bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Further Analytical, Pharmacokinetic, and Clinical Observations on Low-Dose Ponatinib in Patients with Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Menna Pierantonio , De Grazia Ugo , Marchesi Francesco , Minotti Giorgio , Salvatorelli Emanuela
Published: August 2020

Introduction: Ponatinib (PNT) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for treating patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph + ALL), or chronic myeloid leukemia, resistant or intolerant to other tyrosine kinase inhibitor or showing T315I mutation of BCR-ABL. Unfortunately, the clinical use of PNT is limited by the possible occurrence of vascular occlusive events. The incidence of vascular events seems to correlate with PNT dose intensity and plasma exposure. Dose reductions from 45 mg to 30 or 15 mg/day are increasingly considered to improve PNT safety but a plasma threshold of ∼40 nM must be achieved to ensure that antileukemic activity is preserved. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) would be appropriate for patients treated by PNT. We, therefore, developed and validated a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) assay to measure PNT plasma levels. Methods: PNT and its deuterated internal standard were extracted from human plasma by one-step protein precipitation. PNT was separated and quantified by HPLC-MS/MS operating in the multiple reaction monitoring acquisition mode. Results: The method was linear from 9.4 to 940 nM PNT. Limits of detection and lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) were, respectively, 1 and 9.4 nM. Selectivity, sensitivity, matrix effect, short-, and long-term stability met criteria of international guidelines for bioanalytical method validation. Intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision were calculated on 4 different concentrations (QCLow, QCMedium, QCHigh, and LLOQ), with all values being <15%. The method was successfully probed in leukemia Ph + ALL patients to show that PNT doses <45 mg/day caused lower plasma exposure but still achieved PNT levels at or above the 40 nM threshold. Conclusions: We developed a highly sensitive and selective HPLC-MS/MS method to quantify PNT in human plasma. This method might be used for TDM and to guide dose reductions if unnecessary high PNT levels are detected in a patient.
Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and Inflammation Play Key Roles in Cyclophilin A–Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Xue Chao , Senchanthisai Sharon , Sowden Mark , Pang Jinjiang , White R. James , Berk Bradford C.
Published: August 2020

Oxidative stress and inflammation play key roles in development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We previously reported that an endothelial cell (EC)-specific cyclophilin A overexpression mouse developed many characteristics of PAH. In other models of cardiovascular disease, cyclophilin A stimulates smooth muscle proliferation and vascular inflammation, but mechanisms responsible for PAH have not been defined. In particular, the contribution of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cyclophilin A-mediated PAH has not been studied. We identified increased levels of cyclophilin A in endothelial and neointimal cells of pulmonary arteries in patients with PAH and animal pulmonary hypertension models. In the EC-specific cyclophilin A overexpression mouse that exhibited features characteristic of PAH, lineage tracing showed high level expression of mesenchymal markers in pulmonary ECs. A significant number of mesenchymal cells in media and perivascular regions of pulmonary arterioles and alveoli were derived from ECs. Pulmonary ECs isolated from these mice showed phenotypic changes characteristic of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in culture. Cultured pulmonary ECs stimulated with extracellular cyclophilin A and acetylated cyclophilin A demonstrated functional changes associated with endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition such as increased cytokine release, migration, proliferation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Acetylated cyclophilin A stimulated greater increases for most features of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. In conclusion, extracellular cyclophilin A (especially acetylated form) contributes to PAH by mechanisms involving increased endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cytokine release, EC migration, proliferation, and mitochondrial dysfunction; strengthening the basis for studying cyclophilin A inhibition as a therapy for PAH.
Humanizing Healthcare through Humor: Or How Medical Clowning Came to Be
Authors: Christensen Michael
Published: August 2020

Increasing numbers of hospitalized children, institutionalized elderly, and other vulnerable populations around the world are receiving special treatments from “clownical” members of clinical teams. Integrating humor into healthcare is flourishing and for good reason; feeling good is good for us.
Hysterical Amateurs: Wild Seeds Burning on the Grass Stage
Authors: Dong Ruijiao
Published: August 2020

Wild Seeds 2019.07 by Grass Stage, one of the most important theatre collectives in China, addresses the concerns of the working class and youth, and the power the patriarchy wields over both. The work of Grass Stage not only criticizes the capitalist and neoliberal economy of contemporary China but also rebels against the dominant socialist and communist ideological dogma.
A review of the Chinese species of Lymaenon (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), with description of six new species
Authors: AISHAN ZHULIDEZI , TRIAPITSYN SERGUEI V. , HU HONG-YING
Published: August 2020

Twenty-two species of Lymaenon Walker (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) from China are keyed; illustrations, taxonomic and other notes are also provided for some of these taxa. Six species are newly described: L. funiculus Aishan & Hu sp. n., L. ledongus Aishan & Hu sp. n., L. longitus Aishan & Hu sp. n., L. naiquanlini Aishan & Hu sp. n., L. radiculus Aishan & Hu sp. n., and L. zhui Aishan & Hu sp. n., all from the Oriental part of the country. Eleven species are newly recorded from China: L. bashai (Zeya), L. berijamus (Mani & Saraswat), L. breviterebratus (Subba Rao), L. delhiensis Narayanan & Subba Rao, L. katraps (Triapitsyn), L. kazak (Triapitsyn), L. krasavchik (Triapitsyn), L. longior (Soyka), L. narayani Subba Rao & Kaur, L. sundus (Zeya & Anwar), and L. tamilanus (Mani & Saraswat).
Image Motion Compensation Control Technology of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Airborne Photoelectric Reconnaissance Platform
Authors: Fang Yuchao
Published: August 2020

Airborne photoelectric platform has a wide application prospect in the field of imaging, especially in the field of UAV reconnaissance. However, in the process of image acquisition, the photoelectric platform equipment will produce obvious image shift because of its own attitude change
or speed instability, so it is necessary to compensate the collected image. In this study, when the image motion compensation is carried out, the internal and external parameters of the camera are adjusted, and the geometric model of the image is established. The Camera Calibration Toolbox
provided by MatLab is used to calibrate the internal parameters of camera. At the same time, when obtaining the camera's internal parameters, the corresponding flight attitude angle is obtained with the aid of the inertial navigation system. At the same time of acquiring the attitude of the
aircraft by hardware, it is necessary to obtain the image shift coefficient by using the function. The coordinate system needs to be transformed into a coordinate system suitable for the inertial navigation system, so as to facilitate the calculation of external parameters of the camera. The
transformation matrix from image moving image to normal image can be established by obtaining the parameters inside and outside the camera. Through bilinear interpolation, the matrix is derived in MatLab environment. In the experiment, 16 black-and-white grid images are selected to obtain
the attitude angle, so as to complete the calculation process of the conversion matrix. Then, the images with image shift are screened out from the images taken in aerial state. The method proposed in this study is used for image compensation. According to the root mean square error analysis,
the image compensation scheme proposed in this study is helpful to the imaging application of UAV airborne platform.
A Bridging Role of Winter Snow over Northern China and Southern Mongolia in Linking the East Asian Winter and Summer Monsoons
Authors: Lu Mengmeng , Kuang Zhiming , Yang Song , Li Zhenning , Fan Hanjie
Published: August 2020

Eurasian snow, one of the most important factors that influence the Asian monsoons, has long been viewed as a useful predictor for seasonal monsoon prediction. In this study, observations and model simulations are used to demonstrate a bridging role of the winter snow anomaly over northern China and southern Mongolia (NCSM) in the relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). Enhanced snow in NCSM results in local surface and tropospheric cooling, strengthening the EAWM through cold-air intrusion induced by northerly wind anomalies. In turn, the stronger EAWM provides a favorable condition for enhanced snowfall over East Asia to the south, indicating an active snow–EAWM interaction. The continental cooling could be maintained until summer due to the memory effect of snowmelt and moistening as well as the snow–monsoon interaction in the spring, causing changes in the meridional temperature gradient and associated upper-level westerlies in the summer. The interaction between the strengthened westerlies over the northern Tibetan Plateau and the topography of the plateau could lead to anomalous downstream convergence and compensating divergence to the south. Therefore, anomalous cyclonic circulation and increased rainfall occur over northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula, but anticyclonic circulation and decreased rainfall appear over the subtropical East Asia–Pacific region. Moreover, limited analysis shows that, compared to sea surface temperature feedback, the direct impact of snow anomaly on the EAWM–EASM connection seems more important.
Revisiting Near-Inertial Wind Work: Slab Models, Relative Stress, and Mixed Layer Deepening
Authors: Alford Matthew H.
Published: August 2020

The wind generation of near-inertial waves is revisited through use of the Pollard–Rhines–Thompson theory, the Price–Weller–Pinkel (PWP) mixed layer model, and KPP simulations of resonant forcing by Crawford and Large. An Argo mixed layer climatology and 0.6° MERRA-2 reanalysis winds are used to compute global totals and explore hypotheses. First, slab models overestimate wind work by factors of 2–4 when the mixed layer is shallow relative to the scalingH* ≡u*/(Nf)1/2, but are accurate for deeper mixed layers, giving overestimation of global totals by a factor of 1.23 ± 0.03 compared to PWP. Using wind stress relative to the ocean currents further reduces the wind work by an additional 13 ± 0.3%, for a global total wind work of 0.26 TW. Second, the potential energy increase ΔPE due to wind-driven mixed layer deepening is examined and compared to ΔPE computed from Argo and ERA-Interim heat flux climatology. Argo-derived ΔPE closely matches cooling, confirming that cooling sets the seasonal cycle of mixed layer depth and providing a new constraint on observational estimates of convective buoyancy flux at the mixed layer base. Locally and in fall, wind-driven deepening is comparable in importance to cooling. Globally, wind-driven ΔPE is about 11% of wind work, implying that >50% of wind work goes to turbulence and thus not into propagating inertial motions. The fraction into this “modified wind work” is imperfectly estimated in two ways, but we conclude that more research is needed into mixed layer and transition-layer physics. The power available for propagating near-inertial waves is therefore still uncertain, but appears lower than previously thought.
A Comparison of Two Local Moment-Matching Nonlinear Filters: Local Particle Filter (LPF) and Local Nonlinear Ensemble Transform Filter (LNETF)
Authors: Feng Jie , Wang Xuguang , Poterjoy Jonathan
Published: August 2020

The local particle filter (LPF) and the local nonlinear ensemble transform filter (LNETF) are two moment-matching nonlinear filters to approximate the classical particle filter (PF). They adopt different strategies to alleviate filter degeneracy. LPF and LNETF localize observational impact but use different localization functions. They assimilate observations in a partially sequential and a simultaneous manner, respectively. In addition, LPF applies the resampling step, whereas LNETF applies the deterministic square root transformation to update particles. Both methods preserve the posterior mean and variance of the PF. LNETF additionally preserves the posterior correlation of the PF for state variables within a local volume. These differences lead to their differing performance in filter stability and posterior moment estimation. LPF and LNETF are systematically compared and analyzed here through a set of experiments with a Lorenz model. Strategies to improve the LNETF are proposed. The original LNETF is inferior to the original LPF in filter stability and analysis accuracy, particularly for small particle numbers. This is attributed to both the localization function and particle update differences. The LNETF localization function imposes a stronger observation impact than the LPF for remote grids and thus is more susceptible to filter degeneracy. The LNETF update causes an overall narrower range of posteriors that excludes true states more frequently. After applying the same localization function as the LPF and additional posterior inflation to the LNETF, the two filters reach similar filter stability and analysis accuracy for all particle numbers. The improved LNETF shows more accurate posterior probability distribution but slightly worse spatial correlation of posteriors than the LPF.
Insurance Status in Rectal Cancer is Associated With Age at Diagnosis and May be Associated With Overall Survival
Authors: Bridges Lindsey C. , Honaker Michael D. , Smith Betsy E. , Montgomery Anne
Published: August 2020

Background

There are approximately 44 180 new cases of rectal cancer diagnosed annually. While surgical resection remains the standard of care for definitive treatment, neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NCRT) has significantly reduced recurrence rates postoperatively. NCRT is indicated for T3/T4 tumors, and relative indications include patients with T1/T2 lesions with clinically positive nodes. While this remains the standard of care, all patients may not receive equal treatment for their rectal cancer depending on various healthcare disparities. We aimed to discover how insurance status affected rectal cancer patients’ time of diagnosis to treatment, age of diagnosis, and overall vitality.

Methods

A single-center retrospective chart and cancer registry review was performed for all patients diagnosed with rectal cancer of any stage between 2011 and 2018. A total of 94 rectal cancer patients were included in the analysis. Age, race, sex, insurance status, vitality, and grade were assessed. Time in days of diagnosis to the time of first treatment (neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation) was measured. Continuous variables were reported as means and SDs or medians and interquartile ranges and were analyzed with the unpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. Categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages and were analyzed with Fisher’s exact test. Statistical significance was determined with a P < .05. All analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA).

Results

Total race breakdown was as follows: white (61%), African-American (30%), and other (3%). There was no statistically significant difference in diagnosis time to first treatment in the uninsured versus insured groups ( P = .9). There was a statistically significant difference in the age of diagnosis with insured mean age of 60.9 years and uninsured mean age of 52.4 years ( P = .0080). There was no statistically significant difference in survival between the 2 groups ( P = .54). For those who went onto have surgery, there was no difference in the median number of lymph nodes harvested between the 2 groups ( P = .73).

Conclusion

Insurance status did not affect timing to treatment or survival. Uninsured patients had a younger age of diagnosis by approximately 8 years on average. Uninsured patients received the same quality surgeries as uninsured patients in regard to lymph node harvests.
Authentication of Antibiotics Using Portable Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Data Analysis
Authors: Assi Sulaf , Arafat Basel , Lawson-Wood Kathryn , Robertson Ian
Published: August 2020

Counterfeit medicines represent a global public health threat warranting the development of accurate, rapid, and nondestructive methods for their identification. Portable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy offers this advantage. This work sheds light on the potential of combining NIR spectroscopy with principal component analysis (PCA) and soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) for authenticating branded and generic antibiotics. A total of 23 antibiotics were measured “nondestructively” using a portable NIR spectrometer. The antibiotics corresponded to six different active pharmaceutical ingredients being: amoxicillin trihydrate and clavulanic acid, azithromycin dihydrate, ciprofloxacin hydrochloride, doxycycline hydrochloride, and ofloxacin. NIR spectra were exported into Matlab R2018b where data analysis was applied. The results showed that the NIR spectra of the medicines showed characteristic features that corresponded to the main excipient(s). When combined with PCA, NIR spectroscopy could distinguish between branded and generic medicines and could classify medicines according to their manufacturing sources. The PCA scores showed the distinct clusters corresponding to each group of antibiotics, whereas the loadings indicated which spectral features were significant. SIMCA provided more accurate classification over PCA for all antibiotics except ciprofloxacin which products shared many overlapping excipients. In summary, the findings of the study demonstrated the feasibility of portable NIR as an initial method for screening antibiotics.
The Rise of Merchants and Traders in Eighteenth-century Rajasthan, India: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Malhan Meera , Saksena Shalini
Published: August 2020

The collapse of the Mughal Empire in Rajasthan during the first half of the eighteenth century initiated important reconfigurations in its polity, society and economy. Emergence of regional political order and a new notion of commercialisation widened the sphere of engagements of merchants and traders. This article traces the structural changes that ensued, focusing specifically on (a) the emergence of the non-peasant sector in agriculture, (b) the rise of a cross-caste mercantile class and (c) change in commercial relationships under the new governance between the principalities, traders, artisans and the merchants. The research is based on insights from rich archival primary sources from the Rajasthan State Archives in Bikaner, focusing primarily on careful and extensive examination of the Bahis. With the objective of enriching the current understanding of how trade and commerce played a pivotal role in serving as engines of social change and economic growth, this study finds ample evidence of thriving trade, growing commercialisation and capitalist development, characterised by complex financial networks and an intricate system of credit in highly speculative commodity trade markets. Evident economic prosperity in most parts of Rajasthan helps add to the existing literature debunking the idea of eighteenth century being a ‘dark age’.
Do Trade Liberalisation and Financial Development Affect Macroeconomic Volatility? Evidence from Africa
Authors: Tolulope Apanisile Olumuyiwa , Charles Okunlola Olalekan
Published: August 2020

The study investigates the effect of financial development and trade liberalisation on macroeconomic volatility in Africa between 1980 and 2017. The study employed panel data, de jure and de facto measures of financial openness and three estimation techniques (pooled Ordinary least square method [OLS], fixed effect and dynamic general method of moment [GMM]) to analyse the data. Results show that increased financial openness also leads to increased income volatility for the de jure measure of financial openness while for the de facto measure increased financial openness reduces income volatility. Results also show that financial openness leads to subtle volatility of output growth in Africa. The results contradict the argument that more financial openness leads to lower volatility in consumption in Africa. Furthermore, investment volatility responded to the measures of financial openness in different ways. The study conclude policymakers should focus more on policies that will foster financial system development as it has shown to be very effective in reducing macroeconomic volatility in Africa.
Visual servo optimization stabilization of nonholonomic mobile robots based on control Lyapunov functions
Authors: Lin Yegui , Xing Kexin
Published: August 2020

This study considers the visual stabilization problem of nonholonomic mobile robots and proposes a novel optimization stabilization method for visual servo control of nonholonomic mobile robots with monocular cameras fixed onboard. The main idea of the method is to utilize control Lyapunov functions of discrete-time nonlinear systems to design a family of explicit stabilization control laws of the visual servo error system. The parameters of the control laws can indirectly reflect the performance of the visual servo controllers. Then taking account of visibility constraints and actuator limitations, a set of optimal parameters of the control laws is calculated by offline solving a constrained finite horizon optimal control problem. Moreover, the stabilization results on the optimal visual servo controller are established based on the properties of control Lyapunov functions. Finally, some simulation experiments are used to illustrate and evaluate the performance of the visual servo control scheme proposed here.
Gang Affiliation and Prisoner Reentry: Discrete-Time Variation in Recidivism by Current, Former, and Non-Gang Status
Authors: Pyrooz David C. , Clark Kendra J. , Tostlebe Jennifer J. , Decker Scott H. , Orrick Erin
Published: August 2020

Objectives:

Reentry experiences for the 600,000 people released annually from federal and state prisons differ vastly. We contend that gangs, which rose to prominence alongside mass incarceration, are an overlooked source of variation in reentry experiences. Drawing on precepts from the street gang literature, we test whether patterns of recidivism differ by official and survey measures of current, former, and non-gang status.

Methods:

Data from a representative sample of 802 prisoners interviewed prior to their release in 2016 were linked to 36 months of post-release arrest, conviction, and imprisonment records. Survival curves and multivariable discrete-time survival analysis were used to test for differential patterns of recidivism.

Results:

The conditional risk of recidivism varied by gang status. Current gang members maintained the greatest risk for all recidivism types. While former gang members were more likely to get arrested than non-gang members, there were no differences in conviction and imprisonment. Official and survey gang measures mostly told the same story, although official measures appeared to be more reliable determinants of recidivism than survey measures.

Conclusions:

Distinguishing former from current and non-gang members is important for policy, practice, and research. These findings renew calls to understand and respond to social groups and networks like gangs for prisoner reentry.
Relational Sequelae of Fetal Death During the First Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study on the Subjective Perceptions of the Relationship Between Mothers and Their Adult Subsequent Firstborn Children
Authors: Saccardo Caterina , Calvo Vincenzo
Published: August 2020

Perinatal loss may deeply affect the attachment relationships of mothers and their next-born children. The aim was to explore the subjective perceptions of mothers, who had fetal death during the first pregnancy, and their adult subsequent firstborn children regarding the impact of the perinatal loss on the mother-child relationship and children’s self-perception. Fifteen mothers who experienced a fetal death during the first pregnancy and their adult subsequent firstborn children were interviewed. A Grounded Theory approach was used. Five main themes were identified: fetal death as a real loss producing prolonged grief; the importance of the communication about the dead sibling; creating and maintaining a relationship with the lost sibling; the mother-subsequent child relationship: between detachment and overprotection; significant effects of fetal death on adult subsequent children’s self-perception. Results highlighted a deep impact of fetal death on the subsequent mother-child relationship, as perceived by both mothers and adult children.
Theoretical and experimental investigations on the effects of friction, bending rigidity, extensibility, and Poisson's ratio on fabric tensile properties
Authors: Sun Yi , Zheng Dongming , Liu Gui , Du Zhaoqun , Haochen Zou , Liu Jinkang , Wang Mingxing
Published: August 2020

A three-point tensile model that consists of a noncontact model and a modified capstan model of contact sections, including coupling effects of factors, is established in this study. The tension ratio calculated using the Runge–Kutta method increases along with the extensibility, surface friction coefficient, and radius ratio and is inhibited by the power-law friction ([Formula: see text]). Moreover, the theoretical model in a case with all the factors and frictional modification shows high accuracy with the actual test of the quick-intelligent handling evaluation system, and the Poisson's effect can be negligible, especially with the power-law friction. It has been confirmed that greater surface roughness and thickness (lower radius ratio) with worse extensibility result in tighter fabric tensile properties. Therefore, this work can provide theoretical guidance for the measurement of fabric tensile properties and the evaluation of practical application of fabrics.
Referential choice in stories with characters of one or different genders: A study of monolingual Croatian speakers
Authors: Hržica Gordana , Kuvač Kraljević Jelena
Published: August 2020

During narration, speakers constantly choose appropriate referential forms (nominals or pronominals). Children may engage in this reference marking differently than adults. Discourse- or listener-oriented approaches make different predictions about referential behaviour in cognitively demanding situations: the first predicts a higher number of nominals; the second, a higher number of pronominals. The current study explores referential forms chosen by 50 children (6;0–6;11) and 50 adults, all monolingual speakers of Croatian, under the increased cognitive load of having to narrate a story from picture stimuli involving three characters of one or different genders. Generally, adults produce more referential expressions in their narratives. For both story types, children and adults use nominals more often than pronominals, children use a higher percentage of nominals than adults, and both groups use nouns to introduce and re-introduce characters. When maintaining characters in the narrative, both groups use more nouns and fewer pronouns in the story with characters of one gender, whereas they use fewer nouns and more pronouns in the story with characters of different genders. These findings suggest that Croatian monolingual adults and children more often use nominals for referencing in cognitively demanding stories, consistent with the discourse-oriented approach.
Understanding Blue Spaces: Sport, Bodies, Wellbeing, and the Sea
Authors: Olive Rebecca , Wheaton Belinda
Published: August 2020

This article introduces the special issue (JSSI 45.1 and 45.2) on ‘Understanding Blue Spaces’ which examines relationships between blue spaces, sport, physical activity, and wellbeing. The articles progress conversations across humanities, social sciences and inter-disciplinary areas of research on diverse sporting practices, that span local to trans-national contexts. This collection offers new insights into politics, possibilities, and problems of the role of blue spaces in our wellbeing—individually, socially, and ecologically. In addition to outlining the 10 articles in the SI, which include ocean swimming, surfing, sailing/yachting, and waka ama paddling, we contextualize this work, discussing key thematic areas both across these papers, and in the wider interdisciplinary body of work on blue spaces, wellbeing, and sport. Specifically, we outline the role of physical activities and leisure practices in how we access, understand, experience, and develop relationships to seas and oceans, as well as to self, places and communities of human and non-human others. We also discuss the ways in which particular bodies, individuals, and communities (human and more-than-human) are marginalized or excluded, and the need for understanding concepts such as wellbeing, place, and self beyond dominant European traditions. This SI highlights how localised experiences of blue spaces can be, while emphasising the need to recognize diverse cultural, economic, geographic, sociodemographic, and political factors that contribute to a disconnect with, or exclusion from blue spaces, impacting who can use blue spaces, how they can be used, how they can be researched, and how power is reproduced and contested.
Trade within South Asia: Unrealistic Expectations
Authors: Akram Hafiz Wasim
Published: August 2020

This article analyses the causes of low intra-regional trade connections within South Asia, which have remained disappointing despite the long-awaited launch of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) on 6 January 2004 in Islamabad. Analysis of World Bank data and other relevant sources for the period 1995–2018 shows that trade among SAFTA members has not increased as significantly as had been hoped. The statistical analysis undertaken confirms what was suspected by many observers, as it shows that the SAFTA countries are not actually natural trading partners. Rather they are often competitors, seeking to export the same product groups. Since this makes the prospects of future substantial increase in mutual trade unlikely, the article concludes with some reflections about how to strengthen regional trade support mechanisms.
Comparison of basic regional cerebral oxygen saturation values in patients of different ages: a pilot study
Authors: Lian Chaohui , Li Peng , Wang Ning , Lu Yi , Shangguan Wangning
Published: August 2020

Objective

To explore the basic values of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) among different age groups.

Methods

One hundred twenty patients who were scheduled for elective surgery aged 0 to 80 years (American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] physical status I or II) or neonates just after birth via cesarean section were enrolled and divided into the following six groups: infant (0 month and ≤12 months), toddler (>1 and ≤3 years old), preschool (>3 and ≤6 years old), school age (>6 and ≤18 years old), adult (>18 and ≤65 years old), and elderly (>65 and ≤80 years old) groups. There were 20 patients in each group.

Results

The basic values of rSO2 in infant, toddler, preschool, school age, adults, and elderly groups were 70.41% ± 4.66%, 72.43% ± 3.81%, 70.77% ± 3.27%, 70.62% ± 2.20%, 69.76% ± 6.02%, and 62.69% ± 3.14%, respectively. The basic value in the elderly group was lower compared with other five groups. There was no significant difference among infant, toddler, preschool age, school age, and adult groups.

Conclusions

The basic value of rSO2 in elderly patients is lower. Age is an important factor that affects the underlying value of rSO2.
Music education students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: A quantsitative analysis of personal narratives
Authors: Woody Robert H
Published: August 2020

In this study, I sought to identify the characteristics of musical experiences that contribute to young musicians’ motivation for musical engagement. A comprehensive review of the literature produced 15 characteristics in three broader categories of contextual, process, and affective characteristics. These formed the basis of the coding scheme used in a content analysis of narratives provided by 102 music education majors. Participants wrote two narratives: one about an intrinsically motivated musical activity and one about an extrinsically motivated activity. The resulting narratives were coded according to whether they showed each of the 15 characteristics. The work of a second coder indicated that the coding had very high reliability. The content analysis offered several important findings. The characteristics supporting intrinsic motivation were varied and multi-layered. They included Enjoyment, Social connection, Expression, Learner-directed/autonomy, Creativity/experimentation, and Identity. In contrast, the characteristics of extrinsically motivated activities were more simply—and sometimes even singularly—supported, and they emphasized Virtue/value and Achievement. Subsequent analyses and discussion focused on instances in which characteristics more associated with intrinsic motivation appeared in narratives about extrinsically motivated activities, and vice versa.
Positive Caregiving Styles Attenuating Effects of Cumulative Trauma Among Youth Who Commit Sexual Crimes
Authors: Yoder Jamie , Brown Adam , Grady Melissa , Dillard Rebecca , Kennedy Natalie
Published: August 2020

Among youth who commit sexual crimes, childhood trauma experiences have been linked to a host of outcomes including trauma symptom expression. Furthermore, research has begun assessing differential rates of cumulative adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) between youth who commit sexual and non-sexual crimes. Yet, few studies have comparatively examined rates of cumulative traumatic events using more robust measures of adversity. There is scant research on outcomes associated cumulative trauma among youth who commit sexual crimes including linkages to trauma symptoms and how positive parenting styles (PCSs) can attenuate in this relationship. This study aims to compare cumulative trauma experiences between youth who commit sexual ( n = 112) and non-sexual crimes ( n = 224). Among youth who commit sexual crimes, we test how PCSs mitigate or moderate the effects of cumulative trauma on trauma symptoms. Results from independent samples t-tests revealed significant group differences on singular and cumulative traumatic experiences, and trauma symptomatology, where youth who commit sexual crimes had higher rates of all. Stepwise linear regressions revealed mitigating effects of maternal PCSs and tests of moderation revealed main and interaction effects, where intermediate positive maternal caregiving styles for youth with higher cumulative trauma were associated with greater trauma symptomatology. Implications and limitations are discussed.
A novel high-shear and low-pressure grinding method using specially developed abrasive tools
Authors: Tian Yebing , Li Linguang , Fan Shuo , Guo Qianjian , Cheng Xiang
Published: August 2020

In this work, a novel grinding method using a special abrasive tool was first proposed to achieve high tangential grinding force and low normal grinding force. The abrasive tool was developed with flexible composites to remove workpiece materials under “high-shear and low-pressure” grinding mode. The concept of the high-shear and low-pressure grinding method was introduced in detail. Grinding tests were carried out on a precision grinder with the developed abrasive tool for single crystal silicon specimens. The results showed that the grinding force ratio between tangential force and normal force for the proposed grinding method was ranged between 0.9 and 1.3, which was three times larger than that of the conventional grinding method. It was verified that the developed abrasive tool possessed the grinding characteristics of high tangential grinding force and low normal grinding force. After grinding of silicon specimens for 120 min, the value of surface roughness decreased from 429.20 to 32.91 nm under the selected grinding conditions. The surface quality of the silicon specimens was greatly improved after grinding.
A comparative study of corrosion property, tribological behavior and cutting performance of tool materials for the cutting of marine high-strength steels in the marine environment
Authors: Xu Qingzhong , Chen Liyong , Sun Mingjia , Wang Guijie , Liu Yan
Published: August 2020

To select the optimum tool material for the cutting of marine high-strength steels using a hole-opening equipment in the marine environment, this article conducted a comparative study on the corrosion property, tribological behavior and cutting performance of cermet, cemented carbide and coated tools. The results reveal that the coated tool materials have good corrosion resistance with coating protection, and poor wear resistance with adhesive and corrosive wear in artificial seawater, and present moderate cutting performance. In addition, the cemented carbide tool materials show poor corrosion resistance and good wear resistance due to the lubrication effect of corrosion products in artificial seawater, but have bad cutting performance with a high flank wear value. Moreover, the cermet tool materials present acceptable corrosion and wear resistance with adhesive and corrosive wear in artificial seawater and have the excellent cutting performance. Taking into account the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and cutting performance of tool materials and regarding cutting performance as an important indicator, the cermet tool materials with superior comprehensive performances are suitable for the cutting of marine high-strength steels in the marine environment.
Two-phase A*: A real-time global motion planning method for non-holonomic unmanned ground vehicles
Authors: Zhang Kai , Yang Yi , Fu Mengyin , Wang Meiling
Published: August 2020

This paper presents a search-based global motion planning method, called the two-phase A*, with an adaptive heuristic weight. This method is suitable for planning a global path in real time for a car-like vehicle in both indoor and outdoor environments. In each planning cycle, the method first estimates a proper heuristic weight based on the hardness of the planning query. Then, it finds a nearly optimal path subject to the non-holonomic constraints using an improved A* with a weighted heuristic function. By estimating the heuristic weight dynamically, the two-phase A* is able to adjust the optimality level of its path based on the hardness of the planning query. Therefore, the two-phase A* sacrifices little planning optimality, and its computation time is acceptable in most situations. The two-phase A* has been implemented and tested in the simulations and real-world experiments over various task environments. The results show that the two-phase A* can generate a nearly optimal global path dynamically, which satisfies the non-holonomic constraints of a car-like vehicle and reduces the total navigation time.
Recurrent ocular syphilis in a patient living with HIV
Authors: Morris James E , Ivos Mia , Axe David
Published: August 2020

A 26-year-old male living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who had previously been treated for ocular syphilis presented to the Emergency Department with progressive vision loss and uveitis. The efficacy of standard management for neurosyphilis in HIV and recurrence was examined.
A Comment on “Muscle Xenografts Reproduce Key Molecular Features of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy”: What Is New and What Has Already been Done and Reported but Was Not Quoted?
Authors: Skuk Daniel , Tremblay Jacques P
Published: August 2020

A study was recently published that sought to develop an in vivo model of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy by transplanting muscle precursor cells from a patient into immunodeficient mice. The study largely applied the methodology used by our team in a study published more than two decades ago with a similar objective, albeit for another muscular dystrophy. However, our study is not cited, leaving the wrong idea that the concept, methodology, and part of the results are original to this recent study. Although the recent study is of interest, the omission of our publication, as well as other relevant references, deprives it of an adequate scientific context. We, therefore, want to point out the importance of a careful bibliographic search in any scientific work.
Silibinin Promotes Cell Proliferation Through Facilitating G1/S Transitions by Activating Drp1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission in Cells
Authors: You Yanting , Chen Liqian , Wu Yifen , Wang Ming , Lu Hanqi , Zhou Xinghong , Liu Huaxi , Fu Zixuan , He Qiuxing , Ou Jinying , Fu Xiuqiong , Liu Yanyan , Kwan Hiuyee , Liang Donghui , Zhao Xiaoshan , Dai Jiaojiao
Published: August 2020

Heart, liver, and kidney, which are known as the essential organs for metabolism, possess the unique ability to regulate the proliferation function of the body against injury. Silibinin (SB), a natural polyphenolic flavonoid extracted from traditional herb Silybum marianum L., has been used to protect hepatocytes. Whether SB can regulate mitochondrial fission in normal cells and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we showed that SB markedly promoted cell proliferation by facilitating G1/S transition via activating dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), which in turn mediated mitochondrial fission in these normal cells. SB dose-dependently increased the mitochondrial mass, mtDNA copy number, cellular adenosine triphosphate production, mitochondrial membrane potential, and reactive oxygen species in normal cells. Furthermore, SB dose-dependently increased the expression of Drp1. Blocking Drp1 abolished SB-induced mitochondrial fission. In conclusion, we demonstrate that SB promotes cell proliferation through facilitating G1/S transition by activating Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission. This study suggests that SB is a potentially useful herbal derivative for the daily prevention of various diseases caused by impaired mitochondrial fission.
Mapping the links between gender, status and genre in Shakespeare’s plays
Authors: Murphy Sean , Archer Dawn , Demmen Jane
Published: August 2020

The Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded Encyclopedia of Shakespeare’s Language project has produced a resource allowing users to explore Shakespeare’s plays in a variety of (semi-automatic) ways, via a web-based corpus query processor interface hosted by Lancaster University. It enables users, for example, to interrogate a corpus of Shakespeare’s plays using queries restricted by dramatic genre, gender and/or social status of characters, and to target and explore the language of the plays not only at the word level but also at the grammatical and semantic levels (by querying part of speech or semantic categories). Using keyword techniques, we examine how female and male language varies in general, by social status (high or low) and by genre (comedy, history and tragedy). Among our findings, we note differences in the use of pronouns and references to male authority (female overuse of ‘I’ and ‘husband’ and male overuse of ‘we’ and ‘king’). We also observe that high-status males in comedies (as opposed to histories and tragedies) are characterised by polite requests (‘please you’) and sharp-minded ‘wit’. Despite many similarities between female and male usage of gendered forms of language (‘woman’), male characters alone use terms such as ‘womanish’ in a disparaging way.
Ban, Boom, and Echo! Entrepreneurship and Initial Coin Offerings
Authors: Bellavitis Cristiano , Cumming Douglas , Vanacker Tom
Published: August 2020

Regulatory spillovers occur when regulation in one country affects either the expected regulatory approach and/or entrepreneurial finance markets in other countries. Drawing on institutional theory, we investigate the global implications of a regulatory spillover on entrepreneurship. We argue that regulatory spillovers have both short- and long-term effects on the number and quality of entrepreneurial finance initiatives such as Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Based on a large-scale sample of ICOs in 108 countries, we find that a regulatory ban of ICOs in one country causes a short-term increase in the number of low-rated ICOs in other countries and a long-term drop in the number of ICOs, especially low-rated, which increases the average ICO rating. That is, a restrictive regulation triggered a process of increased market selection.
How CEO Social Media Disclosure and Gender Affect Perceived CEO Attributes, Relationship Investment, and Engagement Intention
Authors: Yue Cen April , Chung Yoo Jin , Kelleher Tom , Bradshaw Amanda S. , Ferguson Mary Ann
Published: August 2020

How does a chief executive officer (CEO)’s social media content disclosure on Twitter affect perceived CEO attributes, relationship investment, and public engagement, and to what extent does the CEO’s gender (male vs. female) moderate how publics evaluate content disclosures? A 2 (CEO gender: male vs. female) × 4 (level of disclosure: 100% corporate vs. 70% corporate and 30% personal vs. 30% corporate and 70% personal vs. 100% personal disclosure) between-subject experimental design was used to address these questions with a random sample of 465 adult Twitter users in the United States. Results showed that posts that featured high personal disclosure did not increase the perceived likability or competence of the CEO. Nor did CEO gender impact these outcomes. However, CEO professional disclosure proved to be an effective means to gain high levels of perceived relationship investment from publics. Finally, publics may hold implicit gender bias in cognitive (i.e., perceived relationship investment) and behavioral evaluation (i.e., engagement intention) of a female CEO.
Long-term outcome of posterior approach insertion of tunneled cuffed catheter: A single clinic retrospective analysis
Authors: Wang Lihua , Wei Fang , Chen Haiyan , Jia Lan , Li Bo , Jiang Aili
Published: August 2020

Background and objectives:

For patients who rely on a tunneled cuffed catheter, the internal jugular vein is the preferred site of insertion. A few studies have suggested that the posterior approach for central lines is equivalent or better in comparison to the conventional central approach. However, there have been fewer studies examining tunneled cuffed catheter insertion using the posterior approach. We have performed many posterior insertions of tunneled cuffed catheters in our practice, and because the technique has not yet been comprehensively studied for long-term use, we performed a retrospective study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of posterior approach for tunneled cuffed catheter in maintained hemodialysis patients.

Methods:

A retrospective review was conducted of 200 hemodialysis patients who were treated with tunneled cuffed catheters over a period of 3 years. There were 104 patients in the study group, as well as a 96-patient control group, who underwent catheter insertion by central approach. The clinical follow-up data were collected and analyzed.

Results:

All catheters were successfully placed. The mean primary patency days per catheter were 712 catheter days for the study group and 585 catheter days for the control group. The episode of catheter infection was similar in both groups (p = 0.874), but the case of total catheter dysfunction was significantly lower in the study group compared to the control group (p = 0.006). The cumulative patency of catheters was higher in the study group than that in the control group (p = 0.02), while patient survival was the same in the two groups (p = 0.325).

Conclusion:

The posterior approach is safe, and similar infection rates were observed with lower dysfunction rates compared to tunneled catheter insertion by the conventional central approach.