bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Angry characters and frightened souls: Patients and family explanatory models of bipolar disorder in Taiwan
Authors: Lan Yi-Feng Carol , Zelman Diane C. , Chao Wen-Tao
Published: March 2018

Bipolar disorder (BD) affects a significant proportion of Taiwanese individuals (Weissman et al., 1996; Yang, Yeh, & Hwu, 2012). Psychotropic medications are typically the mainstay of treatment for BD, and there is an abundance of international research on biological etiology and medication options. However, there is comparatively little research on psychosocial aspects of BD, including how it is understood and managed within families. As culture provides the context in which psychiatric disease is managed, there is a need to identify distinct Chinese psychosocial perspectives that might shed light on intervention options. This research explored how Taiwanese patients and family members comprehend and cope with BD. A sample of 42 participants, including 20 Taiwanese patients diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder-I (BD-I) for at least 4 years, and 22 family members, participated in separate interviews on explanatory models of illness. Qualitative thematic analysis focused on features that were distinct from those in current Western research literature. Five themes were identified that represented Taiwanese conceptualizations of BD, notions of etiology, views regarding treatment, and the difficulties in managing the disorder. Participants used Chinese language terms and descriptions of BD that reflected greater concerns about irritability, anger, and family conflict than about other symptoms, and participants also emphasized characterological trait descriptions of the condition. Their responses reflected their acceptance of lifelong family responsibility for caretaking, clashing beliefs regarding biomedical versus traditional Chinese medical and spiritual models of etiology and cure, profound concerns about the effects of psychiatric medication on the liver and kidney systems, and a focus on stress rather than genetic or biological models of etiology.
Validation of mental health screening instruments in the Kashmir Valley, India
Authors: Housen Tambri , Lenglet Annick , Ariti Cono , Ara Shabnum , Shah Showkat , Dar Maqbool , Hussain Arshad , Paul Altaf , Wagay Zahoor , Viney Kerri , Janes Simon , Pintaldi Giovanni
Published: March 2018

The present study aimed to culturally adapt, translate, and validate the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Checklist (HTQ-16) prior to use in a cross-sectional mental health population survey in the Kashmir Valley. Cultural adaptation and translation of the HSCL-25 and the HTQ-16 employed multiple forms of transcultural validity check. The HSCL-25 and HTQ-16 were compared against a “gold standard” structured psychiatric interview, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Interviews were conducted with 290 respondents recruited using consecutive sampling from general medical outpatient departments in five districts of the Kashmir Valley. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to estimate the cut point with optimal discriminatory power based on sensitivity and specificity. Internal reliability of the HSCL-25 was high, Cronbach’s alpha (α) = .92, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.75, with an estimated optimal cut point of 1.50, lower than the conventional cut point of 1.75. Separation of the instruments into subscales demonstrated a difference in the estimated cut point for the anxiety subscale and the depression subscale, 1.75 and 1.57, respectively. Too few respondents were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during structured psychiatric interview, and therefore the HTQ-16 could not be validated despite the fact that high internal reliability was demonstrated (α = .90). This study verified the importance of culturally adapting and validating screening instruments in particular contexts. The use of the conventional cut point of 1.75 would likely have misclassified depression in our survey, leading to an underestimate of this condition.
School effectiveness and students’ perceptions of teacher caring: A multilevel study
Authors: Ramberg Joacim , Låftman Sara Brolin , Almquist Ylva B , Modin Bitte
Published: March 2018

The effective schools literature has shown that school-contextual aspects matter for students’ academic and social outcomes. A potential link here may be the quality of the relationships between teachers and students, but few studies have investigated whether features of school effectiveness are in fact associated with students’ perceptions of teacher caring, which is the main purpose of this study. Based on recently collected data from 150 senior-level school units in Stockholm, school effectiveness in terms of teacher-assessed ‘school leadership’, ‘teacher cooperation and consensus’, and ‘school ethos’ ( n = 2073) was analyzed in relation to perceived teacher caring as reported by students ( n = 8022). Two-level linear regression analyses showed that all three aspects of school effectiveness were predictive of higher levels of perceived teacher caring among students. The findings suggest that these features of school effectiveness constitute an important foundation for promoting the quality of teachers’ relationships with their students.
Economic poverty among children and adolescents in the Nordic countries
Authors: Povlsen Lene , Regber Susann , Fosse Elisabeth , Karlsson Leena Eklund , Gunnarsdottir Hrafnhildur
Published: March 2018

Aims: This study aimed to identify applied definitions and measurements of economic poverty and to explore the proportions and characteristics of children and adolescents living in economic poverty in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden during the last decade and to compare various statistics between the Nordic countries. Methods: Official data from central national authorities on statistics, national reports and European Union Statistics of income and living conditions data were collected and analysed during 2015–2016. Results: The proportion of Nordic children living in economic poverty in 2014 ranged from 9.4% in Norway to 18.5% in Sweden. Compared with the European Union average, from 2004 to 2014 Nordic families with dependent children experienced fewer difficulties in making their money last, even though Icelandic families reported considerable difficulties. The characteristics of children living in economic poverty proved to be similar in the five countries and were related to their parents’ level of education and employment, single-parent households and – in Denmark, Norway and Sweden – to immigrant background. In Finland, poverty among children was linked in particular to low income in employed households. Conclusions:This study showed that economic poverty among Nordic families with dependent children has increased during the latest decade, but it also showed that poverty rates are not necessarily connected to families’ ability to make their money last. Therefore additional studies are needed to explore existing policies and political commitments in the Nordic countries to compensate families with dependent children living in poverty.
Challenges and demands in the population-based work of public health nurses
Authors: Dahl Berit Misund
Published: March 2018

Aims: Government programs and the Norwegian Directorate of Health give public health nurses in Norway an explicit role in population-based health promotion and disease-prevention work. The aim of this paper is to explore Norwegian public health nurses’ experiences with population-based work. Methods: A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was adopted, involving face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 23 public health nurses from urban and rural districts in two counties in Norway. Results: Three themes were identified: the predominance of work at the individual level, a lack of resources, and adherence to administrative directives. The interviews revealed that the public health nurses were mostly occupied with individual problem-solving activities. Population-based work was hardly prioritized, mostly because of a lack of resources and a lack of recognition of the population-based role of public health nurses. Conclusions:The study indicates contradictions between the public health nursing practice related to population-based work and the direction outlined by the government and the public health nursing curriculum, which may mean that the public health nursing role is not sufficiently clarified. The implementation of practice models and administrative directives and resources, as well as an explicit emphasis on population health in public health nursing education, can contribute to increased population-based interventions. Greater knowledge of and emphasis on population-based work in public health nursing are needed.
A future task for health-promotion research: Integration of health promotion and sustainable development
Authors: Jelsøe Erling , Thualagant Nicole , Holm Jesper , Kjærgård Bente , Andersen Heidi Myglegård , From Ditte-Marie , Land Birgit , Pedersen Kirsten Bransholm
Published: March 2018

Based on previous studies and reflections collected from participants in a workshop at the 8th Nordic Health Promotion Research Network conference, we reveal current tendencies and discuss future challenges for health-promotion research regarding integration of sustainable development principles. Despite obvious interfaces and interactions between the two, our contention is that strategies for health promotion are not sufficiently integrated with strategies for sustainable development and that policies aimed at solving health or sustainability problems may therefore cause new, undesired and unforeseen environmental and health problems. As illustrated in previous research and as deliberated in the above-mentioned workshop, a number of barriers are identified. These are believed to be related to historical segregation, the conceptual understandings of health promotion and sustainable development, as well as the politics and implementation of policy goals in both areas. Three focal points are proposed as important challenges to address in future research: (a) the duality of health promotion and sustainability and how it can be handled in order to enhance mutually supportive processes between them; (b) the social dimension of sustainability and how it can be strengthened in the development of strategies for health promotion and sustainable development; and (c) exploring and identifying policy approaches and strategies for integrating health promotion and sustainable development.
Case-based education: A strategy for contextualising journalism curriculum in East Africa
Authors: Breit Rhonda
Published: March 2018

This article explores a set of educational strategies used in a new Master of Arts in Digital Journalism aimed at strengthening the multimedia production skills of East African journalists. Drawing on constructivist theories of learning, the article argues that preparing journalism graduates for unknown futures requires curricula to be contextualised environmentally and cognitively. This has implications for both the process of curriculum planning and the strategies deployed in designing programmatic content and the learning experience. Citing the experiences of implementing a new Master of Arts in Digital Journalism in Kenya, the article describes an issues-framing process used to inform curriculum design to ensure the programme is environmentally relevant. It goes on to describe three innovative ways case-based education can be used to contextualise learning to ensure cognitive relevance. Integrating cases across and through the curriculum develops ‘cognitive flexibility’ in the form of advanced thinking and problem-solving skills. Such skills are essential for journalists to adapt to rapidly changing professional and social contexts. The outcome of this systematic approach to curriculum development is a flexible, spiral curriculum that promotes cognitive flexibility while addressing the discrete educational issues facing East African journalists. The approaches outlined might offer a replicable framework to maintain the environmental and cognitive relevance of journalism education in times of unrelenting change.
Authority signaling: How relational interactions between journalists and politicians create primary definers in UK broadcast news
Authors: Chadwick Andrew , McDowell-Naylor Declan , Smith Amy P , Watts Ellen
Published: March 2018

How journalists construct the authority of their sources is an essential part of how news comes to have power in politics and how political actors legitimize their roles to publics. Focusing on economic policy reporting and a dataset of 133 hours of mainstream broadcast news from the 5-week 2015 UK general election campaign, we theorize and empirically illustrate how the construction of expert source authority works. To build our theory, we integrate four strands of thought: an important, though in recent years neglected, tradition in the sociology of news concerned with ‘primary definers’; the underdeveloped literature on expert think tanks and media; recent work in journalism studies advocating a relational approach to authority; and elements from the discursive psychology approach to the construction of facticity in interactive settings. Our central contribution is a new perspective on source authority: the identification of behaviors that are key to how the interactions between journalists and elite political actors actively construct the elevated authoritative status of expert sources. We call these behaviors authority signaling. We show how authority signaling works to legitimize the power of the United Kingdom’s most important policy think tank and discuss the implications of this process.
Light, connectivity and place: young people living in a post-industrial town
Authors: Thomas Gareth M , Elliott Eva , Exley Eve , Ivinson Gabrielle , Renold Emma
Published: March 2018

This article reports on a study of how young people in a post-industrial UK town reflect on their sense of health, place and identity. Drawing on 56 qualitative interviews with 14–15 year olds, we explore how young people negotiate public space and how public lighting and darkness affect interactions with their surroundings. The young people provide an insight into how dark places ignite strong feelings of anxiety and danger, deeply fuelled by the environment itself together with rumours, lived knowledge of the locale and symbolic boundaries shaping identities of belonging and exclusion in a context of structural inequality. Young people’s understandings of place are configured and energised by multiple sources, such as personal experiences and social locations, material landscapes and powerful discourses – historical and contemporary – conveyed via stories, cautionary tales and stigmatising media representations. We describe how the young people organised a public campaign to, among other things, install streetlights in a dark location. Their activism demonstrates how street lighting, or its absence, is both emblematic of the importance of connectivity and place in their lives, and a manifestation of material (political) abandonment and (class) devaluation.
Octopus Endograft Technique to Treat a Ruptured Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Li Zilun , Yin Henghui , Wang Mian , Wu Ridong , Liu Chenshu , Yao Chen , Chang Guangqi
Published: March 2018

Purpose: To report the use of the octopus endograft technique to treat a patient with a ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA). Case Report: A 46-year-old man was diagnosed with a contained rupture of a 9-cm type V TAAA. The presence of an occluded superior mesenteric artery (SMA), a stenotic celiac trunk, an enlarged inferior mesenteric artery (IMA), and rich collaterals with the SMA and celiac trunk made endovascular repair with the octopus endograft technique appear feasible. Two stent-grafts were overlapped in the thoracic aorta with the short limb of the distal bifurcated stent-graft about 3 cm above the celiac trunk and the long limb at the level of the renal arteries. A limb graft was introduced into the long limb of the bifurcated stent-graft and deployed with the lower end just above the orifice of the IMA. The celiac trunk was embolized. Viabahn stent-grafts were deployed through the bifurcated stent-graft limbs to revascularize the renal arteries. Completion angiography suggested free flow in the renal arteries, though the gutters around the Viabahn stent-grafts generated a moderate endoleak that persisted at 4-month follow-up. The gutters were then sealed with coil embolization, which eliminated the endoleak and induced complete thrombosis in the aneurysm sac at the 6-month follow-up. One-year computed tomography revealed significant sac shrinkage. Conclusion: The octopus endograft technique may serve as a feasible, effective, and safe treatment alternative for highly selected patients with ruptured TAAA.
Russian perspectives of online learning technologies in higher education: An empirical study of a MOOC
Authors: Larionova Viola , Brown Ken , Bystrova Tatiana , Sinitsyn Evgueny
Published: March 2018

There has been a rapid growth of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the global education market in the last decade. Online learning technologies are becoming increasingly widespread in the non-formal education sector and in higher and supplementary vocational education. The use of MOOCs in Russia to support the delivery of educational programmes at university level opens opportunities in terms of expanding the educational choice for students, the development of virtual academic mobility, reduction in the cost of educational services, and improvement in the accessibility of education. However, the effectiveness of using different online learning technologies at university level, and the consequences of their widespread adoption, has not been sufficiently explored. In this research study, a comparative analysis is made of the effects of different online learning models on student educational outcomes in a university setting. A study was undertaken in which different groups of students at the Ural Federal University, Russia, were encouraged to study technical and humanities disciplines using a framework of blended learning, and online learning with tutoring support. The results of the study were compared with the results of a reference (control) group of students who studied the same disciplines in a traditionally taught model. It was found that both models (blended and online) of MOOC implementation demonstrated greater learning gains, in comparison with the traditional model. For engineering and technical disciplines, there was no statistically significant difference between blended or online learning technologies. For the humanities discipline, where the communicative component of the learning process was significant, the blended learning technology produced better results. Conclusions of this empirical research may be useful for heads of educational organizations and teachers in helping them to make strategic decisions about the modernization of university courses by increasing the effectiveness of the implementation of new educational technologies. The results of this research project will be used for implementing the State Priority Project, ‘The Modern Digital Educational Environment of the Russian Federation’.
Effect of adding upper limb rehabilitation to botulinum toxin-A on upper limb activity after stroke: Protocol for the InTENSE trial
Authors: Lannin Natasha A , Ada Louise , English Coralie , Ratcliffe Julie , Crotty Maria
Published: March 2018

Rationale

Although clinical practice guidelines recommend that management of moderate to severe spasticity include the use of botulinum toxin-A in conjunction with therapy, there is currently no evidence to support the addition of therapy.

Aims

To determine the effect and cost-benefit of adding evidence-based movement training to botulinum toxin-A.

Sample size estimate

A total of 136 participants will be recruited in order to be able to detect a between-group difference of seven points on the Goal Attainment Scale T-score with 80% power at a two-tailed significance level of 0.05.

Methods and design

The InTENSE trial is a national, multicenter, Phase III randomized trial with concealed allocation, blinded assessment and intention-to-treat analysis. Stroke survivors who are scheduled to receive botulinum toxin-A in any muscle(s) that cross the wrist because of moderate to severe spasticity after a stroke greater than three months ago, who have completed formal rehabilitation and have no significant cognitive impairment will be randomly allocated to receive botulinum toxin-A plus evidence-based movement training or botulinum toxin-A alone.

Study outcomes

The primary outcomes are goal attainment (Goal Attainment Scaling) and upper limb activity (Box and Block Test) at three months (end of intervention) and at 12 months (beyond the intervention). Secondary outcomes are spasticity, range of motion, strength, pain, burden of care and health-related quality of life. Direct costs, personal costs and health system costs will be collected at 12 months.

Discussion

The results of the InTENSE trial are anticipated to directly influence intervention for moderate to severe spasticity after stroke.

Trial Registration

ANZCTR12615000616572.
Interleukin 23 in the skin: role in psoriasis pathogenesis and selective interleukin 23 blockade as treatment
Authors: Chan Tom C. , Hawkes Jason E. , Krueger James G.
Published: March 2018

Plaque psoriasis is one of the most common autoimmune skin diseases and is characterized by erythematous, scaly plaques. Many highly effective, targeted therapies have been developed as a result of an improved understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Using agents that target the central interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 immune axis, this once difficult-to-treat disease is now among the most effectively treated autoimmune diseases with major clinical improvements possible in around 90% of patients. In this article, we outline the immune mechanisms responsible for the development of psoriasis and provide an overview of the novel IL-23 antagonists being used to manage this chronic skin disease.
Impact of Search Engine Optimization as a Marketing Tool
Authors: Bhandari Ravneet Singh , Bansal Ajay
Published: March 2018

Today’s world revolves around information that is the driving force behind any economic value chain. The thirst for information has led to the evolution of online “Search Engines” over last few years and are the most widely used instruments currently. Gradually marketers also started using this platform for marketing their products. This study focuses on the impact of search engine optimization as a marketing tool and its influence on various marketing variables like market share, brand equity and others. Literature review highlights many marketing variables getting affected by search engine optimization. Variables like market share, brand loyalty, brand recognition, product price, product information, brand image, brand awareness, consumer online behavior, and user reviews are few of them. The authors have found that most of the researches have highlighted these variables either in isolation or may be in combination of few. Few studies have considered variables only from marketer’s point of view and others from buyer’s point of view. In this study, the authors have attempted to comprehend and understand empirically, the impact of search engine optimization on various marketing variables identified (after the study) as market share and brand equity as the most prominent ones and product awareness, purchase persuasion and consumer insights the other important ones.

To analyze the said phenomenon, the initial step was the examination of the significant writing to develop a comprehension about different parameters of search engine for the brand post. The data were gathered through questionnaire from the sample of 338 respondents who were selected by simple random sampling method mostly from the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi in India. The data collected from the respondents were loaded on SAS base for exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis.
Including College and Career Readiness Within a Multitiered Systems of Support Framework
Authors: Morningstar Mary E. , Lombardi Allison , Test David
Published: March 2018

Current practices of college and career readiness (CCR) emerged from within secondary school reform efforts. During a similar timeframe, evidence-based schoolwide interventions—positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and response to interventions (RTI)—were developed, first targeting elementary initiatives and then translated to secondary schools. We provide an overview of a recently established CCR framework underscoring both academic and nonacademic factors necessary for student success. To operationalize CCR approaches within secondary schools, an effort must be made to utilize existing interventions and strategies as well as data-informed efforts included within multitiered systems of support (MTSS). Therefore, we examine how CCR can be extended within secondary MTSS approaches and extend current methods by recommending measures aligning CCR elements within essential data-based decision making and fidelity of implementation tenets of MTSS. By embedding CCR within established MTSS approaches, improved post-school outcome for all students, including those with disabilities, can be achieved.
Possible role of adipocytokines in systemic sclerosis–associated small pericardial effusion
Authors: Chialà Angela , Rotondo Cinzia , Praino Emanuela , Natuzzi Dorotea , Cacciapaglia Fabio , Iannone Florenzo
Published: March 2018

Introduction:

Pericardial effusion is a common manifestation of systemic sclerosis, but its pathogenesis has been poorly investigated. Adipokines and interleukins may play a role in the pathophysiology of pericardial effusion. This study aimed at evaluating serum levels of adipokines and interleukins in systemic sclerosis patients with and without pericardial effusion.

Methods:

A total of 87 systemic sclerosis patients (age 52.6 ± 14 years; disease duration 8.2 ± 6.7 years) were recruited in this study. Demographics, body mass index, and clinical characteristics were recorded in each patient. Pericardial effusion was considered pathologic when ≥50 mL was detected by echocardiography. Serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, visfatin, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interlueukin-2, interlueukin-10, and interlueukin-17 were measured using Multiplex Immunoassay (Bioplex 200 System).

Results:

In all, 11 (13%) systemic sclerosis patients had pericardial effusion. Systemic sclerosis patients with and without pericardial effusion did not differ in age, sex, and body mass index. Systemic sclerosis patients with pericardial effusion had significantly higher levels of visfatin (median/interquartile range: 1546 pg/mL (interquartile range: 8590) vs 388 pg/mL (interquartile range: 103), p = 0.03) and interlueukin-17 (1.33 pg/mL (interquartile range: 3.5) vs 0.05 pg/mL (interquartile range: 0.56), p = 0.04), but lower levels of adiponectin (2,845,000 pg/mL (interquartile range: 4,132,900) vs 5,272,100 pg/mL (interquartile range 8,243,600), p = 0.02) than patients without pericardial effusion. Interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and “limited” or “diffuse” cutaneous subset did not correlate to adipokines or interleukin levels.

Conclusion:

Visfatin and adiponectin may play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis–related pericardial effusion. Further longitudinal studies are needed to unravel a possible role of these molecules as biomarkers of pericardial effusion in systemic sclerosis patients.
Cell-extrinsic hematopoietic impact of Ezh2 inactivation in fetal liver endothelial cells
Authors: Neo Wen Hao , Booth Christopher A. G. , Azzoni Emanuele , Chi Lijun , Delgado-Olguín Paul , de Bruijn Marella F. T. R. , Jacobsen Sten Eirik W. , Mead Adam J.
Published: March 2018

Key Points

Ezh2 is dispensable for fetal HSCs. Inactivation of Ezh2 in FL endothelium leads to cell-extrinsically mediated anemia.
Biological impact of α genes, β haplotypes, and G6PD activity in sickle cell anemia at baseline and with hydroxyurea
Authors: Bernaudin Françoise , Arnaud Cécile , Kamdem Annie , Hau Isabelle , Lelong Françoise , Epaud Ralph , Pondarré Corinne , Pissard Serge
Published: March 2018

Key Points

α genes and CAR haplotypes independently impact hemolytic anemia severity; low G6PD-activity impacts anemia severity in CAR/CAR patients. BEN/BEN patients have a higher prevalence of the favorable BCL11A/rs1427407 T allele and a better response to HU than CAR/CAR patients.
Lithologic mapping using Random Forests applied to geophysical and remote-sensing data: A demonstration study from the Eastern Goldfields of Australia
Authors: Kuhn Stephen , Cracknell Matthew J. , Reading Anya M.
Published: March 2018

The Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia is one of the world’s premier gold-producing regions; however, large areas of prospective bedrock are under cover and lack detailed lithologic mapping. Away from the near-mine environment, exploration for new gold prospects requires mapping geology using the limited data available with robust estimates of uncertainty. We used the machine learning algorithm Random Forests (RF) to classify the lithology of an underexplored area adjacent to the historically significant Junction gold mine, using geophysical and remote-sensing data, with no geochemical sampling available at this reconnaissance stage. Using a sparse training sample, 1.6% of the total ground area, we produce a refined lithologic map. The classification is stable, despite including parts of the study area with later intrusions and variable cover depth, and it preserves the stratigraphic units defined in the training data. We assess the uncertainty associated with this new RF classification using information entropy, identifying those areas of the refined map that are most likely to be incorrectly classified. We find that information entropy correlates well with inaccuracy, providing a mechanism for explorers to direct future expenditure toward areas most likely to be incorrectly mapped or geologically complex. We conclude that the method can be an effective additional tool available to geoscientists in a greenfield, orogenic gold setting when confronted with limited data. We determine that the method could be used either to substantially improve an existing map, or produce a new map, taking sparse observations as a starting point. It can be implemented in similar situations (with limited outcrop information and no geochemical data) as an objective, data-driven alternative to conventional interpretation with the additional value of quantifying uncertainty.
Structural framework from gravity and magnetic data in the paleo/mesoproterozoic Araí rift-sag Basin, Central Brazil
Authors: de Sousa Moro Polyanna , Vidotti Roberta Mary , Dantas Elton Luiz
Published: March 2018

The Araí Basin comprises a paleo/mesoproterozoic rift-sag basin inverted in a thick-skinned regime during the Brasiliano Orogeny. Its depth to basement, geometry, and lateral extension remain unknown. We have aimed to determine this information based on geophysical/geologic data to clarify its main structures and gain an evolutional understanding. Gravity and magnetic data allowed us to delineate the rift system — its major faults and adjacent postrift sedimentary structures — over its entire length. The geophysical investigation included radial power spectrum analysis and Euler deconvolution alongside the application of edge structure enhancement filters on magnetic anomaly and matched filter grids. A 2.5D forward gravity model was generated using all results, with geophysical sources at depths of 35–42, 20.9–22.6, 11–15.6, 9.68, 8–2.3, and 0.37–0.54 km, respectively, interpreted as the Mohorovičić Discontinuity, Curie Surface, Conrad Discontinuity, granitic intrusions, basement depths, and superficial faults. The main interpreted tectonic framework of the entire area showed a preferential direction in N40E, comprising structures related to the Transbrasiliano Lineament and its reactivations. The basin magnetic signature trends N50-80E, with structures generated essentially in the Brasiliano Orogeny and those related to extensional rift faults reactivations (belonging to São Jorge-Alto Paraíso-Cormari, Cavalcante-Teresina, and Teresina-Nova Roma systems). These fault systems exhibit a magnetic signature at the average depth of 6 km, converging to a single fault detected up to 21.8 km. The main rift faults are in accordance with the Euler solutions and the matched filter interpretation, confirmed by mapped alluvial fans conglomerates. The current structural framework of the basin goes back to the Brasiliano Orogeny, when its sedimentary filling was limited by crustal blocks with distinct compositional, rheologic, and magnetic characteristics. These intrinsic characteristics of each block along with the resulting kinematics were responsible for delimiting the shape and depth of the basin.
Reverse time migration using phase crosscorrelation
Authors: Costa Jessé C. , Medeiros Walter E. , Schimmel Martin , Santana Flávio L. , Schleicher Jörg
Published: March 2018

Additional information regarding the continuity and resolution of selected seismic reflectors in reverse time migration (RTM) images can be beneficial for seismic interpretation. We have developed and evaluated new imaging conditions for RTM based on the phase coherence between the forward- and backward-propagated wavefields. These imaging conditions make use of the instantaneous phase and envelope of the analytical signals of the source and receiver wavefields, in addition to their real parts. Once the analytical wavefields are available, these imaging conditions can be calculated simultaneously with conventional conditions at little or no extra cost. The availability of these fields at each image point enables several alternative ways to define imaging conditions. We explore, in addition to pure phase crosscorrelation (PC), two approaches of amplitude-weighted PC. Our numerical experiments, imaging synthetic and field data sets, indicate that these new imaging conditions provide additional images that can highlight some weak reflectors by locally improving the resolution of RTM images. In our examples, this happens particularly in the deep portions of the seismic images. In addition, reflection events produced at discontinuities are enhanced as sharp signals, suggesting that the proposed imaging conditions can help to delineate stratigraphic and structural features that are harder to see in conventional images. These properties of the PC imaging conditions make them an interesting tool to provide additional information that can aid seismic interpretation in complex structural settings.
Correctional psychiatry in Nigeria: dynamics of mental healthcare in the most restrictive alternative
Authors: Ogunlesi A. O. , Ogunwale A.
Published: March 2018

Nigeria has poorly structured services for correctional mental health driven by a mix of socioeconomic and legal factors. The archaic asylum systems established in the early part of the 20th century under the Lunacy ordinance of 1916 are no longer fit for purpose. The present strategy is to provide mental healthcare for mentally abnormal offenders within some prisons in the country. The current models for this are poorly staffed and underfunded. Adoption of task-shifting approaches based on evidence-based strategies within the context of professional innovation, government commitment and international collaboration should help to develop and sustain the needed correctional psychiatry services.
Nothing about us without us: the importance of local collaboration and engagement in the global study of autism
Authors: Hoekstra Rosa A. , Girma Fikirte , Tekola Bethlehem , Yenus Zemi
Published: March 2018

Our current understanding of autism and other developmental disorders is primarily based on research conducted in high-income countries, predominantly in North America and Europe. Even within high-income countries, White participants are overrepresented in autism research. There is now increased recognition that a more global and diverse research representation is warranted. This paper argues that in order for global and diverse research efforts to be effective, it is essential to collaborate and engage with local experts and stakeholders, including local researchers, clinicians and representatives from governmental and non-governmental organisations. Such collaborations ensure that studies use culturally appropriate methods and materials, and that research findings are interpreted taking local context into account. Ultimately, these collaborations build local capacity and foster the development of culturally and contextually appropriate interventions that address locally perceived needs. The adage ‘nothing about us without us’ is vital to global autism research.
The prevalence and treatment outcomes of antineuronal antibody-positive patients admitted with first episode of psychosis
Authors: Scott James G. , Gillis David , Ryan Alex E. , Hargovan Hethal , Gundarpi Nagaraj , McKeon Gemma , Hatherill Sean , Newman Martin P. , Parry Peter , Prain Kerri , Patterson Sue , Wong Richard C. W. , Wilson Robert J. , Blum Stefan
Published: March 2018

Background

Antineuronal antibodies are associated with psychosis, although their clinical significance in first episode of psychosis (FEP) is undetermined.

Aims

To examine all patients admitted for treatment of FEP for antineuronal antibodies and describe clinical presentations and treatment outcomes in those who were antibody positive.

Method

Individuals admitted for FEP to six mental health units in Queensland, Australia, were prospectively tested for serum antineuronal antibodies. Antibody-positive patients were referred for neurological and immunological assessment and therapy.

Results

Of 113 consenting participants, six had antineuronal antibodies (anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibodies [n = 4], voltage-gated potassium channel antibodies [n = 1] and antibodies against uncharacterised antigen [n = 1]). Five received immunotherapy, which prompted resolution of psychosis in four.

Conclusions

A small subgroup of patients admitted to hospital with FEP have antineuronal antibodies detectable in serum and are responsive to immunotherapy. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical to optimise recovery.

Declaration of interest

None.
Recapitulating early development of mouse musculoskeletal precursors of the paraxial mesoderm in vitro
Authors: Chal Jérome , Al Tanoury Ziad , Oginuma Masayuki , Moncuquet Philippe , Gobert Bénédicte , Miyanari Ayako , Tassy Olivier , Guevara Getzabel , Hubaud Alexis , Bera Agata , Sumara Olga , Garnier Jean-Marie , Kennedy Leif , Knockaert Marie , Gayraud-Morel Barbara , Tajbakhsh Shahragim , Pourquié Olivier
Published: March 2018

Body skeletal muscles derive from the paraxial mesoderm, which forms in the posterior region of the embryo. Using microarrays, we characterize novel mouse presomitic mesoderm (PSM) markers and show that, unlike the abrupt transcriptome reorganization of the PSM, neural tube differentiation is accompanied by progressive transcriptome changes. The early paraxial mesoderm differentiation stages can be efficiently recapitulated in vitro using mouse and human pluripotent stem cells. While Wnt activation alone can induce posterior PSM markers, acquisition of a committed PSM fate and efficient differentiation into anterior PSM Pax3+ identity further requires BMP inhibition to prevent progenitors from drifting to a lateral plate mesoderm fate. When transplanted into injured adult muscle, these precursors generated large numbers of immature muscle fibers. Furthermore, exposing these mouse PSM-like cells to a brief FGF inhibition step followed by culture in horse serum-containing medium allows efficient recapitulation of the myogenic program to generate myotubes and associated Pax7+ cells. This protocol results in improved in vitro differentiation and maturation of mouse muscle fibers over serum-free protocols and enables the study of myogenic cell fusion and satellite cell differentiation.
Theoretical Study of the Relationship between the Geometry and the Orbital Hybridization in the CuAln− (n = 11–13) Cluster
Authors: Ishibashi Chiaki , Matsuzawa Hidenori
Published: March 2018

The relationship between the geometric features and electronic behavior of CuAln− (n = 11–13) clusters was investigated using the B3LYP method with 6-311+G* basis set. The electronic behaviors were analyzed by using the partial density of states (PDOS). The geometric structures were classified on the basis of the cluster framework and the position of a Cu atom. The Cu atom is added to the surface of the Al framework in Type I. The Cu atom locates at the center or inside of the cluster in the Type II. In addition, the double-wheel type CuAl11− (Type III) was examined. Few d-orbital components of Cu are included in the molecular orbitals (MOs) in the peaks higher than −3.5 eV. The d-orbital of Cu contributes to the MOs in the region lower than −3.5 eV. The sp+d and s-p+d bondings occur in Type I. The s-p+d bonding fundamentally occurs in Type II. The s-p+d bonding of Type II is separated into the bonding and anti-bonding of the d and s-p components with the increasing number of Als. In Type III, the contribution of the d-component of Cu to the orbital hybridization is small.
Unresolved Issues that Remain in Molecular Self-Assembly
Authors: Hiraoka Shuichi
Published: March 2018

Two unresolved issues in molecular self-assembly are discussed. Firstly, a novel method for the investigation of molecular self-assembly processes (QASAP: quantitative analysis of self-assembly process) is introduced and recent progress in the understanding of coordination self-assembly processes revealed by QASAP is described. Secondary, a challenge to the construction of discrete molecular self-assemblies that are formed with the aid of weak, nondirectional molecular interactions (such as van der Waals interactions) and the hydrophobic effect is discussed. In the course of the development of hexameric cube-shaped molecular self-assemblies (nanocubes) from gear-shaped amphiphiles (GSAs) in water, a design principle of hydrophobic surface engineering and a novel strategy for the construction of thermally stable discrete assemblies, molecular ‘Hozo’, are presented.
Art in Science Competition invites artworks to the annual exhibition on ISMB 2018 in Chicago
Authors: Welch Lonnie , Gaeta Bruno , Kovats Diane E. , Frenkel Morgenstern Milana
Published: March 2018

The International Society of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (ISCB) brings together scientists from a wide range of disciplines, including biology, medicine, computer science, mathematics and statistics. Practitioners in these fields are constantly dealing with information in visual form: from microscope images and photographs of gels to scatter plots, network graphs and phylogenetic trees, structural formulae and protein models to flow diagrams, visual aids for problem-solving are omnipresent. The ISCB Art in Science Competition 2017 at the ISCB/ECCB 2017 conference in Prague offered a way to show the beauty of science in art form. Past artworks in this annual exhibition at ISMB combined outstanding beauty and aesthetics with deep insight that perfectly validated the exhibit’s approach or went beyond the problem's solution. Others were surprising and inspiring through the transition from science to art, opening eyes and minds to reflect on the work being undertaken.
First report of the presence of L1014S Knockdown-resistance mutation in Anopheles gambiae s.s and Anopheles coluzzii from Togo, West Africa
Authors: Djègbè Innocent , Akoton Romaric , Tchigossou Genevieve M. , Ahadji-Dabla Koffi Mensah , Atoyebi Seun Michael , Adéoti Razack , Zeukeng Francis , Ketoh Guillaume Koffivi , Djouaka Rousseau
Published: March 2018

Background:To optimize the success of insecticide-based malaria control intervention, knowledge of the distribution ofAnopheles gambiaespecies and insecticide resistance mechanisms is necessary. This paper reported an updated data on pyrethroids/DDT resistance in theAn. gambiae s.lpopulation from Togo. 

Methods:From December 2013 to April 2015, females of indoor-restingAn. gambiae s.lwere captured in three locations belonging to three different ecological zones. Resistance to DDT, permethrin and deltamethrin was screened in F1 progeny of collected mosquitoes using WHO susceptibility tests. The identification of species ofAn. gambiaecomplex and the detection ofkdrandace.1Rallele were carried out using DNA-based molecular techniques.

Results:An. gambiaefrom Kovié and Nangbéto were highly resistant to DDT and permethrin with mortalities rate ranging from 0.83% to 1.58% for DDT and zero to 8.54% for permethrin. Mosquitoes collected in Nangbéto displayed 81.53% mortality with deltamethrin.An. coluzziiandAn. gambiaes.s were found in sympatry in Nangbéto and Mango.The allelic frequency of L1014F was high, ranging from 66 to 100% in bothAn. coluzziiandAn. gambiae s.s. For the first time we detected the L1014S allele in bothAn. coluzziiandAn. gambiaes.s.from Togo at the frequency ranging from 5% to 13% in all the sites. ThekdrN1575Y was present at various frequencies in both species ranging from 10% to 45%. BothAn. gambiae s.s.andAn. coluzziishared theace1Rmutation in all investigated sites with allelic frequency ranging from 4% to 16%.

Conclusion:These results showed that multiple mutations are involved in insecticides resistance inAn. gambiaepopulations from Togo including the kdr L1014F, L1014S, and N1575Y andace.1RG119S mutations.
Reflections on empathic knowledge
Authors: Бочкарёва Светлана , Bochkareva Svetlana
Published: March 2018

This monograph explores the foundations of empathic knowledge as another way of knowing, radiologo sensory and rational. Invariants of empathic cognition are analyzed, the necessity of inclusion of this method in the Arsenal of the ways of cognition reflected by philosophy is proved, its specificity and possibilities are shown.
The work is addressed to all those who are interested in the problems of knowledge of the natural and social worlds
Assessing the Value of an Information System for Developing Predictive Analytics: The Case of Forecasting School-Level Demand in Taiwan
Authors: Ashouri Mahsa , Cai Kate , Lin Furen , Shmueli Galit
Published: March 2018

Analytics is important for education planning. Deploying forecasting analytics requires management information systems (MISs) that collect the needed data and deliver the forecasts to stakeholders. A critical question is whether the data collected by a system is adequate for producing the analytics for decision making. We describe the case of a new education MIS in Taiwan, where the population of preschool children in different school districts is constantly changing. These changes challenge school resource planning, especially in terms of teacher hiring. The bureaus of education in charge of resource allocation are in need of accurate school-level one-to-five-year-ahead forecasts of the number of incoming first-grade classrooms. The Ministry of Education therefore launched a K–9 student data management system (k9sdms) that allows schools to directly update data on existing and prospective students. We evaluate whether using this system supports the goal of generating one-to-five-year-ahead forecasts, thereby assessing the value of the MIS for its intended usage. Using data until 2014, we developed a forecasting model for the number of first-grade classrooms at each school in Taiwan in 2015–2019. The quality of forecasts shows that k9sdms can produce valuable results, thereby achieving its purpose.