed in relation to the additional amount spent per unit of time saved. The average traveler using these four TNC services, across the entire sample, spends the equivalent of $42–$108 per hour saved—well above the $14.95/hr. the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) recommends assigning to the average transit passenger when conducting analyses about the value of time. However, for travelers on business and those between locations poorly served by transit, including trips between neighborhoods with less transit service than the downtown district, the analysis shows a significant share of passengers will likely find TNCs cost-effective options based on the U.S. DOT standard. The approach taken illustrates how the mobility benefits and competitive issues associated with TNCs can be systematically evaluated by reviewing the price and travel time characteristics of each trip.
Greenhouse Gas Emission Impact of Autonomous Vehicle Introduction in an Urban Network
Authors: Conlon James , Lin Jane
Published: April 2019

This study attempts to quantify the change in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from autonomous vehicle (AV) introduction in a congested urban network. An integrated traffic microsimulation and emission model is introduced, described, and used to estimate emissions for different AV penetration scenarios ranging from 0% to 100%. AVs show potential to reduce total CO2 emissions at a network scale, approaching 4% reduction at full autonomy, assuming the same fuel technology in AV as in today’s fleet. Furthermore, it is found that this reduction is sensitive to the penetration ratio of AVs, and is greatest at full AV penetration; AV penetration may generate greater total vehicular CO2 emissions than 0% AV penetration does, contrary to popular belief. This may be because of the heterogeneity in a mixed traffic environment of human-driven vehicles (HDVs) and AVs, as well as the complex interaction between HDVs and AVs that is not yet fully understood.