bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The development of the superelement approach applied to models of rod elements
Authors: Kovalchuk Oleg
Published: December 2018

The article deals with the rod model for the analysis of stress-strain state of rod structures. Analytical solutions are obtained by the operating method. It is assumed that the rod elements can have variables along their axis of physicals characteristics. External loads can also vary along the axes. Calculation formulas are suitable for loads distributed according to an arbitrary law. Unlike the finite element method, defining matrices are formed after obtaining an expression, allowing to calculate the nodal forces through nodal displacements. Examples are given to demonstrate the accuracy of the obtained expressions.
Design of FRP belts for building retrofitting
Authors: Simakov Oleg
Published: December 2018

The article gives recommendations on the calculation and design of the restoration of bearing capacity of the buildings that have significant deformations of the walls from brickwork. The method with the use of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP), is a composite material made of a polymer epoxy matrix reinforced with carbon fibres. In addition, the accumulated experience, based on the results of the tests (static and dynamic on the fragments of structures and mock-ups of buildings) is considered, as ell as the applications on the real objects.
Design quality assurance in cultural heritage restoration
Authors: Tsvetkov Konstantin , Volchenko Tatyana
Published: December 2018

This study addressed the problem of quality assurance of scientific design documentation intended for cultural heritage restoration projects. The quality assurance systems, currently used by restoration companies in Russia, were considered. Such systems have disadvantages, implicated by the specific nature of restoration projects. It was proposed to introduce an additional quality assurance element, namely, appraisal of design solutions by a scientific methodological council. The main purpose and principles of the council’s work were formulated. The proposal was tested by implementing such council in the quality assurance procedure of a Moscow restoration and design company in 2016-2018. The main criterion of the council’s efficiency was the percentage of positive conclusions of the Historical-Cultural State Expert Review, obtained on the first try. By the end of the second year of the council’s work, this indicator increased by 30% and approached 100%. The finding of this research can be of interest to restoration companies and specialised organization that develop quality management systems.
Ecological and Economic Risks of Fire Protection of Warehouses and Tank Parks
Authors: Degaev Evgeniy , Orlov Anton , El Haddad Pierre , Pleshivtsev Alexander
Published: December 2018

The article deals with fire extinguishing methods at warehouse facilities, environmental and economic risks of their application and ways of how to minimize possible impacts. This is due to the fact that fire extinguishing agents used are not ecologically safe and they damage the environment and humans. Analysis of existing fire protection systems for tanks has shown that all extinguishing methods have drawbacks and are mainly environmentally harmful.
Culture specific words as a barrier in cross-cultural communication in construction business
Authors: Ivanova Tatiana
Published: December 2018

This research is an examination of the word as a cultural unit in cross-cultural communication in construction business. The qualitative analysis of some vocabulary units shows that simple words should be perceived as culture specific and might serve as barriers in cross-cultural communication. It is explained by the fact that speakers of different cultural backgrounds have little awareness about cultural associations that the word entails apart from its direct meaning. The comparative cultural research employed in the process of the study demonstrates that the perception of words largely depends on the type of culture the speakers represent, as well as the peculiarities of cultural, historical and social background of the latter. The results of the study are presented in the form of analysis of the linguistic data and cultural phenomena, which take place in cross-cultural communication.
AE-Beitrag: Megaimplantate am proximalen Femur: aktuelle Evidenz, Systemunterschiede und Portfolioempfehlung
Authors: Prodinger Peter , Harrasser Norbert , Scheele Christian , Knebel Carolin , Hertel Gernot , Suren Christian , von Eisenhart-Rothe Rüdiger
Published: December 2018

Neben der herausragenden Stellung im Bereich der Tumororthopädie erlangen Megaprothesen zunehmend Bedeutung für die Revisionsendoprothetik. Trotz der breiten Anwendung bleiben die berichteten Komplikations- und Versagensraten jedoch hoch. Die Analyse der Versagensursachen lässt grob eine Unterteilung in mechanische und nicht mechanische Versagensursachen zu, unter diesen nimmt einerseits das Weichteilversagen (Funktionsverlust) und die Lockerung, andererseits der Infekt eine herausragende Bedeutung ein. Dabei kann jedem Versagenstyp ein spezifisches Prothesenbauteil zugeordnet werden. Die technisch korrekt durchgeführte Operation vorausgesetzt, ist für das Weichteilversagen die muskuläre Anbindung an die Prothese, für die Lockerung die Verankerungstechnik über den Stem und für den Infekt die Oberflächenbeschaffenheit bzw. ggf. die Beschichtung der Prothese entscheidend. Bis heute haben sich einige vollwertige Systeme für den Ersatz des proximalen Femurs auf dem Markt etabliert, deren klinische Resultate in etwa vergleichbar sind. Im Detail sind deutliche Unterschiede hinsichtlich Verankerungstechniken, Modularität bzw. Modulverbindungen und Weichteilanbindung erkennbar, die spezifische Vor- und Nachteile mit sich bringen. In jedem Fall belegen die hohen Versagensraten ein großes Potenzial für zukünftige Entwicklungen. Innovative Verbesserungsvorschläge für jedes Bauteil sind durch Quervernetzungen zu bereits funktionierenden Systemen gut möglich. Zusammen mit neuen Erkenntnissen der Grundlagenforschung sollte es bei zukünftigen Systemen möglich sein, den Anteil der Prothesenversager deutlich zu reduzieren.
Acute Tocolysis – a Critical Analysis of Evidence-Based Data
Authors: Rath Werner , Kehl Sven
Published: December 2018

Tocolysis is among the most common obstetric measures. The objective is to prolong the pregnancy by at least 48 hours to complete foetal lung maturation and for the in-utero transfer of the pregnant woman to a perinatal centre. The indication for tocolysis is regular, premature contractions (≥ 4/20 min) and a dynamic shortening of the cervical length/cervical opening between 22 + 0 to 33 + 6 weeks of pregnancy. In this connection, the cervical length measured on ultrasound and the determination of biomarkers in the cervicovaginal secretions can be important decision-making aids. Beta sympathomimetics should no longer be used due to the high rate of severe maternal adverse effects. Given controversial data, magnesium sulphate is no longer recommended for tocolysis in current guidelines. Atosiban is as effective for prolonging pregnancy as beta sympathomimetics and nifedipine, has the lowest rate of maternal adverse effects, but also the highest drug costs. Nifedipine and indomethacin are recommended in international guidelines for acute tocolysis, however there are indications of increased neonatal morbidity following indomethacin. Current problems are, above all, the lack of randomised, controlled comparative and placebo-controlled studies, the data which are controversial to some extent, and the insufficient evidence of tocolytics to significantly improve the neonatal outcome.
Association between Dietary Glycemic Index and Excess Weight in Pregnant Women in the First Trimester of Pregnancy
Authors: Ellery Thais Helena de Pontes , Sampaio Helena Alves de Carvalho , Carioca Antônio Augusto Ferreira , Silva Bruna Yhang da Costa , Alves Júlio Augusto Gurgel , Da Silva Costa Fabrício , Araujo Júnior Edward , Melo Maria Luísa Pereira de
Published: December 2018

Objective To assess the association between dietary glycemic index (GI) and excess weight in pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Methods A cross-sectional study in a sample of 217 pregnant women was conducted at the maternal-fetal outpatient clinic of the Hospital Geral de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, state of Ceará, Brazil, for routine ultrasound examinations in the period between 11 and 13 weeks + 6 days of gestation. Weight and height were measured and the gestational body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The women were questioned about their usual body weight prior to the gestation, considering the prepregnancy weight. The dietary GI and the glycemic load (GL) of their diets were calculated and split into tertiles. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Kruskal-Walls and chi-squared (χ2) statistical tests were employed. A crude logistic regression model and a model adjusted for confounding variables known to influence biological outcomes were constructed. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant for all tests employed.

Results The sample group presented a high percentage of prepregnancy and gestational overweight (39.7% and 40.1%, respectively). In the tertile with the higher GI value, there was a lower dietary intake of total fibers (p = 0.005) and of soluble fibers (p = 0.008). In the third tertile, the dietary GI was associated with overweight in pregnant women in the first trimester of gestation, both in the crude model and in the model adjusted for age, total energy intake, and saturated fatty acids. However, this association was not observed in relation to the GL.

Conclusion A high dietary GI was associated with excess weight in women in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Professional Practice and Neurosurgery: What Every Neurosurgeon Should Know about Malpractice
Authors: Becerra Romero Alicia
Published: December 2018

Introduction The objective of the present study was to review the epidemiological aspects of malpractice in neurosurgery and to identify preventive measures regarding malpractice for neurosurgeons.

Methods The following terms (alone or in combination) were searched in the PubMed and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde databases: neurosurgery (neurocirurgia), lawsuits (ações judiciais), malpractice (erro médico), and litigation (litígio) and identifying studies on these topics published from 2000 to April 2018.

Literature Review In Brazil, 6.9% of the physicians are sued per year. The most common type of malpractice alleged in litigation is negligence. According to the literature, the neurosurgical disease that has sparked the most litigation is spinal disease. The outcomes of these cases vary: sometimes the neurosurgeon prevails, and at other times the plaintiff prevails. To prevent or reduce malpractice claims, the neurosurgeon should take the following precautions: 1. follow medical protocols; 2. perform surgeries in an environment consistent with good medical practice; 3. evaluate and monitor antibiotic prophylaxis; 4. develop a good relationship with the patient based on ethics, good faith and transparency; 5. request the presence of the patient and of his or her family when there is a problem in order to didactically explain the case; 6. keep good medical records to document all of the actions performed (informed consent and description of the surgery and of the pre and postoperative); 7. always seek technical improvement (continuing education/professional development); 8. in the case of attending physicians, monitor patients, treating any postoperative complications; and 9. conduct multidisciplinary team meetings to optimize treatment decisions and to share responsibility for making difficult decisions.
Backward-wave propagation with vertical dust grain oscillations in dusty plasma crystals
Authors: Togueu Motcheyo A. B. , Nkendji Kenkeu E. , Djako J. , Tchawoua C.
Published: December 2018

We study the propagation of vertical dust grain oscillations in dusty plasma crystals. Applying the quasidiscrete approximation on the model of the dusty plasma crystal [see I. Kourakis and P. K. Shukla, Phys. Plasmas 12, 014502 (2005)], we derive a nonlinear Schrödinger equation and find that the system supports bright and dark soliton solutions. Also, it appears contrary to existing work that the lattice has a zero-dispersion frequency which induces the resonance of the nonlinear coefficient. The numerical integration of the equation of the model and the energy density confirm the backward-wave predicted by the dispersion relation and the fact that the phase and group velocities are antiparallel.
MOCVD grown epitaxial β-Ga2O3 thin film with an electron mobility of 176 cm2/V s at room temperature
Authors: Zhang Yuewei , Alema Fikadu , Mauze Akhil , Koksaldi Onur S. , Miller Ross , Osinsky Andrei , Speck James S.
Published: December 2018

In this work, we report record electron mobility values in unintentionally doped β-Ga2O3 films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Using degenerately Sn-doped regrown n+ β-Ga2O3 contact layers, we were able to maintain Ohmic contact to the β-Ga2O3 films down to 40 K, allowing for reliable temperature-dependent Hall measurement. An electron mobility of 176 cm2/V s and 3481 cm2/V s were measured at room temperature and 54 K, respectively. The room and low temperature mobilities are both among the highest reported values in a bulk β-Ga2O3 film. A low net background charge concentration of 7.4 × 1015 cm−3 was confirmed by both temperature dependent Hall measurement and capacitance-voltage measurement. The feasibility of achieving low background impurity concentration and high electron mobility paves the road for the demonstration of high performance power electronics with high breakdown voltages and low on-resistances.
Capacity bounds via operator space methods
Authors: Gao Li , Junge Marius , LaRacuente Nicholas
Published: December 2018

We prove that for generalized dephasing channels, the coherent information and reverse coherent information coincides. It also implies an alternative approach for the strong super-additivity and strong converse of generalized dephasing channels using the operator space technique. Our argument is based on an improved Rényi relative entropy estimate via analyzing the channel’s Stinespring space. We also apply this estimate to new examples of quantum channels arising from quantum group co-representation and Kitave’s quantum computation model. In particular, we find concrete examples of non-degradable channels that our estimates are tight and give a formula of nontrivial quantum capacity.
Alfvénic gap eigenmode in a linear plasma with ending magnetic throats
Authors: Chang Lei
Published: December 2018

To guide the experimental design of a linear plasma device for studying the interaction between energetic ions and Alfvénic gap eigenmode (AGE), this work computes AGE referring to fusion conditions in an ultra-long large plasma cylinder ended with strong magnetic throats for axial confinement of charged particles. It is shown that (i) for uniform equilibrium field between the ending throats, the dispersion relation of the computed wave field agrees well with a simple analytical model for the shear Alfvénic mode and (ii) for periodic equilibrium field with local defect, clear AGE is formed inside the spectral gap for both low and high depths of magnetic throats, although lower depth yields easier observation. The strongest AGE can be on the order of 3.1 × 10−4 to equilibrium field, making it conveniently measurable in experiment. The AGE is a standing wave localized around the defect which is introduced to break the system's periodicity, and its wavelength is twice the system's period, consistent with Bragg's law. The parameter scan reveals that the AGE remains nearly the same when the number of magnetic ripples is reduced from 18 to 8; however, there occurs an upward frequency shift when the depth of magnetic ripples drops from 0.5 to 0.1, possibly due to a flute-like effect: shrinking resonant cavity of the spectral gap.
Size- and deformability-based isolation of circulating tumor cells with microfluidic chips and their applications in clinical studies
Authors: Chen Hongmei , Zhang Zhifeng , Wang Bin
Published: December 2018

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed from the primary lesion, entering the blood circulation, and potentially establishing metastasis at distant sites. CTCs play a vital role in cancer metastasis and treatment efficacy evaluation. Separation of CTCs and subsequent characterization has significances in monitoring and diagnosing of cancer. However, isolation of CTCs is technically challenging due to the rareness in patient blood. In the present review, we reviewed recent progress in the design and clinical advance of size and deformability-based CTCs separation chips. We focused on the principle and clinical indicators, such as capture efficiency, throughput, and viability, of devices. Finally, insights in future research and applications are discussed.
Turbulent mixing: A perspective
Authors: Sreenivasan Katepalli R.
Published: December 2018

Mixing of initially distinct substances plays an important role in our daily lives as well as in ecological and technological worlds. From the continuum point of view, which we adopt here, mixing is complete when the substances come together across smallest flow scales determined in part by molecular mechanisms, but important stages of the process occur via the advection of substances by an underlying flow. We know how smooth flows enable mixing but less well the manner in which a turbulent flow influences it; but the latter is the more common occurrence on Earth and in the universe. We focus here on turbulent mixing, with more attention paid to the postmixing state than to the transient process of initiation. In particular, we examine turbulent mixing when the substance is a scalar (i.e., characterized only by the scalar property of its concentration), and the mixing process does not influence the flow itself (i.e., the scalar is “passive”). This is the simplest paradigm of turbulent mixing. Within this paradigm, we discuss how a turbulently mixed state depends on the flow Reynolds number and the Schmidt number of the scalar (the ratio of fluid viscosity to the scalar diffusivity), point out some fundamental aspects of turbulent mixing that render it difficult to be addressed quantitatively, and summarize a set of ideas that help us appreciate its physics in diverse circumstances. We consider the so-called universal and anomalous features and summarize a few model studies that help us understand them both.
Ventral striatum’s role in learning from gains and losses
Authors: Taswell Craig A. , Costa Vincent D. , Murray Elisabeth A. , Averbeck Bruno B.
Published: December 2018

Significance

A broad set of neural circuits, including the amygdala and frontal-striatal systems, has been implicated in mediating learning from gains and losses. The ventral striatum (VS) has been implicated in several aspects of this process. Here, we examined the specific contribution of the VS to learning from gains vs. losses. We found that the VS plays a role in learning to choose between two options that vary in gains but plays no role in learning to choose between two options when one or both is associated with a loss. Computational modeling supported this by showing that animals with VS lesions specifically learned slowly when choosing between gains but not losses.
Inflorescence and fruit development and yield.
Authors: Bartholomew D. P. , Sanewski G. M.
Published: December 2018

The reproductive phase of pineapple begins in response to natural or growth-regulator forced induction of reproductive development. Because the inflorescence of pineapple is terminal, when reproductive development begins, formation of new leaves ceases. Once induced or forced, inflorescence and fruit development continues without interruption until the fruit matures. This chapter describes pineapple inflorescence and fruit morphology as well as growth and ripening. Factors affecting induction and inflorescence development are explained, which include cultivar sensitiviy, photoperiod, solar radiation and assorted stresses such as temperature, nutrients primarily nitrogen, and water availability. The forced induction of flowering and the prevention of natural flowering are also discussed, as well as the molecular biology of flowering. In addition, the prediction of fruit development and yield, and the factors influencing fruit quality at harvest are discussed.
Monodromy, liftings of holomorphic maps, and extensions of holomorphic motions
Authors: Jiang Yunping , Mitra Sudeb
Published: December 2018

We study monodromy of holomorphic motions and show the equivalence of triviality of monodromy of holomorphic motions and extensions of holomorphic motions to continuous motions of the Riemann sphere. We also study liftings of holomorphic maps into certain Teichmüller spaces. We use this “lifting property” to prove that, under the condition of trivial monodromy, any holomorphic motion of a closed set in the Riemann sphere, over a hyperbolic Riemann surface, can be extended to a holomorphic motion of the sphere, over the same parameter space. We conclude that this extension can be done in a conformally natural way.
G-protein–coupled formyl peptide receptors play a dual role in neutrophil chemotaxis and bacterial phagocytosis
Authors: Wen Xi , Xu Xuehua , Sun Wenxiang , Chen Keqiang , Pan Miao , Wang Ji Ming , Bolland Silvia M. , Jin Tian
Published: December 2018

A dogma of innate immunity is that neutrophils use G-protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) for chemoattractant to chase bacteria through chemotaxis and then use phagocytic receptors coupled with tyrosine kinases to destroy opsonized bacteria via phagocytosis. Our current work showed that G-protein–coupled formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) directly mediate neutrophil phagocytosis. Mouse neutrophils lacking formyl peptide receptors (Fpr1/2–/–) are defective in the phagocytosis of Escherichia coli and the chemoattractant N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP)-coated beads. fMLP immobilized onto the surface of a bead interacts with FPRs, which trigger a Ca2+response and induce actin polymerization to form a phagocytic cup for engulfment of the bead. This chemoattractant GPCR/Gi signaling works independently of phagocytic receptor/tyrosine kinase signaling to promote phagocytosis. Thus, in addition to phagocytic receptor-mediated phagocytosis, neutrophils also utilize the chemoattractant GPCR/Gi signaling to mediate phagocytosis to fight against invading bacteria.
Effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Injection in Patients With Autologous Fat Grafting to the Breast: A Preliminary Comparative Study
Authors: Zheng Danning , Li Maoqun , Zhou Jia , Wang Jian , Bian Weiwei , Yoshimura Kotaro , Yu Li
Published: December 2018

Background

Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) is an herb used in Chinese medicine formulations for promoting blood circulation and minimizing vascular stasis. It has been successfully utilized in treating cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, thromboembolism, and angina.

Objectives

The authors sought to study the effect of SM injections in autologous fat grafting to the breast.

Methods

Fifteen women who elected to undergo breast augmentation with autologous fat grafting were included in this study. Of these, 10 were given intravenous infusions of SM for 4 weeks perioperatively, and the remaining 5 did not receive herbal infusion. The increase in breast volume after fat grafting was measured in both the groups using a three-dimensional scanner. Breast tissue specimens were harvested just before the second fat injection procedure and were analyzed by the immunofluorescence staining test.

Results

All of the patients showed improvement in breast volume after fat grafting. The fat graft retention rate in the SM group was 60.06 ± 16.12%, whereas that in the non-SM group was 34.04 ± 11.15%. In addition, the SMG showed good breast morphology and absence of cyst formation.

Conclusions

SM has the potential to increase the retention rate of fat grafts in breast augmentation.

Level of Evidence: 3
On what to permute in test-based approaches for variable importance measures in Random Forests
Authors: Nembrini Stefano
Published: December 2018

Motivation

In bioinformatics applications, it is currently customary to permute the outcome variable in order to produce inference on covariates to test novel methods or statistics whose distributions are poorly known. The seminal publication of Altmann et al. in Bioinformatics uses the same permutation scheme to obtain P-values that can be treated as corrected measure of feature importance to rectify the bias of the Gini variable importance in Random Forests. Since then, such method has been used in applied work to also draw statistical conclusions on variable importance measures from resulting P-values.

Results

In this paper, we show that permuting the outcome may produce unexpected results, including P-values with undesirable properties and illustrate how more refined permutation schemes can be appropriate to obtain desirable results, including high power in discovering relevant variables.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Power: a Marxist view
Authors: Palermo Giulio
Published: December 2018

Lukes’ Power: A Radical View is a milestone in the debate on power. First, it criticises the narrow conceptions of political sociology, which reduces power to merely interpersonal relations. Second, it suggests an enlarged ontology of power capable of dealing with social coercion and collective action. Lukes, however, seeks the causes of power in politics and society by abstracting from the economic sphere. This detaches power from exploitation and confuses the essential with the only contingent forms of power of capitalism. The economics debate is predicated on this error because mainstream economics rules out the exploitative nature of capitalist production and introduces power later only as a residual category, which might develop only out of competition. The result is a mystified conception in which social coercion is no longer visible and competition appears as power-free. My ‘Marxist view’ on power is founded on a simple idea: exploitation in the economy imposes particular forms of power and coercion in society. Therefore, in the same way as the capitalist mode of production is essentially based on exploitation so it is also based on power and coercion. The economy is not merely one of the many possible sources of power, but the sphere in which the essential forms of capitalist power are generated. Competition is not the antithesis of power but the vehicle through which exploitation imposes the essential power relations of capitalism.
FUNDC2 regulates platelet activation through AKT/GSK-3β/cGMP axis
Authors: Ma Qi , Zhang Weilin , Zhu Chongzhuo , Liu Junling , Chen Quan
Published: December 2018

Aims

AKT kinase is vital for regulating signal transduction in platelet aggregation. We previously found that mitochondrial protein FUNDC2 mediates phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3)-dependent AKT phosphorylation and regulates platelet apoptosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of FUNDC2 in platelet activation and aggregation.

Methods and results

We demonstrated that FUNDC2 deficiency diminished platelet aggregation in response to a variety of agonists, including adenosine 5′-diphosphate (ADP), collagen, ristocetin/VWF, and thrombin. Consistently, in vivo assays of tail bleeding and thrombus formation showed that FUNDC2-knockout mice displayed deficiency in haemostasis and thrombosis. Mechanistically, FUNDC2 deficiency impairs the phosphorylation of AKT and downstream GSK-3β in a PI3K-dependent manner. Moreover, cGMP also plays an important role in FUNDC2/AKT-mediated platelet activation. This FUNDC2/AKT/GSK-3β/cGMP axis also regulates clot retraction of platelet-rich plasma.

Conclusion

FUNDC2 positively regulates platelet functions via AKT/GSK-3β/cGMP signalling pathways, which provides new insight for platelet-related diseases.
The Body as (Another) Place: Producing Embodied Heterotopias Through Tattooing
Authors: Roux Dominique , Belk Russell
Published: December 2018

While previous research has mobilized sociological and psychological readings of the body, this study considers it ontologically as the ultimate place we must live in, with no escape possible. A phenomenological framework and a four-year, multimethod, qualitative study of tattoo recipients and tattooists substantiates the conceptualization of the body as a threefold articulation: an inescapable place (topia), the source of utopias arising from fleeting trajectories between here and elsewhere, and the “embodied heterotopia” that it becomes when people rework their bodies as a better place to inhabit. We show how tattooed bodies are spatially conceived as a topia through their topographies, territories, landscapes, and limits. We then highlight how this creates a dynamic interplay between past, present, and future, resulting in utopian dreams of beautification, escape, conjuration, and immutability. Finally, we show how tattooees produce embodied heterotopias, namely other places that both mirror and compensate for their ontological entrapment. In considering the body as a place, our framework enriches phenomenological and existential approaches to self-transformation in contemporary consumption.
Equity Premium Forecasts with an Unknown Number of Structural Breaks
Authors: Smith Simon C , Bulkley George , Leslie David S
Published: December 2018

Estimation of models with structural breaks usually assumes a pre-specified number of breaks. Previous models which do allow an endogenously determined number of breaks require a simple structural model, and rarely allow for information transfer across the break. We introduce a methodology that allows the number of breaks to be determined endogenously and including an economically motivated model of transition regimes between each break. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach for forecasts of the equity premium. We find the demonstrated success of the historical average can be improved upon by an economic model with theory informed priors estimated using our methodology.
Using Changes in Weight-for-Age z Score to Predict Effectiveness of Childhood Tuberculosis Therapy
Authors: Chiang Silvia S , Park Sangshin , White Emily I , Friedman Jennifer F , Cruz Andrea T , Del Castillo Hernán , Lecca Leonid , Becerra Mercedes C , Seddon James A
Published: December 2018

Background

International guidelines recommend monitoring weight as an indicator of therapeutic response in childhood tuberculosis (TB) disease. This recommendation is based on observations in adults. In the current study, we evaluated the association between weight change and treatment outcome, the accuracy of using weight change to predict regimen efficacy, and whether successfully treated children achieve catch-up weight gain.

Methods

We enrolled children treated for drug-susceptible TB disease (group 1) and multidrug-resistant TB disease (group 2) in Peru. We calculated the change in weight-for-age z score (ΔWAZ) between baseline and the end of treatment months 2–5 for group 1, and between baseline and months 2–8 for group 2. We used logistic regression and generalized estimating equation models to evaluate the relationship between ΔWAZ and outcome. We plotted receiver operating characteristic curves to determine the accuracy of ΔWAZ for predicting treatment failure or death.

Results

Groups 1 and 2 included 100 and 94 children, respectively. In logistic regression, lower ΔWAZ in months 3–5 and month 7 was associated with treatment failure or death in groups 1 and 2, respectively. In generalized estimating equation models, children in both groups who experienced treatment failure or death had lower ΔWAZ than successfully treated children. The ΔWAZ predicted treatment failure or death with 60%–90% sensitivity and 60%–86% specificity in months 2–5 for group 1 and months 7–8 for group 2. All successfully treated children—except group 2 participants with unknown microbiologic confirmation status—achieved catch-up weight gain.

Conclusions

Weight change early in therapy can predict the outcome of childhood TB treatment.
Probing the Cyclotron line characteristics of 4U 1538–522 using AstroSat-LAXPC
Authors: Varun  , Maitra Chandreyee , Pradhan Pragati , Raichur Harsha , Paul Biswajit
Published: December 2018

We report the first report on cyclotron line studies with the LAXPC instrument onboard AstroSat of the high-mass X-ray binary pulsar 4U 1538–52. During the observation of source that spanned about 1 d with a net exposure of 50 ks, the source X-ray flux remained constant. Pulse profile is double peaked in low-energy range and has a single peak in high-energy range, the transition taking place around the cyclotron line energy of the source. Cyclotron scattering feature (CRSF) is detected at ∼22 keV with a very high significance in phase-averaged spectrum. It is one of the highest signal to noise ratio detections of CRSF for this source. We performed detailed pulse-phase-resolved spectral analysis with 10 independent phase bins. We report the results of pulse-phase-resolved spectroscopy of the continuum and CRSF parameters. The cyclotron line parameters show pulse phase dependence over the entire phase with a CRSF energy variation of ${\sim }13{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, which is in agreement with previous studies. We also confirm the increase in the centroid energy of the CRSF observed between the 1996–2004 (RXTE) and the 2012 (Suzaku) observations, reinforcing that the increase was a long-term change.
Uromodulin (Tamm–Horsfall protein): guardian of urinary and systemic homeostasis
Authors: Micanovic Radmila , LaFavers Kaice , Garimella Pranav S , Wu Xue-Ru , El-Achkar Tarek M
Published: December 2018

Biology has taught us that a protein as abundantly made and conserved among species as Tamm–Horsfall protein (THP or uromodulin) cannot just be a waste product serving no particular purpose. However, for many researchers, THP is merely a nuisance during urine proteome profiling or exosome purification and for clinicians an enigmatic entity without clear disease implications. Thanks to recent human genetic and correlative studies and animal modeling, we now have a renewed appreciation of this highly prevalent protein in not only guarding urinary homeostasis, but also serving as a critical mediator in systemic inter-organ signaling. Beyond a mere barrier that lines the tubules, or a surrogate for nephron mass, mounting evidence suggests that THP is a multifunctional protein critical for modulating renal ion channel activity, salt/water balance, renal and systemic inflammatory response, intertubular communication, mineral crystallization and bacterial adhesion. Indeed, mutations in THP cause a group of inherited kidney diseases, and altered THP expression is associated with increased risks of urinary tract infection, kidney stone, hypertension, hyperuricemia and acute and chronic kidney diseases. Despite the recent surge of information surrounding THP’s physiological functions and disease involvement, our knowledge remains incomplete regarding how THP is normally regulated by external and intrinsic factors, how precisely THP deficiency leads to urinary and systemic pathophysiology and in what clinical settings THP can be used as a theranostic biomarker and a target for modulation to improve patient outcomes.
Recurrent Relatively Resistant Salmonella infantis Infection in 2 Immunocompromised Hosts Cleared With Prolonged Antibiotics and Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
Authors: Torres Soto Mariam , Hammond Sarah , Elshaboury Ramy H , Johnson Jacob , Hohmann Elizabeth L
Published: December 2018

Two immunocompromised patients with relapsing gastrointestinal infection with relatively resistant Salmonella infantis were cured with prolonged ertapenem followed by encapsulated fecal transplant.
The Integrated Cognitive Antisocial Potential (ICAP) Theory
Authors: Farrington David P. , McGee Tara Renae
Published: December 2018

This chapter describes an empirical test of the integrated cognitive antisocial potential (ICAP) theory based on the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD), which is a prospective longitudinal survey of 411 South London males beginning at age 8 years. It describes the ICAP theory and its contrasting of between-individual differences in long-term antisocial potential and within-individual variations in short-term antisocial potential. The chapter then describes the CSDD, its research on two generations of males, and its measurement of comparable risk factors in the two generations. A new test of the development of long-term antisocial potential in the ICAP theory is then presented. This chapter concludes that predictions from the ICAP theory have generally been supported.
Family-Based Programs for Preventing Delinquency and Later Offending
Authors: Welsh Brandon C. , Zane Steven N.
Published: December 2018

This chapter reviews the leading family-based programs for preventing delinquency and later offending, focusing on the highest quality research studies as well as the most rigorous reviews of research that include only high-quality studies. It argues that by focusing on families we can go a long way toward improving the effectiveness of programs and policies to prevent delinquency and later criminal offending. As such, this chapter provides some background on family risk factors and family-based prevention programs. It then examines the research evidence on the leading family-based programs for preventing delinquency and later offending: parent education, parent management training, and family programs for system-involved youth. Finally, this chapter discusses some implications for research and policy.
Cognitive Processes and Risk for Emotion Dysregulation
Authors: Jazaieri Hooria , Uusberg Helen , Uusberg Andero , Gross James J.
Published: December 2018

This chapter examines cognitive processes that underlie the development of emotion dysregulation. It first introduces and defines key terms including emotion, emotion regulation, and emotion dysregulation. It then introduces the authors’ theoretical perspective, the extended process model of emotion regulation, which considers emotion generation and emotion regulation as valuation systems, and describes core regulation processes, including regulation strategies. Next, using the extended process model of emotion regulation as the guiding framework, the chapter discusses how emotion dysregulation may occur during the identification, selection, implementation, and monitoring stages. The chapter concludes by considering unresolved controversies and suggests several exciting avenues for future research across basic and applied domains.
Altered sleep architecture, rapid eye movement sleep, and neural oscillation in a mouse model of human chromosome 16p11.2 microdeletion
Authors: Lu Hung-Chi , Pollack Harvey , Lefante John J , Mills Alea A , Tian Di
Published: December 2018

Sleep abnormalities are common among children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The human chr16p11.2 microdeletion is associated with a range of neurological and neurobehavioral abnormalities. Previous studies of a mouse model of human chr16p11.2 microdeletion (chr16p11.2df/+) have demonstrated pathophysiological changes at the synapses in the hippocampus and striatum; however, the impact of this genetic abnormality on system level brain functions, such as sleep and neural oscillation, has not been adequately investigated. Here, we show that chr16p11.2df/+ mice have altered sleep architecture, with increased wake time and reduced time in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Importantly, several measurements of REM sleep are significantly changed in deletion mice. The REM bout number and the bout number ratio of REM to NREM are decreased in mutant mice, suggesting a deficit in REM-NREM transition. The average REM bout duration is shorter in mutant mice, indicating a defect in REM maintenance. In addition, whole-cell patch clamp recording of the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG)-projecting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons in the lateral paragigantocellular nucleus of ventral medulla of mutant mice reveal that these neurons, which are important for NREM–REM transition and REM maintenance, have hyperpolarized resting membrane potential and increased membrane resistance. These changes in intrinsic membrane properties suggest that these projection-specific neurons of mutant mice are less excitable, and thereby may play a role in deficient NREM–REM transition and REM maintenance. Furthermore, mutant mice exhibit changes in neural oscillation involving multiple frequency classes in several vigilance states. The most significant alterations occur in the theta frequency during wake and REM sleep.
Salivary Biomarkers of Parenting Stress in Mothers Under Community Criminal Justice Supervision
Authors: Rieder Jenna K. , Goshin Lorie S. , Sissoko D.R. Gina , Kleshchova Olena , Weierich Mariann R.
Published: December 2018

Background

Community criminal justice supervised mothers are an underserved population who experience high rates of psychological distress and unique parenting challenges, but little is known about physiological stress system function in this population.

Objective

We tested the salivary biomarkers of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function as predictors of subjective maternal stress.

Method

We recruited 23 mothers (age:M= 35.6 years,SD= 9.3 years; 35% Hispanic, 22% Black, 22% White, 22% multiracial) who were court mandated to a residential treatment center. We measured salivary alpha-amylase (AA) and cortisol, which index SNS and HPA activity, respectively, before and after a naturalistic reminder of a stressful parenting experience. We assessed self-reported parenting stress using the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI-SF) subscales Parental Distress, Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interactions, and Difficult Child. We used regression to test AA and cortisol mean levels and reactivity as predictors of subscale scores.

Results

Mean, but not reactive, salivary stress biomarker levels were associated with parenting stress domains. Mean cortisol levels predicted scores on the Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale (adj.R2= .48), whereas mean AA predicted Difficult Child subscale scores (adj.R2= .28).

Discussion

Our results demonstrate the potential predictive utility of AA and cortisol as salivary biomarkers of maternal stress in community-supervised mothers. Given that maternal stress is associated with criminal recidivism and child behavioral health in this population, these biomarkers could potentially inform interventions to improve dyadic health and social outcomes.
Autologous Fat Injection for the Correction of Facial Depression Resulting From Silent Sinus Syndrome
Authors: Lim Byeong Woo , Jung Joo Hyun , Kim Seon Tae , Kim Dong Hyun , Park Jung Woo , Cha Heung Eog , Kang Il Gyu
Published: December 2018

The case of a 59-year-old woman who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for right maxillary sinusitis 5 years before visiting our otorhinolaryngologic department complaining of right-sided facial depression was described in this study. Computed tomography (CT) scans revealed right facial depression and retraction of the orbital floor due to a hypoplastic right maxillary sinus. Symptoms and CT findings corresponded with silent sinus syndrome. Facial depression is a rare symptom in silent sinus syndrome and is well corrected by autologous fat transfer.
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Tristromaviridae
Authors: Prangishvili David , Rensen Elena , Mochizuki Tomohiro , Krupovic Mart ,   ICTV Report Consortium
Published: December 2018

Tristromaviridae is a family of viruses with linear, double-stranded DNA genomes of 16–18 kbp. The flexible, filamentous virions (400±20 nm×30±3 nm) consist of an envelope and an inner core constructed from two structural units: a rod-shaped helical nucleocapsid and a nucleocapsid-encompassing matrix protein layer. Tristromaviruses are lytic and infect hyperthermophilic archaea of the order
Thermoproteales
. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the Tristromaviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/tristromaviridae.
The urge to blink in Tourette syndrome
Authors: Botteron Haley E. , Richards Cheryl A. , Nishino Tomoyuki , Ueda Keisuke , Acevedo Haley K. , Koller Jonathan M. , Black Kevin J.
Published: December 2018

Functional neuroimaging studies have attempted to explore brain activity that occurs with tic occurrence in subjects with Tourette syndrome (TS). However, they are limited by the difficulty of disambiguating brain activity required to perform a tic, or activity caused by the tic, from brain activity that generates a tic. Inhibiting the urge to tic is important to patients’ experience of tics and we hypothesize that inhibition of a compelling motor response to a natural urge will differ in TS subjects compared to controls. This study examines the urge to blink, which shares many similarities to premonitory urges to tic. Previous neuroimaging studies with the same hypothesis have used a one-size-fits-all approach to extract brain signal putatively linked to the urge to blink. We aimed to create a subject-specific and blink-timing-specific pathophysiological model, derived from out-of-scanner blink suppression trials, to eventually better interpret blink suppression fMRI data. Eye closure and continuously self-reported discomfort were reported during five blink suppression trials in 30 adult volunteers, 15 with a chronic tic disorder. For each subject, data from four of the trials were used with an empirical mathematical model to predict discomfort from eye closure observed during the remaining trial. The blink timing model of discomfort during blink suppression predicted observed discomfort much better than previously applied models. However, so did a model that simply reflected the mean time-discomfort curves from each subject’s other trials. The TS group blinked more than twice as often during the blink suppression block, and reported higher baseline discomfort, smaller excursion from baseline to peak discomfort during the blink suppression block, and slower return of discomfort to baseline during the recovery block. Combining this approach with observed eye closure during fMRI blink suppression trials should therefore extract brain signal more tightly linked to the urge to blink.