bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contralesional Corticomotor Neurophysiology in Hemiparetic Children With Perinatal Stroke
Authors: Zewdie Ephrem , Damji Omar , Ciechanski Patrick , Seeger Trevor , Kirton Adam
Published: November 2016

Background. Perinatal stroke causes most hemiparetic cerebral palsy. Ipsilateral connections from nonlesioned hemisphere to affected hand are common. The nonlesioned primary motor cortex (M1) determines function and is a potential therapeutic target but its neurophysiology is poorly understood. Objective. We aimed to characterize the neurophysiological properties of the nonlesioned M1 in children with perinatal stroke and their relationship to clinical function. Methods. Fifty-two participants with hemiparetic cerebral palsy and magnetic resonance imaging–confirmed perinatal stroke and 40 controls aged 8 to 18 years completed the same transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol. Single-pulse TMS to nonlesioned M1 determined rest and active motor thresholds (RMT/AMT), motor-evoked potential (MEP) latencies, and stimulus recruitment curves (SRC: 100%-150% RMT). Paired-pulse TMS evaluated short-latency intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF). Ipsilateral (IP) participants (ipsilateral MEP ≥0.05 mV in ≥5/20 trials) were compared with contralateral MEP only, nonipsilateral (NI) participants. Assisting Hand and Melbourne assessments quantified clinical function. Results. Twenty-five IP were compared with 13 NI (n = 38, median age 12 years, 66% male). IP had lower motor function. SRC to unaffected hand were comparable between IP and NI while IP had smaller ipsilateral SRC. Ipsilateral MEP latencies were prolonged (23.5 ± 1.8 vs 22.2 ± 1.5 ms contra, P < .001). Contralateral SICI was different between IP (−42%) and NI (−20%). Ipsilateral SICI was reduced (−20%). Contralateral ICF was comparable between groups (+43%) and ipsilaterally (+43%). Measures correlated between contralateral and ipsilateral sides. Conclusion. Neurophysiology of nonlesioned M1 and its relationship to motor function is measureable in children with perinatal stroke. Correlation of excitability and intracortical circuitry measures between contralateral and ipsilateral sides suggests common control mechanisms.
Clinically Important Difference of the Arm Motor Ability Test in Stroke Survivors
Authors: Fulk George , Martin Rebecca , Page Stephen J.
Published: November 2016

Background. The Arm Motor Ability Test (AMAT) is used to assess and quantify upper-extremity (UE) functional limitation in stroke and other conditions. However, the AMAT score change indicative of important and clinically meaningful change has not been determined. Objective. To determine the clinically important difference (CID) for the AMAT for individuals with stroke exhibiting mild to moderate hemiparesis. Methods. A total of 146 chronic stroke survivors exhibiting stable, mild to moderate UE hemiparesis were administered the AMAT before and after interventions targeting their affected UEs. Patients and treating therapists rated perceived amount of UE motor recovery for each participant on a global rating of change (GROC) scale evaluating several facets of UE movement (grasp, release, move the affected UE, perform 5 important functional tasks, overall UE function). Estimated CID of the Functional Ability Scale of the AMAT was calculated using the receiver operating characteristics curve with the GROC scale as the anchor. Distribution-based methods were also used to estimate the CID. Results. Mean baseline, postintervention, and change in AMAT values for all participants were 3.0 (0.68), 3.3 (0.73), and 0.33 (0.43) respectively. The CID was estimated as an improvement of 0.32 to 0.42 when anchored by the therapist’s perception of improvement and 0.29 to 0.40 when anchored by the patient’s perception of improvement. The CID using distribution-based methods ranged from 0.40 to 0.44. Conclusions. A change of 0.44 or greater on the AMAT indicates a clinically meaningful improvement in UE functional movements. Clinicians should use this value to determine goals and interpret change scores.
Research on characteristics of tool wear in laser heating and ultrasonic vibration cutting of tungsten carbide
Authors: Jiao Feng , Niu Ying , Zhang Ming-jun , Zhang Chang-juan
Published: November 2016

Ultra-precision machining of tungsten carbide (YG10) can be realized under the combined assistance of laser heating and two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration. In order to study the wear mechanism of PCBN cutting tool and its influence on cutting process, the cutting tool wear condition and the evolution process of flank wear are observed, and the wear mechanism of PCBN cutting tools is analyzed under the combined effects of laser and ultrasonic vibration. Compared with the traditional cutting, the laser-assisted cutting, the two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration cutting, it is studied that the effect of tool wear on the machining precision, machining quality, and cutting force with the change in length of cut in laser heating and two-dimensional ultrasound composite-assisted cutting (LUAC) and the tool wear characteristics are analyzed under the special coupled thermo-force. The research results show that the LUAC can effectively alleviate tool wear, improve dimensional precision and surface quality, and reduce cutting forces.
Compound Petri nets and alternatives aggregation Petri nets: Two formalisms for decision-making support
Authors: Latorre-Biel Juan-Ignacio , Jiménez-Macías Emilio , Pérez-de-la-Parte Mercedes , Sáenz-Díez Juan Carlos , Martínez-Cámara Eduardo , Blanco-Fernández Julio
Published: November 2016

Decision-making in technological systems, such as communication networks, manufacturing facilities and supply chains, constitutes a common requirement able to lead companies galore to success or failure. This article presents a decision-making methodology, where the feasible structural configurations to be analysed are chosen heuristically in the frame of a single optimization problem. For stating the optimization problem and solving it efficiently, appropriate formalisms would be used. Compound Petri nets, a particular kind of parametric Petri nets, and alternatives aggregation Petri nets, are two Petri net–based formalisms able to integrate in the same model different alternative structural configurations. Moreover, even having different characteristics that might make them useful for different applications, both formalisms present common features, such as including a set of exclusive entities and the possibility of developing compact Petri net models, by the removal of redundant information. This article is also focused on the transformation algorithm between compound Petri nets and alternatives aggregation Petri nets. This algorithm is devoted to transform a model described by one of the formalisms into an equivalent model, that is, with the same behaviour, represented using the other formalism. Finally, several application examples are given for illustrating the steps of the transformation algorithm.
Control strategy for all the mode-switches of hybrid electric vehicle
Authors: Lin Yupei , Qin Datong , Liu Yonggang , Yang Yang
Published: November 2016

This article focuses on the mode-switch control of a new type of full hybrid electric vehicle with a torque-limiting clutch and an overrunning clutch. The working mode regions of hybrid electric vehicle are divided according to the characteristics of the engine and motor. The target-required torque of the power source in each working mode is determined by a rule-based control strategy for optimal system efficiency. To reduce the torque fluctuation and improve the ride comfort of the vehicle, the coordinated torque control strategy has been proposed during the mode-switch process. The fuzzy control strategy of the oil pressure loaded on the torque-limiting clutch has been put forward. To improve the ride comfort during the mode-switch, the motor has been used for compensation of the rest of the vehicle-required torque according to the clutch-transmitted torque and the output torque of the engine. The dynamic model of the system in each mode-switch has also been established. The simulation has been conducted using MATLAB/Simulink platform for all the mode-switches. Furthermore, the experiment of the motor-assisted engine starting process with the proposed control strategy has been carried out. The result of the experiment is consistent with that of the simulation, and the control strategy proposed in this article is effective for the mode-switch control.
Understanding the functions and operations of data monitoring committees: Survey and focus group findings
Authors: Calis Karim A , Archdeacon Patrick , Bain Raymond P , Forrest Annemarie , Perlmutter Jane , DeMets David L
Published: November 2016

Background:

The use of data monitoring committees in the conduct of clinical trials has increased and evolved, but there is a lack of published information on when data monitoring committees are needed and utilized, the acceptable range of data monitoring committee practices, and appropriate qualifications of data monitoring committee members.

Methods:

To gain a better understanding of data monitoring committee operations and areas for improvement, the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative conducted a survey and set of focus groups. A total of 143 respondents completed the online survey: 76 data monitoring committee members, 52 sponsors involved with organization of data monitoring committees, and 15 statistical data analysis center representatives. There were 42 focus group participants, including data monitoring committee members; patients and/or patient advocate data monitoring committee members; institutional review board and US Food and Drug Administration representatives; industry, government, and non-profit sponsors; and statistical data analysis center representatives.

Results:

Participants indicated that the primary responsibility of a data monitoring committee is to be an independent advisory body representing the interests of trial participants by assessing the risk and benefit ratio in ongoing trials. They noted that data monitoring committees must have access to unmasked data in order to perform this role. No clear consensus emerged regarding specific criteria for requiring a data monitoring committee for a given trial, and some participants felt data monitoring committees may be overused. Respondents offered suggestions for the data monitoring committee charter and communications with sponsors, institutional review boards, and regulators. Overall, data monitoring committee members reported that they are able to function independently and their recommendations are almost always accepted by the sponsor. Participants indicated that there are no standards or guidelines pertaining to qualifications of data monitoring committee members. Furthermore, only 8% (6/72) of data monitoring committee member survey respondents received any formal training, and 94% (68/72) were not aware of any training programs.

Conclusion:

Findings from the survey and focus groups provide a better understanding of contemporary data monitoring committee operations and insights regarding challenges and best practices. Overall, it was clear that increased training will be needed to prepare the next generation of qualified data monitoring committee members to meet the growing demand. These findings can be used by Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative and others to develop recommendations and tools to improve data monitoring committee operations and the overall quality of trial oversight.
From empowering the shameful to shaming the empowered: Shifting depictions of the poor in ‘reality TV’
Authors: Barton Alana , Davis Howard
Published: November 2016

Poor-blaming and poor-shaming have become intrinsic parts of the neoliberal order. For neoliberal discourse to enter and to dominate wider public ‘common sense’, vehicles of ‘populist language’ are required and the mass media has taken a central place in propagandising neoliberalism through their narration of poverty. This article focuses on so-called ‘reality TV’ and its neoliberal framing of the poor, particularly since 2007 and specifically in its generation of support for, and acquiescence in, ‘austerity’. We argue that what these programmes provide is a representation of poverty which is politically expedient but socially divisive. As criminologists, we suggest that this representation symbolises the intensification of what Cohen (2002: xxi) noted as the prominence of ‘“welfare cheats”, “social security frauds” and “dole scroungers” as fairly traditional folk devils. Further, we argue that an intensification in the denigration of the poor and the marginal in these programmes can be traced across three phases, from 2009 onwards, defined by their key features. Whilst not neatly discrete, these phases mirror the neoliberal political shift from welfare to punishment. They manufacture ‘epidemic problems’ that are seen to require urgent remediation. Yet the status and nature of these problems are defined through deception and the forms of intervention required are determined through individualised and moralised neoliberal prescription.
Theorizing Employment Division v. Smith: The Affective Politics of the Legal Regulation of Religion
Authors: Heard Kathryn A.
Published: November 2016

This commentary interrogates, first, Justice Antonin Scalia’s assertion in Employment Division v. Smith that the law must uphold the belief-action distinction in order to preserve democratic norms and, second, the affect that this distinction had on Alfred Smith’s relationship with his faith. I argue that as Smith responded to the law’s repeated requests for justification as to why his religious convictions ought to exempt him from the criminal regulation of peyote, he experienced a profound sense of legal, political, and spiritual disempowerment – a disempowerment compounded by the erasure of the complexities of his faith in both the decision and aftermath of Smith. By way of making this argument, I bring Scalia, Smith, and Smith into sustained conversation with an unlikely interlocutor: Jürgen Habermas. As one of the leading legal and political theorists of religion in the late modern moment, Habermas articulates a vision of democratic life that at once venerates public religious expression and insulates law- and policy-making institutions from faith-based influence. Habermas’s vision is often characterized by contemporary political theorists and legal academics as the ideal to which all religiously plural democracies should aspire, but when his argument is considered alongside the experiences of Smith before the Court, a powerful disjuncture between theory and practice emerges. For although Habermas encourages religious individuals to adopt an epistemic stance of public reason and to engage in cooperative acts of translation in order to settle collaboratively the appropriate limits of religion as well as the law, I argue that, when applied to Smith, these methods of discursive engagement work to not only underscore the absolute primacy of the law over religion, but also to undercut Smith’s own understanding of his faith. I ultimately suggest that this mode of inquiry – that is to say, infusing theory with nuances gleamed from the everyday legal lives of ordinary individuals – generates new pathways through which to ameliorate latent social and political harms.
Control of blood pressure and cardiovascular risk in Moroccan patients with newly diagnosed hypertension: a 3-month observational study in primary care
Authors: Alami Mohamed , El Hattaoui Mustapha , Seqat Mehdi , Sadik Jamaa , Aouad Aicha , Benghanem Gharbi Mohammed
Published: November 2016

Background:

Control of blood pressure and reduction of cardiovascular risk factors are mandatory in patients with hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of patients with controlled hypertension and to describe the cardiovascular risk profile in hypertensive patients followed by general practitioners (GPs) in Morocco.

Methods:

This national, observational, multicentre, prospective, longitudinal study of patients with newly diagnosed hypertension was carried out between September 2011 and December 2011. The use of antihypertensive drugs was evaluated at inclusion and after 3 months of follow up. Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ⩾ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ⩾ 90 mmHg at 3 months of follow up. The SCORE scale issued by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) was used to assess overall cardiovascular risk and probability of experiencing a cardiovascular event within 10 years.

Results:

A total of 909 hypertensive patients were recruited (62.4% female). Mean age was 56.8 ± 10.6 years. More than half of the patients (53.0%) were between 40–60 years and more than one-third (34.1%) were obese [body mass index (BMI) ⩾ 30 kg/m2]. There were significantly more obese females than males ( p < 0.001). Over half of the patients (52.5%) had a high or extremely high cardiovascular risk. Abdominal obesity (measured as waist circumference) was the most common cardiovascular risk factor (61.7%) followed by age (40.5%), dyslipidaemia (36.3%) and diabetes (34.3%). Mean SBP decreased from 168.1 ± 14.8 to 138.3 ± 13.2 mmHg ( p < 0.001) and mean DBP decreased from 93.0 ± 10.5 to 81.0 ± 8.6 mmHg ( p < 0.001) after 3 months of treatment. Control of blood pressure was achieved in only 46.8% of patients. Poor compliance (17.1%) and a lack of treatment efficacy (16.9%) were the two main reasons for not achieving the blood pressure target.

Conclusions:

More than half (53.2%) of the hypertensive patients in our study did not achieve adequate blood pressure control during the 3-month follow-up period and had a high cardiovascular risk. More effective management of hypertension is required in primary care.
Nanobiosensors in diagnostics
Authors: Chamorro-Garcia Alejandro , Merkoçi Arben
Published: November 2016

Medical diagnosis has been greatly improved thanks to the development of new techniques capable of performing very sensitive detection and quantifying certain parameters. These parameters can be correlated with the presence of specific molecules and their quantity. Unfortunately, these techniques are demanding, expensive, and often complicated. On the other side, progress in other fields of science and technology has contributed to the rapid growth of nanotechnology. Although being an emerging discipline, nanotechnology has raised huge interest and expectations. Most of the enthusiasm comes from new possibilities and properties of nanomaterials. Biosensors (simple, robust, sensitive, cost-effective) combined with nanomaterials, also called nanobiosensors, are serving as bridge between advanced detection/diagnostics and daily/routine tests. Here we review some of the latest applications of nanobiosensors in diagnostics field.
Bioactive mesoporous wollastonite particles for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Saravanan S , Selvamurugan Nagarajan
Published: November 2016

The current investigation was aimed at identifying the role of mesoporous wollastonite particles on the healing of rat tibial bone defect. The bone defect was created with a 3-mm-diameter dental drill, and it was filled with mesoporous wollastonite particles. After second and fourth weeks of filling treatments, it was found that mesoporous wollastonite particles promoted bone formation as evidenced by X-ray, histological, scanning electron microscope, and energy-dispersive spectra studies. X-ray study showed the closure of drill hole as seen by high-dense radio-opacity image. Histological analysis depicted the deposition of collagen in the bone defect area in response to mesoporous wollastonite particles’ treatment. Scanning electron microscope–energy-dispersive spectra analyses of the sectioned implants also identified the deposition of apatite by these particles. Thus, our results suggested that mesoporous wollastonite particles have bioactive properties, and they can be used as a suitable filling material for promotion of bone formation in vivo.
Metabolic ketoacidosis with normal blood glucose: A rare complication of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors
Authors: Ullah Saad , Khan Noman , Zeb Hassan , Tahir Hassan
Published: November 2016

Ketoacidosis is a significant and often a life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus seen mostly in type 1 diabetes mellitus as well as occasionally in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetic ketoacidosis usually manifests with high blood glucose more than 250 mg/dL, but euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis is defined as ketoacidosis associated with blood glucose level less than 250 mg/dL. Normal blood glucose in such patients results in significant delay in diagnosis and management of diabetic ketoacidosis, thus increasing mortality and morbidity. We present a case of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis secondary to canagliflozin in a type 2 diabetic patient.
Heterotopic pregnancy in HIV women
Authors: Savasi Valeria , Antonazzo Patrizio , Personeni Carlo
Published: November 2016

Heterotopic pregnancy occurs when intrauterine and ectopic pregnancy are concomitant; overall rate rises from 1/30.000 to 1.5/1000 in assisted reproductive technology pregnancies. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) patients are at increased risk of heterotopic pregnancies due to the greater frequency of assisted reproductive technology and pelvic inflammatory disease. We report the first case of heterotopic pregnancy in HIV woman.
Reluctant activists? The impact of legislative and structural attempts of surveillance on investigative journalism
Authors: Mills Anthony , Sarikakis Katharine
Published: November 2016

If we accept that surveillance by the State and ‘sousveillance’ by the media in Western democracies tend towards a relative equilibrium, or ‘equiveillance’ supported by the function of journalism as a watchdog and that the rule of law largely protects fundamental freedoms, this paper argues that the act of ‘mutual watching’ is undesired by the State and comes at a very high cost to journalists. The combination of technological capacity, legislative change and antidemocratic sentiments of the State, in the context of its willingness and ability to collect and process Big Data on an unprecedented scale, disrupt the preconditions for a strong democracy based on free media and free citizens. This paper examines the politics of investigative journalism under the conditions of dominance of the State by investigating the experiences of journalists with surveillance. Our interviews with 48 journalists show that journalists are acutely aware of surveillance and its noxious impact. Well beyond simple ‘watching’ these experiences are remarkably similar in non-Western and Western countries. Journalists are engaging increasingly with technological and other communities, as they aim to defend journalism and their lives. Their activism is operationalised in three areas: (a) in reluctant often-fraught cooperation with hacktivists, (b) in self-directed protection of communications and sources and (c) in not always willingly acting as dissenters vis-a-vis the State. This paper explores the extent to which journalists consider equilibrium to be distorted, and how they are countering any slide into subdued democracy.
Algorithmic paranoia and the convivial alternative
Authors: McQuillan Dan
Published: November 2016

In a time of big data, thinking about how we are seen and how that affects our lives means changing our idea about who does the seeing. Data produced by machines is most often ‘seen’ by other machines; the eye is in question is algorithmic. Algorithmic seeing does not produce a computational panopticon but a mechanism of prediction. The authority of its predictions rests on a slippage of the scientific method in to the world of data. Data science inherits some of the problems of science, especially the disembodied ‘view from above’, and adds new ones of its own. As its core methods like machine learning are based on seeing correlations not understanding causation, it reproduces the prejudices of its input. Rising in to the apparatuses of governance, it reinforces the problematic sides of ‘seeing like a state’ and links to the recursive production of paranoia. It forces us to ask the question ‘what counts as rational seeing?’. Answering this from a position of feminist empiricism reveals different possibilities latent in seeing with machines. Grounded in the idea of conviviality, machine learning may reveal forgotten non-market patterns and enable free and critical learning. It is proposed that a programme to challenge the production of irrational pre-emption is also a search for the possibility of algorithmic conviviality.
Exploring the ambivalent evidence base of mobile health (mHealth): A systematic literature review on the use of mobile phones for the improvement of community health in Africa
Authors: Krah Eva FM , de Kruijf Johannes G
Published: November 2016

Background

Africa is labelled the world's fastest-growing ‘mobile region’. Considering such growth and the fragility of the continent's healthcare, mHealth has flourished. This review explores mHealth for community health in Africa in order to assess its still ambivalent evidence base.

Methods

Using PubMed, Web of Science, OvidSP and Google Scholar, a systematic review was conducted of one decade (2005–2015) of peer-reviewed literature on mHealth in Africa. Data analysis focused on qualifications of success and failure. Impact evaluations of project assessments ( n = 65) were complemented with general analyses/overviews of mHealth's effectiveness ( n = 35).

Results

Review of these texts reveals ambivalence in the appraisal of mHealth; essentially, the critical stance in general analyses/overviews is absent from project assessments. Especially weak evidence concerning sustainability and scalability is stressed in overviews. Project assessments are more optimistic. Their analysis suggests a causal connection between simplicity and success. Effective interventions are thus characterized by straightforward design and modest objectives. Greatest impediments of impact are general technology-related issues and intervention inappropriateness due to insufficient understanding of beneficiaries and specific context of use (circumstantial complications).

Conclusion

Distinguishing between these two categories of complications helps to break the deadlock that marks the mHealth debate and add nuance to claims that mHealth's evidence base is weak. Constructive realism – rather than unfounded optimism or pessimism without nuance – should guide the design of interventions. Besides anticipative of technology-related complications, such realism must lead to either basic interventions or to smart mHealth shaped by deep understanding of the context of implementation.
Coping strategies in relation to negative work events and accommodations in employed multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: van der Hiele K , van Gorp DAM , Benedict RHB , Jongen PJ , Arnoldus EPJ , Beenakker EAC , Bos HM , van Eijk JJJ , Fermont J , Frequin STFM , van Geel BM , Hengstman GJD , Hoitsma E , Hupperts RMM , Mostert JP , Pop PHM , Verhagen WIM , Zemel D , Frndak SE , Heerings MAP , Middelkoop HAM , Visser LH
Published: November 2016

Background

Job loss is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is known to exert a negative effect on quality of life. The process leading up to job loss typically includes negative work events, productivity losses and a need for accommodations. By using active coping strategies job loss may be prevented or delayed.

Objective

Our goal was to examine negative work events and accommodations in relation to coping strategies in employed relapsing–remitting MS patients.

Methods

Ninety-seven MS patients (77% females; 21–59 years old) completed questionnaires concerning the patient’s work situation, coping strategies, demographics, physical, psychological and cognitive functioning. Forward binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine coping strategies and other (disease) characteristics predictive of reported negative work events and accommodations.

Results

Nineteen per cent of the employed MS patients reported one or more negative work events, associated with a higher use of emotion-oriented coping and more absenteeism. Seventy-three per cent reported using one or more work accommodations, associated with a higher educational level and more presenteeism. MS patients reporting physical changes to the workplace employed more emotion-oriented coping, while flexible scheduling was associated with task-oriented coping.

Conclusion

Emotion-oriented and task-oriented coping strategies are associated with negative work events and the use of accommodations.
Randomized controlled trial of exercise interventions to improve sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in individuals with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study
Authors: Siengsukon Catherine F , Aldughmi Mayis , Kahya Melike , Bruce Jared , Lynch Sharon , Ness Norouzinia Abigail , Glusman Morgan , Billinger Sandra
Published: November 2016

Background

Nearly 70% of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience sleep disturbances. Increasing physical activity in people with MS has been shown to produce a moderate improvement in sleep quality, and exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality in non-neurologically impaired adults.

Objective

The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial study was to examine the effect of two exercise interventions on sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in individuals with MS.

Methods

Twenty-eight individuals with relapsing–remitting or secondary progressive MS were randomized into one of two 12-week exercise interventions: a supervised, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (AE) program or an unsupervised, low-intensity walking and stretching (WS) program. Only individuals who were ≥ 70% compliant with the programs were included in analysis ( n = 12 AE; n = 10 WS).

Results

Both groups demonstrated a moderate improvement in sleep quality, although only the improvement by the WS group was statistically significant. Only the AE group demonstrated a significant improvement in daytime sleepiness. Change in sleep quality and daytime sleepiness was not correlated with disease severity or with change in cardiovascular fitness, depression, or fatigue.

Conclusion

The mechanisms for improvement in sleep quality and daytime sleepiness need further investigation, but may be due to introduction of zeitgebers to improve circadian rhythm.
Contested visions: Digital discourses as empty signifiers from the ‘network’ to ‘big data’
Authors: Barassi Veronica
Published: November 2016

This article engages with two key concepts that have come to define our digital cultures: the ‘network’ and ‘big data’. It critically considers how these concepts have largely been framed by techno-utopian or techno-dystopian political understandings of historical transformation. In the last few years, the relationship between technological discourses and political visions has led to the emergence of critical research in the field. This research has shown that we cannot fully understand digital discourses without considering the very Western belief that technological innovation necessarily leads to new political possibilities. By drawing on the findings of a cross-cultural ethnographic research among three different political groups in Europe, this article argues that current research in the field has focused too long on how digital discourse is shaped by Western meta-narratives of technological progress. This is to the detriment of a careful consideration of the fact that different political actors discursively construct digital technologies with reference to different political visions. Understanding these contested visions, as this article shows, is of central importance as it could enable us to appreciate that digital discourses have become today ‘empty signifiers’, which define the basis of contemporary hegemonic struggles.
Association Between Health-Related Beliefs and Oral Health Behaviors Among Uninsured Primary Care Patients
Authors: Kamimura Akiko , Gull Bethany , Weaver Shannon , Wright Lindsey , Ashby Jeanie , Erickson Lea E.
Published: December 2016

Introduction: The collaborations between dental care providers and other health care providers are especially needed for underserved populations. There is a deficit of research focused on underserved populations who utilize a safety net facility such as a free clinic in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between health-related beliefs and oral health behaviors among uninsured adults utilizing a primary care free clinic providing oral health care. Methods: Uninsured primary care patients utilizing a free clinic (N = 585) participated in a self-administered paper survey in May and June, 2016. Results: More than 60% of free clinic patients reported a perceived need for dental treatment. Free clinic patients who brush their teeth more than once a day reported better perceived general health compared with those who do not brush their teeth more than once a day. Free clinic patients who had perceived a need for dental treatment reported worse perceived general health compared to those who did not report dental needs. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate a pressing need for the further development of dental care services at safety-net clinics. By including dental care in health promotion programs, it will have positive impacts not only on oral health but also on a healthy lifestyle and the general health of underserved populations utilizing a safety-net clinic. The implementation and evaluation of the integrated health programs, which include primary care and oral health care together, would be beneficial to reduce oral health disparities.
Effects of Goal-Setting Instruction on Academic Engagement for Students At Risk
Authors: Rowe Dawn A. , Mazzotti Valerie L. , Ingram Angela , Lee Seunghee
Published: November 2016

Research indicates teachers feel teaching goal-setting is an effective way to enhance academic engagement. However, teachers ultimately feel unprepared to embed goal-setting instruction into academic content to support active student engagement. Given the importance teachers place on goal-setting skills, there is a need to identify strategies to support teachers embedding goal-setting instruction across the academic day. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of goal-setting instruction on academic engagement for middle school students at risk for academic failure. Results indicated a functional relation between goal-setting lessons and students’ active academic engagement. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for practice are provided.
The LinkedIn Endorsement Game: Why and How Professionals Attribute Skills to Others
Authors: Rapanta Chrysi , Cantoni Lorenzo
Published: November 2016

The phenomenon of endorsing people for their professional skills on LinkedIn is more and more evident, and it grows along with the expansion of this broadly used professional networking website. This article focuses on the ease with which people endorse others and also accept endorsements and the potential impact of this action on people’s knowledge authority profile. An online survey was answered by 120 professionals from all over the world. The findings reveal some considerations regarding the interrelation between the act of endorsement and how personal, rather than epistemic, its criteria are. Implications for recruiters and educators are discussed.
DREAM plays an important role in platelet activation and thrombogenesis
Authors: Kim Kyungho , Tseng Alan , Barazia Andrew , Italiano Joseph E. , Cho Jaehyung
Published: December 2016

Key Points

Platelet DREAM is required for platelet thrombus formation at the site of arteriolar injury in mice. Platelet DREAM plays an important role in cell activation by regulation of PI3K class Iβ activity.
variancePartition: interpreting drivers of variation in complex gene expression studies
Authors: Hoffman Gabriel E. , Schadt Eric E.
Published: November 2016

Background

As large-scale studies of gene expression with multiple sources of biological and technical variation become widely adopted, characterizing these drivers of variation becomes essential to understanding disease biology and regulatory genetics.

Results

We describe a statistical and visualization framework, variancePartition, to prioritize drivers of variation based on a genome-wide summary, and identify genes that deviate from the genome-wide trend. Using a linear mixed model, variancePartition quantifies variation in each expression trait attributable to differences in disease status, sex, cell or tissue type, ancestry, genetic background, experimental stimulus, or technical variables. Analysis of four large-scale transcriptome profiling datasets illustrates that variancePartition recovers striking patterns of biological and technical variation that are reproducible across multiple datasets.

Conclusions

Our open source software, variancePartition, enables rapid interpretation of complex gene expression studies as well as other high-throughput genomics assays. variancePartition is available from Bioconductor: http://bioconductor.org/packages/variancePartition.
ampliMethProfiler: a pipeline for the analysis of CpG methylation profiles of targeted deep bisulfite sequenced amplicons
Authors: Scala Giovanni , Affinito Ornella , Palumbo Domenico , Florio Ermanno , Monticelli Antonella , Miele Gennaro , Chiariotti Lorenzo , Cocozza Sergio
Published: November 2016

Background

CpG sites in an individual molecule may exist in a binary state (methylated or unmethylated) and each individual DNA molecule, containing a certain number of CpGs, is a combination of these states defining an epihaplotype. Classic quantification based approaches to study DNA methylation are intrinsically unable to fully represent the complexity of the underlying methylation substrate. Epihaplotype based approaches, on the other hand, allow methylation profiles of cell populations to be studied at the single molecule level.

For such investigations, next-generation sequencing techniques can be used, both for quantitative and for epihaplotype analysis. Currently available tools for methylation analysis lack output formats that explicitly report CpG methylation profiles at the single molecule level and that have suited statistical tools for their interpretation.

Results

Here we present ampliMethProfiler, a python-based pipeline for the extraction and statistical epihaplotype analysis of amplicons from targeted deep bisulfite sequencing of multiple DNA regions.

Conclusions

ampliMethProfiler tool provides an easy and user friendly way to extract and analyze the epihaplotype composition of reads from targeted bisulfite sequencing experiments. ampliMethProfiler is written in python language and requires a local installation of BLAST and (optionally) QIIME tools. It can be run on Linux and OS X platforms. The software is open source and freely available at http://amplimethprofiler.sourceforge.net.
An update on semantic dementia: genetics, imaging, and pathology
Authors: Landin-Romero Ramon , Tan Rachel , Hodges John R. , Kumfor Fiona
Published: November 2016

Progressive and relatively circumscribed loss of semantic knowledge, referred to as semantic dementia (SD) which falls under the broader umbrella of frontotemporal dementia, was officially identified as a clinical syndrome less than 50 years ago. Here, we review recent neuroimaging, pathological, and genetic research in SD. From a neuroimaging perspective, SD is characterised by hallmark asymmetrical atrophy of the anterior temporal pole and anterior fusiform gyrus, which is usually left lateralised. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have revealed widespread changes in connectivity, implicating the anterior temporal regions in semantic deficits in SD. Task-related fMRI have also demonstrated the relative preservation of frontal and parietal regions alongside preserved memory performance. In addition, recent longitudinal studies have demonstrated that, with disease progression, atrophy encroaches into the contralateral temporal pole and medial prefrontal cortices, which reflects emerging changes in behaviour and social cognition. Notably, unlike other frontotemporal dementia subtypes, recent research has demonstrated strong clinicopathological concordance in SD, with TDP43 type C as the most common pathological subtype. Moreover, an underlying genetic cause appears to be relatively rare in SD, with the majority of cases having a sporadic form of the disease. The relatively clear diagnosis, clinical course, and pathological homogeneity of SD make this syndrome a promising target for novel disease-modifying interventions. The development of neuroimaging markers of disease progression at the individual level is an important area of research for future studies to address, in order to assist with this endeavour.
A simple, less invasive stripper micropipetter-based technique for day 3 embryo biopsy
Authors: Cedillo Luciano , Ocampo-Bárcenas Azucena , Maldonado Israel , Valdez-Morales Francisco J. , Camargo Felipe , López-Bayghen Esther
Published: November 2016

Background

Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is an important procedure for in vitro fertilization (IVF). A key step of PGS, blastomere removal, is abundant with many technical issues. The aim of this study was to compare a more simple procedure based on the Stipper Micropipetter, named S-biopsy, to the conventional aspiration method.

Methods

On Day 3, 368 high-quality embryos (>7 cells on Day3 with <10% fragmentation) were collected from 38 women. For each patient, their embryos were equally separated between the conventional method (n = 188) and S-biopsy method (n = 180). The conventional method was performed using a standardized protocol. For the S-biopsy method, a laser was used to remove a significantly smaller portion of the zona pellucida. Afterwards, the complete embryo was aspirated with a Stripper Micropipetter, forcing the removal of the blastomere. Selected blastomeres went to PGS using CGH microarrays. Embryo integrity and blastocyst formation were assessed on Day 5. Differences between groups were assessed by either the Mann-Whitney test or Fisher Exact test.

Results

Both methods resulted in the removal of only one blastomere. The S-biopsy and the conventional method did not differ in terms of affecting embryo integrity (95.0% vs. 95.7%) or blastocyst formation (72.7% vs. 70.7%). PGS analysis indicated that aneuploidy rate were similar between the two methods (63.1% vs. 65.2%). However, the time required to perform the S-biopsy method (179.2 ± 17.5 s) was significantly shorter (5-fold) than the conventional method.

Conclusion

The S-biopsy method is comparable to the conventional method that is used to remove a blastomere for PGS, but requires less time. Furthermore, due to the simplicity of the S-biopsy technique, this method is more ideal for IVF laboratories.
Detour sign in the diagnosis of subluxation of the long head of the biceps tendon with arthroscopic correlation
Authors: Khil Eun K , Cha Jang G , Yi Ji S , Kim Hyun-Joo , Min Kyung D , Yoon Young C , Jeon Chan H
Published: November 2016

Objective:

To determine whether detection of the detour sign via MRI indicates subluxation of the long head of the biceps tendon (SLBT) in the shoulder joint and to investigate the association of SLBT with the degeneration of the long head of the biceps tendon (LBT) and rotator cuff tears.

Methods:

This retrospective study included 65 patients with shoulder pain who underwent shoulder MRI and arthroscopic surgery. When axial images revealed that the LBT was displaced over the inner rim of the bicipital groove with some remaining contact with the groove (Criterion 1), or demonstrated a “detour sign” of the biceps tendon (Criterion 2), the lesion was diagnosed as an SLBT. Shoulder arthroscopy was used as the reference standard.

Results:

Arthroscopy identified SLBT in 18 patients. When the MRI diagnosis was based on Criterion 1 alone, SLBT was diagnosed with a sensitivity of 44.4–55.6% and 75.4–80% accuracy. However, when the MRI diagnosis was based on Criteria 1 plus 2, SLBT was diagnosed with a sensitivity of 83.3–94.4% and 78.5–81.5% accuracy. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the diagnostic sensitivity of Criteria 1 and 2.

Conclusion:

The detour sign based on axial MRI may be regarded an additional useful anatomical feature that improves the diagnostic performance of MRI in the identification of SLBT lesions.

Advances in knowledge:

Recognition of the detour sign may enhance the diagnostic performance of the conventional MRI protocol over the MR arthrography protocol for SLBT.
Nomogram for radiation-induced hypothyroidism prediction in nasopharyngeal carcinoma after treatment
Authors: Luo Ren , Li Mei , Yang Zhining , Zhan Yizhou , Huang Baotian , Lu Jiayang , Xu Zhenxi , Lin Zhixiong
Published: November 2016

Objective:

The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram for radiation-induced hypothyroidism (RHT) prediction.

Methods:

We collected data from 164 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in our previous prospective study. Biochemical hypothyroidism was defined as a serum thyroid-stimulating hormone level greater than the normal value. We collected both clinical and dose–volume factors. A univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify RHT risk factors. Optimal predictors were selected according to the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). We then selected the Cox regression models that best balanced the prediction performance and practicability to build a nomogram for RHT prediction.

Results:

There were 38 (23.2%) patients who developed RHT, and the median follow-up was 24 months. The univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that gender, minimum dose, mean dose (D  mean) and V  25–V  60 [V  x (%), the percentage of thyroid volume receiving >x Gy] of the thyroid were significantly associated with RHT. The variables of gender, receiving chemotherapy or not (chemo), D  mean and V  50 were selected using the LASSO analysis. A nomogram based on a three-variable (gender, chemo and V  50) Cox regression model was constructed, and its concordance index was 0.72. Good accordance between prediction and observation was showed by calibration curves in the probability of RHT at 18, 24 and 30 months.

Conclusion:

This study built a nomogram for RHT in NPC survivors by analyzing both clinical and dose–volume parameters using LASSO. Thus, the individual dose constraint could be achieved in a visual format.

Advances in knowledge:

This study used LASSO to more accurately address the multicollinear problem between variables. The resulting nomogram will help physicians predict RHT.