bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recent advances and prospects of catalytic advanced oxidation process in treating textile effluents
Authors: Buthiyappan Archina , Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman , Wan Daud Wan Mohd Ashri
Published: February 2016

In the past few years, there have been many researches on the use of different types of homogenous catalyst for the degradation of textile wastewater in conventional advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). However, homogenous AOPs suffer from few limitations, including large consumption of chemicals, acidic pH, high cost of hydrogen peroxide, generation of iron sludge, and necessity of post-treatment. Therefore, recently, there have been more researches that focus on improving the performance of conventional AOPs using heterogeneous catalysts such as titanium dioxide, nanomaterials, metal oxides, zeolite, hematite, goethite, magnetite, and activated carbon (AC). Besides, different supports such as AC that have been incorporated with transition metals and clays have been proven to have excellent catalytic activity in AOPs. This paper presents a comprehensive review of advances and prospects of catalytic AOPs for the decontamination of a wide range of synthetic and real textile wastewater. This review provides an up-to-date critical review of the information on the degradation of various textile dyes by a wide range of heterogeneous catalysts and adsorbents. The future challenges of AOPs, including chemical consumption, toxicity assessment, reactor design, and limitation of catalysts, are discussed in this paper. In addition, this paper also discusses the presence of ions, generation of by-products, and industrial applications of AOPs. Special emphasis is given to recent studies and large-scale combination of AOPs for wastewater treatment. This review paper concludes that more studies are needed for the kinetics, reactor design, and modeling of hybrid AOPs and the production of their corresponding intermediate products and secondary pollutants. A better economic model should also be developed to predict the cost of AOPs, as the treatment cost varies with dyes and textile effluents.
Motives for Donating: What Inspires Our Decisions to Make a Donation to Non-profit Organisations?1
Authors: Hladká Marie , Hyánek Vladimír
Published: February 2016

Motivation represents a foundation cornerstone on which analyses in a number of humanities and social sciences are built. For a long time, economists have seen motivation as connected with the act of giving, trying to interpret it in the context of the neoclassical economics assumptions. The objective of this paper is to find answers to the question of what mainly motivates the Czech population in their decisions to make a donation and whether there is any interdependence among such motives. We also ask what the relationship is between the determining motives and the rate or frequency of donating. The donation models that we analyze and use as the basis of our research are nowadays considered being the principal or at least interesting donation models commonly taken into account by economists in their work. We have only focused on selected microeconomics models to make the text clearly targeted; specifically, we are examining the public goods model, private consumption model investment model and impure altruism model. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey and analysed by means of mathematical-statistical methods that are commonly used in similar cases, such as descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient and the ANOVA method based on the F-test. The empirical testing confirmed several assumptions connecting with this type of a research; however, our paper opened a space for a follow-up research, too.
Reframing E-Government Development Indices with Respect to New Trends in ICT
Authors: Máchová Renáta , Lněnička Martin
Published: February 2016

E-government readiness is an important indicator of the quality of a country’s technological and telecommunication infrastructure and the ability of its citizens, businesses and governments to adopt, use and benefit from modern technologies. To measure and compare selected countries, a lot of benchmarking and ranking indices have been introduced since the beginning of the century. With the increasing importance of trends such as cloud computing, open (big) data, participation tools or social media, new indicators and approaches need to be introduced in the measuring of the e-government development, and the existing indices should to be updated, redefined and restructured. Therefore, this article explores the structure of the existing e-government development indices to show the main indicators and trends. Then, it proposes and implements a new framework to evaluate e-government development using these new trends in ICT. It also examines and compares a basic background on the e-government development, benefits and risks of cloud computing, open (big) data and participation tools in the public sector. Based on the newly proposed framework, the e-government development index is calculated for each EU Member State to clearly identify the indicators to have an influence on the e-government development. In the last part, these results are compared to the already existing indices to validate the conformity of the rank methods using Kendall rank correlation coefficient.
Regional Railway Transport in Czech, Austrian and German Decentralised and Regionalised Transport Markets1
Authors: Seidenglanz Daniel , Nigrin Tomáš , Dujka Jiří
Published: February 2016

The article analyses railway transport markets in three neighbouring Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany (specifically Bavaria and Saxony), with a focus on regional transportation. It examines the organisational form of public transport resulting from regionalisation and provides comparative case studies of regional train services in these countries. The article points out the organisational differences in public transportation between the studied regions and tries to connect these results with the supply of regional train services on various types of lines and in different geographical areas.
Recurrent Cerebellar Desmoplastic/Nodular Medulloblastoma in Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) in the Elderly. A Cytologic Diagnosis
Authors: Kalogeraki Alexandra , Tamiolakis Dimitrios , Mavrigiannaki Panagiota , Karvelaskalogerakis Michael , Datseri Galateia , Agelaki Sophia , Papadopoulos Savvas
Published: February 2016

Desmoplastic medulloblastoma is a rare subtype of medulloblastoma in childhood and more rare in adults. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) occurrence is frequent and important for treatment and prognosis. We report the CSF cytologic features of recurrent desmoplastic/nodular medulloblastoma in a 30-aged male.
The Effect on Lawyers Income of Gender Information Contained in First Names
Authors: Coffey Bentley , McLaughlin Patrick A.
Published: February 2016

We test the Portia Hypothesis – that a more masculine name improves a woman’s legal career – using primary data that we collected so that we can control for an arguably important, but previously omitted, confounding factor: the woman’s parents. In theory, a correlation between nominal masculinity and success may be due to a common cause: parents’ ability to advance their children’s career prospects and the more able parents having an irrelevant preference for masculine names. We control for the family’s wealth by using their child’s educational debt at the time of graduating from law school and for the family’s reputation, within the legal profession, by using the probability of being a lawyer conditional upon their last name. We find robust evidence that a more masculine name improves a woman’s earnings as a lawyer, even when we control for her parents’ wealth and reputation.
MANAGEMENT OF FORMALISED MARKETING AND MEDIA ACTIVITIES IN OUTSOURCING COMPANIES IN THE AGE OF COMPETITIVENESS, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON CONTEMPORARY MARKETING APPROACH
Authors: Kozakowski Łukasz
Published: February 2016

The article outlines the issues related to the topic of management of formalised marketing and media activities in outsourcing companies in the age of competitiveness, with particular emphasis on contemporary marketing approach. General management of the organisation and management of marketing and media activities, particularly in their formalised form, both have a significant effect on improving company competitiveness in the market. Outsourcing companies constitute a specific sector of services which without a very well-functioning marketing and media activities would not be able to operate and develop in the market. The article presents selected aspects connected with the management of marketing and media activities, with particular emphasis on formalisation of marketing activities in outsourcing companies. The analysis presented below focuses on the efficiency of the implemented formalisation of marketing and media activities in outsourcing companies in relation to their competitiveness, with special recognition of contemporary marketing approach.
NECROMARKETING IN THE MEDIA AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Authors: Wojciechowski Łukasz
Published: February 2016

Death is an inseparable part of life. This paradoxical statement expresses the inevitability that each individual will encounter death. The demise of human existence is often stereotyped in media, and used in a variety of commercial purposes as away of drawing attention. When death and tragedy are used in marketing communication, it is called necromarketing. There are two approaches to the tool of necromarketing: explicit and implicit. Explicit necromarketing displays catastrophes, misfortunes and deaths in their direct form, while implicit necromarketing indirectly presents of the death.
Phenomenological Material Model of Foam Solids
Authors: Goga V. , Hučko B.
Published: February 2016

In this contribution a new phenomenological model for pressure loaded foam materials is proposed. The presented relationship between compressive stresses and compressive strains is derived by using simple rheological models. The proposed model contains several parameters. The procedure of their identification and the influence of parameters on a curve shape are also explained. The accuracy of our model is tested and compared with other phenomenological models. These tests have been applied on aluminium and polyurethane foams.
“… the ruins of Europe in back of me.” Jan Klata’s Shakespeare and the European condition
Authors: Cieślak Magdalena
Published: February 2016

Jan Klata’s Shakespearean productions are famous for his liberal attitude to the text, innovative sets and locations, and a strong contemporary context. His 2004 H., a Teatr Wybrzeże production performed in the Gdańsk Shipyard, reaches to the Polish history of the eighties (the importance of Solidarity and the fall of communism) to comment on the state of the democratic Poland twenty years later. The 2012 Titus Andronicus, a coproduction of Teatr Polski in Wrocław and Staatsschauspiel Dresden, explores the impact of historical traumas on national prejudice and relations within the new Europe. The 2013 Hamlet with Schauspielhaus Bochum again tries to diagnose the contemporary condition and is again deeply rooted in a specific geopolitical context.

Discussing both Titus Andronicus and Hamlet, I would like to explore Klata’s formula of working with Shakespeare. Primarily, he takes advantage of the fact that Shakespeare’s texts are not simply source texts but hypertexts with multiple layers of meanings accumulated over the centuries of circulation, production and adaptation. Perhaps similarly to Heiner Müller, whose plays he willingly incorporates in his productions, Klata anatomizes the plays and then radically reconstructs them using other texts, literary and paraliterary. What Klata eventually puts on stage is a hybrid that is rooted in the Shakespearean hypertexts but also heavily draws from historical, cultural and political contexts, and that is relevant to him as the director and to the particular specificities of the venues, theatres and companies he works with.

The hybridized and contextualized Shakespeare becomes for Klata a way to comment on current issues that he sees as vital, like dealing with the burden of the past, confronting the reality of the present, or understanding and expressing national identity, problems that are at once universal and specific for a person living in the EU in the twenty first century.
The Flying Dutch Job. Jobs that Migrate from the Netherlands to Romania
Authors: Popa Diana Mariana
Published: February 2016

In the present article I discuss the migration of work from the West towards the East, making direct references to this kind of work relocation between the Netherlands and Romania. More specifically, this article focuses on the Dutch language based activities relocated or outsourced to Romania, a situation which puts customers in contact with “brains without bodies” or “invisible work-migrants”. In order to highlight the trend of migrating jobs I take a look at the evolution of job advertisements for Dutch speakers in Romania. Then, I investigate the impact that the international relocation of back-office and front-office business activities has both on the employees who take over the activity and on the customer’s satisfaction. Factors such as linguistic similarity, cultural practices, and attitudes towards customers’ complaints shape the outcomes of such relocations. Given that the otherness between employees and customers can be faster noticed in the direct, “voice-to-voice” interaction, the situation of call-centres deserves special attention for the analysis. Call-centres clearly feature the characteristics of non-places, where the employee must assume a similar identity to that of the customer.
Reflected Bodies: Women’s Perspectives on the Marital Experience and the Transformation of the Maternal Body. A Case Study of Middle-Class Women in Suburban Romania
Authors: Butean Silvia
Published: February 2016

Even if concepts of marriage and motherhood are subject to continuous changes and reinterpretations, women and men still marry and have children following more traditional or more unconventional patterns. My major interest in this research was to unveil Romanian middle-class women’s narratives regarding their perceptions over their own bodies and identities, by focusing my analysis on lived experiences, intimate scenes, daily practices and activities within marriage and motherhood. Qualitative empirical work was conducted in 2012 and 2015 in a post-socialist suburban neighbourhood, known as a place mostly inhabited by young, middle-class families. The analysis unfolds women’s class affinities and dispositions, their perception of the marital experience, identity and corporeal transformations, and their reflections on maternity as a transformative stage in terms of subjectivity, agency and body.
Mapping Deprivation in Rural Areas from Transylvania: Reflections on a Methodological Exercise
Authors: Raţ Cristina , Tobias Andrada , Veres Valér
Published: February 2016

The aim of the present paper is to present and critically discuss the potentialities and limits of using official data (collected and reported by state-institutions) in order to shed light on consequences of uneven development and measure area deprivation in present-day Romania. Our argumentation is based on a quantitative inquiry at the level of rural communes and small-towns from three counties located in the historical region of Transylvania. It presents the reasons for choosing certain statistical indicators, the construction of composite indexes and the profiles of localities according to their values. We explore the statistical correlations between our indexes and the poverty rates measured for 2002 (CASPIS, 2004), as well as the Local Human Development Index proposed by Sandu (2011) and revised by the World Bank (2014). Unlike other poverty-mapping inquiries, our goal was not to identify compact, segregated and severely impoverished settlements, but to measure the extent of material deprivation at the level of the entire administrative unit. In this way, we refrained from seeing poverty as the problem of a socially (and sometimes spatially) marginalized settlement, and instead defined poverty as a problem of the entire local community, that should be addressed by the local community as a whole. Our data reveals that, after controlling for poverty and local resources, the share of the Roma ethnic minority is a strong statistical predictor of registered unemployment, however, it does not correlate with the frequency of granting social assistance benefits.
Finding of Two Species from the Tribe Synhimantea (Nematoda, Acuariidae) in the Kyiv Zoological Park
Authors: Syrota Ya. Yu. , Kharchenko V. O. , Lyaskivskiy V. N. , Kobylinsky V. V. , Vasylkivska I. B.
Published: February 2016

Finding of Two Species from the Tribe Synhimantea (Nematoda, Acuariidae) in the Kyiv Zoological Park. Syrota, Ya. Yu., Kharchenko, V. O., Lyaskivskiy, V. N., Kobylinsky, V. V., Vasylkivska, I. B. - The article presents the description of Desportesius sagitattus (Rudolphi, 1809) and Dispharynx nasuta (Rudolphi, 1819) based on original studies of the material collected in the Kyiv Zoo. De. sagitattus was found in Ukraine for the first time. Di. nasuta, found in Grus grus Linnaeus, 1758, is uncommon parasite of this host species. Larvae of Di. nasuta from the intermediate hosts, woodlice Oniscidea spp., are also described.
Cytogenetic Examination of South American Tapirs, Tapirus Terrestris (Perissodactyla, Tapiridae), from the Wroclaw Zoological Garden
Authors: Kosowska B. , Strzała T. , Moska M. , Ratajszczak R. , Dobosz T.
Published: February 2016

Cytogenetic Examination of South American Tapirs, Tapirus terrestris (Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) from the Wroclaw Zoological Garden. Kosowska, B., Strzała, T., Moska, M., Ratajszczak, R., Dobosz, T. - Seven lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) from Wrocław ZOO (three females and four males), differing from each other with exterior and sexual behaviour were verified with cytogenetic analysis in order to check their taxonomic status. Cytogenetic analysis was done using two alternative methods of blood collection: 1) conventionally with venepuncture, and 2) with blood sucking bugs from the Reduviidae family. Lymphocytes capable of growing were obtained only with conventional method of blood sampling. Karyotypes and karyograms of all analyzed tapirs were created using classical cytogenetic methods of chromosomes staining. All possessed karyograms had diploid chromosome number equal 80 (2n = 80). Homologous chromosomes did not differ between each other with quantity, size, centromeres location, length of arms, G bands and all were classified as proper karyograms of Tapirus terrestris species representatives. The X chromosomes as well as the first pair of chromosomes (both metacentric), were the largest among all analyzed, respectively. All remaining 38 pairs of chromosomes were acrocentric with Y chromosome as the smallest one (in males’ karyograms). Blood collected with blood sucking bugs proved to be unsuitable for cell culture. None of the seven established cultures was effective as lymphocytes obtained with this method did not show growth potential in prepared media. Thus, blood collected from the tapirs via Dipetalogaster maxima species did not show usefulness for cytogenetic studies due to the inability of cells to proliferation, even after a relatively short period of time elapsed since the blood sampling (1 to 2 hours).
Mortality of Juvenile So-iuy Mullet, Liza Haematocheilus (Teleostei, Mugilidae), in the Sea of Azov Associated With Metacercaria (Digenea)
Authors: Sarabeev V.
Published: February 2016

Mortality of Juvenile So-iuy Mullet, Liza haematocheilus (Teleostei, Mugilidae), in the Sea of Azov Associated with Metacercariae (Digenea). Sarabeev, V. - Age-dependent patterns, including yearly variations of digenean metacercariae infestations of the introduced species, Liza haematocheilus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845), were studied. We evaluated the impacts of three metacercaria species, Timoniella imbutiforme (Molin, 1859) Brooks, 1980, Diplostomum spp. and Ascocotyle (Phagicola) longa Ransom, 1920, on juvenile fish in age from one month to 2+ years old from the Molochny Estuary and neighboring waters of the Sea of Azov by applying Croft on’s negative binomial truncation technique, epidemiologic and aggregation indices. Parasite surveys executed in 1997-2014 revealed significant yearly differences in the infection dynamics of studied metacercariae in juvenile fish of L. haematocheilus. Metacercariae were absent or fish harboured several times less parasites in 2005-2013 than in 1997-1999. T. imbutiforme infection exhibits a convex that was observed in a decline of the parasite load aft er an initial increase. The infection load of Diplostomum spp. increased asymptotically with the fish age reaching maximum value in two years old juveniles. Both the abundance and the prevalence of A. (P.) longa were low in juveniles of two month and two years old but relatively high and more or less constant during the rest of the juvenile period. Results of the present study suggest that metacercariae, especially, T. imbutiforme, are associated with mortality of juvenile Liza haematocheilus.
Crystal structures of (E)-2-((2-((pyridin-2-yl)hydrazonyl)methyl)phenolic compounds: different sets of classical hydrogen bonds, X–H···Y (X, Y = O, N)
Authors: Correira Nathasha R. de L. , Noguiera Thais C.M. , Pinheiro Alessandra C. , de Souza Marcus V.N. , Wardell James L. , Wardell Solange M.S.V.
Published: February 2016

Structures are reported of (E)-((2-((pyridin-2-yl)hydrazonyl)methyl)arene compounds, 2-aryl-CH=N–CH)-pyridine, 8, namely (aryl=2,4-(HO)2C6H3, 8a; 2,5-(HO)2C6H3, 8b, 2–HOC6H4, 8c, as the hemihydrate, [(8c)

2·

(H

2

O
)], 2–HO–5–O2NC6H3, 8d; and 2,6-(MeO)2C6H3, 8e. Intramolecular O1–H1··· N2(hydrazonyl) hydrogen bonds are consistantly found in each of the hydroxy compounds, 8a–8d. However, a diverse array of classical intermolecular hydrogen bonds, X–H···Y (X or Y = O or N) are found in 8a–8e. Classical intermolecular hydrogen bonds in 8a are chain forming N3–HN3···O1 and O2–H2···N1(pyridinyl) intermolecular hydrogen bonds, while in the isomer, 8b, dimer forming N3–HN3···N1(pyridinyl) and chain forming O2–H2···O1(pyridinyl) hydrogen bonds are present. The hydrate molecule in [(8c)

2
·(H

2

O)] is involved in Ow–Hw···N1 intermolecular hydrogen bonding: also present in [(8c)

2

·(H

2

O)] are chain forming N3–HN3···O2 bonds. The only intermolecular classical hydrogen bonds present in 8d and 8e, are the dimer forming N3–HN3···N1(pyridinyl) bonds. Thus only compounds, 8b, 8d and 8e, exhibit dimer forming N3–HN3···N1(pyridinyl) hydrogen bonds, previously reported fora range of (aryl-CH=N–CH)-pyridine derivatives. The occurence of N3–HN3···N1(pyridinyl) hydrogen bonds in many (aryl-CH=N–CH)-pyridine derivatives demonstrates the importance of such hydrogen bonds. However, as found in 8a and [(8c)

2
·(
H

2

O
)], suitable sited donor substituents or the presence of solvate molecules can result in other classical hydrogen bonds being preferred.
Fusiformines A and B: new indole alkaloids fromMelodinus fusiformis
Authors: Li Yong-chao , Yang Jing , Zhou Xiu-ren , Liang Xin-hong , Fu Qing-yun
Published: February 2016

Fusiformines A (1) and B (2), two new monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, were isolated from the twigs and leaves ofMelodinus fusiformis. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic techniques, including 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
The Negative Influence of Labor Informality on Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Temkin Benjamin
Published: February 2016

This paper explores the relationship between informal employment and the subjective well-being of informal employees and self-employed workers in Mexico. The main hypothesis is that labor informality has a significantly negative impact on the level of self-reported life satisfaction and happiness of individuals. This effect is sustained even when controlling for potentially determinant socio-demographic factors, in particular income. The module of self-reported well-being (BIARE) that was part of the National Household Spending Survey (ENGASTO), conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) during the first quarter of 2012 was used for this research. The module gathered, for the first time in Mexico, official statistics on life satisfaction and happiness. The results of the investigation show that informal employment is by itself a factor comparable to income in its influence on the perceived well-being of individuals.
Brentano's Mature Theory of Intentionality
Authors: Kriegel Uriah
Published: February 2016

The notion of intentionality is what Franz Brentano is best known for. But disagreements and misunderstandings still surround his account of its nature. In this paper, I argue that Brentano's mature account of the nature of intentionality construes it, not as a two-place relation between a subject and an object, nor as a three-place relation between a subject's act, its object, and a 'content,' but as an altogether non-relational, intrinsic property of subjects. I will argue that the view is more defensible than might initially appear.
Gilbert Harman and Ernie Lepore, eds. A Companion to W.V.O. Quine
Authors: Pearson James
Published: February 2016

Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014.600pp. $195 Hardcover. ISBN 978-0-470-67210-5.Reviewed by James Pearson.
Targeting netrin‐1/DCC interaction in diffuse large B‐cell and mantle cell lymphomas
Authors: Broutier Laura , Creveaux Marion , Vial Jonathan , Tortereau Antonin , Delcros Jean‐Guy , Chazot Guillaume , McCarron Mark J , Léon Sophie , Pangault Céline , Gadot Nicolas , Colombe Amélie , Boulland Marie‐Laure , Blachier Jonathan , Marie Julien C , Traverse‐Glehen Alexandra , Donzé Olivier , Chassagne‐Clément Catherine , Salles Gilles , Tarte Karin , Mehlen Patrick , Castets Marie
Published: February 2016

DCC (Deleted in Colorectal Carcinoma) has been demonstrated to constrain tumor progression by inducing apoptosis unless engaged by its ligand netrin‐1. This has been shown in breast and colorectal cancers; however, this tumor suppressive function in other cancers is not established. Using a transgenic mouse model, we report here that inhibition of DCC‐induced apoptosis is associated with lymphomagenesis. In human diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an imbalance of the netrin‐1/DCC ratio suggests a loss of DCC‐induced apoptosis, either via a decrease in DCC expression in germinal center subtype or by up‐regulation of netrin‐1 in activated B‐cell (ABC) one. Such imbalance is also observed in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Using a netrin‐1 interfering antibody, we demonstrate both in vitro and in vivo that netrin‐1 acts as a survival factor for ABC‐DLBCL and MCL tumor cells. Together, these data suggest that interference with the netrin‐1/DCC interaction could represent a promising therapeutic strategy in netrin‐1‐positive DLBCL and MCL.
Roles for miRNAs in endocrine resistance in breast cancer
Authors: Muluhngwi Penn , Klinge Carolyn M
Published: February 2016

Therapies targeting estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), including selective ER modulators such as tamoxifen, selective ER downregulators such as fulvestrant (ICI 182 780), and aromatase inhibitors such as letrozole, are successfully used in treating breast cancer patients whose initial tumor expresses ERα. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of endocrine therapies is limited by acquired resistance. The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the progression of endocrine-resistant breast cancer is of keen interest in developing biomarkers and therapies to counter metastatic disease. This review focuses on miRNAs implicated as disruptors of antiestrogen therapies, theirbona fidegene targets and associated pathways promoting endocrine resistance.
The role of bile acids in metabolic regulation
Authors: Vítek Libor , Haluzík Martin
Published: February 2016

Bile acids (BA), long believed to only have lipid-digestive functions, have emerged as novel metabolic modulators. They have important endocrine effects through multiple cytoplasmic as well as nuclear receptors in various organs and tissues. BA affect multiple functions to control energy homeostasis, as well as glucose and lipid metabolism, predominantly by activating the nuclear farnesoid X receptor and the cytoplasmic G protein-coupled BA receptor TGR5 in a variety of tissues. However, BA also are aimed at many other cellular targets in a wide array of organs and cell compartments. Their role in the pathogenesis of diabetes, obesity and other ‘diseases of civilization’ becomes even more clear. They also interact with the gut microbiome, with important clinical implications, further extending the complexity of their biological functions. Therefore, it is not surprising that BA metabolism is substantially modulated by bariatric surgery, a phenomenon contributing favorably to the therapeutic effects of these surgical procedures. Based on these data, several therapeutic approaches to ameliorate obesity and diabetes have been proposed to affect the cellular targets of BA.
Desempeño motor y hábitos de actividad física en estudiantes universitarios en Costa Rica
Authors: Jiménez-Díaz Judith , Morera-Castro Maria
Published: February 2016

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar el desempeño motor de los patrones básicos de movimiento y los hábitos de actividad física del estudiantado de la Universidad de Costa Rica. Se evaluó a 92 hombres y 48 mujeres (M = 19.78 años; DE = 4.72 años) matriculados en diferentes cursos de Actividad Deportiva de la Sede Rodrigo Facio. Se utilizó el Instrumento para la Evaluación de los Patrones Básicos de Movimiento para evaluar el desempeño motor en ocho patrones básicos de movimiento (correr, saltar, galopar, brincar, apañar, lanzar, rebotar y patear). El nivel de actividad física se obtuvo por medio de un cuestionario de auto-reporte diseñado para dicho fin. Los resultados sugieren que el 28 % del estudiantado presenta un estilo de vida físicamente activo. Los estudiantes presentan un desempeño maduro en los patrones de patear, correr y galopar. Por el contrario, se encontró que presentan un desempeño motor no maduro en los patrones de saltar, brincar, rebotar, lanzar y apañar. El nivel de actividad física está relacionado con el desempeño motor total de los participantes (Rho = .233; p = .006). Se concluye que los estudiantes universitarios presentan un desempeño eficiente en tres de ocho patrones evaluados; además, se encontró que el desempeño está relacionado con el nivel de actividad física reportado. Se recomienda a los profesionales en Ciencias del Movimiento Humano desarrollar actividades para fortalecer los patrones básicos de movimiento en los estudiantes universitarios.

 
Pediatric Medical Emergency Team Events and Outcomes: A Report of 3647 Events From the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation Registry
Authors: Raymond Tia T. , Bonafide Christopher P. , Praestgaard Amy , Nadkarni Vinay M. , Berg Robert A. , Parshuram Christopher S. , Hunt Elizabeth A.
Published: February 2016

OBJECTIVES:

To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of a large, multicenter cohort of pediatric medical emergency team (MET) events occurring in US hospitals reported to the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry.

METHODS:

We analyzed consecutive pediatric (<18 years) MET events reported to the registry from January 2006 to February 2012.

RESULTS:

We identified 3647 MET events from 151 US hospitals: 3080 (84%) ward and 567 (16%) telemetry/step-down unit events; median age 3.0 years (interquartile range: 0.0–11.0); 54% male; median duration 29 minutes (interquartile range: 18–49). Triggers included decreased oxygen saturation (32%), difficulty breathing (26%), and staff concern (24%). Thirty-seven percent (1137/3059) were admitted within 24 hours before MET event. Within 24 hours before the MET event, 16% were transferred from a PICU, 24% from an emergency department, and 7% from a pediatric anesthesia care unit. Fifty-three percent of MET events resulted in transfer to a PICU; 3251 (89%) received nonpharmacologic interventions, 2135 (59%) received pharmacologic interventions, 223 (6.1%) progressed to an acute respiratory compromise event, and 17 events (0.5%) escalated to cardiopulmonary arrest during the event. Survival to hospital discharge was 93.3% (n = 3299/3536).

CONCLUSIONS:

Few pediatric MET events progress to respiratory or cardiac arrest, but most require nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic intervention. Median duration of MET event was 29 minutes (interquartile range: 18–49), and 53% required transfer to a PICU. Events often occurred within 24 hours after hospital admission or transfer from the PICU, emergency department, or pediatric anesthesia care unit and may represent an opportunity to improve triage and other systems of care.
Brief Report: Healing Touch Consults at a Tertiary Care Children’s Hospital
Authors: Schlefman Amanda , Rappaport David I. , Adams-Gerdts Walle , Stubblefield Samuel C.
Published: February 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Components of complementary and alternative medicine are increasingly being implemented at academic medical centers. These approaches include therapeutic touch or healing touch (HT), an energy-based therapy using light touch on or near the body. Limited data exist regarding complementary and alternative medicine use at children’s hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate patterns and clinical characteristics of HT consultations among children hospitalized at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients hospitalized from January 2012 through December 2013, comparing patients who received HT consultations with those who did not.

RESULTS:

There were 25 396 admissions during the study period; 882 (4%) of these, representing 593 individual patients, received an HT consultation. As compared with those without an HT consultation, patients receiving HT were older (median 12 years vs 5 years, P < .001), female (58% vs 46%, P < .001), and more likely to be admitted to the hematology/oncology or blood/bone marrow transplant units (P < .001). Patients with HT consultations had longer hospitalizations (median 121 hours vs 38 hours, P < .001) and more medical problems (median 12 vs 4, P < .001). Six attending physicians were responsible for placing the majority of HT consultations. Of the 593 patients receiving an HT consultation, 21% received ≥2 consultations during the study period.

CONCLUSIONS:

Certain patients, such as those with longer hospitalizations and more medical problems, were more likely to receive HT consultations. Many patients received multiple consultations, suggesting that HT may be an important aspect of ongoing care for hospitalized children.
Chronic Inflammatory Lesions of the Placenta and Preterm Birth
Authors: Katzman Philip J.
Published: February 2016

A successful pregnancy largely relies on proper immune regulation in the gravid uterus. This review describes immune mechanisms that permit the fetal allograft to continue to grow to term. Chronic inflammatory lesions may be manifestations of altered immune status in the placenta and are often present in preterm placentas. These lesions are compared with the more common acute inflammatory lesions of pregnancy, and described with respect to their pathology and clinical significance.
Pharmacology Review: The Role of Biomarkers and Surrogate End Points in Drug Development for Neonatal Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Sun Haihao , Stockbridge Norman , Ariagno Ronald L. , Murphy Dianne
Published: February 2016

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease in newborns, infants, and children. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but has limited treatment options. Except for inhaled nitric oxide, which is approved for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), no drug is approved for the treatment of newborns, infants, and children with PAH. The lack of developmentally appropriate pediatric efficacy end points and pediatric clinical trials contribute to this unmet medical need. The noninvasive biomarkers reported in the literature that can be used as potential surrogate end points to assess disease severity and treatment response in neonates, infants, and children with PAH are reviewed herein. In addition, the role of the US Food and Drug Administration in developing potential biomarkers as surrogate end points to facilitate drug development for the treatment of children with PPHN and PAH in children is reviewed herein.
Sleep Difficulties and Medications in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Registry Study
Authors: Malow Beth A. , Katz Terry , Reynolds Ann M. , Shui Amy , Carno Margaret , Connolly Heidi V. , Coury Daniel , Bennett Amanda E.
Published: February 2016

OBJECTIVES:

Sleep difficulties are common in children with autism spectrum disorders, with wide-ranging effects on the child’s daytime behavior. We reviewed data within our Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network Registry to determine the prevalence of sleep difficulties and patterns of medication use.

METHODS:

Data from 1518 children ages 4 to 10 years were analyzed to determine the number of children documented to have sleep difficulties by parent-completed questionnaires and clinician-completed forms and how these findings related to the use of sleep medications.

RESULTS:

The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire total score was ≥41 (associated with clinically significant sleep problems in past research) in 71% of children. The prevalence of sleep diagnoses was less frequent (30% of children aged 4–10 years; P < .0001). Medications for sleep were prescribed in 46% of 4- to 10-year-olds given a sleep diagnosis. The most common medication used for sleep was melatonin followed by α-agonists, with a variety of other medications taken for sleep (anticonvulsants, antidepressants, atypical antipsychotics, and benzodiazepines). Children taking medications for sleep had worse daytime behavior and pediatric quality of life than children not taking sleep medications.

CONCLUSIONS:

Parent concerns about sleep may not be reflected in the information gathered during a clinic visit, supporting the need to develop screening practice pathways for sleep in autism spectrum disorders. Furthermore, many medications taken for sleep have adverse effects, supporting the need for evidence-based interventions in this population.
Medical and Behavioral Correlates of Depression History in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Greenlee Jessica L. , Mosley Angela S. , Shui Amy M. , Veenstra-VanderWeele Jeremy , Gotham Katherine O.
Published: February 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Depression is commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the life span. We sought to identify medical and behavioral problems associated with a history of a parent-reported diagnosis of depression in a large sample of school-aged children and adolescents with ASD.

METHODS:

A sample of 1272 participants (aged 6–17 years; mean [SD]: 9.56 [2.79] years) from the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network consortium were divided into “ever-depressed” (n = 89) and “nondepressed” (n = 1183) groups on the basis of caregiver endorsement of children’s current or previous diagnoses of depression.

RESULTS:

In total, 7.0% of children with ASD (4.8% of those aged 6–12 years and 20.2% of those aged 13–17 years) were reported to have a history of a depression diagnosis. Positive depression history was associated with greater chronological age, higher IQ, and Asperger disorder diagnosis. After controlling for age, IQ, and within-spectrum categorical diagnosis, the ever-depressed group exhibited significantly greater rates of seizure disorders (odds ratio = 2.64) and gastrointestinal problems (odds ratio = 2.59) and trend-level differences in aggression, somatic complaints, and social impairments. The groups did not differ in autism severity, repetitive behaviors, sleep problems, eating problems, self-injurious behavior, or current intervention use.

CONCLUSIONS:

Co-occurring depression is a particularly common problem in higher-functioning older children within the Autism Treatment Network. Our findings indicate that children with ASD and a history of a depression diagnosis are more likely to also have co-occurring medical problems, although the presence and direction of causality is unclear.
Health Care Transition Services for Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Perspectives of Caregivers
Authors: Kuhlthau Karen A. , Delahaye Jennifer , Erickson-Warfield Marji , Shui Amy , Crossman Morgan , van der Weerd Emma
Published: February 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

This paper seeks to describe the experience of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in making the health care transition (HCT) to adult care.

METHODS:

We surveyed 183 parents and guardians of youth with ASD, assessing the extent to which youth and families experienced and desired HCT services, their satisfaction with services, and obstacles to transition. Descriptive statistics were used to examine HCT measures and Fisher’s exact and t tests assessed whether demographic or health measures were associated with service receipt. Any measures with a P value <.05 were included in a logistic regression model, with service receipt as the dependent variable.

RESULTS:

The receipt of transition services was low overall, with rates for individual services ranging from 3% to 33% and only 60% of the sample receiving any transition service. Despite these low rates, a majority of respondents reported wanting services (73.3%–91.6%), and satisfaction for received services was high (89%–100%). Regression analyses showed depression to be the only variable significantly associated with service receipt. Youth who were identified by their caregivers as having depression experienced a higher rate of transition service receipt than those not identified as having depression.

CONCLUSIONS:

Findings suggest that there is a great need to address the provision of HCT services for youth with ASD. Although families who received HCT services were generally satisfied, overall rates of service receipt were quite low, and those who were not provided with services generally desired them.
Examination of Parent Insurance Ratings, Child Expenditures, and Financial Burden Among Children With Autism: A Mismatch Suggests New Hypotheses to Test
Authors: Thomas Kathleen C. , Williams Christianna S. , deJong Neal , Morrissey Joseph P.
Published: February 2016

OBJECTIVE:

Families raising children with autism contribute significant amounts to the cost of care. In this era of health care reform, families have more insurance choices, but people are unfamiliar with health insurance terms. This study uses 2 national data sets to examine health insurance ratings from parents raising children with autism and child expenditures to explore how these measures align.

METHODS:

Children with autism who met criteria for special health care needs and were continuously insured were examined. Data from the National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs 2009–2010 were used to examine parent report of adequate insurance (n = 3702). Pooled data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2002–2011 were used to examine expenditures (n = 346). Types of health insurance included private alone, Medicaid alone, and combined private and wrap-around Medicaid.

RESULTS:

Having Medicaid doubled the odds of reporting adequate insurance compared with private insurance alone (P < .0001), and children on Medicaid had the lowest out-of-pocket costs ($150, P < .0001). Children covered by combined private and wrap-around Medicaid had the highest total expenditures ($11 596, P < .05) and the highest expenditures paid by their insurance ($10 638, P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS:

These findings highlight a mismatch between parent ratings of insurance adequacy, child expenditures, and relative financial burden. Findings generate a number of questions to address within single sources of data. By elaborating the frameworks families use to judge the adequacy of their insurance, future research can develop policy strategies to improve both their satisfaction with their insurance coverage and the service use of children with autism.
A Pilot Study of Autism-Specific Care Plans During Hospital Admission
Authors: Broder-Fingert Sarabeth , Shui Amy , Ferrone Christine , Iannuzzi Dorothea , Cheng Erika R. , Giauque Ann , Connors Susan , McDougle Christopher J. , Donelan Karen , Neumeyer Ann , Kuhlthau Karen
Published: February 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Hospital admissions can be difficult for patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We created an autism-specific care plan (ACP) to help improve the hospital experience for patients with ASD, and we tested feasibility and acceptability and compared the experience of care for children with and without an ACP.

METHODS:

We performed a nonrandomized, retrospective chart review of all patients with ASD and a hospital admission from January 2013 to December 2013 (n = 142) to determine feasibility of the intervention. We then mailed surveys to all 142 families to measure experience with the ACP and to compare experience of care in those who did and did not have an ACP. Using multivariable linear regression we assessed the association of experience of care with ACP use while adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS:

The ACP was well tolerated by parents and used frequently by staff. Compared with parents who did not use the ACP, parents who used the ACP reported a better experience relating to their general hospital experience (B = 1.48, P < .001) and staff attention to their child’s ASD-specific needs (B = 3.07, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS:

According to this pilot study, care plans are feasible and hold promise to improve the experience of care for children with ASD and their families in the hospital setting.
Fe0/pumice mixtures: from laboratory tests to permeable reactive barrier design
Authors: Moraci Nicola , Bilardi Stefania , Calabrò Paolo S.
Published: February 2016

Permeable reactive barriers containing zero valent iron (ZVI-PRBs) represent an in situ technology for groundwater remediation. One of the main design issues of ZVI-PRBs is the determination of the expected lifespan. Therefore, the objective of the present work is to determine, by interpreting column experiments data through a first-order kinetic model, the thickness and duration of a hypothetical PRB constituted respectively by ZVI and by a ZVI/pumice mixture to be built for remediating groundwater contaminated by nickel at two different initial concentrations (40 and 8 mg/L). The kinetic constant values derived from this model are intended solely as an engineering tool for the design of ZVI systems and not as an interpretation of the actual reactions involving ZVI, water, and its constituents. Column test results show a linear decrease over time of the kinetic constant values. The use of the mixture implies an increase of the barrier thickness (from 2·5 to 15·5 times the ZVI thickness) but allows a reduction in the amount of ZVI needed to reach remediation objectives (from 84·5 to 87% considering 4 years of PRB operation) and an increase in the lifespan of the barrier (about 7·2 times for the lowest values of nickel concentration used).