bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dunhuang Art
Authors: Wang Michelle C.
Published: August 2018

The oasis city of Dunhuang lies at the eastern end of the southern Silk Routes, in Gansu Province in northwestern China. In the 2nd century BCE, Dunhuang was established by the Chinese Han dynasty as a center for military operations and trade. Over time, Dunhuang became an important hub for multicultural trade as well as for the transmission of commodities, ideas, and religions. The status of Dunhuang as an important regional center for Buddhism is demonstrated by a wealth of paintings and manuscripts that provide crucial insights into the unfolding of religious praxis and developments in visual culture over many centuries.

A few centuries after the establishment of Dunhuang as a military garrison, the construction of cave shrines in the area began. Four major groups of cave shrines were constructed in the Dunhuang region: the Mogao, Yulin, and Western Thousand Buddhas caves, and the Five Temples site. The most well-studied of these are the Mogao 莫高, or “peerless,” cave shrines, which are located 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang at the eastern edge of Mount Mingsha 鳴沙山 (Mountain of the Singing Sands). From the 4th to the 14th centuries, 492 man-made caves were carved from the sandstone cliffs, stretching 1,680 meters from south to north. They were painted with over 45,000 square meters of mural paintings and installed with more than 2,000 painted clay sculptures. To the north, 248 additional caves were carved. Mostly unadorned, the northern caves served as habitation chambers for monks.

In addition to the mural paintings and inscriptions in the Mogao caves, more than 50,000 manuscripts and portable paintings were discovered in 1900 by the caretaker and Daoist priest Wang Yuanlu 王圓籙 from one cave, numbered Mogao cave 17, popularly though perhaps problematically known as the “library cave.” These objects were dispersed in the early 20th century to library and museum collections, the most prominent of which are the Stein collection in the British Museum, British Library, the National Museum of India, and the Pelliot collection in the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet and Bibliothèque Nationale de France. For this reason, the study of Dunhuang art and material culture encompasses both objects held in museum and library collections worldwide as well as mural paintings and sculptures located in situ in the cave shrines. Bringing these two bodies of material into conversation with one another enables a nuanced understanding of Dunhuang as a religious and artistic center, focusing in particular on the Mogao caves.
The Mexico City Metro and Its Riders
Authors: López Amanda M.
Published: August 2018

Mexico City’s subway, commonly known as “el Metro,” opened its first line of service on September 4, 1969. Since then, the mass transit system, operated by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC), has expanded to include 195 stations across twelve lines that serve an estimated five and a half million riders per day. The metro was constructed not only to alleviate severe traffic congestion in the city’s center due to population growth and private car use, but also it was envisioned as part of a plan to modernize the city and raise Mexico to the status of world cities such as Paris and Montreal. The low fare has made it one of the primary modes of transportation for the city’s working class, who use it in combination with other forms of public transportation to reach jobs in distant parts of the metropolis. Some studies have shown that the Metro has exacerbated geographic segregation between rich and poor as well as perpetuated low wages. Beyond its function as a mass transit system, the Metro was envisioned as and still serves as an important cultural space. The graphic designers and architects who led the project integrated modern architectural elements with graphic embellishments and signage that incorporated national culture and history to present a modernity uniquely Mexican. In its almost fifty years of service, the Metro has become an important symbol of the capital’s cultural life that everyday Mexicans have used for their own political, economic, and cultural purposes.
Agrarian Reform in Bolivia in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Authors: Soliz Carmen
Published: August 2018

Until the 1950s, the distribution of land in Bolivia, as in the rest of Latin America, was very unequal. But in 1953, a year after the 1952 national revolution, the nationalist revolutionary movement (MNR) enacted a decree on agrarian reform that dismantled feudal haciendas in the western highlands, abolished the system of forced peasant labor, and distributed expropriated lands to peasants. While the decree proved redistributive in the Altiplano and valleys, it ended up creating new concentrations of land in Bolivia’s eastern lowlands. This area, which constituted two thirds of Bolivia’s territory, was home to a number of indigenous groups who were displaced from their lands because of the expansion of latifundio in the second half of the 20th century. In 1996, after pressure from below, the neoliberal government of Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (1993–1997) approved a new agrarian law that recognized indigenous rights to collective territory (Tierra Comunitaria de Origen, TCO). In 2006, left-leaning President Evo Morales approved a new agrarian law. Although the new legislation mostly ratified the 1996 law, it established that only indigenous and peasant populations could be granted state lands. Despite this legislation claiming to protect the majority Indian and peasant population, scholars such as Colque, Tinta, and Sanjines note that it was under a neoliberal government, between 1996 to 2006, that much of the process of land distribution favored to indigenous groups of the lowlands, and it was under left-leaning President Evo Morales (from 2010 to the present [2018]) that much of land distribution favored medium and agricultural enterprises. The most important clash between the self-proclaimed indigenous Evo Morales and lowland indigenous groups was in September 2011 when indigenous groups living in the National Park and Indigenous Territory Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS) protested against the government’s unilateral decision to build a road through their territory. Since 2011 (up to the present, 2018) the tension and political distance between president Morales and his loyal coca-leaf grower supporters—many of whom live on the borders of the park and are invested on the construction of the road—versus the indigenous groups of the lowlands have only grown. Ironically, it seems to be under Morales that key indigenous rights such as the right to prior consultation or the right to consolidate territories (TCOs) seem to be at the most risk.
Mexico and the Pacific
Authors: Slack Edward R.
Published: August 2018

Called “Mar del Sur” [South Sea] when first spotted by Balboa in 1513 and dubbed “Mar Pacifíco” [Peaceful Calm Sea] by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, the historical relationship between the Pacific Ocean and the people of Mexico is multilayered and dynamic. During the Spanish colonial era (1521–1821), the viceroyalty of New Spain (Nueva España) supervised the Asian and Polynesian colonies of the Philippines and Guam (and briefly Taiwan and the Spice island of Ternate) across the Pacific. Acapulco became a mythical emporium of exotic luxury supplied by the galleons from Manila that for 250 years tied Asia to the Iberian New World. Beyond this famous port, littoral native communities dotting the Pacific coast, from Oaxaca in the south to the forty-second parallel of Alta California in the north, gradually fell under Spanish secular and religious control. The enormous coastline measured approximately 5,400 miles, more than double the length of seaside territory facing the Gulf of Mexico. Following the War of Mexican Independence (1810–1821), the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) emerged. For the next fifty years, Mexico experienced domestic political instability exacerbated by wars against the United States (Mexican-American War, 1846–1848) and France (1862–1867). When political order was finally established under the regime of Porfirio Díaz (1876–1910), regionalism was confronted by the centrifugal power of a modernizing, technocratic state. Despite losing 840 miles of California coastline, and a lucrative trade route with Manila, in the Mexican-American War, Mexico’s Pacific littoral in the south grew to incorporate the formerly Guatemalan territory of Chiapas, and a new shipping network evolved. Traditional research on pueblos, cities, or states along the Pacific coast emphasizes purely local or regional contexts within the colonial or independent Mexican state; or it is grouped thematically into studies about the galleon trade or California mission settlements. Recent scholarship is encouraging a more balanced approach, accentuating the many threads that wove a rich tapestry of Mexico’s unique relationship with the “Pacific World” (as opposed to the more popular “Atlantic World”); not only in a nationalist framework, but with inter-American and trans-Pacific or global dimensions.
Natural Hazards Governance in Mexico
Authors: Mansilla Elizabeth
Published: August 2018

As a result of the earthquakes that occurred in September 1985 and their human and material consequences, disaster care in Mexico became institutionalized and acquired the rank of public policy when the first national civil protection law was published years later. More than 30 years after the creation of the National Civil Protection System, there have been some important advances; however, they have not been translated into higher levels of safety for populations exposed to risk. On the contrary, the evidence shows that the country’s risk, as well as the number of disasters and associated material losses, increase year by year.

To a large extent, this stems from an approach based predominantly on post-disaster response by strengthening preparedness and emergency response capacities and creating financial mechanisms to address reconstruction processes, as opposed to broader approaches seeking to address the root causes of risk and disasters. Post-disaster actions and reconstruction processes have failed to achieve acceptable levels of efficiency, and disorganization and misuse of resources that should benefit disaster-affected populations still prevails.
An Image Reconnaissance: Agricultural Patterns and Related Environmental Impacts Viewed From Space
Authors: Hazlett Richard W. , Peck Joshua
Published: August 2018

Satellite reconnaissance of the Earth’s surface provides critical information about the state of human interaction with the natural environment. The strongest impact is agricultural, reflecting land-use approaches to food production extending back to the dawn of civilization. To variable degrees, depending upon location, regional field patterns result from traditional farming practices, surveying methods, regional histories, policies, political agendas, environmental circumstances, and economic welfare. Satellite imaging in photographic true or false color is an important means of evaluating the nature and implications of agricultural practices and their impacts on the surrounding world. Important platforms with publicly accessible links to satellite image sets include those of the European Space Agency, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Centre D’etudes Spatiales, Airbus, and various other governmental programs. Reprocessing of data worldwide in scope by commercial concerns including Digital Globe, Terrametrics, and GoogleEarth in the 21st century enable ready examination of most of the Earth’s surface in great detail and natural colors. The potential for monitoring and improving understanding of agriculture and its role in the Earth system is considerable thanks to these new ways of viewing the planet.

Space reconnaissance starkly reveals the consequences of unique land surveys for the rapid development of agriculture and political control in wilderness areas, including the U.S. Public Land Survey and Tierras Bajas systems. Traditional approaches toward agriculture are clearly shown in ribbon farms, English enclosures and medieval field systems, and terracing in many parts of the world. Irrigation works, some thousands of years old, may be seen in floodplains and dryland areas, notably the Maghreb and the deep Sahara, where center-pivot fields have recently appeared in areas once considered too dry to cultivate. Approaches for controlling erosion, including buffer zones, shelter belts, strip and contour farming, can be easily identified. Also evident are features related to field erosion and soil alteration that have advanced to crisis stage, such as badland development and widespread salinization. Pollution related to farm runoff, and the piecemeal (if not rapid) loss of farmlands due to urbanization can be examined in ways favoring more comprehensive evaluation of human impacts on the planetary surface. Developments in space technologies and observational platforms will continue indefinitely, promising ever-increasing capacity to understand how humans relate to the environment.
Computational determination of gene age and characterization of evolutionary dynamics in human
Authors: Yin Hongyan , Li Mengwei , Xia Lin , He Chaozu , Zhang Zhang
Published: August 2018

Genes originate at different evolutionary time scales and possess different ages, accordingly presenting diverse functional characteristics and reflecting distinct adaptive evolutionary innovations. In the past decades, progresses have been made in gene age identification by a variety of methods that are principally based on comparative genomics. Here we summarize methods for computational determination of gene age and evaluate the effectiveness of different computational methods for age identification. Our results show that improved age determination can be achieved by combining homolog clustering with phylogeny inference, which enables more accurate age identification in human genes. Accordingly, we characterize evolutionary dynamics of human genes based on an extremely long evolutionary time scale spanning ~4,000 million years from archaea/bacteria to human, revealing that young genes are clustered on certain chromosomes and that Mendelian disease genes (including monogenic disease and polygenic disease genes) and cancer genes exhibit divergent evolutionary origins. Taken together, deciphering genes’ ages as well as their evolutionary dynamics is of fundamental significance in unveiling the underlying mechanisms during evolution and better understanding how young or new genes become indispensable integrants coupled with novel phenotypes and biological diversity.
HLA-IMPUTER: an easy to use web application for HLA imputation and association analysis using population-specific reference panels
Authors: Shen Jiangshan J , Yang Chao , Wang Yong-Fei , Wang Ting-You , Guo Mengbiao , Lau Yu Lung , Zhang Xuejun , Sheng Yujun , Yang Wanling
Published: August 2018

HLA allele imputation from SNP genotypes has become increasingly useful, but its accuracy is heavily dependent on the reference panels used. HLA-IMPUTER implements HIBAG algorithm for HLA imputation with different population specific reference panels, including a new Han Chinese reference panel derived from 10 689 samples. We provide a convenient platform for researchers to impute HLA alleles and perform association analysis.

Availability and implementation

http://wyanglab.org: 3838/RefPanelWebsite/.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Understanding and predicting disease relationships through similarity fusion
Authors: Oerton Erin , Roberts Ian , Lewis Patrick S H , Guilliams Tim , Bender Andreas
Published: August 2018

Motivation

Combining disease relationships across multiple biological levels could aid our understanding of common processes taking place in disease, potentially indicating opportunities for drug sharing. Here, we propose a similarity fusion approach which accounts for differences in information content between different data types, allowing combination of each data type in a balanced manner.

Results

We apply this method to six different types of biological data (ontological, phenotypic, literature co-occurrence, genetic association, gene expression and drug indication data) for 84 diseases to create a ‘disease map’: a network of diseases connected at one or more biological levels. As well as reconstructing known disease relationships, 15% of links in the disease map are novel links spanning traditional ontological classes, such as between psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. 62% of links in the disease map represent drug-sharing relationships, illustrating the relevance of the similarity fusion approach to the identification of potential therapeutic relationships.

Availability and implementation

Freely available under the MIT license at https://github.com/e-oerton/disease-similarity-fusion

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Methods for automatic reference trees and multilevel phylogenetic placement
Authors: Czech Lucas , Barbera Pierre , Stamatakis Alexandros
Published: August 2018

Motivation

In most metagenomic sequencing studies, the initial analysis step consists in assessing the evolutionary provenance of the sequences. Phylogenetic (or Evolutionary) Placement methods can be employed to determine the evolutionary position of sequences with respect to a given reference phylogeny. These placement methods do however face certain limitations: The manual selection of reference sequences is labor-intensive; the computational effort to infer reference phylogenies is substantially larger than for methods that rely on sequence similarity; the number of taxa in the reference phylogeny should be small enough to allow for visually inspecting the results.

Results

We present algorithms to overcome the above limitations. First, we introduce a method to automatically construct representative sequences from databases to infer reference phylogenies. Second, we present an approach for conducting large-scale phylogenetic placements on nested phylogenies. Third, we describe a preprocessing pipeline that allows for handling huge sequence datasets. Our experiments on empirical data show that our methods substantially accelerate the workflow and yield highly accurate placement results.

Availability and implementation

Freely available under GPLv3 at http://github.com/lczech/gappa.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Robust prediction of clinical outcomes using cytometry data
Authors: Hu Zicheng , Glicksberg Benjamin S , Butte Atul J
Published: August 2018

Motivation

Flow cytometry and mass cytometry are widely used to diagnose diseases and to predict clinical outcomes. When associating clinical features with cytometry data, traditional analysis methods require cell gating as an intermediate step, leading to information loss and susceptibility to batch effects. Here, we wish to explore an alternative approach that predicts clinical features from cytometry data without the cell-gating step. We also wish to test if such a gating-free approach increases the accuracy and robustness of the prediction.

Results

We propose a novel strategy (CytoDx) to predict clinical outcomes using cytometry data without cell gating. Applying CytoDx on real-world datasets allow us to predict multiple types of clinical features. In particular, CytoDx is able to predict the response to influenza vaccine using highly heterogeneous datasets, demonstrating that it is not only accurate but also robust to batch effects and cytometry platforms.

Availability and implementation

CytoDx is available as an R package on Bioconductor (bioconductor.org/packages/CytoDx). Data and scripts for reproducing the results are available on bitbucket.org/zichenghu_ucsf/cytodx_study_code/downloads.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
PDV: an integrative proteomics data viewer
Authors: Li Kai , Vaudel Marc , Zhang Bing , Ren Yan , Wen Bo
Published: August 2018

Data visualization plays critical roles in proteomics studies, ranging from quality control of MS/MS data to validation of peptide identification results. Herein, we present PDV, an integrative proteomics data viewer that can be used to visualize a wide range of proteomics data, including database search results, de novo sequencing results, proteogenomics files, MS/MS data in mzML/mzXML format and data from public proteomics repositories. PDV is a lightweight visualization tool that enables intuitive and fast exploration of diverse, large-scale proteomics datasets on standard desktop computers in both graphical user interface and command line modes.

Availability and implementation

PDV software and the user manual are freely available at http://pdv.zhang-lab.org. The source code is available at https://github.com/wenbostar/PDV and is released under the GPL-3 license.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Vertical distribution and active carbon transport by pelagic decapods in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
Authors: Pakhomov Evgeny A , Podeswa Yasha , Hunt Brian P V , Kwong Lian E
Published: August 2018

Pelagic decapods were sampled during August 2011 in the central North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG). Depth-stratified samples using a MOCNESS-10 (10 m2 Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System) were collected at two stations to the west and north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu: Station Kahe: 21°20.6′N–158°16.4′W and Station ALOHA: 22°45′N–158°00′W. Total decapod abundance and biomass were 4.3 ind. m−2 and 0.71 gDW m−2. While 40 decapod taxa were identified, only 22 species were sampled sufficiently to study quantitatively their vertical migrations. All species were classified into three migration groups: full migrators (6 species); partial migrators (13 species); and non-migrators (3 species). Using measured local temperature profiles along with decapod densities and published models of respiration, excretion and mortality as well as gut fullness data, the individual and total active downward carbon flux was calculated. Active carbon flux of migrating decapods ranged from 383 to 625 µgC m−2 day−1. This active flux was equal to 4.8–7.8% of passive flux at the mean nighttime residence depth of ∼711 m), 2.1–3.4% of passive flux at the mean daytime residence depth (∼262 m), and 1.5–2.4% of passive flux at the base of the euphotic zone (∼173 m). Mortality flux accounted for ∼70% of total active flux, followed by gut flux—∼18%.
Cloud services as the ultimate gate(keeper)
Authors: Lundqvist Björn
Published: August 2018

In the Internet of Things (IoT), the amount and smart use of data will determine whether or not a firm can compete successfully. Manufacturing firms will collect data through sensors in their devices and, at least in the cases of SMEs, likely store the collected data in the cloud, purchasing cloud services and storage from the large e-platform providers doubling as cloud providers. The e-platform providers will also collect data from users of their other services. These data are often generated by the same firms that purchase cloud services when they use the e-platforms to sell goods and services. Access to the data and to data analytics on fair business terms, and the possibility to switch cloud and service providers are vital for the SMEs and, in general, to create a competitive and vibrant IoT. However, cloud and e-platform customers seem to be facing difficulties. According to the EU Commission, SMEs are finding it particularly hard to engage cloud and e-platform providers, and to gain access to cloud services on reasonable, transparent terms. The contracts are skewed in favour of the cloud providers. The customers get locked in and may be obliged to agree not to assert any of their intellectual property rights vis-à-vis the cloud provider or the cloud provider’s network. Moreover, the cloud and e-platform providers may under certain circumstances access and make use of the users’ data, and that may give them a competitive advantage vis-à-vis the users, since the providers may have access to much more data, even data originating from the users’ competitors, suppliers, customers, etc. They can thus use all the data available to them to obtain a fuller picture of whole industries, and they may use that advantage in data to leverage and enter users’ markets. Indeed, they may use the data in the cloud for data-driven business strategies to enter the core market of the firms that have provided them with data in the first place. This article discusses whether competition law can address the conduct of the cloud and e-platform providers, so that firms may access and make use of all the possibilities that the IoT harbours.
‘They Say Our Work Is Not Halal’: Experiences and Challenges of Refugee Community Workers Involved in Gender-based Violence Prevention and Care in Dadaab, Kenya
Authors: Izugbara Chimaraoke , Muthuri Stella , Muuo Sheru , Egesa Carolyne , Franchi Giorgia , Mcalpine Alys , Bacchus Loraine , Hossain Mazeda
Published: August 2018

Notwithstanding the growing centrality of refugee community workers (RCWs) in the current response to gender-based violence (GBV) in the Dadaab refugee camps, they remain poorly studied. Using interview data, we explored the work-related experiences and challenges as well as GBV-related beliefs of RCWs. Whilst they demonstrated elevated knowledge of the forms and drivers of GBV in their community, some of the RCWs did not deem early marriage, female genital mutilation and wife-beating to be GBV acts. In their work, RCWs were motivated by compassion for survivors as well as a sense of community service, but they faced challenges such as insecurity; poor pay; opposition and violence by community members; tense relationships with and suspicion by professional providers; and limited skills and preparation in GBV management. RCWs’ GBV-related beliefs and work experiences underscore the challenges of programming in a complex humanitarian space and offer insights for strengthening their contribution in GBV care and service delivery.
Assessment
Authors: Kearney Christopher A. , Albano Anne Marie
Published: August 2018

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the recommended assessment process for youths with school refusal behavior. The purpose of formally assessing a child with school refusal behavior is to obtain answers to three critical questions: What is the behavior problem? What is maintaining school refusal behavior? and What is the best treatment for school refusal behavior? Recommended assessment methods such as interviews, child self-report measures, and parent and teacher checklists are presented. The chapter also presents descriptive procedures (such as questionnaires to initially identify variables that maintain school refusal behavior) and experimental procedures (in the form of observations to confirm the presence of these maintaining variables). Assessment forms and logbooks to record observations are provided.
Consultation Session and General Treatment Session Procedures
Authors: Kearney Christopher A. , Albano Anne Marie
Published: August 2018

Chapter 3 provides an overview of the recommended procedures during the consultation session. Suggestions are provided for summarizing assessment results and making treatment recommendations to the family. General considerations for each treatment phase in this therapist guide are discussed. An outline of the eight treatment sessions is provided. Recommendations are made regarding immediate, generic suggestions that can apply to parents and youths with all types of school refusal behavior.
Relapse Prevention and Special Circumstances
Authors: Kearney Christopher A. , Albano Anne Marie
Published: August 2018

Chapter 8 describes slips and relapse and provides an overview of how to help children and families prevent a return to school refusal behavior. Activities to help with relapse prevention include taking photographs of the child during in vivo exposure practices; creating a poster, journal, or storybook of the child’s accomplishments using photographs of the child’s exposures; and asking the child’s help in producing a video “commercial” aimed at teaching other children how to overcome the problem of school refusal behavior. Special circumstances such as how to handle long breaks from school (like summer vacation) and starting a new school are discussed. For children with chronic or extremely severe school refusal behavior, relapse prevention can be challenging. A list is provided of key skills that older adolescents/young adults will need as they live independently or move away to college.
Introduction
Authors: Rubenzer Steve
Published: August 2018

This chapter introduces the reader to negative response bias—malingering, feigning, and lack of cooperation, and their prevalence in competency to stand trial evaluations. The chapter cites a number of studies that examined the rate of feigning in competency assessments and identifies factors that are likely to affect the base rate of feigning. Styles of negative response bias are also discussed, as is the possibility that a legitimately mentally ill defendant might deny psychiatric problems. Finally, the chapter summarizes recent legal decisions, from both state and federal jurisdictions, that comment on feigning or malingering in the context of a CST evaluation or hearing.
Means of Combining or Summarizing Data
Authors: Rubenzer Steve
Published: August 2018

This chapter considers the ways that different facts and test results can be synthesized and summarized. The Slick criteria, which were designed to facilitate reliable encoding of the data that might be used to judge the validity of an examinee’s presentation during a neuropsychological evaluation, are discussed along with suggested modifications, criticisms, and alternatives. The chapter discusses several quantitative approaches that have been proposed to objectively weigh evidence of feigning, including below-chance performance and estimating the probability of multiple validity test failures. The challenges of creating similar criteria for feigned psychopathology and incompetence are presented, and the importance of considering poor effort (as opposed to an exclusive focus on malingering or feigning) is discussed.
Systemic, Policy, and Research Issues
Authors: Rubenzer Steve
Published: August 2018

This chapter briefly recaps the major findings from the preceding chapters and discusses the enormous implications of the transition from inpatient to outpatient CST assessment over the past 20 years. Along with low fees for outpatient CST examinations, this shift to outpatient assessment has led to a greater urgency for examiners to be able to address negative response bias in a time-efficient manner. The chapter reviews the time requirements for various validity tests and other data that may inform validity assessment; it also considers advantages or disadvantages of the location of evaluations and provides recommendations regarding situations in which a second opinion CST exam is ordered. Recommendations for public policy and future CST research are offered.
Preoperative Planning Using 3-Dimensional Printing for Complex Paraspinal Schwannoma Resection: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Stone Jonathan J , Matsumoto Jane M , Morris Jonathan M , Spinner Robert J
Published: August 2018

Schwannomas are benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors that are typically round, smooth, and straightforward to resect. Occasionally they are more complicated to resect because of their size, location, degree of bony erosion, and vascular or neural compression. These complex lesions frequently require multidisciplinary surgical teams in order to decrease surgical morbidity. Historically, surgical planning consisted of imaging review and verbal communication among team members. 3-dimensional (3D) printing offers a new method for preoperative planning and is becoming more popular in Neurosurgery. This video demonstrates the use of 3D printing for complex paraspinal tumors in the cervical, thoracic, and sacral regions.

The Institutional Review Board Office for Human Research Protection does not require approval for single participant case studies, or a case series with multiple participants. The subjects involved in this study were not identifiable and the general surgical consent form included permission for intraoperative photos.
Minimally Invasive Single-Stage Removal of a Thoracic Dumbbell Tumor from a Posterior Approach: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Landriel Federico , Hem Santiago , Yampolsky Claudio
Published: August 2018

Dumbbell-shaped thoracic tumors usually involve the spinal canal and the posterior thoracic cavity. Gross total resection is the treatment of choice, but techniques for surgical excision remain controversial. An anterolateral transthoracic approach may remove the paravertebral component of the tumor, but has limited or no control of the intracanal lesion. A combined posteroanterior approach requires a 2-stage surgery with significant morbidity. The preferred approach depends mainly on the tumor location, size, shape, and its specific anatomical relationship with the surrounding vital structures. We present a surgical video of a single-stage posterior minimally invasive approach for the management of a thoracic dumbbell tumor.
Microsurgical Excision of T12-L1 Pial Arteriovenous Malformation: 3-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Zeeshan Qazi , Cheng Chun-Yu , Ghodke Basavaraj V , Sekhar Laligam N
Published: August 2018

This 29-yr-old man presented with progressive paraparesis, sensory loss, allodynia, bowel, and bladder dysfunction for 9 mo, acutely exacerbated in the preceding 24 h. Magnetic resonance imaging scan showed multiple dilated vessels involving the thoracic cord. Spinal angiogram revealed a T12-L1 pial arteriovenous malformation (AVM)/arteriovenous fistula on the left side. It was fed by an L1 radicular artery that filled the anterior spinal artery, which in turn had multiple feeders to a pial AVM. Because of the supply from the anterior spinal artery with multiple feeders to the AVM, and the danger of infarction of the conus, embolization was not performed.

He underwent T11-L1 laminectomy laterally to the pedicles and excision of AVM. There was one large arterialized vein in the midline that had a fistulous connection with an artery coursing up from inferiorly. Despite occlusion of this fistula, the vein was still arterialized. On further exploration, there was a large artery coming in to the subarachnoid space at the T11 level and coursing inferiorly, and entering the intradural pial AVM with a glomus of vessels located at the T12 level in the left anterolateral subpial aspect of the cord. This major artery as well as multiple smaller vessels going into it were cauterized and divided, and the AVM was totally excised.

Postoperative angiogram showed complete excision of the nidus. At 1 mo follow-up, he had complete recovery of motor and bladder functions but bowel dysfunction persisted. He was independent for his daily activities.

Informed consent was obtained from the patient prior to the surgery that included videotaping of the procedure and its distribution for educational purposes. All relevant patient identifiers have also been removed from the video and accompanying radiology slides.
Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness of Clinical Performance–Based Outcome Measures of Walking for Individuals With Lower Limb Amputations: A Systematic Review
Authors: Hawkins Emily J , Riddick William
Published: August 2018

Background

Clinical outcome measures are important to use for individuals with lower limb amputations (LLA) because such individuals require intensive functional gait training before and after being fitted with prostheses. Using standardized instruments throughout the episode of care allows clinicians to objectively monitor patient progress, make evidence-based decisions regarding the plan of care, and communicate results in meaningful ways to patients, payers, and other clinicians. Many clinical outcome measures exist, but not all have been validated and shown to be reliable within this population of interest.

Purpose

The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the psychometric properties of all current performance-based outcome measures applicable to individuals with lower limb amputations.

Data Sources

Reviewers searched for articles using the online databases PubMed/MEDLINE and CINAHL. Reviewers also conducted a manual search of the reference list of 1 of the previously published systematic reviews to identify any additional studies not detected with the online database search.

Study Selection

The 2 reviewers screened titles and abstracts for relevance. The same reviewers obtained and read full-text articles of the potentially relevant studies. Reviewers resolved any discrepancies of the inclusion assessment by further discussion.

Data Extraction

The reviewers created tables to extract psychometric properties of interest from the included articles. Both reviewers extracted the data from the articles and placed relevant values into a table for each primary outcome measure identified.

Data Synthesis

The rigor of study reporting was guided by use of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Checklist. Each reviewer independently read and appraised the included articles, assigning a score to each checklist item. The sum of scores for each item was calculated to appraise the overall quality of reporting of the included articles.

Limitations

Review-level limitations included the absence of a third reviewer to settle any disagreements on article inclusion and article appraisal. Additionally, the percentage of reviewer agreement on article appraisal was not determined before disagreements about checklist item satisfaction were resolved. Furthermore, reviewers only extracted data on reliability, validity, and responsiveness; instrument characteristics, such as floor and ceiling effects, are also important.

Conclusions

Valid and reliable performance-based clinical measures of ambulation in individuals with LLA were identified. Further research should investigate the minimally clinical, important difference of these clinical measures and address trends in unmet reporting guidelines.
Host Range and Genetic Characterization of Ditylenchus dipsaci Populations from Eastern Canada
Authors: Poirier Sandra , Dauphinais Nathalie , Van Der Heyden Hervé , Véronneau Pierre-Yves , Bélair Guy , Gravel Valérie , Mimee Benjamin
Published: August 2018

The stem and bulb nematode, Ditylenchus dipsaci, is a plant-parasitic nematode affecting over 500 plant species worldwide. Since 2012, garlic producers from Ontario and Quebec have been particularly affected with economic losses caused by this pest. Reproduction of D. dipsaci on a particular host depends on its biological race, and races are unknown for these populations from eastern Canada. As a polyphagous pest, D. dipsaci can possibly be a threat and have negative impact on many crops grown in Quebec, such as field and vegetable crops (e.g., onion). In this study, the host range of four populations of D. dipsaci from Quebec and Ontario was determined in a greenhouse experiment using 11 crops. Garlic, onion, and green onion showed high susceptibility to the nematode, whereas reproduction on potato was poor. No reproduction was observed on corn, soybean, barley, alfalfa, mustard, carrot, and lettuce. These crops could therefore be used as rotational crops in a control program. Thirty-two populations of D. dipsaci were also genetically characterized using genotyping-by-sequencing. The comparison of allele frequencies at 481 loci showed that most of the populations had a genotype similar to a reference population from northern Ontario. However, a sample from eastern Quebec exhibited a distinct genotype and will require further phenotyping in a greenhouse to preclude the possibility of a different race.
Midazolam and Dexmedetomidine Affect Neuroglioma and Lung Carcinoma Cell Biology In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Wang Chunyan , Datoo Tanweer , Zhao Hailin , Wu Lingzhi , Date Akshay , Jiang Cui , Sanders Robert D. , Wang Guolin , Bevan Charlotte , Ma Daqing
Published: August 2018

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What This Article Tells Us That Is New

Background

Several factors within the perioperative period may influence postoperative metastatic spread. Dexmedetomidine and midazolam are widely used general anesthetics during surgery. The authors assessed their effects on human lung carcinoma (A549) and neuroglioma (H4) cell lines in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

Cell proliferation and migration were measured after dexmedetomidine (0.001 to 10 nM) or midazolam (0.01 to 400 μM) treatment. Expression of cell cycle and apoptosis markers were assessed by immunofluorescence. Mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species were measured by JC-1 staining and flow cytometry. Antagonists atipamezole and flumazenil were used to study anesthetic mechanisms of action. Tumor burden after anesthetic treatment was investigated with a mouse xenograft model of lung carcinoma.

Results

Dexmedetomidine (1 nM) promoted cell proliferation (2.9-fold in A549 and 2-fold in H4 cells vs. vehicle, P < 0.0001; n = 6), migration (2.2-fold in A549 and 1.9-fold in H4 cells vs. vehicle, P < 0.0001; n = 6), and upregulated antiapoptotic proteins in vitro. In contrast, midazolam (400 μM) suppressed cancer cell migration (2.6-fold in A549 cells, P < 0.0001; n = 4), induced apoptosis via the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased reactive oxygen species expression in vitro—effects partly attributable to peripheral benzodiazepine receptor activation. Furthermore, midazolam significantly reduced tumor burden in mice (1.7-fold vs. control; P < 0.05; n = 6 per group).

Conclusions

Midazolam possesses antitumorigenic properties partly mediated by the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, whereas dexmedetomidine promotes cancer cell survival through signaling via the α2-adrenoceptor in lung carcinoma and neuroglioma cells.
Recommendations for Publishing Assessment-Based Articles in JCEHP
Authors: Wood Timothy J.
Published: August 2018

A common research study in assessment involves measuring the amount of knowledge, skills, or attitudes that participants' possess. In the continuing professional development arena, a researcher might also want to assess this information as an outcome of an educational activity. At some point, the researcher may wish to publish the results from these assessment-based studies. The goal of this commentary is to highlight common problems that could negatively influence the likelihood of an assessment-based manuscript being published.
Genetic polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase modulates the association of green tea consumption and lung cancer
Authors: Lai Chung-Yu , Kerr Chih-Ling , Huang Chia-Chen , Chen Chun-Chieh , Tsai Chin-Hung , Tang Yu-Min , Chen Pei-Yu , Chen You-Rong , Wong Ruey-Hong
Published: August 2018

Tea polyphenols are strong antioxidants, which can be rapidly O-methylated by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). Thus, it is possible that the genetic polymorphism of COMT can modulate the association of green tea consumption and lung cancer. Here, we designed a case–control study to evaluate the combined effect of green tea consumption and COMT genotypes on the risk of lung cancer. A total of 237 lung cancer patients and 474 healthy controls were recruited. Questionnaires were administered to obtain demographic data, smoking status, green tea consumption, fruits and vegetables intake, exposure to cooking fumes, and family history of lung cancer. Genotypes for COMT were identified by PCR. Smoking, green tea consumption, exposure to cooking fumes, and family history of lung cancer were associated with the development of lung cancer. When green tea drinkers carrying COMT HL/LL genotypes were selected as the reference group, drinkers carrying the COMT HH genotype had a higher risk for the development of lung cancer (odds ratio: 1.97, 95% confidence interval: 0.99–3.91). Among the current and ever smokers, the elevated risk for lung cancer was more apparent in green tea drinkers carrying the COMT HH genotype compared with green tea drinkers carrying COMT HL/LL genotypes (odds ratio: 5.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.75–19.45). Green tea drinkers with greater activity of the COMT genotype, whereby polyphenols are effectively excluded, will gain fewer protective benefits against lung cancer development.
Effects of a Long-term Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program on Functional Capacity and Inflammatory Profile of Older Patients With COPD
Authors: Vieira Fabíola C. O. S. , Pereira Daniele S. , Costa Thacianna B. , Souza Rilda C. A. , Castro Célia M. M. B. , Dornelas de Andrade Arméle , Marinho Patrícia Érika de Melo
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

To evaluate the effects of a long-term pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) on functional capacity, maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), quality of life, and plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 and 2 (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2, respectively), and cytokine interleukin 1beta (IL-1β) in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods:

In a quasi-experimental study, PRP effectiveness was investigated in elderly patients with stage I-IV COPD undergoing a 6-mo training program. Participants took part in an 80-min PRP 3 times/wk. Before and after the intervention, the distance walked during a 6-min walk test (6MWD), MIP, St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and plasma levels of TNF-α, sTNFR1, sTNFR2, and IL-1β were evaluated.

Results:

In 7 patients who completed the PRP and had markers evaluated, we observed improvement in 6MWD (range, 26-331 m) and MIP for most patients. There was an improvement in impact and total domains for all patients and in symptoms and activity for most patients on the SGRQ at the completion of the PRP. TNF-α, sTNFR1, sTNFR2, and IL-1β increased in some patients at the end of the PRP. The 6-mo PRP improved functional capacity, MIP, and quality of life for most patients.

Conclusions:

Inflammatory markers showed various changes at the end of the study; however, only sTNFR2 levels improved after the PRP.
CoreValve Double Jeopardy
Authors: Bakhos Jules-Joel , Goldsweig Andrew M.
Published: August 2018

During transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a self-expanding prosthesis, prosthesis embolization represents a rare but severe complication. Etiologies of prosthesis embolization include improper sizing and malpositioning, specifically high deployment with respect to the aortic annulus. Treatment of embolization into the aorta relies upon repositioning of the prosthesis using endovascular snares or removal with open surgery. Patients with prosthesis embolization have a high risk of mortality and morbidity including stroke and aortic dissection associated with manipulation of the prosthesis in the ascending aorta. We describe a case of self-expanding prosthesis embolization and present a solution using a second prosthesis to capture the embolized one.