bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Confidence Can Be Used to Discriminate Between Accurate and Inaccurate Lie Decisions
Authors: Smith Andrew M. , Leach Amy-May
Published: September 2019

There is a long-standing belief that confidence is not useful at discriminating between accurate and inaccurate deception decisions. Historically, this position made sense because people showed little ability to discriminate lie-tellers from truth-tellers. But, it is now widely accepted that, under certain conditions, people can discriminate between lie-tellers and truth-tellers. Nevertheless, belief that confidence does not discriminate between accurate and inaccurate responses persists. This belief is somewhat paradoxical because, to the extent that people can discriminate between lie-tellers and truth-tellers, signal detection theory naturally predicts a positive relationship between confidence and accuracy. In line with our signal-detection-based predictions, we show that, among decisions about whether someone is lying, those made with high confidence are more accurate than those made with low confidence. This important relationship has gone unnoticed in past work because of a reliance on inappropriate measures. Past research examining the confidence–accuracy relationship in deception research relied on correlating average confidence with proportion of correctly identified lies. These correlations provide information on whether more confident judges tend to be more accurate but remain silent on the arguably more important question of whether higher confidence decisions are more accurate than lower confidence decisions. We show that confidence–accuracy characteristic analyses are uniquely suited to measuring the confidence–accuracy relationship in deception research.
Support for people with dementia
Authors: Kotecha Anish , Phelps Kerry
Published: September 2019

Dementia costs the UK economy over £26.3 billion a year. Although dementia is a progressive and often terminal condition, people typically survive for many years after diagnosis. People affected by dementia and their families can struggle in understanding the changes that occur in daily living and will often turn to their GPs for support. This article outlines the problems that people with dementia can face and the organisations and other sources of support that can help right from the outset.
UScale: a digital device for automatic urine volume measurement and frequency volume charting
Authors: Williamson James , Qayyum Tahir , Bryan Nicolas , Blunt Liam
Published: September 2019

Background:

Health issues relating to the lower urinary tract are an increasing burden on the health economy. Measurement of urination frequency/volume using diaries to evaluate symptoms and assess severity is established in the management of these health problems. In current practice, these frequency volume diaries are completed by voiding into a measuring jug and the completion of paper or digital charts. Despite being shown useful to diagnosis, this can be a cumbersome method of data collection, leading to issues with patient compliance. In this paper we describe the established benefits of providing clinicians accurate micturition data followed by an analysis of the problems with the current data collection method.

Methods:

We introduce our prototype electronic device and accompanying method, which is designed to improve data accuracy and patient compliance, while reducing patient training requirements and clinician workload.

Results:

The device hardware calibration and testing procedure is described, and two sets of initial data from assumed healthy volunteers are presented, allowing us to demonstrate the advantages of digital data in the fast calculation of diary summary statistics and their potential use to clinicians.

Conclusions:

We discuss the design improvements to the UScale device, collection bag, and electronic medical records integration undertaken while validating our described method.
The Graduation Rate Myth and the Equity Gap
Authors: Stohs Mark H. , Schutte Jerald G.
Published: September 2019

We demonstrate that improving graduation rates does not cause more students to graduate or increase student success. The underlying presumptions are spurious and misleading, as no causal connection exists between graduation rates and the ultimate number of students who graduate from college. Indeed, increasing graduation rates generate unintended consequences that may increase the equity gap. We use California State University’s (CSU) practices as a case study of the national obsession with graduation rates and include a crucial focus on the differential and adverse impact of those practices. We recommend other goals as better measures of student success, such as increased completion rates and lower attrition rates during the first year of college, especially for first-generation and underrepresented students. Our aim is to encourage those in higher education to refocus their attention on the true aims of a college degree.
Robotics process automation at TECHSERV: An implementation case study
Authors: Carden Lila , Maldonado Tiffany , Brace Carol , Myers Marie
Published: September 2019

This case examines a large technology firm, anonymized as TECHSERV, as they plan, manage, and implement robotics process automation. The organization was seeking ways in which to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity through technology management. Robotics process automation was strategically deployed to automate their business processes. Even though many benefits are associated with robotics process automation, the details of how robotics process automation can be implemented successfully into existing infrastructure are not well known. This teaching case focuses on problems with how to automate processes in two locations, and deals also with the resources and tools and techniques related to project execution. In addition, the case also points to future issues and challenges related to robotics process automation, cognitive tools, and blockchain integration. Students, researchers, and practitioners will obtain an understanding of the benefits and project activities required for robotics process automation and learn how to anticipate future issues and challenges including how to leverage the current implementation into future intelligent automation initiatives.
The complement lectin pathway protein MAp19 and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: Insights from two randomized clinical trials
Authors: Bro-Jeppesen John , Jeppesen Anni Nørgaard , Haugaard Simon , Troldborg Anne , Hassager Christian , Kjaergaard Jesper , Kirkegaard Hans , Wanscher Michael , Hvas Anne-Mette , Thiel Steffen
Published: September 2019

Aim:

Activation of the complement system is known to be a potent inducer of systemic inflammation, which is an important component of post-cardiac arrest syndrome. Mannan-binding-lectin associated protein of 19 kDa (MAp19) is suggested to be a regulatory component of the lectin pathway of complement activation. The aims of this study were to describe serial levels of MAp19 protein in comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), to evaluate the effect of two different regimes of targeted temperature management and to investigate the possible association between levels of MAp19 and mortality.

Methods:

In this post-hoc study, we analysed data from two large randomized controlled studies: ‘Targeted temperature management at 33 degrees C versus 36 degrees C after cardiac arrest’ (TTM) and ‘Targeted temperature management for 48 versus 24 h and neurological outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest’ (TTH). We measured serial levels of MAp19 in 240 patients within 72 h after OHCA and in 82 healthy controls. The effect of targeted temperature management on MAp19 levels was analysed according to temperature allocation in main trials.

Results:

MAp19 levels were significantly lower in OHCA patients within 48 h after OHCA (p-values <0.001) compared with healthy controls. A target temperature at 33°C compared with 36°C for 24 h was associated with significantly lower levels of MAp19 (–57 ng/mL (95% confidence interval (CI): –97 to −16 mg/mL), p=0.006). Target temperature at 33°C for 48 h compared with 24 h was not associated with a difference in MAp19 levels (–31 ng/mL (95% CI: –120 to 60 mg/mL), p=0.57). Low MAp19 levels at admission were associated with higher 30-day mortality (12% vs. 38%, plog-rank =0.0008), also in adjusted analysis (two-fold higher, hazard ratio =0.48 (95% CI: 0.31 to 0.75), p=0.001). Analysis of MAp19 levels at 24–72 h showed they were not associated with 30-day mortality.

Conclusion:

Survivors after OHCA have lower levels of MAp19 protein compared with healthy controls. A targeted temperature management at 33°C compared with 36°C was associated with significantly lower MAp19 levels, whereas target temperature at 33°C for 48 h compared with 24 h did not influence MAp19 protein levels. Low MAp19 levels at admission were independently associated with increased mortality.
A Commentary: The Position of Ethnic Minorities From the Connection Between Theory of Justice and Good Governance
Authors: Marwan Awaludin
Published: September 2019

Ethnic minorities are sometimes presented as “outsiders,” “awkward,” “alien,” and many other pejoratives by the “leviathan of majority”. This article will theoretically analyze how ethnic minorities struggle to pursue justice and access their right to good governance. Rawls’s theory of justice simply seems as the support of “majorities” sense of justice, which disregards the sense of justice by minority. Because of the color of their skin, language, cultural identities, and national origin, ethnic minorities are trapped under the battle of power holders that can be explained by the notion of biopolitics. Biopolitics is a method of investigating the interconnection between human body and power relation. Furthermore, the position of ethnic minorities in these power battles is appeared such homo sacer. Homo sacer is one who has been condemned and may be killed by anybody in a figure of Roman law. The concept of homo sacer can be used to explain the position of ethnic minorities who have always been victimized. In addition, to establish a concrete example of a case about problems faced by ethnic minorities, I will discuss the protection of ethnic minorities through the framework of law and democracy in Indonesia and the Netherlands.
Severe Combined Dyslipidemia With a Complex Genetic Basis
Authors: Le Ryan , Abbas Minan , McIntyre Adam D. , Hegele Robert A.
Published: September 2019

Background. Familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (also known as type 3 hyperlipoproteinemia) is typically associated with homozygosity for the apolipoprotein E2 isoform, but also sometimes with dominant rare missense variants in the APOE gene. Patients present with roughly equimolar elevations of cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) due to pathologic accumulation of remnant lipoprotein particles. Clinical features include tuberoeruptive xanthomas, palmar xanthomas, and premature vascular disease. Case. A 48-year-old male presented with severe combined dyslipidemia: total cholesterol and TG were 11.5 and 21.4 mmol/L, respectively. He had dyslipidemia since his early 20s, with tuberous xanthomas on his elbows and knees. His body mass index was 42 kg/m2. He also had treated hypertension, mild renal impairment, and a history of gout. He had no history of cardiovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, or pancreatitis. Multiple medications had been advised including rosuvastatin, ezetimibe, fenofibrate, and alirocumab, but his lipid levels were never adequately controlled. Genetic Analysis. Targeted next-generation sequencing identified (1) the APOE E2/E2 homozygous genotype classically described with familial dysbetalipoproteinemia; (2) in addition, one APOE E2 allele contained the rare heterozygous missense variant p.G145D, previously termed apo E-Bethesda; (3) a rare heterozygous APOC2 nonsense variant p.Q92X; and (4) a high polygenic risk score for TG levels (16 out of 28 TG-raising alleles) at the 82nd percentile for age and sex. Conclusion. The multiple genetic “hits” on top of the classical APOE E2/E2 genotype likely explain the more severe dyslipidemia and refractory clinical phenotype.
The Impact of an International Elective on Anesthesiology Residents as Assessed by a Longitudinal Study
Authors: Dohlman Lena , DiMeglio Matthew , Laudanski Krzysztof
Published: September 2019

Introduction:

Participation of anesthesiology residents in international electives may lead to the acquisition of skills as described in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies. There is great interest in participating in such electives, but it is not clear there are educational or professional benefits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the educational benefits of participating in overseas electives among anesthesiology residents.

Methods:

A longitudinal study design was used between 2010 and 2015 to survey all anesthesiology residents selected to participate in the nationally competitive Society for Education in Anesthesia-Health Volunteers Overseas (SEA-HVO) Traveling Fellowship Program in which third-year residents receive scholarships and ABA credit for 1-month teaching electives in a low-resource country. Pre-elective and post-elective surveys were sent via de-identified e-mails during the third year of residency. We investigated residents’ expectations, plans, and comfort level with teaching techniques prior to the elective and after and asked about perceived benefits.

Results:

The response rate was 68.8% of the 45 residents who received the survey. Participants were motivated by professional and humanitarian goals. Residents reported improved comfort with teaching techniques, especially lecturing and giving feedback. Participants acquired better skills in assessing the learning needs of students. There was a slight but nonsignificant increased comfort dealing with cultural and language barriers. The major self-perceived unique benefit of international electives was improvement in intercultural communication. The systems’ changes reported by residents as the most important to improve were those that affected patient safety.

Conclusion:

Global health electives have a small positive effect on teaching, cultural proficiency, and systems assessment skills. Residents improve in their ability to identify educational needs and to give feedback. Patient safety during anesthetic care is appreciated as the most important systems’ need.
In pursuit of multidimensional justice: Lessons from a charcoal ‘greening’ project in Tanzania
Authors: Mabele Mathew Bukhi
Published: September 2019

Over the last 30 years, Tanzania has adopted different policy approaches to conserve forests. However, the idea that providing livelihood benefits is a key strategy for achieving conservation effectiveness has persisted throughout the shift from earlier integrated conservation and development approach to the ‘newer’ green economy. This one-dimensional conception of what ‘local people’ value and why precludes a clear understanding of substantive social justice considerations – what is being contested, why, and by whom – when conflicts arise in policy implementation settings. Using a green economy project that addresses charcoal-driven forest loss in Kilosa, the paper examines a conflict between forest conservation and farming and studies the variegated notions of justice that farmers express in relation to the conflict. The paper builds upon a developing strand in the political ecology literature, namely of empirical analyses of rural people’s justice conceptions in environmental conservation, to demonstrate analytic and practical values of a multidimensional justice framework. It illustrates how the framework can help to assess and reframe environmental interventions, going beyond one-dimensional conceptions, to focus attention on the diverse ways in which justice can be recognised or denied at different levels and in different ways for different groups of people. Particularly, it highlights that context matters, as despite the distributional ‘success’ of the project, disregarded concerns over procedural and recognition justice dimensions led to farmers’ loss of land, covert resistance, and continued struggles over compensations. This paper therefore argues that being attentive to a range of justice dimensions can expose locally valued and contested conservation aspects, as well as guide more just environmental conservation.
Mineral extinction
Authors: Mills Stuart J. , Christy Andrew G.
Published: September 2019

‘Mineral evolution’ has attracted much attention in the last decade as a counterpart of the long-established biological concept, but is there a corresponding ‘mineral extinction’? We present new geochronological data from uranium-bearing secondary minerals and show that they are relatively recent, irrespective of the age of their primary uranium sources. The secondary species that make up much of the diversity of minerals appear to be ephemeral, and many may have vanished from the geological record without trace. Nevertheless, an ‘extinct’ mineral species can recur when physiochemical conditions are appropriate. This reversibility of ‘extinction’ highlights the limitations of the ‘evolution’ analogy. Mineral occurrence may be time-dependent but does not show the unique contingency between precursor and successor species that is characteristic of biological evolution.
LncRNA XIST promotes extracellular matrix synthesis, proliferation and migration by targeting miR-29b-3p/COL1A1 in human skin fibroblasts after thermal injury
Authors: Cao Wei , Feng Youping
Published: September 2019

Background

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be associated with dermis process during burn wound healing. This study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) in human skin fibroblasts (HSF) and extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as the regulatory network of XIST/microRNA-29b-3p (miR-29b-3p)/collagen 1 alpha 1 (COL1A1).

Methods

The wound samples were collected from 25 patients with deep partial thickness burn at day 5 after burn. The thermal injured model was established using HSF cells. The expressions of XIST, miR-29b-3p and COL1A1 were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. ECM synthesis, cell proliferation and migration were detected by western blot, cell counting kit-8 and trans-well assays, respectively. The interaction between miR-29b-3p and XIST or COL1A1 was explored by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay.

Results

The expressions of XIST and COL1A1 were enhanced but miR-29b-3p expression was decreased after thermal injury. XIST overexpression promoted ECM synthesis, cell proliferation and migration in thermal injured HSF cells. However, XIST knockdown played an opposite effect. miR-29b-3p overexpression inhibited ECM synthesis, cell proliferation and migration, which was reversed by XIST. COL1A1 silence suppressed ECM synthesis, cell proliferation and migration by miR-29b-3p targeting. Moreover, COL1A1 up-regulation weakened the effect of XIST silence on ECM synthesis and HSF cell function.

Conclusion

XIST promoted ECM synthesis, cell proliferation and migration by sponging miR-29b-3p and targeting COL1A1 in HSF cells after thermal injury, indicating the promoting role of XIST in wound healing.
The comments of voices on the appearance of patients with psychosis: ‘the voices tell me that I am ugly’
Authors: Waite Felicity , Diamond Rowan , Collett Nicola , Chadwick Eleanor , Bold Emily , Teale Ashley-Louise , Taylor Kathryn M. , Kirkham Miriam , Twivy Eve , Causier Chiara , Carr Lydia , Bird Jessica C. , Černis Emma , Isham Louise , Freeman Daniel
Published: September 2019

Background

There are high rates of obesity and low self-esteem in patients with psychosis. The occurrence of negative voice content directly about appearance is therefore plausible. Derogatory comments about appearance are likely to be distressing, increase depression and contribute to social withdrawal.

Aims

To systematically assess the occurrence of voice content regarding appearance and identify correlates.

Method

Sixty patients experiencing verbal auditory hallucinations at least once a week in the context of non-affective psychosis completed a measure assessing positive and negative voice content about appearance. They also completed assessments about body image, self-esteem, psychiatric symptoms and well-being.

Results

Fifty-five (91.7%) participants reported hearing voices comment on their appearance. A total of 54 (90%) patients reported negative voice content about their appearance with 30 (50%) patients experienced negative appearance comments on a daily basis. The most common negative comment was ‘the voices tell me that I am ugly’ (n = 48, 80%). There were 39 (65%) patients who reported positive voice content on appearance. The most frequent positive comment was ‘I look as nice as other people’ (n = 26, 43.3%). Negative voice content about appearance was associated with body image concerns, paranoia, voice hearing severity, depression, worry, negative self-beliefs and safety-seeking behaviours. Positive appearance voice content was associated with greater body esteem and well-being and lower levels of depression and insomnia.

Conclusions

Voice content about appearance is very common for patients seen in clinical services. Negative voice content may reflect – and subsequently reinforce – negative beliefs about one's appearance, low self-esteem, worry and paranoia.

Declaration of interest

None.
Machine-Learning and Stochastic Tumor Growth Models for Predicting Outcomes in Patients With Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Siah Kien Wei , Khozin Sean , Wong Chi Heem , Lo Andrew W.
Published: September 2019

PURPOSE

The prediction of clinical outcomes for patients with cancer is central to precision medicine and the design of clinical trials. We developed and validated machine-learning models for three important clinical end points in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)—objective response (OR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS)—using routinely collected patient and disease variables.

METHODS

We aggregated patient-level data from 17 randomized clinical trials recently submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration evaluating molecularly targeted therapy and immunotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest studies of NSCLC to consider biomarker and inhibitor therapy as candidate predictive variables. We developed a stochastic tumor growth model to predict tumor response and explored the performance of a range of machine-learning algorithms and survival models. Models were evaluated on out-of-sample data using the standard area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and concordance index (C-index) performance metrics.

RESULTS

Our models achieved promising out-of-sample predictive performances of 0.79 area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% CI, 0.77 to 0.81), 0.67 C-index (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.69), and 0.73 C-index (95% CI, 0.72 to 0.74) for OR, PFS, and OS, respectively. The calibration plots for PFS and OS suggested good agreement between actual and predicted survival probabilities. In addition, the Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the difference in survival between the low- and high-risk groups was significant (log-rank test P < .001) for both PFS and OS.

CONCLUSION

Biomarker status was the strongest predictor of OR, PFS, and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies. However, single biomarkers have limited predictive value, especially for programmed death-ligand 1 immunotherapy. To advance beyond the results achieved in this study, more comprehensive data on composite multiomic signatures is required.
A Narrative Review of Oxygenation During Pediatric Intubation and Airway Procedures
Authors: Else Scott D. N. , Kovatsis Pete G.
Published: September 2019

Hypoxemia is a common complication in the pediatric operating room during endotracheal intubation and airway procedures and is a precursor to serious adverse events. Small children and infants are at greater risk of hypoxemia due to their high metabolic requirements and propensity to alveolar collapse during general anesthesia. To improve the care and safety of this vulnerable population, continued efforts must be directed to mitigate hypoxemia and the risk of subsequent serious adverse events. Apneic oxygenation has been shown to significantly prolong the safe apnea time until desaturation in infants, children, and adults and may reduce the incidence of desaturation during emergency intubation of critically ill patients. Successful apneic oxygenation depends on adequate preoxygenation, patent upper and lower airways, and a source of continuous oxygen delivery. Humidified, high-flow nasal oxygenation systems have been shown to provide excellent conditions for effective apneic oxygenation in adults and children and have the added benefit of providing some carbon dioxide clearance in adults; although, this latter benefit has not been shown in children. Humidified, high-flow nasal oxygenation systems may also be useful during spontaneous ventilation for airway procedures in children by minimizing room air entrainment and maintaining adequate oxygenation allowing for a deeper anesthetic. The use of apneic oxygenation and humidified, high-flow nasal oxygenation systems in the pediatric operating room reduces the incidence of hypoxemia and may be effective in decreasing related complications.
Trends in Postpartum Hemorrhage in the United States From 2010 to 2014
Authors: Reale Sharon C. , Easter Sarah R. , Xu Xinling , Bateman Brian T. , Farber Michaela K.
Published: September 2019

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States; its prevalence increased during the 1990s–2000s. The purpose of this study was to reevaluate trends in PPH using the National Inpatient Sample. From 2010 to 2014, the prevalence of PPH increased from 2.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7%–3.1%) to 3.2% (95% CI, 3.1%–3.3%) of deliveries. Adjusting for PPH risk factors did not substantially attenuate this trend. Among patients with PPH, there was a decline in associated coagulopathy, acute respiratory failure, and maternal death, but an increase in sepsis and acute renal failure. Continued focus on PPH management is warranted.
Paf1c defects challenge the robustness of flower meristem termination inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Fal Kateryna , Cortes Matthieu , Liu Mengying , Collaudin Sam , Das Pradeep , Hamant Olivier , Trehin Christophe
Published: September 2019

While accumulating evidence suggests that gene regulation is highly stochastic, genetic screens successfully uncovered master developmental regulators, questioning the relationship between transcriptional noise and intrinsic robustness of development. Here we use the Arabidopsis Paf1c mutant vip3, which is impaired in several RNA Pol II-dependent transcriptional processes, to identify developmental modules that are more or less resilient to large-scale genetic perturbations. We find that the control of flower termination is not as robust as classically pictured. In Angiosperms, the floral female organs, called carpels, display determinate growth: their development requires the arrest of stem cell maintenance. In vip3 mutant flowers, carpels displayed a highly variable morphology, with different degrees of indeterminacy defects up to wild-type size inflorescence emerging from carpels. This phenotype was associated with a variable expression of two key regulators of flower termination and stem cell maintenance in flowers, WUSCHEL and AGAMOUS. This phenotype was also highly dependent on growth conditions. Altogether, these results highlight the surprisingly plastic nature of stem cell maintenance in plants, and its Paf1c dependence.
Distinct functions and temporal regulation of methylated histone H3 during early embryogenesis
Authors: Mutlu Beste , Chen Huei-Mei , Gutnik Silvia , Hall David H. , Keppler-Ross Sabine , Mango Susan E.
Published: September 2019

During the first hours of embryogenesis, formation of higher-order heterochromatin coincides with the loss of developmental potential. Here, we examine the relationship between these two events, and we probe the processes that contribute to the timing of their onset. Mutations that disrupt histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methyltransferases reveal that the methyltransferase MET-2 helps terminate developmental plasticity, through mono- and di-methylation of H3K9 (me1/me2), and promotes heterochromatin formation, through H3K9me3. Although loss of H3K9me3 perturbs formation of higher-order heterochromatin, embryos are still able to terminate plasticity, indicating that the two processes can be uncoupled. Methylated H3K9 appears gradually in developing C. elegans embryos and depends on nuclear localization of MET-2. We find that the timing of H3K9me2 and nuclear MET-2 is sensitive to rapid cell cycles, but not to zygotic genome activation or cell counting. These data reveal distinct roles for different H3K9 methylation states in the generation of heterochromatin and loss of developmental plasticity by MET-2, and identify the cell cycle as a crucial parameter of MET-2 regulation.
Wheat AGAMOUS LIKE 6 transcription factors function in stamen development by regulating the expression of Ta APETALA3
Authors: Su Yali , Liu Jinxing , Liang Wanqi , Dou Yanhua , Fu Ruifeng , Li Wenqiang , Feng Cuizhu , Gao Caixia , Zhang Dabing , Kang Zhensheng , Li Haifeng
Published: September 2019

Previous studies have revealed the functions of rice and maize AGAMOUS LIKE 6 (AGL6) genes OsMADS6 and ZAG3, respectively, in floral development; however, the functions of three wheat (Triticum aestivum) AGL6 genes are still unclear. Here, we have reported the main functions of wheat AGL6 homoeologous genes in stamen development. In RNAi plants, stamens showed abnormality in number, morphology, and a tendency to transform into carpels. Consistently, the expression of B-class gene TaAPETALA3 (AP3) and auxin-responsive gene TaMGH3 was down-regulated, whereas the wheat ortholog of the rice carpel identity gene DROOPING LEAF was ectopically expressed in RNAi stamens. TaAGL6 proteins bind to the promoter of TaAP3 directly. Yeast one hybrid and transient expression assays further showed that TaAGL6 positively regulate the expression of TaAP3 in vivo. Wheat AGL6 transcription factors interact with TaAP3, TaAGAMOUS and TaMADS13. Our findings indicate that TaAGL6 transcription factors play an essential role in stamen development through transcriptional regulation of TaAP3 and other related genes. We have proposed a model to illustrate the function and probable mechanism. This study extends our understanding of AGL6 genes.
The control of gene expression and cell identity by H3K9 trimethylation
Authors: Ninova Maria , Fejes Tóth Katalin , Aravin Alexei A.
Published: September 2019

Histone 3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) is a conserved histone modification that is best known for its role in constitutive heterochromatin formation and the repression of repetitive DNA elements. More recently, it has become evident that H3K9me3 is also deposited at certain loci in a tissue-specific manner and plays important roles in regulating cell identity. Notably, H3K9me3 can repress genes encoding silencing factors, pointing to a fundamental principle of repressive chromatin auto-regulation. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that H3K9me3 deposition requires protein SUMOylation in different contexts, suggesting that the SUMO pathway functions as an important module in gene silencing and heterochromatin formation. In this Review, we discuss the role of H3K9me3 in gene regulation in various systems and the molecular mechanisms that guide the silencing machinery to target loci.
RadiationGeneSigDB: a database of oxic and hypoxic radiation response gene signatures and their utility in pre-clinical research
Authors: Manem Venkata SK , Dhawan Andrew
Published: September 2019

Objective:

Radiation therapy is among the most effective and widely used modalities of cancer therapy in current clinical practice. In this era of personalized radiation medicine, high-throughput data now provide the means to investigate novel biomarkers of radiation response. Large-scale efforts have identified several radiation response signatures, which poses two challenges, namely, their analytical validity and redundancy of gene signatures.

Methods:

To address these fundamental radiogenomics questions, we curated a database of gene expression signatures predictive of radiation response under oxic and hypoxic conditions. RadiationGeneSigDB has a collection of 11 oxic and 24 hypoxic signatures with the standardized gene list as a gene symbol, Entrez gene ID, and its function. We present the utility of this database by gaining an understanding of hypoxia-associated miRNA by applying a penalized multivariate model; by comparing breast cancer oxic signatures in cell line data vs patient data; and by comparing the similarity of head and neck cancer hypoxia signatures at the pathway level in clinical tumour data.

Results:

We obtained a set of miRNA highly associated both positively and negatively to the hypoxia gene signatures, across pan-cancer. In addition, we identified moderate correlations between breast cancer oxic signatures in patient data, and significant differences across molecular subtypes. Moreover, we also found that different set of pathways to be enriched using the head and neck hypoxia signatures, although, they are found to be concordant when applied on the patient data.

Conclusion:

This valuable, curated repertoire of published gene expression signatures provides motivating case studies for how to search for similarities in radiation response for tumours arising from different tissues across model systems under oxic and hypoxic conditions, and how a well-curated set of gene signatures can be used to generate novel biological hypotheses about the functions of non-coding RNA.

Advances in knowledge:

We envision that RadiationSigDB database will help accelerate preclinical radiotherapeutic discovery pipelines in terms of analytical validity of novel biomarkers of radiation response and the need for ensemble approaches to clinical genomic biomarkers.
Breast cancer screening in average-risk women: towards personalized screening
Authors: Bitencourt Almir GV , Rossi Saccarelli Carolina , Kuhl Christiane , Morris Elizabeth A
Published: September 2019

Breast cancer screening is widely recognized for reducing breast cancer mortality. The objective in screening is to diagnose asymptomatic early stage disease, thereby improving treatment efficacy. Screening recommendations have been widely debated over the past years and controversies remain regarding the optimal screening frequency, age to start screening, and age to end screening. While there are no new trials, follow-up information of randomized controlled trials has become available. The American College of Physicians recently issued a new guidance statement on screening for breast cancer in average-risk women, with similar recommendations to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and to European guidelines. However, these guidelines differ from those ofother American specialty societies. The variations reflect differences in the organizations’ values, the metrics used to evaluate screening results, and the differences in healthcare organization (individualized or state-organized healthcare). False-positive rates and overdiagnosis of biologically insignificant cancer are perceived as the most important potential harms associated with mammographic screening; however, there is limited evidence on their actual consequences. Most specialty societies agree that physicians should offer mammographic screening at age 40 years for average-risk women and discuss its benefits and potential harms to achieve a personalized screening strategy through a shared decision-making process.
NHS hospital readiness to embrace the proposed NICE guidelines on abdominal aortic aneurysm: a public perspective
Authors: Misro A , Kanagalingam D , Theivacumar S
Published: September 2019

Introduction

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a draft consultation update on abdominal aortic aneurysm, which was expected to be published on 7 November 2018. This article analyses the readiness of NHS hospitals and their workforce to embrace the proposed guidelines.

Methods

The trust and individual surgeon-level anonymised data in the public domain for elective, rupture and complex abdominal aortic aneurysm cases were collected and analysed for all the acute care trusts providing these services from the Vascular Society of Great Briton and Ireland’s prospective National Vascular Registry database.

Results

Of the 95 acute care trusts providing the service for the year 2017, the annual volume of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (both endovascular and open repairs) ranged between 0 and 137. Of these, 64 (67.36%) trusts had an annual volume of fewer than 60 cases. A total of 366 (approximately 75% of 490) vascular surgeons have performed 10 or fewer open abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs in three years (2014–2016) with a mean operating volume of 1.452 procedures per surgeon per three years (n = 254, median 0, interquartile range, IQR, 0–3, 0.484 procedures per surgeon per year) and about 51% of the vascular surgeons have only performed five or fewer procedures in those three years with a mean operating volume of 3.455 per surgeon per three years (n = 367, median 3, IQR 0–3, 1.151 per surgeon per year).

Conclusion

The observations show that most UK acute hospitals lack the optimum case volume necessary to embrace the proposed change in the guideline.
Reading Stuart Hall: the influence of the New Left on social work
Authors: Cummins Ian
Published: September 2019

This article will discuss the work of the late cultural and political theorist Professor Stuart Hall (1932–2014). Hall made hugely significant contributions in cultural studies. In addition, he was one of the first thinkers on the Left to recognise the huge seismic shift that the electoral success of Margaret Thatcher in 1979 represented. Hall made a huge contribution to the development of progressive politics. His analysis of the centrality of race, empire and colonialism to the formation of modern Britain and its ongoing significance was a key element in the anti-racist politics of the 1970s and 1980s. These developments were very influential in the development of critical and radical social work perspectives. This article will argue that Hall’s work provides a theoretical and conceptual toolkit for a radical analysis of contemporary politics and culture. Social workers, academics and other practitioners can use this toolkit to develop critical perspectives on social work practice and other aspects of social and welfare policies.
Investigating the role of drama in two enabling courses in Australia
Authors: Carter Carol , Sallis Richard
Published: September 2019

This article discusses the use of drama as a method for teaching and learning using two case studies from different geographical locations and teaching contexts in Australia. The first, from the University of Newcastle, is in the field of enabling education that supports students to gain the knowledge and skills required to continue their journey to a higher education degree. The other, from an existing university pre-service teaching programme at the University of Melbourne, supports students to gain the knowledge and skills required to enter the teaching profession in an Australian context. Both case studies, which are also part of a broader, ongoing research project, examine the role drama can play in the creation of supportive dialogical spaces for learning in higher education contexts, where the students come from a diverse range of socio-cultural backgrounds. The qualitative research is framed by practitioner research, pedagogical methodology and ethnodrama. Dramatized dialogue is used to share our findings. To date, our research has revealed that drama education techniques and activities, and the use of ethnodrama, can both enhance student participation and engagement, and contribute to successfully achieving the aims and objectives of the respective programmes.
Grappling with distance: Making theatre across continents, cultures, languages and race
Authors: Winner Lucy
Published: September 2019

In this reflection, I critically examine two moments in the ten-year practice of the Winter/Summer Institute (WSI) that illuminate the complexities of working across multiple layers of distance – geographic, cultural, linguistic, racial and educational. WSI, an applied theatre project co-founded by eight artists and educators from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Lesotho, Southern Africa, has provided a space for exploration, interaction and collaboration with participants from vastly different cultures. It began in 2006 in Lesotho, in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and has brought people together to question assumptions and biases, engage in problem-solving, improvise ideas and create exciting theatre. Using WSI’s Lesotho work as its foundation, I seek to explore a number of key questions: How, in taking up contentious social issues, can participants – including facilitators – be pushed to grapple with embeddedness in our own cultural landscapes? How does one prepare to work across huge differences while refraining from imposing our own normative outcomes? And, in collaborative theatre working across distances and differences, how do we weigh and address conflicting claims to truth, particularly when so much is at stake? This reflection describes how, in grappling with these kinds of questions, the best preparation for our applied theatre work is that which allows us to think deeply ahead of time and to be as nimble as possible in navigating the moment to moment, the unexpected. This article points to the importance of recognizing the rich potential that exists for competing narratives and for multiple interpretations, and the value of being critically aware of our own discomforts and of trying to step back from them.
Fatores motivacionais no desempenho da equipe de enfermagem
Authors: Lúcio Karlla Danielle Leite , Albuquerque Brandão Maria Girlane Sousa , Aguiar Deborah Vasconcelos , Silva Leonardo Alexandrino da , Caetano Joselany Áfio , Barros Lívia Moreira
Published: September 2019

Objetivo: identificar a percepção da equipe de enfermagem sobre os fatores motivacionais no ambiente de trabalho. Métodos: estudo exploratório com abordagem qualitativa, realizado de janeiro a fevereiro de 2015, no setor de Pediatria de um hospital referência de média complexidade, com 12 técnicos de enfermagem e nove enfermeiros. A coleta de dados ocorreu a partir de entrevistas guiadas por instrumento semiestruturado e os dados coletados foram analisados de acordo com Bardin. Resultados: Os principais fatores que podem contribuir com a motivação da equipe de enfermagem foram: suprimento suficiente de materiais; reuniões motivacionais; padronização das condutas e elaboração de protocolos assistenciais; cursos de capacitação e treinamentos; aumento da comunicação e feedback entre a equipe das atividades realizadas. Já os fatores que desmotivam foram: falta de reconhecimento da profissão, falta de material, má remuneração, carga horária excessiva, número alto de pacientes e críticas não construtivas. Conclusões: os resultados identificados poderão contribuir com os gestores da enfermagem para o planejamento de estratégias que visem aumentar a motivação nos profissionais da equipe.
Exercise and Vitamin D Supplementation Modify Spleen Morphology in Lean, but not, in Monosodium-Glutamate-Obese Rats
Authors: Guareschi Zoé Maria , Ceglarek Vanessa Marieli , Rodrigues Patrick Fontes , Huning Luiz Pierre , Festinalli Cintia , Amorim João Paulo de Arruda , Grassiolli Sabrina
Published: September 2019

We evaluated the effect of exercise and vitamin D supplementation on histological aspects of the spleens of lean and obese rats. Male Wistar rats received neonatal administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG; 4g/Kg), while Control (CON) rats received an equimolar solution. At 30 days of age, CON and MSG rats were subdivided into Exercised (E) or Sedentary (S) groups and Vitamin D (VD; 12µg/Kg) supplemented or non-supplemented (NS) groups. At the 86th day of life, rats were euthanized, and their body weights and adiposity were evaluated. Spleens were submitted to histomorphometric analysis of the white pulp (WP), germinal center (GC) and lymphatic nodule (LN). Data are presented as mean ± SEM (p<0.05). MSG treatment promoted a reduction in spleen weight, increased LN thickness and WP area, but reduced GC occupation, compared to spleens of CON-lean rats (p<0.05). Exercise and VD did not provoke changes in the spleens of MSG-obese rats. In CON-lean rats, E and VD induced augmentation of LN thickness. VD supplementation increased the WP area, while E reduced GC area occupation in spleens of CON-lean rats (p<0.05). In conclusion, exercise and VD supplementation increased LN thickness and WP area, but had the opposite effect on the GC in spleens of CON-lean rats. However, neither exercise nor VD supplementation prevented the development of morphological abnormalities in the spleens of MSG-obese rats.
Editorial comments for the reprinted article by prof. M.B. Zimmerman “Salt iodization decreased the risk of thyrotoxicosis in Denmark by the halve”, doi: 10.14341/ket10379
Authors: Gerasimov Gregory A.
Published: September 2019

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Sex determination in Northern Thai from crania by using computer-aided design software and conventional caliper methods
Authors: Thuanthong Toonlanat , Sudwan Paiwan
Published: September 2019

Background

Identification of sex from skeletal remains is an essential step in forensic anthropology. The skull is the second choice, after the pelvis, to estimate sex by osteometric methods.

Objective

To evaluate the process of identification of sex in Northern Thai from crania by using computer-aided design (AutoCAD) software and conventional caliper methods.

Methods

Dry skulls of 86 men and 74 women were examined. AutoCAD software and digital calipers were used to measure dimensions. Eleven of the 15 parameters were created for this study.

Results

Men are significantly larger than women in all parameters, except in the nasospinale–prosthion measurement. There were no significant differences in the intraobserver error test and between the AutoCAD and digital caliper measurements. The logistic regression analysis yielded a sex classification accuracy rate of 92.9% in men, 93.4% in women, and 93.1% of overall accuracy for AutoCAD software. When using digital calipers, there was an accuracy rate of 89.3% in men, 94.7% in women, and 91.9% for overall accuracy.

Conclusions

AutoCAD software is a reliable method to predict the sex and provide high accuracy in sex determination from crania.
The integral polytope group
Authors: Funke Florian
Published: September 2019

We show that the Grothendieck group associated to integral polytopes in ℝnis free-abelian, by providing an explicit basis. Moreover, we identify the involution on this polytope group given by reflection about the origin as a sum of Euler characteristic type. We also compute the kernel of the norm map sending a polytope to its induced seminorm on the dual of ℝn.