bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autologous Cell Therapy for Aged Human Skin: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase-I Study
Authors: Grether-Beck Susanne , Marini Alessandra , Jaenicke Thomas , Goessens-Rück Petra , McElwee Kevin John , Hoffmann Rolf , Krutmann Jean
Published: September 2019

Introduction: Skin ageing involves senescent fibroblast accumulation, disturbance in extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis, and decreased collagen synthesis. Objective: to assess a cell therapy product for aged skin (RCS-01; verum) consisting of ~25 × 106 cultured, autologous cells derived from anagen hair follicle non-bulbar dermal sheath (NBDS). Methods: For each subject in the verum group, 4 areas of buttock skin were injected intradermally 1 or 3 times at monthly intervals with RCS-01, cryomedium, or needle penetration without injection; in the placebo group RCS-01 was replaced by cryomedium. The primary endpoint was assessment of local adverse event profiles. As secondary endpoints, expression of genes related to ECM homeostasis was assessed in biopsies from randomly selected volunteers in the RCS-01 group taken 4 weeks after the last injection. ­Results: Injections were well tolerated with no severe adverse events reported 1 year after the first injection. When compared with placebo-treated skin, a single treatment with RCS-01 resulted in a significant upregulation of TGFβ1, CTGF, COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, and lumican mRNA expression. Limitations: The cohort size was insufficient for dose ­ranging evaluation and subgroup analyses of efficacy. Conclusions: RCS-01 therapy is well tolerated and associated with a gene expression response consistent with an improvement of ECM homeostasis.
The Predictive Value of Thromboelastogram in the Evaluation of Patients with Suspected Acute Venous Thromboembolism
Authors: Abu Assab Tareq , Raveh-Brawer David , Abramowitz Julia , Naamad Mira , Ganzel Chezi
Published: September 2019

Introduction: The objective of this prospective study was to examine whether thromboelastogram (TEG) can predict the presence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients who arrive at the emergency room with signs/symptoms that raise the suspicion of acute VTE. Methods: Every patient was tested for D-dimer and all TEG parameters, including: reaction time, clot time formation, alpha-angle, maximal amplitude, clot viscoelasticity, coagulation index, and clot lysis at 30 min. For categorical variables, χ2 or the Fisher exact test were used, and for continuous variables the t test or other non-parametric tests were used. Results: During 2016, a total of 109 patients were enrolled with a median age of 55.7 (21–89) years. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with VTE. Analyzing the different TEG parameters, both as continuous and categorical variables, did not reveal a statistically significant difference between VTE-positive and VTE-negative patients. Combining different TEG parameters or dividing the cohort according to gender, clinical suspicion of VTE (Well’s criteria), or different levels of D-dimer did not change the results of the analysis. Conclusion: The current study could not demonstrate a significant value of any TEG parameter as a predictor of VTE among patients who came to the emergency room with signs/symptoms that raise the suspicion of VTE.
Fatty Acid Desaturase 3 (FADS3) Is a Specific ∆13-Desaturase of Ruminant trans-Vaccenic Acid
Authors: Rioux Vincent , Legrand Philippe
Published: September 2019

In mammalian species, the Fatty Acid Desaturase (FADS) gene cluster includes FADS1 (∆5-desaturase), FADS2 (∆6-desaturase), and a third gene member, named FADS3. According to its high degree of nucleotide sequence homology with both FADS1and FADS2, FADS3 was promptly suspected by researchers in the field to code for a new mammalian membrane-bound fatty acid desaturase. However, no catalytic activity was attributed to the FADS3 protein for a decade, until the rat FADS3 protein was shown in vitro to be able to catalyze the unexpected ∆13-desaturation of trans-vaccenic acid, producing the trans11,cis13-conjugated linoleic acid isomer. This review summarizes the recent investigations establishing the FADS3 enzyme as a reliable mammalian trans-vaccenate ∆13-desaturase in vivo and tries to identify further unresolved issues that need to be addressed.
Prognostic Factors in Patients with Persistent Full-Thickness Idiopathic Macular Holes Treated with Re-Vitrectomy with Autologous Platelet Concentrate
Authors: Degenhardt Valentin , Busch Catharina , Jochmann Claudia , Meier Petra , Unterlauft Jan Darius , Mößner Andreas , Edel Elvira , Tewari Ruchir , Wiedemann Peter , Rehak Matus
Published: September 2019

Purpose: To identify the predictors for anatomical and functional outcome after re-vitrectomy with application of autologous platelet concentrate (APC) in eyes with persistent idiopathic macular hole (MH). Methods: Retrospective study of 103 eyes with persistent MHs after vitrectomy with peeling of internal limiting membrane (ILM) and expansive gas. All patients underwent re-vitrectomy with APC and endotamponade. The anatomical MH closure rate and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were evaluated. Further, predictive factors influencing the success of the surgery were analyzed. Results: Median BCVA (logMAR) before the surgery was 1.00 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.80–1.30) and the median of minimum diameter between hole edges was 508 µm (IQR 387–631). The final closure rate after re-vitrectomy with APC was 60.2% (62 of 103 eyes). The following predictors were identified to significantly influence the closure rate: tractional hole index (THI), axial length, time between first and second surgery, and the experience of the surgeon (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Re-vitrectomy with APC led to the closure of 60.2% of the persistent MHs. The closure rate negatively correlates with increasing axial length, time between the first and second surgery, and the decreased THI. Further, experienced surgeons (with a history of >100 pars plana vitrectomies with ILM peeling) had significantly higher closure rates.
Hirsutism Induced by Facial Autologous Fat Grafting
Authors: Ramot Yuval , Silyuk Tatiana , Murad Sari , Zlotogorski Abraham
Published: September 2019

Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is a common procedure, which gains popularity for a large number of indications, mainly for reshaping and filling of contour defects. It is considered a safe procedure, with only uncommon and mild complications. Here we report on a 60-year-old female patient who developed excess hair growth on both cheeks 1 month following facial AFG done in conjunction with a facelift. Complete endocrine evaluation was within normal levels. Previous reports have suggested that adipocyte mesenchymal stem cells can secrete a number of growth factors, which in turn can lead to activation of stem cells in the hair follicle, affecting their growth. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on hirsutism as a side effect of AFG.
Correlation between Skeletal Muscle Mass and Adverse Events of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Gastric Cancer
Authors: Matsuura Norihiro , Motoori Masaaki , Fujitani Kazumasa , Nishizawa Yujiro , Komatsu Hisateru , Miyazaki Yasuhiro , Miyazaki Susumu , Tomokuni Akira , Komori Takamichi , Iwase Kazuhiro
Published: September 2019

Purpose: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by surgery is a promising treatment strategy for patients with advanced gastric cancer. Severe toxicity associated with the treatment may reduce the dose intensity of chemotherapy, resulting in the effect of chemotherapy being attenuated. Recently, skeletal muscle mass has been reported to be associated with the treatment outcomes of cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether pretreatment skeletal muscle mass is a predictor of adverse events as well as the relationship between changes in skeletal muscle mass and adverse events during NAC. Methods: This study included 41 advanced gastric cancer patients who were treated with NAC followed by surgery. Body composition was assessed before and after NAC. The relationship between the pre-NAC body composition and adverse events was investigated as well as the relationship between changes in body composition and adverse events. Results: Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that low pre-NAC skeletal muscle mass was the only factor significantly associated with severe diarrhea (p = 0.03). There was no significant difference in body weight before and after NAC, but skeletal muscle mass was significantly reduced after NAC (–5.93 ± 7.69%, p < 0.01). Furthermore, patients who experienced severe diarrhea showed significantly greater relative skeletal muscle decrease than those who did not (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Pre-NAC low skeletal muscle mass was a useful predictor of severe diarrhea. Prevention of severe adverse events may contribute to maintaining the skeletal muscle mass.
Cytokine Removal in Extracorporeal Blood Purification: An in vitro Study
Authors: Harm Stephan , Schildböck Claudia , Hartmann Jens
Published: September 2019

Background/Aims: Cytokines are among the main target substances that have to be removed effectively in order to improve the patient’s health status in the treatment of sepsis, septic shock, and liver diseases. Although there are various medical devices commercially available, the success of their clinical use is limited. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare 3 different medical devices with respect to their clearance for the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. The medical devices that were tested are the whole blood adsorbent CytoSorb, the high cutoff filter EMiC2, and the hemofilter HemofeelCH 1.8. Methods: The study was carried out on the multiFiltrate machine with 1 L human plasma for 8 h. Samples for cytokine quantification were taken at defined time points from the plasma pool. Each experiment was conducted in triplicates, and clearance was calculated for all tested cytokines. Results: All 3 medical devices showed good cytokine removal. The highest clearance for all cytokines was achieved by hemoperfusion with Cytosorb. IL-8 and IL-6 clearance were higher with Hemofeel (continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration) than with EMiC2 (continuous venovenous hemodialysis) because the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-based membrane Hemofeel is able to remove these 2 cytokines by adsorption. Protein and albumin loss was highest withCytosorb and lowest with EMiC2. Conclusion: The mechanisms of cytokine removal by blood purification include convection, diffusion, and adsorption. PMMA-based filters are able to combine all 3 mechanisms for certain cytokines. Cytosorb showed the best adsorption kinetics, while dialysis with polystyrene-based membranes offers the best biocompatibility because they do not show any unspecific adsorption of other plasma components.
Aging in Fabry Disease: Role of Telomere Length, Telomerase Activity, and Kidney Disease
Authors: Cokan Vujkovac Andreja , Novaković Srdjan , Vujkovac Bojan , Števanec Milan , Škerl Petra , Šabovič Mišo
Published: September 2019

Introduction: The lifespan of patients with Fabry disease (FD) is shorter than that seen in the general population. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and telomerase activity (TA) are potential markers of biologic aging. The aim of the current study was to determine the LTL and TA in FD patients and to assess the correlation between LTL and TA and renal involvement. Methods: We included 33 FD patients and 66 healthy matched controls. LTL and TA were measured using a quantitative PCR assay and gene expression assay. FD patients were stratified by renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] higher or lower than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) and proteinuria (urine protein creatinine ratio higher or lower than 0.5 g/g). Results: LTL was significantly shorter (0.69 vs. 0.73, p = 0.015) and TA significantly higher (1.55 vs. 1.19, p = 0.047) in FD patients compared to controls. Males with FD had significantly shorter LTL (p = 0.020) and lower, but non-significant, TA compared to male controls (p = 0.333). Female FD patients had similar LTL (p = 0.285) but significantly higher TA compared to female controls (p = 0.005). LTL was not influenced by eGFR, but TA was significantly lower in the low eGFR group (p = 0.003). Conclusions: FD patients have significantly shorter LTL, but significantly higher TA compared to healthy controls. Increased TA activity in FD patients could be the compensation mechanism to prevent LTL decrease (and accelerated ageing), which seems to be exhausted at the advanced stage of renal disease.
Dicionários infantis de Pedro Bloch
Authors: Rodrigues Camila
Published: September 2019

Na segunda metade do século XX, o médico foniatra e escritor Pedro Bloch (1914-2004) publicou livros infantis e tratados sobre a voz e a fala de crianças. Bloch ouvia os pequenos e registrava suas interpretações do mundo, que soavam engraçadas. Neste artigo analisamos como fontes seus dois dicionários infantis (1998 e 2001), partindo da hipótese de que eles marcam o surgimento de uma nova posição da criança na cultura e na sociedade, na qual ela passa a exercer papel de interlocutora legítima. Metodologicamente nossa leitura se escora no ideário de autores como R. Darnton, J. Huizinga, R. Williams e, especialmente, da História cultural do humor de J. Bremmer e H. Roodenburg, que apostam na comicidade como chave para a compreensão de fenômenos históricos e culturais, o que concluímos ter ocorrido nesses volumes que consideram o posicionamento infantil e apontam a possibilidade de uma nova escrita da história da criança.
Entre o subsídio e a subversão
Authors: Pereira Matheus Serva
Published: September 2019

Ao longo da primeira metade do século XX, o linguajar colonial português unificou diferentes práticas musicais e dançantes das populações do sul de Moçambique no termo batuque. Por um lado, o artigo pretende analisar os processos de transformação dessas práticas no contexto de colonização portuguesa, promovedor de uma homogeneização e espetacularização das diversidades socioculturais existentes naquela região, incorporando-as à retórica da dominação. Por outro lado, acompanhar as entrelinhas das apresentações dos “batuques” e das “danças nativas” para um público não praticante revela traços de uma multifacetada experiência das populações sul-moçambicanas colonizadas que, por meio de suas ações, produziram incontáveis e inesperadas reinterpretações e ressignificações de suas próprias práticas e experiências.
Imagens cromáticas e sonoridades conflitantes em Maputo, Meridiano Novo (1976) de Santiago Álvarez
Authors: Silva Alexsandro De Sousa e
Published: September 2019

O presente artigo analisa como as históricas tensões sociais em Moçambique foram narradas no curta-metragem cubano Maputo, meridiano novo, dirigido por Santiago Álvarez em 1976. A obra utiliza imagens de arquivo e registros do cinegrafista Julio Simoneau, de Cuba, feitos no pós-independência. Estes últimos denunciam a continuidade da exclusão social em Maputo, herdada do período colonial. Pelo lado musical, o curta se vale de um variado repertório, como a versão jazzística do tema de 2001: Uma odisseia no espaço (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) e um samba carnavalesco, utilizados como dispositivos irônicos pelo relato. O resultado na mise-en-scène é de um documentário propositalmente curto que, por um lado, endossa o “roteiro da libertação” (João Paulo Borges Coelho) difundido pela Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo) e, por outro, expõe as fissuras do tecido social moçambicano, gerando diversas tensões na fatura estética da obra.
Ética, Escrita e Leitura da História
Authors: Ohara João Rodolfo Munhoz
Published: September 2019

O funcionamento da verdade no texto de história não depende apenas de suas condições epistemológicas, mas também de uma relação ética entre historiador e leitor. Paul Ricoeur indicou que nessa relação se estabelece um pacto tácito de leitura, um contrato em que o historiador garante ao leitor que a narrativa apresentada é “verdadeira”. Michel de Certeau, de outro lado, trabalhou tanto sobre o funcionamento interno dessa maquinaria de produção de verdades (a operação historiográfica) quanto sobre o caráter ativo da leitura. Cruzando tais insights, proponho que devemos pensar a respeito dessa relação ética entre autor e leitor, considerada aqui nas categorias de confiança e expectativa.
Instruções para a boa escrita da história na Espanha (séculos XVI – XVII)
Authors: José Maria Emília Granduque
Published: September 2019

Entre os séculos XVI e XVII, o saber histórico é enriquecido, na Espanha, não apenas com a escrita de crônicas que reportam as novidades relativas ao Novo Mundo, mas também com tratados elaborados com a finalidade de prescrever regras e diretrizes para a promoção de uma escrita correta e apurada sobre o passado. Tendo em vista que as crônicas não deixam de expor em seus prólogos e dedicatórias conselhos a respeito da boa maneira de registrar os acontecimentos, o objetivo deste artigo é analisar esses dois gêneros, a fim de examinar em que medida ajudaram a fixar um mesmo saber a respeito da escrita da história. Em outras palavras, partindo, tanto de crônicas como a Historia de las Indias (1561), do frei Bartolomé de Las Casas, em que o prólogo é utilizado como suporte para a defesa de seus objetivos, quanto de tratados que seguiram um roteiro semelhante ao Genio de la história (1650), do frei Jerónimo de San José, a proposta deste trabalho é examinar o modo pelo qual letrados espanhóis dessa época dissertaram sobre o seu ofício.
Batuques da terra, ritmos do mar
Authors: Mattos Regiane Augusto de
Published: September 2019

O principal objetivo deste artigo é analisar as conexões históricas e culturais entre as sociedades do norte de Moçambique e as localizadas no oceano Índico por meio das expressões musicais, seus usos e transformações entre os séculos XIX e XXI. Partindo dos batuques das populações macuas, batuques de réua, maulides e dtiqiri das confrarias muçulmanas até o tufo, pretende-se abordar alguns aspectos, como as formas de organização em torno das relações de gênero, parentesco e controle da terra e a presença do islamismo, fundamentais para entender a história dessas sociedades.
Prevalence of American Heart Association Heart Failure Stages in Black and White Young and Middle-Aged Adults
Authors: Gidding Samuel S. , Lloyd-Jones Donald , Lima Joao , Ambale-Venkatesh Bharat , Shah Sanjiv J. , Shah Ravi , Lewis Cora E. , Jacobs David R. , Allen Norrina B.
Published: September 2019

Background:

Staging criteria for heart failure (HF) range from stage 0 (without risk) to being at risk (stage A) to presence of cardiac structural/functional abnormalities (stage B) to symptomatic/end stage (stages C/D). There are limited data on the prevalence of these stages in early adulthood and predictors of HF stage and symptoms in middle age.

Methods and Results:

The CARDIA study (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults)—a cohort of generally healthy black and white men and women—collected phenotypic, echocardiographic, and outcomes data at the year 5 and year 30 examinations when participants were 22 to 37 and 47 to 62 years of age. Prevalence of HF stages was calculated and relationship of year 5 stage to year 30 classification and outcomes was assessed. At year 5, 2189 participants had complete data. Prevalence of HF stage A/B increased from 24% to 76% in black men, from 13% to 64% in white men, from 34% to 81% in black women, and from 13% to 56% in white women. Blacks were more likely to be in any stage or with morbidity at both time points because of higher risk factor prevalence. Of 33 participants with HF or HF deaths by year 30, 21 (64%) had been in stage A or B at year 5. Only 6 participants at year 5 in stage A (at risk) improved risk status at year 30.

Conclusions:

Risk for HF increased in participants from 1990 (age 22–37 years) to 2015 (age 47–62 years). Symptomatic HF or death from HF is associated with HF stage at 22 to 37 years of age. Blacks are disproportionately affected.
Where’s My Head? Definition, Data Set, and Models for Numeric Fused-Head Identification and Resolution
Authors: Elazar Yanai , Goldberg Yoav
Published: September 2019

We provide the first computational treatment of fused-heads constructions (FHs), focusing on the numeric fused-heads (NFHs). FHs constructions are noun phrases in which the head noun is missing and is said to be “fused” with its dependent modifier. This missing information is implicit and is important for sentence understanding. The missing references are easily filled in by humans but pose a challenge for computational models. We formulate the handling of FHs as a two stages process: Identification of the FH construction and resolution of the missing head. We explore the NFH phenomena in large corpora of English text and create (1) a data set and a highly accurate method for NFH identification; (2) a 10k examples (1 M tokens) crowd-sourced data set of NFH resolution; and (3) a neural baseline for the NFH resolution task. We release our code and data set, to foster further research into this challenging problem.
TabulaNearlyRasa:Probing the Linguistic Knowledge of Character-level Neural Language Models Trained on Unsegmented Text
Authors: Hahn Michael , Baroni Marco
Published: September 2019

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have reached striking performance in many natural language processing tasks. This has renewed interest in whether these generic sequence processing devices are inducing genuine linguistic knowledge. Nearly all current analytical studies, however, initialize the RNNs with a vocabulary of known words, and feed them tokenized input during training. We present a multi-lingual study of the linguistic knowledge encoded in RNNs trained as character-level language models, on input data with word boundaries removed. These networks face a tougher and more cognitively realistic task, having to discover any useful linguistic unit from scratch based on input statistics. The results show that our “near tabula rasa” RNNs are mostly able to solve morphological, syntactic and semantic tasks that intuitively presuppose word-level knowledge, and indeed they learned, to some extent, to track word boundaries. Our study opens the door to speculations about the necessity of an explicit, rigid word lexicon in language learning and usage.
Morphological Analysis Using a Sequence Decoder
Authors: Akyürek Ekin , Dayanık Erenay , Yuret Deniz
Published: September 2019

We introduce Morse, a recurrent encoder-decoder model that produces morphological analyses of each word in a sentence. The encoder turns the relevant information about the word and its context into a fixed size vector representation and the decoder generates the sequence of characters for the lemma followed by a sequence of individual morphological features. We show that generating morphological features individually rather than as a combined tag allows the model to handle rare or unseen tags and to outperform whole-tag models. In addition, generating morphological features as a sequence rather than, for example, an unordered set allows our model to produce an arbitrary number of features that represent multiple inflectional groups in morphologically complex languages. We obtain state-of-the-art results in nine languages of different morphological complexity under low-resource, high-resource, and transfer learning settings. We also introduce TrMor2018, a new high-accuracy Turkish morphology data set. Our Morse implementation and the TrMor2018 data set are available online to support future research. 1

See https://github.com/ai-ku/Morse.jl for a Morse implementation in Julia/Knet (Yuret, 2016 ) and https://github.com/ai-ku/TrMor2018 for the new Turkish data set.
The ‘Rock’ of the King’s Sword? A Note on צור in Psalm 89:44
Authors: Irvine Stuart A.
Published: September 2019

Several points tell against the usual translation of צור in Ps. 89:44a as the “edge” of the king’s sword. The Hebrew noun should be rendered as a divine epithet and vocative: “O Rock.” Verse 44 asserts that, far from being the Davidic king’s “Rock of salvation” (v. 27), Yahweh as Rock “turns back” the king’s sword.
Against a Feline Erasmus
Authors: Mout Nicolette
Published: September 2019

The publication of the fiftieth volume of Erasmi Opera Omnia (ASD), a series begun in 1969, leads to an examination of Erasmus as editor of texts, of which his editions of the New Testament and of patristic writings hold pride of place. Treatment of the question how Erasmus himself rated editions and editors is preceded by an assessment of his public persona. The disputatious or outright polemical Erasmus showed himself not at all, as Huizinga would have it, “restricted to the feline” in his expressions about other scholars and their work. Erasmus’ ideas about the making or the appreciation of an edition often started from the negative: who is not able to make or to appreciate a good edition, and what exactly is a bad edition? In the end, however, while discussing St Augustine’s works he drew a portrait of the ideal editor.
In Defense of Erasmus’ Critics
Authors: Monfasani John
Published: September 2019

The article confirms Andrew J. Brown’s thesis that despite carrying colophons with dates in the first decade of the sixteenth century, the four sumptuous manuscripts of Erasmus’ translation of the New Testament produced by the scribe Pieter Meghen could not have been finished until the 1520s and in fact preserve a version of Erasmus’ translation not available until the 1520s. Nonetheless, the article goes on to prove that Erasmus was working on a translation of the New Testament already at the time of the colophons in the Meghen manuscripts. Erasmus’ translation was part of his large-scale culture war against medieval scholasticism that he embarked upon at the end of the fifteenth century and continued until his death in 1536. The world around Erasmus changed radically, however, in those four decades, in significant measure because of his own scholarship and writings, but Erasmus himself changed amazingly little in his basic attitudes. The result was that by the end his critics from the Protestant as much as from the Catholic side were rightly frustrated by his incoherent reaction to the changed situation. Emblematic of his inability to face up to the transformed reality is his annotation to I Timothy1:6, which became an unconscious parody of his incoherent stance on religious doctrine and which is translated in an appendix to the article.
The Habits and Hermeneutics of Digital Bible Readers: Comparing Print and Screen Engagement, Comprehension, and Behavior
Authors: Dyer John
Published: September 2019

Christians in general and American evangelicals in particular are increasingly using digital media to access Scripture, but it is unclear how this shift is influencing the behaviors they value most: regular reading and in-depth study. Using survey data, assessments of comprehension, and daily reading progress, this study examines how engagement with the Bible varies between print and screens. Results indicated that American evangelicals use a combination of print and digital forms of Scripture based on the kind of engagement they want to carry out (devotional reading, in-depth study, prayer, etc.). The data also suggest readers have lower comprehension when reading the Bible on screens compared to print. Readers using mobile devices are more likely to engage scripture daily than those using printed Bibles, and these effects are more pronounced in male readers than female readers.
Facebook and Yoga: Gurus, New Age, and Spirituality through Social Media
Authors: P Pandya Samta
Published: September 2019

This article reports a three-year repeated measures study on the effect of guru-led new religious movements’ (gnrm) customized Facebook yoga lessons on followers’ spiritual experiences and religious commitment. Participants comprised 3,488 followers across four gnrms. During the study period, each gnrm Facebook page had an average of 1,095 daily posts and 156 weekly yoga lessons. Results showed that at phase 2, scores of participants on spiritual experiences and religious commitment measures were significantly higher vis-à-vis the comparison group. Within the participant cohort, women, those with stable marital status, and those who performed a combination of devotional and social service activities at the gnrms scored higher. Disciplined Facebook usage influenced regular viewing of the customized yoga lessons, higher quiz scores, and regular self-practice. The strongest predictor of the phase 2 outcome measure scores was regular self-practice. With focused administering and usage, Facebook is an effective medium for intensifying spiritual experiences and religious commitment among gnrms’ fellowship.
Self-Knowledge: A Kantian Strategy
Authors: Renz Ursula
Published: September 2019

In the past few years, the philosophical debate about self-knowledge has presented itself in a strikingly ‘pre-Kantian’ fashion. Some claimed that all sorts of self-knowledge can be analyzed in the manner of the empiricists, or in terms of cognitive psychology (to use a more contemporary label), whereas defenders of rationalism have not grown tired of voicing the claim that there must be some sort of self-knowledge present and underlying, as it were, all sorts of epistemic self-concern. It is against this background that this paper advocates what I would call a ‘Kantian’ strategy to approach the problem of self-knowledge. Taking Kant as a model, it argues, we may come to see how the current divide between empiricism and rationalism may be overcome in philosophical theorizing about self-knowledge.
Taxonomy of the Micrurus spixii species complex (Serpentes, Elapidae)
Authors: NASCIMENTO LYWOUTY R. S. , SILVA NELSON J.  JR. , FEITOSA DARLAN T. , PRUDENTE ANA L. C.
Published: September 2019

Historically, the Micrurus spixii species complex comprises four subspecies (M. s. spixii, M. s. martiusi, M. s. obscurus, and M. s. princeps), however, recently, some authors have considered only two full species (M. spixii and M. obscurus). In this paper, we report data on meristic, morphometric, color pattern in life and after preservation, cranial osteology, and hemipenis morphology to Micrurus spixii species complex. We examined 358 specimens throughout the geographical distribution, including the type-series of all taxa. Differences in color pattern and morphology of hemipenis and skull support the existence of only two diagnosable taxa, M. spixii and M. obscurus, both considered here as a full species. We corroborate the synonymy of Micrurus s. martiusi and M. spixii based on wide overlap of meristic and morphometric characters, as well as the similarities of color pattern, hemipenis and skull characters. We can distinguished M. spixii from M. obscurus (in parenthesis) by the combination of the following characters: black cephalic cap (vs. cephalic cap absent, with red parietal region), hemipenial body with spines dispersed on the asulcate surface (vs. spines arranged in rows on the asulcate surface), capitate condition of hemipenis (vs. organ partially-capitate), narrow parietal bone with posterior angular borders (vs. enlarged parietal bone with elliptical posterior border), and relatively long venom inoculating fangs (vs. relatively short venom inoculating fangs).
A new species of Eupithecia Curtis (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Larentiinae) from Turkey
Authors: SEVEN ERDEM , MIRONOV VLADIMIR , AKIN KESRAN
Published: September 2019

A new Eupithecia Curtis (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) species in the fletcherata group; Eupithecia nemrutica sp. n. is described from Turkey. Male and female adults, genitalia and habitats of the species are illustrated. The species is compared with Eupithecia jizlensis muelleri Hausmann, 1991.
Advancing Research for Seamless Earth System Prediction
Authors: Ruti Paolo M. , Tarasova Oksana , Keller Julia H. , Carmichael Greg , Hov Øystein , Jones Sarah C. , Terblanche Deon , Anderson-Lefale Cheryl , Barros Ana P. , Bauer Peter , Bouchet Véronique , Brasseur Guy , Brunet Gilbert , DeCola Phil , Dike Victor , Kane Mariane Diop , Gan Christopher , Gurney Kevin R. , Hamburg Steven , Hazeleger Wilco , Jean Michel , Johnston David , Lewis Alastair , Li Peter , Liang Xudong , Lucarini Valerio , Lynch Amanda , Manaenkova Elena , Jae-Cheol Nam , Ohtake Satoru , Pinardi Nadia , Polcher Jan , Ritchie Elizabeth , Sakya Andi Eka , Saulo Celeste , Singhee Amith , Sopaheluwakan Ardhasena , Steiner Andrea , Thorpe Alan , Yamaji Moeka
Published: September 2019

Whether on an urban or planetary scale, covering time scales of a few minutes or a few decades, the societal need for more accurate weather, climate, water, and environmental information has led to a more seamless thinking across disciplines and communities. This challenge, at the intersection of scientific research and society’s need, is among the most important scientific and technological challenges of our time. The “Science Summit on Seamless Research for Weather, Climate, Water, and Environment” organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 2017, has brought together researchers from a variety of institutions for a cross-disciplinary exchange of knowledge and ideas relating to seamless Earth system science. The outcomes of the Science Summit, and the interactions it sparked, highlight the benefit of a seamless Earth system science approach. Such an approach has the potential to break down artificial barriers that may exist due to different observing systems, models, time and space scales, and compartments of the Earth system. In this context, the main future challenges for research infrastructures have been identified. A value cycle approach has been proposed to guide innovation in seamless Earth system prediction. The engagement of researchers, users, and stakeholders will be crucial for the successful development of a seamless Earth system science that meets the needs of society.
Requirement of Hyaluronan Synthase-2 in Craniofacial and Palate Development
Authors: Lan Y. , Qin C. , Jiang R.
Published: September 2019

Cleft palate is a common major birth defect resulting from disruption of palatal shelf growth, elevation, or fusion during fetal palatogenesis. Whereas the molecular mechanism controlling palatal shelf elevation is not well understood, a prevailing hypothesis is that region-specific accumulation of hyaluronan, a predominant extracellular glycosaminoglycan in developing palatal mesenchyme, plays a major role in palatal shelf elevation. However, direct genetic evidence for a requirement of hyaluronan in palate development is still lacking. In this study, we show that Has2, 1 of 3 hyaluronan synthases in mammals, plays a major role in hyaluronan synthesis in the neural crest–derived craniofacial mesenchyme during palatogenesis in mice. We analyzed developmental defects caused by tissue-specific inactivation of Has2 throughout the cranial neural crest lineage or specifically in developing palatal or mandibular mesenchyme, respectively, using Wnt1-Cre, Osr2-Cre, and Hand2-Cre transgenic mice. Inactivation of Has2 either throughout the neural crest lineage or specifically in the developing palatal mesenchyme caused reduced palatal shelf size and increased palatal mesenchyme cell density prior to the time of normal palatal shelf elevation. Whereas both Has2f/f; Wnt1-Cre and Has2f/f; Osr2-Cre mutant mice exhibit cleft palate at complete penetrance, the Has2f/f; Wnt1-Cre fetuses showed dramatically reduced mandible size and complete failure of palatal shelf elevation, whereas Has2f/f; Osr2-Cre fetuses had normal mandibles and delayed palatal shelf elevation. All Has2f/f; Hand2-Cre pups showed reduced mandible size and about 50% of them had cleft palate with disruption of palatal shelf elevation. Results from explant culture assays indicate that disruption of palatal shelf elevation in Has2f/f; Hand2-Cre mutant fetuses resulted from physical obstruction by the malformed mandible and tongue. Together, these data indicate that hyaluronan plays a crucial intrinsic role in palatal shelf expansion and timely reorientation to the horizontal position above the tongue as well as an important role in mandibular morphogenesis that secondarily affects palatal shelf elevation.
Research Into Teacher Educators’ Discursive Moves: A Vygotskian Perspective
Authors: Soysal Yılmaz , Radmard Somayyeh
Published: September 2019

This study presents an analysis of two teacher educators’ discursive moves. The participants were two teacher educators (TEs) and 46 prospective teachers enrolled in a classroom teaching program. Five coconstructivist teaching implementations were conducted and video recorded. The video-based data were analyzed through systematic observation in two phases: coding and counting. The TEs staged a wide range of discursive moves incorporating 10 higher-order categories (e.g., communicating, evaluating-judging-critiquing, challenging, and seeking evidence) and 39 subcategories. Communicating, monitoring-framing, and evaluating-judging-critiquing moves were found to be the most prominent enacted moves. Recommendations were offered for the professional development of TEs.
If an assisted dying bill becomes law, medical and psychiatric safeguards must be extremely strict
Authors: Edwards J Guy
Published: September 2019

During recent years, arguments supporting and opposing the legalisation of assisted dying have greatly intensified. The issue is a matter for society to decide, but physicians and psychiatrists have an essential role in informing public and parliamentary opinion on the contributions and limitations of medical knowledge related to the assessment of patients who request assisted dying and the necessity for strict safeguards should it be legalised. Some of the more important aspects of assessment and safeguards are discussed in this paper.
Understanding the Job Satisfaction of Indian Academicians
Authors: Tahir Sumbul , Sajid S. M.
Published: September 2019

The university academicians who form the backbone of the higher education set-up need better policies, training programmes, managerial support and frequent satisfaction measures to ensure their productivity, motivation and commitment to work are enhanced. The benefits of a high job satisfaction have been well-documented, but there is a definite gap in its measurement in academia. An exhaustive literature review across nine countries has shown that job satisfaction of academicians remains a lagging area of study. This article is based on a doctoral dissertation that measured the job satisfaction of 350 teachers of four higher education institutions of India using the teacher job satisfaction questionnaire (TJSQ) developed by Paula Lester. The sample was selected randomly with proportionate stratified sampling based on designations across four institutes of higher learning: Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The findings suggested the teachers are satisfied with their jobs with the highest satisfaction reported with teaching responsibility, advancement opportunities and work itself. However, working conditions, pay and recognition were the most-cited causes for dissatisfaction. Factor analysis showed some interesting results where the number of factors remained the same at nine but their nature was slightly different. Further analyses of personal, institutional and socio-economic factors through regression models revealed interesting insights. It was also observed that these findings resonate with those observed globally among teachers, showing a need for teacher development across the world.
Gobal and Local: Worship Music and the ‘Logophonic’ Principle, or Lessons from the Songhai
Authors: Devalve John R
Published: September 2019

The Christian church has always lived in tension between its global and its local identities, between gospel and culture. One aspect in which this tension plays out is in worship music. As the gospel came to them, many African churches adopted a North American/European form of song, ignoring or neglecting their local, traditional music. They opted for a more global identity and minimized their local identity. The church amongst the Songhai of West Africa is an example of this phenomenon. A church that neglects its local identity, however, has little appeal to the surrounding society and loses its prophetic voice to the community. Resolving the tension between the two identities is an important matter for every church. Thinking through worship music practices plays a key part in resolving this tension. A tool called the ‘logophonic’ principle may be of help in this regard. The tool looks at both words (lyrics) and sounds (accompaniment) to reexamine and renew worship practices and craft new music for congregations. This article explains how this tool might work and urges the necessity of good theological thinking and about worship and worship music.
Factors that affect the false negative rate of sentinel lymph node mapping with methylene blue dye alone in breast cancer
Authors: Li Huang , Jun Zhang , Zhi-Cheng Ge , Xiang Qu
Published: September 2019

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological factors of the false negative rate (FNR) and accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) mapping with 1% methylene blue dye (MBD) alone, and to examine how to reduce the FNR in patients with breast cancer.

Methods

A total of 365 patients with invasive breast carcinoma who received axillary lymph node dissection after SLNB were retrospectively analyzed. SLNB was performed with 2 to 5 mL of 1% MBD. We studied the clinicopathological factors that could affect the FNR of SLNB.

Results

The identification rate of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) was 98.3% (359/365) and the FNR of SLNB was 10.4% (16/154). Multivariate analysis showed that the number of dissected SLNs and metastatic lymph nodes were independent predictive factors for the FNR of SLNB. The FNR in patients with 1, 2, 3, and ≥4 SLNs was 23.53%, 15.79%, 3.85%, and 1.79%, respectively.

Conclusions

SLNB mapping with MBD alone in patients with breast cancer can produce favorable identification rates. The FNR of SLNB decreases as the number of SLNs rises. Because of side effects of searching for additional SLNs and the FNR, removal of three or four SLNs may be appropriate.
Cage migration after unilateral instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion and associated risk factors: a modified measurement method
Authors: Jin Lixia , Chen Zixian , Jiang Chun , Cao Yuanwu , Feng Zhenzhou , Jiang Xiaoxing
Published: September 2019

Objective

In this retrospective study, a modified measurement method was used to analyze cage migration during follow-up after unilateral instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and identify associated factors.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 75 patients who had been treated with unilateral instrumented TLIF. Cage migration was quantitatively defined as anterior–posterior or lateral displacement of the cage.

Results

Five patients had significant cage migration (6.7%), but none developed severe neural symptoms during follow-up or underwent reoperation. The cages tended to migrate posteriorly or toward the side of surgery. The initial cage position and patient age were strongly associated with migration. Migration was less frequent when the cages were initially placed closer to the side of surgery. Patients of advanced age were more likely to develop anterior–posterior migration than were young patients.

Conclusion

Cage migration is related to the initial position of the cage. Particular attention is required when performing unilateral instrumented TLIF in patients of advanced age because they are most likely to develop cage migration. Quantification of cage migration is an effective method of exploring the associated factors.
Experimental Evaluation of Strength Degradation of Orthodontic Chain Elastics Immersed in Hot Beverages
Authors: Braga Emanuel , Souza Gabriella , Barretto Paula , Ferraz Caio , Pithon Matheus
Published: September 2019

Introduction: Elastomeric chains are relevant in orthodontic mechanics due to the form memory property; however, elastomers present high force reduction in some circumstances. The objective was to evaluate the effect of hot beverages on tensile strength degradation of orthodontic elastomeric chains.

Material and Methods: Four groups were tested according to different immersion liquids: artificial saliva (group 1), hot water (group 2), green tea (group 3), and coffee (group 4). The elastomeric chains of groups 2, 3, and 4 were immersed in the respective liquids, with temperature of 70 ± 1°C twice daily for 30 seconds for a period of 7, 14, or 21 days. All samples were kept in artificial saliva and stored in an incubator at controlled temperature of 37 ± 1°C. The elastomeric chains were then examined in the testing machine (AME-2kN; Filizola, São Paulo, Brazil) to measure the tensile strength degradation.

Results: It was observed through intragroup comparisons that the control showed a progressive reduction of tensile strength in a statistically significant manner throughout the study period. In turn, the hot water, green tea, and coffee samples showed a statistically significant reduction from 7 to 14 days. From 14 to 21 days, the tension remained stable. When the test groups were compared with the control, it was observed that all groups presented tension reduction in a statistically significant manner at all periods, except for the coffee group at 21 days ( P < .001).

Conclusions: Experimental immersion in hot water, green tea, and coffee at 70 ± 1°C contributed in a statistically significant manner to the strength degradation of orthodontic elastomeric chains in the period of 7 and 14 days.
Continuous renal replacement therapy in the treatment of severe hyperkalemia: An in vitro study
Authors: Houzé Pascal , Baud Frédéric Joseph , Raphalen Jean-Herlé , Winchenne Anaïs , Moreira Sonia , Gault Philippe , Carli Pierre , Lamhaut Lionel
Published: September 2019

Introduction:

Continuous renal replacement therapy is not presently recommended in the treatment of life-threatening hyperkalemia. There are no specific recommendations in hemodialysis to treat hyperkalemia. We hypothesized an in vitro model may provide valuable information on the usefulness of continuous renal replacement therapy to treat severe hyperkalemia.

Methods:

A potassium-free solute was used instead of diluted blood for continuous renal replacement therapy with a simulated blood flowrate set at 200 mL/min. The mode of elimination included continuous filtration, continuous dialysis, and continuous diafiltration using a flowrate of 4000 mL/min for continuous filtration and continuous dialysis modes, and a ratio of 2500/1500 in the continuous diafiltration mode.

Results:

The mean initial potassium in the central compartment was 10.1 ± 0.4 mmol/L. The clearances in the continuous diafiltration, continuous filtration, and continuous dialysis were 3.4 ± 0.5, 3.6 ± 0.1, and 3.7 ± 0.1 L/h, respectively, not significantly different. Continuous dialysis resulted in the lowest workload for staff. Increasing the continuous dialysis flowrates from 2000 to 8000 mL/h increased clearance from 2.3 ± 0.3 to 6.2 ± 0.8 L/h. The delays in decreasing the potassium concentration to 5.5 mmol/L dropped from 120 to 45 min, respectively. Potassium eliminated in the first hour increased from 18 to 38 mmol that compared favorably with hemodialysis. Decrease in simulated blood flowrate from 200 to 50 mL/min moderately but significantly decreased the clearance from 3.7 to 3.0 L/h.

Conclusion:

Hyperkalemia is efficiently treated by continuous renal replacement therapy using the dialysis mode. Caution is needed to prevent the onset of severe hypokalemia within 40 min after initiation of the session.