bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of the global outflow angle on recanalization after endovascular treatment of middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysms
Authors: de La Torre Yannick , Velasco Stéphane , Tasu Jean-Pierre , Wanpouille Cassandre , Chan Paul , Velasco Raphael , Sztark Guillaume , Ingrand Pierre , Boucebci Samy
Published: May 2018

Background and purpose

Intracranial aneurysm recanalization after endovascular treatment (EVT) remains a major problem. The goal of this study was to find new predictive factors of recanalization after EVT of middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation aneurysms.

Methods

96 MCA bifurcationaneurysms, ruptured or unruptured, treated by EVT between Septembre 2009 and December 2014, were retrospectively included. Clinical parameters and aneurysm characteristics were recorded. From the initial three-dimensional DSA, spatial coordinates found on parent and daughter arteries of MCA bifurcations gave four different flow angle values; inflow, outflows 1 and 2, and the global outflow angle (the sum of the two outflow angles). Inter- and intra-observer reproducibilities of three-dimensional angle value measurements were performed.

Results

Recanalization occurred in 25 cases (26%) and retreatment was performed in 11 cases (11%). Only 1 patient (1%) had rebleeding. Univariate analysis established the following as predictive factors of recanalization: high blood pressure (P=0.014), aneurysm height (P<0.001), aneurysm width (P<0.001), neck size (P<0.001), postoperative occlusion class (P=0.040), percentage of packing volume (P<0.001), as well as the two outflow angles (P=0.006 and 0.045), and the global outflow angle (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed two independent risk factors for recanalization: the global outflow angle (OR=1.05; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.08; P<0.002) and aneurysm width (OR=0.67; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.96; P=0.031). A global outflow angle threshold <192° was found to be a risk factor for recanalization (OR=13.75; 95% CI 4.46 to 42.44), with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 77%.

Conclusions

This study emphasizes that a new parameter, the global outflow angle, can be predictive of recanalization for MCA bifurcation aneurysms treated by EVT.
Risk factors of haemorrhagic transformation for acute ischaemic stroke in Chinese patients receiving intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Guo Yijia , Yang Yaqiong , Zhou Muke , He Li
Published: May 2018

Objective

To identify risk factors for haemorrhagic transformation in Chinese patients with acute ischaemic stroke treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.

Methods

We searched electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI and WanFang Data for studies reporting risk factors of haemorrhagic transformation after intravenous thrombolysis. Pooled OR, weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI were estimated. Meta-analysis was performed by using Stata V.14.0 software.

Results

A total of 14 studies were included. The results indicated that older age (WMD=3.46, 95% CI 2.26 to 4.66, I2=47), atrial fibrillation (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.85 to 3.81, I2=28), previous stroke (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.60, I2=14), previous antiplatelet treatment (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.17 to 2.38, I2=0), higher National Institute of Health stroke scale scores (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1. 05 to 1.15, I2=36), systolic (WMD=4.75, 95% CI 2.50 to 7.00, I2=42) or diastolic (WMD=2.67, 95% CI 1.08 to 4.26, I2=35) pressure, and serum glucose level (WMD=1.44, 95% CI 0.62 to 2.26, I2=66) were associated with increased risk of post-thrombolysis haemorrhagic transformation.

Conclusion

The current meta-analysis identified eight risk factors for post-thrombolysis haemorrhagic transformation in Chinese patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Given the risk of bias, these results should be explained with caution and do not justify withholding intravenous thrombolysis.
Effect of a combination of telmisartan and amlodipine in hypertensive dogs
Authors: Caro‐Vadillo Alicia , Daza‐González Maria Angeles , Gonzalez‐Alonso‐Alegre Elisa , Rodríguez Alfonso , Gómez‐García José
Published: May 2018

Systemic hypertension (SHT) in dogs is considered a health risk factor. Telmisartan is a well‐known antihypertensive agent in humans. There are limited reports about its efficacy in dogs. Five dogs with primary and secondary SHT refractory to the combined treatment of benazepril and amlodipine had a successful control of systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP) when telmisartan was combined with amlodipine. SBP showed a significant reduction after any treatment, but only reached successful control when amlodipine plus telmisartan was administered (median SBP: 215 mmHg before treatment [min‐max: 180–240 mmHg]; 180 mmHg for amlodipine plus benazepril treatment [min‐max: 170–210 mmHg]; 142 mmHg after amlodipine plus telmisartan treatment [min‐max: 120–165 mmHg]). This control remained stable in the long‐term follow‐up (average 5.2 months). In the cases reported, the telmisartan plus amlodipine treatment showed good efficacy in the control of SHT, regardless of cause, and was well tolerated in all patients.
Urban planning for fishes: untangling a new project’s effects from old infrastructure and regional patterns
Authors: Warkentin Luke , Favaro Corinna , Scott David C. , Seifert Rebecca , Moore Jonathan W.
Published: May 2018

Urbanization has altered fish communities in many ways. However, as cities expand and redevelop, it is challenging to assess the impacts of new projects given existing alteration. We investigated how new and old infrastructure alters fish communities over a 4-year period in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). We compared fish communities from a stream altered by a new rapid transit rail line and seven reference sites over 4 years, from before to after construction. We provide evidence that new and old projects depress the density, species richness, and diversity of fish communities. During and after construction, sections of the altered stream had one fewer species and lower density compared with preconstruction and reference streams. Streams without existing culverts had more species and greater diversity than those with culverts, but only in some years. Diversity was lower in 1 year of the study across all streams. We argue that most monitoring in Canada is insufficient to detect the incremental changes that new projects may cause and suggest improvements in monitoring and protecting reference streams.
Interannual flow variability in a large subtropical–temperate floodplain: a challenge for fish reproduction
Authors: Abrial E. , Espínola L.A. , Rabuffetti A.P. , Amsler M.L. , Wantzen K.M.
Published: May 2018

Fluctuations of temperature and water levels are the two main drivers of aquatic life in river floodplain ecosystems. The large Middle Paraná River floodplain exhibits marked seasons and important interannual hydrological changes. Using a three-factor-based approach (fish reproductive traits, hydroclimatic conditions, and floodplain recruitment patterns), we analyzed how fish life history evolves within this fluctuating environment. We observed that hydroclimatic conditions can be considered through three main interannual variations that prompt the most abundant Paraná species to adopt four different main reproductive strategies: (i) typical periodic strategists are dependent on large spring–summer floods and juveniles strongly predominate in the floodplain when such a condition occurs, (ii) periodic–opportunistic strategists are associated with floods, regardless of their timing, (iii) periodic–equilibrium strategists take advantage of spring–summer floods whatever the intensity and duration, and (iv) equilibrium strategists have low flood dependence and higher stability in temporal fish recruitment. This work brings forth a first synthesis of fish life history in the Middle Paraná River and evidences how important both hydrological and temperature fluctuations are to interpret its complexity.
Modeling Technological Substitution by Incorporating Dynamic Adoption Rate
Authors: Panwar Saurabh , Kapur P. K. , Singh Ompal
Published: May 2018

Modeling diffusion dynamics of multi-generation innovation requires a critical examination of external factors that may affect its diffusion process. It has been observed that due to companies continuously varying marketing strategies, the adoption rate of an innovation alters with time. However, there are other factors such as the launch of a new competitive product or improved product generation, which may affect the growth of an innovation. The time-instance at which these changes are observed is called change-point. Motivated by this phenomenon, the present research identifies the launch of a new generation as a change-point where adoption function of the previous generation experiences a structural change. The objective of the current research is to improve the forecasting accuracy of a diffusion model for technological innovations by integrating essential factors that affect the diffusion process. From the findings of empirical analysis, it can be inferred that the proposed two-generational diffusion model illustrates the diffusion pattern of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) semiconductors remarkably well. In fact, the computed results show that the suggested model has better forecasting ability than previously established multi-generation models.
Automatic Resolution of Normative Conflicts in Supportive Technology Based on User Values
Authors: Kayal Alex , Brinkman Willem-Paul , Neerincx Mark A. , Riemsdijk M. Birna Van
Published: May 2018

Social commitments (SCs) provide a flexible, norm-based, governance structure for sharing and receiving data. However, users of data sharing applications can subscribe to multiple SCs, possibly producing opposing sharing and receiving requirements. We propose resolving such conflicts automatically through a conflict resolution model based on relevant user values such as privacy and safety. The model predicts a user’s preferred resolution by choosing the commitment that best supports the user’s values. We show through an empirical user study (
n
= 396) that values, as well as recency and norm type, significantly improve a system’s ability to predict user preference in location sharing conflicts.
Algorithmic Information, Plane Kakeya Sets, and Conditional Dimension
Authors: Lutz Jack H. , Lutz Neil
Published: May 2018

We formulate the
conditional Kolmogorov complexity
of
x
given
y
at
precision
r
, where
x
and
y
are points in Euclidean spaces and
r
is a natural number. We demonstrate the utility of this notion in two ways;

(1) We prove a
point-to-set principle
that enables one to use the (relativized, constructive) dimension of a
single point
in a set
E
in a Euclidean space to establish a lower bound on the (classical) Hausdorff dimension of
E
. We then use this principle, together with conditional Kolmogorov complexity in Euclidean spaces, to give a new proof of the known, two-dimensional case of the Kakeya conjecture. This theorem of geometric measure theory, proved by Davies in 1971, says that every plane set containing a unit line segment in every direction has Hausdorff dimension 2.

(2)We use conditional Kolmogorov complexity in Euclidean spaces to develop the
lower
and
upper conditional dimensions
dim(
x
|
y
) and Dim(
x
|
y
) of
x
given
y
, where
x
and
y
are points in Euclidean spaces. Intuitively, these are the lower and upper asymptotic algorithmic information densities of
x
conditioned on the information in
y
. We prove that these conditional dimensions are robust and that they have the correct information-theoretic relationships with the well-studied dimensions dim(
x
) and Dim(
x
) and the mutual dimensions mdim(
x
:
y
) and Mdim(
x
:
y
).
An Overview of Attitudes Toward Genetically Engineered Food
Authors: Scott Sydney E. , Inbar Yoel , Wirz Christopher D. , Brossard Dominique , Rozin Paul
Published: May 2018

Genetically engineered food has had its DNA, RNA, or proteins manipulated by intentional human intervention. We provide an overview of the importance and regulation of genetically engineered food and lay attitudes toward it. We first discuss the pronaturalness context in the United States and Europe that preceded the appearance of genetically engineered food. We then review the definition, prevalence, and regulation of this type of food. Genetically engineered food is widespread in some countries, but there is great controversy worldwide among individuals, governments, and other institutions about the advisability of growing and consuming it. In general, life scientists have a much more positive view of genetically engineered food than laypeople. We examine the bases of lay opposition to genetically engineered food and the evidence for how attitudes change. Laypeople tend to see genetically engineered food as dangerous and offering few benefits. We suggest that much of the lay opposition is morally based. One possibility is that, in some contexts, people view nature and naturalness as sacred and genetically engineered food as a violation of naturalness. We also suggest that for many people these perceptions of naturalness and attitudes toward genetically engineered food follow the sympathetic magical law of contagion, in which even minimal contact between a natural food and an unnatural entity, either a scientist or a piece of foreign DNA, pollutes or contaminates the natural entity and renders it unacceptable or even immoral to consume.
Modern Trafficking, Slavery, and Other Forms of Servitude
Authors: Patterson Orlando , Zhuo Xiaolin
Published: May 2018

The claim that there has been a remarkable revival of slavery, other forms of forced labor, and human trafficking in our times has inspired widespread activism and a vast body of popular and academic works. Although the conflation of terms, exaggerated empirical claims, and a shortage of evidence-based work have prompted legitimate scholarly skepticism, modern trafficking and forms of servitude do present urgent problems for researchers, lawmakers and reformers. We first clarify the most basic terms in the field—servitude, forced labor, slavery, trafficking, and smuggling—then examine all forms of servitude and evaluate the degree to which they properly amount to slavery or result from trafficking. This is followed by an examination of methodological problems in the measurement of types of servitude and a brief analysis of the factors accounting for its contemporary revival. We aim to encourage more scholarly enquiries from sociologists who are uniquely qualified to explore this problem.
Association between Serum Uric Acid Level and Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia in Heart Failure Patients with Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator
Authors: Nodera Minoru , Suzuki Hitoshi , Matsumoto Yoshiyuki , Kamioka Masashi , Kaneshiro Takashi , Yoshihisa  Akiomi , Ohira Tetsuya , Takeishi Yasuchika
Published: May 2018

Objectives: The uric acid (UA) level is related to cardiac events and mortality, but little is known about the clinical significance of serum UA with regard to the ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT) risk in patients with heart failure. Methods: The present study enrolled 56 patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy (37 males, mean age 64.7 ± 11.1 years) who received prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation. Based on a median serum UA value, study subjects were divided into two groups: serum UA < 6.1 mg/dL (group L, n = 29) and ≥6.1 mg/dL (group H, n = 27). Echo- and electrocardiograms (QRS duration and QTc intervals) were examined in each group. Results: During the follow-up period (30 ± 8 months), 22 (39%) patients had appropriate ICD therapies for sustained VT. There was no significant difference in the electro- and echocardiographic data between both groups. However, appropriate ICD therapies were significantly higher in group H than in group L (p  =  0.02). In multivariate analysis, UA was an independent predictor of appropriate ICD therapies (hazard ratio 1.826, 95% confidence interval 1.248–2.671, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Serum UA levels might be a predictor of VT, providing new aspects regarding the decision to adapt ICD implantation in patients with heart failure.
Forest evergreenness and tree endemism in the central Western Ghats, southern India
Authors: Mesta Divakar K. , Hegde Ganesh R.
Published: May 2018

Forests of the Western---- Ghats are well known for their evergreenness and high endemism.  The present study carried out in the Sharavathi River Basin in the central Western Ghats of India is to find the relationship between forest evergreenness and tree endemism.  The study was carried out from 2000 to 2006 and the methodology followed is a combination of transect and quadrat method nested with smaller quadrats for shrub layer and herb layer.  A total of 51 endemic tree species belonging to 20 families were recorded.  The results reveal that the composition of endemic tree population is closely associated with the evergreenness of the forest.  With the increase in evergreenness, endemism also increased and almost all the endemic trees of the region occurred in very high evergreen class.  Many of them were exclusively found in very high evergreen forests and ground layer data support this observation.  Such narrow distribution of endemics makes them most vulnerable to extinction.  The present study will be helpful in understanding the association of endemic trees with evergreenness of forest and will be useful in conservation as well as restoration of these endemic trees in their natural habitats.
People’s attitude towards wild elephants, forest conservation and Human-Elephant conflict in Nilambur, southern Western Ghats of Kerala, India
Authors: Rohini C. K. , Aravindan T. , Das K.S. Anoop , Vinayan P. A.
Published: May 2018

Conflict with elephants and subsequent economic losses negatively affect residents’ tolerance towards wild elephants.  It is important to understand people’s attitude towards wildlife, especially Asian Elephants with an endangered status.  A questionnaire survey was undertaken with 510 forest fringe residents of Nilambur North and South Forest Divisions, Kerala, to understand residents’ attitudes towards elephant conservation and Human-Elephant conflict.  The majority of the villagers experienced psychological stress and fear associated with movement restriction and chances of encounters with elephants.  Crop damage was perceived as the most serious issue, followed by injury or death by encounters with elephants.  Elephants show a higher preference for raiding Jackfruit and Plantain than other crops.  The conflict was caused more frequently by solitary elephants than by elephant herds.  Elephants were mainly found near farm areas during late night (22:00–02:00 hr) and early night (20:00–22:00 hr).  More than half of the residents were in favour of forest conservation owing to its ecological value.  One-fourth of the respondents favoured forest conservation due to its extraction benefits such as collection of fuel wood and cattle grazing.  Almost equal proportions of people have positive and negative attitudes towards elephants.  In such instances, the possibility for a drastic shift towards negative attitudes following spontaneous elephant conflict events can be expected.  Ecological awareness, interaction among stakeholders, and participatory maintenance of mitigation methods will possibly reduce conflict and contribute towards the coexistence of people and elephants in this human-dominated landscape.
New pteridophytic records from Mizoram, northeastern India
Authors: Sharma Sachin , Kumar Amit , Kholia Bhupendra Singh , Bargali Surendra Singh
Published: May 2018

Not applicable
Inventory of teloganodid mayflies (Ephemeroptera: Teloganodidae) from southern India with records of endemic taxa
Authors: Selvakumar C. , Sivaramakrishnan K. G. , Kubendran T. , Chandra Kailash
Published: May 2018

The present study deals with diagnostic characters, diversity, distribution and status of seven species belonging to four genera of Teloganodidae from southern India.  Six of them are endemic to the Western Ghats as is the genus Indoganodes Selvakumar, Sivaramakrishnan & Jacobus, 2014 and one is endemic to the Eastern Ghats.  Due to this high percentage of endemism, conservation of habitats and microhabitats harbouring this ancient gondwanan lineage gains priority.  A larval key to the known genera and species of Teloganodidae of southern India is also provided.  The present pattern of distribution of the family Teloganodidae is confined to southern Africa, Madagascar, southern India and Southeast Asia.
Natural history of Large Cabbage White Pieris brassicae nepalensis Gray, 1846 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) on Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus (Tropaeolaceae) in Uttarakhand, India
Authors: Negi Bhawana Kapkoti , Joshi Ravindra K.
Published: May 2018

Larval food preferences and various life cycle stages of Pieris brassicae nepalensis, a white butterfly of family pieridae was observed on Tropaeolum majus, nasturtiun, the Indian Cress an orange coloured, garden ornamental plant, in district Almora, Uttrakhand.
On the taxonomy of the first record of rare deep-water rough shark species of Oxynotidae (Chondrichthyes: Squaliformes) in the western Indian Ocean
Authors: Viana Sarah , Lisher Mark W.
Published: May 2018

An immature female specimen of rough shark was collected south of Reunion Island in the Madagascar Basin in 2009 aboard R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, representing the first official record of the family Oxynotidae in the western Indian Ocean.  The specimen is herein identified as Oxynotus sp. due to morphological differences with its closely similar congeners O. centrina and O. bruniensis regarding morphometrics, shape of dorsal, pectoral and caudal fins, shape of the head and colouration, refuting the hypothesis of occurrence of these two species in the region.  These results indicate that Oxynotus sp. is possibly an undescribed species.  A general description of the external morphology, external morphometrics and photographs of Oxynotus sp. are provided.  The specimen has a hepatosomatic index of 36.33% which reveals that it was possibly approaching maturation, suggesting that a viable population of Oxynotus sp. exists in the western Indian Ocean.  Intraspecific variations in O. centrina from the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean are also noticed, requiring further taxonomic scrutiny.
A new record of the lesser-known butterfly Small Woodbrown Lethe nicetella de Nicéville, 1887 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) from Kangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim, India
Authors: Dewan Sailendra , Acharya Bhoj Kumar , Ghatani Sudeep
Published: May 2018

This study reports the recent sighting of Small Woodbrown Lethe nicetella from Khangchendzonga National Park in West Sikkim District, India.  It was originally described by de Nicéville (1887) based on the collection of males and one female by Otto Möller from Sikkim but the exact type locality was unknown.  We also reviewed various historical and contemporary reports on the description and distribution of this species.  We did not find any report of collection or sighting of the species from India after Elwes & Möller (1888).  The occurrence of this species in Sikkim is mentioned in Haribal (1992) but it is not clear whether the report is based on sightings or historical records because sighting location is not given, indicating its description based on museum specimens. Hence, we conclude that the Small Woodbrown L. nicetella was sighted after a gap of around 120 years.  Further, we have provided the first photographic records of a live individual of this species from India.  Our finding indicates a possibility of existence of many cryptic taxa that should be explored using morphological and molecular approaches.
Analysis of regurgitated pellets of Spotted Owlet Athene brama (Temminck, 1821) (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae) from Punjab, India
Authors: Malhotra Renuka , Singla Neena
Published: May 2018

The present study was conducted to determine the diet of Spotted Owlet Athene brama.  Analysis of 200 regurgitated pellets collected from eight different locations in Punjab (India) determined average weight, length, breadth and thickness to be 1.0g, 27.0mm, 16.0mm and 12.0mm, respectively.  Remains of a total 433 individual prey were found in these pellets.  Diet of Spotted Owlet consisted of both vertebrates (45.7%) and invertebrates (54.3%).  Among vertebrates, mice (45.0%) were predominant, followed by frogs (0.5%) and birds (0.2%). Among invertebrates, diet mainly consisted of insects (53.8%) followed by molluscs (0.5%).  Insects preyed upon by Spotted Owlet were predominantly of orders Coleoptera (34.9%), followed by Orthoptera (10.2%), Dermaptera (7.9%) and some unidentified orders (0.9%).  The remnants of insects and molluscs in the pellets comprised of wings, legs, head, shells etc.  The average number of mice consumed per pellet was 1.32, with a maximum capacity of consuming up to five mice per night.
Virtual Love: Yehuda Duenyas’s CVRTAIN
Authors: Biers Katherine
Published: May 2018

Yehuda Duenyas’s virtual reality performance piece CVRTAIN, which premiered at Performance Space 122’s Coil festival in January 2017, challenges the distinctions between the live and the mediated. Ultimately, CVRTAIN helps to cultivate something more important and relevant to our digital age — an ethics of care.
Choreographic Transmission in an Expanded Field: Reflections on “Ten Artists Respond to Trisha Brown’s Locus”
Authors: Mohr Hope , Arrington Larry , Casel Gerald , Dawson Gregory , Kao Peiling , Ibarra Xandra , Moritz Margo
Published: May 2018

The Locus project commissioned 10 Bay Area artists from multiple disciplines to learn Trisha Brown’s Locus and respond by creating their own pieces. It was the first time that the Trisha Brown Dance Company (TBDC) had allowed one of Brown’s dances to be transmitted beyond the company for the explicit purpose of inspiring new works.
Redescription of Yphthimoides patricia (Hayward, 1957), with taxonomic notes on the names Euptychia saltuensis Hayward, 1962 and Yphthimoides manasses (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)
Authors: BARBOSA EDUARDO P. , SIEWERT RICARDO R. , MIELKE OLAF H. H. , LAMAS GERARDO , WILLMOTT KEITH R. , FREITAS ANDRÉ V. L.
Published: May 2018

Euptychia saltuensis Hayward, 1962, new synonym, currently regarded as a nomen dubium and possibly a junior subjective synonym of Yphthimoides manasses (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867), is here treated as a junior subjective synonym of Yphthimoides patricia (Hayward, 1957), based on morphological characters of the male genitalia and the DNA barcode. The taxonomic status of Y. patricia is re-examined, and a detailed redescription of the adult morphology, including the male genitalia, is presented. Information on the distribution, habitat and immature stages of Y. patricia is also provided. Yphthimoides patricia is clearly a distinct species from Y. manasses based on the analysis of DNA barcode sequences and the morphology of the male genitalia.
Homicide with post mortem dismemberment of the victim with previous amputation of right lower limb: Case report and review of the literature
Authors: Zerbo S , Lanzarone A , Procaccianti P , Ventura Spagnolo E , Argo A
Published: May 2018

The dismemberment of a corpse is comparatively rare in forensic medicine and usually performed with different types of sharp tools. The victim is always the victim of a homicide. Dismemberment usually occurs where the killing took place without prior planning by the perpetrator.

We report a case of homicide with post mortem mutilation of the victim’s body with previous amputation of right lower limb in which the perpetrator was not identified. At autopsy, several fractures were detected on the cranial vault, and the cause of death was due to skull and brain injuries from multiple blunt force traumas.
When the Brain Leaves the Scanner and Enters the Clinic
Authors: Barnett Anthony , Dilkes-Frayne Ella , Savic Michael , Carter Adrian
Published: May 2018

Addiction neuroscience promises to uncover the neural basis of addiction by mapping changes in the “diseased brains” of people with “drug addictions.” It hopes to offer revolutionary treatments for addiction and reduce the stigma experienced by those seeking treatment for a medical, rather than moral, condition. While the promises of addiction neuroscience have received considerable attention, relatively few studies have examined how neuroscientific discourses and promises play out in drug treatment settings. Instead of asking how neuroscience might measure or treat a preexisting addiction “problem,” we draw on poststructuralist ideas to trace how neuroscientific discourses produce addiction as a certain type of “problem” and the effects of these particular problematizations. Based on interviews with a range of different types of treatment providers working in Victoria, Australia, we discuss three themes that reveal neuroscientific discourses at work: (1) constituting pathological subjects, (2) neuroplasticity and “recovery,” and (3) the alleviation of guilt and shame via references to the “diseased brain.” On the basis of our analysis, we argue that dominant neuroscientific discourses produce patients as pathologized subjects, requiring medical treatment. We also contend that the intersection of neuroscientific and recovery discourses enacts “recovery” in terms of brain “recovery” through references to neuroplasticity. Further, when neuroscientific and moral discourses intersect, addicted subjects are absolved from the guilt associated with immoral behavior emerging from a “hijacked brain.” We conclude by emphasizing the need for future critical work to explore the complex ways in which neuroscientific discourses operate in localized care ecologies.
Constructing authority: Embodied expertise, homegrown neoliberalism, and the globalization of Singapore’s private planning
Authors: Pow CP
Published: May 2018

The rise of global urban consultancy and the role of private planners in facilitating “knowledge transfer” between cities have received much critical attention in the recent years. Notwithstanding the burgeoning literature critiquing such neoliberal “fast policy” transfer, little is understood in terms of the nuanced politics of expertise and the careering practices of urban consultants in negotiating the diverse international planning fields through their embodied knowledge. Using Singapore as a case study, this paper investigates how ‘homegrown neoliberal’ urban consultancy firms from the city-state operate overseas and interrogates the unwieldy geographies and histories behind the travel of the Singapore model. To the extent that Singapore has often been held up as an exemplary urban model, this paper is interested in how Singaporean planners negotiate foreign planning cultures and assert their authority as urban experts by positioning themselves in elite policy networks to strategically exploit their liminal status as public/private planners. In doing so, the paper not only sheds light on the politics of urban knowledge and expertise but also disrupts hegemonic understanding of neoliberalism by acknowledging the diverse histories and conjunctural contexts that underpin the globalization of private planning.
Simulation of a three-dimensional craniofacial structure under the application of orthodontic loads
Authors: Correia João , Martins Rui F , Santos Pedro F
Published: May 2018

The aim of this study was to develop a three-dimensional model of a patient’s craniofacial structure to be analysed using the finite element method in order to estimate the forces required to carry out a dental positioning’s correction. The three-dimensional model was composed by several anatomical structures, namely the teeth, the periodontal ligaments, and the trabecular and cortical bones, which were modelled with the aid of computed tomography cone beam images. The tomographic images were analysed and reconstructed using the 3D Slicer software, while the assembly of the anatomical structures modelled, as well as the contact surfaces between contiguous parts, was defined in computer-aided design software. Bone remodelling and the occurrence of tissue’s injuries were considered during the numerical simulations carried out. By imposing displacements to each tooth, it was possible to calculate the orthodontic loads needed to carry out dental correction (reaction forces), as well as the distributions of stresses and deformations inherent to the clinical treatment, allowing to obtain a craniofacial structure capable of simulating the dental movements of upper and lower arches with anatomical realism. In addition, this methodology constitutes a personalised dental medicine that could lead to the development of highly customised orthodontic appliances where different mechanical loads could be applied individually to each tooth to achieve the foreseen dental correction.
Transformation strategies in community engagement
Authors: Baba Zawiyah , Abrizah A.
Published: May 2018

This paper examines initiatives developed in Malaysian libraries to enhance library roles in promoting knowledge and technology exchange as well as community wellbeing. It explores how libraries in Malaysia are transforming society through community engagement and highlights initiatives undertaken by libraries that promote community access to collections, services, and events. The success of the initiatives is demonstrated in seven transformation strategy themes, namely; (i) embedded services; (ii) bridges and web technology; (iii) strategic and institutional partnering; (iv) rural libraries; (v) community libraries; (vi) asset-based community development; and (vii) international librarianship. While it is often cited that public libraries are those that serve the community at large, this paper provides the perspective from other types of library viewpoints, emphasizing that such community outreach services should not be limited to public libraries. The library science community at large, and especially academic libraries, must play a role in community engagement.
On ‘moral injury’
Authors: MacLeish Kenneth
Published: May 2018

This article is concerned with theories and therapeutic practices that interpret post-traumatic combat stress as a ‘moral injury’ produced by the shock of carrying out lethal violence in uncertain battlefield conditions. While moral injury is said to share many symptoms with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), its proponents – military and Veterans Health Administration clinical psychologists, chaplains, and some psychiatrists – are concerned by PTSD’s inability to account for the meaning-based moral and ethical distress that counterinsurgency battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan are allegedly especially prone to produce in US soldiers. Moral injury theorists seem to want to describe a phenomenon that is both more profound than PTSD but which, as clinical psychologists Shira Maguen and Brett Litz state, is not itself a mental disorder. In this article, I examine the links between moral injury theory’s fringe diagnostic status and the fringe status of the kinds of violence it understands as uniquely injurious to soldiers’ psyches. Moral injury valorizes war-fighting and military culture while casting war as a source of almost inevitable psychopathology. I argue that moral injury theory represents an effort to carve out a distinct domain of psychological expertise but also a negotiation of the tension between war violence’s ‘normal’ practice and its excessive or morally hazardous manifestations – both of which link mental illness directly to the politics of war violence and post-war care.
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease in Kraepelin’s clinic, 1909–1912
Authors: Keuck Lara
Published: May 2018

Existing accounts of the early history of Alzheimer’s disease have focused on Alois Alzheimer’s (1864–1915) publications of two ‘peculiar cases’ of middle-aged patients who showed symptoms associated with senile dementia, and Emil Kraepelin’s (1856–1926) discussion of these and a few other cases under the newly introduced name of ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ in his Textbook of Psychiatry. This article questions the underpinnings of these accounts that rely mainly on publications and describe ‘presenility’ as a defining characteristic of the disease. Drawing on archival research in the Munich psychiatric clinic, in which Alzheimer and Kraepelin practised, this article looks at the use of the category as a diagnostic label in practice. It argues that the first cases only got their exemplary status as key referents of Alzheimer’s disease in later readings of the original publications. In the 1900s, the published cases rather functioned as material to think about the limits of the category of senile dementia. The examination of paper technologies in the Munich psychiatric clinic reveals that the use of the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease was not limited to patients of a certain age and did not exclude ‘senile’ cases. Moreover, the archival records reflect that many diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease were noted in the medical records as suspicions rather than conclusions. Against this background, the article argues that in theory and practice, Alzheimer’s disease was not treated as a well-defined disease entity in the Munich clinic, but as an exploratory category for the clinical and histopathological investigation of varieties of organic brain diseases.
Virtual simulation technology based research on subsoiling process
Authors: Lin Yulong , Yang Li , Liu Shourong , Zhao Xueyan , Cao Chao , Li Chunlin
Published: May 2018

A novel simulation method to research subsoiling process is proposed in this paper. The influence of changing depth of tines cutting soil caused by subsoiler’s structure, road roughness and excitation of tyre and road on subsoiling is investigated. Soil model is divided into three layers, the different characteristics of soil in different depths are also considered. Firstly, a 3D geometry model of tractor–subsoiler system is established. Secondly, road roughness test is designed to measure elevation data of a farmland, then its surface is reconstructed based on harmonic superposition theory. Thirdly, a virtual prototyping model of tractor–subsoiler system is developed, and the depth curves of tines cutting soil with time are obtained based on the reconstructed farmland. Finally, with the method of finite element method (FEM) and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) coupling, MAT147 (MAT_FHWA_SOIL) soil material model which is layered, and depth curves of tines cutting soil, the finite element dynamic analysis of tines cutting soil is simulated. With subsoiling resistance as verification index, the simulation data are compared with the field experimental data. Under subsoiler oscillatory operation, the error rate of simulation is 3.78%. Under subsoiler non-oscillatory operation, the error rate of simulation is 5.02%. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results, which proves that the proposed simulation method can be a good substitute for the subsoiling physical test.
Informativeness of Self-Reports of ADHD Symptoms in Monitoring Response to Stimulant Treatment in Clinically Referred Adults With ADHD
Authors: Biederman Joseph , Fitzgerald Maura , Spencer Thomas J. , Adler Lenard A. , Abrams Jessica , Biederman Itai , Faraone Stephen V.
Published: May 2018

Objective: To investigate the informativeness of self-reports of ADHD symptoms in adults with ADHD in the clinical setting. Method: Subjects were clinically referred adults aged 19 years to 67 years of age of both sexes ( N = 54). All subjects were on stable doses of stimulant and were considered responders to treatment. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS) and the ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). Spearman’s rank correlations were used to assess the correlations between clinician-assessed ADHD and patients’ self-reports. Results: Spearman’s rank correlation analysis found evidence of a strong, positive association between total scores on the AISRS and the ASRS ( rs = .65, df = 52, p < .001). Conclusion: Results have important implications for the management and monitoring of treatment response in the clinical setting through patients’ self-report.
Depression and long-term prognostic outcomes following peripheral endovascular interventions in the VA Healthcare System
Authors: Smolderen Kim G , Plomondon Mary E , Armstrong Ehrin J , Hess Edward , Waldo Stephen , Tsai Thomas T , Maddox Thomas M
Published: May 2018

The association between depression and peripheral artery disease (PAD) outcomes remains widely understudied. In patients with PAD undergoing a peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) who have a recent diagnosis of depression, it is unknown what their long-term outcomes are and what factors may mediate an adverse risk. We therefore studied 797 consecutive patients undergoing PVI across 33 Veterans Affairs (VA) centers. Depression and outcomes were documented from patients’ medical records. Outcomes included: (1) all-cause death; (2) non-fatal cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke); and (3) PAD-related events (including repeat PVI or amputation). Cox proportional hazards frailty models were constructed, adjusting for age. Additional covariates were selected if they resulted in at least 5% change in the age-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for depression on outcomes. Overall, 265 (33%) patients had a diagnosis of depression. After a median follow-up of 955 days (range 1–6.25 years), 52 (6.5%) patients died, 30 (3.8%) experienced non-fatal cardiovascular events, and 176 (22.1%) had PAD-related events. Compared to patients without depression, depressed patients had higher rates of non-fatal cardiovascular events (6.4% vs 2.4%, p-value 0.0055). No differences for the other outcomes were noted. Higher risk for non-fatal cardiovascular events persisted after adjustment for age (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.05–2.47). The only additional covariate that met our selection criteria was hypertension. After adjusting for hypertension, the association between depression and non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes attenuated (HR 1.53, 95% CI 0.99–2.35). In conclusion, a diagnosis of depression in veterans undergoing PVI was associated with increased risk of non-fatal cardiovascular events, mediated by age and hypertension.
Ambiguous publicities: Cultivating doubt at the intersection of competing genres of risk evaluation in Catalan Prisons
Authors: Römer Johanna
Published: May 2018

Policymakers in Canada and across Europe have largely embraced the creation of post-disciplinary systems of punishment. In the autonomous region of Catalonia, Spain, this meant expanding connections between prisons and communities, expanding the publics a prison serves. At the same time, in part driven by austerity policies, incarceration in Spain and Catalonia has become more punitive and bureaucratic. Actuarial risk assessments introduced in Catalan prisons in 2009 are an example of this type of reform—designed to facilitate the release of low-risk inmates earlier and to control mobility. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Catalan prisons from 2012 to 2014, I show how both actuarial and clinical risk evaluation involved therapists’ anticipation of future aggressive acts on the part of inmates. Analyzing risk assessment as a practice and as an ideological frame, I argue that the short-term focus of risk assessments reinforced existing forms of interpreting inmates’ actions that therapists attempted to hold at bay. Risk as an ideological frame in the context of austerity contributes to a form of publicity that can further isolate inmates rather than facilitating the construction of community inside and outside of a rehabilitative prison.
High Expression of FOXP3 mRNA in Blood and Urine as a Predictive Marker in Kidney Transplantation
Authors: Barabadi Mehri , Shahbaz Sanaz Keshavarz , Foroughi Farshad , Hosseinzadeh Morteza , Nafar Mohsen , Yekaninejad Mir Saeed , Amirzargar Aliakbar
Published: May 2018

Background:

Diagnosis of allograft dysfunction by noninvasive biomarker tests is preferable to invasive allograft biopsies and has been extensively considered in recent years. This study aims to evaluate blood and urinary forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in renal transplant recipients in an attempt to determine whether differential diagnosis of graft dysfunction is feasible using mRNA profiles.

Methods:

We analyzed FOXP3 mRNA expression in paired urinary and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples. A total of 91 kidney transplant recipients enrolled in this study that were classified into 3 groups: biopsy-proven acute rejection (AR; n = 27), chronic allograft nephropathy (n = 19), and well-functioning graft (n = 45). The FOXP3 mRNA expression was quantified by TaqMan probe real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results:

Acute rejection patients had a higher expression level of transcription factor FOXP3 compared to the chronic nephropathy and control groups. Analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves showed that rejection could be diagnosed with 100% sensitivity and 96% specificity in urine, and 92% sensitivity and 86% specificity in PBMC samples using the optimal FOXP3 mRNA cutoff value. We subdivided the AR group into progressive and nonprogressive patients, which showed a significant difference in FOXP3 mRNA expression. This result confirmed the role of FOXP3 as a diagnostic marker in predicting transplantation outcomes.

Conclusion:

Our results suggested that elevated expression of FOXP3 in blood and urine samples from kidney transplant recipients could be a useful noninvasive biomarker to diagnose graft dysfunction.
Evidence-based physical examination
Authors: Smithson Sarah , Bartlett Maggie , Blanchard David , Webb Matthew
Published: May 2018

It has been suggested that the focused clinical examination should be claimed as a specialist GP skill. Integral to this objective is the ability to select and interpret an examination to accurately support the diagnostic process. This article will introduce you to evidence-based physical examination (EBPE), and how it can be used in your day-to-day work with patients. You will learn how to make evidence-based and efficient use of the physical examination, while also improving your skills in diagnosis. The connection between information gathered in history taking, the development of diagnostic hypotheses, and the choice of specific examinations to confirm or refute these hypotheses will be explored using simple clinical scenarios. You will be introduced to the statistical tools used in EBPE that enable you to make an estimation of the likelihood of a patient having a particular diagnosis once the examination has been performed.
Postmenopausal bleeding
Authors: Ridley-Davies Freya
Published: May 2018

Postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) is defined as any vaginal bleeding occurring at least 12 months after the last menstrual period, in a woman who is of menopausal age. PMB is a common problem presenting in general practice, and accounts for 5% of secondary care referrals. Although PMB usually has a benign cause, it is important to exclude endometrial cancer, which is detected in approximately 10% of women presenting with PMB. This article offers an outline for the history, examination and initial investigations of PMB, as well as an overview of the common causes and how these are subsequently managed.