bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recycling and Reinforcing Intimomedial Flap of the Infrarenal Aorta Using Anterior Longitudinal Ligament in Patients With Acute Trauma With Bowel Injuries
Authors: Jovanovic Milan , Radojkovic Milan , Djordjevic Predrag , Rancic Dejan , Jovanovic Nemanja , Rancic Zoran
Published: August 2017

We present a patient with blunt abdominal trauma with severe acute right limb ischemia and clinical signs of diffuse peritonitis. Computed tomography angiography showed circumferential dissection of the infrarenal aorta with occlusion of the right common iliac artery. We opted for simultaneous abdomen exploration and open repair of injured aorta. Critical weakening of the aortic wall with imminent rupture was identified intraoperatively. Aortotomy cranially from bifurcation showed circumferential intimomedial dissection. The fixation of fragile intimomedial flap of aortic dissection was achieved with reinforcement using an anterior longitudinal ligament. The long aortoiliac arteriotomy was repaired using a great saphenous vein patch. Patient had uneventful postoperative course and was discharged after 7 days. In patients with abdominal polytrauma with peritonitis, and no available endovascular tools, open surgery for circumferential aortic dissection is possible and successful. Described reinforcement of the posterior aortic wall to the anterior longitudinal ligament should be added to the armamentarium of aortic injury treatment.
Visual Correlates of Fitness to Drive in Adults With Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Classen Sherrilene , Krasniuk Sarah , Morrow Sarah A. , Alvarez Liliana , Monahan Miriam , Danter Tim , Rosehart Heather
Published: August 2017

The impact of visual and visual-cognitive impairments on fitness to drive in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are not well studied. We quantified visual correlates of fitness to drive in 30 PwMS. PwMS completed visual ability and visual attention assessments, and a standardized on-road assessment, and were compared with 145 older volunteer drivers. PwMS (vs. older volunteer drivers) made more total ( W = 12,139, p = .03) and critical driving errors (predictive of crashes) in adjustment to stimuli ( W = 11,352, p < .0001), vehicle positioning ( W = 11,449, p < .0001), and wide lane turns ( W = 9,932, p < .0001). PwMS who failed (vs. passed) made more total ( W = 325, p = .04), adjustment to stimuli ( W = 321.5, p = .02), and gap acceptance errors ( W = 333, p = .03). For PwMS, adjustment to stimuli errors moderately correlated with visual acuity (ρ = .50, p = .006), and gap acceptance errors moderately correlated with visual processing speed (ρ = .40, p = .03). Visual-cognitive impairments may be indicative of critical driving errors and help identify PwMS at-risk for fitness to drive.
Quantitative evaluation of arteriovenous malformation hemodynamic changes after endovascular treatment using parametric color coding: A case series study
Authors: Rivera Rodrigo , Sordo Juan G , Echeverria Daniel , Badilla Lautaro , Pinto Camila , Merino-Osorio Catalina
Published: August 2017

Background

Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are complex vascular lesions. Endovascular treatment results are usually measured by calculating the volume reduction of the lesions. Nevertheless, vascular flow quantification seems a more physiologically accurate way of measuring endovascular results. We evaluated the use of parametric color coding (PCC) with digital subtraction angiography (DSA), in order to determine the feasibility of PCC to detect and measure the impact of AVM endovascular treatment-induced changes using real-time hemodynamic parameters.

Methods and results

Supratentorial brain AVM treatment was evaluated in 29 patients over the course of 38 sessions. Using regions of interest (ROIs) at the carotid siphon, arterial feeder, drainage vein and venous sinus, we found significant increase in time to peak (TTP) values at the arterial feeder, drainage vein and venous sinus. We compared TTP in four different embolization volume groups: I (0–25%), II (26–50%), III (51–75%) and IV (76–100%). We found significant differences between groups and a moderate correlation between embolization percentages, as well as an increase in TTP at the main vein ROI; but not in the arterial side or sinus.

Conclusions

Brain AVM endovascular treatment results can be quantified in vivo with PCC. PCC is capable of detecting hemodynamic changes after brain AVM endovascular treatment, that may reflect flow drop, and it is correlated with volume embolization.
Use of smoking cessation products: A survey of patients in community pharmacies
Authors: Phung Alan , Luo Lauren , Breik Noor , Alessi-Severini Silvia
Published: August 2017

Objectives:

At 17.3%, smoking rates in Manitoba continue to exceed the national average. In this province, a total health care spending of more than $200 million per year has been attributed to smoking. This study examined the use of smoking cessation agents, including nicotine replacement products and prescription medications, in a sample of smokers in the city of Winnipeg.

Methods:

A simple multiple-choice questionnaire was administered to willing individuals attending 2 community pharmacies in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Data on demographics, smoking habits, previous attempts of smoking cessation and previous and current use of over-the-counter and prescription smoking cessation products were collected anonymously.

Results:

Of the 2237 individuals who were approached, 586 were smokers (26.2%) and 180 responded to the survey (30.7%); 48.9% were female. A majority of smokers (32.8%) reported smoking 16 to 25 cigarettes per day. More than 90% had smoked for more than 5 years, 27.2% had more than 5 previous quit attempts and 82.1% used smoking cessation products with the intention to quit. Self-motivation (44.4%) and family/friend advice (28.3%) were major reasons for quitting. Impact of health care practitioners’ advice was low (6.4%). More than 80% of respondents reported that they had no insurance coverage for their smoking cessation products. Despite having the highest rate of use, both nicotine gum (33.3%) and patches (24.4%) were reported to have lower rates of perceived efficacy. Electronic cigarette (97.9%) and varenicline (70.6%) had the highest rates of reported effectiveness.

Conclusion:

Smokers wanting to quit undergo many attempts. Pharmacists should assume a key role in reaching out to smokers.
Jury Nullification: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?
Authors: Marder Nancy S.
Published: August 2017

Juries have the power to nullify, but not the right. As a result, judges do not instruct jurors on nullification. If jurors learn about this power, they can exercise it. However, if they indicate their intentions during deliberations, they can be removed from the jury. This state of affairs, in which the judge does not tell jurors of their full power and jurors have to be careful not to signal their intent to nullify, is harmful to the judge-jury relationship. If judges instructed jurors on their power, jurors would be fully informed and would be able to trust the judge.
Clinical staging of NSCLC: current evidence and implications for adjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Heineman David J. , Daniels Johannes M. , Schreurs Wilhelmina H.
Published: August 2017

Survival of all non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is disappointing, with a 5-year survival of 18%. Staging NSCLC patients is crucial because it determines the choice of treatment and prognosis. Clinical staging is a complex process that comes with many challenges and with low accuracy between the clinical and pathological stage. Treatment modalities for stage I–III NSCLC consist of surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This review describes the current evidence on staging and the implications on adjuvant chemotherapy. For stage I disease, staging is most accurate. Primary treatment consists of surgery or stereotactic ablative radiotherapy. When a patient has stage II disease, staging is less accurate because more diagnostic modalities are necessary to stage the mediastinal lymph nodes. Surgery remains the primary treatment modality and platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy gives a 4% 5-year survival benefit. Staging patients with stage III disease is difficult because of the heterogeneity of the patients. It should be decided if a patient has potentially resectable disease with or without risk of incomplete resection. Induction therapy with chemo(radio)therapy followed by surgical resection or definitive chemoradiotherapy are the treatments of choice. The 5-year survival can reach 44% in selected patients. Decisions in staging and treating patients with NSCLC should be made by a multidisciplinary team with sufficient expertise in all aspects of staging and treatment.
Sustained remission in rheumatoid arthritis: latest evidence and clinical considerations
Authors: Ajeganova Sofia , Huizinga Tom
Published: August 2017

Sustained remission is an ultimate treatment goal in the management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Historically the frequency of sustained remission was low but the frequency of achieved sustained remission is increasing over time. The last years’ clinical studies of tight control targeted treatment and intervention trials of early use of intensive strategy suggest that these treatment strategies are associated with higher rates of sustained remission. Achievement of sustained remission, in particular but not limited to early sustained remission, can provide tapering and stopping disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). With new treatment strategies drug-free sustained remission is becoming an achievable goal. Sustained remission is associated with improved outcomes in regard to function, patient-reported outcomes and survival. Drug-free sustained remission is characterized by normalized function ability and survival. Sustained remission and, in particular, drug-free sustained remission offer hope that early identification of patients with arthritis, early improved novel treatments and treatment with target to achieve remission may potentially transform the progressive course of RA disease and disrupt RA chronicity.

In this review we summarize the recent evidence on sustained remission in patients with RA, treatment strategies to achieve sustained remission, management of patients in sustained remission and significance of sustained remission from the patient perspective.
Toward an Integrated Cognition Perspective on Ethnic Prejudice
Authors: De keersmaecker Jonas , Bostyn Dries H. , Fontaine Johnny R. J. , Van Hiel Alain , Roets Arne
Published: August 2017

Both ability and motivation aspects of cognition have been shown to relate to ethnic prejudice. In line with recent theorizing, the present study advances an integrated cognition perspective on ethnic prejudice by examining the interplay between cognitive ability (measured with the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test) and cognitive motivation (measured with the Need for Cognitive Closure [NFC] Scale) in a Belgian, heterogeneous adult sample ( N = 315). Path analysis revealed that intelligence and NFC each have unique and independent effects on ethnic prejudice, and that both right-wing authoritarianism and essentialist thinking play a mediating role in these effects. Hence, although cognitive abilities and motivations are to some extent interrelated and operate in similar ways, they uniquely and additively contribute to the explained variance in ethnic prejudice.
To Confront or to Avoid
Authors: Kemper Nathan S. , Newheiser Anna-Kaisa
Published: August 2017

What do people want to do in response to witnessing someone violate a moral norm? Prior research posits that violations of distinct norms elicit specific emotions, specifically anger and disgust. We examined whether moral violations analogously elicit distinct behavioral responses, focusing on desires to confront and avoid moral violators. Participants read scenarios depicting harmful and impure actions (Study 1) or violations of all six content domains proposed by Moral Foundations Theory (Study 2). Bayesian inference revealed that participants expressed distinctively high levels of desire to avoid (vs. confront) violators of purity norms. Violations of other moral norms did not similarly elicit unique patterns of avoidance or confrontation. Thus, behavioral responses to moral violators depend in part on which norm was violated, with impure acts eliciting a uniquely strong avoidance response. Moral judgment can serve as a precursor to strategic action in the face of perceived immorality.
Consequences of Brexit for European Union criminal law
Authors: Weyembergh Anne
Published: August 2017

The United Kingdom has almost always been a fierce defender of its insularity and its national sovereignty. It has been a fervent advocate of the intergovernmental method and has put up stiff resistance to more integration in the field of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. Since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and the communitarization of the sector, it has benefited from an exceptional status in the European criminal justice area and from an unusual pick and choose capacity, leading to risks of deep imbalances in the sector. Consequently, the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU could, at first sight, generate a certain amount of relief. However, a deeper analysis about the future of criminal cooperation within the EU without the United Kingdom leads to temper such positive feeling, particularly because of the United Kingdom’s high level of expertise in the field and because of the sensitive questions Brexit raises. One of these is to know what mechanisms will replace the existing ones. Depending on the answer, Brexit might be hard or soft, which will be crucial in terms of maintaining (or not) the effectiveness of the fight against crime and preservation of the superior interest of criminal justice. Another issue is to determine who will negotiate: the EU, the Members States or both? The obvious risk here is that of diluting European criminal law and the danger of some parts of this law being sucked out of the EU’s institutional framework.
Current and emerging treatment options for mantle cell lymphoma
Authors: Fakhri Bita , Kahl Brad
Published: August 2017

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma with typically aggressive behavior. The genetic signature is the chromosomal translocation t(11;14)(q13;q32) resulting in overexpression of cyclin D1. Asymptomatic newly diagnosed MCL patients with low tumor burden can be closely observed, deferring therapy to the time of disease progression. Although MCL classically responds to upfront chemotherapy, it remains incurable with standard approaches. For patients in need of frontline therapy, the initial decision is whether to proceed with an intensive treatment strategy or a non-intensive treatment strategy. In general, given the unfavorable risk–benefit profile, older MCL patients should be spared intensive strategies, while younger and fit patients can be considered for intensive strategies. The bendamustine and rituximab (BR) regimen is becoming an increasingly popular treatment option among the elderly population, with improved progression-free survival (PFS) and acceptable side-effect profile. Although rituximab maintenance after R-CHOP improves survival outcomes in elderly patients, no clinical trial to date has shown statistical significance to support the use of rituximab maintenance after BR induction in older patients. In young and fit patients with MCL, an intensive strategy to maximize the length of first remission has emerged as a worldwide standard of care. With current high-dose cytarabine-containing immunochemotherapy regimens followed by autologous stem cell transplantation, the median PFS has exceeded 7 years. In the relapsed or refractory (R/R) setting, reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may offer the highest likelihood of long-term survival in young R/R MCL patients, at the cost of increased risk of non-relapse mortality and chronic graft versus host disease. Novel agents targeting activated pathways in MCL cells, such as bortezomib, lenalidamide, ibrutinib and temsirolimus are now available for the management of R/R disease.
Open sesame: Analysing Public Library of Science as a site of production and distribution for open access scientific information and knowledge
Authors: Mitchell Scott S.D.
Published: August 2017

This article explores the Public Library of Science as a site that produces and disseminates open access scientific information and knowledge for the public good. Through this case study, issues of property ownership, the nature and political economy of biological information, scientific expertise and accessibility of information and scientific knowledge as a public good are considered. Drawing on a cultural industries perspective, I examine the various intermediaries and institutional arrangements that continue to impact and shape the production and dissemination of this open access knowledge. I suggest that Public Library of Science embodies a new mode for the social production of scholarly knowledge and its dissemination, with important implications for how scientific knowledge and expertise are created, certified and circulated.
Effect of Changes in Artificial Turf on Sports Injuries in Male University Soccer Players
Authors: Fujitaka Kohei , Taniguchi Akira , Kumai Tsukasa , Otuki Shingo , Okubo Mamoru , Tanaka Yasuhito
Published: August 2017

Background:

Studies comparing the types and severity of trauma and injuries caused by different types of field surfaces have been conducted. However, there have been no studies on sports injuries caused by temporal deterioration of long-pile artificial turf fields and related decreases in the rubber chip and silica sand infill.

Purpose:

To investigate the influence of an artificial turf field on sports injuries in a university soccer team.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiological study.

Methods:

A total of 397 male soccer players who were members of a single university soccer team were surveyed over a 12-year period, from April 2003 to March 2015. During this period, the team played for 4 years on a soil field (2003-2006) and 8 years on artificial turf (2007-2014). We analyzed the effect of changes in the artificial turf on the incidence rate of sports injuries (injury rate per 1000 athlete-exposures). We calculated the incidence rate of injuries sustained by the team and compared the results for each year of the study.

Results:

After conversion of the field to artificial turf, there was a significant increase in the incidence of upper extremity trauma ( P < .05). There was a significant increase in lower extremity sprains from 2007 to 2008, 1 year after the conversion from soil to artificial turf ( P < .05). Analysis of the incidence of lower extremity muscle strain indicated that although the injury rate increased progressively, it decreased significantly after the insertion of additional rubber chips in 2014 ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

After conversion to artificial turf, there was a significant increase in the incidence of upper extremity trauma. After the refurbishing with additional rubber chips, the incidence of lower extremity muscle strain significantly declined. When analyzing measures that could prevent sports injuries related to soccer, it is necessary to take into consideration the changes that occur to the artificial turf over time.
When Harry Resigns Unexpectedly: An Asynchronous Discussion Role-Play for the Online Management Classroom
Authors: Gibson Lindsey A. , Ward Dick , Comer Debra R. , Rossi Ken
Published: August 2017

Management instructors are continually challenged to create learning activities in online courses that duplicate the same opportunities to develop managerial skills afforded to students in traditional face-to-face courses. The purpose of this experiential exercise is to provide online students an opportunity to develop the soft skills all managers need to be successful in the 21st-century workplace. To do this, we use Kolb’s learning cycle theory to guide students through an experiential learning exercise. Specifically, an online and updated version of a previously published exercise is developed to facilitate student learning through demonstrating organizational behavior and leadership concepts in a group role-play. Instructors teaching organizational behavior and/or leadership courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels will find this exercise applicable to their classes and teaching portfolio. Teaching notes and instructions for conducting the exercise are outlined. All materials necessary for successfully conducting the exercise are provided as are student reactions to the experience.
Styrene maleic acid encapsulated raloxifene micelles for management of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Greish Khaled , Taha Safa , Jasim Anfal , Elghany Sara Abd , Sultan Ameera , AlKhateeb Ali , Othman Manal , Jun Fang , Taurin Sebastien , Bakhiet Moiz
Published: August 2017

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises a group of disorders that manifest through chronic inflammation of the colon and small intestine. Although the exact cause of IBD is still unclear, dysfunctional immunoregulation involving overproduction of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF‐α, and IL‐6 have been implicated in pathogenesis. Current therapy relies on immunosuppression, cytotoxic drugs, and monoclonal antibodies against TNF‐α. These classes of drugs have severe side‐effects, especially when used for long duration. Our previous work with raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, has shown that the drug, and to a greater extent its micellar formulation, has a significant suppressive effect on NF‐κB, an essential immune‐regulator. This finding directed the current work towards testing the anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of raloxifene using cell lines, as well as testing the potential use of the styrene maleic acid (SMA) micelles loaded with raloxifene (SMA‐Ral) against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced colitis in an in vivo model of IBD.

Results

Treatment of MCF‐7 cells with TNF‐α was shown to protect the cells from the cytotoxic effect of raloxifene (42 vs. 10% cell death, with TNF‐α. Treating CaCo‐2 cells with both free and SMA‐Ral improved cell survival after exposure to 2% DDS with significantly higher protection with SMA‐Ral. Treatment of U‐937 with SMA‐Ral and free‐Ral resulted in down‐regulation of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and MIP1α, with greater inhibition of the SMA‐Ral, compared to free Ral. Balb/c mice treated with raloxifene and SMA‐Ral showed weight gain at 14 days, compared to the control group (122, and 115% respectively). Treatment with raloxifene prevented DSS‐induced diarrhea in 6/6 of free raloxifene treated mice and in 5/6 mice treated with SMA‐Ral. Control group of DSS‐treated mice showed average colon length of 7.4 cm compared to 13 cm in the control group. The average colon length was 12.3 and 11.5 cm for raloxifene and SMA‐Ral treated groups, respectively. Furthermore, inflammatory cytokines such as IL‐6 and TNF‐α were reduced in serum of animals treated with free‐Ral and SMA‐Ral.

Conclusions

Raloxifene and its micellar formulation warrants further studies to understand their effect on the treatment of colitis.
Accounting for relaxation during pulse effects for long pulses and fast relaxation times in surface nuclear magnetic resonance
Authors: Grombacher Denys , Behroozmand Ahmad A. , Auken Esben
Published: August 2017

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a geophysical technique providing noninvasive insight into aquifer properties. To ensure that reliable water content estimates are produced, accurate modeling of the excitation process is necessary. This requires that relaxation during pulse (RDP) effects be accounted for because they may lead to biased water content estimates if neglected. In surface NMR, RDP is not directly included into the excitation modeling, rather it is accounted for by adjusting the time at which the initial amplitude of the signal is calculated. Previous work has demonstrated that estimating the initial amplitude of the signal as the value obtained by extrapolating the observed signal to the middle of the pulse can greatly improve performance for the on-resonance pulse. To better understand the reliability of these types of approaches (which do not directly include RDP in the modeling), the performance of these approaches is tested using numerical simulations for a broad range of conditions, including for multiple excitation pulse types. Hardware advances that now allow the routine measurement of much faster relaxation times (where these types of approaches may lead to poor water content estimates) and a recent desire to use alternative transmit schemes demand a flexible protocol to account for RDP effects in the presence of fast relaxation times for arbitrary excitation pulses. To facilitate such a protocol, an approach involving direct modeling of RDP effects using estimates of the subsurface relaxation times is presented to provide more robust and accurate water content estimates under conditions representative of surface NMR.
Q-least-squares reverse time migration with viscoacoustic deblurring filters
Authors: Chen Yuqing , Dutta Gaurav , Dai Wei , Schuster Gerard T.
Published: August 2017

Viscoacoustic least-squares reverse time migration, also denoted as Q-LSRTM, linearly inverts for the subsurface reflectivity model from lossy data. Compared with conventional migration methods, it can compensate for the amplitude loss in the migrated images due to strong subsurface attenuation and can produce reflectors that are accurately positioned in depth. However, the adjoint [Formula: see text] propagators used for backward propagating the residual data are also attenuative. Thus, the inverted images from [Formula: see text]-LSRTM with a small number of iterations are often observed to have lower resolution when compared with the benchmark acoustic LSRTM images from acoustic data. To increase the resolution and accelerate the convergence of [Formula: see text]-LSRTM, we used viscoacoustic deblurring filters as a preconditioner for [Formula: see text]-LSRTM. These filters can be estimated by matching a simulated migration image to its reference reflectivity model. Numerical tests on synthetic and field data demonstrate that [Formula: see text]-LSRTM combined with viscoacoustic deblurring filters can produce images with higher resolution and more balanced amplitudes than images from acoustic RTM, acoustic LSRTM, and [Formula: see text]-LSRTM when there is strong attenuation in the background medium. Our preconditioning method is also shown to improve the convergence rate of [Formula: see text]-LSRTM by more than 30% in some cases and significantly compensate for the lossy artifacts in RTM images.
Uncertainty reduction through geologically conditioned petrophysical constraints in joint inversion
Authors: Giraud Jérémie , Pakyuz-Charrier Evren , Jessell Mark , Lindsay Mark , Martin Roland , Ogarko Vitaliy
Published: August 2017

We have developed a joint geophysical inversion workflow that aims to improve subsurface imaging and decrease uncertainty by integrating petrophysical constraints and geologic data. In this framework, probabilistic geologic modeling is used as a source of information to condition the petrophysical constraints spatially and to derive starting models. The workflow then uses petrophysical measurements to constrain the values retrieved by geophysical joint inversion. The different sources of constraints are integrated into a least-squares framework to capture and integrate information related to geophysical, petrophysical, and geologic data. This allows us to quantify the posterior state of knowledge and to calculate posterior statistical indicators. To test this workflow, using geologic field data, we have generated a set of geologic models, which we used to derive a probabilistic geologic model. In this synthetic case study, we found that the integration of geologic information and petrophysical constraints in geophysical joint inversion could reduce uncertainty and improve imaging. In particular, the use of petrophysical constraints retrieves sharper boundaries and better reproduces the statistics of the observed petrophysical measurements. The integration of probabilistic geologic modeling permits more accurate retrieval of model geometry, and it better constrains the solution while still satisfying the statistics derived from geologic data. The analysis of statistical indicators at each step of the workflow indicates that (1) the inversion methodology is effective when applied to complex geology and (2) the integration of prior information and constraints from geology and petrophysics significantly improves the inversion results while decreasing uncertainty. Finally, the analysis of uncertainty to the integration of the conditioned petrophysical constraints also indicates that, for this example, the best results are obtained for joint inversion using petrophysical constraints spatially conditioned by geologic modeling.
Therapeutic strategies for spinal muscular atrophy: SMN and beyond
Authors: Bowerman Melissa , Becker Catherina G. , Yáñez-Muñoz Rafael J. , Ning Ke , Wood Matthew J. A. , Gillingwater Thomas H. , Talbot Kevin ,   The UK SMA Research Consortium
Published: August 2017

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a devastating neuromuscular disorder characterized by loss of motor neurons and muscle atrophy, generally presenting in childhood. SMA is caused by low levels of the survival motor neuron protein (SMN) due to inactivating mutations in the encoding gene SMN1. A second duplicated gene, SMN2, produces very little but sufficient functional protein for survival. Therapeutic strategies to increase SMN are in clinical trials, and the first SMN2-directed antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy has recently been licensed. However, several factors suggest that complementary strategies may be needed for the long-term maintenance of neuromuscular and other functions in SMA patients. Pre-clinical SMA models demonstrate that the requirement for SMN protein is highest when the structural connections of the neuromuscular system are being established, from late fetal life throughout infancy. Augmenting SMN may not address the slow neurodegenerative process underlying progressive functional decline beyond childhood in less severe types of SMA. Furthermore, individuals receiving SMN-based treatments may be vulnerable to delayed symptoms if rescue of the neuromuscular system is incomplete. Finally, a large number of older patients living with SMA do not fulfill the present criteria for inclusion in gene therapy and ASO clinical trials, and may not benefit from SMN-inducing treatments. Therefore, a comprehensive whole-lifespan approach to SMA therapy is required that includes both SMN-dependent and SMN-independent strategies that treat the CNS and periphery. Here, we review the range of non-SMN pathways implicated in SMA pathophysiology and discuss how various model systems can serve as valuable tools for SMA drug discovery.
Human tissue models in cancer research: looking beyond the mouse
Authors: Jackson Samuel J. , Thomas Gareth J.
Published: August 2017

Mouse models, including patient-derived xenograft mice, are widely used to address questions in cancer research. However, there are documented flaws in these models that can result in the misrepresentation of human tumour biology and limit the suitability of the model for translational research. A coordinated effort to promote the more widespread development and use of ‘non-animal human tissue’ models could provide a clinically relevant platform for many cancer studies, maximising the opportunities presented by human tissue resources such as biobanks. A number of key factors limit the wide adoption of non-animal human tissue models in cancer research, including deficiencies in the infrastructure and the technical tools required to collect, transport, store and maintain human tissue for lab use. Another obstacle is the long-standing cultural reliance on animal models, which can make researchers resistant to change, often because of concerns about historical data compatibility and losing ground in a competitive environment while new approaches are embedded in lab practice. There are a wide range of initiatives that aim to address these issues by facilitating data sharing and promoting collaborations between organisations and researchers who work with human tissue. The importance of coordinating biobanks and introducing quality standards is gaining momentum. There is an exciting opportunity to transform cancer drug discovery by optimising the use of human tissue and reducing the reliance on potentially less predictive animal models.
Oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance: bridging ecology and physiology
Authors: Pörtner Hans-O. , Bock Christian , Mark Felix C.
Published: August 2017

Observations of climate impacts on ecosystems highlight the need for an understanding of organismal thermal ranges and their implications at the ecosystem level. Where changes in aquatic animal populations have been observed, the integrative concept of oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance (OCLTT) has successfully characterised the onset of thermal limits to performance and field abundance. The OCLTT concept addresses the molecular to whole-animal mechanisms that define thermal constraints on the capacity for oxygen supply to the organism in relation to oxygen demand. The resulting ‘total excess aerobic power budget’ supports an animal's performance (e.g. comprising motor activity, reproduction and growth) within an individual's thermal range. The aerobic power budget is often approximated through measurements of aerobic scope for activity (i.e. the maximum difference between resting and the highest exercise-induced rate of oxygen consumption), whereas most animals in the field rely on lower (i.e. routine) modes of activity. At thermal limits, OCLTT also integrates protective mechanisms that extend time-limited tolerance to temperature extremes – mechanisms such as chaperones, anaerobic metabolism and antioxidative defence. Here, we briefly summarise the OCLTT concept and update it by addressing the role of routine metabolism. We highlight potential pitfalls in applying the concept and discuss the variables measured that led to the development of OCLTT. We propose that OCLTT explains why thermal vulnerability is highest at the whole-animal level and lowest at the molecular level. We also discuss how OCLTT captures the thermal constraints on the evolution of aquatic animal life and supports an understanding of the benefits of transitioning from water to land.
Echo-acoustic scanning with noseleaf and ears in phyllostomid bats
Authors: Kugler Kathrin , Wiegrebe Lutz
Published: August 2017

The mammalian visual system is highly directional and mammals typically employ rapid eye movements to scan their environment. Both sound emission and hearing in echolocating bats are directional but not much is known about how bats use ear movements and possibly movements of the sound-emitting structures to scan space. Here, we investigated in a tightly controlled behavioural experiment how Phyllostomus discolor bats employ their echolocation system while being moved through differently structured environments: we monitored and reconstructed both a close-up of the facial structures in 3D, including the motile noseleaf and outer ears, and the sonar-beam of the bat while it was moved along reflectors. Despite the simple linear movement of the bats in the setup, the bats pointed their beam quite variably in azimuth with a standard deviation of about ±20 deg. This variation arises from yaw-type head rotations. Video analyses show that the bat's noseleaf twitches with every echolocation call. Second, we show that the bat's ears are raised to a rather stereotypical head-centred position with every echolocation call. Surprisingly, P. discolor can adjust the timing and the magnitude of these ear movements to the distance of the reflectors with millisecond precision. Our findings reveal echolocation-specific specialisations as well as general principles of scanning and stabilisation of a directional remote sense. The call-correlated movements of the facial structures may lead to a higher directionality of the echolocation system and may enable the bats to adjust their echo-acoustic gaze to dynamic environments.
Upper lethal temperatures in three cold-tolerant insects are higher in winter than in summer
Authors: Vu Henry M. , Duman John G.
Published: August 2017

Upper lethal temperatures (ULTs) of cold-adapted insect species in winter have not been previously examined. We anticipated that as the lower lethal temperatures (LLTs) decreased (by 20–30°C) with the onset of winter, the ULTs would also decrease accordingly. Consequently, given the recent increases in winter freeze–thaw cycles and warmer winters due to climate change, it became of interest to determine whether ambient temperatures during thaws were approaching ULTs during the cold seasons. However, beetle Dendroides canadensis (Coleoptera: Pyrochroidae) larvae had higher 24 and 48 h ULT50 (the temperature at which 50% mortality occurred) in winter than in summer. The 24 and 48 h ULT50 for D. canadensis in winter were 40.9 and 38.7°C, respectively. For D. canadensis in summer, the 24 and 48 h ULT50 were 36.7 and 36.4°C. During the transition periods of spring and autumn, the 24 h ULT50 was 37.3 and 38.5°C, respectively. While D. canadensis in winter had a 24 h LT50 range between LLT and ULT of 64°C, the summer range was only 41°C. Additionally, larvae of the beetle Cucujus clavipes clavipes (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) and the cranefly Tipula trivittata (Diptera: Tipulidae) also had higher ULTs in winter than in summer. This unexpected phenomenon of increased temperature survivorship at both lower and higher temperatures in the winter compared with that in the summer has not been previously documented. With the decreased high temperature tolerance as the season progresses from winter to summer, it was observed that environmental temperatures are closest to upper lethal temperatures in spring.
Imaging features of rare mesenychmal liver tumours: beyond haemangiomas
Authors: Thampy Rajesh , Elsayes Khaled M , Menias Christine O , Pickhardt Perry J , Kang Hyunseon C , Deshmukh Sandeep P , Ahmed Kareem , Korivi Brinda Rao
Published: August 2017

Tumours arising from mesenchymal tissue components such as vascular, fibrous and adipose tissue can manifest in the liver. Although histopathology is often necessary for definitive diagnosis, many of these lesions exhibit characteristic imaging features. The radiologist plays an important role in suggesting the diagnosis, which can direct appropriate immunohistochemical staining at histology. The aim of this review is to present clinical and imaging findings of a spectrum of mesenchymal liver tumours such as haemangioma, epithelioid haemangioendothelioma, lipoma, PEComa, angiosarcoma, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour, solitary fibrous tumour, leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma, Kaposi sarcoma, mesenchymal hamartoma, undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and hepatic metastases. Knowledge of the characteristic features of these tumours will aid in guiding the radiologic diagnosis and appropriate patient management.
Using sheep genomes from diverse U.S. breeds to identify missense variants in genes affecting fecundity
Authors: Heaton Michael P. , Smith Timothy P.L. , Freking Bradley A. , Workman Aspen M. , Bennett Gary L. , Carnahan Jacky K. , Kalbfleisch Theodore S.
Published: August 2017

Background:  Access to sheep genome sequences significantly improves the chances of identifying genes that may influence the health, welfare, and productivity of these animals.  

Methods:  A public, searchable DNA sequence resource for U.S. sheep was created with whole genome sequence (WGS) of 96 rams.  The animals shared minimal pedigree relationships and represent nine popular U.S. breeds and a composite line.  The genomes are viewable online with the user-friendly Integrated Genome Viewer environment, and may be used to identify and decode gene variants present in U.S. sheep.

Results:  The genomes had a combined average read depth of 16, and an average WGS genotype scoring rate and accuracy exceeding 99%.  The utility of this resource was illustrated by characterizing three genes with 14 known coding variants affecting litter size in global sheep populations:  growth and differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), and bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1B (BMPR1B).  In the 96 U.S. rams, nine missense variants encoding 11 protein variants were identified.  However, only one was previously reported to affect litter size (GDF9 V371M, Finnsheep).  Two missense variants in BMP15 were identified that had not previously been reported:  R67Q in Dorset, and L252P in Dorper and White Dorper breeds. Also, two novel missense variants were identified in BMPR1B:  M64I in Katahdin, and T345N in Romanov and Finnsheep breeds.  Based on the strict conservation of amino acid residues across placental mammals, the four variants encoded by BMP15 and BMPR1B are predicted to interfere with their function.  However, preliminary analyses of litter sizes in small samples did not reveal a correlation with variants in BMP15 and BMPR1B with daughters of these rams. 

Conclusions: Collectively, this report describes a new resource for discovering protein variants in silico and identifies alleles for further testing of their effects on litter size in U.S. breeds.
Efficiency of budgeted expenses and fiscal productivity of taxes (historical aspect)
Authors: Пушкарева В. , Pushkareva V.
Published: August 2017

In the years of recession and stagnation in the decrease in government revenues, increase budget spending, which inevitably leads to an increase in the budget deficit. Current to 2016, the situation forced the Government of the Russian Federation in the first place, firmly put the issue of optimization of expenditures of the Federal budget, and secondly on the search for additional sources of tax revenue (improving tax administration, enhancing tax collection, tax maneuvers) and non-tax revenues (privatization). The article analyzes the scientific heritage of professor F.A. Minkov (1881–1937) from the point of view of the economy of the state (budgetary) costs, including sources of revenue, reducing the costs of collection and improve fiscal productivity taxes. The insights of professor F.A. Menkovare relevant today for the effective implementation of budgetary policy in Russia.
Influence of New Technologies and Human Capital on theContribution of New Ways to Economy of Regions of Central Federal District
Authors: Басовский Леонид , Basovskiy Leonid , Басовская Елена , Basovskaya Elena
Published: August 2017

The updated econometric estimates of the influence of new technologies and human capital on the contribution of new technological structures to the per capita GDP in the regions of the Central and North-Western federal districts of Russia are obtained. The article estimates coefficients of elasticity of the contribution of new ways to GDP per capita by the use of the new technologies estimated by capital-labor ratio of work by new fixed assets and by the use of the human capital estimated by a share of busy workers with the higher education. In case of big sizes of coefficients of elasticity of the contribution of new ways to GDP per capita on the use of the new technologies estimated by capital-labor ratio of labor by new fixed assets it is reasonable to increase the investments into fixed assets of the region. In case of big sizes of coefficients of elasticity of the contribution of new ways to GDP per capita on the use of the human capital estimated by a share of busy workers with the higher education it is reasonable to increase, first of all, a share of workers with the highest education.
Changes in the Impact of New Technologies and Human Capital on the Contribution of New Ways to the Russian Economy During the Crisis Period
Authors: Левкина Наталия , Levkina Nataliya , Басовский Леонид , Basovskiy Leonid , Басовская Елена , Basovskaya Elena
Published: August 2017

Estimates of coefficients of elasticity of the contribution of new ways to GDP per capita on the use of the new technologies estimated by capital-labor ratioof work by new fixed assets and on the use of the human capital estimated by a share of busy workers with the higher education during an economic crisis are received. The received results allow estimating the change of efficiency of use of new technologies and the human capital in the country and in regions of Central Federal District during the crisis. In the majority of regions, it corresponds with all-Russian tendencies. However, in several regions elasticity of the contribution of the human capital has not decreased. These are Kaluga, Kostroma, Yaroslavl regions. Elasticity of the contribution of the human capital to GRP provided with new technological ways the Voronezh, Ryazan, Tula regions has significantly increased. In the same regions elasticity of the contribution of new business assets has decreased less considerably, than on average on the Russian regions. Identification of the reasons of this phenomenon demands an additional research.
Methodology of Institutional Traps Neutralization in USA and Canada
Authors: Стрижак Анна , Strizhak Anna
Published: August 2017

Causal connection between ineffective transitive processes in economy and institutional traps is substantiated. Institutional trap is presented as a stable inefficient institution formed by asynchrony institutional changes under conditions of transformation of social and economic systems, by hypertrophy of separate forms of behavioral forecast for economic agents at the macro level, by weakness of formal institutions and enforcement mechanism. Institutes providing effective economic development of USA and Canada are found out. The characteristics of the institutions providing effective economic development of the successful North American countries is given: peculiarities and reforms, the most developed sectors of economy, anti-corruption measures, anti-bureaucratic measures, taxation, education, enforcement, technical means of control, informal institutions. A set of institutions for newly developing economies based on the analysis of institutions providing effective economic development of the successful countries is formed. The conclusion about the necessity of engagement of effective reforms experience from successful North American states, taking into account institution’s peculiarities of countries with developing markets is made.
Features of Entrepreneurs’ Representation of Their Projects on Crowdfunding Sites and the Investor’s Choice of Crowdfunding Projects for Financing
Authors: Рукавишников Сергей , Rukavishnikov Sergey
Published: August 2017

The paper describes the existing features of the entrepreneurs’ representation of their projects for financing on crowdfunding sites. Recommendations are presented that increase the chances of entrepreneurs to successfully attract funds from potential investors. Recommendations for potential investors are also presented, allowing to identify projects with potentially higher chances for successful launch of a project and the release of a product or service to the market. The motivation for crowdfunding sites for training entrepreneurs is highlighted and the tools which are used in the learning process are described. Also in the article considers an example of the crowdfunding market development — the emergence of valuation companies offering services to entrepreneurs in the field of assessing the realistic attainment of the declared results. The goals of such companies and the conditions for cooperation with them are described with a specific example.