bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serial changes in the proliferation and differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells after ionizing radiation
Authors: Jeong Woonhyeok , Yang Xiao , Lee Jeongmi , Ryoo Youngwook , Kim Jinhee , Oh Youngkee , Kwon Sunyoung , Liu Dalie , Son Daegu
Published: August 2016

Background

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are important to homeostasis and the regeneration of subcutaneous fat. Hence, we examined the proliferation and differentiation capacity of irradiated ASCs over time.

Methods

Two female pigs received a single 18 Gy dose of ionizing radiation to an 18 × 8 cm area on the dorsal body skin via a 6 MeV electron beam. After irradiation, the ASCs were cultured from adipose tissue harvested from a non-irradiated area and an irradiated area at 2, 4, and 6 weeks. The proliferation capacity of ASCs was evaluated by a colony-forming units–fibroblasts (CFUs-Fs) assay, a cholecystokinin (CCK) test with 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS), and a 1 % FBS culture test. The senescence of ASCs was evaluated through morphological examination, immunophenotyping, and β-galactosidase activity, and the multipotent differentiation potential of ASCs was evaluated in adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation media.

Results

Irradiated ASCs demonstrated significantly decreased proliferative capacity 6 weeks after irradiation. As well, the cells underwent senescence, which was confirmed by blunted morphology, weak mesenchymal cell surface marker expression, and elevated β-galactosidase activity. Irradiated ASCs also exhibited significant losses in the capacity for adipocyte and chondrocyte differentiation. In contrast, osteogenic differentiation was preserved in irradiated ASCs.

Conclusions

We observed decreased proliferation and senescence of irradiated ASCs compared to non-irradiated ASCs 6 weeks after irradiation. Furthermore, irradiated ASCs demonstrated impaired adipocyte and chondrocyte differentiation but retained their osteogenic differentiation capacity. Our results could shed light on additional pathogenic effects of late irradiation, including subcutaneous fibrosis and calcinosis.
“It is hard to mesh all this”: Invoking attitude, persona and argument organisation
Authors: Don Alexanne
Published: August 2016

This paper focuses on the nature of invoked attitude as part of the Appraisal framework under Systemic Functional Linguistics, offering an amended set of diagnostic tools for tracking the ways that attitude may be invoked or implied in written discourse. Under the appraisal framework, categories of attitude are located in a system network, suggesting that there are a set of features that can determine whether wordings belong to one or another category. However, in the many cases where such attitudes are invoked, rather than being directly activated through the use of highly stable lexical items, such categorisation becomes problematic. Categorisation of attitude is dependent almost entirely on discourse semantic features of text and on interpretive probabilities, even in the case of explicit or ‘inscribed’ Attitudes, since the value (negative or positive) of many lexical items can be ‘flipped’ in the co-text in which such wordings appear. This paper presents what is termed a Spectrum of potential invoked attitudinal activators, arguing that these textual devices and resources provide a more fine-grained approach to analyses where invoked attitudes have been identified in texts. The paper argues that intertextuality, in its broadest sense, needs to be taken into account when making claims that attitudinal values have been identified in texts. As such, the paper presents a somewhat different theoretical approach to that offered by Martin and White (2005). The proposals offered are illustrated with excerpts from a study based on a close analysis of a corpus of texts of written interaction comprising over 80,000 running words, texts in which invoked attitude was more frequent than inscribed attitudes.
Draft genome sequences of three Xanthomonas translucens pathovar reference strains (pv. arrhenatheri, pv. poae and pv. phlei) with different specificities for forage grasses
Authors: Hersemann Lena , Wibberg Daniel , Widmer Franco , Vorhölter Frank-Jörg , Kölliker Roland
Published: August 2016

As causal agents of bacterial wilt in pastures and meadows, bacteria of the species Xanthomonas translucens are a serious issue in forage grass production. So far, only little is known about host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level and the lack of comprehensive genome data impeded targeted breeding strategies towards resistant forage grass cultivars. Here we announce the draft genome sequences of three grass-pathogenic Xanthomonas translucens pathotype strains, i.e. pv. arrhenatheri LMG 727, pv. poae LMG 728 and pv. phlei LMG 730 isolated from Arrhenatherum elatius (L.) P. Beauv. ex J. Presl & C. Presl (Switzerland), Poa trivialis L. (Switzerland) and Phleum pratense L. (Norway), respectively. The genomes of all three strains revealed a non-canonical type III secretion system and a set of 22 type III effectors as common virulence-related traits. Distinct inter-pathovar differences were observed for the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis gene cluster and the presence of nonribosomal peptide synthetases.
The complete genome sequence of the rumen methanogen Methanobrevibacter millerae SM9
Authors: Kelly William J. , Pacheco Diana M. , Li Dong , Attwood Graeme T. , Altermann Eric , Leahy Sinead C.
Published: August 2016

Methanobrevibacter millerae SM9 was isolated from the rumen of a sheep maintained on a fresh forage diet, and its genome has been sequenced to provide information on the phylogenetic diversity of rumen methanogens with a view to developing technologies for methane mitigation. It is the first rumen isolate from the Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii clade to have its genome sequence completed. The 2.54 Mb SM9 chromosome has an average G + C content of 31.8 %, encodes 2269 protein-coding genes, and harbors a single prophage. The overall gene content is comparable to that of Methanobrevibacter ruminantium M1 and the type strain of M. millerae (ZA-10T) suggesting that the basic metabolism of these two hydrogenotrophic rumen methanogen species is similar. However, M. millerae has a larger complement of genes involved in methanogenesis including genes for methyl coenzyme M reductase II (mrtAGDB) which are not found in M1. Unusual features of the M. millerae genomes include the presence of a tannase gene which shows high sequence similarity with the tannase from Lactobacillus plantarum, and large non-ribosomal peptide synthase genes. The M. millerae sequences indicate that methane mitigation strategies based on the M. ruminantium M1 genome sequence are also likely to be applicable to members of the M. gottschalkii clade.
LysoPCs induce Hck- and PKCδ-mediated activation of PKCγ causing p47phox phosphorylation and membrane translocation in neutrophils
Authors: Kelher Marguerite R , McLaughlin Nathan J D , Banerjee Anirban , Elzi David J , Gamboni Fabia , Khan Samina Y , Meng Xianzhong , Mitra Sanchayita , Silliman Christopher C
Published: August 2016

Lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs) are effective polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) priming agents implicated in transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). LysoPCs cause ligation of the G2A receptor, cytosolic Ca2+ flux, and activation of Hck. We hypothesize that lysoPCs induce Hck-dependent activation of protein kinase C (PKC), resulting in phosphorylation and membrane translocation of 47 kDa phagocyte oxidase protein (p47phox). PMNs, human or murine, were primed with lysoPCs and were smeared onto slides and examined by digital microscopy or separated into subcellular fractions or whole-cell lysates. Proteins were immunoprecipitated or separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted for proteins of interest. Wild-type (WT) and PKCγ knockout (KO) mice were used in a 2-event model of TRALI. LysoPCs induced Hck coprecipitation with PKCδ and PKCγ and the PKCδ:PKCγ complex also had a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)+ interaction with lipid rafts and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein family verprolin-homologous protein 2 (WAVE2). PKCγ then coprecipitated with p47phox. Immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation (IP), specific inhibitors, intracellular depletion of PKC isoforms, and PMNs from PKCγ KO mice demonstrated that Hck elicited activation/Tyr phosphorylation (Tyr311 and Tyr525) of PKCδ, which became Thr phosphorylated (Thr507). Activated PKCδ then caused activation of PKCγ, both by Tyr phosphorylation (Τyr514) and Ser phosphorylation, which induced phosphorylation and membrane translocation of p47phox. In PKCγ KO PMNs, lysoPCs induced Hck translocation but did not evidence a FRET+ interaction between PKCδ and PKCγ nor prime PMNs. In WT mice, lysoPCs served as the second event in a 2-event in vivo model of TRALI but did not induce TRALI in PKCγ KO mice. We conclude that lysoPCs prime PMNs through Hck-dependent activation of PKCδ, which stimulates PKCγ, resulting in translocation of phosphorylated p47phox.
Improving Oral Oncolytic Patient Self-Management
Authors: McNamara Elaine , Redoutey Lindsey , Mackler Emily , Severson Jane A. , Petersen Laura , Mahmood Tallat
Published: August 2016

Purpose:

Managing patients who are taking oral oncolytics is challenging because of the changing paradigm from frequent supervision during intravenous therapy to periodic observation with oral administration of drugs. We joined the Michigan Oncology Quality Consortium (MOQC) Oral Oncolytics Collaborative in 2013 to identify opportunities for improvement in this area.

Methods:

We completed MOQC’s baseline self-assessment and performed an audit of medical records for 25 patients prescribed an oral oncolytic from May 2011 to July 2013. We implemented the following MOQC resources: a tracking system for patients taking oral oncolytics, patient education with drug-specific self-care guidelines, use of a modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale, and a medication adherence questionnaire to be used on scheduled follow-up calls and return visits. We modified our workflow to include a standard teaching session and consistent follow-up phone calls. We conducted a retrospective postimplementation medical records audit from August 2013 to September 2014.

Results:

Baseline self-assessment revealed lack of start date documentation and lack of consistent follow-up. A baseline medical records audit showed that 48% of patients discontinued their medication without consulting their physician, and start date documentation was available for only 52% of patients. After participating in the quality initiative, 100% of patients sampled had a documented start date, and no patients discontinued their drug on their own. Seventeen percent had a dose reduction as a result of toxicity, as directed by the physician.

Conclusion:

The introduction of new office procedures to easily identify all patients receiving oral therapy and improvement in patients’ ability to manage symptoms at home with the use of self-care guidelines contributed to an improvement in managing patients who are taking oral oncolytics.
Association of Practice-Level Hospital Use With End-of-Life Outcomes, Readmission, and Weekend Hospitalization Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Cancer
Authors: Clough Jeffrey D. , Strawbridge Larisa M. , LeBlanc Thomas W. , Hammill Bradley G. , Kamal Arif H.
Published: August 2016

Purpose:

To determine the relationships between hospital use of treating oncology practices and patient outcomes.

Patients and Methods:

Retrospective analysis of 397,646 Medicare beneficiaries who received anticancer therapy in 2012. Each beneficiary was associated with a practice; practices were ranked on the basis of risk-adjusted hospital use, that is, inpatient intensity. Outcomes included 30-day readmission, weekend admissions, intensive care unit stays in the last month of life, and hospice stay of ≥ 7 days. Outcomes were measured for each quartile of practice-level inpatient intensity. We fit multivariable logistic regression models to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for each outcome for each quartile of inpatient intensity.

Results:

Total 30-day readmissions were 22.8% and 31.9% (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.39 to 1.50) for patients in practices with the lowest versus highest quartiles of inpatient intensity, respectively; unplanned readmissions were 19.8% and 27.1% (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.31 to 1.41), respectively. The proportion of admissions that occurred on weekends was similar across quartiles. Patients of practices in the highest quartiles of inpatient intensity had higher rates of death in an ICU stay in the last month of life (25.5% versus 18.0%; OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.49) and a lower rate of hospice stay of at least 7 days (50.9% to 42.5%; OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.86).

Conclusion:

Medical oncology practices that seek to reduce hospitalizations should consider focusing initially on processes related to end-of-life care and care transitions.
Risk Factors for Unintended Dural Puncture in Obstetric Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Orbach-Zinger Sharon , Ashwal Eran , Hazan Lilach , Bracco Danielle , Ioscovich Alex , Hiersch Liran , Khinchuck Andrey , Aviram Amir , Eidelman Leonid A.
Published: August 2016

BACKGROUND:

Unintended dural puncture (UDP) is one of the main risks of epidural analgesia, with a reported incidence of approximately 1.5% among the obstetric population. UDP is associated with maternal adverse outcomes, with the most frequent adverse outcome being postdural puncture headache (PDPH). Our retrospective cohort study objective was to identify demographic and obstetric risk factors that increase the risk of unintentional dural puncture as well as describing the obstetric outcome once a dural puncture has occurred.

METHODS:

We retrospectively reviewed all cases of UDPs during attempted vaginal delivery between the years 2004 and 2013 in a single Israeli hospital. Each UDP case was matched with the 2 parturients who received epidural analgesia before and 2 parturients after performed by the same anesthesiologist (control group). Demographic, anesthetic, and obstetric variables were compared between the UDP and control groups.

RESULTS:

Out of 46,668 epidural procedures, 177 cases of UDPs were documented (0.4%). One hundred seven women (60.5%) developed PDPH, and 38 (35.5%) required an epidural blood patch. In multivariate logistic regression, the degree of cervical dilation in centimeters at the time of epidural insertion was associated with an increased rate of UDP (P < .001). Multiparity was associated with PDPH after UDP (P = .004). Women with UDP had longer length of hospital stay than those without UDP (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS:

UDP, an uncommon complication, is associated with obstetric factors. Nevertheless, it does not seem to be associated with adverse obstetric outcomes except for prolonged duration of hospital stay.
The Impact of Residual Neuromuscular Blockade, Oversedation, and Hypothermia on Adverse Respiratory Events in a Postanesthetic Care Unit: A Prospective Study of Prevalence, Predictors, and Outcomes
Authors: Stewart Paul A. , Liang Sophie S. , Li Qiushuang Susan , Huang Min Li , Bilgin Ayse B. , Kim Dukyeon , Phillips Stephanie
Published: August 2016

BACKGROUND:

Residual neuromuscular blockade (RNMB) has been linked to adverse respiratory events (AREs) in the postanesthetic care unit (PACU). However, these events are often not attributed to RNMB by anesthesiologists because they may also be precipitated by other factors including obstructive sleep apnea, opioids, or hypnotic agents. Many anesthesiologists believe RNMB occurs infrequently and is rarely associated with adverse outcomes. This study evaluated the prevalence and predictors of RNMB and AREs.

METHODS:

This prospective cohort study included 599 adult patients undergoing general anesthesia who received neuromuscular blocking agents. Baseline demographic, surgical, and anesthetic variables were collected. RNMB was defined as a train-of-four ratio below 0.90 measured by electromyography on admission to the PACU. AREs were defined based on the modified Murphy’s criteria.

RESULTS:

RNMB was present in 186 patients (31% [95% confidence interval (CI), 27%–35%]) on admission to the PACU. One or more AREs were experienced by 97 patients (16% [95% CI 13–19]). AREs were more frequent in patients with RNMB (21% vs 14%, P = .033). RNMB was significantly associated with age (adjusted relative risk [RR], 1.17 [95% CI, 1.06–1.29] per 10-year increase), type of operation (adjusted RR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.34–0.99] for laparoscopic surgery compared with open abdominal surgery), and duration of operation (adjusted RR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.39–0.86] for ≥90 minutes compared with <90 minutes). Using multivariate logistic regression, AREs were found to be independently associated with decreased level of consciousness (adjusted RR, 4.76 [95% CI, 1.49–6.76] for unrousable/unconscious compared with alert/awake) and lower core temperature (adjusted RR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.04–1.92] per 1°C decrease). Although univariate analysis found a significant association between AREs and RNMB, the significance became borderline after adjusting for other covariates (adjusted RR, 1.46 [95% CI, 0.99–2.08]).

CONCLUSIONS:

The prevalence of RNMB in the PACU was >30%. Older age, open abdominal surgery, and duration of operation <90 minutes were associated with increased risk of RNMB in our patients. Our RR estimate for AREs was highest for depressed level of consciousness. When AREs occur in the PACU, potentially preventable causes including RNMB, hypothermia, and reduced level of consciousness should be readily identified and treated appropriately. Delaying extubation until the patient is awake and responsive may reduce AREs.
The Promise (and Pitfalls) of Public Health Policy Surveillance
Authors: Hodge James G.
Published: August 2016

Though public health policy surveillance is an integral tool in correlating the law to scientifically based public health law studies, drawing accurate legal conclusions from collected data can be challenging. Data may be of poor quality, inaccessible to law and policy makers, or inapplicable to other jurisdictions over time and place. As Burris et al. (2016) advocate, modern, sophisticated, and interactive data collection systems would render more precise legal analysis tied to public health improvements. Although policy surveillance is promising, public health officials, health care providers, attorneys, and researchers must be skilled and prepared to successfully navigate and resolve potential pitfalls for its benefits to be fully realized. Among the significant challenges related to policy surveillance are: (1) timing; (2) agenda setting; (3) predictable misuse; and (4) politics inherent in a federalist public health legal infrastructure. As public health data infrastructure is developed, better legal approaches must be simultaneously crafted to achieve optimal public health outcomes.
Public Health Law and Institutional Vaccine Skepticism
Authors: Parasidis Efthimios
Published: August 2016

Vaccine-hesitant parents are often portrayed as misinformed dilettantes clinging to unscientific Internet chatter and a debunked study that linked the MMR vaccine and autism. While this depiction may be an accurate portrayal of a small (but vocal) subset, scholars have unearthed a more complex picture that casts vaccine hesitancy in the context of broader notions of lack of trust in government and industry. At the same time, commentators have highlighted limitations of the vaccine injury compensation program and US Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have argued that preemption laws that provide vaccine manufacturers with broad legal immunities create “a regulatory vacuum in which no one ensures that vaccine manufacturers adequately take account of scientific and technological advancements when designing or distributing their products.” In short, the discussions surrounding vaccine hesitancy that dominate public discourse detract from serious debate as to whether amendments to vaccine-related laws can address the limitations of the existing framework governing immunizations. This commentary examines these issues through a public health law lens.
Medicaid Expansion in a Litmus State: The Missouri Struggle
Authors: Brasfield James
Published: August 2016

For a century Missouri was a bellwether state in presidential elections, always picking the winner. Since 2008 it has been experiencing a partisan divide along urban/rural lines with President Obama losing the state twice. The battle over Medicaid expansion found a Democratic governor unable to convince a Republican legislative majority to support ACA-based expansion. The more highly partisan legislative environment has rendered traditional bargaining and negotiations impossible on the controversial question of Medicaid expansion.

Despite supportive advocacy by hospitals and the business community, the Republican legislative leaders have opposed any movement on Medicaid expansion over the past four years. There will be a new occupant in the governor's mansion in 2017, which may create a fork in the road. Democrats are unlikely to regain a legislative majority, and one path is continued Republican refusal to consider expansion. The other path features the new governor responding to the national 2016 election outcome, and creating the prospects for a deal, perhaps around a waiver plan.
Sonia Boyce and Crop Over
Authors: Thompson Allison
Published: August 2016

Sonia Boyce's two-screen video, Crop-Over, visually samples the many traditions, histories and cultural practices that inform this Barbadian festival, culminating with the carnivalesque parade known as Kadooment. Presenting a wide range of related performances, some real and some staged by the artist, Boyce constructs a pseudo-documentary, pseudo-pantomime collage of events that subtly reveals the multiple dimensions of this creolized spectacle, deliberately building up layers of interpretation and presentation that seek to identify, historicize and problematize these cultural icons. Unlike many of the pre-lenten carnivals in the region, Crop Over celebrates the end of the sugar cane season, and directly ties the subversive elements and inversions of traditional carnival to the sugar economy of the Caribbean, and its historical dependence on slavery. While traditional representations of Carnival by artists such as Belisario are marked, according to Stuart Hall, by what is not said, Boyce's Crop Over is motivated by what remains unexplained.
Catching the Wind
Authors: Khan Aisha
Published: August 2016

In this essay I explore key tropes in the study of the Caribbean and New World African diasporas, focusing on the work of Richard Price, and, in particular, Travels With Tooy. I engage some problematic issues in the definition and apprehension of memory, history, and cultural transformation (creolization). These issues include the constitution of “knowledge” and “evidence,” the value and meaning of empirical research, the relationship between the construction of experience and the construction of a discipline, and the ways that authority and legitimacy are established and maintained. The essay ends by briefly considering what the stakes are in the contemporary debate about memory, history, and cultural transformation in diaspora, and thus, consequently, what political projects are embedded in them.
White but Not Quite: Tones and Overtones of Whiteness in Brazil
Authors: de Santana Pinho Patricia
Published: August 2016

This article analyzes anecdotes, jokes, standards of beauty, color categories, and media representations of “mixed-race” individuals to assess the junctions and disjunctions of whiteness and blackness in Brazil. While the multiple and contradictory meanings of “racial” mixture stimulates a preference for whiteness, thus reducing the access to power by those deemed black, it simultaneously fuels a rejection for “pure” forms of whiteness as witnessed in the country's celebration of morenidade (brownness). Not all forms of miscegenation are valued in Brazil's myth of racial democracy, and some “types of mixture” are clearly preferred in detriment of others. I argue that anti-black racism in Brazil is expressed not only against dark-skinned individuals, but it also operates in the devaluing of physical traits “deemed black” even in those who have lighter skin complexion, thus creating “degrees of whiteness.” One's “measure of whiteness,” therefore, is not defined only by skin color, but requires a much wider economy of signs where, together with other bodily features, hair texture is almost as important as epidermal tone. In any given context, the definition of whiteness is also, necessarily, shaped by the contours of gender and class affiliation.
The Asian Other in the Caribbean
Authors: Mohammed Patricia
Published: August 2016

This essay examines the problem of being Asian in the Caribbean, Asian referring generically to settled groups originating from the sub-continent of Asia. The essay traces how demographic minority status and religious difference have historically led to the process of becoming the outsider in the region. Focusing primarily on Indians, the essay explores the tropes of the “home and the world” in which “otherness” emerges as metaphors in the fictional works of Rabindranath Tagore's The Home and the World which resonates in V.S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas. The `Other' in this essay extemporizes on Edward Said's concept in Orientalism. Othering excludes Asians from the creole project of nationalisms in the region, conferring instead a script of antiquity and cultural spirituality that Asians have colluded with for negotiating difference. This collusion comes with its own metaphysical dilemmas of identity and belonging that remain unresolved.
“The Unhomely Moment”: Frieda Cassin's Nineteenth-Century Antiguan Novel and the Construction of the White Creole
Authors: O'Callaghan Evelyn
Published: August 2016

With reference to a little known nineteenth century novel by an Antiguan creole woman, With Silent Tread (c1890), this paper examines the different ways in which female creole whiteness is constructed in the West Indies and in England. Paradoxically, “transcultural whiteness” exposes the ambivalence of such racial distinctions in the colonial context, and underscores the need for a more nuanced perception of whiteness as well as blackness in the Caribbean.
Phylogenetic relationships at the base of Ericaceae: Implications for vegetative and mycorrhizal evolution
Authors: Freudenstein John V. , Broe Michael B. , Feldenkris Emily R.
Published: August 2016

The relationships among pyroloids, monotropoids, arbutoids and the remainder of Ericaceae continue to be unresolved even though significant progress has been made in understanding the phylogenetic structure of the family. This means that, in addition to uncertainty in classification, evolutionary patterns in vegetative structure and mycorrhizal diversity in the family have also been uncertain. This study analyzes nuclear, plastid and mitochondrial sequence data in order to provide a basis for classification and character analysis. Parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of partitioned and combined data are largely in agreement; organellar data differ from nuclear data with respect to the position of pyroloids. Based on nuclear, plastid and combined data analyses, monotropoids are sister to arbutoids, and these are together sister to pyroloids, and thence to a core Ericaceae and finally to Enkianthus. This suggests that a reduction in woodiness and increased mycotrophy has occurred in parallel in pyroloids and monotropoids and that the arbutoid and ericoid mycorrhizal types were each derived from the arbuscular type in Ericaceae.
Platform Integration and Demand Spillovers in Complementary Markets: Evidence from Facebook’s Integration of Instagram
Authors: Li Zhuoxin , Agarwal Ashish
Published: August 2016

Social media platform owners often choose to provide tighter integration with their own complementary applications (i.e., first-party applications) as compared to that with other complementary third-party applications. We study the impact of such integration on consumer demand for first-party applications and competing third-party applications by exploring Facebook’s integration of Instagram, an application in its photo-sharing application ecosystem. We find that consumers obtain additional value from Instagram after its integration with Facebook, leading to a large increase in the use of Instagram for Facebook photo sharing. Further, we find that the growth of Instagram’s user base has a positive spillover effect on big third-party applications and a negative spillover effect on small third-party applications in Facebook’s photo-sharing ecosystem. As a result, while small third-party applications face reduced demand after integration, big third-party applications experience a small increase in demand. Thus, the overall demand for the entire photo-sharing application ecosystem actually increases, which suggests that Facebook’s integration strategy benefits the complementary market overall. Our results highlight the role of platform integration for first-party applications and the application ecosystem overall, and they have implications for strategic management of first-party applications in the presence of third-party applications.

This paper was accepted by Anandhi Bharadwaj, information systems.
Optimality of Mixed Policies for Average Continuous-Time Markov Decision Processes with Constraints
Authors: Guo Xianping , Zhang Yi
Published: August 2016

This article concerns the average criteria for continuous-time Markov decision processes with N constraints. We show the following; (a) every extreme point of the space of performance vectors corresponding to the set of stable measures is generated by a deterministic stationary policy; and (b) there exists a mixed optimal policy, where the mixture is over no more than N + 1 deterministic stationary policies.
The Cost of Free Spectrum
Authors: Nguyen Thành , Zhou Hang , Berry Randall A. , Honig Michael L. , Vohra Rakesh
Published: August 2016

There has been growing interest in increasing the amount of radio spectrum available for unlicensed broadband wireless access. That includes “prime” spectrum at lower frequencies, which is also suitable for wide area coverage by licensed cellular providers. While additional unlicensed spectrum would allow for market expansion, it could influence competition among providers and increase congestion (interference) among consumers of wireless services. We study the value (social welfare and consumer surplus) obtained by adding unlicensed spectrum to an existing allocation of licensed spectrum among incumbent service providers. We assume a population of customers who choose a provider based on the minimum delivered price, given by the weighted sum of the price of the service and a congestion cost, which depends on the number of subscribers in a band. We consider models in which this weighting is uniform across the customer population and where the weighting is high or low, reflecting different sensitivities to latency. For the models considered, we find that the social welfare depends on the amount of additional unlicensed spectrum, and can actually decrease over a significant range of unlicensed bandwidths. Furthermore, with nonuniform weighting, introducing unlicensed spectrum can also reduce consumer welfare.
Latest clinical research
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: August 2016

Mark Greener presents key studies published in healthcare journals
UK medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use
Authors: Kochhar Suneeta
Published: August 2016

Suneeta Kochhar outlines changes to contraceptive advice for women with varying medical conditions
Encouraging patients with COPD to stop smoking
Authors: Attar-Zadeh Darush
Published: August 2016

Smoking or exposure to tobacco smoke is a risk factor for COPD exacerbation explains Darush Attar-Zadeh
Top 10 questions: Tick-borne encephalitis
Authors: Umeed Margaret
Published: August 2016

Margaret Umeed looks at what should be considered when advising travellers about this condition
Tackling obesity in children between the ages of five and 11
Authors: Cremonesini Louise
Published: August 2016

Poor weight management in childhood can lead to lifelong health problems, writes Louise Cremonesini
Managing malnutrition for older people in residential care
Authors: Ojo Omorogieva
Published: August 2016

Malnutrition is a major concern for those in the care sector. In this article, Omorogieva Ojo discusses how malnutrition can be managed in the care home using oral nutritional supplements (ONS), such as powders, sip feeds and thickened drinks
Mentoring and addressing the skills gap in palliative care
Authors: Bautista Edgar
Published: August 2016

There is an immediate and pressing need to address the skills gap in end-of-life care. Edgar Bautista discusses how a recent pilot programme in South East Wales looked at ways to help nurses and carers provide the support that residents require.
How to … support staff in the use of information technology
Authors: Ashurst Adrian
Published: August 2016

Modern computing offers a wide range of solutions to help care home staff become more efficient in their work. Adrian Ashurst provides an insight into how staff can be supported in their use of information technology within the care home
Psychological Motivational Profile of a Serial Killer “Mercy-Hero” vs. Power/Control Type
Authors: Soria Miguel Ángel , Ansa Nerea
Published: August 2016

On October 2010, the death of an elderly woman in a geriatric residence in the province of Girona (Catalonia), launched a police investigation, which ended up with the confession of eleven murders committed by one employee, Joan Vila Dilme (JVD). The killings were committed between August 2009 and October 2010; the eleven victims were elderly people between 80 and 96 years old, who lived in the residence. The employee administered to the victims a mixture of psychotropic drugs, insulin and caustic products. Different multidisciplinary teams evaluated, with forensic assessment proposed, the offender mental state and his biographic and personality background focused on a clinical-pathological vs. psychosocial-criminological perspective. Although he always claimed that his primary motive was to help those people he loved to stop suffering. On June 2013 he was condemned to one hundred and twenty-seven and a half years in prison, becoming the most prolific serial killer in Spain on the current century, and the fourth for sixty years before. The goal of this article is to analyse in depth this particular case, which provoked a strong media effect, highlighting the psychological factors regarding the offender motivation, his psychobiography background and his mental state.
Review and ranking the private insurance companies in Iran based on TOPSIS model
Authors: Asadi Leila , Esmaeilzadeh Moghri Ali
Published: August 2016

Insurance companies are the most important economic institutions in each country and they support other economic entities. Their proper performance play an important role in the booming the economy. Insurance companies to achieve effective and strong performance should be familiar with performance of competitors and themselves and according to their information take necessary measures. For this purpose, the current study aims to rank the private insurance companies. In this regard, financial and non-financial indicators as well as performance index for 17 private insurance companies are extracted over 4 years (2011 to 2014) based on their financial statements. The weight of each index was determined using the Shannon entropy. Then, insurance companies were ranked using TOPSIS. The results showed that based on financial indicators, Arman insurance company in 2011 and 2012 had the optimal performance from the standpoint of the criteria (1st). In the years, 2013 and 2014 Kosar insurance Company and Mihan insurance companies were at the 1st place. In addition, Alborz insurance Company had a good performance in terms of performance indexes in 2011 and 2013, (1st). In the years 2012 and 2014, Parsian and Pasargad Insurance Companies ranked 1st. Based on non-financial indicators, Asia insurance company in the period under review (2011 to 2014) ranked in the first place.
Hopes and dreams: poverty, motherhood and health care
Authors: Pope Bonnie , Bloom Kathaleen
Published: August 2016

Racial and ethnic differences in health outcomes exist in all areas of health care even when factors related to income; insurance status and access to care are controlled. The importance of the social environment versus biological influences a person’s health status are explored in this study. Healthy People 2020 identified maternal health status to pregnancy-related health outcomes and African American women are at greater risk for poor pregnancy outcomes including increased rates of maternal, perinatal, neonatal, and infant mortality.Study Purpose: To understand the meaning of being and African-American woman living in poverty and their experiences with the health care system. Research Design: Exploratory qualitative, community-based participatory action research study used oral and digital storytelling. Participants and Setting: African American mothers residing in government subsidized housing.Data Collection and Analysis: Focus groups, storytelling, and photovoice for data collection. Thematic analysis the focus groups’ transcriptions and storyboard findings was conducted. Results: Common themes from the transcripts were “respect me…don’t stereotype me” and “be safe.” Themes from storyboards were “love of family,” “love of community,” and “hope for the future.” Courage, family, and community are the foundation of their lives. Limitation: Sample size does not allow generalization to larger populations.
Study of the exogenous hormonal regulation of leaf senescence in two millets, Setaria italica, l. and Pennisetum typhoides, burm
Authors: Mahapatra Mamata , Kumar K. Bijay , Mohanty B. K.
Published: August 2016

The present project is aimed at studying the exogenous regulation of leaf senescence in two millets i.e. Setaria italica, L. and Pennisetum typhoides Burm. The present study is confined to the study of excised leaf senescence by using growth regulators as the exogenous agents. Attached leaf study was avoided for the reason that preliminary experiments showed insensitiveness of the leaves of these two millets to growth regulators in the attached condition. In this study three growth regulators were selected, each from three major groups. Benzimidazole (BZI) represented cytokinins and indole acetic acid represented the auxins and GA3 represented Gibberelic Acid. In the present investigation, a significant negative correlation between RNA loss and RNase activity was found in both S.italica and P.typhoides. This suggests RNase like chlorophyllase responsible for bio-molecular breakdown. DNase activity was stable, it's activity increasing either in the first 72 h or up to the end of the incubation, but DNase activity decreased with time. Thus there was no correlation between the two. Acid phosphatase activity did not show any correlation with the established parameters of senescence, thus in both the plants the activity of the enzyme cannot be treated as an indicator of senescence. Among the two pyrophosphatases, alkaline enzyme showed a parallelism with the changes in chlorophyll and can be used as a reliable indicator of the process. On the other hand acid inorganic phosphatase activity increased during the incubation, but had no significant relation with other senescence related changes, suggesting more investigations to ascertain the role of acid inorganic pyrophosphatase.
Effects of seed pre-treatments on the germination of Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii
Authors: Bamigboye Tolulope Olaseini , Kayode Joshua
Published: August 2016

The effect of various seed pre-treatments on the germination of Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii was examined in this study. The pre-treatments included seeds with their testa removed, intact seeds soaked in GA3, seeds soaked in GA3 for one hour after which their gelatinous covers were removed, seeds soaked in GA3 for one hour after which their testa were removed and seeds tied in polythene for 2 days. Intact seeds sown directly without any treatment served as control. Results obtained revealed that while germination did not occurred in seeds whose testa were removed and seeds soaked in GA3 for1 hour after which their testa were removed, germination occurred in other treated seeds and the control. Also while germination occurred in the first 5 weeks in seeds soaked in GA3 and seeds soaked in GA3 for 1 hour after which their gelatinous covers were removed, germination first occurred in 9 days in seeds soaked in GA3 for 1 hour after which their gelatinous covers were removed and in10 days in intact seeds soaked in GA3. Growth occurred in other treated seeds at 11-15weeks experimental time. At 25 weeks experimental time, intact seeds soaked in GA3 had the highest % germination and the germination occurred within the shortest experimental time.
Efficacy of four selective Trichoderma isolates as plant growth promoters in two peanut varieties
Authors: Kamaruzzaman M. , Rahman M. M. , Islam M. S. , Ahmad M. U.
Published: August 2016

Trichoderma species are generally used as potential bio control agents against wide range of plant pathogenic fungi and some strains are reported to produce metabolites that enhance plant growth. In the current study we evaluated the four Trichoderma isolates viz. T. harzianum (ST5), T. viride (ST6), T. virens (ST7) and T. atroviride (ST9) including a control were tested as seed treatment against to find out a potential growth-promoter of Peanut. T. harzianum (ST5) gave maximum length and weight of shoot, weight of roots with pods, weight of pods and number of nodules per plant. T. viride (ST6) showed higher plant growth, nodulation and yield compared to T. virens (ST7) and T. atroviride (ST9). Minimum growth, yield and nodulation were observed with control treatment.
Słowotwórstwo nazwisk mieszkańców wsi we wrzesińskich księgach chrztu z XVIII wieku
Authors: Sieradzki Andrzej
Published: August 2016

The article studies name derivatives referring to rural population recorded in the eigh­teenth-century baptismal books of Września. The core of the study are 164 surnames formed by the addition of the suffixes -ski, -ewicz, -owicz as well as the basic -k-. The studies completed demonstrate that in the process of creation of names, over the entire 18th century, the most dominating were the word formation models with suffixes including the basic -k-. Within this category the suffix -ak was the most active element. Of marginal importance (only in the creation of formal derivatives) was the suffix -ski and the derived suffixes. Only 20 formations were created with their use during the whole century. On the basis of the analysis of the documents, it can be assumed that in the rural area near Września there were no word-formative models with the formatives -ewicz and -owicz. The attested surnames (7), recorded between 1753 and 1760, must have been brought from other areas.
Polski dyskurs patriotyczny w prasie i w pismach okolicznościowych z 2. połowy XVIII wieku
Authors: Siuciak Mirosława
Published: August 2016

The article examines the process of shaping of the Polish patriotic discourse, which was determined by such events of the 18th century as the Bar Confederation, the Great Sejm proceedings, and the Kościuszko Uprising. In a situation in which Poland was threatened with the invasion of surrounding world powers and in the face of impending armed struggle for sovereignty, the then most important values uniting the Polish nation were formulated. The first entity to define them were the Bar confederates, who fought against the Russian army in defence of their fatherland, religion, freedom, and independence. In the 1790s the patriotic discourse shifted to the press covering the proceedings of the Great Sejm, and later to newspaper coverage of the Kościuszko Uprising. During these events, the freedom demands were altered because the conservative Sarmatian republicanism had been replaced with ‚new’ republicanism – characterised by social radicalism and supporting the separation of church and state. Despite some semantic shifts, for more than 200 years the most significant values constituting the Polish patriotic discourse have been: fatherland, freedom, and independence.
Słownik języka Jana Chryzostoma Paska odczytany feministycznie
Authors: Sobolewska Katarzyna
Published: August 2016

The feminist interpretation of The Dictionary of the language of Jan Chryzostom Pasek consisted in searching for information on the status and position of women during the baroque period, and in tracing these lexicographic tools, which revealed the hierarchy of gender related values employed by its editors. The analysis focused on lexicographic articles describing persons of female gender in juxtaposition with their male counterparts. The Dictionary reflects all of the central features of patriarchal culture of Polish Sarmatia and the entailed asymmetry of gender roles. However, as the gender category has not been sufficiently accounted for in the lexicographic treatment of personal nouns, The Dictionary does not appreciate some of the cultural content.
Nos N[icolaus] Dei gratia episcopus
Authors: Majewski Dennis
Published: August 2016

Jede zusammenhängende geschichtliche Betrachtung nötigt uns, zunächst den Charakter der Überlieferung ins Auge zu fassen, welcher wir die Kenntnis der geschichtlichen Thatsachen verdanken. Um den Wert dieser Überlieferung richtig beurteilen zu können, hat die methodische Forschung eine doppelte Aufgabe zu lösen. Sie wird einmal die eigentümliche Stellung zu prüfen haben, welche jede besondere Tradition im Bereich der gesamten geschichtlichen Überlieferung einnimmt; sie wird sodann den Standpunkt untersuchen müssen, welchen die Gesamtentwicklung der historischen Methode dieser Tradition gegenüber eingenommen und zuletzt gewonnen hat. Erst nach dieser Vorprüfung wird sich die geschichtliche Betrachtung dem eigentümlichen Charakter der berichteten Thatsache selbst zuwenden dürfen.
A rare case of persistent hypoglossal artery associated with contralateral proximal subclavian stenosis
Authors: Romeo Antonio , Napolitano Giuseppina , Leone Giuseppe , Aiello Alessandra , La porta Antonietta , Tedeschi Enrico , Briganti Francesco , Caranci Ferdinando
Published: August 2016

The persistent hypoglossal artery is rare vascular anomalies. We report the case of a 50-year old man with right hypoglossal artery, ipsilateral hypoplasic internal carotid artery, associated with left proximal subclavian stenosis with subclavian steal syndrome. Power-Doppler-Ultra-Sonography spectral images obtained after the patient exercised the left arm showed mid-systolic deceleration with retrograde late-systolic velocities. A Computed Tomography Angiography demonstrated a proximal stenosis of the left SA, a mild right ICA hypoplasia and an anomalous artery arising from right ICA at C2–C3 level, entering the cranium via the hypoglossal canal and joining the basilar artery. Usually the presence of PHA may be completely asymptomatic, and detected as an incidental finding by CTA or MRA, but in our case its diagnosis is extremely important because it is often the only vessel supplying blood to the basilar trunk and posterior circulation.