bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paradise or Just a Little Bit Better? Siberian Settlement “Fever” in Late Imperial Russia
Authors: SIEGELBAUM LEWIS H.
Published: January 2017

Why did the lands east of the Urals–long associated by Russians with the hard labor of convicts, fearsome nomads, and an unbearable climate–attract so many Russian peasant settlers at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? Historians usually cite a combination of push‐pull factors. They represent migration as a consequence of stagnation in the agrarian economy (push) and state policies promoting migration (pull), rather than interpreting migration as a dynamic element that contributed to these factors. These explanations therefore suffer from being tautological. They are at best incomplete and at worst distort the culture and agency of the migrants themselves. In seeking to comprehend the motivations of the millions of peasants who migrated to Siberia, we confront, much like contemporary observers, an epistemological question: how to know for sure what millions of mostly illiterate people were thinking when, after all, their subaltern position encouraged them to obfuscate, prevaricate, and produce “hidden transcripts?” In this article I argue that “settlement fever” (pereselencheskaia goriachka), a metaphor employed by A. A. Kaufman, Imperial Russia’s leading expert on peasant migration to Siberia, best expresses the diffusion of knowledge about and enthusiasm for resettlement to that part of the empire. In supporting this argument, I draw on the research and insights of Jose Moya concerning analogous “fevers” that impelled more or less simultaneous trans‐Atlantic migrations. I then analyze the Siberian settlement fever’s epistolary and other microbial elements, and conclude by constructing a fever chart for the early Soviet years. This endorsement of Kaufman’s fever metaphor is meant to emphasize an essential element of the migratory process, namely, its communicability. Moya relied on diffusion theory to understand how, like germs, information spread “microsocially,” encompassing ever‐widening “sociogeographic spaces.” He discovered that such factors as proximity to ports and socio‐economic condition paled in significance compared to kinship, friendship, and other microsocial networks. This, I suggest, is how to explain the predominance of “irregular” (samovol’noe) resettlement: peasants went according to their own timetables and scouts. The state adjusted to them, rather than the other way around. Rumor and letters from relatives already settled also played a role. Migration fever abated during World War I and the revolution when it was overtaken by other fevers–self‐demobilization, seizures of landlords’ property, and push‐back from rebellious Kazakhs. It returned though in the 1920s, presumably spreading by the same means as before.
Tolstoy's Enigmatic Final Hero: Holy War, Sufism, and the Spiritual Path in Hadji Murat
Authors: KOKOBOBO ANI
Published: January 2017

Considered an incredibly “anomalous” masterpiece, Tolstoy’s last work of fiction, Hadji Murat (1896–1904), renders the life and death of the legendary Avari warrior, Hadji Murat. The novella is aesthetically stunning and surprisingly devoid of Tolstoy’s opinionated authorial voice. With its ideologically muted nature, Hadji Murat has provoked “indecision and controversy” among critics, particularly since it impartially narrates phenomena the moralistic Tolstoy normally decried, like smoking, fornication, and especially violence. In this essay, I reconsider the question of Hadji Murat’s problematic place in Tolstoy’s oeuvre. I focus on the very aspects that have inspired the novella’s designation as an anomaly–Tolstoy’s depictions of brutal violence. Starting with the quagmire of violence, I show that Hadji Murat is not nearly so anomalous, but profoundly connected, precisely through violence, to Tolstoy’s later ideological beliefs. To this end, Islam, which has so far been omitted in scholarly discussions of Hadji Murat, is an essential component of my analysis. In particular, there has been no consideration of ties between Tolstoy’s faith and mainstream Sufi Islam, as practiced in nineteenth‐century Chechnya and Dagestan. A form of Islamic spirituality, Sufism informed the military resistance led by imam Shamil and his lieutenant Hadji Murat. Tolstoy, who spent time in the Caucasus, cites Sufi spirituality in early drafts of Hadji Murat. Sufi spirituality is implicitly significant in the novella where it motivates individual actions, especially during crisis moments on the violent battlefield. I argue that Sufism serves as the connecting thread between the violence in Hadji Murat and Tolstoy’s later spiritual beliefs. At different stages of his life, Hadji Murat has different motivations for fighting until he finally takes up the cause of jihad or “holy war” (termed gazavat in the North Caucasus). Tolstoy focuses on this concept, but moves beyond its conventional understanding in Sharia Islam to explore jihad in a wider spiritual context that intersects with Sufism. As I show, “holy war,” broadly conceived by Tolstoy as spiritually‐driven warfare, becomes the basis for bringing together outward practice and inner spirituality in Hadji Murat.
Sediment deposition from turbidity currents in simulated aquatic vegetation canopies
Authors: Soler Marianna , Colomer Jordi , Serra Teresa , Casamitjana Xavier , Folkard Andrew M.
Published: January 2017

A laboratory flume experiment was carried out in which the hydrodynamic and sedimentary behaviour of a turbidity current was measured as it passed through an array of vertical rigid cylinders. The cylinders were intended primarily to simulate aquatic vegetation canopies, but could equally be taken to represent other arrays of obstacles, for example forests or offshore wind turbines. The turbidity currents were generated by mixing naturally sourced, poly‐disperse sediment into a reservoir of water at concentrations from 1·0 to 10·0 g l−1, which was then released into the experimental section of the flume by removing a lock gate. For each initial sediment concentration, runs with obstacle arrays with solid plant fractions of 1·0% and 2·5%, and control cases with no obstacles, were carried out. The progress of the current along the flume was characterized by the array drag term, CDaxc (where CD is the array drag coefficient, at the frontal area of cylinders per unit volume, and xc is the position of the leading edge of the current along the flume). The downward depositional flux of sediment out of the current as it proceeded was measured at 13 traps along the flume. Analysis of these deposits divided them into fine (2·2 to 6·2 μm) and coarse (6·2 to 104 μm) fractions. At the beginning of their development, the gravity currents proceeded in an inertia‐dominated regime until CDaxc = 5. For CDaxc > 5, the current transitioned into a drag‐dominated regime. For both fine and coarse sediment fractions, the rate of sediment deposition tended to decrease gradually with distance from the source in the inertial regime, remained approximately constant at the early drag‐dominated regime, and then rose and peaked at the end of the drag‐dominated stage. This implies that, when passing through arrays of obstacles, the turbidity currents were able to retain sufficient sediment in suspension to maintain their flow until they became significantly influenced by the drag exerted by the obstacles.
Drug markets, violence, and the need to incorporate the role of race
Authors: Johnson Lallen T. , Bennett Juwan Z.
Published: January 2017

While race has proven to be a critical variable in the sociological understanding of multiple social outcomes, scholars have yet to fully appreciate the nature by which it shapes drug‐related violence. Empirical responses to the 1980s urban proliferation of illicit drugs generally relied on systemic explanations of drug market violence and how participants, by virtue of social positioning, are unable to use the criminal justice system to address grievances. Contrarily, the contingent causation hypothesis suggests that drug markets engender violence in settings where socioeconomic conditions are already favorable for violence. In spite of the contributions of these two themes, we argue that both represent oversimplifications of the complex ways by which race structures drug‐related violence. To truly understand drug market violence, the dominant narrative of emerging research must contextualize the proliferation of illicit drugs within the socio‐historical context of race and institutional racism. Only if and when that happens will the field move towards realistic solutions to ameliorate this social problem.
Quantitative assessments and taxonomic revision of the genus Archirhagio with a new species from Daohugou, China (Diptera: Archisargidae)
Authors: WANG FENGYAN , SHIH CHUNGKUN , REN DONG , WANG YONGJIE
Published: January 2017

A new species, Archirhagio gracilentus sp.n., is described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia in China. The ground plan of genital structures of Archirhagio is described according to the well‐preserved male and female genitalia in this new species. Based on venational patterns of five species of the Archirhagio, we conducted the geometric morphometric analysis to quantitatively review and revise the taxonomy of Archirhagio. The results indicate that most species of the genus, with one exception, have distinctive interspecific variances to support their taxonomy. Therefore, we propose Archirhagio mostovskii as a new synonym for Archirhagio zhangi according to both morphological characters and quantitative analyses. Furthermore, a traditional key character, the position of m‐cu, is too unstable to be used as a specific diagnosis. A key to all species of the Archirhagio is also provided.

This published work has been registered in ZooBank,
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:112F5E51-42AB-4438-9512-32E19E1CF5E3.
HLA‐G regulatory polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to HCV infection
Authors: Catamo E. , Zupin L. , Freato N. , Polesello V. , Celsi F. , Crocè S. L. , Masutti F. , Pozzato G. , Segat L. , Crovella S.
Published: January 2017

Background

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is able to bypass the immune system modulating innate and adaptive immune response and blocking T helper 1 (Th1) cell production. Because the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐G molecule has immunomodulatory properties inhibiting the function and production of natural killer and cytotoxic lymphocyte T cells, as well as promoting shift from Th1 toward Th2 response, we hypothesized its involvement in susceptibility to HCV infection.

Materials and Methods

Considering that HLA‐G mRNA expression has been reported to be under genetic control, an association study was conducted analyzing 800 base pairs upstream the ATG at the 5′upstream regulator region (URR) and 850 base pairs from ATG to exon 3 and the 3′untranslated region (UTR) of
HLA‐G gene in Italian HCV‐positive patients and uninfected controls.

Results

Four 5′URR polymorphisms (−725C>G>T, −509C>G, −400G>A and −398G>A), 7 polymorphisms at coding region (+15G>A, +36G>A, +243G>A, insC506, 531G>C, delA615 and 685G>A), the +644G>T polymorphism, and 1 haplotype (TTGTTCCIGAC) showed different frequency distributions between HCV patients and uninfected controls.

Conclusion

The results from our study suggest a possible involvement of HLA‐G in the risk modulation toward HCV infection.
Beginning Bayes
Authors: Erickson Tim
Published: January 2017

Understanding a Bayesian perspective demands comfort with conditional probability and with probabilities that appear to change as we acquire additional information. This paper suggests a simple context in conditional probability that helps develop the understanding students would need for a successful introduction to Bayesian reasoning.
Principles for Effective Asynchronous Online Instruction in Religious Studies
Authors: McGuire Beverley
Published: January 2017

Asynchronous online instruction has become increasingly popular in the field of religious studies. However, despite voluminous research on online learning in general and numerous articles on online theological instruction, there has been little discussion of how to effectively design and deliver online undergraduate courses in religious studies. Drawing on recent research, experiences teaching and learning online, and interviews with colleagues, this paper discusses key principles of effective online instruction. It recommends instructors focus on humanizing their course website, “chunking” their course content, making their approach to the study of religion clear, structuring and monitoring online discussions, prioritizing prompt and constructive feedback, and making course material relevant to learners.
Sexual Violence in and around the Classroom
Authors: Graybill Rhiannon , Minister Meredith , Lawrence Beatrice
Published: January 2017

Sexual violence on campus is a major issue facing students, faculty, and administrators, and institutions of higher education are struggling to respond. This forum brings together three responses to the problem, with a focus on the religious studies classroom. The responses move from the institution to the faculty to the classroom, exploring three separate but linked spaces for responding to sexual violence. The first contribution (Graybill) critiques common institutional responses to sexual violence. The second contribution (Minister) advocates for long‐term, classroom‐based responses to sexual violence and describes a faculty/staff workshop response. The third contribution (Lawrence) emphasizes the classroom, examining the issues that arise when perpetrators of sexual assault are part of the student body. Read together, the pieces offer a comprehensive view of the complicated intersections of sexual violence, the university, and pedagogical issues in religious studies.
The Agency Paradigm: A Pedagogical Tool to Facilitate Nuanced Thinking on Sensitive Issues
Authors: Caufield Catherine
Published: January 2017

Sensitive issues, rife in religious studies and in theology, present a pedagogical challenge when teaching students to nuance their thinking around positions that are often sharply defined and elicit strong feelings. I developed a learning tool that I call the “Agency Paradigm.” The purpose of this tool is to help students comprehend diversity within religious traditions, particularly regarding the agencies of women who are committed to them. Drawing on the open and critical dialogue of emancipatory pedagogy, the Agency Paradigm encourages students to explore a range of ways women in world religions choose to act in varying contexts. This approach to teaching world religions increases students’ cognitive knowledge base and expands their understanding of each of the religions studied in the course, as examined through the perspective of differing women; it also assists them in developing their own agency through thoughtful reflection.
Moving integrated weed management from low level to a truly integrated and highly specific weed management system using advanced technologies
Authors: Young S L , Pitla S K , Van Evert F K , Schueller J K , Pierce F J
Published: January 2017

Integrated weed management (IWM) is one of the most commonly referred to approaches for sustainable and effective weed control in agriculture, yet it is not widely practiced, likely because current IWM systems fail to meet performance expectations of growers. The effectiveness and value of IWM systems should increase with increasing application specificity and true integration made possible with contemporary advances in technology, information systems and decision support. IWM systems can be classified based on their degree of application specificity and level of integration of tactics. In the application specificity pathway, a tactic is applied at a range of scales, from subfield to plant specific. In the integration pathway, multiple weed control tactics are combined in a synergistic manner. We hypothesise that the full value of IWM can and will be realised only when current and emerging technological innovations, information systems and decision tools are synergistically combined for use in real time. The True IWM system we envision requires automation and robotic technologies, coupled with information and decision support systems that are available or emerging but not yet enabled, in a proven integrated platform. Examples of low‐level, traditional and precision IWM systems are discussed, and research needs for a True IWM system are presented. We conclude that the immediate call should be for a long‐term investment in R&D and education (both theoretical and empirical) to develop and implement True IWM systems, an effort best accomplished in a public–private partnership where all essential entities are fully engaged and adequately resourced, including growers from all countries who will utilise IWM.
The influence of diabetes mellitus and obesity on upper limb arthroplasty outcomes: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Theodoulou Annika , Krishnan Jeganath , Aromataris Edoardo
Published: January 2017

Review question/objective:

The objective of this review is to locate and synthesize the best available evidence investigating the impact of selected comorbidities on upper limb arthroplasty outcomes.

The review question is: Are patients with diabetes mellitus or obesity at an increased risk of complications and/or poorer postoperative outcomes following total shoulder, reverse total shoulder and total elbow arthroplasty?
Effectiveness of collaboration between emergency department and intensive care unit teams on mortality rates of patients presenting with critical illness: a quantitative systematic review protocol
Authors: Sahadeo Anna , McDowald Kerchelle , Direktor Svetlana , Hynes Elizabeth A. , Rogers Margaret E.
Published: January 2017

Review objective:

The objective of this review is to identify the effectiveness of collaboration between emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit teams on mortality rates of critically ill adult patients in the ED.
Efficacy of thoracic paravertebral block versus systemic analgesia for postoperative thoracotomy pain: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Gessling Emelia Anne , Miller Meredith
Published: January 2017

Review question/objective:

The objective of the systematic review is to synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of thoracic paravertebral block compared with the use of systemic analgesia on postoperative pain in patients who have undergone a thoracotomy procedure.
The statistics of the vestibular input experienced during natural self‐motion differ between rodents and primates
Authors: Carriot Jérome , Jamali Mohsen , Chacron Maurice J. , Cullen Kathleen E.
Published: January 2017

Key points

In order to understand how the brain's coding strategies are adapted to the statistics of the sensory stimuli experienced during everyday life, the use of animal models is essential.

Mice and non‐human primates have become common models for furthering our knowledge of the neuronal coding of natural stimuli, but differences in their natural environments and behavioural repertoire may impact optimal coding strategies.

Here we investigated the structure and statistics of the vestibular input experienced by mice versus non‐human primates during natural behaviours, and found important differences.

Our data establish that the structure and statistics of natural signals in non‐human primates more closely resemble those observed previously in humans, suggesting similar coding strategies for incoming vestibular input.

These results help us understand how the effects of active sensing and biomechanics will differentially shape the statistics of vestibular stimuli across species, and have important implications for sensory coding in other systems.

It is widely believed that sensory systems are adapted to the statistical structure of natural stimuli, thereby optimizing coding. Recent evidence suggests that this is also the case for the vestibular system, which senses self‐motion and in turn contributes to essential brain functions ranging from the most automatic reflexes to spatial perception and motor coordination. However, little is known about the statistics of self‐motion stimuli actually experienced by freely moving animals in their natural environments. Accordingly, here we examined the natural self‐motion signals experienced by mice and monkeys: two species commonly used to study vestibular neural coding. First, we found that probability distributions for all six dimensions of motion (three rotations, three translations) in both species deviated from normality due to long tails. Interestingly, the power spectra of natural rotational stimuli displayed similar structure for both species and were not well fitted by power laws. This result contrasts with reports that the natural spectra of other sensory modalities (i.e. vision, auditory and tactile) instead show a power‐law relationship with frequency, which indicates scale invariance. Analysis of natural translational stimuli revealed important species differences as power spectra deviated from scale invariance for monkeys but not for mice. By comparing our results to previously published data for humans, we found the statistical structure of natural self‐motion stimuli in monkeys and humans more closely resemble one another. Our results thus predict that, overall, neural coding strategies used by vestibular pathways to encode natural self‐motion stimuli are fundamentally different in rodents and primates.
Experiential Learning with Global Virtual Teams: Developing Intercultural and Virtual Competencies
Authors: Zwerg-Villegas Anne Marie , Martínez-Díaz Jaime Humberto
Published: January 2017

Este estudio evalúa el impacto del Equipo Global Virtual (GVT) cuyo enfoque es el aprendizaje experimental dentro de la educación de negocios. Durante el primer semestre de 2014, 2.494 estudiantes universitarios de negocios (provenientes de 37 países de todos los continentes habitados) participaron en el proyecto llamado X-Cultura. Encuestas posteriores a los proyectos aplicadas a un grupo de participantes, así como a un grupo de control de estudiantes colombianos, revelan el aprendizaje significativo obtenido en términos de dificultades percibidas, relacionadas con las diferencias culturales y la coordinación de equipos virtuales. Este estudio aporta evidencia sobre la utilidad de los enfoques basados en GVT y facilita una mejor comprensión de los desafíos y las oportunidades de aprendizaje en el uso de este tipo de actividad de aprendizaje experiencial.
Vínculos entre familia y escuela: visión de los maestros en formación
Authors: Castro-Zubizarreta Ana , García-Ruiz Rosa
Published: January 2017

Se presenta la identificación de limitaciones, beneficios y obstáculos en la relación familia y escuela, en España, desde la perspectiva de 134 maestros de educación infantil en formación, por medio de un estudio cualitativo de carácter etnográfico. Los resultados permiten identificar la convivencia en los centros de tres tipos de participación no excluyentes y, aunque con dificultades, se atisba una emergente implicación sistemática de las familias en los planes y proyectos. Esta realidad ha de ser objeto de análisis y reflexión en la formación de maestros, en la que el conocimiento eminentemente teórico se ha de articular con el práctico desde un posicionamiento crítico-reflexivo.
Effect of Chucking Movement With the Indentation on the Work-Piece Surface in Chuck Jaws Gripping of a Lathe Between an Expert and a Non-Expert
Authors: Sirisuwan Porakoch , Nakamura Masayuki , Yoshikawa Takashi
Published: January 2017

Analysis of depth and the roughness from the chuck jaws indentation investigated by the Olympus LEXT-OLS4000 Laser microscope. Strain gauges were used for measuring the gripping force of the jaws. The three-characteristic movements of an expert who ensured that the work-piece was kept steady and balance did not measurably affect the surface indentation of the work-pieces. The characteristic movement of the non-expert often straddled the left body to the left side while he was twisting the chuck-key has appeared the surface indentations. The depth inspection of them found the inside of surface indentation deeper than outside. Moreover, the results of a strain gauge measurement of all movements both an expert and the non-expert indicated the inside of the jaw had higher the strain than outside. Nevertheless, the results showed the most strain on work-piece surface occurred with the body movement of the non-expert.
Advancing Sustainable Engineering Practice Through Education and Undergraduate Research Projects
Authors: Belu Radian , Chiou Richard , Tseng Tzu-Liang (Bill) , Cioca Lucian
Published: January 2017

Major challenges such as energy, food, water, environment, health and so many more have never been more prominent than they are today. Engineers and educators, as problem solvers should be addressing these issues and challenges in sustainable ways. They have an enormous opportunity to help create a more sustainable world. Technology problems interconnecting sustainability challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, environmental pollution, economic and social instability are becoming increasingly major concerns for mankind. However, the engineers and scientists have failed on large extend to fully address the sustainability issues. It was also found that engineering graduates do not possess necessary skills to tackle sustainability related problems. Engineering practice and education are changing as social expectations and conditions for engineering practice change too. Students have the responsibility and opportunity to continue improving our life while reducing or even reversing the negative impacts that our industrial society is having on the environment. Current engineering curricula are not equipping them to properly deal with these challenges due to little integration of sustainable and green design strategies and practice. Transforming higher education curricula for sustainable development is a tough challenge, dealing with the complexness of sustainability concepts and integration into engineering education. Teaching students the sustainability principles and equipping them with necessary tools help them to make better choices on materials and energy use, or design. These concepts and methods are still relatively new to engineering curriculum and are not an established practice for most of such programs. Meanwhile, today’s students have a strong desire to improve the world through their work, and sustainability connects with these interest and motivations. However, students’ hunger for knowledge often outstrips what is available in their courses and the experiences of their professors. Furthermore, to make sustainable design compelling to a wider base of engineering students, we need to craft sustainable design in terms of mainstream design problems that are important, cutting-edge, and achievable. Then we need to help them how to effectively deal with environmental and societal needs and constraints as part of their core design process. The paper highlights the process required for embedding sustainability and green design into our programs, curriculum design, implementation and impediments to surmount for sustainability and green design in engineering education. This was done through a project-based approach, developing three new courses and appropriate changes in a number of existing courses. The skill requirements were studied and finally the list of subjects, topics, teaching and learning methods are identified and discussed in this paper.
Design of a Low Cost Apparatus for Torsion Testing
Authors: Mahinfalah Mohammad , Musto Joseph
Published: January 2017

Torsional loading is present in a variety of structures and machines. In designing structures that are subjected to this type of loading it is of paramount importance that the effect of loading on the machines be understood. To reinforce the student’s learning in a mechanics of material class a low cost table top apparatus is designed which can be used in a classroom or a laboratory. Many engineering programs attempt to strengthen the students understanding by introducing laboratory experiments. In general equipment used to measure the effect of torsional loading are capital intensive and bulky. As a result, the experiments are run by the instructors or by graduate assistants while students are only observing. This newly designed table-top device by the authors, costs fraction of the equipment that are available on the market. Five devices were made and instrumented to be used by 30 students in ME 207 class at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) during the spring 2014. The students indicated that this was a very useful tool to reinforce understanding of mechanics of materials concepts taught in the class. Overall, this experiment strengthened the understanding of theoretical relationships discussed in class as related to the torsional loading of circular shafts and tubes.
Shorten the Math Gap for Pre-Engineering Students With Intensive Summer Bridge Program
Authors: Zhou Yong , Islam Nazmul , Pan Cheng-Chang (Sam) , Kumar Sanjay
Published: January 2017

Engineering Summer Bridge (ESB) program at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) is designed to prepare the engineering freshmen intellectually for an early introduction to the engineering culture and mathematics and science expectation. The program curriculum and content were specifically designed to prepare underrepresented Hispanic students for their success in the coming science and engineering study at UT-Brownsville. More than 92% of the targeted students are underrepresented Hispanic, and English is the second language for 86% of them. Most of these targeted students are academically below the top 10% in their high school graduating classes due to the pre-selection of TOP10 Texas House Bill. The ESB program at UTB cultivates a diverse community of engineering and pre-engineering students and intensively enhances their mathematics preparation in Pre-Calculus and College Algebra. Statistics data from 2012 and 2013 ESB program indicates that more than 81% of the participants in both years did not take Pre-Calculus in high school. Another finding is that 71% of the ESB participants with at least an attendance rate of 50% earned a grade higher than a “B” in their Calculus I class later on, while only 43% from the group with an attendance rate lower than 50% earned a grade higher than a “B” in the Calculus I class. Students seem more successful in their Calculus I study if they attend the classes more frequently. It is also found the early contact with engineering faculty through Summer Bridge Programs, together with an early and longer engineering orientation seminar during the program, are successful ways to assist in the retention of engineering freshman [1–2].
Array invariant-based source localization in shallow water using a sparse vertical array
Authors: Song H. C. , Cho Chomgun
Published: January 2017

The array invariant proposed for robust source localization in shallow water exploits the beam-time migration of broadband signals. The approach requires minimal knowledge of the environment, but involves plane wave beamforming using a short-aperture vertical array in stratified acoustic waveguides. In this paper, the array invariant approach is extended to a large-aperture vertical array that is sparse with significant variation of the sound speed across the aperture for conventional beamforming. The extension is feasible because the array invariant in shallow water utilizes surface/bottom-reflected arrivals that behave like those in ideal waveguides. Robust source-range estimation is demonstrated using data from a 16-element, 56-m long vertical array at various ranges (1.5–3.5 km) from a broadband source (0.5–2 kHz) in approximately 100-m deep shallow water.
Physiological and Biomechanical Responses to Prolonged Heavy Load Carriage During Level Treadmill Walking in Females
Authors: Lidstone Daniel E. , Stewart Justin A. , Gurchiek Reed , Needle Alan R. , van Werkhoven Herman , McBride Jeffrey M.
Published: January 2017

Heavy load carriage has been identified as a main contributing factor to the high incidence of overuse injuries in soldiers. Peak vertical ground reaction force (VGRFMAX) and maximal vertical loading rates (VLRMAX) may increase during heavy prolonged load carriage with the development of muscular fatigue and reduced shock attenuation capabilities. The objectives of the current study were (1) to examine physiological and biomechanical changes that occur during a prolonged heavy load carriage task, and (2) to examine if this task induces neuromuscular fatigue and changes in muscle architecture. Eight inexperienced female participants walked on an instrumented treadmill carrying operational loads for 60 minutes at 5.4 km·h–1. Oxygen consumption (), heart rate, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), trunk lean angle, and ground reaction forces were recorded continuously during task. Maximal force and in-vivo muscle architecture were assessed pre- and posttask. Significant increases were observed for VGRFMAX, VLRMAX, trunk lean angle, , heart rate, and RPE during the task. Increased vastus lateralis fascicle length and decreased maximal force production were also observed posttask. Prolonged heavy load carriage, in an inexperienced population carrying operational loads, results in progressive increases in ground reaction force parameters that have been associated with overuse injury.
Reliability of Achilles Tendon Moment Arm Measured In Vivo Using Freehand Three-Dimensional Ultrasound
Authors: Obst Steven J. , Barber Lee , Miller Ashton , Barrett Rod S.
Published: January 2017

This study investigated reliability of freehand three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) measurement of in vivo human Achilles tendon (AT) moment arm. Sixteen healthy adults were scanned on 2 separate occasions by a single investigator. 3DUS scans were performed over the free AT, medial malleolus, and lateral malleolus with the ankle passively positioned in maximal dorsiflexion, mid dorsiflexion, neutral, mid plantar flexion and maximal plantar flexion. 3D reconstructions of the AT, medial malleolus, and lateral malleolus were created from manual segmentation of the ultrasound images and used to geometrically determine the AT moment arm using both a straight (straight ATMA) and curved (curved ATMA) tendon line-of-action. Both methods were reliable within- and between-session (intra-class correlation coefficients > 0.92; coefficient of variation < 2.5 %) and revealed that AT moment arm increased by ∼ 7 mm from maximal dorsiflexion (∼ 41mm) to maximal plantar flexion (∼ 48 mm). Failing to account for tendon curvature led to a small overestimation (< 2 mm) of AT moment arm that was most pronounced in ankle plantar flexion, but was less than the minimal detectable change of the method and could be disregarded.
Intersectionality, Microaggressions, and Microaffirmations: Toward a Cultural Praxis of Sport Coaching
Authors: Gearity Brian T. , Metzger Lynett Henderson
Published: January 2017

Despite its prevalence as a sensitizing concept for research in psychology, the sociology of sport literature on microaggressions is limited and it has not been used to understand sociocultural aspects of sport coaching. In this poststructural creative analytic practice, we provide three short stories of microaggressions in men’s sport coaching and their plausible negative effects on mental health. An aim of this paper is to begin to map an understanding of the intersection of sport coaching, mental health, and social identities. To achieve this aim, we weave together scholarship on microaggressions and the sociology of sport and sport coaching with our stories and interpretations. Practical implications are offered and a new, strength based discourse is introduced to the field in the form of microaffirmations.
Sequence of Reston Virus Isolate AZ-1435, an Ebolavirus Isolate Obtained during the 1989–1990 Reston Virus Epizootic in the United States
Authors: Cornish Joseph P. , Diaz Larissa , Ricklefs Stacy M. , Kanakabandi Kishore , Sword Jennifer , Jahrling Peter B. , Kuhn Jens H. , Porcella Stephen F. , Johnson Reed F.
Published: January 2017

Reston virus (RESTV) was discovered in 1989–1990 during three connected epizootics of highly lethal viral hemorrhagic fever among captive macaques in primate housing facilities in the United States and Philippines. Currently, only one RESTV isolate from that outbreak (named Pennsylvania) has been sequenced. Here, we report the sequence of a second isolate, Reston virus/M.fascicularis-tc/USA/1990/Philippines89-AZ1435.
Genome Sequence of Christensenella minuta DSM 22607
T
Authors: Rosa Bruce A. , Hallsworth-Pepin Kymberlie , Martin John , Wollam Aye , Mitreva Makedonka
Published: January 2017

Obesity influences and is influenced by the human gut microbiome. Here, we present the genome of
Christensenella minuta
, a highly heritable bacterial species which has been found to be strongly associated with obesity through an unknown biological mechanism. This novel genome provides a valuable resource for future obesity therapeutic studies.
Draft Genome Sequence of Flavobacterium succinicans Strain DD5b
Authors: Poehlein Anja , Najdenski Hristo , Simeonova Diliana D.
Published: January 2017

We present the first 3.315-Mbp assembled draft genome sequence of
Flavobacterium succinicans
strain DD5b. This bacterium is a phosphite-assimilating representative of the genus
Flavobacterium
isolated from guts of the zooplankton
Daphnia magna
.
Urogenital Tuberculosis
Authors: Figueiredo André A. , Lucon Antônio M. , Srougi Miguel
Published: January 2017

Urogenital tuberculosis is the second most frequent form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Starting with a pulmonary focus, 2 to 20% of patients develop urogenital tuberculosis through hematogenous spread to the kidneys, prostate, and epididymis; through the descending collecting system to the ureters, bladder, and urethra; and through the ejaculatory ducts to the genital organs. Urogenital tuberculosis occurs at all age ranges, but it is predominant in males in their fourth and fifth decades. It is a serious, insidious disease, generally developing symptoms only at a late stage, which leads to a diagnostic delay with consequent urogenital organ destruction; there are reports of patients with renal failure as their initial clinical presentation. Although the condition has been long recognized by nephrologists, urologists, and infectious disease specialists, urogenital tuberculosis is still largely unknown. Even when suggestive findings such as hematuria, sterile pyuria, and recurrent urinary infections are present, we rarely remember this diagnostic possibility. Greater knowledge of the features of urogenital tuberculosis then becomes relevant and should emphasize the importance of an early diagnosis.
The Role of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Mycobacterial Infections
Authors: Peloquin Charles
Published: January 2017

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of infectious death. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause a wide variety of difficult-to-treat infections in various human hosts. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) remains a standard clinical technique that uses plasma drug concentrations to determine dose. The reason to do this is simple: drug exposure (that is, the free drug area under the plasma concentration-time curve) relative to the MIC and not the dose
per se
largely determines the outcome of the infections. TDM provides objective information that clinician can use to make informed dosing decisions. The normal plasma concentration ranges provide reasonable guidance for initial target concentrations. Clinicians then combine concentration data with knowledge about the patients, in order to decide how aggressive to be with dosing. With sicker patients, who are closer to a poor outcome, one may be willing to accept an increased risk of potential toxicity in order to secure patient survival. In the clinic, time and resources are limited, so typically only two samples are collected postdose. The 2-h postdose concentrations approach the peak for most TB and NTM drugs. A 6-h sample allows the clinician to distinguish between delayed absorption and malabsorption, because patients with the latter need higher doses in order to gain the benefit associated with standard doses. Plasma concentrations do not account for all of the variability in patient responses to TB or NTM treatment, and concentrations cannot guarantee patient outcomes. However, combined with clinical and bacteriological data, TDM can be a decisive tool, allowing clinicians to look inside of their patients and adjust doses based on objective data. Knowing the dose, rather than guessing at the dose, is the path to shorter and more successful treatment regimens.
Antidepressant use during pregnancy and the risk of major congenital malformations in a cohort of depressed pregnant women: an updated analysis of the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort
Authors: Bérard Anick , Zhao Jin-Ping , Sheehy Odile
Published: January 2017

Objective

Antidepressant use during gestation has been associated with risk of major congenital malformations but estimates can lack statistical power or be confounded by maternal depression. We aimed to determine the association between first-trimester exposure to antidepressants and the risk of major congenital malformations in a cohort of depressed/anxious women.

Setting and participants

Data were obtained from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort (QPC). All pregnancies with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, or exposed to antidepressants in the 12 months before pregnancy, and ending with a live-born singleton were included.

Outcome measures

Antidepressant classes (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) and other antidepressants) and types were individually compared with non-exposure during the first trimester (depressed untreated). Major congenital malformations overall and organ-specific malformations in the first year of life were identified.

Results

18 487 pregnant women were included. When looking at the specific types of antidepressant used during the first trimester, only citalopram was increasing the risk of major congenital malformations (adjusted OR, (aOR) 1.36, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.73; 88 exposed cases), although there was a trend towards increased risk for the most frequently used antidepressants. Antidepressants with serotonin reuptake inhibition effect (SSRI, SNRI, amitriptyline (the most used TCA)) increased the risk of certain organ-specific defects: paroxetine increased the risk of cardiac defects (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.88), and ventricular/atrial septal defects (aOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.93); citalopram increased the risk of musculoskeletal defects (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.62), and craniosynostosis (aOR 3.95, 95% CI 2.08 to 7.52); TCA was associated with eye, ear, face and neck defects (aOR 2.45, 95% CI 1.05 to 5.72), and digestive defects (aOR 2.55, 95% CI 1.40 to 4.66); and venlafaxine was associated with respiratory defects (aOR 2.17, 95% CI 1.07 to 4.38).

Conclusions

Antidepressants with effects on serotonin reuptake during embryogenesis increased the risk of some organ-specific malformations in a cohort of pregnant women with depression.
Timing of hypertonic saline and airway clearance techniques in adults with cystic fibrosis during pulmonary exacerbation: pilot data from a randomised crossover study
Authors: O'Neill Katherine , Moran Fidelma , Tunney Michael M , Elborn J Stuart , Bradbury Ian , Downey Damian G , Rendall Jackie , Bradley Judy M
Published: January 2017

Background

Streamlining the timing of treatments in cystic fibrosis (CF) is important to optimise adherence while ensuring efficacy. The optimal timing of treatment with hypertonic saline (HTS) and airway clearance techniques (ACT) is unknown.

Objectives

This study hypothesised that HTS before ACT would be more effective than HTS during ACT as measured by Lung Clearance Index (LCI).

Methods

Adults with CF providing written informed consent were randomised to a crossover trial of HTS before ACT or HTS during ACT on consecutive days. ACT treatment consisted of Acapella Duet. Patients completed LCI and spirometry at baseline and 90 min post treatment. Mean difference (MD) and 95% CIs were reported.

Results

13 subjects completed the study (mean (SD) age 33 (12) years, forced expiratory volume in 1second % (FEV1%) predicted 51% (22), LCI (no. turnovers) 14 (4)). Comparing the two treatments (HTS before ACT vs HTS during ACT), the change from baseline to 90 min post treatment in LCI (MD (95% CI) −0.02 (−0.63 to 0.59)) and FEV1% predicted (MD (95% CI) −0.25 (−2.50 to 1.99)) was not significant. There was no difference in sputum weight (MD (95% CI) −3.0 (−14.9 to 8.9)), patient perceived ease of clearance (MD (95% CI) 0.4 (−0.6 to 1.3) or satisfaction (MD (95% CI) 0.4 (−0.6 to 1.5)). The time taken for HTS during ACT was significantly shorter (MD (95% CI) 14.7 (9.8 to 19.6)).

Conclusions

In this pilot study, HTS before ACT was no more effective than HTS during ACT as measured by LCI.

Trial registration number

NCT01753869; Pre-results.
Use of Pipeline Flex is associated with reduced fluoroscopy time, procedure time, and technical failure compared with the first-generation Pipeline embolization device
Authors: Le Elizabeth J , Miller Timothy , Serulle Yafell , Shivashankar Ravishankar , Jindal Gaurav , Gandhi Dheeraj
Published: January 2017

Background

Flow diversion with the Pipeline embolization device is a well-established method of intracranial aneurysm treatment. However, deployment of the first-generation device (Pipeline Classic) can be technically challenging. The Pipeline Flex contains the same flow-diverting stent with a modified delivery system.

Objective

To compare procedural outcomes between the first-generation device (Pipeline Classic) and the Pipeline Flex.

Methods

Thirty-eight of the first 40 consecutive patients who underwent intracranial aneurysm treatment with the Pipeline Flex and 58 of the most recent 60 consecutive patients who underwent treatment with the Pipeline Classic at our institution were evaluated. Patient demographics, aneurysm characteristics, technical procedural details, and early outcomes were analyzed.

Results

The two groups were comparable for age, gender, and location of target aneurysms. Use of Pipeline Flex decreased procedure time by 44.2 min (p≤0.001) and fluoroscopy time by 22.0 min (p=0.001) compared with the Pipeline Classic. Similarly, radiation exposure was less in the Flex group with a mean difference of 3473.5 Gy cm2(p=0.002), while contrast usage was decreased with a mean difference of 22.3 mL (p=0.007). These differences remained significant in multivariate regression analysis. Finally, the rate of device deployment failure was lower in the Flex group (7.1%) than in the Classic group (23.9%) (p=0.034).

Conclusions

Use of Pipeline Flex significantly reduces the total procedure and fluoroscopy time, contrast usage, patient radiation exposure, and proportion of recaptured devices in comparison with the Pipeline Classic, probably owing to an enhanced delivery system that allows for more reliable and controlled deployment.
Republished: Congenital anomaly of the posterior arch of the atlas: a rare risk factor for posterior circulation stroke
Authors: Ouyang Zhi-yuan , Qiu Min-jian , Zhao Zhe , Wu Xiao-bing , Tong Lu-sha
Published: January 2017

We report an extremely rare case involving a posterior arch anomaly of the atlas, causing a vertebral artery dissection (VAD) induced posterior circulation stroke. A 16-year-old girl was admitted to hospital because of new onset dizziness. VAD related multiple infarction in the posterior circulation was revealed. The congenital posterior arch anomaly of the atlas, along with instability of the atlantoaxial joint, were discovered accidentally during follow-up. This is the first case of ischemic stroke related to atlantal posterior arch aplasia and atlantoaxial instability. Although rare, it reminds us that investigation of the craniovertebral junction should be considered when stroke occurs in young patients.