bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bidirectional Links Between Social Rejection and Sleep
Authors: Gordon Amie M. , Del Rosario Kareena , Flores Abdiel J. , Mendes Wendy Berry , Prather Aric A.
Published: January 2019

Objective

This set of studies examines the bidirectional links between social rejection and poor sleep, a ubiquitous and increasingly problematic health behavior.

Methods

In study 1, a multiday field experiment, 43 participants completed a neutral task just before sleep on night 1 and a social rejection task on night 2. Objective and subjective sleep, postrejection affect, and physiological responses were measured. In study 2, 338 participants reported typical sleep quality before coming to the laboratory where they received social rejection or social acceptance feedback from a stranger. Physiological and affective responses were measured throughout the session.

Results

In study 1, after social rejection, participants took longer going to bed (M [SD] = 38.06 [48.56] versus 11.18 [15.52],t(42) = 3.86,p< .001) and had shorter sleep durations (6:46 [1:27] versus 7:19 [1:38],t(41) = 2.92,p= .006) compared with the baseline night. Trait rumination moderated these effects, with high ruminators taking the longest to go to bed postrejection (t(38) = 2.90,p= .006). In both studies, there was (inconsistent) evidence that sleep influences reactions to rejection: some sleep measures predicted physiological reactivity during the rejection task in study 1 and greater negative affect after social rejection in study 2.

Conclusions

These studies provide evidence that social rejection may affect sleep outcomes, particularly for trait ruminators, and poor sleep in turn may exacerbate affective responses to social rejection. Given the mixed findings, small sample size, and no active control condition, more work is needed to confirm and build on these findings.
Rapidly Growing and Asymptomatic Skull Base Lesion
Authors: Tolisano Anthony M. , Lin Kevin , Hunter Jacob B.
Published: January 2019

Trochlear schwannomas typically present with diplopia and are extremely rare benign intracranial neoplasms that require the combined expertise of neurotologists and neurosurgeons for surgical excision. A combined petrosal approach offers a surgical route for removal of growing and/or symptomatic tumors. A study of a trochlear nerve schwannoma that demonstrated rapid growth but was otherwise asymptomatic was presented in this study.
10Kin1day: A bottom-up neuroimaging initiative
Authors: van den Heuvel Martijn P , Scholtens Lianne H , van der Burgh Hannelore K , Agosta Fredica , Alloza Clara , Avancini Tiffany M C , Baron-Cohen Simon , Basaia Silvia , Benders Manon JNL , Beyer Frauke , Booij Linda , Braun Kees PJ , Cahn Wiepke , Cannon Dara M , Chan Sandra SM , Chen Eric YH ,   Cambridge Child Development Project Consortium includes: Auyeung Bonnie; Holt, Rosemary J, Lombardo Michael V , Crespo-Facorro Benedicto , Crone Eveline A , Dannlowski Udo , de Zwarte Sonja MC , Diaz-Zuluaga Ana M , Dietsche Bruno , Du Plessis Stefan , Durston Sarah , Emsley Robin , Filho Geraldo B , Filippi Massimo , Frodl Thomas , Gąsecki Dariusz , Goc Joanna , Gorges Martin , Graff Beata , Grotegerd Dominik , Hall Julie M , Holleran Laurena , Hopman Helene J , Jäncke Lutz , Jansen Andreas , Jodzio Krzysztof , Kaleda Vasiliy G , Kassubek Jan , Masouleh Shahrzad Kharabian , Kircher Tilo , Koevoets Martijn GJC , Kostic Vladimir S , Krug Axel , Lawrie Stephen M , Lebedeva Irina S , Lee Edwin HM , Lett Tristram A , Lewis Simon JG , Liem Franziskus , Lopez-Jaramillo Carlos , Margulies Daniel S , Markett Sebastian , Marques Paulo , Martínez-Zalacaín Ignacio , McDonald Colm , McIntosh Andrew , McPhilemy Genevieve , Meinert Susanne L , Menchón José M , Mérillat Susan , Montag Christian , Moreira Pedro S , Morgado Pedro , Mothersill David Omar , Müller Hans-Peter , Nabulsi Leila , Najt Pablo , Narkiewicz Krzysztof , Naumczyk Patrycja , Neggers Sebastiaan WF , Oranje Bob , Foz Victor Ortiz-Garcia de la , Peper Jiska S , Pineda Z. Julian A , Rasser Paul E , Redlich Ronny , Repple Jonathan , Reuter Martin , Rosa Pedro GP , Ruigrok Amber NV , Sabisz Agnieszka , Schall Ulrich , Seedat Soraya , Serpa Mauricio H , Shook Devon , Skouras Stavros , Soriano-Mas Carles , Sousa Nuno , Szurowska Edyta , Tomyshev Alexander S , Tordesillas-Gutierrez Diana , Tozzi Leonardo , Valk Sofie L , Berg Leonard H van den , Erp Theo GM van , Haren Neeltje EM van , Leeuwen Judith JMC van , Villringer Arno , Vinkers Christiaan , Vollmar Christian , Waller Lea , Walter Henrik , Whalley Heather C , Witkowska Marta , Witte Veronica A , Zanetti Marcus V , Zhang Rui , Donohoe Gary , O’Keane Veronica , Lange Siemon C de
Published: January 2019

We organized 10Kin1day, a pop-up scientific event with the goal to bring together neuroimaging groups from around the world to jointly analyze 10,000+ existing MRI connectivity datasets during a 3-day workshop. In this report, we describe the motivation and principles of 10Kin1day, together with a public release of 8,000+ MRI connectome maps of the human brain.
Auditory-Visual Interactions in the Blind with Artificial Vision: Are Multisensory Perceptions Restored After Decades of Blindness?
Authors: Stiles Noelle R. B. , Patel Vivek R. , Weiland James D.
Published: January 2019

In the sighted, auditory and visual perception typically interact strongly and influence each other significantly. Blindness acquired in adulthood alters these multisensory pathways. During blindness, it has been shown that the senses functionally reorganize, enabling visual cortex to be recruited for auditory processing. It is yet unknown whether this reorganization is permanent, or whether auditory-visual interactions can be re-established in cases of partial visual recovery.

Retinal prostheses restore visual perception to the late blind and provide an opportunity to determine if these auditory-visual connections and interactions are still viable after years of plasticity and neglect. We tested Argus II retinal prosthesis patients (N = 7) for an auditory-visual illusion, the ventriloquist effect, in which the perceived location of an auditory stimulus is modified by the presence of a visual stimulus. Prosthetically-restored visual perception significantly modified patients’ auditory perceptions, comparable to results with sighted control participants (N = 10). Furthermore, the auditory-visual interaction strength in retinal prosthesis patients exhibited a significant partial anti-correlation with patient age, as well as a significant partial correlation with duration of prosthesis use.

These results indicate that auditory-visual interactions can be restored after decades of blindness, and that auditory-visual processing pathways and regions can be re-engaged. Furthermore, they indicate the resilience of multimodal interactions to plasticity during blindness, and that this plasticity can either be partially reversed or at least does not prevent auditory-visual interactions. Finally, this study provides hope for the restoration of sensory perception, complete with multisensory integration, even after years of visual deprivation.

Significance

Retinal prostheses restore visual perception to the blind by means of an implanted retinal stimulator wirelessly connected to a camera mounted on glasses. Individuals with prosthetic vision can locate and identify simple objects, and identify the direction of visual motion. A key question is whether this prosthetic vision will interact with the other senses, such as audition, in the same way that natural vision does. We found that artificial vision, like natural vision, can alter auditory localization. This suggests that the brain processes prosthetic vision similarly to natural vision despite altered visual processing in the retina. In addition, it implies that reorganization of the senses during blindness may be reversible, allowing for the rehabilitation of crossmodal interactions after visual restoration.
Design principles for open source bioinstrumentation: the poseidon syringe pump system as an example
Authors: Sina Booeshaghi A. , da Veiga Beltrame Eduardo , Bannon Dylan , Gehring Jase , Pachter Lior
Published: January 2019

The poseidon syringe pump and microscope system is an open source alternative to commercial systems. It costs less than $400 and can be assembled in under an hour using the instructions and source files available at https://pachterlab.github.io/poseidon. We describe the poseidon system and use it to illustrate design principles that can facilitate the adoption and development of open source bioinstruments. The principles are functionality, robustness, simplicity, modularity, benchmarking, and documentation.
The genomic sequence and comparative genomic analysis of cultivated passion fruit(Passiflora edulis L.)
Authors: Wu Yanyan , Tian Qinglan , Liu Jieyun , Huang Yongcai , Huang Weihua , Xia Xiuzhong , Mou Haifei , Yang Xinghai
Published: January 2019

Cultivated passion fruit is a fruit tree widely cultivated in southern China, but little is known about its genomics, which seriously restricts the molecular genetics research of passion fruit. In this study, we analyzed the 165.7Mb representative genome sequences. The results showed that the passion fruit genome contained a large number of simple sequence repeats (SSR). Compared to the cassava and peach genomes, the passion fruit genome has 23,053 predicted genes. These genes can be aligned to 282 plant genomes. GO annotation indicated that these genes are involved in metabolic pathways of carbohydrates, organic acids, lipids and other molecules. KEGG pathway enrichment assigned these genes into five major categories and 19 secondary functions. Cluster analysis of gene families showed that 12,767 genes could be clustered into 9,868 gene families and 291 unique gene families. On the evolutionary relationship, the passion fruit is closely related to Populus trichocarpa and Ricinus communis, but the rate of evolution is slower. In summary, this genomic analysis result is informative, and will facilitate the future studies on gene functions of passion fruit.
Regulation of modulatory cell activity across olfactory structures in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Zhang Xiaonan , Coates Kaylynn , Dacks Andrew , Gunay Cengiz , Scott Lauritzen J. , Li Feng , Calle-Schuller Steven A. , Bock Davi , Gaudry Quentin
Published: January 2019

All centralized nervous systems possess modulatory neurons that arborize broadly across multiple brain regions. Such modulatory systems are critical for proper sensory, motor, and cognitive processing. How single modulatory neurons integrate into circuits within their target destination remains largely unexplored due to difficulties in both labeling individual cells and imaging across distal parts of the CNS. Here, we take advantage of an identified modulatory neuron in Drosophila that arborizes in multiple olfactory neuropils. We demonstrate that this serotonergic neuron has opposing odor responses in its neurites of the antennal lobe and lateral horn, first and second order olfactory neuropils respectively. Specifically, processes of this neuron in the antennal lobe have responses that are inhibitory and odor-independent, while lateral horn responses are excitatory and odor-specific. The results show that widespread modulatory neurons may not function purely as integrate-and-fire cells, but rather their transmitter release is locally regulated based on neuropil. As nearly all vertebrate and invertebrate neurons are subject to synaptic inputs along their dendro-axonic axis, it is likely that our findings generalize across phylogeny and other broadly-projecting modulatory systems.

Significance

The centrifugal innervation of neuronal circuits is ubiquitous across centralized nervous systems. Such inputs often arise from modulatory neurons that arborize broadly throughout the brain. How information is integrated in such cells and how release from their distant terminals is regulated remains largely unknown. We show that a serotonergic neuron that innervates multiple stages of odor processing in Drosophila has distinct activity throughout its neurites, including opposite polarity responses in first and second order olfactory neuropils. Disparate activity arises from local interactions within each target region. Our results show that such neurons exhibit dendritic computation rather than somatic integration alone, and that examining local interactions at release sites is critical for understanding centrifugal innervation.
Scarless Enriched selection of Genome edited Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Using Induced Drug Resistance
Authors: Kim Keun-Tae , Park Ju-Chan , Lee Haeseung , Jang Hyeon-Ki , Jin Yan , Kim Wankyu , Lee Jeongmi , Kim Hyongbum Henry , Bae Sang-Su , Cha Hyuk-Jin
Published: January 2019

An efficient gene editing technique for use in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) would have great potential value in regenerative medicine, as well as in drug discovery based on isogenic human disease models. However, the extremely low efficiency of gene editing in hPSCs is a major technical hurdle that remains to be resolved. Previously, we demonstrated that YM155, a survivin inhibitor developed as an anti-cancer drug, induces highly selective cell death in undifferentiated hPSCs. In this study, we demonstrated that the high cytotoxicity of YM155 in hPSCs, which is mediated by selective cellular uptake of the drug, is due to high expression of SLC35F2 in these cells. Consistent with this, knockout of SLC35F2 with CRISPR-Cas9 or depletion with siRNAs made hPSCs highly resistant to YM155. Simultaneous gene editing of a gene of interest and transient knockdown of SLC35F2 following YM155 treatment enabled genome-edited hPSCs to survive because YM155 resistance was temporarily induced, thereby achieving enriched selection of genome-edited clonal populations. This precise and efficient genome editing approach took as little as 3 weeks without cell sorting or introduction of additional genes.
Hydraulic resistance of perivascular spaces in the brain
Authors: Tithof Jeffrey , Kelley Douglas H. , Mestre Humberto , Nedergaard Maiken , Thomas John H.
Published: January 2019

Background

Perivascular spaces (PVSs) are annular channels that surround blood vessels and carry cerebrospinal fluid through the brain, sweeping away metabolic waste. In vivo observations reveal that they are not concentric, circular annuli, however: the outer boundaries are often oblate, and the blood vessels that form the inner boundaries are often offset from the central axis.

Methods

We model PVS cross-sections as circles surrounded by ellipses and vary the radii of the circles, major and minor axes of the ellipses, and two-dimensional eccentricities of the circles with respect to the ellipses. For each shape, we solve the governing Navier-Stokes equation to determine the velocity profile for steady laminar flow and then compute the corresponding hydraulic resistance.

Results

We find that the observed shapes of PVSs have lower hydraulic resistance than concentric, circular annuli of the same size, and therefore allow faster, more efficient flow of cerebrospinal fluid. We find that the minimum hydraulic resistance (and therefore maximum flow rate) for a given PVS cross-sectional area occurs when the ellipse is elongated and intersects the circle, dividing the PVS into two lobes, as is common around pial arteries. We also find that if both the inner and outer boundaries are nearly circular, the minimum hydraulic resistance occurs when the eccentricity is large, as is common around penetrating arteries.

Conclusions

The concentric circular annulus assumed in recent studies is not a good model of the shape of actual PVSs observed in vivo, and it greatly overestimates the hydraulic resistance of the PVS. Our parameterization can be used to incorporate more realistic resistances into hydraulic network models of flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Our results demonstrate that actual shapes observed in vivo are nearly optimal, in the sense of offering the least hydraulic resistance. This optimization may well represent an evolutionary adaptation that maximizes clearance of metabolic waste from the brain.
Development and maintenance of synaptic structure is mediated by the alpha-tubulin acetyltransferase MEC-17/αTAT1
Authors: Teoh Jean-Sebastien , Wang Wenyue , Chandhok Gursimran , Pocock Roger , Neumann Brent
Published: January 2019

The authors have withdrawn their manuscript whilst they perform additional experiments to test some of their conclusions further. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author
Reconfiguration of neuronal subpopulation associated with disease-associated microglia in human Alzheimer’s disease brain
Authors: Choi Hongyoon , Choi Yoori , Hwang Do Won , Lee Dong Soo
Published: January 2019

There is a growing evidence that a subset of microglia, disease-associated microglia (DAM), is crucially involved in the onset and progression of Alzheimer Disease (AD). However, it has been challenging to comprehensively know how DAM affects neuronal loss and reconstitute the complicated cellular composition. Here, we describe the relationship between neuronal reconfiguration and microglia by digitally dissecting the human brain transcriptome. We observed DAM enrichment associated with neuronal loss and the degree of amyloid deposits, which was commonly found in different brain regions. The neuronal subtype analyses showed that DAM enrichment was correlated with the proportion of two excitatory neurons located in the cortical layer 4. The direction of these relations was opposite, which implied excitatory neuronal reconfiguration in the specific cortical layer. Our results suggested immune reaction represented by DAM might mediate the reconfiguration of cellular components in AD, which may eventually have implications for diagnostics and therapeutics.

One sentence summary

The enrichment of disease-associated microglia signature is associated with the reconfiguration of neuronal subtypes, particularly excitatory neurons in the cortical layer 4.
Enhancing Cardiac Reprogramming by Suppressing Specific C-C Chemokine Signaling Pathways
Authors: Guo Yijing , Lei Ienglam , Tian Shuo , Gao Wenbin , Hacer Karatas , Li Yangbing , Wang Shaomeng , Liu Liu , Wang Zhong
Published: January 2019

Reprogramming fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) is a potentially promising strategy for heart regeneration. Yet a major challenge is the low conversion rate. To address this challenge, we screened and identified four chemicals, insulin-like growth factor-1, Mll1 inhibitor MM589, transforming growth factor-β inhibitor A83-01, and Bmi1 inhibitor PTC-209, termed as IMAP, that coordinately enhanced reprogramming efficiency.

Using α-muscle heavy chain -green fluorescent protein mouse embryo fibroblasts as the staring cell type, we observed a six-fold increase of iCM formation with IMAP treatment. IMAP stimulated higher cardiac troponin T and α-actinin expression and more sarcomere formation with up-regulation of many cardiac genes and down-regulation of fibroblast genes. Furthermore, IMAP promoted higher spontaneous beating and calcium transient activities of iCMs derived from neonatal cardiac fibroblasts. Intriguingly, we identified that many genes involved in immune responses, particularly those in specific C-C chemokine signaling pathways, were repressed with IMAP treatment. We next tested C-C chemokine ligands Ccl3, Ccl6, and Ccl17 in cardiac reprogramming and observed inhibitory effect on iCM formation, while corresponding inhibitors of Ccr1, Ccr4, and Ccr5 had the opposite effect. These results indicated that suppression of specific C-C chemokine signaling pathways was a direct down-stream event of IMAP treatment that enhanced cardiac reprogramming.

In conclusion, we identified a combination of four chemicals IMAP in suppressing specific C-C chemokine signaling pathways and facilitating MGT-induced cardiac reprogramming. Our studies revealed the role of these specific C-C chemokine signaling pathways in cardiac reprogramming and provide potential targets in iCM formation and its clinical applications.
Estimation the porosity of the valves of centric diatom Minidiscus vodyanitskiyi Lyakh & Bedoshvili using SEM images
Authors: Lyakh Anton M. , Bedoshvili Yekaterina D. , Shikhat Olga V.
Published: January 2019

The diatoms interact with the outer environment through the siliceous walls of a frustule. Because of that the surface area of the frustule determines the ability of diatoms to absorb and excrete material resources. Such as unicellular organisms exchange matter only through the pores in their cell wall, to find relationships between characteristics of material fluxes and surface area of microorganism cover that is penetrable for substance, it is necessary to estimate the total surface area of pores or a porosity – relative area of pores perforated frustule. In the paper we describe a method of estimating the porosity of a diatom valve using SEM images. The method is tested on SEM images of the valves of centric diatom Minidiscus vodyanitskiyi recently described from the Sea of Azov. The results show that the valves porosity is less than 5 % of the total valves area. This value is consistent with the relative perforation of land plants leaves, which is less than 3%. We hypothesize that such value of diatom valves porosity is usual for many other diatom species. To verify this hypothesis additional researches are necessary.
Probing Neural Networks for Dynamic Switches of Communication Pathways
Authors: Finger Holger , Gast Richard , Gerloff Christian , Engel Andreas K. , König Peter
Published: January 2019

Dynamic communication and routing play important roles in the human brain to facilitate 2exibility in task solving and thought processes. Here, we present a network perturbation methodology that allows to investigate dynamic switching between different network pathways based on phase offsets between two external oscillatory drivers. We apply this method in a computational model of the human connectome with delay-coupled neural masses. To analyze dynamic switching of pathways, we define four new metrics that measure dynamic network response properties for pairs of stimulated nodes. Evaluating these metrics for all network pathways, we found a broad spectrum of pathways with distinct dynamic properties and switching behaviors. Specifically, we found that 60.1% of node pairs can switch their communication from one pathway to another depending on their phase offsets. This indicates that phase offsets and coupling delays play an important computational role for the dynamic switching between communication pathways in the brain.
Lean in healthcare organization: an opportunity for environmental sustainability
Authors: Singh Poonam
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights toward the potential of lean healthcare organization for environment sustainability and develop propositions for future studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper to study the inbuilt capacity of lean healthcare organization to mitigate environmental footprint. As a result, lean compatibility with environmental sustainability (ES) has been explored in areas like manufacturing, supply chain, aviation, construction, etc. The lean philosophy, lean culture and lean tools were analyzed to identify their contribution to ES in the context of healthcare organizations.

Findings

Based on the analysis of lean philosophy, culture and tool, this paper theorizes that lean healthcare organizations have huge potential to mitigate environmental footprints. Lean healthcare organizations need not to do any extra effort for ES albeit it is inbuilt in it. Lean philosophy provides a vision to the healthcare organization for ES whereas lean culture bestow healthcare with an epistemology for the same.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides insight that ES is embedded in lean healthcare organizations. Lean healthcare organizational culture is ideal for application for constructivism theory where employees construct a new knowledge from their experiences to minimize the waste that eventually help in ES.

Originality/value

Major contributions of the study include a new approach for mitigating the environmental footprints by adopting lean in healthcare organization.
Reliability, availability and maintainability analysis of a cement plant: a case study
Authors: Choudhary Devendra , Tripathi Mayank , Shankar Ravi
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The demand of cement in India is expected to increase rapidly as the government has been giving immense boost to various housing facilities, infrastructure projects, road networks and railway corridors. One of the ways to meet this rise in the demand of cement is to increase the capacity utilization of the existing cement plants by improving their availability. The availability of a cement plant can be improved by avoiding failures and reducing maintenance time through reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) analysis of its subsystems. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The data related to time between failure (TBF) and time to repair (TTR) of all the critical subsystems of a cement plant were collected over a period of two years for carrying out RAM analysis. Trend test and serial correlation test were performed on TBF and TTR data to verify whether these data are independent and identically distributed or not. Afterwards, the authors use EasyFit 5.6 professional software to find best-fit distribution of TBF and TTR data and their parameters. The effectiveness of a preventive maintenance policy was evaluated by simulating the real and proposed systems.

Findings

The results of the analysis show that the raw mill and the coal mill are critical subsystems of a cement plant from a reliability point of view, whereas the kiln is a critical subsystem from an availability point of view. The analysis shows that the repair time of the cement mill should be reduced for improving the availability of the cement plant. The RAM analysis showed that the capacity of the case study company is 17 percent underutilized due to maintenance-related problems and 15 percent underutilized because of management-related problems.

Practical implications

The study exhibits the usage of RAM analysis in deciding preventive maintenance programs of several cement plant subsystems. Thus, it would serve as a reference for reliability and maintenance managers in deciding maintenance strategies of cement plants as well as in improving their capacity utilization.

Originality/value

The study exhibits the usage of RAM analysis in deciding preventive maintenance programs of several cement plant subsystems. Even more, using a simulation study, the authors show that preventive maintenance of the cement plant beyond a certain level can be disadvantageous as it leads to an increase in downtime and decrease in availability.
Internationalization and failure risk patterns
Authors: Lukason Oliver , Vissak Tiia
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to find out what kind of export and failure risk patterns exist among young Estonian manufacturing exporters and explore their interlinkages.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 208 young Estonian manufacturing exporters. Based on internationalization literature, export patterns were detected with a consecutive three-stage clustering of export sales share from total sales, outside-Europe sales share from export sales and number of target markets, while failure risk patterns were detected by clustering failure probabilities obtained from a universal prediction model. The interconnection of export patterns with financial ratios and failure risk patterns was studied with statistical tests.

Findings

Six main internationalization patterns existed. In all, 49 per cent of firms exported to a single European market and their export share was constantly very low, while even most of the firms with high export shares (39 per cent of the sample) were also active on one European market. In terms of failure risk patterns, 49 per cent of firms had constantly very low failure risk, while 51 per cent of firms had medium risk. Higher export engagement did not lead to better financial performance or lower failure risk.

Originality/value

This study is the first to find out if firms following different export patterns are also characterized by specific financial performance and failure risk. In addition, studies encompassing young exporters’ specific target markets and failure risk development are rare. While exporters’ and non-exporters’ financial performance differences have been frequently documented in favor of the former, this study found no such differences for different types of young exporters.
Application of a DPSIR Modeling Framework to Assess Spatial–Temporal Differences of Water Poverty in China
Authors: Liu Wen‐xin , Sun Cai‐zhi , Zhao Min‐juan , Wu Yong‐jie
Published: January 2019

Water shortage is a common problem around the world, especially in developing countries. Water shortage is closely linked to natural and social conditions, but the linkages between these natural and social conditions and their underlying temporal and spatial variation are less well explored. This paper details an application of the Driving‐Force‐Pressure‐State‐Impact‐Response (DPSIR) model, a holistic and sustainable tool for resources planning and management, and uses comprehensive weights to evaluate the water poverty (wp) in China from 1997 to 2014. This study applies the Kernel density estimation model to analyze the temporal variation trend and uses the least square error model to analyze the spatial pattern of wp. The results show the level of wp is gradually declining over time and the improvements in the coastal and inland wp situation are not spatially harmonious, and there are four primary types of wp in China based on drivers and causal mechanisms: D‐P‐I, D‐P‐I‐R, D‐P‐S‐I, and D‐P‐S‐I‐R. Furthermore, we analyze the main causes of spatial difference of wp and put forward corresponding countermeasures. The research findings are intended to provide a new insight for the evaluation of wp in the context of sustainable development, breaking past limitations that arise in simplified analyses using a single method, and to provide a strategy for regional water resources management to relieve wp.
Does time from diagnosis to treatment of high‐ or very‐high‐risk prostate cancer affect outcome?
Authors: Reichard Chad A. , Nyame Yaw A. , Sundi Debasish , Tosoian Jeffrey , Wilkins Lamont , Alam Ridwan , Achim Mary F. , Wang Xuemei , Stephenson Andrew J. , Klein Eric A. , Ross Ashley E. , Davis John W. , Chapin Brian F.
Published: January 2019

Objective

To determine whether time from diagnosis to treatment impacted outcomes in a multicentre cohort of high‐ and very‐high‐risk (VHR) patients with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

Patients and Methods

In all, 1392 patients from three tertiary centres who underwent RP for either high‐risk or VHR disease, from 2005 to 2015, were identified. The cohort was divided into tertiles based on time from diagnostic biopsy to RP. Cumulative incidence of biochemical recurrence (BCR), metastasis, and prostate cancer‐specific mortality (PCSM) were calculated for each tertile. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to evaluate for differences in all‐cause mortality (ACM) amongst tertiles. Competing risks regression models, as well as Cox proportional hazards regression models, were fitted to assess the association between time‐to‐event outcomes and patient characteristics.

Results

The median (interquartile range [IQR]) time from biopsy to RP was 68 (50–94) days. The median (IQR) follow‐up was 31 (12.1–55.7) months. The cumulative incidence of BCR (P = 0.14), metastasis (P = 0.15), and PCSM (P = 0.69) did not differ amongst time‐to‐treatment tertiles of VHR patients. Also, Kaplan–Meier estimates of ACM (P = 0.53) did not differ amongst time‐to‐treatment tertiles. Similarly, BCR, metastasis, PCSM, and ACM did not significantly differ amongst time‐to‐treatment tertiles in multivariable modelling.

Conclusion

In this pooled meta‐dataset of patients with high‐risk or VHR prostate cancer, time from diagnosis to RP did not appear to significantly contribute to differences in clinical outcomes. This finding supports the safety of enrollment of such patients into neoadjuvant clinical trials.
Diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility and influence on decision‐making of a methylation urine biomarker test in the surveillance of non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer
Authors: D'Andrea David , Soria Francesco , Zehetmayer Sonja , Gust Kilian M. , Korn Stephan , Witjes J. Alfred , Shariat Shahrokh F.
Published: January 2019

Objectives

To investigate prospectively the clinical utility and influence on decision‐making of Bladder EpiCheck™, a non‐invasive urine test, in the surveillance of non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Materials and Methods

Urine samples from 440 patients undergoing surveillance for NMIBC were prospectively collected at five centres and evaluated using the Bladder EpiCheck test (NCT02647112). A multivariable nomogram and decision‐curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the impact of Bladder EpiCheck on decision‐making when used in routine clinical practice. The test was designed to exclude recurrent disease.

Results

Data from 357 patients were available for analysis. The test had a specificity of 88% (95% confidence interval [CI] 84–91), a negative predictive value (NPV) of 94.4% (95% CI 91–97) for the detection of any cancer and an NPV of 99.3% for the detection of high‐grade cancer. In multivariable analysis, positive Bladder EpiCheck results were independently associated with any and high‐grade disease recurrence (odds ratio [OR] 18.1, 95% CI 8.7–40.2; P < 0.001 and OR 78.3, 95% CI 19.2–547; P < 0.001). The addition of Bladder EpiCheck to standard variables improved its predictive ability for any and high‐grade disease recurrence by a difference of 16% and 22%, respectively (area under the curve 85.9% and 96.1% for any and high‐grade cancer, respectively). DCA showed an improvement in the net benefit relative to cystoscopy over a large threshold of probability, resulting in a significant reduction in unnecessary investigations. These results were similar in subgroups assessing the impact of specific clinical features.

Conclusions

Bladder EpiCheck is a robust high‐performing diagnostic test in patients with NMIBC undergoing surveillance that can potentially reduce the number of unnecessary investigations.
MERGERS AND PRODUCT QUALITY: A SILVER LINING FROM DE‐HUBBING IN THE U.S. AIRLINE INDUSTRY
Authors: Rupp Nicholas G. , Tan Kerry M.
Published: January 2019

This paper investigates how de‐hubbing, which occurs when an airline ceases hub operations, impacts product quality. Examining four cases of de‐hubbing following U.S. airline mergers between 1998 and 2016, we analyze three product quality measures: on‐time performance, travel time, and flight cancellations. In order to isolate a merger's impact on product quality, we compare the results of four de‐hubbing events that followed a merger with three de‐hubbing cases that occurred independently of a merger. We find a silver lining from mergers because product quality improvements are isolated to de‐hubbing events which follow airline mergers rather than nonmerger‐induced de‐hubbing. (JEL L15, L93)
Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided hepaticogastrostomy using a novel covered metallic stent with a fine‐diameter delivery system
Authors: Morita Shinichi , Yagi Kazuyoshi , Terai Shuji
Published: January 2019

Watch a video of this article
Cardiovascular efficacy and safety of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors and glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists: a systematic review and network meta‐analysis
Authors: Hussein H. , Zaccardi F. , Khunti K. , Seidu S. , Davies M. J. , Gray L. J.
Published: January 2019

Aims

To compare the cardiovascular efficacy and safety of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1RAs) in adults with Type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Electronic databases were searched from inception to 22 October 2018 for randomized controlled trials designed to assess the cardiovascular efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP‐1RAs with regard to a three‐point composite measure of major adverse cardiovascular events (non‐fatal stroke, non‐fatal myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality). Cardiovascular and safety data were synthesized using Bayesian network meta‐analyses.

Results

Eight trials, including 60 082 participants, were deemed eligible for the network meta‐analysis. Both SGLT2 inhibitors [hazard ratio 0.86 (95% credible interval 0.74, 1.01]) and GLP‐1RAs [hazard ratio 0.88 (95% credible interval 0.78, 0.98)] reduced the three‐point composite measure compared to placebo, with no evidence of differences between them [GLP‐1RAs vs SGLT2 inhibitors: hazard ratio 1.02 (95% credible interval 0.83, 1.23)]. SGLT2 inhibitors reduced risk of hospital admission for heart failure compared to placebo [hazard ratio 0.67 (95% credible interval 0.53, 0.85)] and GLP‐1RAs [hazard ratio 0.71 (95% credible interval 0.53, 0.93)]. No differences were found between the two drug classes in non‐fatal stroke, non‐fatal myocardial infarction, cardiovascular mortality, all‐cause mortality or safety outcomes.

Conclusions

SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP‐1RAs reduced the three‐point major adverse cardiovascular event risk compared to placebo, with no differences between them. Compared with GLP‐1RAs and placebo, SGLT2 inhibitors led to a larger reduction in hospital admission for heart failure risk.
The Choice of Response Probability in Bookmark Standard Setting: An Experimental Study
Authors: Baldwin Peter , Margolis Melissa J. , Clauser Brian E. , Mee Janet , Winward Marcia
Published: January 2019

Evidence of the internal consistency of standard‐setting judgments is a critical part of the validity argument for tests used to make classification decisions. The bookmark standard‐setting procedure is a popular approach to establishing performance standards, but there is relatively little research that reflects on the internal consistency of the resulting judgments. This article presents the results of an experiment in which content experts were randomly assigned to one of two response probability conditions: .67 and .80. If the standard‐setting judgments collected with the bookmark procedure are internally consistent, both conditions should produce highly similar cut scores. The results showed substantially different cut scores for the two conditions; this calls into question whether content experts can produce the type of internally consistent judgments that are required using the bookmark procedure.
Gripping ease in southern green stink bugsNezara viridulaL. (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae): Coping with geometry, orientation and surface wettability of substrate
Authors: Voigt Dagmar , Perez Goodwyn Pablo , Sudo Masaaki , Fujisaki Kenji , Varenberg Michael
Published: January 2019

The southern green stink bugNezara viridulaL. (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae) is highly polyphagous, preferring apically situated seeds and fruits on more than 150 plant species belonging to over 30 plant families all over the world. This forces them to move over highly variable terrains, including plant stems, leaves, pods and buds, which requires efficient attachment. Stink bugs have long slender legs and feet (tarsi) equipped with paired curved claws, paired soft adhesive pads (pulvilli), and flattened lanceolate hairs (setae), which arise ventrally on the first and second foot segments (tarsomeres). To characterize their attachment abilities on well‐defined test substrates, here we comparatively measured and analyzed the traction forces of bugs walking horizontally and vertically on hydrophilic (water attractive) and hydrophobic (water repellent) glass plates and rods. The latter correspond to the geometry of preferred feeding sites of stink bugs in the field. The results show a clear contribution of tarsal flattened lanceolate hairs to the stink bug's attachment. Higher traction forces are generated on a glass rod than on a glass plate, corresponding to up to individual maximum of 43 times the stink bug's body weight. Substrate hydrophobicity promotes the attachment, while the measured forces are up to eight times lower when tarsal hairs are disabled. The combination of smooth and hairy tarsal pads results in a remarkable attachment ability, which enablesN. viridulato climb unstable apical plant parts, and supports their invasive behavior and global dispersion.
BETWEEN HYSTERIA AND ‘HEIMWEH’: HEIDI'S HOMESICKNESS
Authors: Pfeifer Annie
Published: January 2019

In his 1688 dissertation, which first coined the word ‘nostalgia’, the physician Johannes Hofer noted that this ‘Swiss’ sickness (‘Schweizerkrankheit’) is often triggered in soldiers by sounds such as the ringing of cowbells. During her stay in Frankfurt nearly two hundred years later, Johanna Spyri's Heidi is similarly stricken by homesickness, brought on by her acoustic hallucinations about her Swiss Heimat. Heidi's ‘Heimweh’ is treated by her physician as a form of ‘hysteria’, raising the question: to what extent does homesickness manifest itself as a gendered disease? Focusing on the interrelationship between gender and her status as an orphan, I argue that the absence of trauma surrounding the early loss of Heidi's parents becomes spatialised into a kind of intense, somatised homesickness. Building on the arguments of Sigmund Freud and Peter Blickle, I suggest that signifiers like Heimat and ‘Heimweh’ function as ways for Heidi to skirt more salient issues about her past, identity, and psychological development. The novel's discourse around ‘Heimweh’ and Heimat, I conclude, becomes a coded way for Heidi to articulate the unspeakable trauma of losing her parents, a trauma that is never explicitly discussed in the text.
‘DIREKT AUS DEM KRIEG IN DIE LIEBE’: DEPICTIONS OF THE ‘HEIMATFRONT’ IN THE EARLY PROSE OF CLAIRE GOLL
Authors: Smale Catherine
Published: January 2019

This article examines the early prose of Claire Goll (1890–1977), who spent two years of the First World War in political exile in Switzerland. Focusing on the short story collection Die Frauen erwachen (1918) as well as Goll's journalistic writing, the article explores how her engagement with contemporary Heimat discourse, and above all her depiction of the wartime ‘Heimatfront’, is linked to her pacifist stance. Analysis of Goll's adaptation and transformation of conventional Heimat imagery can shed light on her criticism of the war and her condemnation of women's support for it. Goll exposes the patriotic Heimat idyll as a social construct which is performed by men and women in an attempt to distract themselves from the reality of the conflict. She condemns the restrictive gender roles and the jingoistic, militarist culture with which the Heimat ideal is associated. Overall, the article argues that Goll seeks to develop an alternative understanding of Heimat as the foundation for a new, internationalist politics.
REINTERPRETING HEIMAT IN THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC: THE CASE OF ERIKA MANN
Authors: Bunyan Anita
Published: January 2019

This essay will explore Erika Mann's relationship to her Munich, Bavarian, and German Heimat in the context of her experience of political resistance and exile in the final years of the Weimar Republic. Drawing on her letters, journalistic writings, and the texts of her political cabaret, ‘Die Pfeffermühle’, the paper will argue that her experience of travel, political repression, and exile led her to reinterpret the conventional and gendered Heimat discourse of her youth as a progressive and increasingly gender‐neutral phenomenon which could be mobilised by women in opposition to the chauvinistic nationalism of the Third Reich.
Axisymmetric Modeling Using MODFLOW‐USG
Authors: Bedekar Vivek , Scantlebury Leland , Panday Sorab
Published: January 2019

Axisymmetric groundwater models are used for simulating radially symmetric conditions. Groundwater simulators built specifically to model axisymmetric conditions are most commonly used for simulating aquifer tests. Although some numerical models capable of simulating flow and solute transport that are developed in the cartesian coordinate system framework offer flexibility to simulate axisymmetric conditions, most of the numerical groundwater models, such as the MODFLOW family of codes, are based on structured grids in which axisymmetric flows cannot be directly simulated. Researchers in the past have provided methods to manipulate aquifer properties to mimic axisymmetric conditions. This study presents a methodology that takes advantage of the unstructured grids of MODFLOW‐USG to simulate axisymmetric models within the MODFLOW framework. To develop axisymmetric models, the intercell interface area arrays of MODFLOW‐USG were calculated to accurately represent coaxial cylindrical model cells. Three examples are presented to demonstrate the application of MODFLOW‐USG for axisymmetric modeling: a pumping well with delayed yield effects, a vadose zone flow model simulating an infiltration basin, and a density‐dependent saltwater intrusion problem for a circular island. Results were verified against analytical solutions and published numerical codes.
DO HEALTH INSURERS CONTRACT THE BEST PROVIDERS? PROVIDER NETWORKS, QUALITY, AND COSTS
Authors: Boone Jan , Schottmüller Christoph
Published: January 2019

We provide a modeling framework to analyze selective contracting in the health‐care sector. Two health‐care providers differ in quality and costs. When buying health insurance, consumers observe neither provider quality nor costs. We derive an equilibrium where health insurers signal provider quality through their choice of provider network. Selective contracting focuses on low‐cost providers. Contracting both providers signals high quality. Market power reduces the scope for signaling, thereby leading to lower quality and inefficiency.
Six‐Month‐Old Infants Predict Agents’ Goal‐Directed Actions on Occluded Objects
Authors: Applin Jessica B. , Kibbe Melissa M.
Published: January 2019

Infants can infer agents’ goals after observing agents’ goal‐directed actions on objects and can subsequently make predictions about how agents will act on objects in the future. We investigated the representations supporting these predictions. We familiarized 6‐month‐old infants to an agent who preferentially reached for one of two featurally distinct objects following a cue. At test, the objects were sequentially occluded from the infant in the agent's presence. We asked whether infants could generate action predictions without visual access to the relevant objects by measuring whether infants shifted their gaze to the location of the agent's hidden goal object following the cue. We also examined what infants represented about the hidden objects by removing one of the occluders to reveal either the original hidden object or the unexpected other object and measuring infants’ looking time. We found that, even without visual access to the objects, infants made predictive gazes to the location of the agent's occluded goal object, but failed to represent the features of either hidden object. These results suggest that infants make goal‐based action predictions when the relevant objects in the scene are occluded, but doing so may come at the expense of maintaining representations of the objects.
Building Financial and Health Literacy at Older Ages: The Role of Online Information
Authors: Bavafa Hessam , Liu Junhao , Mukherjee Anita
Published: January 2019

Improving financial and health literacy is an important step in reducing economic vulnerability in older age, yet the means by which individuals accumulate these types of human capital remains an open question. This article evaluates the impact of online search activities on the levels of financial and health literacy. We find that using the internet for such information increases literacy significantly: doing so frequently (versus not at all) increases financial literacy by 16%, and health literacy by 12%. Our results are robust to alternative measures of financial literacy. They are also robust to an instrumental variable approach using other web skills such as email use to proxy for how individuals use the internet.