bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Longevity‐Related Gene Transcriptomic Signature in Glioblastoma Multiforme
Authors: Fawzy Manal S. , Badran Dahlia I. , Al Ageeli Essam , Al-Qahtani Saeed Awad M. , Alghamdi Saleh Ali , Helal Ghada M. , Toraih Eman A.
Published: March 2018

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (grade IV astrocytoma) has been assumed to be the most fatal type of glioma with low survival and high recurrence rates, even after prompt surgical removal and aggressive courses of treatment. Transcriptional reprogramming to stem cell‐like state could explain some of the deregulated molecular signatures in GBM disease. The present study aimed to quantify the expression profiling of longevity‐related transcriptional factors SOX2, OCT3/4, and NANOG to evaluate their diagnostic and performance values in high‐grade gliomas. Forty‐four specimens were obtained from glioblastoma patients (10 females and 34 males). Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was applied for relative gene expression quantification. In silico network analysis was executed. NANOG and OCT3/4 mRNA expression levels were significantly downregulated while that of SOX2 was upregulated in cancer compared to noncancer tissues. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed high diagnostic performance of NANOG and OCT3/4 than SOX2. However, the aberrant expressions of the genes studied were not associated with the prognostic variables in the current population. In conclusion, the current study highlighted the aberrant expression of certain longevity‐associated transcription factors in glioblastoma multiforme which may direct the attention towards new strategies in the treatment of such lethal disease.
A Small Disc Area Is a Risk Factor for Visual Field Loss Progression in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: The Glaucoma Stereo Analysis Study
Authors: Kitaoka Yasushi , Tanito Masaki , Yokoyama Yu , Nitta Koji , Katai Maki , Omodaka Kazuko , Nakazawa Toru
Published: March 2018

Purpose. The Glaucoma Stereo Analysis Study, a cross-sectional multicenter collaborative study, used a stereo fundus camera (nonmyd WX) to assess various morphological parameters of the optic nerve head (ONH) in glaucoma patients. We compared the associations of each parameter between the visual field loss progression group and no-progression group. Methods. The study included 187 eyes of 187 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or normal-tension glaucoma. We divided the mean deviation (MD) slope values of all patients into the progression group (<−0.3 dB/year) and no-progression group (≧−0.3 dB/year). ONH morphological parameters were calculated with prototype analysis software. The correlations between glaucomatous visual field progression and patient characteristics or each ONH parameter were analyzed with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results. The MD slope averages in the progression group and no-progression group were −0.58 ± 0.28 dB/year and 0.05 ± 0.26 dB/year, respectively. Among disc parameters, vertical disc width (diameter), disc area, cup area, and cup volume in the progression group were significantly less than those in the no-progression group. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the visual field progression and disc area (odds ratio 0.49/mm2 disc area). Conclusion. A smaller disc area may be associated with more rapid glaucomatous visual field progression.
Towards 90-90-90 Target: Factors Influencing Availability, Access, and Utilization of HIV Services—A Qualitative Study in 19 Ugandan Districts
Authors: Bajunirwe Francis , Tumwebaze Flora , Akakimpa Denis , Kityo Cissy , Mugyenyi Peter , Abongomera George
Published: March 2018

Background. UNAIDS has set a new target 90-90-90 by 2020. To achieve this target, current programs need to address challenges that limit access, availability, and utilization of HIV testing and treatment services. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the barriers that influence access, availability, and utilization of HIV services in rural Uganda within the setting of a large donor funded program. Methods. We conducted key informant interviews with stakeholders at the district level, staff of existing HIV/AIDS projects, and health facilities in 19 districts. Data were also collected from focus group discussions comprised of clients presenting for HIV care and treatment. Data were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis. Results. Barriers identified were as follows: (1) drug shortages including antiretroviral drugs at health facilities. Some patients were afraid to start ART because of worrying about shortages; (2) distance and (3) staffing shortages; (4) stigma persistence; (5) lack of social and economic support initiatives that enhance retention in treatment. Conclusions. In conclusion, our study has identified several factors that influence access, availability, and utilization of HIV services. Programs need to address drug and staff shortages, HIV stigma, and long distances to health facilities to broaden access and utilization in order to realize the UNAIDS target.
Utility and Generalizability of Multistate, Population-Based Cancer Registry Data for Rural Cancer Surveillance Research in the United States
Authors: Zahnd Whitney E. , Jenkins Wiley D. , James Aimee S. , Izadi Sonya R. , Steward David E. , Fogleman Amanda J. , Colditz Graham A. , Brard Laurent
Published: March 2018

More than 46 million Americans live in rural areas, but rural populations remain relatively understudied in cancer disparities research. However, several analyses of multistate cancer registry data that describe the rural cancer incidence burden have been recently published. In light of this, our article aims to characterize the utility and generalizability of multistate, population-based cancer registry datasets for rural cancer surveillance research. First, we describe the accessibility, geographic coverage, available variables, and strengths and weaknesses of five data sources. Second, we evaluate two of these data sources—the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) public use dataset (93% population coverage) and the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 18 dataset (28% population coverage)—on their characterization of rural–urban cancer incidence rates and sociodemographic representation. The five data sources varied in geographic coverage and extent of available variables. SEER 18′s cancer rates sociodemographic representation differed from the more geographically representative NAACCR data. We suggest that SEER increase its geographic coverage to improve their generalizability and to take advantage of their utility to assess disparities along the cancer control continuum. We also suggest that non-SEER data sources be utilized more frequently to capitalize on their extensive geographic coverage. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(11); 1252–60. ©2018 AACR.
The Pattern of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Expression Is an Independent Marker of Outcome in Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Schinke Carolina , Qu Pingping , Mehdi Syed J. , Hoering Antje , Epstein Joshua , Johnson Sarah K. , van Rhee Frits , Zangari Maurizio , Thanendrarajan Sharmilan , Barlogie Bart , Davies Faith E. , Yaccoby Shmuel , Morgan Gareth J.
Published: March 2018

Purpose: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are an essential component of the bone marrow microenvironment and have shown to support cancer evolution in multiple myeloma. Despite the increasing evidence that multiple myeloma MSCs differ from their healthy counterparts, little knowledge exists as to whether MSCs independently influence disease outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of MSCs in disease progression and outcome in multiple myeloma.

Experimental Design: To determine the impact of MSCs on multiple myeloma outcome in an in vivo system, we first identified genes from cultured MSCs that were specific to MSC expression and were not or minimally expressed in plasma cells (PC) or other cells present in bone marrow aspirates. We then applied this MSC gene signature to whole bone marrow biopsies of multiple myeloma patients compared with healthy controls and determined MSC expression scores specific to multiple myeloma and predictive of outcome.

Results: We show that multiple myeloma MSC gene expression signatures can differentiate multiple myeloma from monoclonal gammopathy and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) as well as from healthy controls and treated multiple myeloma patients who have achieved a complete remission. We identified a prognostic gene score based on three MSC specific genes, COL4A1, NPR3 and ITGBL1, that was able to predict progression-free survival in multiple myeloma patients and progression into multiple myeloma from SMM.

Conclusions: Our findings show that progression of multiple myeloma and of SMM into multiple myeloma does not rely solely on intrinsic PC factors, but is independently affected by the biology of the surrounding microenvironment. Clin Cancer Res; 24(12); 2913–9. ©2018 AACR.
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell–Mediated Neurotoxicity in Nonhuman Primates
Authors: Taraseviciute Agne , Tkachev Victor , Ponce Rafael , Turtle Cameron J. , Snyder Jessica M. , Liggitt H. Denny , Myerson David , Gonzalez-Cuyar Luis , Baldessari Audrey , English Chris , Yu Alison , Zheng Hengqi , Furlan Scott N. , Hunt Daniel J. , Hoglund Virginia , Finney Olivia , Brakke Hannah , Blazar Bruce R. , Berger Carolina , Riddell Stanley R. , Gardner Rebecca , Kean Leslie S. , Jensen Michael C.
Published: March 2018

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of refractory leukemias and lymphomas, but is associated with significant toxicities, namely cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity. A major barrier to developing therapeutics to prevent CAR T cell–mediated neurotoxicity is the lack of clinically relevant models. Accordingly, we developed a rhesus macaque (RM) model of neurotoxicity via adoptive transfer of autologous CD20-specific CAR T cells. Following cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion, CD20 CAR T cells expand to 272 to 4,450 cells/μL after 7 to 8 days and elicit CRS and neurotoxicity. Toxicities are associated with elevated serum IL6, IL8, IL1RA, MIG, and I-TAC levels, and disproportionately high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) IL6, IL2, GM-CSF, and VEGF levels. During neurotoxicity, both CD20 CAR and non-CAR T cells accumulate in the CSF and in the brain parenchyma. This RM model demonstrates that CAR T cell–mediated neurotoxicity is associated with proinflammatory CSF cytokines and a pan–T cell encephalitis.

Significance: We provide the first immunologically relevant, nonhuman primate model of B cell–directed CAR T-cell therapy–mediated CRS and neurotoxicity. We demonstrate CAR and non-CAR T-cell infiltration in the CSF and in the brain during neurotoxicity resulting in pan-encephalitis, accompanied by increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the CSF. Cancer Discov; 8(6); 750–63. ©2018 AACR.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 663
Continuities and Discontinuities in the Development of Moral Judgments
Authors: Nucci Larry , Turiel Elliot , Roded Alona D.
Published: March 2018

Prior research has outlined developmental changes within the conventional and personal domains. Research thus far has provided only limited understanding of age-related changes within the moral domain. That research indicates that there are continuities and discontinuities across ages in moral judgments. The aims of the research presented here were to examine moral judgments in childhood and adolescence, taking into account applications of moral judgments in contexts and the coordination of different considerations in evaluations and decisions. Participants were 167 children and adolescents drawn from two regions of the United States, from diverse ethnic and SES backgrounds, distributed across four age groups from 8 to 17 years. Moral judgments were assessed through interviews around issues of direct harm (hitting), indirect harm (returning dropped money), and helping. Each situation was presented within three conditions: unconflicted situations; situations of conflict with needs of self; and conflicts with needs of another. Situations varied in terms of characteristics of the person who was the object of moral decisions: a generic other, vulnerable other, or antagonistic other. Participants made two types of judgments: whether the action was right or wrong; and whether the actor would have a right to engage in the action if that was the actor's choice. Justifications were elicited for judgments. Cross-age continuities in moral judgments were observed in judgments of acts as wrong in the unconflicted contexts. In contrast, a U-shaped age-related pattern was revealed in judgments of acts as well as the right to engage in acts in the conflicted situations with 8- and 16-year-olds judging acts as wrong and 10- to 14-year-olds more likely to judge acts as right and the actor as having a right to engage in the action. This U-shaped pattern was accompanied by three age-related levels in the coordination of moral and nonmoral elements of situations.
Predictive Factors of Pelvic Lymph Node Metastasis in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer
Authors: Nanthamongkolkul Kulisara , Hanprasertpong Jitti
Published: March 2018

Background: Pelvic lymphadenectomy, which is the routine surgical treatment for early-stage cervical cancer, causes serious morbidity. The goal of the current retrospective study was to identify predictive factors of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with early-stage cervical cancer. Patients and Methods: The study included 496 patients diagnosed with stages IA2-IB1cervical cancer who underwent a radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy. The predictive factors of LNM were evaluated. Results: The incidence of LNM in this study was 4.6%. LNM was more common in patients with deep stromal invasion (DSI), tumor size > 2 cm, lymph vascular invasion and parametrial involvement (PI). Multivariate analysis showed DSI (p = 0.010) and PI (p = 0.005) were independently associated with LNM. The median follow-up time was 56.9 months. The patients with LNM had poorer 5-year overall survival (77.8%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 44.2-92.6) than the patients without LNM (98.2%; 95% CI 95.6-99.2; p = 0.002) and also poorer 5-year recurrence-free survival (65.5%; 95% CI 38.6-82.8) than the patients without LNM (90.2%; 95% CI 86.5-92.9; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The predictive factors of pelvic lymph node metastasis in stage IA2-IB1 cervical cancer patients were DSI and PI. LNM was associated with poorer oncological outcomes.
PARP (Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase) Inhibitors in Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Al Hadidi Samer , Aburahma Ahmed , Badami Sunil , Upadhaya Sunil
Published: March 2018

Background: PARP (poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitors are used more frequently in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis to check the strength of evidence on the use of PARP inhibitors for relapsed platinum-sensitive ovarian tumors. Results: A total of 4 randomized controlled trials were included in our analysis with a total of 1,264 patients (PARP n = 780). Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly better in the PARP group in BRCA-positive patients (hazard ratio (HR) 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19-0.30; p < 0.00001). PFS was significantly better in the PARP group in BRCA-negative patients (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.36-0.75; p < 0.00001). Similarly, we found a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the two groups in BRCA-positive patients (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.97, p= 0.03). Conclusion: PARP inhibitors in addition to standard platinum-based regimens along with subsequent maintenance therapy significantly improves PFS and OS with an acceptable side-effect profile in BRCA-positive women with recurrent, previously platinum-sensitive HGSOC.
Anti-Angiogenics: Their Role in the Treatment of Glioblastoma
Authors: Winkler Frank , Osswald Matthias , Wick Wolfgang
Published: March 2018

Angiogenesis is a hallmark of glioblastomas, but anti-angiogenic therapies have fallen short of the initial expectations to relevantly change the clinical course of the disease. Only one agent, the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A antibody bevacizumab, has shown meaningful efficacy in controlled clinical trials in glioblastoma, so far. In primary and recurrent glioblastoma, this efficacy is, however, limited to prolonging progression-free survival and to generating some additional palliative benefits, without affecting overall survival in the total population of glioblastoma patients. Here, we give an overview of the current status of anti-angiogenic therapy in glioblastoma, including how it is currently used in the clinic. Furthermore, we discuss avenues of biomarker research aiming to identify those glioblastoma patients with a higher likelihood of profiting from anti-VEGF-A therapies (and to identify those who will not). Together with novel anti-angiogenic treatment targets and combination regimens under development today, those might improve the current clinical benefits from this class of drugs in glioblastoma.
High-resolution Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals Configural Processing of Cars in Right Anterior Fusiform Face Area of Car Experts
Authors: Ross David A. , Tamber-Rosenau Benjamin J. , Palmeri Thomas J. , Zhang JieDong , Xu Yaoda , Gauthier Isabel
Published: March 2018

Visual object expertise correlates with neural selectivity in the fusiform face area (FFA). Although behavioral studies suggest that visual expertise is associated with increased use of holistic and configural information, little is known about the nature of the supporting neural representations. Using high-resolution 7-T functional magnetic resonance imaging, we recorded the multivoxel activation patterns elicited by whole cars, configurally disrupted cars, and car parts in individuals with a wide range of car expertise. A probabilistic support vector machine classifier was trained to differentiate activation patterns elicited by whole car images from activation patterns elicited by misconfigured car images. The classifier was then used to classify new combined activation patterns that were created by averaging activation patterns elicited by individually presented top and bottom car parts. In line with the idea that the configuration of parts is critical to expert visual perception, car expertise was negatively associated with the probability of a combined activation pattern being classified as a whole car in the right anterior FFA, a region critical to vision for categories of expertise. Thus, just as found for faces in normal observers, the neural representation of cars in right anterior FFA is more holistic for car experts than car novices, consistent with common mechanisms of neural selectivity for faces and other objects of expertise in this area.
More than Action: The Dorsal Pathway Contributes to the Perception of 3-D Structure
Authors: Freud Erez , Robinson Amanda K. , Behrmann Marlene
Published: March 2018

An evolving view in cognitive neuroscience is that the dorsal visual pathway not only plays a key role in visuomotor behavior but that it also contributes functionally to the recognition of objects. To characterize the nature of the object representations derived by the dorsal pathway, we assessed perceptual performance in the context of the continuous flash suppression paradigm, which suppresses object processing in the ventral pathway while sparing computation in the dorsal pathway. In a series of experiments, prime stimuli, which were rendered imperceptible by the continuous flash suppression, still contributed to perceptual decisions related to the subsequent perceptible target stimuli. However, the contribution of the prime to perception was contingent on the prime's structural coherence, in that a perceptual advantage was observed only for targets primed by objects with legitimate 3-D structure. Finally, we obtained additional evidence to demonstrate that the processing of the suppressed objects was contingent on the magnocellular, rather than the parvocellular, system, further linking the processing of the suppressed stimuli to the dorsal pathway. Together, these results provide novel evidence that the dorsal pathway does not only support visuomotor control but, rather, that it also derives the structural description of 3-D objects and contributes to shape perception.
GHOST: A Satellite Mission Concept for Persistent Monitoring of Stratospheric Gravity Waves Induced by Severe Storms
Authors: Tratt David M. , Hackwell John A. , Valant-Spaight Bonnie L. , Walterscheid Richard L. , Gelinas Lynette J. , Hecht James H. , Swenson Charles M. , Lampen Caleb P. , Alexander M. Joan , Hoffmann Lars , Nolan David S. , Miller Steven D. , Hall Jeffrey L. , Atlas Robert , Marks Frank D. , Partain Philip T.
Published: March 2018

The prediction of tropical cyclone rapid intensification is one of the most pressing unsolved problems in hurricane forecasting. The signatures of gravity waves launched by strong convective updrafts are often clearly seen in airglow and carbon dioxide thermal emission spectra under favorable atmospheric conditions. By continuously monitoring the Atlantic hurricane belt from the main development region to the vulnerable sections of the continental United States at high cadence, it will be possible to investigate the utility of storm-induced gravity wave observations for the diagnosis of impending storm intensification. Such a capability would also enable significant improvements in our ability to characterize the 3D transient behavior of upper-atmospheric gravity waves and point the way to future observing strategies that could mitigate the risk to human life caused by severe storms. This paper describes a new mission concept involving a midinfrared imager hosted aboard a geostationary satellite positioned at approximately 80°W longitude. The sensor’s 3-km pixel size ensures that the gravity wave horizontal structure is adequately resolved, while a 30-s refresh rate enables improved definition of the dynamic intensification process. In this way the transient development of gravity wave perturbations caused by both convective and cyclonic storms may be discerned in near–real time.
Development and Flight Test Results of a Small UAS Distributed Flush Airdata System
Authors: Laurence Roger J. , Argrow Brian M.
Published: March 2018

Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have proven their effectiveness for measuring both the inertial and aircraft-relative wind. One of the more common aircraft-relative wind instruments is the multihole probe (MHP). While the MHP is accurate and simple to use, two main drawbacks exist: 1) the MHP airdata system can cost several times that of the sUAS and 2) the probe itself is often exposed to damage during routine operations. Flush airdata systems (FADS) are an alternative approach and utilize pressure ports flush with the aircraft surface. This removes any external components, thereby mitigating the risk of damage to the airdata system. The work presented details the implementation of a FADS for sUAS. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were used to determine the port locations of the FADS. Airframe locations were sorted based on the total sensitivity over a range of angles of attack and sideslip. The FADS was calibrated in flight using an onboard MHP. Multilayer feedforward neural networks were employed to produce estimates of the angle of attack and sideslip, while static and stagnation ports on the fuselage measured airspeed. Results from flight testing show errors in angle of attack and sideslip were unbiased. Additionally, 97.9% of the errors in airspeed were within 1 m s−1 of the MHP, while 93.8% and 87.3% of the angle of attack and sideslip errors, respectively, were within 1°. Flight tests show that a FADS can be calibrated in flight and that it is an effective method for measuring the aircraft-relative wind from small UAS.
A Technique for the Verification of Precipitation Forecasts and Its Application to a Problem of Predictability
Authors: Han Fan , Szunyogh Istvan
Published: March 2018

A new morphing-based technique is proposed for the verification of precipitation forecasts for which the location error can be described by a spatial shift. An adaptation of the structural similarity index measure (SSIM) of image processing to the precipitation forecast verification problem, called the amplitude and structural similarity index (ASSIM), is also introduced. ASSIM is used to measure both the convergence of the new morphing algorithm, which is an iterative scheme, and the amplitude and structure component of the forecast error. The behavior of the proposed technique, which could also be applied to other forecast parameters with sharp gradients (e.g., potential vorticity), is illustrated with idealized and realistic examples. One of these examples examines the predictability of the location of precipitation events associated with winter storms. It is found that the functional dependence of the average magnitude of the location error on the forecast lead time is qualitatively similar to that of the root-mean-square error of the fields of the conventional atmospheric state variables (e.g., geopotential height). Quantitatively, the average magnitude of the estimated location error is about 40 km at initial time, 110 km at day 1, 250 km at day 3, and 750 km at week 1, and it eventually saturates at about week 2.
Political Party Mortality in Established Party Systems: A Hierarchical Competing Risks Approach
Authors: Bolleyer Nicole , Correa Patricia , Katz Gabriel
Published: March 2018

Existing scholarship offers few answers to fundamental questions about the mortality of political parties in established party systems. Linking party research to the organization literature, we conceptualize two types of party death, dissolution and merger, reflecting distinct theoretical rationales. They underpin a new framework on party organizational mortality theorizing three sets of factors: those shaping mortality generally and those shaping dissolution or merger death exclusively. We test this framework on a new data set covering the complete life cycles of 184 parties that entered 21 consolidated party systems over the last five decades, resorting to multilevel competing risks models to estimate the impact of party and country characteristics on the hazards of both types of death. Our findings not only show that dissolution and merger death are driven by distinct factors, but also that they represent separate logics not intrinsically related at either the party or systemic level.
Self-Actualization Myths: What Did Maslow Really Say?
Authors: Compton William C.
Published: March 2018

Maslow’s theory of self-actualization is one of the most well-known theories both in psychology and to the public. It is also frequently misunderstood or misinterpreted. This article presents myths about self-actualization theory and myths about Maslow’s thoughts on science. Maslow’s own writings are used to refute the myths. The myths cover topics such as the following: empirical support for the theory, the composition of and movement through the needs hierarchy, the “self” in self-actualization, hidden elitism in the theory, and happiness in self-actualizing people. The relevance of Maslow’s self-actualization theory for contemporary psychology is also discussed.
Pregnant sheep develop hypoxaemia during short-term anaesthesia for caesarean delivery
Authors: Musk Gabrielle C , Kemp Matthew W
Published: March 2018

Short-term anaesthesia of the pregnant ewe may be required for caesarean delivery of a preterm foetus within a research protocol. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the acid-base and haematological status of the ewe and foetus at the time of surgical delivery by collecting maternal and foetal arterial blood samples. Fifteen date-mated singleton-pregnant merino cross ewes at 122.0 (±0.5) days of gestation were anaesthetised with a combination of midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) and ketamine (10 mg/kg) by intravenous injection. A subarachnoid injection of lidocaine (60 mg) was given to desensitise the caudal abdomen. Supplemental oxygen was not provided, and an endotracheal tube was not placed in the ewe’s trachea. The development of maternal respiratory acidosis (hypercapnia) and hypoxaemia was anticipated. Samples of arterial blood for blood gas analyses were collected simultaneously from the radial artery of the ewe and the umbilical artery of the foetus immediately after delivery. The results from the maternal blood samples were within the normal range for pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO2), base excess, glucose, lactate, haematocrit and haemoglobin concentration. The maternal partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2) revealed hypoxaemia: 45.2 (41.1–53.4) mmHg. Foetal arterial blood gas analysis revealed hypoxaemia (15.0 ± 3.1 mmHg) and hypoglycaemia (0.1 (0.1–1.1) mmol/L). The benefit of providing supplemental oxygen and/or placing an endotracheal tube must be carefully weighed against the benefit of saving time when prompt delivery of the foetus is planned. In this study the pregnant ewe developed severe hypoxaemia, and this abnormality may have contributed to a low foetal PaO2.
Early L2 Spoken Word Recognition Combines Input-Based and Knowledge-Based Processing
Authors: Wiener Seth , Ito Kiwako , Speer Shari R
Published: March 2018

This study examines the perceptual trade-off between knowledge of a language’s statistical regularities and reliance on the acoustic signal during L2 spoken word recognition. We test how early learners track and make use of segmental and suprasegmental cues and their relative frequencies during non-native word recognition. English learners of Mandarin were taught an artificial tonal language in which a tone’s informativeness for word identification varied according to neighborhood density. The stimuli mimicked Mandarin’s uneven distribution of syllable+tone combinations by varying syllable frequency and the probability of particular tones co-occurring with a particular syllable. Use of statistical regularities was measured by four-alternative forced-choice judgments and by eye fixations to target and competitor symbols. Half of the participants were trained on one speaker, that is, low speaker variability while the other half were trained on four speakers. After four days of learning, the results confirmed that tones are processed according to their informativeness. Eye movements to the newly learned symbols demonstrated that L2 learners use tonal probabilities at an early stage of word recognition, regardless of speaker variability. The amount of variability in the signal, however, influenced the time course of recovery from incorrect anticipatory looks: participants exposed to low speaker variability recovered from incorrect probability-based predictions of tone more rapidly than participants exposed to greater variability. These results motivate two conclusions: early L2 learners track the distribution of segmental and suprasegmental co-occurrences and make predictions accordingly during spoken word recognition; and when the acoustic input is more variable because of multi-speaker input, listeners rely more on their knowledge of tone-syllable co-occurrence frequency distributions and less on the incoming acoustic signal.
Cross-Cultural Evaluation of Antonovsky’s Orientation to Life Questionnaire: Comparison Between Australian, Finnish, and Turkish Young Adults
Authors: Lajunen Timo
Published: March 2018

Antonovsky’s concept “sense of coherence” (SOC) and the related measurement instrument “The Orientation to Life Questionnaire” (OLQ) has been widely applied in studies on health and well-being. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the cultural differences in factor structures and psychometric properties as well as mean scores of the 13-item form of Antonovsky’s OLQ among Australian (n = 201), Finnish (n = 203), and Turkish (n = 152) students. Three models of factor structure were studied by using confirmatory factor analysis: single-factor model, first-order correlated-three-factor model, and the second-order three-factor model. Results obtained in all three countries suggest that the first- and second-order three-factor models fitted the data better that the single-factor model. Hence, the OLQ scoring based on comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness scales was supported. Scale reliabilities and inter-correlations were in line with those reported in earlier studies. Two-way analyses of variance (gender × nationality) with age as a covariate showed no cultural differences in SOC scale scores. Women got higher scores on the meaningfulness scale than men, and age was positively related to all SOC scale scores indicating that SOC increases in early adulthood. The results support the three-factor model of OLQ which thus should be used in Australia, Finland, and Turkey instead of a single-factor model. Need for cross-cultural studies taking into account cultural correlates of SOC and its relation to health and well-being indicators as well as studies on gender differences in the OLQ are emphasized.
From Poker Games to Kitchen Tables: How Social Dynamics Affect Frontline Decision Making
Authors: Raaphorst Nadine , Loyens Kim
Published: March 2018

Existing research on bureaucratic encounters typically studies how bureaucrats’ and clients’ characteristics influence frontline decision making. How social interactions between street-level bureaucrats and between officials and citizens could directly affect case-related decisions largely remains an underexplored field of study, despite the fact that new forms of governance introduce social dynamics in the form of trust and collaboration as tools to increase legitimacy. Relying on in-depth qualitative data of the Belgian labor inspectorate and the Dutch tax authorities, this study scrutinizes how decisions about cases could be affected by their immediate social context.
Assessing Item-Level Fit for Higher Order Item Response Theory Models
Authors: Zhang Xue , Wang Chun , Tao Jian
Published: March 2018

Testing item-level fit is important in scale development to guide item revision/deletion. Many item-level fit indices have been proposed in literature, yet none of them were directly applicable to an important family of models, namely, the higher order item response theory (HO-IRT) models. In this study, chi-square-based fit indices (i.e., Yen’s Q1, McKinley and Mill’s G2, Orlando and Thissen’s S-X2, and S-G2) were extended to HO-IRT models. Their performances are evaluated via simulation studies in terms of false positive rates and correct detection rates. The manipulated factors include test structure (i.e., test length and number of dimensions), sample size, level of correlations among dimensions, and the proportion of misfitting items. For misfitting items, the sources of misfit, including the misfitting item response functions, and misspecifying factor structures were also manipulated. The results from simulation studies demonstrate that the S-G2is promising for higher order items.
Organizational Actorhood and the Management of Paradox: A Visual Analysis
Authors: Halgin Daniel S. , Glynn Mary Ann , Rockwell Dean
Published: March 2018

We extend the theorization of organizations as social actors to illuminate how external attributions of actorhood are made by the business media and how these attributions are associated with heightened environmental paradoxes confronting organizations. We analyze the visual depictions of organizations on 530 covers of an influential periodical, BusinessWeek (BW) magazine, over a 30-year period, 1978–2007. We present evidence that the visual depiction of organizational actorhood increased over time and that this depiction occurred more frequently in periods characterized by heightened paradoxical tensions in the business environment. Moreover, we find that in these periods, there is a complementarity between the visual and verbal modes: verbal text highlights the oppositional nature of paradox while the visual image offers interpretations for the management of these tensions. Our work contributes to understanding how the visual construction of organizations by external audiences can position the organization’s standing as an actor, as well as the organization’s capabilities for action under conditions of environmental challenge.
Shakespeare’s Sonnets in European translation
Authors: Shurbanov Alexander
Published: March 2018

This article sets out to survey the multifarious European attempts to render Shakespeare’s sonnets in a variety of other languages. The universal and specific problems of translating these texts are explored and their solutions are discussed.
‘The will to not be empowered (according to your rules)’: Resistance in Finnish participatory social policy
Authors: Meriluoto Taina
Published: March 2018

Participation has increasingly become a means and an end for successful and ‘empowering’ social policy. Building on previous governmentality critiques of participatory initiatives, this article investigates practices of resistance in the context of Finnish participatory social policy. I adopt a Foucauldian counter-conducts approach as my lens to study critical speech as a form of resistance in initiatives that invite marginalised people as ‘experts-by-experience’ in social welfare organisations. I illustrate how practices of governing and resistance are intertwined and mutually dependent in a much subtler and more practical manner than allows the often-used analytical dichotomy between dominance and empowerment. As an example, I show how the projects’ attempts to co-opt the participants’ critical speech may also serve as the basis for their subversive self-making and means of ‘being differently’.
The politics of local resistance in urban South Africa: Evidence from three informal settlements
Authors: Paret Marcel
Published: March 2018

Between 2009 and 2014, South Africa experienced widespread protests. In contrast to prominent examples of global protest during the same period, they were localized and did not push for broad political and economic transformation. To explain these features, this article draws from three ethnographic and interview-based case studies of local protest and organizing within informal settlements in and around Johannesburg. The author argues that urban poverty and the experience of market insecurity, on the one hand, and democratization and the experience of state betrayal, on the other hand, gave rise to specific political orientations. Residents responded to market insecurity by demanding collective consumption for place-based communities, and they responded to state betrayal by demanding fulfillment of a national liberation social contract through administrative fixes. Both strategies confined activism to the local level and limited broader challenges. The findings have implications for research on both the urban poor and social movements.
The Litter of Summers Past: The Moviegoer's Philosophy of History
Authors: Aiello Thomas
Published: March 2018

For The Moviegoer’s Binx Bolling, history seems at times to be nothing more than the ‘adulteration of events that clog time like peanuts in brittle’. At others, personal histories seem to shape people's constitutions. Bolling has abandoned his ‘vertical search’ of combing through history to find meaning in favour of a ‘horizontal search’ that treats such endeavours as ancillary. At the same time he only understands others by seeing them as the product of their historical dialectics. This complex use of history as both a vehicle of understanding and a veil that confuses more than it clarifies serves as one of the principal sources of Bolling's stasis throughout the novel.
Validation of a Measure of Sustainability of School-Wide Behavior Interventions and Supports
Authors: Kittelman Angus , Bromley Katherine W. , Mercer Sterett H. , McIntosh Kent
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability and validity of a measure assessing sustainability of school-wide behavior interventions, the School-Wide Universal Behavior Support Sustainability Index: School Teams (SUBSIST). We assessed the stability of the SUBSIST across 3 years of measurement. We also assessed the convergent validity of two key SUBSIST factors, Team Use of Data and District Capacity Building, with more direct measures of these constructs. Results showed stability of the measure across multiple years and statistically significant correlations when compared with other external measures. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Migrants, markets and domestic work: Do institutional contexts matter in the personal household service sector?
Authors: Hobson Barbara , Hellgren Zenia , Serrano Inma
Published: March 2018

This article compares Spain and Sweden, dissimilar in their welfare/care, migration and employment regimes; however, both have experienced expansions of private markets for personal household services where migrants are over-represented. Using Sen’s capabilities framework as a point of departure, we explore the extent to which regime differences shaping the dynamics of personal household service markets are reflected in the capabilities and well-being of migrants employed in them. Despite variations in employment regimes and market structures, we found more similarities than differences in capabilities and well-being. Institutional contexts mattered for the access to entitlements and capabilities for alternative choices in employment, discernible in the more positive perceptions of future possibilities and potential agency to leave the sector among migrants in Sweden than in Spain. The analysis is based on 90 semi-structured interviews, as well as findings from two national migrant surveys and interviews with stakeholders.
Energy-saving control for electro-hydraulic systems under time-varying negative loads
Authors: Jin Mengren , Wang Qingfeng
Published: March 2018

In a hydraulic system, employment of counterbalance valve introduces sizable energy consumption. In addition, a pressure-feedback control architecture with inflexible parameters causes instability under time-varying negative loads. As an alternative, an adjustable meter-out orifice was adopted, and a stable controller was proposed in this study. By combining inlet pressure and velocity, the concept of a flow rate follower was developed. Mathematical analysis of dynamic model illustrated that both the inlet pressure and velocity converged to a range related to the flow rate follower bounds. Feedback linearization with robust control was utilized such that flow rate follower converged in the presence of parametric uncertainties; meanwhile, a high-gain load observer was constructed for disturbance compensation. The effectiveness of the controller was verified by experiments and its performance discussed. As a result, the inlet pressure was held near a specified low value, thus significantly reducing energy consumption. Also, the velocity matched the supply flow rate, and the oscillations were acceptable in applications.
Letter to the editor on the article “Alteration of redox status by commonly used antimalarial drugs in the north-western region of Nigeria” by Muhammad A et al.
Authors: Szewczyk-Golec K , Wesołowski R , Hołyńska-Iwan I
Published: March 2018

Malaria belongs to the most dangerous infectious diseases globally. Every effort to understand the mechanisms involved in Plasmodium spp. malaria infection and the antimalarial action cannot be overestimated. We have read with great interest the recently published article by Muhammad et al. entitled “Alteration of redox status by commonly used antimalarial drugs in the north-western region of Nigeria.” Several questions have arisen about the conducted study that we would like to comment on.
Educating Future Managers for Developing Resilient Organizations: The Role of Scenario Planning
Authors: Hillmann Julia , Duchek Stephanie , Meyr Julian , Guenther Edeltraud
Published: March 2018

Managers play an important role in creating organizational resilience. In highly volatile and uncertain times they must employ long-term visioning, think in alternatives, and deal with complexity in order to promote organizational resilience capabilities. However, strategic management education has been criticized for not providing significant learning experiences that equip them with those capabilities adequately. It still teaches outdated frameworks that do not meet the needs of today’s complex environment and that are not truly considering real problems of strategy. One way to confront these limitations could be a learning intervention that combines a future-oriented strategy framework with a subsequent experiential learning experience. We use a qualitative research design with an experimental character to contrast student groups that were part of a combined learning intervention (a lecture on scenario planning and a case study work) with student groups that only took part in the case study work. Our video-based analysis shows that the first are consistently superior in terms of the strategy process (structure and outcome), performance outcomes (accuracy, plausibility, creativity, and transferability), and learning outcomes. The analysis further shows a positive influence on resilience capabilities such as anticipation and sensemaking.
Implementation of a Standardized Data-Collection System for Comprehensive Appraisal of Cleft Care
Authors: Bittar Peter G. , Carlson Anna R. , Mabie-DeRuyter Ann , Marcus Jeffrey R. , Allori Alexander C.
Published: March 2018

Objective:

Our objective is to describe the process of adapting a conceptual framework into a practical toolkit for one cleft team.

Design:

This is a single-arm implementation study in a single institution.

Setting:

Implementation took place at a mid-sized multidisciplinary clinic for patients with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) from urban/suburban and rural areas across North Carolina and neighboring states.

Participants:

Eligible participants were patients with CL/P from English-speaking families. Sixty patients entered and finished the study.

Interventions:

The implementation of a prospective data collection system based on the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) standard set of outcome measures for CL/P was accomplished in multiple stages. Patient- and clinician-reported forms and protocols for gathering data were created. Team members were trained and the system was tested; finally, the system was deployed.

Main outcome measures:

Success was appraised using the RE-AIM framework to assess reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance.

Results:

Ninety-eight percent of patients and all team members agreed to participate. Ninety-four percent of required data were captured. Adaptations to friction points were made; specifically, visible reminders were affixed to charts, primary clinicians were required to assume data entry responsibility, and e-mail reminders were instituted. Development cost was US$7707; average time cost per clinician was 21 min/wk.

Conclusions:

Conceptual frameworks for outcomes studies must be tailored to their environments; otherwise, they cannot be practically implemented and sustained. We present this process for a cleft team using the ICHOM standard set. The process may help other teams implement the standard set or other conceptual frameworks.